I twisted the key and slowly slinked my way inside the house, careful not to make too much noise. I had both Apollo and Emilie out, and both were chilling out on my shoulders. There were still a few lights on in the house, so I was hoping that Eve was still awake.
“Hello?” No response.
I walked toward the living room, and gasped at the mess of papers that were thrown all over the table. I spotted Eve on the couch, sleeping, with an open file that looked like an application from... Caroline? Neat. I felt bad for waking her, but sleeping on the couch was always a surefire way to have a grumpy Eve, and not telling her I'm home would probably be a bad idea.
“Eve, wake up.” I patted her twice and she all but fell off the couch.
She pulled herself up, mumbled something under her breath that I couldn’t hear, and turned to stare at the pair of Pokémon on my shoulders.
Next thing I know I'm getting crushed in a bear hug.
“I missed you. I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss you until you were gone,” she murmured into my ear.
Apollo hopped down before I got grabbed, and Emilie teleported herself to the couch and leaned back.
“Use May’s phone to call me more, or I might actually go insane. This house is creepy at night if I'm the only one in it,” Eve said as she pulled back from the hug.
I smiled back.
“I’ll call you more, don’t worry. I kind of forgot. The last three days have been...” Hectic, chaotic, “Wonderful. Busy, but Wonderful, and I got caught up in it.”
Eve looked at me expectantly, motioning towards Emilie.
“Oh, right, duh. This is Emilie, my starter, and the scariest Ralts on Route 102, and this is Apollo, the scariest Wingull on route 103.” Both of them preened.
“I’m noticing a trend.” Eve smiled at Emilie as she waved. “Nice to meet you both,” she said.
Emilie cautiously waved back, and I noticed that Eve still hadn’t let go of me.
“I have an as of yet unnamed Lotad, but I just caught him, and I don’t feel comfortable letting him out in the house. I need to figure out how... chill, he’s going to be,” I said, shifting in place awkwardly. I wasn’t used to Eve being this... touchy feely. It was odd.
“Is it normal to have three Pokémon so soon?” Eve asked.
I shrugged.
“I don’t really know, though I'm probably going to be very selective with the next three.” I scowled. “Stupid capture limit. I know why it exists, but it’s still annoying. I see the hunt for a new co-worker goes well.” I tapped Caroline's resume. “Hire her. She’d probably do a better job than me.”
“I know... it’s just. It feels weird hiring someone who’s basically my second mom.” She sighed. “I’ll give her a call after you leave. I know I need help. The last few days have highlighted that.”
I frowned.
“Do I-”
“No.” Eve firmly shut me down. “Now then, you’re probably tired, and I know I'm exhausted. We can talk more tomorrow,” Eve said, finally letting me go from the earlier hug.
Eve got up, and I started moving towards my bedroom. Emilie followed, but Apollo flew towards the window.
‘Think you can open this for me, cap? I think I'd like to sleep under the stars,’ Apollo said.
I nodded before letting him out. Eve looked at me with a perplexed look on her face.
“He likes sleeping outside, don’t ask me. Night,” I said, rushing out of the living room before she could ask another question.
“Feeling up to working on my Mind Bakery?” I asked.
‘Sure. That’s not terribly taxing. It might even go faster now that you’ve gotten a base line.’
I sighed before sitting on the bed.
“Let’s tackle Eve, tonight.”
Emilie groaned before teleporting in front of me.
‘Scratch that going faster part. Alright, you know the drill. Close your eyes...’
----------------------------------------
People can change.
I rubbed the crust out of my eyes and sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had dark circles under both of my eyes, my hair was fucked up to hell and back, and I stunk.
God, I hate mornings. Normal mornings are ass, but after last night? Where I was doing good to get a couple hours after my session with Emilie?
People can change.
I found the fucking downside of organizing my mind. It makes you look at things on a scale, as opposed to in sequence. All the bad memories from when I was a kid just... stacked up. Eve is way better now. Hell, she’s being super supportive of me, despite the fact that she’s not the biggest fan of trainers, and the last few years have been mostly good.
So why does everything feel extra shitty right now?
It’s like the worst parts all happened yesterday, and they’re drowning out the good. They’re silencing the reasonable part of my brain and making me just... feel what I felt back then.
People can change. Eve’s changed. I’ve changed. Just... breathe...
Hopefully a shower will make this easier.
----------------------------------------
Eve made pancakes.
“Now you’re just spoiling me.” I smiled awkwardly and sat down.
“I didn’t really know what to make your Pokémon, so I kind of just... grabbed a bag of Pokémon food from your pack. Hope that was okay.” Eve looked at my Pokémon and bit her lower lip.
I still hadn’t let Lotad out, but he had gotten some grub at the center. That said, with the way Emilie was looking at the plate, he wasn’t missing much. I needed to work on some nutritious recipes for Pokémon. Maybe Caroline would have a few tips.
I’m thinking of going to Caroline for advice. Legends above my emotions are fucked up.
‘Please do. Your cookies make this look and taste like garbage,’ Emilie said.
‘Well, if you ate nothing but my cookies, I wouldn’t be able to carry you on my shoulder anymore. You’d end up rounder than a poke ball,’ I pointed out.
‘I am not countering that point. I am stating that I know you can do better than this.’ Emilie said, shoving a bite into her mouth and making a concerted effort to chew and swallow as fast as possible.
‘I don’t know, lass. S’not that bad. Granted, I'm used to far worse. All fish Pokémon taste the damn same, and after a while out at sea, well, you enjoy it when you’re not forced to eat the same thing every day.’ I smiled at Apollo before taking a bite and legends above these are so good.
“Uh... Lea? You alright? You’ve been kind of quiet.” Eve said, shifting in her seat and looking away. “Are they good?”
“Oh, sorry. I guess I should explain, huh? Emilie and I can talk to each other telepathically, and through her, I get to have conversations with the rest of the Pokémon in our group. It’s helpful, but uh... I kind of forget that other people can’t hear us,” I explained.
Eve looked towards Emilie.
“Well, why can’t she just add me? We can all hang out in your cavernous skull,” Eve said with a grin.
I glared.
“Uh, I mean-”
“Unfortunately, Emilie is somewhat limited in who she can form a connection with. She can talk with other Pokémon if they let her, and I'm a bit of a special case, but other humans are... a bit out of her range. She can pick up surface thoughts, but she can’t talk or establish a dialogue like she can with me,” I explained.
“Huh. Any clue why you’re so special?” She coulda phrased that better. “Uh, not to say that... you know what, forget it,” Eve said, looking down and playing with some of the pancakes on her plate with a frown.
‘Wait, I didn’t say that our loud, did I?’ I asked.
‘You didn’t. Your sister just heard how her question sounded.’ See, brain? She’s better!
“Don’t worry about it. No, I don’t know why I can talk to Emilie so easily.” Liar. Eve would read you the riot act if she knew how big of a liar you were being right now. It’d be just like...
Shut up. Stop thinking about shit that happened thirteen fucking years ago.
‘Emilie, if I start falling into that trap again, fucking pull me out of it,’ I ordered.
‘Best way to deal with stuff like this is to talk about it, remember?’ Emilie said, choking down another pellet.
‘I am NOT talking to my sister about this. You can fucking forget that,’ I snarled.
Emilie leaned away from me. I winced.
‘Sorry, that was... rude. Eve’s... not the best at emotions.’
‘Neither are you.’ Emilie pointed out. ‘She’s looking at you again, by the way.’
I looked up from my plate and met my sister’s eyes.
“You do that a lot, don’t you? Just stare off into space and talk to Emilie for a bit?” Well, the first half of that was banishing the random thoughts of how shit my childhood was so thanks-
‘Snap out of it,’ Emilie ordered.
Right, right. Calm down.
“Sorry. Norman says I'll get better at avoiding the tunnel vision. It just takes practice. Once Emilie evolves, she’ll be able to reach out to other people, so that’ll also help.”
Eve laughed.
“Speaking of, I got a call from him. He wants you to meet up with him and May at the gym later,” Eve said.
“Any idea what about?” I asked, knowing full well what it was about.
“Nope, just said he wanted to see you.”
I stared down at my plate and bit my lower lip.
“So how annoyed does May get when you zone out on her?” Eve asked.
“Oh, she hates it. We’ve kind of found a workaround for when we’re together though. Emilie can communicate with Sergei, May’s Rotom phone, and Sergei can just... post our thoughts to a group chat.”
“That’s good, at least.” And the conversation died again. I took another bite of pancake.
‘I want you to know that your training sucks.’ I told Emilie. ‘I can’t even have a normal conversation with my sister.’
‘You weren’t complaining when we relived May’s memories,’ Emilie said. ‘Look, I know it’s hard right now, but... your sister loves you. I can feel it, and I know you love her. Just... focus on that feeling. That’ll help.’
I nodded before looking up towards Eve. She was pushing her pancakes around on her plate again. She always played with her food when she was nervous.
Legends above we’re a mess. Fuck this. I’m only going to be in town for a little bit. I want to spend time with my sister, childhood memories be damned.
“Do you want to come with me when I go to the Gym today?” I asked.
Eve winced.
“Can’t, I’m still playing catch up, I can’t afford to have the bakery be closed,” Eve replied.
Nope. You are not hiding out in the bakery all day. We are going to spend time together and you are going to like it.
“Just come for a bit, you can tell Norman that Caroline has the job if she wants it and tell her to show up tomorrow. Two sets of hands can get a lot more done than one.” She was caving, just one more strike. “Pleeeease?” I gave her my best Growlithe eyes.
“Alright fine,” Eve said. Yeah, still got it.
“I’ll even introduce you to Lotad once we’re there.” Hopefully he won’t be too annoyed that I've kept him cooped up in either a center or a poke ball for so long.
----------------------------------------
Lotad was ignoring me.
“Look, I’m sorry, but we just got back into town, and I got busy with family stuff, and I didn’t know how chill you would have been in my house, and you’re not really listening to me.” Lotad was making it a point to turn away from me as I talked, but I kept moving to keep myself in view. “Give me another chance, come on.” I was really starting to feel dizzy.
“...tad...” And so was Lotad apparently. He collapsed in a heap and his eyes were spinning.
‘He’s playing up his ‘anger’ to milk sympathy points,’ Emilie said.
“TAD!”
‘And I accidently said that to the group and not just you.’
“Tad! Tad lo lotad.”
‘I am not a narc,’ Emilie shouted. I stopped to think about the last few days.
‘...you kind of are.’ I said through the link.
Emilie clutched her heart.
‘I’m torn. I usually dislike narcs on principle but being the one getting tattled to feels... kind of nice.’
“You’re doing it again.” Eve poked me. “Don’t forget you need to engage with humans too.”
“It’s annoying, isn’t it?” May commiserated. “It’s even worse when she does it in the middle of a conversation. We’ll just be talking about something random and then she’ll suddenly look away and not say anything for five minutes. That’s just rude.”
I sputtered as I failed to think of a proper defense for my actions.
“Now then, did that conversation get documented?” May pulled up the group chat. “It DID! Lotad, that’s sneaky, but unnecessary, Lea caves to everything. Emilie, don’t suck up to Lea so much. Lea, if you go mad with power, I'm dying your hair green.”
“...bet,” I said.
“Tad.”
‘But she has cookies,’ Emilie complained.
May clicked through the two new pings before staring at me like I was deranged.
“Bet? What do you mean ‘bet’!?” May asked.
“Green hair might look cool. Plus, Emilie and I will match! It’s not like my blue hair is any less out there. Green might be fun!” I said.
“I’m best friends with a fashion disaster,” May complained, shaking her head.
“Was this what you were like on the road?” Eve asked as we walked into the gym.
“What do you mean?” May and I both responded at the same time.
“Never mind." Eve pushed past both of us. May and I looked at each other before chasing after her.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“So, why exactly are we meeting up here?” I asked.
“Dad said he wants our help with something,” May replied.
“We’ve been trainers for three days, how much help can we be?” I asked.
May shrugged and I sighed. I waved at Norman’s receptionist as we walked by.
“Where’s Apollo, by the way?” May asked as we went through the first trainer room.
“He wanted to explore the town while we were here. Take in the many illustrious sights Petalburg has to offer,” I said. May snorted.
“Gonna be a short trip.” May commented. Second trainer room.
“Seriously.” Eve agreed. Third room, God why does Norman have so many of these. “So, why doesn’t Lotad have a name? Your other Pokémon have names.”
“I haven’t really gotten around to it yet.” Fourth trainer room. I really wasn’t looking forward to this gauntlet when we came back. “Lotad.” The little guy looked up from the ground to stare at me. “Would you like a nickname?”
“Lotad. Lo Tad.”
‘He doesn’t care as long as it’s not stupid.’ Emilie said.
“As a heads-up little guy, just think what you want to say at Emilie. I can’t understand you, and it’ll make life easier for May and Sergei,” I said.
Lotad nodded and I thought for a minute.
“Would Joern be an okay name?” I asked.
Lotad nodded once. I smiled before resuming a leisurely walk to the next, and hopefully final, door.
“Alright, Emilie, Apollo and Joern. I have no clue what the theme is supposed to be, but whatever works.” Eve smiled before opening the door to the primary stadium.
The field was basic. No rocks to hide behind, no rivers or streams to swim in, just a massive field with a white border and a poke ball in the middle.
I’m starting to wonder if training nothing but Normal-types for years has screwed up Norman’s ability to be interesting.
Norman was on the other side of the arena, talking to a skinny kid with green- was that Wally?!
“Please, Mr. Maple. I know I don’t look like much, but I... I really want-” Yup, that’s Wally. I’d recognize that coughing fit anywhere. What the hell is he doing here?
‘Who’s Wally?’ Emilie asked.
‘Wally stopped by the bakery often enough that I had a decent rapport with him. He was one of the few people that listened to me when I rambled on about Pokémon. We’d commiserate over our inability to leave home.’ I replied. ‘Guess he wants to strike it out on his own. Good for him.’
‘He sounds like he’s dying.’ Emilie said.
‘He’s got asthma. Really bad.’
“Wally, this is half the reason why your family is so concerned about this,” Norman said as Wally pulled out his inhaler and took a deep breath. “This interest in catching a Pokémon seems recent, and your health has been getting worse, not better. I don’t feel comfortable sending you out on your own.”
“But getting out of the city WOULD be helping. Please, Mr. Maple-” Norman raised his hand and Wally stopped talking.
“Calling Petalburg a city has always been a bit of a stretch. The air here isn’t that different to the air on the routes. What if you have an attack while you’re fighting a wild Pokémon?” Norman shook his head. “It’s just too dangerous to send you out on your own. I can’t-”
“Why am I the only one not allowed to make decisions about my life!” Wally shouted. I moved to walk forward and back Wally up but May grabbed my arm and pulled me close enough so that she could whisper in my ear.
“Dad has a plan. Just let this play out for now,” May whispered.
“You sure about that?” I whispered back.
“I’m not saying you can’t leave-”
“You’re just telling me you won’t help me.” Wally interrupted. “I’ll go on the damn route and find myself a partner if I have to.”
"That, however, I can’t allow.” Norman said, his eyes hardened as he stared down at Wally. “It’s far too dangerous to go out there without a Pokémon.”
“Then do your job as the gym leader here and help me get my start-” Wally cut himself off with another coughing fit. He pulled out his inhaler again. Norman got up to help, but Wally backed away.
“Look, Wally... just tell me why you need to go now, alright. You’ve been pounding on our doors for the last three days about this. What brought this on?”
Three days? I... really? Emilie laughed. Wally looked away from Norman.
“I... want to go on a journey,” Wally said.
‘THAT sounds familiar,’ Emilie said.
“I don’t leave the house that often... but I always managed to convince my parents to let me go to the bakery. It’s just a short trip, Mom. I’ll be fine. I just want to grab some muffins for breakfast tomorrow.”
Blueberry, Apple Cinnamon, and Chocolate Chip.
“The clerk there, Lea. She’d always have our order ready for us. We’d always spend a bit of time talking. Sometimes it was about the weather, or something stupid my dad did. She complained about her sister sometimes or talked about a show she was watching. Just mindless stuff, really,” Wally said.
Eve glared at me a bit. I looked away bashfully.
“Sometimes she’d talk about her dad, or Pokémon. I think it varied with her mood, but I always liked talking to her,” Wally finished.
“Sounds like a good friendship,” Norman commented.
“It was close enough, I guess.” Wally said. “I noticed she was really depressed the last couple of weeks. Our conversations got shorter.”
Now Eve looked away.
“I asked her about it, and she said her birthday was coming up. She was turning seventeen soon. I was confused at first, usually people are pretty happy about birthdays.” I winced. “She told me not to worry about it and handed me my muffins,” Wally said, looking down.
Norman laughed.
“Yeah, that sounds like Lea.” What the hell was that supposed to mean, Norman?
‘Nothing, hon, calm down,’ Emilie said.
“Three days ago, I went into the bakery, and for the first time in a long while, I talked to Eve.” Wally looked down. “Lea left home with you and May, right?”
Norman nodded.
“She was quite excited. Are you trying to follow her?” Norman asked.
Wally shook his head no.
“She just inspired me to leave. It was a wakeup call.” Wally looked up at Norman. “I’ve wanted to leave home for a long time. I just always told myself I couldn’t. I think I've had every fear you’ve shouted at me at least once. When I left the bakery three days ago, I realized I was more afraid of spending the rest of my life in this town. I will be leaving. One way or another.”
Norman sighed.
“Guess I can’t really argue with that, now can I.” Yes!
‘Don’t think so loud,’ Emilie complained. ‘Are you crying?’
‘Shut up! I’m not used to stuff like this!’
“I know I'm not physically fit to go on a full journey right now, but I can be. My uncle’s been trying to get me to come down to Verdunturf for months. I know it’s not quite the full trainer experience, but... it’s something.” Wally said.
“Verdunturf Town, huh?” Norman asked.
“Yes, sir.” Wally nodded. “The air around Verdunturf is much better. They say the fields give the air an almost healing quality, thanks to the Roselia that live nearby. Maybe they’ll help me get well enough to make a proper run of Hoenn, maybe they won’t, but I... please, sir.”
Norman peered down at Wally.
“The journey to Verdunturf isn’t easy. Petalburg Woods is a rather daunting task, and Rustboro will not be kind to you. I don’t think you can tackle that on your own as a new trainer.” Wally shrunk down more and more as Norman continued to talk. “Furthermore, I will not be able to take time off from work to help you catch a starter. I’ve got a large amount of work to catch up on, and more than a few challengers to face in the days to come. I can’t get away from the gym.”
I didn’t like where this was going.
“I understa-”
“However, I do have something else lined up, if you’re willing.” Norman smiled before lifting his head up and smiling our way. “Assuming they agree to it, I’m sure May and Lea would be happy to help you. Say hello girls.”
Wally whipped around and stared at the two of us in a mix of fear, happiness, and embarrassment. He opened and closed his mouth several times before blushing bright red and looking away.
“Hi Wally.” I waved awkwardly. “I guess we’re helping you catch your starter.”
May sighed.
----------------------------------------
“We’re on Route 102. Again,” I deadpanned.
“I really am grateful for this.” Wally simpered.
I didn’t care. I was busy giving May a glare that would make Eve proud.
“We’re on Route 102, for the third time in three days. Why couldn’t we find him something on Route 104?”
May ignored me. This was payback for spacing out with Emilie so much, wasn’t it?
“I’m tired of this Route, May. It’s boring, long, and filled with obnoxious Zigzagoon,” I complained, and May continued to ignore me with a smile on her face.
As if to prove my point, two of the little bastards hopped out of the bush and growled at us.
“For fucks sake. Apollo, Joern, Water Gun. Emilie, Confusion,” I ordered.
All three of them looked about as done with the species as I was. The two Water Guns ran parallel to each other at first, but the Confusion melded the attacks into a massive water ball that moved about twice as fast. The attack impacted the ground in front of the Zigzagoon and a massive water shockwave blasted them into the tree line. All four of us stared, mouths agape, at the carnage we had just unleashed.
“They did not deserve that,” May commented.
I didn’t even respond. I just whipped out a notepad and wrote down the combo attack as something to work on later. It wasn’t something I could ever use in a gym battle, but that was still too cool to not make a note of. Hmm... but what to name it...
“That was SO COOL!” Wally practically shouted. Almost right in my ear too. Why is everyone trying to give me hearing damage? “I’ve never seen a water attack do that before.”
“I’m pretty sure the water explosion was Emilie’s confusion reacting weirdly with the water guns,” I said aloud. “I wonder how something like that would stack up to a stronger water attack.”
“So, your Ralts caused that?” Wally gave Emilie an awed look before looking at the route with a renewed sense of purpose. “I think I know what I want to catch. Er... well, have you catch. If you don’t mind, that is...”
Huh, I think Emilie just got a fan boy.
‘I like him.’ Emilie said.
‘Of course you like him,’ I replied.
‘I will not have you bad mouthing my fan base.’ Emilie glared at me.
‘You don’t have a fan base. You have a fan. Singular.’ I complained.
‘For now.’ Emilie said, a cocky grin on her face. I sighed before turning back to Wally.
“Well, at least you have good taste. Granted, that’s going to make finding your starter a pain in the ass.” I sighed before telling Apollo to scout the area. “Also, I got lucky. Emilie is probably a bit stronger than the average Ralts around here. You might have to work at it a bit to get your starter up to snuff.”
‘Is it really luck when you consider what all you had to go through to get me?’ Emilie probed. I smiled.
‘It’s closer, but I’d still say yes,’ I replied. Emilie blushed and turned away.
“I don’t mind,” Wally confirmed.
‘Apollo found something.’ Emilie said after Wally’s confirmation.
‘Wow, that was quick. I thought you all were supposed to be rare finds out here.’ I said, eyebrow raised.
‘We are. I’m surprised he found... oh, not that idiot. I’m telling Apollo to keep looking. Wally can do better than this goofball.’ A sour look crossed Emilie’s features.
‘No, we’re catching this Ralts and we’re blazing a path through Petalburg Woods. I want to get this done and over with so I can square off against a gym leader. Oh, that fight is going to be so cool!’ I paused. ‘After saying goodbye to Eve, of course.’
‘Of course,’ Emilie sarcastically barbed. ‘Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
“Alright, Apollo’s found something. Let’s go get Wally his starter.” I ran into the field.
“Hey, wait for me,” May screamed.
“Wait, oh god, I hate running.”
I Ignored them both and sprinted to the area Apollo was circling.
‘What do ya think, Joern. Up for your first battle?’ No response, I looked down and noticed my new teammate was nowhere to be seen. ‘What the?’
‘Joern didn’t feel the need to rush. He also says sure,’ Emilie said.
I slowed down to a brisk walk.
‘Don’t suppose you could just teleport him to us, huh?’ I asked. Emilie scrunched her face up in disgust.
‘I’m not even going to attempt group teleportation again until I've evolved. You can be patient for once in your life,’ Emilie said.
‘But I don’t want to,’ I whined.
‘Hark, do mine eyes deceive me, or has my noble maiden graced me with her presence once more.’ This new voice was rather different from the voice I was used to, and that fact immediately made me scan the area.
‘Trust me, it’s not by choice, you deranged whack job,’ Emilie shouted. It took me a second to realize that I was getting secondhand telepathy again.
‘Nay, I believe it to be divine providence. The gods saw fit to let us meet once more.’
Ah, so they knew each other, and this new guy was hammy enough to give Apollo’s sailor routine a run for his money.
‘But what’s this. You appear to have gained a new company since I’ve last had the good fortune to gaze upon your breathtaking visage. Hello, my lady. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Sir Gawain, a knight of the realm, at your service.’
I couldn’t hold it in anymore and I just started laughing.
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I needed that. I’m Lea, I see you already know Emilie, the Wingull flying overhead is Apollo, and...’ Joern slowly walked into the clearing, followed by two very irate trainers. ‘This is Joern, the Lotad, May, my best friend, and Wally, my charge.’
‘Please don’t encourage him,’ Emilie begged
‘How the hell can I not?’ I asked. ‘I have been tasked with finding a partner for my charge. Though his body has failed him, his spirit remains unbroken, and he seeks adventure beyond his humble hamlet. He stood before his liege lord’s judgment and was found to have the drive to venture forth. I believe you to be an excellent choice.’ Oh, this was fun.
‘Please stop,’ Emilie begged.
‘Never.’ I replied.
‘Hmm... I see the boy’s heart is in the right place, but there is a sliver of doubt. I am unsure if this is the liege lord I have sought. You say this squire is your charge?’ Sir Gawain asked, staring down in thought. ‘Might I see this lad’s resolve for myself. Nothing dangerous, just a test of valor. I’m sure anyone who has earned Lady Emilie’s loyalty is someone that I can trust, but as a knight of the realm, I must be sure that my liege lord is someone of impeccable virtue.’
I turned towards Joern.
‘I don’t mind not fighting the Chunni,’ Joern said.
‘Emilie, stop teaching the new captures human insults,’ I ordered. Emilie looked anywhere but my face and I turned back to Sir Gawain.
‘Stop saying Sir in your head. This whack job is not a knight. He has never been a knight. He’s probably never going to be a knight,’ Emilie seethed.
“Hope you weren’t set on a name, cause this one comes with one. Sir Gawain would like to test you, Wally. Nothing dangerous but pass muster and he’ll be your partner,” I explained.
“Oh, uh... sure. I’ll give it a shot,” Wally said.
May looked up from Sergei and gave me a look. I smiled back and waved, and she just pinched the bridge of her nose.
‘Hmm... let’s see. Ah, your charge isn’t as adept as you in the mind arts. That makes this a bit difficult, but still doable.’
Adept?
‘I’m doing my job and shielding your mind. He’s only picking up what you want him to hear. To the wannabe knight, you look like a budding psychic. Considering the fact that I'm training you in the psychic arts, he’s not actually that far off,’ Emilie explained. Huh, neat.
Gawain disappeared in a flash, before reforming on Wally’s shoulder.
“What the-” Wally cut himself off as Gawain put his hand on Wally’s head.
‘Now then, Lady Lea, would you mind translating for me?’ Gawain asked. I hesitantly nodded.
“Do you, Wally, swear to stand by a code of honor befitting a knight?” I repeated. I couldn’t help but smile as May face-palmed.
“You cannot be serious. Why can we not find a normal Pokémon?” May groaned. It took Wally a second, but he raised his hand above his head and smiled.
“I swear.”
“Do you swear to fight for those that can’t fight for themselves, to travel the realms and provide aid to any who might need it.” Oh, this was so cute. All this crap coming from a tiny little Ralts was adorable.
“I swear.”
“Do you, and this is the most important oath, swear to get me an everstone once I evolve until you find a dawn stone.” I couldn’t help it at this point. The second I finished, I burst out laughing.
“I swear.”
‘His words hold true. I can accept this boy as my trainer.’ Gawain shouted.
“Then, by the power vested in me by the Gym Leader of Petalburg City, I now pronounce you trainer and starter.” I chucked an empty Poke Ball at Wally, who floundered a bit before catching it. “You may throw the Poke Ball,” I said.
“Right.” Wally tapped the poke ball against Sir Gawain’s head. The ball clicked instantly.
‘It was a brilliant service, Lea. Truly.’ Emilie mock wiped her eyes. ‘Almost brought me to tears.’
“If the whole trainer thing doesn’t work out, you have a bright future as a Minister,” May tacked on.
“Fuck you and Emilie. That was funny. Now then, let’s get off this stupid Zigzagoon infested route.” I all but dragged Wally and May back towards Petalburg. “Go, go, go!”
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“That was fast.” Norman looked at Sir Gawain’s poke ball. “You went out and caught a Ralts in under an hour?”
“Yup.” I grinned. “To be fair, this Ralts is a bit of an oddball, and he knew Emilie, so he was fairly chill from the start.”
‘I do not know him. I occasionally tolerate his presence. Usually against my will,’ Emilie corrected.
“Well, you have your starter. I’ll go get the rest of your paperwork signed, get you your trainer’s license, and send you on your way. It might take me a sec, because I honestly thought that would take longer.” Norman left through the back of the arena.
“So, uh... look, I know this all got foisted on you last second, but really, I can’t thank you two enough.” Wally looked away from us as he finished.
“Thank Lea, I really didn’t do anything.” May tossed out and shot me a small glare.
“You provided moral support?” May’s glare got more intense. “You do realize this doesn’t work anymore, right?”
May turned away from me and swore. Wally chuckled nervously.
“At any rate though, I know you’ve already done a lot, but I have one more favor to ask. Would you two mind if I tagged along with you through Petalburg Woods?” Wally asked.
“Honestly, another set of hands for that would just be very helpful.” May latched on to the idea before I could even say anything. “That forest is going to be a nightmare.”
“Are they that bad? I just figured it’d be like 102,” I said. May shook her head.
“The woods are probably going to be extra rough for you, Lea. Bugs screw with psychics something fierce, and although both of your water types are uniquely qualified to handle grass types, Apollo’s the only one with good offensive options. The dense trees are also going to make it hard for Apollo to do any worthwhile scouting. We’re really going to have to pay attention to what we’re doing, or we’ll walk face first into a swarm of Dustox.” May shivered. “Add in the fact that the trip through takes about two days, and-”
“Happy to have you aboard, Wally.” I looked down at my three poke balls before palming Apollo’s ball. I’d been using him to scout since I got him, but I realized now that I hadn’t really done much to help him grow as my partner. I think I've been focusing on Emilie too much. It made sense. I leaned on her a lot right now.
If the woods were going to be as rough as May said, I needed to work on Apollo’s endurance as much as I could before we dived in. A one and done Aerial Ace wouldn’t help much in a gauntlet.
“While I'm thinking of it, we should probably add Wally and Gawain to the group chat," May said.
“Group chat? Are there going to be more than just us going into the forest?” Wally tilted his head as May pulled out Sergei. “And how are you adding a Pokémon to a group chat? I’m not sure if Gawain can even read.” Oh, you sweet summer child.
“The joys of haunted technology. Make sure he’s put in as SIR Gawain. He probably worked hard for that title,” I said, grinning at the homicidal glare Emilie was sending my way.
‘Hmmm... what’s that you say? You trust Gawain enough that I can lower the mental shield?’ Emilie said malevolently.
‘I think we should give it a few more days to make sure he’s on the up and up, but after that I don’t see a problem with it,’ I said, looking forward to the knightly dialogue.
‘...I seriously just threatened someone that can’t feel fear.’ Emilie sighed.
‘Yup. Not your brightest moment.’ I said with a grin.
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“Do you have everything?” Eve asked.
“For the fifth time, yes.” I groaned. “What gives? You weren’t this worried a couple days ago.”
“A couple days ago, you were leaving for a couple days. Now you’re leaving for probably months. I’m going to mother hen you right now and you can’t stop me. Now shut up and give me a hug,” Eve said, her arms open.
I leaned in for a quick hug and was pulled into a vice grip.
“Air...” No response. “Eve...” She let’s go.
“Don’t forget to call and stay safe. Love you,” Eve said, her eyes slightly misty.
For a second, I felt emotions that weren’t mine. Worry, regret, pain...
Love.
“I... love you too,” I forced out. A smile briefly spread across my face. I made tracks for the door and frowned as a familiar weight teleported onto my shoulder.
‘Ready to go?’ Emilie asked. She frowned at my glare. ‘What’s up? I haven’t done anything for you to be mad at me yet.’
“What was that in there?” I asked.
Emilie tilted her head, looking lost.
‘What was what?’ Emilie asked.
‘That thing with my sister. We were trading goodbyes, and right when she said I love you... it was like I felt what she was feeling. I assumed that was you,’ I said.
Emilie shook her head.
‘Nope. I can’t feel another psychic in the general area either.’
My eyes trailed toward the ground as I mulled that loaded statement around in my head. Did I just imagine it?
‘Nah, you’re just enjoying the passive benefits of being partnered with an empath. I’m almost constantly in your head, your brain is... picking up a few new tricks.’
“What?!”
‘My mom told me about this. When she traveled with her trainer, they formed a bond like the one we share. That trainer could eventually feel the emotions of the people and Pokémon around him.’ Emilie frowned. ‘It took a lot longer for him to manifest that ability though. Maybe your... incident... is speeding things up?’
I had started walking towards the western gate about halfway through Emilie’s explanation.
“So, what you’re saying is you’re giving me superpowers?” I asked aloud. “I’ll take it. Ya know, for all the issues your mom attacking me has caused, it’s certainly made a lot of things a hell of a lot easier.” I thought for a bit. “So, those were Eve’s emotions, then?”
Emilie nodded.
“They... were fairly intense,” I said, my voice sounding far away to my own ears.
‘They are.’ Emilie said. ‘Your sister’s emotions are potent. She doesn’t show it often, but...’
‘She really does love me, huh?’ I whispered. Most of the horrible thoughts I had been dealing with earlier started to fade, and I felt a bit lighter as I walked. ‘I take back what I said, Emilie. What I'm learning from you... it really is amazing.’
Emilie smiled.
‘Thanks. I’m happy you think that,’ Emilie said.
Wally and May were already at the gate, and I waved as I got closer. “You guys ready?”
“Should we really be leaving now? It’s already pretty late into the afternoon.” Wally looked between the two of us nervously.
May and I just nodded.
“We’re sure,” May said. “Assuming you’re ready to go? We are leaving right after catching your starter. I’d understand if you wanted-”
“I’ve been packed for the last two days. I’m a bit nervous about leaving home, but it’s probably better to leave now and not give my family time to rethink this.” Wally turned and started walking, leading the charge out the gate.
Route 104, here we come.