“Sob-”
“-bun-”
“-key!”
After the flash of blue faded, Bianca was met with the sight of three Pokemon standing between Leon and herself, Ash, and Hop.
The first had a yellow fin atop its comparatively large head, the small body ending in a curling tail that got thicker towards the end. The entire Pokemon was covered in shiny blue scales, although the top had a darker shade of blue, and the two cheek spots were darker still.
The second was white and bipedal with red and orange at the end of its long ears. A yellow square sat perfectly between its nose and beady black eyes, looking as though someone slapped a slice of processed cheese right on its face, and had orange at the end of its large and rather energetic feet.
The final Pokemon was green with a yellow-ish face and orange muzzle, matching the tiny hands and feet. The small ape had dark green ears and a long tail of the same shade.
They all looked fairly cute to her, although Bianca was mildly concerned when the blue Pokemon took one look at them and immediately began to cry. Oddly, she felt tears begin to swim in her eyes at the sight, and she couldn’t fathom the reaction given she wasn’t that sad.
Annoyed, the white Pokemon stopped bouncing and yelled out “Scor!” causing the blue one to stop crying abruptly, which instantly made Bianca stop crying.
The green ape barely gave a glance at this, and glanced curiously at the three individuals before taking what looked like a stick from the back of its head and started banging it on the ground with muffled thumps.
“These,” Leon stated as he placed his hands on his hips, “are Galar’s starters! At least, the classic starters. The blue one there is a water-type called Sobble-”
“Sob,” Sobble murmured.
“-the white one is Scorbunny, a fire-type-”
“Scor!” It said, standing up straight and mimicking Leon’s pose.
“-and the green one is Grookey, a grass-type.”
Grookey gave the ground one final smack with the stick before tucking it away again, once more giving them its attention.
“Woah! Hey, guys!” Ash greeted them with a smile, crouching down as he looked at each Pokemon. “I’m Ash Ketchum. You guys are so cute! Rotom, where–oh yeah,” Ash muttered, slumping in place.
“You’ve got that right!” Hop cheered, not having heard the last bit as he joined Ash in crouching.
Bianca couldn’t help but agree, smiling as she noticed Scorbunny preen at the comments. Grookey smiled and cocked its head, while Scorbunny merely stared at the trainers cautiously.
However, something Leon said caught her attention, and she couldn't help but turn to him and ask, “You said ‘your’ starters. Did you mean…-”
“Yup!” Leon said with a smile. “All three of you can take one of these for your very own to train. Just remember they are relying on you!”
Ash and Hop were nodding eagerly, but Bianca couldn’t help but frown as she glanced back at the Pokemon, seeing their expectant expressions. Sobble was perhaps less excited than its companions, but nonetheless, it looked between the people in front of it as though trying to guess who might choose it.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t bring herself to feel the same excitement as Ash and Hop, and it must have shown on her face, as it attracted Leon’s attention
“Bianca? You doing alright there?” He asked curiously, a note of concern in his voice.
“I….” She began, not sure how to respond. She didn’t like the idea of spurning something that was likely ordinarily very difficult to obtain, as she couldn’t imagine he just walked up to a store and bought them. Or did he?
“Where…how did you get them? The Pokemon, I mean,” she asked, trying to temporarily deflect the source of her unease until she could pinpoint the source.
Luckily, even if he picked up on her strange behavior, he didn’t call her out on it and happily replied, “Ah, well, remember when I mentioned I had to leave to chat with Chairman Rose?”
Bianca paused before nodding, and the two boys beside her looked up as Leon continued, “Well, I just so happened to tell him I was headed back here and needed a few Pokemon so a certain someone could start his gym challenge.”
Hop laughed happily and quickly stood, shooting over to his brother and giving him a tight hug. “Finally! I knew it was coming soon, I just knew it!”
“My death will come soon, if you don’t ease up!” His brother wheezed out with a chuckle, nonetheless returning the gesture. “But yeah, you’ve certainly been patient, which is why you get the first pick. I hope you two don’t mind,” Leon added, glancing at Ash and Bianca.
Ash smiled and shook his head, waving him off as he said, “Nah, we don’t mind. Right, Bianca?”
Not choosing first is the least of my concerns, Bianca thought, face twisting as she slowly stood. “I’m really sorry, but…this is something I’m not ready for just yet.”
The two brothers broke apart and looked at her in confusion, Ash and the Pokemon mirroring their movement.
“‘Not ready’?” The raven-haired trainer echoed, sounding confused. “Are you not gonna get a starter?”
Ash looked bewildered at the thought, and Bianca shook her head, feeling the guilt mount up at the almost hurt expressions on the starters’ faces.
Hop then chimed in, sounding almost affronted as he said, “Well, why not? Lee went through all the trouble of getting them, surely-”
Leon raised his hand, stopping his brother’s speel as he cocked his head. “I can’t say I’m not surprised, but I’m not particularly bothered by it. I’d just like to know why, if you don’t mind me asking.”
Relaxing at his mellow tone, Bianca nodded and looked up as she responded, “I just don’t think I’m a good fit. I’m not a trainer, and I’m really not sure I want to be one, either. I don’t mind taking care of Pokemon, but…raising them to battle isn’t something I think I can do, and…I’d rather they go to a trainer willing to do that with them.”
It was silent for a few moments as everyone considered her answer. The starters looked somewhat mollified, although Sobble looked like it was still in danger of crying with a tear beginning to form in the corner of one of its eyes. Hop also calmed down, face going from annoyed, to understanding, then guilty.
“Oh, well then, apologies for the outburst, there,” he apologized, grimacing at his own mistake.
She waved him off, calmly replying, “Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. I get it.”
Bianca didn’t blame him for being offended on his brother’s behalf; it showed just how close a bond they had with one another. If the twins offered something of such high value and it was refused, she’d probably get a little miffed as well.
Meanwhile, Ash slowly nodded, smiling in a way that lifted some of the guilt off of her shoulders. “I understand,” he said reassuringly. “You just don’t want them being bored with you!”
She stared at him in disbelief before snorting. “Sure, Ash. Let’s go with that.”
Leave it to him to unintentionally insult someone while simultaneously supporting them, Bianca thought, suppressing the urge to laugh at his complete lack of filter.
“I…maybe work on the phrasing a little,” Leon tentatively suggested, drawing their attention. “However, I think I get what you’re laying down. You want all of them to have a strong trainer, and you don’t feel like you fit the mold?”
“Er, something like that, yeah,” Bianca agreed, earning a nod from the man.
“Right, well, then I have a solution,” he stated with a smile. “Whichever Pokemon that doesn’t end up being picked gets trained by me!”
Bianca had to admit that was pretty considerate for being on the fly, and she couldn’t help but wonder if that was part of the original plan. He did bring three, after all, and there was no guarantee that she or Ash would have chosen a starter at all.
The Pokemon in question looked pleased, as did Ash and Pikachu.
“So,” Leon said, gesturing towards the three Pokemon. “Which one will you be picking, Hop?”
“Hmm,” his brother mused, cupping his chin with his fingers. He looked between the three, Scorbunny standing up straight and looking hopeful. Grookey was waiting patiently, looking unbothered under Hop’s stare, which was more than what Sobble could claim. The poor Pokemon looked extremely nervous, shifting its little feet when it was finally scrutinized.
Finally, Hop smiled and nodded, pointing dramatically and declaring, “I choose you, Scorbunny!”
“SCOR!” The little Pokemon happily exclaimed, taking a few steps forward before jumping up, the two sharing a fist bump before gravity claimed it once more. Hop grinned as Scorbunny stood proudly at his side, looking suspiciously smug,
“Nice pick, Hop!” Ash said supportively, Scorbunny’s expression giving Bianca the impression that the Pokemon had something of an ego problem.
“Thanks, mate!” Hop replied with a nod, looking confident. “Little guy looked like he had spunk, so-OW!” He leapt back on one foot, his lower pants leg looking mildly singed from where Scorbunny kicked it as the Pokemon blew him a razzberry. Bianca softly snorted as Hop indignantly said, “Hey, what was that for?”
Leon winced as Scorbunny crossed its arms. “Er, right, I forgot to mention; that particular Scorbunny is a lass.”
Hop stared at his brother for a moment before face-palming. “Right, I should have thought of that. Sorry about that little, uh..miss. Sonia mentioned one time that male Pokemon were more common, so I kinda just assumed you were as well.”
Scorbunny sniffed, nonetheless looking mollified as she nodded and rejoined Hop at his side.
Bianca, on the other hand, frowned thoughtfully. Most Pokemon were male?
“I never knew that,” she admitted, thinking back to the Garden. She didn’t exactly make it a habit to check up the skirts of every Pokemon there, but she knew that the Eons didn’t really have any dominating number of either gender. Of course, she was basing all of this on the twins, but she didn’t think it was unreasonable that other Pokemon were the same.
Leon nodded, however, looking embarrassed as he crossed his arms. “Yeah, it can be a bit of a problem out in the wild. Female Pokemon will typically find themselves away from other Pokemon just so they aren’t swamped with suitors.”
Bianca wanted to snort at that, thinking back to Alto Mare. When she was around fourteen, she started gathering the occasional curious look from boys her age. It took another few months before she perfected the art of dismissive looks and snappish words, warding off any would-be romancers.
“It’s not as bad with captured Pokemon,” Leon continued, breaking her out of her thoughts, “but until Scorbunny can take care of herself, you may want to keep her in this,” he said as he chucked a Pokeball underhand towards Hop, his brother catching it with a startled expression. “That’s her ball, of course. Take good care of it, yeah?” Leon prompted, Hop nodding once he looked up.
“You can count on me, Lee!” His brother said determinedly, Scorbunny letting out an excited chirp. “I won’t let you or Scorbunny down!”
“That’s all I ask. Now, up to you, Champ,” Leon said, turning to the raven-haired trainer. “Who’s going to be the lucky Pokemon?”
Bianca couldn’t help but wince Hop tilted his head curiously and asked, “Champ?”
Immediately, Leon slapped his forehead, cursing as he dropped his hand. “Ah, damn. Apologies about that, Ash, I wasn’t thinking there.”
“N-no, it’s fine,” the raven-haired trainer said, shrugging it off with a grin. “Not like people weren’t going to find out eventually.”
“Find out about what?” Hop insisted, looking between the two with a slight frown.
Bianca kept her mouth shut, letting Ash reply as he coughed into his fist and meekly replied, “Well, you see, I’m kind of… a Champion. Of Alola.”
There was dead silence as the starters and Hop stared at him for a moment before the brother laughed.
“Ha! Good one, mate, I almost believed you for a second there,” he chortled, although that died off as Bianca, Ash, and Leon all glanced at one another awkwardly, their behavior changing his expression into one of growing surprise. “Hold on, are you lot being serious right now?”
Ash nodded and stood up, Leon giving him a rueful look. “It’s true, Hop. Remember when I told you about it? I told you the day it happened, if I recall.”
Bianca fought a smile as Hop stared at Ash closely before reeling back. “Unbelievable, it really is you! ‘Ash Ketchum’, I knew that name sounded familiar! You’re the new Champion Leon’s been going on about?”
“Er…I guess,” Ash said lamely, causing Bianca to snort. “But I’m not Champion here, so please don’t make a big deal out of it.”
Bianca noticed Leon nodding approvingly, while Hop shook his head in wonder. “Mate, you are something else. Anyone else would have been telling everyone they knew, but you didn’t even bring it up until Lee did.”
Ash opened his mouth to respond, but Bianca beat him to the punch.
“Yes, he’s amazingly humble like that,” she said, making him sputter. “Took him too long for him to tell me about it. Now choose a Pokemon, they’ve waited long enough.”
Sure enough, the remaining two starters were looking up at Ash patiently, clearly every word uttered flying over their heads. However, as Bianca watched Ash kneel down again, she couldn’t help but glance over at Scorbunny. The Pokemon was staring at the trainer with an open mouth, eyes glinting. She then looked between Hop and Ash, before slightly slumping with a disappointed expression.
Bianca couldn’t help but wince in sympathy for Hop despite the fact that the boy hadn’t noticed a thing. Hopefully, his Pokemon would grow out of her disappointment. If not…
“Let’s see…” Ash said, bringing her attention back over to him. “I think I’ll go with Sobble. What do you say, little…guy?” He trailed off, looking up at Leon as Sobble blinked in surprise. Grookey slightly slumped in disappointment, before giving Bianca a hopeful glance, making her feel guilty all over again.
“Good choice,” Leon praised with a nod. “And yes, Sobble there is male. I’ve been told he’s got somewhat of a crying problem, but I’m confident you’ll work with him just fine. Which leaves Grookey. Are you absolutely sure about your decision, Bianca?” He said as he turned to her with a serious expression. “If you don’t take him now, he’ll be under my care, and you’ll be left to catch your own Pokemon should you change your mind later.”
She almost took back her decision, seeing Grookey’s face. However, Bianca knew she couldn’t be the kind of trainer he deserved, and so she shook her head remorsefully.
“I’m sure,” she said, before turning to the disappointed Pokemon with a sad smile. “I’m sorry, little guy, I really am. But I promise you it’s not because I don’t want you or anything. I just don’t want you stuck with some silly painter who’s more worried about art than battles. Besides,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Leon here said he’d take you, and he’s a nice and strong trainer. You’ll be far better with him than me.”
Throughout her speech, Grookey took on a far less melancholic expression, and by the end was looking at Leon with hope in his eyes.
The man smiled and kneeled next to the Pokemon. “You’re not entirely wrong, but I wouldn’t say ‘far better.’ Give yourself some credit, young lady. You’re polite and kind, which is more than some trainers out there can say. You would make a fine trainer.”
Bianca flushed in embarrassment, not expecting such praise. Beside her, Ash nodded eagerly and piled on, “Yeah! You’re amazing, Bianca! You’re great with Pokemon!”
Her cheeks were beginning to burn, turning away in the vague hope they wouldn’t see.
“Thank you,” she managed to murmur, although Ash made it tempting to clam up and run away as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“If you ever decide you want to catch a Pokemon, Pikachu and I will be right by your side to help you raise it. Right, buddy?”
“Pi-ka!”
Forget running away, she wished she could emulate that Pokemon from earlier and just disappear into the ground. Receiving praise and support from someone who had absolutely nothing to gain from it was still a weakness of hers it seems, and while most of her wished to go temporarily deaf, another smaller part was eager for more of Ash’s kind words.
She would have to strangle that part at the first opportunity. For now, she’d have to move the conversation along and off of herself.
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“Thanks, Ash,” Bianca said before clearing her throat. “So, uh, what next?”
“Well, I take this little guy under my wing, for one,” Leon said as he held up a pokeball, earning a cheerful “Key!” from the Pokemon before he was sucked into the ball in a flash of light. “Then there’s another thing…”
“Another thing?” Ash repeated, cocking his head as Leon straightened up and handed him a pokeball.
Leon nodded towards the sphere and said, “Indeed. That’s Sobble’s ball. I’m going to assume you already have a belt, but what’s one without balls?”
Bianca briefly closed her eyes at the unfortunate phrasing, while barely making out the sound of Hop letting out a little snort.
As she opened them again, Leon clapped his hands together, seemingly unaware of either of their reactions. “Now, let’s see about-”
“Boys, when you’re quite done with your ruckus out here, lunch is ready,” a woman’s voice called from the side, making Bianca jump and turn in fright.
“Ah, speaking of which,” Leon commented as the artist turned to see a motherly figure with an amused and affectionate smile on her portly face, just barely showing signs of age. Bianca could certainly see the resemblance to Hop and Leon, especially with the darker hair.
“I hope you didn’t keep your friends waiting just for Hop,” the woman said with a somewhat firm voice. “The hero of old knows how much you spoil him. You might as well be a grandfather already!”
Hero of old?
Hop grinned and shot his brother a look as he replied, “You’re missing a step, Mum. First, he’s gotta marry-”
“You’re absolutely right, Ma, I deeply apologize!” Leon quickly interjected as he bowed his head. “I also hope we have enough for these two. If not, I can-”
“Oh, please,” his mother playfully scoffed before shooting Ash and Bianca a smile. “You haven’t been gone long enough to forget how much I make when you come home.”
“With Ash’s appetite, I’m sure it’s still not enough,” Bianca muttered under her breath, Receiving a pout from the trainer in question.
However, the woman only giggled as she playfully retorted, “Trust me, dear, I’ve told myself more times than I can count. It was only a few years ago when I managed to prove myself wrong!” She joked, Leon whistling innocently as his mother continued in a more reassuring tone, “Don’t worry, I make more than enough for several days worth of leftovers, or in Leon’s case, one day’s worth. Even with a couple extra mouths to feed, there’s more than enough to go around.”
“Alright!” Ash cheered as he snatched up his pack, making Bianca roll her eyes. “Thank you so much!”
“Yes, thank you very much, ma’am,” Bianca said in a much more calm manner, picking up her own burden with a slight grunt.
The woman waved them off cheerfully. “Oh, hush with the ‘ma’am’ bit, I feel positively ancient. Please, call me Agnes. Now come inside before the food gets cold, or Arthur starts digging into it himself. And bring your bags, I’d hate for any local Pokemon to get to them.”
As Agnes turned and headed back towards the house, Ash quickly pulled Sobble into the ball before eagerly dashing forward. Bianca followed at a slower pace, still not quite used to the weight of her belongings.
After recalling his Pokemon, Hop skipped over and exclaimed as he passed by, “You lot are in luck. My mum is the best cook on this side of Galar, perhaps even on the other end, too!”
She merely blinked at this, while Ash slowed a bit and turned to the boy with a thoughtful look. “Really? I have a friend in Alola who’s also a pretty great cook. Has her own restaurant and everything.”
That momentarily caught Bianca off guard, and she frowned before carefully saying, “...Wait, is that…uh, what’s her name…”
As she struggled to recall the green-haired girl, Ash came in with the save as he excitedly confirmed, “Yeah, Mallow! Well, technically it’s her dad’s, but still. She does most of the cooking now.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” she replied evenly, only to stumble over Ash’s next words.
“Yeah, I’ll have to take you some time. You’ll love it!” He grinned, oblivious to the looks the brothers and Bianca were flashing him, the latter sighing in annoyance as she recovered from her momentary shock.
“Please be more mindful about your words, Ash,” she pleaded. “I’d love to eat there one day, but you can’t say something like that without sounding like you’re trying to take someone out on a date.”
Ash stopped as he scrunched his eyebrows in confusion before realization struck him, and he awkwardly nodded and laughed. “Oh, haha. Sorry about that, I wasn’t thinking.”
Clearly, she thought, while waving his apology aside and half-jokingly said, “And don’t apologize, you’ll make a girl feel bad.”
Pikachu shot his trainer a dry look, while Bianca ignored the two brothers as they exchanged amused glances and nodded thanks to their mother as she crossed the threshold into their home.
Wow, this is beautiful, she thought as she looked around. Unlike the hotel, it felt rather homely on the inside. Instead of golden light fixtures, there were simple lamps with tasteful shades, and soft carpet in place of hard marble flooring. The living room was simple, but all the more effective for it, and the kitchen she could just make out from the doorway was just large enough to get the job done.
The overall decorum was one she more than approved of, and she felt her nerves disappear as she made her way further in. It was a shame that neither of the twins were here to experience it with her, for she knew they’d enjoy it as well.
Bianca attempted to push away the pang as she began to follow Agnes into the dining area, only for her to call out, “Oh, you can just leave your belongings by the couch, dear.”
“Thank you,” Bianca replied gratefully as she let down her pack once more, Ash following suit and letting his drop with a mild thud next to hers, making her wince and ask, “Can we not break our things on the first day, please?”
“Don’t worry,” Ash said with a confident grin. “Everything in there is practically unbreakable!”
She rolled her eyes as Hop and Leon passed by, the latter leaving his things next to theirs as they stopped to watch their “argument.”
“First of all,” Bianca began with an irritated sigh, “The fact that you said ‘practically’ just means it is breakable. Second, nothing is actually ‘unbreakable’, anyway. If someone ever tries to tell you it is, they’re lying. If I catch you buying anything else because it’s ‘un-something-or-other-able’, I’m going to call your mother so she can spank some sense into you!”
Ash looked appropriately unnerved by her threat and began protesting, “My mother?! Please no, I’d rather you do it yourself than her!”
She couldn’t help but open and close her mouth in shock, resembling a Magikarp in more ways than one while Hop and Leon covered their mouths in a poor attempt at masking their laughs. From the kitchen, Bianca was vaguely aware of Agness exclaiming, “Oh, my!”
Ash looked oblivious to what he insinuated, looking between the brothers and Bianca as he said, “What’s so funny? You don’t know my mom, she can be quite scary when she wants to!”
Bianca looked at him disbelievingly for a few more moments before throwing up her hands and brushing past him, the red fading from her face as her mortification began to dissipate.
“I think you should have spent more time online than in battles, Ash,” she commented as she reached the kitchen and found a man already there, somewhat catching her off guard. As he glanced her way, she could see what an older Leon must look like, although the sharp eyes were traded for gentle ones. “Er, you must be Arthur?”
Her guess was met with a smile and nod as he replied, “I see my wife has already told you about me! Indeed I am, lass. Who might you be?”
“I’m Bianca, sir,” she responded politely, returning his gesture. “I’m..er, friends with Leon and Hop.”
“Don’t sound so unsure about it!” Leon laughed as he came up beside her, Hop in tow. “I know it’s only been a day, but I assure you I’m not so unapproachable that I can’t have friends!”
Ash joined them in time for Hop to snort, “And Sonia isn’t so unapproachable, either, yet–ow!”
“Cheeky brat,” Leon laughed as his brother rubbed the spot where Leon had cuffed him. “Anyway; Pops, this is Bianca, as you know, and her ‘friend’ Ash Ketchum.”
She cast a withering look at him as Ash waved and said, “Hey, nice to meet you! I’m Ash, and this is my partner, Pikachu?”
“Pika!” The electric mouse chirped as he jumped onto his trainer’s shoulder.
“I thought Bianca was your partner?” Hop asked innocently, earning a glare from her and another cuff, this time from his mother.
Bianca shot her a grateful look as Agnes chided, “Don’t embarrass the poor girl! Some friends you’re being. Please, sit down, dear. Honestly, some boys, I swear!”
“Trust me,” Bianca remarked dryly as she pulled out a chair and sat. “I’ve dealt with this before, so it’s not like I’m not used to it.”
I’d actually say this is pretty on par with what the twins would say, she thought with a small huff, although her humor was once more tempered by a pang. Despite the two days difference, the absence of the twins was beginning to wear on her, and it went without saying that she dearly missed her grandfather.
She would definitely have to get his number from Nurse Joy sooner rather than later. One second-hand notification probably wasn’t doing him any favors.
“Here you go, dears,” Agnes said warmly, tearing Bianca from her thoughts as she set a large steaming pot of what looked like stew on the table, only to leave and come back with a large bowl of rice.
While Bianca wasn’t too sure on that particular combination, she nonetheless pushed the thought to the side as she quickly stood and said, “Here, let me..help?”
She trailed off as Agness then set a massive bowl on the table cradling large, white eggs. They appeared to be roughly the size of Pikachu’s head, or about double the size of Ash’s brain, and seemed wet or slick with something.
The woman laughed gently and said, “Oh, no need, dear. You’re a guest after all. Please, sit.”
“Uh…alright,” Bianca said slowly, still staring at the eggs as she sat back down. Hop took the spot to her left, while Ash took to her right side as he set Pikachu in his lap. She briefly took the time to appreciate not being sandwiched by complete strangers before pointing at the eggs and asking, “What are…those are eggs, right?”
“Indeed they are,” Leon said cheerfully as he sat across from Hop. Seeing her alarmed expression, he quickly assured her, “Don’t worry, they weren’t fertilized. Completely safe to eat.”
She heaved a sigh of relief and nodded, glad she wouldn’t be biting into undeveloped Pokemon. However, this did raise another question.
“How, though?” Bianca asked as Ash received a pair of soft tongs from Arthur and quickly snatched up an egg to put on his plate. “How are they…well, not fertilized?”
Ash handed her the utensil and she gave a muted thanks just as Leon replied, “Well, certain species of Pokemon don’t need to be…well, interacted with by a male to lay eggs. They just won’t grow into Pokemon. Inert and rather useless to the would-be mother.”
Bianca nodded thoughtfully, taking an egg and passing the tongs to Hop while the Monarch continued, “These happen to be…actually, which eggs are these, Ma?”
“I believe Corviknight eggs, sweety,” his mom replied with a smile as she watched Hop claim his own egg and pass the tongs on to his brother.
“Really?” Leon said, sounding impressed as he grabbed an egg, inspected it, then nodded and placed it on his plate. “Well, I’ll be. I figured they’d be Chansey or Blissey eggs. Really tricky to get Corviknight eggs sometimes, if only because the hen usually eats them herself to regain the energy. How’d you manage it?”
“Professor Magnolia was kind enough to donate them,” Agnes replied with a smile as she claimed the last egg. “She’s been helping out quite a few poor dears, and the hens without males have been giving her their eggs as thanks. She always makes sure to feed them, of course.”
Leon nodded, although he did so with a frown as he started spooning rice onto his plate around the egg. “Er, how’d she get them here? She’s kind of getting up there in years…but don’t tell her I said that,” he finished quickly, leaving the large spoon in the bowl and passing it across to Hop
His brother received it with a grin. “Who else but Sonia?” He was snickering as he served himself before passing it to Bianca, who thanked him as she watched Leon’s eyes widen.
As Bianca copied the brothers and surrounded her egg with rice, the eldest sibling shifted uncomfortably as he packed the rice around his egg, voice sounding off as he replied, “Ah, of course. That makes sense, haha. Well, I’ll be sure to thank her some time.”
He didn’t meet anyone’s incredulous looks, merely looking up and away from potential eye contact as he waited for everyone to get rice on their plates.
Ash was passing the bowl to Arthur when Hop leaned towards Bianca and muttered, “As you can see, my brother and Sonia have some history.”
Bianca tilted her head and replied in a low voice, “He seemed fine when he mentioned her on the train…”
“He probably left out all the juicy bits,” Hop replied with a snicker as pulled back in time to see Leon shooting him an exasperated look. Bianca guiltily shied away, although the man was more focused on playfully scolding his brother.
“I give you an official starter, and this is how you treat me in return,” Leon snorted. “Honestly, if-”
“Oh, don’t even get started, you two. By the time you finish bickering, these two will be older than I am now,” Arthur interrupted as Bianca turned to see him push the bowl of stew towards Ash. “Pour this curry on your rice, son, and pass the bowl to your companion there. Oh, and let out those new Pokemon of yours. They can fit in here, right?”
Curry, that’s what it’s called, Bianca thought as she watched Ash eagerly nod and pull out Sobble’s ball, releasing the Pokemon before beginning to serve himself. As Ash passed the bowl to her, Sobble began looking around, only to quickly crawl up his trainer’s leg and rest in his lap beside Pikachu.
“Thank you,” Bianca said simply, spooning the curry over her rice, a spicy and savory aroma hit her nostrils, and she found her mouth beginning to water.
Passing the bowl to Hop, Bianca took a moment to lean in and take a look at the curry as the juices soaked into the rice.
“Are these…berries?” She asked as she glanced towards Agnes.
The woman nodded with a smile as the bowl was passed around. “Yes, dear. Mostly Cheri berries, but there are other berries and seasonings as well. One of Hop’s favorite recipes.”
“Absolutely!” Hop agreed before releasing Scorbunny from her ball into his lap, the Pokemon looking around before leaning in and curiously sniffing the curry in front of her.
Bianca listened to this, intrigued. She’d never heard of berries being used for something like this, but then again, she wasn’t one for experimenting in the kitchen.
“Well, it smells wonderful,” she said honestly, finding herself wishing she had gone to Galar sooner. Short of that, actually looking up international dishes to try.
“Yeah, it’s great!” Ash eagerly added, Pikachu giving an affirming chirp. “A few of my friends like to cook, but I’m not sure even they can beat this!”
“Oh, thank you, dears,” Agnes said with a soft laugh. “You two are too much. Leon, Hop,” she said, her words getting their attention. “You both better make sure they are properly prepared. Mostly you, Leon. You and that Sonia.”
Leon smiled ruefully and nodded. “I know, Ma. Trust me, I want them to be as prepared as possible. All of them.”
But which one most of all? Bianca thought, glancing at the man as he reassured his mother. Ash, or Hop?
“Bzzzt!”
Bianca slightly jumped as her Rotom Phone shot out and faced the screen towards the table, only to let out what sounded like the noise of a camera before zooming back to Bianca and showing her the screen.
Almost everyone in frame was looking flabbergasted, with the exception of Leon who merely showed a wry smile. Without a word from her, the Phone then zoomed back from whence it came, earning a nonplussed blink from Bianca and a chuckle from Leon.
“Looks like you’ve got a bit of a wild one there,” the man remarked. “Just be aware of the Rotom doing that in the future. It has a lot of memory, but you’ll probably end up with a wide variety of pictures it decides to take on its own.”
“Great,” Bianca sighed. “Of the two of us, I get the spontaneously photographing phone.”
As the brothers snickered, Arthur once more interjected and said, “Anyway, now that everyone is served, do either of you have anyone or anything to pray to? Guardian Pokemon, or something similar?”
“Pray to?” She repeated curiously, to which he nodded.
“Yes,” Arthur said with a smile. “We don’t quite have any guardians around here, and I don’t think there are any of the old ones running around, so we pray to Arceus once in a while. I’m curious if you have any you’d like to speak to before we proceed.”
Bianca blinked, nonplussed at the thought. Truthfully, she hadn’t quite considered doing something like that, although that was mostly because she spoke to the guardians on a daily basis…or rather, she did before this journey.
Mentioning them might be risky, but…
“Well,” she began slowly, thinking through her answer before speaking it. “My home is said to have two Guardian Pokemon. Just the city, but…”
Bianca trailed off as she felt the sensation of Ash staring at her, and she shook off the slight shiver as she pressed on. “I guess those count, but we don’t quite pray to them, as they’re pretty much just Legends…”
To most, at least, she thought privately as the Galarian family listened with interest. Pushing it aside, she continued thoughtfully, “I suppose there’s also Kyogre, but…well, he’s not exactly exclusive to my home.” She laughed awkwardly as she finished, feeling Ash’s stare subside as he focused back on his food.
“Interesting,” Arthur said, picking up his fork and knife, and beginning to cut into his egg. “If I might ask, where is your home? And yours, young man, if you don’t mind.”
Ash and Bianca exchanged looks, and she could almost feel the conversation before she coughed into her fist and replied, “Er, I’m from Alto Mare, off the coast of Johto.”
“That’s quite far,” Agnes said as she copied her husband. “And you? Where do you call home?”
“Hm, well, tough to say,” Ash chuckled. He elaborated a moment later by saying, “I was born and raised in the Kanto region, but I also have a home in Alola, with Kukui and Professor Professor Burnet.”
Hop snorted beside her and said, “You’re friends with professors as well, eh? I guess it’s fate that Champions form close bonds with their professor before taking the title! Just look at Lee!”
“Er, right,” Leon stiffly agreed, quickly adding a moment later, “In any case, I’m glad you have such close bonds with these professors, Ash. Should you ever settle in…Alola, communication between Champion and Professor will be critical.”
Does no one else notice? Bianca thought after Leon finished speaking. Honestly, it’s like he’s waving a giant flag saying “I’m invested in Ash Ketchum.”
She quietly scoffed before taking her first bite of the curry, only for her eyes to fly open as the flavors exploded in her mouth. The ingredients shouldn’t have gone together as well as they did, but as she chewed and swallowed the mouthful, Bianca couldn’t help but praise it. It really was-
“Delicious!” She said, turning to Agnes with an astonished expression. “I don’t know how, but…”
Bianca trailed off, unable to find the words. Fortunately, the woman seemed to understand, and smiled as she said, “Oh, thank you, dear. If you’d like, I can give you the recipe so you can try making it for yourselves on your journey.”
“That’d be great!” Ash exclaimed, drawing Bianca’s attention to him, and then to his already half-eaten plate. As Bianca pondered how much Ash’s stomach could actually hold, the trainer continued in a bright voice, “We can make it on the first night, too!”
“Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” Bianca commenced with a small smile before taking another bite of curry.
“Am I?” Ash asked before shaking his head. “Hey, this stuff is good! How could I not want to make it? Anyway,” he continued with a cheerful and confident nod towards Leon.“Maybe one day I can do the same in Kanto with Professor Oak!”
“Try focusing on Galar first,” Leon laughed. “I’m sure you’ll have fun in the Indigo League, but not before battling my little brother for the right to challenge me!”
Bianca briefly paused in her eating as she glanced over to Hop, the newfound trainer leaning forward with a grin. “I’ll definitely be the one battling you, Lee! Just because I’ll be going up against two Champions doesn’t mean I plan on losing to either of you!”
“That’s the spirit, Hop!” Ash said, Bianca turning to him and furrowing her eyebrows at his suddenly empty plate. “I’ll give you the best battle you can hope for! Well, apart from Leon, that is,” he added as an afterthought.
Bianca dragged her eyes away from Ash and looked to Arthur as the man laughed jovially. “Well, quite the rivalry you three have! So fast, too. I can’t wait to see these matches on the telly. In the meantime,” he said, clearing his throat as he turned to meet Bianca’s gaze. “Where is this ‘Alto Mare’, lass? Can’t say I’ve heard of it. How far off the coast are we talking?”
She shook her head and swallowed before quickly supplying, “I’m not really surprised that you haven’t. It’s not exactly Goldenrod or Wyndon, and we aren’t known for much, apart from the Tour de Alto Mare, our annual race.”
“A race, huh? That sounds exciting!” Hop said with a wide grin. “Is it around the island or something?”
Bianca shook her head. “Alto Mare isn’t on an island. It’s just a city built on stone. I think it might have been on land at some point, but…a flood happened a long time ago, so now it’s just…there,” she finished lamely.
Agnes pursed her lips before saying, “Oh, that sounds quite scary, being so vulnerable to storms and what have you. Don’t you worry about tsunamis and such?”
“I mean, it can get scary sometimes,” Bianca admitted, although she certainly wasn’t going to specify why. “But we’ve been lucky so far.”
If just barely.
“I’ll say,” Arthur commented as he thoughtfully ate away at his food. “So, what was it that made you want to travel all the way out here? I can’t imagine you had a sudden change of heart about staying in your city.”
Bianca opened her mouth to reply, only to close it as she looked at Hop with mild suspicion. If she wasn’t careful with how she replied, what kind of comments could she expect to receive about her and Ash?
Deciding to err on the side of caution, she thought quickly and said, “I was a bit tired of painting my city over and over again. Ash came by after his trip to Alola, and I joined via coercion to join him on his next outing.”
Not quite false, but nothing to get any worthwhile reactions from.
“Blink twice fast if you need help,” Hop snorted before going back to his food, prompting Bianca to roll her eyes good-naturedlygood naturedly.
“Oh, posh,” Arthur said with a chuckle. “I doubt Bianca would have stayed with him if she truly did not wish to.”
“No, I certainly would not have,” she confirmed, shooting Ash a warm smile, the trainer returning it brightly before rubbing Pikachu’s ears, much to the rat’s enjoyment. She huffed in amusement and turned back to Arthur as she continued, “He can be a handful, but so far, I don’t regret this. I do miss my family, though. I haven’t been without them since…well, ever.”
The couple shot her sympathetic looks, Agnes cupping her own cheek. “Oh, you poor dear,” she sighed. “I understand. You should have seen Leon when he first left the nest-”
“Ma!”
“-came back a few times before finding his wings,” she said, Bianca’s lip curling up into a small smile as the woman ignored her son’s protest. However, her smile was instantly killed as Agnes continued, “And like any parent should, we welcomed him back with open arms. I’m sure the same applies to you as well, dear.”
Her jaw clenched as Agnes finished speaking. What was her luck, or rather lack thereof? It seemed everyone was destined to bring up her parents. Granted, this time it was on her. If she had just kept her mouth shut, she could have avoided this, but still.
What was she to do?
Her expression must have given away her mood, for Arthur frowned and opened his mouth to say something, and she tensed in preparation. However, before he could get a word out, Ash beat him to the punch.
“Totally!” The trainer said, startling Bianca as she turned to face him with furrowed eyebrows. What was he getting at? She blinked as he shot her a quick glance before continuing with a bright tone, “Her family’s great! In fact, I miss them, too, and I barely met them! My mom is the same way with me, although I think that’s because I kinda drive her a little crazy with some of the stuff I get into, haha. There was one time…”
As Ash drew the eyes of everyone to him with a tale about some far-off islands, Bianca felt a rush of warmth and gratitude towards him. Taking the heat off of her was quite selfless, even if the story seemed a bit fantastical… then again, meeting the incarnations of storms and elements wasn’t too much of a step up from her knowing the Twins her whole life.
Even if the difference in danger was a bit different.
“You’re telling me you met Lugia?” Came Hop’s disbelieving voice, dragging her back to the conversation at hand. “And not just met, but also helped?”
“Yeah, it was kind of intense,” Ash said with a small smile. “Which is why my mom didn’t really like it…but she also understood why I did it. I’m not sure how she felt about everything that happened on all my other travels, though…”
Bianca couldn’t help but snort as she picked apart her food. “Knowing you and from what little you’ve told me, I really don’t know how Mrs Ketchum hasn’t had a heart attack yet.”
“Me neither,” he agreed with a chuckle before letting out a sigh and sagging in his seat. “Man, that was amazing!”
“Told you, mate!” Hop grinned as he also leaned back. “Mum has the best cooking you’ll ever have.”
Bianca couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Ash’s manners, but she couldn’t disagree with either boy. “You’re not wrong there,” Bianca said as she pierced several pieces of food with her fork. “Also, sit up, Ash. You’re gonna break the chair.”
As the trainer pouted, Agnes giggled and waved her off. “Oh, it’s fine dear. These chairs have held their own against far worse. I’m just glad everyone enjoyed it!”
“Hard not to, Ma,” Leon chuckled as he too finished his meal. “I just hope our new trainer is willing to part with it!”
Hop perked up, gently slapping the table as he exclaimed, “Of course I am! Not that I won’t miss it, of course.” He looked at his mom guiltily as he said that, only to regain his confidence. “I’ll just have to get some recipes from her!”
“Are you willing to drag everything you need around the entire region?” Agnes countered in amusement. “If so, I have no issues giving you a few techniques.”
That seemed to slow him down, the boy pausing as he considered her words. “...Exactly what would I need to drag around?” He finally asked, looking at his mom intently.
“Oh my, such a determined young man!” Agnes laughed before settling and pursing her lips. “Let’s see, you’ll need a pot, of course, but because you can’t carry around a stove or anything of the sort, you’ll need a fire starter-”
“Scor!” The little white Pokemon exclaimed, drawing laughs from everyone as the Pokemon leapt up to the table and stood defiantly in front of Hop.
The trainer snorted and ruffled her ears, earning a small frown that Hop didn’t seem to catch as he said, “Got that covered, it seems. Still, wouldn’t hurt to carry around a flint and steel, just in case. What else?”
“The ingredients will probably be the hardest part,” Agnes admitted, only for Leon to wave his hand.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that, Ma. The amount of ingredients you can pick up from stores in the cities are cheap enough to get, not to mention the occasional merchant,” he explained with a smile. ” There are plenty of trees that grow berries as well. All three of them should, in theory, have no trouble getting the base of the curry. It’s the cooking utensils you have to worry about.”
Ash nodded as he gave attention to his Pokemon. “Yeah, but it’s not so bad. If you’re just cooking for one person, that’s like half the stuff you’ll have to carry! Or, you could travel with us,” Ash suggested, only for Bianca to shoot him a small glare.
Fortunately, Hop waved him off with a smile and said, “Nah, that can’t work, mate. We’re rivals, and it just won’t do if we see how the other trains their Pokemon, will it?”
Ash shot him a surprised look before grinning andt nodding. “Yeah, alright. Rivals it is!”
Everyone watched with a smile as the two reached forward and shook hands, although Bianca was mildly irritated that they reached across her space to do it.
As they parted, Leon said, “Well, it’s a good thing you’ve settled that now, because after this, we’re headed to Professor Magnolia’s so you two can get the last things before your journey…as well as a Pokemon match.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Hop cheered, Scorbunny sniffing in mild disdain.
Meanwhile, Ash leaned down and picked up Sobble off the ground, placing the Pokemon next to the empty plate as he asked, “What do you think, Sobble? Ready for your first Pokemon battle?”
The Pokemon looked up at him nervously before leveling his stare at Scorbunny and shivering. His counterpart looked right back at him with a small glare before Sobble gave a nearly imperceivable nod as the two stared at each other; One with nervousness despite the type advantage, the other defiant in spite of it.
While she herself was not going to be partaking in the battle for obvious reasons, Bianca couldn’t help but look forward to the upcoming match.