“Alright, shopping malls, here we come!” May shouted gleefully, earning a few looks from passerbys.
“May, I think you’re more excited for this shopping trip than I am,” I joked.
“That’s because this is a dream come true! You have no idea how long I've waited to shove your depressing clothes into the incinerator, and now I have the fire type for the job. It’s going to be a whole new you when we’re done!”
Oh, what have I done? I wasn’t too worried about the final product. May generally had great taste in clothes. Case in point, the outfit she had on right now suited her perfectly, and oddly enough, coordinated well with Suzaku. But still...
‘It’ll be fine. She’s not thinking of anything too extreme. Just be ready to try on a lot of clothes.’ Emilie reassured me. ‘Don’t forget the plan either.’
‘How can I forget it! I hate everything about it!’ I grumbled. ‘How the hell am I supposed to be casually flirty with my best friend?’
‘Just say stuff a little more... evocative with your jokes,’ Emilie suggested.
Heat rushed to my cheeks at Emilie’s suggestion. I just wanted to go shopping with May, was that so wrong?
‘Look, to maximize the success of the enterprise, we need to subtly introduce the idea of you two being more. That way, when you confess-’
‘Not confessing,’ I said, cutting her off.
She glared at me before continuing. ‘It won’t be out of left field. At least in her head. Learn the value of the subconscious mind, it is a psychic’s best friend.’ Emilie stroked an imaginary beard as her voice took on a more wizened and sage tone in my head. ‘Do it well enough and maybe you won’t even have to confess.’
My brain slowed to a crawl as I almost stopped in the middle of the sidewalk at the visual of May confessing her love to me. Her, awkwardly tripping over her own words as she shuffled in place for a couple of minutes before she ultimately gave up and kissed me.
I was sure my face was a vibrant shade of red at that. Legends above I’m pathetic. How the hell was that my ideal confession?
‘Because you know May very well, and that’s about as good as you’re going to get,’ Emilie said.
‘Shut up! Just because you CAN see everything doesn’t mean you have to comment on everything!’ Emilie’s laughter echoed in my skull.
‘But you make it so hard sometimes. Your inner monologues NEED color commentary. They beg for it in fact!’ My eyes focused on Emilie as I bumped her once in the forehead. ‘Ow!’
‘Yeah, well I don’t like it, so quit it.’ I thought with a glare as Emilie rubbed her forehead. ‘For someone who wanted to come with me to give me peace of mind, you sure do delight in head games.’
‘How else am I supposed to train you? I’m teaching your brain to be better. You should be thanking me, honestly,’ Emilie thought with a grin.
‘Riiiiight...’
‘Like if I was being serious about head games just to be mean, I’d point out that May spent most of the forest on your arm, because you were her knight in shining armor against all the bug types,’ Emilie said.
I’m fairly confident the amount of heat coming off of my face would rival ovens right now.
‘EMILIE!’
“We’re here! The biggest department store in Rustboro. Now, should we start with dresses, everyday wear, or...” May trailed off. “Hmm... It’ll probably be easier if I have an idea of what you want for your trainer style, huh?” May turned to look at me. “Huh, Lea, are you feeling alright? You’re looking a little flush.”
On the outside, Emilie is the picture of calm decorum and grace. She’s laughing her ass off in my head though, and that’s really pissing me off. I took a deep breath through my nose, let it out through my mouth, and calmed down.
“Don’t worry, May. I’m fine, just a little hot. As for looks, well...” I looked at Emilie and wondered if I still wanted to feed her ego with how much of a brat she was being.
‘Green would be a good look on you, and just thinking about it is already feeding my ego in the best possible ways, so go for it already.’ Emilie said, grinning from ear to ear.
‘Would you just... stop talking. For like five minutes. Please,’ I begged.
Emilie put her hand against her chin. ‘Meh, where’s the fun in that?’
“Oy, could you not go off into your own little psychic world with Emilie for this, or at least walk me through the damn conversation. Sergei’s been radio silent this whole damn time.” May said.
“You have no idea how much I want to trade places with you. I would give anything to shut her up right now.” I don’t like how manic my voice sounded.
Emilie just sighed. ‘Fine! I’ll be good. Enjoy your date.’
‘IT! IS! NOT! A! DATE!’ I watched in satisfied glee as each word seemed to slam into Emilie’s head like a sledgehammer. ‘NOW SHUT UP!’
“She can’t be worse than you,” May argued.
I’m being attacked from all sides. This isn’t fair!
“Trust me, May, she can.” I took a few more deep breaths before talking to May again. “As for style... I want to lean into my team a bit. Since rain is going to be a big part of that, blues would be good.” I turned a glare towards Emilie. “Maybe a few greens to synergize with the gremlin like you do with Suzaku.”
“Eh? What do you mean?” May asked.
“Come on, you mean you didn’t go with the red, rough and tumble look to pair with your starter. Every picture you take with Suzaku is going to look bad ass as all hell once she evolves,” I said.
May blushed a bit and looked away. “Er... right. When. Yeah, the outfit is completely intentional. Okay, so uh, before we start shopping, I also have some news,” May said, shifting awkwardly in place. “Suzy evolved last night.”
“WHAT! Oh my god, that’s... let her out. I have to see her! I need to geek out over your Combusken. They‘re so cool. EEEE” Must see fire bird, must see fire bird, must-
“CALM DOWN ya dork. Suzy’s having a bit of an issue controlling her heat, so I don’t want to let her out around flammables. Getting sent to jail for setting a department store on fire is not my idea of a pleasant afternoon.” May sighed as she watched me vibrate in place. “You can hang out later, once we get back to the center. I’ll work on her controlling her heat, don’t worry.”
“But Maaay... oh, fine!” I pouted.
‘Pout more, she thinks it’s adorable,’ Emilie commented in my head.
I felt my cheeks heat up a bit. ‘It hasn’t been five minutes yet, start over.’
Emilie glared but nodded.
“Also, Suzaku got shortened to Suzy yesterday after the third trainer confused her for a him,” May said.
“Yes!” I shouted. “I didn’t want to say anything at first, because you liked the name so much and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but-
“Right, so blues and greens, with a lean towards synergizing with Emilie.” May interrupted me with a glare. “We could take inspiration from that Champion in Kalos, maybe shift from a knightly white to a more regal blue.”
I... no.
“I don’t like Diantha’s look. It’s...”
“Fair. Look what if we just took it in a bit of different direction and focused on your dorkiness. We could set you up to look like the main character from the video game you’re naming all your Pokémon after,” May said.
Dammit she found the right corner of the internet.
“No horns." I said rather forcefully. May tilted her head in confusion. “Also, Lea kind of has a bit of a plain look.” I pushed my fingers together as another character flashed through my head. “If you wanted to dress me up like Shizuka, though, I wouldn’t say no.”
May looked at me for a moment before typing away on Sergei.
“Hmm... it’s a very classic Kantoan look. This place should have some stuff a bit like this. We could swap out the color palate a bit if they have it, maybe swap the red for a darker green... black for a royal blue... screw it, we can figure it out when we get there. Ideas won’t do anything without clothes to go with them.” A few more keystrokes. “Sergei says there’s a store that focuses on international fashion toward the back. Let’s go!”
May dragged me through the mall, and my brain stopped working once it registered that we were functionally holding hands right now.
----------------------------------------
“Alright, now, I think we’ve stacked off a nice selection here, now for the extra fun part. Make sure you come out after trying on each outfit. Modeling is very important here, you see.” May nodded sagely. “I’ll be out here looking at more clothes.”
“Is this the part where you sneak overly revealing clothes onto the pile and snap photos of me for your own uses when I come out.”
May sputtered and her face went red. “Wh-what the hell would I need photos like that for?”
“Huh? Blackmail, why? What do you think you need photos like that for?” I asked accusingly.
‘Was a little worried you pushed too much on that one, but nicely done.’ Emilie said.
‘Huh, what do you mean?’ I asked.
Emilie face palmed.
“It doesn’t matter cause I'm not doing that. Just go into the changing room and try this stuff on.” She all but shoved me into the closet.
“Alright, so let’s see. Let’s start off with my personal favorite,” I said.
May had a nice, dark green stocking set that I had immediately loved, so I went ahead and put those on. This would probably be part of a few outfits, so it’d be a good place to start regardless. May did manage to find something that somewhat resembled what we had talked about, but... honestly, I wasn’t sure. It didn’t really feel like it had the feeling I wanted. I slipped into the mostly black kimono with green highlights and stepped outside.
“Well.” I struck my best runway pose. “I’m going to be honest, not feeling it.”
“Same.” May nodded. “You do pull it together nicely, but it’s not wowing me, it also doesn’t feel like you.”
Reject pile it is. I went back in and looked for something that did feel like me. I grabbed a pair of denim shorts I had picked out and a black tank top. The jeans cut off just above my knees, and they felt incredibly comfortable. That’d be nice for the roads. The shirt was alright, but...after throwing it on, I felt like something was missing something. Plus, this wasn’t really breaking out of the ‘emo kid look’ May complained about.
A piece of fabric was thrown over the railing.
“That looked cool, so give it a shot,” May said.
I pulled it down and tried to find the seam, which was admittedly quite difficult. The material was light, almost see through, and it was just open in the front. A dark green haori. I smirked as I pulled it around my shoulders, my arms sliding into the sleeves and gliding up to my hair to let pull it up and over. My reflection smiled back at me.
“Yeah, I could see winning a badge in this. May’s kind of leaning more into color coordinating with Emilie than the rain, though. I guess that’s fine, though...” I grabbed a tuft of blue hair and brushed it out of my face before sighing. “Doesn’t really go with my hair... Legends above, am I really considering dying it? I know May said it as a joke, but... black hair with green highlights would kind of go hard with this... Eh... screw it, we’ll figure it out later.” I threw the door open. “Alright I think this is a- Whoa!” And almost walked, headfirst, into May.
“Sorry, I found some other shirts that looked- holy crap that looks great.” May smiled. She pulled Sergei up, and before I could say anything, snapped a picture. “Save that to outfits, Sergei.” May said before throwing a pile of shirts at me.
“You could’ve at least let me strike a pose,” I pouted, grunting under the weight of my new pile.
“Just remember for next time. Now then, take these shirts, and return to the pit from whence you came. We have a lot of shopping to do if we want to overhaul your entire wardrobe. We haven’t even gotten to accessories yet.” May shoved me back into the closet.
I could faintly see Emilie smiling at me from May’s shoulder. She waved.
“I’m starting to think you just like man handling me,” I said.
She slammed the door in my face.
“That’s not helping your case,” I said through the closed door to the sound of giggling on the other side. “Also, rude!”
----------------------------------------
“Hmm...” May pondered as she scrolled through the dozens of photos that she had taken over the course of the last three hours.
“Is it finally over...? Can I look at the high light reel yet?” I moaned as I leaned down, trying to get a good look at the photos.
“See, they’re all good. That’s the problem. We’re picking the best, and it’s hard to choose,” May said.
As May swiped, I started to notice that my poses were getting a bit more... evocative, the later into the day we went. May hadn’t said anything about it though. I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
“Just let me see, I’ll pick the outfits I like the most, and we can check them out. I’m getting the first outfit you snapped for sure. The haori is going to get a lot of use by the way. This thing looks badass.” I clicked through and faved about half a dozen of them before sighing. This was going to be pricy. I knew I could afford it, but I’d probably have to hit up the Battle Factory again to get travel supplies. “Are these in my budget?”
“Well, first we need to find everything. I could probably guess though. Let’s see, five outfits for everyday wear, a formal outfit, and a couple of outfits for important battles. With options to mix and match, you’re probably looking at about six thousand poke,” May said.
I winced.
“Which is getting cut in half, cause I’m splitting the bill with you. It’ll be a late birthday present, so don’t even think about being pointlessly noble,” May said, glaring at me in mock challenge.
Three thousand... That was doable.
“Are we done, then?” I asked.
May grinned malevolently at me and I gulped.
“We still need one more outfit, but we’ll probably need to go to a different section of the store, so grab everything you want,” May said.
Huh? What else did I need? I grabbed the haori and started picking through the shirts for what I wanted.
‘Aren’t we going to a beach next? Where’s the swimsuit?’ Emilie asked.
The color drained from my face. Oh.
That’s what was left.
My face turned crimson at the thought of modeling bikinis for May. That... well. Yeah... no. That confidence from earlier was fading fast. Honestly, just the thought of swimwear made me a bit uncomfortable.
Our clothes pile had shrunk considerably, and it was now something I could carry, albeit with some difficulty. May grabbed a few things and escorted me- yup, to swimwear. Dammit. We're going straight for the bikinis.
“May, remember what I said earlier? No bikinis. I... they make me uncomfortable.” I nervously shuffled in place.
May’s mischievous face shifted to an apologetic one as she took in just how uncomfortable I looked.
“I... but you’d look amazing in these.” May sighed, before staring directly into my eyes. “I’m kind of surprised. I figured without a fear impulse, I’d have to be scaling you back,” May half joked.
“I don't like being ogled, alright. It makes me feel weird,” I argued.
“Lea, you’re exceedingly pretty,” May said.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
I blushed bright red and did my best to ignore Emilie popping off in my head.
“It was something I noticed more today. It’s a lot easier to see, now that you aren’t in baggy, beat to shit, emo kid wear from twelve years ago. You’re going to get ogled regardless,” May said.
Suddenly, the emo wear was looking really nice. Was it too late to call this off?
“I think it’s a fine trade off, though. You’ve got your own style now. You should own it,” May smiled at me as she finished her pep talk.
Dammit May. This really isn’t helping me get my blush under control.
“I would still prefer a one piece. I think that would fit my style just fine.” It’d also do a better job of hiding all the random ass burns I had gotten working in the bakery. My arms were a lost cause, I had gotten used to them, but the burns on my stomach from that grease spill a few years ago.
No. Just no. One piece. I wanted a one piece.
“Sure thing.” May nodded and I felt relief flood my system.
----------------------------------------
“Well, it was nice having money while it lasted,” I sighed. The bill ended up being closer to eight thousand once we threw in the swimsuit, a set of fingerless gloves with knuckle braces that I really liked.
“I don’t want to hear it. At least you still have money,” May whined. “You’re buying lunch, by the way.”
“I suppose I can buy you lunch without adding it to the tally. You just helped me pay for a shit ton of clothes, after all,” I said.
May looked heartbroken.
“You can’t knock a few off the tally for this?” she asked desperately.
“It’s not that simple, May. You’ve fostered a potentially life long bad habit of being a mooch. If I just forgave the imbalance, I’d be enabling you toward a downward spiral. Soon, you’d be bumming meals off people you just met, or even from people you might be trying to impress, like a potential sponsor. Then, after having chased away all your sources of income, you would crash and burn as a trainer, and fall into a depression fueled by alcohol and what could have beens, with only me and your regrets to keep you company,” I finished succinctly.
“I wonder how edible grass is?” May pondered aloud. “At least you’ll stick with me through the whole ordeal.”
“Without question.” I smiled at her. “Though really, me keeping a loose tally is probably a good thing for you. I’m going to do my best to never let it get that far.” I nodded once and raised my fist in solemn pledge.
“Truly, you are far too good to me,” May deadpanned. “Let’s go to that pizza place we passed on the way here. It smelled heavenly.”
“Sounds good,” I agreed
‘Can I have some?’ Emilie asked. ‘Your memories of pizza are almost all positive, and I’m eager to try more human cuisine.’
‘I’m... hesitant to introduce you to something that unhealthy. Maybe a bite, but not a whole piece,’ I argued.
‘I doubt I'd be able to eat a whole piece. I just want to taste it,’ Emilie said.
I bit my lip.
‘I promise I won’t complain as much when you make me... exercise.’ Emilie hissed the last word in my head like it was a curse word.
‘You could not complain at all.,’ I suggested.
‘Yeah, that’s not happening. Psychics learned how to teleport so we wouldn’t have to run. I'm going to complain, at least a little bit. Also, May was right. That does smell heavenly.’
I spotted the pizza shop as soon as we rounded the corner, and it was packed.
“Err... May, I’m not sure we’ll be able to get in,” I said.
May groaned. “We can at least see how long the wait’s going to be,” May said. “Maybe this place has a fast turnover.”
“You can check, I’m going to sit down. These bags are heavy.” I strained to lift one as I made my way towards the waiting area.
‘Maybe I’m not the only one in need of... exercise,’ Emilie said.
‘And I’m the drama queen?’ I sassed. ‘I can do some running too.’
“I’ll see how long the wait is,” May said.
I lugged my bags to the waiting area, that sported at least six other groups, and plopped myself down on the bench next to an older man in a sling wearing khakis and an Alolan shirt. He looked like he was taking a nap, which probably meant we’d either be waiting a while or going someplace else. I felt Emilie shift uncomfortably on my shoulder before hopping down to the chair next to me.
Was it bad that I was starting to miss the weight being there?
‘Nope, it just means you can’t get enough of me,’ Emilie commented. ‘Understandable, really.’
Yes. Yes, it was.
“Forty-five minutes for a table. You want to bounce, or...?” May said as she walked over.
“I mean, it’s lunch hour in the city,” I countered.
“Yeah, we’re waiting wherever we go, aren’t we?” May groaned. “I’m so hungry.”
“Shroom?”
My ears perked up at the familiar sound. I turned my head to get a closer look at my bench mate and noticed a rather familiar looking Shroomish hop up on the gentleman’s lap.
“Shroomish!” the little guy said, bouncing up and down.
“Huh? What’s going on Shroomish? Is our table ready?” The man looked down before turning to see who his partner was talking too. “Oh! It’s you!”
My mouth dropped open in shock as the person we had saved in the forest smiled back at me. Martin moved to stand up, but quickly sucked in a sharp breath and relaxed back down onto the bench.
“Ow... Note to self. Sudden movement hurts,” Martin mumbled so quietly that I almost didn’t hear him.
“Shroomish!” The little mushroom glared at his trainer.
“I know, I know, I’m supposed to be taking it easy. I have to get up to greet my saviors though. It’s only polite,” Martin said.
‘Idiot,’ Emilie said.
‘Is that from you or the Shroomish?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ Emilie answered.
I sighed as Martin once again moved to get up. “Please don’t get up.” I begged. “You got stabbed two days ago, what are you doing in a pizza place?” I asked.
May’s eyes widened once she realized who we were talking to.
“How the hell are you out of the hospital? That wound was deep!” May hissed, doing her best to sound annoyed while still maintaining a respectable volume.
Martin laughed. “The joys of regenerator technology, one of Devon’s more promising fields of development. All the effectiveness of Nurse Joy’s equipment, now made and serviceable for humans,” Martin said before wincing and holding his stomach.
“Uh-huh,” I said.
“Look, I’ll be the first to admit the technology is still in its infancy, but it works! My stomach is fine, just a bit tender!” Martin said.
Shroomish reluctantly nodded his agreement with his trainer.
“Now then, where’s your friend. I want to thank all of you properly. I doubt I’d be here if it wasn’t for you,” Martin said.
“Wally’s off in a battle lounge somewhere. The second he heard we were going shopping, he wanted nothing to do with us,” May grumbled.
“I mean, we did shop for clothes to three hours,” I tried to reason.
“Still, he’s failing his knightly code to carry a lady’s bags for them,” May said with a pout.
A server peeked her head around the doorway. “Table for Martin.”
Martin very slowly rose to his feet before making his way over. “Er... Would it be possible to change my table for one to a table for three? I inadvertently met up with some friends, and-”
“Not a problem.” The waitress cut him off.
“Err... you ladies don’t mind sharing a table with me, right? I can wait a bit longer if you would prefer, or-”
“Score!” May shouted with glee. “We don’t have to wait. Let’s get some pizza.”
“Coming.” I stared over to my bags and groaned. Stupid bags.
The waitress escorted us to a window booth, and I couldn’t be happier as May slid in right next to me.
“Get whatever you like, my treat,” Martin said.
I just nodded and started perusing the choices as the waitress hovered over the top of us, pen pad in hand.
“Lea, do you just wanna split our usual pizza order?” May asked, not even bothering to pick up the menu.
At a glance, anything not relating to pizza I couldn’t pronounce.
“Sure.” I said, not wanting to take too long. I knew how annoying rushes could be. I just set my menu on top of May’s.
“Sausage, mushroom, onion, and bell peppers, please, and just water is fine,” May ordered.
The waitress nodded before taking the menus and looking at Martin.
“Just Mushroom and onion for me and Shroomish, please,” Marvin said.
The waitress nodded, grabbed the menu, and sprinted to the kitchen. I turned towards the two with a raised eyebrow.
“Isn’t that a form of cannibalism for Shroomish?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“LEA!” May shouted.
“Shroom farms actually just use the excess buds from fungus Pokémon. It’s beneficial to Shroomish’s health actually,” Martin explained cordially.
“Don’t answer her! That just encourages the stupid questions,” May cried.
“I’m sorry.” Martin attempted to bow but stopped himself about halfway through. “Ow.”
“Are you absolutely sure you should be out of the hospital?” May asked in concern.
“I’m good, I swear. The flesh around where the wound was is still really tender is all. I probably should have stayed for another night, but I couldn’t stomach the food. I just need to take things slow, and I'll be fine.” Martin hesitantly lifted his water glass and took a sip. “I just can’t lift heavy things.”
‘Translation, the doctors yelled at him for signing out. He should be on bed rest at a minimum, and Mr. Stone yelled at him for trying to go into the office today.’ Shroomish ratted him out, sounding irritated.
“You worry too much Shroomish,” Martin chastised. “At any rate, how have you been enjoying the city? Rustboro isn’t as grandiose as Mawville or Lilycove, but it is a rather amazing place.”
I debated trying to get Martin to take it easy, but ultimately decided it’d probably do more harm than good and kept my mouth shut about it.
“The city’s been amazing!” May gushed. “Petalburg doesn’t have anywhere close to as much to do. Lea’s already managed to do something impressive in taking on the Battle Factory!”
I blushed at May’s praise.
“Battle Factory?” Martin asked.
“It’s a special challenge in one of the battle lounges,” May explained. “Beat seven trainers in a row, and you get to face off against someone comparable to a gym leader in strength. She got a nice chunk of change and a TM for beating it, so we just finished shopping for a new wardrobe for her.”
May really needed to stop if she wanted me to be coherent for this conversation, I can’t deal with all this blind praise.
“Impressive,” Martin said. His tone of voice didn’t sound impressed. “I don’t know much about battling beyond the basics, but that sounds nice, at least.” He chuckled to himself. “In case it wasn’t readily apparent from how we met; I don’t get out much. I don’t really have much to reference when it comes to battling.”
“What were you doing in the forest, then? That doesn’t feel like a place someone like you would frequent. No offense!” I hastily added.
“None taken, I agree with you.” Marvin chuckled. “I was picking up some research documents from a Devon lab, the location of which I cannot disclose. Thank you for getting them back for me, by the way. It would have been quite bad if those had found their way into the wrong hands.”
“What was being researched?” I asked, tilting my head at Martin.
Martin winced.
“Also classified, sorry. Well actually...” Martin gazed out the window in thought. “I guess they’re a matter of public record now, considering the officer that took your statement has a photocopy of it in evidence.”
Er... whoops? Was I not supposed to do that?
“No matter, I'm sure it’s fine. Regardless, I did have a question. Do either of you know why I was given a new poke ball?” Martin asked.
“Huh, what do you mean? It’s not yours?” May asked.
Martin shook his head.
“The Pokémon we ran into in the forest relieved our thief of anything that had an aura different from him. We just assumed it would all belong to you,” May said.
“Nope, and he’s a surly little prick. He did not like me at all.” Martin pulled out a Poke Ball and placed it on the table. “I was able to register him to me, so he doesn’t belong to anyone else on record, but to be completely honest, I don’t particularly want to keep him, either. I don’t have the right temperament to train a Pokémon like this, especially as I am now. Would either of you care to take him off my hands.”
“I... What Pokémon is it?” I asked.
“A Bulbasaur.”
“May would love to!” I shouted, earning a few glances from some of the other patrons and an elbow from my best friend.
“Lea!” she harshly whispered. “Don’t just volunteer me for stuff.”
“But this is perfect! You’re the only one in the group still on two Pokémon. You really need something else for Roxanne, too. Like, I know Suzy evolved, but a grass type would be perfect,” I rambled.
“I’m a bit worried, though. Martin, you said he was aggressive when you let him out?” May asked.
“I didn’t let him get that far. I recalled him once it looked like he was getting angry.” Martin explained before looking at the ball. “I’m confident you girls can handle him. I just don’t think I can. If you don’t want him, I’ll probably pass him off to the rangers.”
I stared at May, urging her to take the ball, and do a mini fist pump when she picks it up.
“Lea, I’m going to need you and Emilie’s help later. I want to talk with this Bulbasaur and try to figure out what happened. If that thief took him off another trainer, we’re probably decently equipped to help find him,” May said.
“Of course,” I said, nodding fervently.
May turned and looked at Martin. “How do we do the transfer?” May asked
Martin pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons. “Can I see your Pokedex?”
May nodded. Martin clicked a few more buttons and a beam shot out from the back of Martin’s phone and scanned the poke ball once. He then pressed a few buttons on May’s Pokedex.
“Done,” he said.
“Wait, that’s it? No weird trade machine needed?” I asked.
Martin laughed at my question. “Well, if you don’t have a Pokedex, you’d need something to scan the ball to properly reformat everything, but those old relics haven’t seen use in almost a decade. The joys of modern technology. Bulbasaur is now yours, for as long as you’ll have him. It’s not a lot but take it as a token of my appreciation.” Martin, once again, tried to bow. “You have no idea how annoying this is.”
“I can imagine,” I chuckled. “Ohh, pizza’s here.”
Emilie leaned up and shifted to get a better look as two pizzas were lowered on to our table by the wait staff, along with an extra pitcher of water. A hand rose in my peripheral vision, and a piece floated up toward her.
“Your control never ceases to amaze me but remember our agreement,” I said.
Emilie opened her mouth and took a huge bite of pizza. I once again felt euphoria pass through the bond.
‘Don’t care, this is delicious,’ Emilie thought with a smile.
‘No more than half a slice,’ I argued.
‘I know, I know.’
I snagged a slice for myself and moaned as I sunk my teeth into it.
“Best pizza in Rustboro.” Martin said proudly. “Way better than that tasteless slop the hospital tried to shill me.”
“Shroom!”
“Right, uh, before I forget. My boss wanted to pass a message along as well. In case I saw you again, that is. As you’re getting ready to leave Rustboro, stop by Devon HQ.” Martin stuttered out. “Drop my name at the reception and they’ll send you up. My boss wanted to personally thank you for your help in the forest.”
“That really isn’t necessary.” May tried to say.
I quickly shoved my hand over her mouth. “We’d be happy too,” I answered, before shouting in pain. “Fuck, no biting.”
“Well, then no gagging,” May said. “If you’re going to shut me up, do it with a pizza slice. Your hand tastes horrible.”
I looked down at the pizza and smiled.
“Alright.” I reached down and grabbed a slice before placing it in front of May’s mouth.
“Lea don’t yo-” She stopped talking and started chewing as I pushed the pizza toward her.
“You’re right, this is a very effective way to get you to stop talking.” I smirked at the glare I received.
“Ah-” May breathed out. “How the hell are you two years older than me?”
“Would you stop advertising that fact?” I groaned.
“I still don’t understand why you care. There are a crap ton of older trainers,” May argued.
I shook my head. “May, most successful trainers my age aren’t signing up for their first badge, they’re signing up for a job at the league after doing well at a conference.” I wrinkled my nose at the thought. “And the unsuccessful ones are throwing in the towel and accepting a desk job at Devon. Again, no offense.”
“Some taken this time, but I'll let it slide.” Martin’s face remained impassive.
“Well, you’re not everyone, and if anyone looks at you funny cause of your age, I’ll have Suzy beat them up, so stop worrying about it,” May said confidently.
I blushed again. Every time May said something like that, I couldn’t help but feel slightly more doomed.
‘You’ll be fine, stop worrying, and pass me some parmesan,’ Emilie ordered.
I took the excuse to look away from everyone and grabbed the cheese.
“Thanks, May.”
----------------------------------------
I had both Emilie and Apollo on standby as May cautiously handled Bulbasaur’s Poke Ball in one hand, and Sergei in the other. Suzy was also staring at it from in front of May. All we wanted to do was talk, but if what Martin said rang true, we needed to be cautious. An angry grass poison type could do a lot of damage quickly if we weren’t careful.
“Everyone ready?” May asked nervously.
“Throw the damn ball,” I said impatiently.
May did just that, and a small green Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.
‘Who the hell are you people and where am I?’ The Bulbasaur immediately tensed his legs and a pair of vines extended out from his bulb as he took in the training ground.
‘We only want to talk,’ Bulbasaur sharply looked toward Emilie, his eyes wide and terrified.
‘Maybe don’t send a telepathic message to a poison type,’ I suggested nervously.
Emilie nodded.
‘Yeah, well screw you. I don’t want to talk. I want to go home, but that can’t happen thanks to your friend in the red hood!’ The Bulbasaur stomped on the ground as he finished, and I noticed a few fumes shake free of its bulb.
May was doing her best to read from Sergei and keep an eye on Bulbasaur at the same time. “Bulbasaur, I would love nothing more than to help you get home,” May said cautiously. “I just need to know what happened, okay?”
‘LIAR. Humans always lie. Why should I believe you? That human that attacked me said he was going to sell me. That I'd fetch a nice price. He destroyed my home. Why should I believe any of you?’ Bulbasaur shouted.
‘Because I can’t lie, and I'm telling you it’s the truth,’ Emilie said.
I heard her translation and her talking at the same time, and it kind of gave me a headache.
‘You lived in a forest with Fae; you know how this works. I can’t lie, yet I'm telling you to trust us. We are not your enemy,’ Emilie said.
The Bulbasaur stopped for a second and looked at Emilie. ‘I did live in the forest, so I know how well you can work around your little handicap. Answer me this! Did you know the man in the red cloak?’
Emilie shook her head. ‘The only contact we had with him was in the forest. We watched his end. He attacked another trainer in the forest and stole from him. The Fae didn’t like that,’ Emilie said.
I couldn’t help but marvel at how... different, Emilie’s actual voice sounded compared to her telepathy. This was probably the most I had heard her talk in a hot minute, and now that I was actively listening, I could hear the same airy tones that I heard in the forest.
'We thought you belonged to the man he stole from, and the man he stole from gave you back to us,’ Emilie explained.
‘What happened to the man?’ Bulbasaur asked.
Emilie smiled. ‘Would you like to see? If that’s alright?’
The Bulbasaur hesitantly nodded. Emilie pulsed a single image through to Bulbasaur that I picked up as well. The visual was a lot more gruesome than I remembered. I wondered if that was what Emilie saw.
‘It was what I saw through the other Fae.’ Emilie didn’t sound too good. ‘Sorry, it’s not a very pretty image.’ she said.
‘It’s fine, just take it easy.’ I consoled.
Emilie smiled at me before turning back to the Bulbasaur.
‘I see. Can I return to the forest then?’ he asked.
May looked a little disappointed as she read that but smiled all the same.
“If that is what you would like, then yes. I’ll release you,” May reassured.
Bulbasaur nodded, and May moved to grab Bulbasaur’s ball.
I raised my hand to stop her. “Bulbasaur, would you mind if I asked you a question?” I asked.
The Bulbasaur regarded me carefully, its vines still raised, ready to lash out. It nodded once.
“You said your home was destroyed, could you explain what happened, if it’s something you feel... comfortable explaining,” I said.
Bulbasaur snarled. ‘That human attacked me when I slept with a Numel. It lit my burrow ablaze, and the fires burnt my tree and food reserves.’ Bulbasaur lashed his vines against the ground.
May winced at the sound the impact made.
“Lea, I don’t think-”
“Will you be alright if you back into the forest without any of that?” I asked.
‘I made a place for myself once. I can do it again,’ Bulbasaur exclaimed proudly.
“But you don’t have to.” I argued. “Look, you have every right to mistrust humans, but hear me out. There are quite a few perks to the whole trained Pokémon lifestyle. Free food, free health care, not having to worry about getting eaten, a bunch of friends, way more fun things to do, and honestly the list can keep going from there.”
The Bulbasaur laughed at me.
‘I know I’m having a blast, this city’s been so much fun. I don’t know why Mom hates these so much,’ Emilie said.
I smiled at her before realizing what she just shared and filed that last bit of information for later.
‘Aye, Rustboro has always been a joy. I thank you, captain, for giving me a chance to stretch my wings. The city is just as grand as I remember,’ Apollo said.
‘I’m happy you enjoyed your time in the city, Apollo,’ I said.
‘Trade away my freedom for comfort? I’d rather not be confined to a ball, only getting called out when you want me to fight something,’ Bulbasaur snarled.
“We don’t do that! Hell, I don’t think Emilie’s been in her ball since I first caught her.” No matter how much I want to return her sometimes.
‘You returned me once, and I told you I didn’t like being in the ball,’ Emilie supplied. ‘Though the sentiment stands and thanks for not just... returning me, when I’m annoying.’ Emilie smiled at me. ‘I know I can be a bit... much sometimes.’
‘Let me guess, you’re pushing so hard for this cause I’m currently yours, and you want a cool rare Pokémon on your team. Stands to reason, you’re just like every other human I've met in the last year.’ Bulbasaur sneered.
“Lea, I really-”
“You’re not my mon. The person you’re currently registered to is trying her best to get me to stop talking and take you back to the forest, cause she’s nice like that. I’m just thinking that’s not the best move for you,” I argued.
Bulbasaur looked taken aback for a second before returning to his trademarked scowl.
“Look, why don’t you just... give trained Pokémon life a shot? If by the time we leave Rustboro, you still want nothing to do with us, we’ll drop you off in the forest on our way back through.” Here’s hoping the second trip will be less eventful than the first.
“Bulbasaur, look, if you want to go back, we can go back. Lea, I-”
“Saur!” ‘Wait.’
“Oh, come on!” May yelled.
‘I want to hear it from the fairy. Your word, that when we return to the woods, I’ll be able to leave if I want,’ Bulbasaur demanded.
‘On one condition. You need to give May a legitimate chance,’ Emilie said. ‘No blowing us off to brood while we try to hang out.’
‘I... FINE!’ Bulbasaur said with a scowl. ‘I can play nice for the human.’
I think Emilie hit the nail on the head.
‘Then you have my word,’ Emilie smiled.
“And mine too,” I pledged. “Thank you for giving May a chance.”
‘Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just means I have to wait for a bit to go home.’ Bulbasaur retracted his vines and turned to look at May. ‘Oh, great and mighty Pokémon trainer, what are we going to do today?’
‘I already want to set him on fire,’ Suzy snarled. The ground around her started to smoke. ‘Wait, I don’t want to set everything else on fire?! Dammit.’
‘Don’t worry, lass. I got it.’ Apollo shot a few Water Guns out toward Suzy.
‘Wait, don’t-’ Which unfortunately doused both Suzy and the now steaming ground. ‘Thanks. I guess...’
‘...I’m regretting my decision already.’ Bulbasaur said.
May just groaned as she fussed over Suzy’s damp feathers, before beckoning Bulbasaur to join her for...
Some of my cookies.
Dammit all.