As Sofie drags me out of the salon and through the largest street of Vaniville, I nearly immediately feel curious stares begin to pierce into me. Anxiety rising, I reach up to flick my hood over my head, but I pause for a moment, letting my hand drop to my side. Sofie had worked hard on my hair, hiding it would be insulting to her craft.
From within her ball, Eve sends me a bit of excited anticipation at the thought of becoming circuit members. I smile, sending the emotion back just the same as she had done. For a moment, both of us rapidly return the emotion ball, ending up with me nearly bumping into Sofie as she comes to an abrupt stop. We had arrived in front of Vaniville’s small Pokemon center, the home away from home of all trainers.
“Here we are!" Releasing my hand, Sofie gestures towards the glass door in front of us. "I’ll wait for you out here, then we can go to the place I was talking about!”
I nod enthusiastically, then take a deep breath as I step inside. I am greeted by the smell of the familiar sterile lobby, a familiar nurse behind the counter who bows in the same way they always did. It would probably be very strange if I hadn’t been conditioned to it since childhood.
“Welcome to the Vaniville Pokemon Center." The nurse bows reverently, and I immediately feel a bit out of place. "How may I help you today?”
“I, uh, need to sign up for the circuit.” I murmur, knowing that it wouldn't be a common thing to ask here.
The Vaniville nurse Joy blinks, then points to the computer terminal beside the counter. Feeling my face heat up, I awkwardly sidestep over, the monitor lighting up the second that I stand in front of it. Navigating the UI takes a second considering it seems to be a couple years out of date, but I find the sign up page before long.
After entering my name, date of birth, gender, and region of origin, I end up having to sign a bunch of forms that I skim over probably far too quickly. One requires me to place Eve’s ball into the machine’s scanner, and to my relief nothing seems to go wrong. When I submit the last form, I wince as the terminal’s screen suddenly flashes in a blinding light. Despite the floating aura left in my eyes, I watch in wonder as a metallic card is spit out of the machine. Shakily I take it into my hands, looking at the item that would define my future here.
My trainer card.
‘Morgan Brandt, 18 years old, Female, Paldea.
Badges: 0 Circuit Number: 1
Pokemon: Absol’
A bit overwhelmed, I hug the card to my chest, then carefully put it into the designated pocket of my wallet. I had used my mother’s maiden name as my own, a decision I had made a while ago. It might be easier to stay under the radar if I used a different name, but it felt wrong.
A man coughs behind me, and I give a small bow in apology before I run out of the building. In my excitement I nearly run past Sofie, but she catches me by my arm, pulling me around the side of the building. Taking a deep breath, I calm down and look up at her, finding both her Pokemon looking at me like I was crazy.
“A bit hasty there, Morgan." Smirking, Eve looms over me as she speaks. "You still need to let me meet Eve.”
Suddenly feeling a little shy, I look at a nearby house as I give a tiny nod, trailing behind Sofie as she begins to head towards the east of town. It only takes a few minutes for us to completely leave the area, where a steady increasing population of wild Pokemon begin to make their presence known. As we pass a flock of Pidgey roosting on the branches of a small tree, they end up squawking wildly at us until we successfully dash out of their likely arbitrary range. I notice the same herd of Gogoat as before roaming past, and give them a little wave.
We head east until we reach a small river, where Sofie turns to move south. Looking towards the water, I notice a few Goldeen and Seaking swimming past, their scales glistening in the afternoon sun. I find my lips turning upwards when an Azurill begins to float away from its friends and an Azumarill goes flying through the water to catch it. Water goes everywhere, but thankfully they’re on the other bank of the river.
I notice that the river begins to shrink the farther we walk, until finally a small grove of trees pops up in the distance. Humming to herself, Sofie speeds up, her growing excitement showing through her steps. Her long gait has me really moving my legs to keep up, and for the nth time I find myself cursing my lack of height.
Eventually Sofie does notice me struggling to match her pace, and I bite my tongue to not curse at her when she snickers, speeding up even more. Lowering my stance, I breathe in, then out. I rush forward, sprinting fast enough that I quickly catch up to Sofie and speed past her, only stopping when I am at the grove, panting against a tree.
Running up to me, Sofie kneels down, breathing even harder then I was. “Arceus... How... Are you that fast with such short legs?!”
Groaning at the girl’s playful poke, I look around the place that I had been led to. The grove wasn’t very large, maybe about ten large trees interspersed with some large bushes, but the clearing in its center was breathtaking. At the end of the river, of which its flow slowed down enough to call a small stream, a huge crystal clear pond sits glowing in the shade of the canopy. As we step closer, I notice a few Lotad swimming across the water’s surface, greedily absorbing the sunlight into its leaf. A small group of Wooper party in the mud around the pond, splashing around and sending mud feet into the air above them. Sitting down against the tree, I find myself filled with wonder.
“This is my secret base!" Stretching her arms into the sky, Sofie does a little spin before doing finger guns at me. "You should be proud, I only show it to people I consider friends."
Before I can respond, a voice from behind a tree catches me off guard.
“Well, isn’t this a surprise? I didn’t know you considered me a friend.”
My head swivels towards the noise, revealing a raven haired girl with a Pikachu on her shoulder. A black leather jacket sits atop a slightly unbuttoned white blouse, willingly showing off more than I would personally be comfortable with. A short skirt combined with some combat boots meshes it all together into something I could begrudgingly call cool. Sofie loudly groans, then looks down towards me with an obviously forced smile.
“This is Celine, she has a mean streak, so don’t take her too seriously," The girl blatantly states.
I slowly nod as Celine scoffs, then walks over to stand a few feet away. She blatantly checks me out, sending a shiver down my spine. Eve sends a couple beats of annoyance, but I clutch her pokeball and send some affection to her so that she would calm down. She eventually steps away, glancing up at Sofie with an amused look.
“So, what makes her so interesting, Meier?" Celine asks, with obviously a few more questions lined up behind it.
“Oh, that’s what we came out here to see." Sofie smugly grins, crossing her arms. "When I heard her say it, it was nothing I expected from such a small girl.”
Celine softly huffs a laugh, looking down on me.
“Well, let's see it then," She says, her lips rising into a small smile, " I doubt it’s all that impressive.”
Feeling a bit put onto the spot, I anxiously look up at Sofie just to see her crimson eyes filled with anticipation. I bite my lip, sending my worry to Eve to check if she was okay with it, and the relief I feel when she responds with determination is deep. Taking a deep breath, I pull out Eve’s pokeball, press it to my forehead, then throw it up in the air. My partner appears in a flash of red light, gracefully landing on the ground beside me in a protective pose.
Both humans suck in a breath of awe, but the difference between how Sofie and Celine feel about her is obvious. As I send my amusement at how much she’s posturing , my partner decides to step it up a notch, tilting her head as she sends a glare at Celine. The girl’s eyes go wide with fear and confusion, taking a hesitant step back as a bead of sweat runs down her face. The Pikachu on her head tenses, snarling as it leaps down to stand between my partner and her trainer. For a moment, it almost seems like a battle is going to break out.
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Then, I pat Eve’s side, sending a bit of calm towards her. She responds by entirely dropping her intimidation, leaning down to nuzzle me before skipping over to inspect Sofie and her Pokemon. Eve carefully sniffs Chamomile, then playfully nips her leaves before jumping back and grimacing at how bitter it is. Unable to hold back anymore, I giggle for a few seconds before rising to my feet and giving a wide smile to the flabbergasted Sofie and Celine.
“Sorry about that, she was just playing," I cheerfully say, a bit elated at the fact that my partner was enjoying herself. "The dork loves to see how people react to the Pressure she can make.”
I walk up to the still tense Pikachu, then kneel down to scratch his head. As he squeals in delight, I look up at his trainer.
“So, what’s his name?” I ask, hoping that it would lighten the mood between us.
Before Celine can respond, Sofie snorts and jumps in: “The Pikachu is PiPi, isn’t it adorable?”
I look up to see Celine flush, putting her hands into her pockets and looking away. Suddenly, I know exactly what I looked like when I was walking with Sofie earlier.
“I was five when I met him, okay!?" Putting her hands on her hips, Celine huffs: "When I meet my second Pokemon tomorrow, I’m gonna give it an awesome nickname.”
I tilt my head and look at Sofie, who shrugs. “She’s being sponsored by the Professors, so as is tradition they’re sending a Pokemon for her to raise. I absolutely don’t believe her though, since I know from experience her naming sense is atrocious.”
Stomping her feet in frustration as she walks, Celine scoops up PiPi, squeezing him in her arms.
The girl, after a moment of hesitation, passionately states: “If that’s how it is gonna be, I’ll prove it to you! Both of you should come with me to the ceremony in Aquacorde tomorrow, I’ll come up with and name my second Pokemon right then and there!”
A bit taken aback by the sudden invitation, I look between the two girls to see a slowly widening grin on Sofie’s face. Celine notices it as well, and takes a half step back, her lip trembling.
“I don’t know~ We really need to get moving on the circuit, so waiting around in Aquacorde is a good way to spend the night in Santalune forest," As she speaks, every word her sing songy tone produces seems more teasing then the last, "What do you think, Morgan? Should we go to the event with her or get moving immediately?”
Opening my mouth, I seriously consider the two options before a realization suddenly hits me. A bit perplexed, I look up at Sofie, the fact that I had fallen into her trap slowly sinking in.
"Uhm," I mutter, a bit taken aback, “We’re traveling together?”
The girls go quiet for an awkward moment at my words, before Sofie starts cracking up and Celine swears under her breath. Entirely confused, I find my head ping ponging between the girls before Sofie walks over to stand over me. Feeling very small in her shadow, I wring my hands together as I look at the ground.
“There’s only one way we can go from here, so I was in fact planning on going with you. Of course, if you don’t want to, I’ll head out alone.”
“I-I’m not, I-I don’t…,” I fumble, but before I can manage to form a coherent sentence, Celine snaps, stomping her foot on the ground and screeching.
“UGH! Stop flirting and give me the answer already!" Pointing at us with her right hand and holding her Pokemon with her left, Celine pouts. "Do you know how hard it was to work up the courage to ask you to come?!”
Sofie snickers and playfully hums while dramatically pretending to think hard. As she continues, Celine turns more and more red, to the point I’m worried she will get a nose bleed. Making my decision, I reach over and tug on Sofie’s shirt, which gets her to stop her teasing and look at me seriously. I hesitate, then meekly nod, which has Eve send me a jolt of amusement. I don’t respond, turning red as Sofie gets the biggest, dumbest grin, pulling me into a quick hug which she nearly immediately releases me from. She walks over and leans a bit down, smugly grinning at Celine.
“Well, that confirms it, we’ll be coming to your little event." As Celine lights up, Sofie winks at her. "I’ll have you know, I have first dibs on a battle, got it?”
Celine huffs in annoyance and turns away, but I catch the faintest smile on her face as she begins to walk towards the town. Sofie and I end up watching her until she crosses the peak of a hill, disappearing from view. We both are quiet, and as our pokemon cheerfully begin to play with each other, I can’t seem to find any words. Thankfully, Sofie breaks the silence by looking at me with a soft expression.
“Sorry about her, I know our relationship dynamic is sort of chaotic. I honestly didn’t know she’d be here when I decided to bring you here.” The words of her apology soft, Sofie anxiously shifts in place.
I shake my head, wringing my hands a bit more.
“It was fun to watch, and Eve got to have a little bit of fun, so it's fine.” I eventually murmur, not entirely sure of myself.
I watch Cappuccino and Chamomile seem to make a game of chasing down the swift Eve, finding to my surprise that they keep up quite well. When I look at Sofie, I find her looking at the sky with a worried look. A bit worried, I turn to her and step a bit closer.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, grabbing her attention.
Sofie glance at me and then down at the ground, muttering something to herself beneath her breath that I miss entirely. When she regains her composure, I find resolve on her face as she takes a small step towards me.
“You know, if you don’t want me to go with you on the circuit, that’s okay," She says, her voice slightly wavering as she continues," I sorta forced you into that decision earlier, so uh, I'll understand if you tell me you don’t want to.”
I immediately shake my head.
“It’s fine. It may not look like it from the outside, but I know Eve adores the company of other people and Pokemon." I say, surprising even myself a bit with my next words, "As for me, I think I’ve talked more with you today than I have with anyone else combined for… A while… S-So it’s probably a really good thing that you’re willing to travel with me.”
Sofie scratches her face as she looks towards the town for a moment, then looks back at me.
“Uh, Morgan, are you planning to stay at the center tonight?” Sofie asks, a bit bashfully.
I freeze, look at Eve, look at the town, then back to Sofie.
“I uh, was gonna camp." I blurt, unsure of any issues.
Sofie sighs, then reaches over and flicks me on my forehead.
“Idiot, first of all, you can't camp around here, it's too dangerous," She says sternly before continuing her lecture, "Second I live here. It’s decided, you’re staying with us tonight.”
“But-”
“No buts!” Sofia interrupts me, then adds, “We have a spare room anyway, so it won’t be awkward.”
“Are you- Eep!?”
Seemingly not going to let me finish a full sentence, grinning ear to ear my friend picks me up, holding me under her right arm.
“I’m getting hungry, let’s go see what mom’s making!" Sofie spouts before she turns to our Pokemon. "Come on, guys!”
All three of our little friends cheer in unison, rushing over to follow us. When we start moving, my anxiety once again begins to bubble.
“Wait, what about Eve?” I sputter, afraid of the possibilities.
Sofie doesn’t stop walking as she giggles.
“I’m here to vouch for you, so it’ll be fine.” She states confidently, yet it doesn't do much to help.
I open my mouth to argue, but find my train of thought crashing to halt when Eve dumps an anvil of joy onto me. My anxiety flees, but I find indignation taking its place.
“Urgh, fine! You both are so stubborn!" I flail, unable to break free from Sofie's grip. "Now, I can walk so, let. me. down!”
Sofie freezes, her grin seemingly getting even wider.
“Okay.” is all she says.
I pale, realizing my mistake.
“W-Wait! Don’t-” I squeal, but it's too late.
Sofie drops me on the grass and starts running, our Pokemon trailing right behind her. I scramble to my feet, breaking into as fast a sprint as I can manage. By the time we’ve nearly made it to town, I feel like I’m dying, but I somehow ended up managing to almost catch up. Unfortunately, I trip and fall on my face, leading to Eve doubling back to pick me up while sending me the deep amusement she felt over the situation. I grumble as I reply with my annoyance, but considering I do it while hanging over her back like a dead fish, I doubt it has much impact.
“Here we are, home sweet home.” Sofie opens the door, warmth and the slight smell of flowers wafting into the air around us.
Cappuccino immediately begins to fuss about me, my clothes and exposed skin marred with grass stains from my two falls. She does her best, unfortunately only managing to clean up my skin and a bit of the stains in the fabric. Distressed, the Minccino grabs my hand, dragging me into the house without giving me a chance to argue.
The living room I enter into is pretty typical at first glance, but I don’t really get much time to look at it before Cappuccino drags me up a set of stairs into a bathroom. I sit down as the Pokemon begins to fill a bath, letting my bag fall to the ground beside me. It was only that I was inside and sitting down that my exhaustion became obvious. Despite doing my best to not doze off, I end up jolting back into consciousness by the Minccino slapping my leg with its tail. Seeing the bath was ready, I remove my clothes, doing my best to not look down, then sink into the water with a sigh.
As the Pokemon runs off with my dirty clothes and my bag, I find myself dozing again, but actually catch myself this time by primarily focusing on the actual point of the bath. It isn’t until I’m squeaky clean that I force myself out of the tub, wincing when I see my body again. When I step out into the second half of the bathroom, I find a set of clothes that I assume are for me. When I step out of the bathroom, feeling a bit flushed, I hear movement downstairs. When I actually do step into the living room again, I raise my arm at Sofie, showing off the way too long sleeve of the shirt I had been given.
“Are these really the only clothes you had that I could borrow?” I complain, the baggy clothes easily twice my normal size.
Sofie giggles, raising an incredibly sparkly pink shirt into the air.
“They are, unless you wanna wear my clothes from a few years ago.” She teases, a silly grin on her face.
Immediately shaking my head vigorously, Sofie snorts as she stands up. I am pushed into the kitchen, into a chair, where I find my new friend’s mom sitting across from me.
“Well, that’s definitely a bit large on you,” She states as Sofie steps out to the stove.
I give a dry laugh as Sofie places a bowl of some kind of soup in front of me, causing me to freeze.
Sitting down beside me, Sofie points to the bowl and gives me an order: “Eat. You’re all skin and bones.”
My stomach does a flip. What if I didn’t like it? The idea of my first home cooked meal in months being something I couldn’t eat was petrifying. Anxious, I distract myself with the adorable sight of Eve happily chowing down with the other Pokemon a few feet away, yet still the soup stayed as daunting as it was before. It isn’t until I peek up and see two highly expectant faces that I slowly take a sip. And then another.
Before I know it, my bowl is empty. My company gleefully refills it before I even have to ask, a process that repeats four times in total. Now fully stuffed for the first time in who knows how long, I rest my head down on the table. As I do, my consciousness quickly begins defying me, likely for the last time tonight according to how little will I was able to put up to stop it. I am barely cognizant as I feel someone lead me by my hand into a room, where I immediately flop into a bed that I manage to see.
The last thing I feel before sleep takes over is the comfortable warmth of fur, and the deep affection of Eve.