NebulaDreams
Ace Trainer
- Partners
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Okay, thanks a ton for the reviews! I'm floored by all the new readers' reactions to these, and I'm glad they came across well!
Hmm, it's hard to think of this as an older work, though it is something that's been going on since April 2018. The framework is still there and the basic plot is the same, but there were a lot of tweak to the characterization and scene details in between revisions, most prominently in this new revision I've been posting to TR since last August.
Hmm, yes, I wonder how the 'evil-ish-sounding science labs' will go down, hehe. Well, expect the unexpected, as they say. But I'm really glad the worldbuilding details felt natural as well.
Yeah, it's a bit of a tough call. This chapter was originally shorter, but for this revision, it ended up being somewhere around 8k words, which is pretty long as first chapters go. I do try to make each scene count even if the pacing is a lot more steady than other works.
I've met a few people that've said the same thing, so it's kind of strange that that feeling is universal.
Just when you couldn't hate Dad even more, he's also immune to your insults.
Yup, especially considering Curio's situation as well as her being a Pokemon. It's hard to break away from the pack.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll react to the later chapters when this running commentary with characters becomes a bigger feature in the prose. I was thinking of something like The Princess Bride for these sections at the time of writing if I recall correctly.
Hmm, I never thought of it that way before, but that's a good way of looking at it. Mind you, I sort of live in my head too, so sometimes, I think I'd need someone to kick my ass to pull me back in.
Kintsugi pointed out something similar, but yeah, I see a lot of potential in canon for stuff that could be taken further, which also serves as the reason I started this fic in the first place.
Yup, teaching and management is harder than a lot of people seem to think. I haven't taught any classes myself, but I have been on the receiving end where teachers clearly know their salt but can't relate to the other students.
That's something I hadn't thought about either, though she does get her slang/accent from someone else later on.
Yup, this series has been a major inspiration narratively speaking, but I think at the time I started writing the fic, including this chapter, I thought a lot about the themes of music and how they would factor into the scene. Mind you, this dance scene between the two was a new addition for this revision, but it still popped up in various other places in previous revisions.
Luxray could be a new anti-depressant drug.
Chapter 13. The Reason We're Here, I Guess
My family waited with bated breath for me to arrive on the shore. To sum it up, Dad got his blue panties in a bunch about the pair on the boat, but when Azzy explained himself, he only nodded and thanked them before telling them to leave. I waved back at them as they set sail, and once everyone was done giving me affectionate hugs and kisses, thanking the White God I was safe, Dad grounded me from the shore.
Of course, that didn’t stop me since I had plans later on. You could never keep me in one place for too long after all. Thoughts of the duo stayed with me all day, and over a quiet dinner, I considered what Azzy had said.
I had a definite chance to escape that time. I was given the opportunity to eat something else other than fish all day, everyday, to do something else other than lounge about all day, everyday, and possibly meet new people rather than being stuck with my family, all day, everyday. Even without that, the chance to learn the human tongue enticed me. I thought back to my previous encounters and how nice it would've been to speak for myself. Maybe things could've been different with that Prinplup encounter had I explained myself to their trainer and smoothed things out with Dad. Maybe I could've understood why that crazy couple was so scared of me. All of that sold me on paper.
In actuality, though, a weight clamped down on my chest. And no, it wasn't due to almost drowning, but the prospect of never seeing my family again if it meant going away. I didn't have anything against the rest of my siblings or even Dad, but I could've done without them. Trunks and Mom, though, were the only ones that showed me proper support. If I didn't have them around, I wouldn't know who else to turn to.
I carried those thoughts with me even past dinner and throughout story time, and as I tried to go to sleep, I tossed and turned in my patch of grass.
Trunks took the hint something was up since he patted my side, waking me up out of my half-sleep.
"Do you want to talk about this in our usual spot?"
The lake it was. At that time, everything was pitch black. We tiptoed through the forestry, listening for the different sounds in the terrain to guide us there, and I guess I must've taken one step forward too many as Trunks held me back from falling into the drink. We sat by the bank as I coursed my paw through the surface of the darkened water. Even in the night, I got a good look at bro’s face, which was a bit apprehensive.
"You're thinking about escaping with the couple that brought you back," Trunks said.
"Nothing gets past you.”
"You're set to meet them again tomorrow, is that it?"
"Yeah, and?"
"And...” he trailed off, rubbing his paws, “I want to come with you."
"Off the island?"
"No, just with them. I want to see what they have planned for you. Think, sis--” he placed his paw on my lap-- “don't you think it sounds suspicious?"
"Maybe. Well, they did save me, after all."
"True. But, let's say you did get off the island with them and they kept their promise about teaching you whatever it is that needed teaching. You might not have the chance to see us again."
"I know that.” I sighed. “Sorry, bro, It’s not like I don’t...” I trailed off. It wasn’t like I wanted to leave them behind. With bro there, I felt bad for even considering it, but I also felt trapped there, and that things were getting worse. I took my legs out of the water and cuddled them for comfort. “I dunno what to do.”
"Well,” Trunks said, patting my shoulder, “we'll find out tomorrow. Maybe we should rest on it for now, okay?"
“I-I can’t. I dunno if I can sleep tonight. I keep thinkin’ and thinkin’ and--”
“Here.” He held my paws together and smiled. “I know a trick. Can you count? I think I might’ve taught you how.”
I held my paw out in front of me and remembered I had three digits. “So one, two, three.” I flexed each digit down.
“Yes. Try to do it in your head--” to punctuate this, he tapped his temple-- “and go one Mareep, two Mareep, three Mareep...”
–-
That trick worked. I was able to sleep easily that night, but awoke to the rain the next day. Everyone except for Dad huddled under a tarp roof; another human invention we mostly took for granted. As the air was considerably chillier, the two youngest clutched Mom for warmth, while Trunks stayed by my side, making sure I was comfortable.
“Mom,” Trunks asked, “did you get that thing back?”
“Oh yeah, hold on.” She reached into her curiosity box, and to my surprise, handed me back the sketchpad. I grabbed it instantly, clutching it like a Magikarp.
“Thanks, Mama!” I said. “But… why? Didn’t Papa take it away?”
“Never mind L--, I mean, your father,” she said. Before I had the chance to ask why she hesitated, she continued. “I’m not having any of his attitude. If he does something like that again, just know me and your brother have your back, got that?”
My worries from yesterday lifted, and I went over to hug her, fighting for space alongside those two shivering urchins.
“Where is he anyway?” Trunks said. “I can’t imagine he’d be comfortable out in the rain like this.”
“Oh, who knows? He’s probably off brooding in a ditch somewhere. Just let him be, I’d rather not deal with him when he’s like this.”
“So you were arguing again.” There was sadness in Trunks’ tone.
“Sorry. I know it’s hard on you, but please, hold on a little while longer. I don’t want things to end badly between me and him.”
Trunks stayed silent. I didn’t really understand the turmoil surrounding Mom and Dad at that time, but with the strong presence of the aura floating around, I couldn’t help but feel saddened as well. That changed when Trunks patted my back, taking me by surprise. He held out some sort of contraption, presumably from that box, and stood up.
“Mom, we’re going to the shore. I know she’s grounded, but there’s business to take care of.”
She winked at the both of us, and from that, I understood she kept her word when she had my back. We weaved through the forest, where the storm pitter-pattered against the treetops, providing us with shelter at first. Once we were out in the open, we would’ve been pelted by the rain if Trunks hadn’t opened that contraption, which expanded to create a barrier from the storm, like the tarp in the base. Of course, it was an umbrella, but I didn’t know that yet. We both sat on the rocks, Trunks holding the umbrella over us both while I doodled the time away. He’d make the occasional grunt of approval here and there at my work, but for the most part, we just soaked in the silence, literally.
The waves crashed against my paws, shocking me with its sudden iciness. Trunks took my hand and moved me back a few paces. In front of us, the ocean seemed to wobble like jelly, making all sorts of tiny movements until a huge head emerged from the surface.
Blue, with a crown-like appendage sticking out of its forehead, and with its body snaking out behind it as large white fins on its back popped out as well. Dozens of Magikarp popped out of the water too, staring daggers at us, if fish daggers were a thing. Images of the drowning incident flashed in my head, and my mind raced to all sorts of conclusions.
The Magikarp had probably summoned their pack leader, or whatever, and after their failed attempt to get their own back at me for eating their kind, they probably wanted revenge. With this huge, screw-off monster by their side, we wouldn’t have been any match for them. We were doomed. And so, we were all gobbled up in turn, falling into a watery grave.
Just kidding. Instead, the monster’s red eyes widened and smiled through its large mouth.
“Ah, how are you, my boy? I haven’t seen you since you were a Riolu!” he said in a deep yet friendly tone. In response, Trunks bowed to him, and oddly enough, pinched my side in an effort for me to do the same.
“I’ve been better, Cecrops.”
“Cecrops? What crops? W-what’s going on?”
“And you, girl.” He poked his head closer to the shore. I would’ve bolted if Trunks hadn’t held me back. “I believe you were still an egg when I last visited. My, you’ve certainly grown. And look at those lovely green eyes as well! You clearly took after her!”
“W-wait!” I turned to Trunks, wanting answers right away. “H-he knows us?”
“Oh.” Trunks held both of my shoulders. “I should explain. Do you remember the story Mom told you about the sea serpent?”
It didn’t hit me right away, but when I recited the poem in my head, I squealed in surprise.
“He is a legend in some way, but that’s beside the point. Long ago, before you hatched, this Gyarados helped carry us over to this island. It was mostly Dad’s decision, but me and Mom wanted to get away from the mainland too for a little bit, so we hopped on his back, he led us here, and left.” He glanced over to the giant head, which was still jarring to look at. “I thought I smelled a fishy aura here.”
Cecrops guffawed. “Indeed, you did! I have been busy, visiting Alola with my students, but I thought I’d pay some of the other island residents a visit as well. All of them are living peacefully.”
“Wait,” I said, “there’s more of us on those other islands?”
“Indeed. Not just you Pokemon, but humans too. They really like their remote hideouts.”
So I hadn’t been far away from them the whole time. If I’d known that before, I would’ve swum over there long ago, but then I took the Magikarp attack into account. I stared at each of his supposed students, who watched us expectantly, and suddenly, my stomach twisted into knots. If they were the same Magikarp we’d feasted on the whole time, then they were probably responsible for swarming over me as well. I fell to my knees, doubling over in guilt.
“P-please don’t eat me.”
“Oh, child,” Cecrops said, “whatever are you talking about?”
“I, no, we’ve been eatin’ those Magikarp the whole time without a second thought! Isn’t that why you attacked me?”
His Magikarp school gave each other weird looks.
“Oh, no, don’t be silly. They weren’t responsible for it. I can assure you, none of my students have ever been close to any of the islands without my say-so. They know the risks if they stray too far. They all have developing minds of their own, even if they can only vocalise underwater.”
“But what about the rest?”
“I can explain.” The Gyarados frowned. “There are fish farms owned by humans all over Sinnoh, which are enclosed spaces for the purpose of growing and harvesting livestock. Magikarp are considered one of them. They’re bred in the farms for the purpose of being cooked one day, and being engineered at birth, they’re nothing more than mindless beasts, incapable of thought, just like the livestock bred on the mainland as well.” He lowered his head along with his tone, staring at the rippling water. “Those that escape swim the seas with no purpose other than to survive, and don’t listen to my warnings. The ones from there probably saw you as a threat and attacked you.”
“Fish. Farms.” His explanation probably made me more nauseous. My throat tensed, and bro was there to make sure I didn’t heave or anything. It was a lot to take in at once. I couldn’t grasp the scale of those supposed fish farms, or the concept of breeding Pokemon specifically to be eaten. I didn’t want to know any more.
“Stop, please,” Trunks said. “Sis wouldn’t know a lot about that yet, she’s barely aware of the human world as is.”
“Alright, I apologise.” Cecrops craned his head to me next. “Child, I hope you can forgive us for what happened. I would’ve saved you anyway if that Azumarill hadn’t cast that bubble first. If you had drowned and one of my pupils were responsible, I would be ashamed.”
After calming myself down, I looked at Cecrops once more and nodded.
“It wasn’t your fault. I wanna apologise for eatin’ those Magikarp, too. It can’t be nice, knowing what people are doin’ to them.”
He gave a hollow chuckle. “I’ve accepted that fact long ago. It’s just the cycle of life, or the great chain of being, if you believe in the White God’s rule. But maybe, that’s a bit too much for you to grasp.” He lowered his forehead to the shore, gesturing me to touch it. I ran my paw through the scales, which were rough, but smooth at the same time, and even in the rain, they glowed like crystals. “You are a kind soul, however. That will get you very far in the right places, even in wild territories. If you ever find yourself in trouble at sea again, I will come to your aid.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly, Cecrops backed away, and his pupils disappeared underwater.
“We appear to have more visitors. Well, I will be around Sinnoh, so I will catch up with you again later, fellow Lucario and Riolu. I wish the best for both you children, and the rest of the family.”
We waved him goodbye and he disappeared into the water along with his students, leaving us two, the pattering rain on the sea, and the boat from before heading towards us. Somehow, the prospect of two complete strangers visiting our island was even less of a surprise than this huge sea serpent popping up out of nowhere. That blue rabbit was the first to step off the boat as he approached us. His human had a yellow raincoat on, but being the water-type he was, Azzy probably thrived in those wet conditions.
"Well!” he said, “imagine seeing that Gyarados again, but hello there!” He smiled to me first, then looked to Trunks. “And you must be her father?"
"Brother," he said, crossing his arms.
"Ah, sorry, now I remember.” His ears twitched as he looked over to the forest behind us. “What about the rest of your family?”
“Never mind that, I’ll stand in for them. Let me just say this, though.” Trunks glared at them both, baring his fangs. “If you and that human are up to no good, especially towards Sis here, I'll show no mercy. I'll know in an instant."
"If we were up to anything like that, you would’ve known by now, I can assure you. But, hmm, are you fine with just your brother, Miss Riolu?”
“I don’t mind,” I said.
“Good. Well, hope on board then, you two.”
He led the way to the deck as we stepped off of the shore, guiding us to the inner part of the boat, which was protected from the rain. That tapping against the roof was somewhat soothing, but not so soothing as the aroma in the middle of the deck. There was a table where a basket lay with that familiar cocoa flask. My mouth was watering already.
"Are you taking us away from here?" Trunks asked, leering at Azzy.
"There’s not much reason to. We only just came here to talk.”
“Then tell that human to power the boat and find a spot in the middle of the sea. There’s someone on the island that might interrupt us if we hang around here. Can you do that?”
I gathered he meant Dad. In any case, Azzy nodded and went to the upper deck where Mack commanded over the boat. While he was gone, I steadied myself on the seat, trying not to feel dizzy with how the room rocked back and forth, even more so when it powered up, taking us away from the island. Once I calmed my nerves, I kept staring at the middle of the table. There was clearly food in there with a distinct scent different from the Magikarp, but it hadn’t been opened yet. I almost reached my paw out to reveal its contents when Trunks tapped my wrist. I resisted long enough for the blue rabbit to return, joining us on the table.
“Now. I was kind of hoping the rest of your family could’ve shared this, but we brought something you both might like anyway.”
He opened the basket to reveal lots of different kinds of foodstuffs. Well, maybe not lots, but lots considering what I usually ate before then. There were sandwiches, rice cakes, different types of berries, Pokepuffs, poffins, wrapped candy, you name it. Maybe more. You could've probably fed a Snorlax with that much food. Heck, I could’ve turned into one if it meant gobbling up all that grub.
"Would you like to dig in?"
"Woah," I said, pointing at every item on display, "is this all for us?"
"But of course, there's plenty to go around."
It didn't take long for me to stuff my face with sandwiches. They tasted different to the ones I had before, except a bit meatier, but still, I enjoyed it, and waved a bit of bread to Trunks.
"Haff some, ith goof."
"I'll pass," he replied, waving a paw dismissively. I shrugged, continuing my sandwich binge, and Azzy helped himself to a riceball.
"I take it you like those then?" he said.
"Love 'em. Much better than the stinkin’ fish we usually have."
"Oh please," Trunks said, "they’re hardly stinking at all." He put up that tough act, sure, but in truth, he hungrily stared down the feast before us. I knew from his aura he longed for it, but was just waiting for the right moment to join in.
"Whatever," I said, wolfing down another sandwich.
“Ahem,” Azzy said. “Is there anything you'd like, mister Lucario? We have chocolate."
Snap. Like a fire lighting up in his head, Trunks cast his glum self aside and licked his lips.
"W-where?"
"Right here." Azzy retrieved a bar and gave it to Trunks. The instant he got his paws on it, he tore through the wrapper and bit off a huge chunk for himself. He looked the happiest since I got him drunk off his ass earlier on. Naturally, I asked for some too. He shook himself out of his choco-coma and broke off a piece for me to try. Need I say more about what I thought of it?
Oh, and if you’re wondering, a way to a Lucario's heart is through chocolate. It works for both men and us ladies.
(Sorry to interrupt so out of the blue like this, but that’s a myth.)
Uh, Shine?
(Wait, Curio, I need to say this. The chocolate is only made to be addictive to your kind in particular because of that whole product placement with Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Since its appearance in that film, they made a new recipe to appeal to the Lucario crowd with their trainers, then their sales tripled and now that brand owns the monopoly on chocolate manufacturing worldwide. Nothing sells chocolate faster than a dead Lucario, I suppose. Sorry, I get so riled up whenever I think about that.)
Okay. You could’ve just let me have this, Shine, but I guess that’s another perfectly innocent thing that’s forever ruined for me. Well anyway.
The boat must've stopped since Mack sat down with us, no longer at the helm. He got himself a sandwich and told Azzy something, although I couldn't hear what, and Trunks kept his guard, albeit with chocolate melting in his paw.
"So, mister Lucario," Azzy said, "we’re a part of an organisation called Gestalt Learning, and we'd like to offer this Riolu here a special opportunity if you or your family would allow it."
"Depends," Trunks said.
"We would like her to come with us, to a place where she can learn the same things humans get to learn and more.”
Trunks’ ears perked up, though he kept on listening while Azzy continued.
“Not only will she get to learn the human tongue, she will also learn many other things about this world and be prepared for whatever trials come her way once she graduates."
"Meaning?"
Azzy looked down at the notebook I put beside me.
"She could learn to draw, for instance, and have her work put out for all to see."
Trunks shook his head. "As much as I’d like her to improve her craft, I'm not letting her come with you just for that, not on Mom’s life."
I stood up and held a paw to him.
"Hey," I said, "don't I get a say in this?"
"Not if that's all there is; it's a waste of time."
"Not only that," Azzy continued, "but she would also be skilled at battle and given the ability to defend herself from anything when she leaves. Or if she ever wants to come with a trainer after she's finished."
"No.” He gave them the familiar red-eyed stare. "Out of the question. We didn't get away from those… them, just so we could have one take her."
"Understandable.” Azzy rubbed his paws. “In fact, I agree with you there. The trainer system is, well, not very good, but that’s one thing we’d like to change. It only really works when both the trainer and Pokemon are able to thrive and not just survive.”
Trunks put the chocolate aside and crossed his arms. “You have a good point. But what else is there for her?”
“There are many other paths she could choose from. She would not only learn the human tongue, she would also learn maths, know about the history of this world, and much more. This means she could go on to teach other Pokemon like us the same set of skills. She could even live in the city by herself if she wanted to."
Trunks just laughed. It was always worrying when someone as straight-laced as him broke that image.
"Don't be ridiculous. You think every Pokemon could just waltz into the city and live like every other human?”
“Well, wouldn’t you want to do the same if you could?”
Bro opened his mouth, about to argue back, but closed it and tilted his head. “Yes. I’d love to. But that’s just wishful thinking, isn’t it?”
"No it isn’t," Azzy said with a smile. "There's an Infernape named Emma who teaches at one of the top trainer schools in Jubilife City, and she’s able to live by herself. The teacher's union managed to approve her move-in with the help of her former trainer, and she's able to rent an apartment with her pay."
I didn't really know what they were talking about so I tuned out and looked to my brother, whose mouth went agape. He held a paw to his face, deep in thought.
"That sounds too good to be true. Surely that can't be the case, not while many other Pokemon are either in the wild or stuck with their trainers."
Azzy frowned. "Sadly, that is still a problem. While she is a rare breed, she isn’t a unique case. We’ve seen what regular people can achieve by making the effort to educate Pokemon on their own terms, and that only shows it can be done on a wider scale if we put the effort in." Azzy stood up, his bobble-headed tail proudly wagging behind him. "Think of what we could do if we were all given this chance. Wouldn't you want her to have the same opportunity?"
Trunks looked over to me, then stared at his feet.
"Of course. But what does this mean for her? Where would she even go?"
"She would stay with us in a building made for her and other Pokemon her age to thrive. She would live peacefully among them while she studies, and be given whatever help she needs to progress. She would have tutors like me to give her advice and to bridge the gap between her and the humans. We would be with her every step of the way."
"For how long? Would we ever see her again?"
"Possibly. Keep in mind this is meant to be secret, something we can't tell a lot of humans. We can't give our location away, but we can track yours and give you updates on how she's doing, and allow you two to talk even without having to see each other face to face.”
“You mean through a phone?”
“Exactly, and this would go on for five years until she's ready to graduate."
"That's, um, that's a long time."
Trunks buried his head in his paws. I inched closer to him and embraced him, as I felt a whirlwind of emotions from his aura, all fighting for attention, so much so that there wasn’t anything to latch onto. Azzy came closer to him too and held his paw out.
"I know this isn't easy for you, as her brother, but this is the only way it can be done with how we run things. If you want to give this bright, young Pokemon the chance to succeed, I need your trust and confidence.” He closed his eyes and hummed to himself. “But whatever you choose, we’ll respect your wishes.”
Trunks was silent for a moment. Being young and not in the loop on things, I couldn't add to much, only observing what happened without my say. He clenched his fists again, this time tugging at his head, if only for a short moment. Eventually, Trunks snapped out of it and gazed back at the Azumarill.
“There’s one more thing I need to know before I make up my mind. If we say no, what’s stopping you from taking her by force, or any other Pokemon that gets involved with you two?”
“You’re right to be sceptical. If we wanted to kidnap our subjects, we would’ve done so by now, but doing that would go against our mission. If you say no, we’ll just take you back and move on. What’s the point of making Pokemon participate in a program like this if they’re not going to be happy being in it in the first place?”
Trunks laid back and stared at the ceiling. In turn, I stared too, though there wasn’t much to look at, just the grey, metallic finish of the boat. For what he was thinking, I couldn’t quite place. About myself, well, now I heard more of their plans, it was easier to decide between going and staying. Ultimately, Trunks fixed his eyes onto the duo again, his gaze no longer threatening.
"Alright, I trust you, but I need my own family's trust as well. When can you come back?"
"How about tonight, at the same spot when it approaches sundown? That will give you plenty of time to discuss it more with those important to you. Alright with you two?"
I nodded, while Trunks gave a rare smile and returned Azzy's long awaited paw-shake.
"That sounds great."
The boat purred again and we were on our way back to the island, eating as we pleased as well as downing the leftovers with cocoa. Nothing better on a rainy day, if you ask me. Me and Trunks didn't talk much about what happened, just staring homeward as we slowly approached it, but I knew a lot went through my head at the time even if I didn't understand half of what Azzy talked about. All of it sounded far out of reach, as nothing I knew like that even existed. From my brother's reaction, I guess it scored well with him so I didn't worry about it too much. I just looked forward to flying away from the nest.
We stopped at the shore and waved to the duo as they left for the second time. It was just us alone again. I reached up to Trunk's back, trying to get his attention, he picked me up with those big paws of his and put me on his shoulders, carrying me as we went back into the forest. It had been a while since anybody had carried me; not even Dad bothered. It was nice, though. That's what I kind of miss about being small, so someone else could give me Grumpiggy-back rides like that, but oh well. Can’t linger on my childhood forever, you know.
We crossed a stream together and walked through the familiar areas of endless woodland with the rain pelting the treetops. Although I longed for my brother’s approval, I still didn’t know what his thoughts on it were, exactly.
“Bro,” I said, “what do you think I should do?”
He sighed, but didn’t reply. I decided to read his aura up close, and detected a mixture of emotions in the air. Excitement. Fear. Longing. Those made sense if it turned out I would be going. But then I read jealousy, anger and sadness. That was something I hadn’t anticipated, so I nudged his back.
“What?” he snapped.
I didn’t quite know how to phrase it, so I let my gut do the talking. “Are you mad at me?”
His paws quickened their pace, crunching the twigs underneath. “Let’s not talk about this now, shall we?”
“No, please. You don’t hafta hide it from me. I can read thoughts to, ya know. What’s that Dad said, never lie to a Lucario, or, erm, maybe a Riolu?”
He stopped suddenly to let me down. Then, he knelt down to face me, his red eyes moist, and I froze in place. That was a first. I had never seen him cry before, or get misty-eyed at least.
“What’s wrong?”
“You know when I got drunk?” A chuckle escaped his lips.
“Yeah.”
“That’s one thing I wish I forgot. Anyway, it’s still a little hazy to me, but I must’ve talked about going to the city. Dad wouldn’t come with us, but me and Mom went there all the time wherever we travelled. The humans were accepting of us, agreeing to tour some of us around, and whatnot. But I was the most interested in the schools. You know what they are?”
“Through that rabbit, yeah. The humans get taught there, don’t they?”
“Spot on. We’d sneak into the schools sometimes, just watching what they were doing in their classes through their aura. Mom would read for me and she’d relay what she sensed. Most of the students enjoyed learning about different subjects, and what I heard was fascinating. How to multiply numbers together. How certain chemicals would’ve reacted when mixed. What techniques this author used to write… am I losing you?”
“A little, but I get it.” I took another mental leap of faith and connected the dots. “Was that why you wanted to teach us?”
“Yes. From what little I know, I love doing it. I love seeing you and your brothers grow and improve. But there were many other things I wanted to know from the mainland before I came here, so I could’ve passed those down to you.”
His cheerful expression dropped.
“I would’ve loved to have had that as a Riolu. There was nothing like that out there for us dumb Pokemon to learn anything, yet those two came here of all places, handing it over to you like it’s nothing.”
The way he emphasized that last word sent a chill down my spine. His eyes were accusing me of something, what, I didn’t know, but I had nothing to do with that.
“T-that’s not my fault.”
“I know, I know.” He pawed at his face. “I’m sorry! I’m happy for you, really happy, but I… I--”
“Can’t you ask to come with them?”
“They only spoke about you!” Tears ran down his face. “They obviously picked you for a reason! Besides, I can’t come, I have to look after everyone else, I have to be the bigger, mature Pokemon here since Dad doesn’t pull his weight, I… I…”
He closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths. Seeing that and all his raw emotions laid bare, I tried not to cry myself. If I had cried though, it would’ve been for him. In time, he gathered himself and sniffled, rubbing his eyes.
“I can’t believe this,” Trunks whispered, “I shouldn’t be crying like some hatchling. I’m so weak.”
“No you’re not!” I placed a paw on his spike, or rather, his heart. “You’re not weak, you take care of me and everyone else too! You’re awesome, bro! Why doncha see yourself like that too?”
“I don’t know,” he said, holding his chest as well. Another deep breath, and then, Trunks stood back up. "Let’s put this behind us. We'll talk to Mom about this first, alright?"
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “Thanks, sis.”
–-
Eventually, we reached the main camp where Mom hung out with our younger brothers, still sheltered from the rain. When we stepped in, they all looked at us.
"Welcome back," she said, "you were out long."
"Mom," Trunks said, "I've got something important to tell you, without those two if you don't mind."
"Aw, c’mon bro," Stumpy said, looking like the kicked Riolu he was. "Why am I being left out?"
"It's not because of you dear." Mom patted Stumpy on the back. "I can tell he has something worth talking to me about. Run along now, you two, and take your brother’s umbrella. It will shield you two from the weather."
"No fair." Stumpy stood up and reluctantly dragged Twig away by his paw, snatching the umbrella off Trunk’s paw. Mom went up to us and smiled.
"Glad to see you two getting along. So what do you want to talk about?"
"It's about those two visitors from yesterday. They want her."
"For what?"
"For some sort of program. It sounds like one of those schools, if you know what I mean."
Mom quirked an eye at him. "Alright. Go on."
He basically explained the talk we had with Azzy, which again, mostly went over my head. Given how Mom either said one thing or the other about human matters like this, I didn't know how she would react to it. My heart pounded in anticipation, hoping she would say yes. She didn't say anything at all at first, only nodding occasionally to Trunks' questions about this or that, but after he explained everything, she placed her paws on her hips.
"Do you trust them, though? Keep in mind, you only just met them yesterday, right?"
"I know that," Trunks said, "but I read both of their auras, and throughout the whole talk we had, none of them lied, so as far as I can see, they're the real deal."
“And they didn’t want anything from us in return, right?”
He shook his head. In turn, Mom lifted me off his shoulders and sat me down, staring at me with those multicoloured eyes of hers once more.
"Dear, what do you want out of life? Do you want to stay here forever?"
"I..." I felt like this was a trick question, like the sort parents usually do when they want to test your true self out. I knew in my heart though that wasn't what I wanted, so I shook my head in honesty.
"Then, what do you want to do once you're there?"
"Well," I rubbed my head, "I wanna do lots of things! I wanna see the world, I wanna not suck at drawing, I wanna be able to talk to these humans, at least. Dad can speak a little bit to them, can't he?"
"Yes, that's right. And you would be willing to get away from us for a bit? They’d have others there who would take care of you, like a new family, but I wouldn’t like you to feel homesick while you’re there.”
“Mmm, yeah, I get that. I know I won’t be so alone anyway.”
“Alright, it’s good that you know that.”
Mom took a deep breath and puffed it back out. I couldn't help but read her aura, and what do you know, she had a lot of different emotions going on there too. She was not only excited, but happy and fulfilled as well, with a hint of jealousy too, like Trunks had.
“I know your brother is thinking the same thing,” she said, “but if I was your age, I would’ve taken that chance. Even though I was born and bred in the wild, I was still curious about those humans, and wanted to be a part of their world, as well, but I never could. Not on my own terms, anyway. I got on fine, but this sounds much better.”
She chuckled, either out of joy or disbelief.
"You know, this all sounds crazy to me. I don't really know why they would sink so much time into us Pokemon, but then again, it sounds crazy enough to work. So--” she turned to Trunks-- "they're coming back tonight, right?"
Trunks nodded. Mom opened her mouth to say something else, before...
"YOU THREE!" Dad stormed in, shouting at us the same way he shouted at that trainer. Stumpy and Twig was by his side. He charged over to Trunks and shook him by the shoulders.
"Pup! I trusted you to keep her safe from the shore and you went behind my back! What were you thinking?"
Trunks looked down, trying to avoid eye contact with him. "D-Dad, I--"
"Not another word out of you. And you!" He stormed over to Mom next, touching the tip of her muzzle. "You're encouraging this sort of behaviour from them? With those humans?"
She stared him down; I had never seen her look so fierce before. Dad grunted, and finally turned to me, pinching one of my aura sensors.
"Ow, Papa!"
"Quiet! I'm grounding you, girl. You're to stay with me until you think about how silly you're behaving!"
"But, but,” I stuttered, struggling to keep my cool, “w-what did I do?"
He yanked on it and pulled me about, knocking me onto the floor and dragging me through the rain-soaked dirt. I didn't even understand what was going on, poor me, so I cried for help. Really, what else would I have done in that situation? They seemed to work, or at least, I hoped it was because of that, as he let me go. Or rather, got pushed away from me. I looked back up, only to see he was knocked to the ground by Mom’s fist. I crawled away from them, still sniffling like the confused Riolu I was, and watched the two of them argue as he grovelled on the floor, nursing his nose.
"LIAM!" Mom screamed. "What’s gotten into you?!””
That was what I meant by him being a different case. That was his true name, the name given to him by his trainer. Slowly, Liam pulled himself up and tried to grapple Mom as she resisted. There was that murderous look of his again.
"How dare you call me that, I trusted you never to say that name agai--”
“Shut up!” she growled. “I don’t care what your deal is any more, you’ve gone too far. You dare lay a finger on my girl again, and I will kill you. You hear?”
He glanced at me briefly and I shielded my eyes from him. I shut myself in my own world as they continued their spat.
"She needs to learn some respect and know her boundaries! Those humans want to take her away and you're defending them! You know how badly they treated me!"
"Liam, your trainer left you years ago! Move on and grow a pair, mon!"
"Don't you talk to me like that, you never should've told her about them in the first place! All they've ever done is ruin everything they touch!"
"Oh please,” she said with a laugh, “that's rich coming from you. All the stuff you brought back from the mainland, those hunting methods, the tire swing, the notepad, the box, the tarp, oh, and what else, getting absolutely plastered! You would never have thought of that if it wasn't for them. Well, your trainer taught you about those things in the first place! But sure, keep moaning about those humans while you use everything of theirs."
"That's not--"
"Throw this really long tantrum all you like, but don't drag us down with you. Your daughter has the chance to make something of herself out there. We all could've done something about it, and yet you thought this was the best for all of them, shutting them out from the world.”
"Don't act so high and mighty. You agreed to look out for this island with me in the first place, you and our son. You both wanted the same thing."
“No, I didn’t!” Trunks joined in the fray that time. I peeked up that time as he bashed the flat of his paw onto Dad’s shoulder. “I told you, over and over again, I wanted to stay there! I wanted to learn more about the world! We didn’t have to be in the wild!”
“I’m not taking this from you, pup--”
“Oh, this with the pup business again!” Mom jumped back in. “The way you talk about our son as if he’s just some hatchling is disgusting. You really are...”
Long story short, it went on for ages, with them bickering back and forth, letting all of their packed up baggage out in one fell swoop. I could go on about it forever, but you get the gist of it by now. To my young ears, all of this was too much.
Then mercifully, there was silence again. The three of them had stopped fighting. They just looked at each other, panting aggressively as a sea of emotions floated in the air around them, so many that there wasn't any way I could've read into them with my limited powers. Dad, or rather, Liam, crossed his arms.
"Still, my word is final, and if I say this is a bad idea, then you should all follow suit. None of you know what it's like to have something precious only to have it ripped away from you. I was young once too, you know."
"Enough, Liam.” After all that was said between them, Mom put a paw on his shoulder. “What happened was out of your control. You told me so yourself, so it wasn’t your fault! Why can’t you just move on with your life and start enjoying it again?"
“Yeah, Dad.” Trunks just looked weary at that point. “I… I just want to know what happened so I can understand. I know what goes through your aura. So…”
"I'm not talking about it any more and that's that." So much for that heart-to-heart. He pushed Mom’s paw aside and turned back to me, no longer looking as angry as he did before, but something about his face made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't see him the same way I used to.
"Pup, you have no idea what you want. If you go out with them, no matter how kindly they treat you at first, they will make you regret it. Forget all of this happened and live the rest of your life in peace."
I mumbled a little ‘no’ at first, trying to suppress that word as soon as it came out. After that, I didn’t know if I could’ve stood up to him, but Trunks had, so that gave me the courage to stand up.
"No, Liam.” I stepped forward and balled my paws into fists. "That's not fair."
His eyes twitched.
"Life isn't fair, pup. Lots of Pokemon I knew had dreams like yours, only to wind up worse off. This will turn out no different then they did, believe me."
"You don't understand! Bro was out there too. He knew what it was like just as much as you, and told me how much the world sucked as well, yet even he said this was okay! Why won’t you listen to us?”
"Because you're both young and inexperienced. Now, enough of this silly arguing. Forget about them and just live like we’ve always done.”
Looking back on it, I could understand where he was coming from as well. Once I had that same sort of experience, it sticks with you, you know. There were lots of Pokemon I could think of that ended up the same way as he did, all with broken dreams or worse, one way or another, but point is, they all had goals of their own only to be screwed over because of one bad egg. Or in Liam's case, as I’d learn later, one event gone awry that ended up with his trainer having to give him up against his will. That might be a story for another time.
If I was given up like that, or was taken away without my say-so, I would’ve been pissed off too. Not that I ever liked the idea of being with a trainer to begin with, but if you were split up from someone like your best friend for some dumb reason, it wasn’t hard to see why he was so bitter.
That still doesn't change the fact he acted like such a huge asshole about it.
Something about what he said just set me off. It was the way he said it, like I didn't know a piece of crap from a small rock. Like I said, I wasn't that smart, but I knew when he talked down to me, so I swiped at his face, hard enough to draw blood from his cheek.
He nursed it. Another moment of silence. My heart leapt from my throat. I heard the swaying of the trees above us. The soft tapping of the rain. The gasps of both Mom and Trunks. I knew what was coming before it happened. He kicked me, sending me flying to a nearby tree, then, there was nothing.
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