We've been training for forever now!
Well, okay, maybe just a few months. But Champ has grown so much stronger! He learned this crazy new move where his teeth light up and then he just destroys everything! Only the stronger rattata who also know the glowy-teeth move want to challenge him now. It's actually kind of a problem, because battles with the strong rattata are really close and tire Champ out for the rest of the day. It would be easier if he could keep fighting the less tough rattata, but it wouldn't be right for him to beat them up even if he stopped when they fainted because then they would be too tired to find food that day and then some other pokemon would beat them up too and then they'd starve.
Recently I got an idea, though. After Champ beats a weak rattata, I give it enough food to get its strength back. I'm really glad Mom's friends with one of the chefs, because otherwise we wouldn't be able to get all these leftovers. I can't take too many though, or Mom might get suspicious. I don't want her to know what Champ and I are doing in case we fail. She's noticed me taking more food, but so far she just thinks I have a growth spurt.
Winter is almost over, and I've been thinking it would be best to leave in the spring. That way it wouldn't be cold, but it wouldn't be that hot either. I'm trying to figure out a way to tell Mom and Dad. I want to prove to them we're strong enough, so today Champ and I are gonna test ourselves outside the city.
The gate guard gives us a suspicious look as we leave the city, but we ignore him. Route 4 is a sandy mess. My hair starts flying all over and Champ lets out an irritated chitter.
"Let's get this over with," I mumble, and Champ agrees. He runs right off the road into a patch of brush. "Wait up!"
I hurry after him.
By the time I'm there Champ's already found someone to fight. It's a sandile. Sammy's told me all sorts of things about sandiles and I know she was probably lying so I shouldn't be worried, but now the sandile is staring at us with its eyes gleaming and I'm a bit nervous. Just a bit. Sandile opens its mouth in a lazy yawn and I see its teeth. They're really sharp, but not as strong as Champ's teeth, I bet. That makes me feel better.
"Go, Champ!" I say. Champ comes forward and twitches his whiskers threateningly at the sandile, who closes its mouth. Sandile starts to flick up sand at us, like there's not enough sand in the air already! "Champ, tackle it fast!"
Champ moves quickly, knocking that sandile right on its back. "Bite it hard," I tell him. Champ's teeth light up and he gets the sandile good, right on the stomach. The sandile twitches and the next second all this sand starts coming up from the ground, surrounding rattata like a whirlpool! I've never seen a pokemon do anything like that and I don't know how to help. Just as I'm standing there like an idiot, the sand settles back down and I can see Champ, looking tired. He's got sand all in his fur. He'd probably look funny if I weren't so worried.
"Come on Champ!" I say, trying not to sound nervous. "Fast tackle again!" Champ gets up and starts to run towards sandile, but as he's getting close, the sand covers him again. This time I run forward too, thinking that maybe I should dig him out and we should run, but the sand goes away quicker this time and Champ doesn't look much worse off. "Can you get it?" I ask.
"Tatta," Champ says loudly. He's close, and this time the sand doesn't stop his tackle. The sandile goes flying back a few feet and he doesn't get up. We wait for a moment, expecting him to move, but when he doesn’t I realize we've beaten the sandile!
"Champ," I say, "you're the best!"
In response, his ears and whispers perk up, so I know he's happy.
"Hey, are you okay, though? Did the sand get in your throat?"
Champ shakes his head. Well, that's good. But I still plan on giving him a long brushing when we get back.
The sandile stirs a bit, and I realize I haven't given it any food like I usually do after we win. I almost don't want to, because it gave me such a scare with the sand. But then I think I'm being stupid. If I spent more time here, I'd probably know all about the sand. So I stick some food close to sandile, but not too close. Even though sandile looks beat, I'm still a bit nervous about the sand.
"Guess we should head back home?" I say to Champ.
"Tatta," he agrees. "Rat-ratta-tat, rat-tat-tatta!"
I pick him up and spin around a bit. He glares at me, but he doesn't bite, so I know he's just pretending to be mad.
"We did it," I say.
But I know this is only the first step.
"You're crazy," Sammy says.
I stick my tongue out at her. Then I realize I'm acting like a kid, not a trainer, so I try to look stern or something. It doesn't really work, cause Sammy starts to giggle a bit.
"I'm not joking," I tell her. "Don't laugh."
She stops giggling and looks at me close. "You're not joking? But, Lena, I'm not joking either. That's crazy."
"You don't think we can do it?'" I ask her, but really I'm not asking. I'm kinda mad.
"You don't know too much about trainers, kay?" Sammy says. "I do. You see stuff working at a pokecenter. You thought about what happens if you lose? You're stuck out in the wild with no pokemon to protect you. And whoever you lose to can take your money, all of it! I mean, they wouldn't if you've got whatsit—identification, right, but if you just look like a street rat with a pokemon, then I don't see what would stop them. It's not safe."
"Sure it's safe," I say. "If it wasn't safe, why would so many kids go for it? They don't need money or anything ‘cause they have nice clothes. They do it for fun. They wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe."
"It's safe for them," Sammy says patiently, like she always does when she knows better. "They look like trainers. No one bothers real trainers."
That's true enough. Trainers walk around like they're some sort of royalty, like we’re still back when Unova had a king and queen.
"Once I've won a few battles, then I can buy trainer stuff."
"Once you've won a few battles," Sammy repeats. "Do you really think you can win one?"
"Yeah," I say. "Me and Champ have trained hard—"
"So have the other trainers. And they have pokemon raised for pokemon battles. They have rare, strong, special pokemon."
"Champ may not be rare or special," I say, "But he's strong. And Sammy? None of those other trainers—what I mean is, they're doing this because it's fun. Champ and I are doing this because we need to."
Sammy's quiet for a moment. Maybe she's thinking about how she'll get a job waitressing one day if she's lucky. Then she smiles, but smiles sort of sad and sort of angry. "Bust them all up for me, will you?"
"I will," I tell her. Then I look down at Champ and correct myself. "We will."
My parents take it quietly.
"Lena," Dad starts, looking confused. "Do you really think—?"
"Champ's strong," I tell him. "We're even beating pokemon outside the city."
Well, one sandile and a small scraggy we fought the next day, but same thing.
"Don't you have to register somewhere . . .?" Dad asks, trailing off.
"No." It's Mom. She sounds thoughtful, which is good. If Mom told me I couldn't go, or that I couldn't do it, then I wouldn't, because I trust Mom when she tells me no. "The laws have changed since we were young. And battle chivalry does ensure a kind of fair play."
I'm not exactly sure what "chivalry" means, but I don't want to say. I'm pretty sure Mom's agreeing.
"So I can go?"
Mom and Dad exchange a Look.
"Why don't you wash the dishes while we talk?"
I make a face. "You just want to talk about it when I'm not here."
"That's right," Dad says, smiling at me. "Off you go, then."
I start to leave with loud stomping sounds, then remember I'm supposed to be acting like a trainer, not a kid. I lift my head up and stand very straight. "Come along, Champ," I say. "We are going to do the dishes."
"Ratta-tatta," Champ says.
Most of the time I can hear everything that goes on in the house, since there's only really the kitchen, the bathroom, and the big room where we sleep, but with the water running I can't hear anything. Parents are sort of sneaky, I guess.
By the time Mom and Dad call me back, I've finished the dishes and I'm playing with Champ. Mom comes in first. I can't tell anything from her face. She and Dad sit on the ground next to me.
"By league standards you're old enough," Mom says. She means that I'm ten and eight months. You can leave on your journey as early as ten.
"Reshiram knows, you've seen more bad weather than most of the brats out there," Dad adds.
"I'm not going to lie," Mom says. "If you can pull this off, it would mean a lot to us." For a moment she frowns and I can see that she's getting older. Soon they won't want her as a waitress at the cafe. Experience is one thing, Mom told me once, but a pretty face is another. And Dad's been having problems with his back lately. That's probably ‘cause he spends so much time moving lumber at the docks, but if he can't bend well then he can't work.
Castelia's the greatest city in the world, but it's not cheap staying here.
"I know, Mom," I say, reaching out a hand to pet Champ. Champ's fur always makes me feel better.
"But Lena," Mom continues. "It's clear to me you love Champ. You may love being a trainer. And if you find something you love, nothing will make us happier."
"We're proud of you now," Dad says. "We'll always stay proud of you, no matter how this works out."
I don't know how to look at them, so I just keep petting Champ. He snuggles closer. "Thanks guys," I manage to say. "But I am gonna do good. And then you guys won't have to worry so much."
Then Mom's hugging really tight. "You shouldn't be worrying about us," she tells me. "Worrying is our job. Your job is to be a great trainer. Now come on, tell me how you met Champ here. Tell me how you've been training."
I wipe away some wet I hadn't even realized was on my face and take a deep breath. "Okay. It's a long story?"
"We've got all night," Dad says. He makes a show of crossing his legs and leaning forward.
"Well, it started in the sewers," I begin, sitting up and letting Champ hop to my side to help me act our first meeting out.
Champ and I go on speaking, and sometime in the middle of me talking I notice that I'm smiling and that my face is all dry. We’re huddled close, Mom and Dad and Champ and me, and I sort of feel like things might be okay.
Leaving almost feels too easy.
I mean, Mom hugs me and Dad hugs me and Sammy gives me a flying tackle which I think was a hug, but hugs aren’t new. I get hugs all the time.
Mom and Dad and Sammy aren't the only ones I say bye to. There's the other sewer kids, those funny dancers I used to tease, that crazy guy who hangs out in our alley who I think sells drugs, but he always liked Champ so I liked him—but they aren't people who'll miss me if I'm gone. It's sort of a lonely thought. So many people live in this city, but only three will really miss me.
Mom had packed me up lunch and some food that should keep long enough for me to get to the next pokemon center. The idea of a pokemon center meal keeps getting me really excited. They have a buffet, that's what Sammy said. You get a tray and go up, and take whatever you want. And you can come back for more, all free! I told Sammy she was totally lying but she swore that she wasn't.
Mom and Dad had something else to give me, once I'd packed my clothes and my jacket. Dad carefully took a box out from his pocket. He offered it to me.
"A gift?" I said. "Really? Can I?" I don't really get gifts often. Mom and Dad try on the holidays, but I told Mom back when I was seven and starting to know things that I'd like it better if she saved and got me a real blue jacket like in the stores. Well, she did, and I love my jacket almost the best of all, so I think that was smart of me.
I took the lid off and then I didn't say anything because it's beautiful. Champ nibbled at my leg a bit because he wanted to see. Slowly, I bent down until I'm on my knees. I lay it out on the ground, respectful-like. Then it struck me that maybe the ground was too dirty. I put it back on top of the box fast.
"Lookit, Champ," I said.
"Rat-tat-rat!" he said.
"I know the C-Gear is popular nowadays," Mom said, sounding sorry. "But this'll have to do. It's been passed down in your dad's family. Stopped working, of course, but we found a friend who got it started."
It was a watch, an old-fashioned one, with an hour, minutes, and second hand, with a bright metal lid that I could click open and shut. There were little pictures scratched out on the lid of two great dragons, their heads held high.
"It's beautiful," I told Mom and Dad. "It's so nice. Like—" I tried to explain, "like it's a thing someone important would have."
"Rat-rat!" Champ said loudly. He pushed his face into my side so that I fell over onto the floor.
"Okay, I'm being silly," I told him. "Hey, stop!" Champ was brushing his whiskers against my face and I'm sort of ticklish so I started laughing so hard, I was just flailing on the floor. At some point Dad moved the watch somewhere safe so I don't crush it. "Thank you." I remembered to say between my laughter.
"You're welcome," Mom said. She brushed a hair out of my face and blinked very fast for a moment. "We'll miss you, sweetling."
"Yeah," I said, sitting up and pushing Champ away. "I'll miss you guys too."
I swallow as Champ and I leave the city again. Route 4 is the same sandy mess, but this time I'm just looking up and up the road. I don't have a map, but the way seems clear enough that only an idiot would get lost, and somewhere up there is Nimbasa City.
I take a deep breath and stop slouching. I raise my head and with a gesture Champ comes to my side. I'm thinking that I'm not just Lena anymore.
Now I'm Lena, pokemon trainer.
