Shipped around the world from one trainer to another isn't exactly the 'good life.' Sometimes I just wish I could have one person that liked me, one person that cared, and one person that didn't discard me when they were done with a job. Oh, stupid jobs.
Aren't Pokemon worth anything anymore, or are we just tools, machines, slayers, or monsters? I like to think I'm not. But, he does. "Who?" You ask. My trainer. Ugh, I can't even call him my trainer; he makes my stomach curdle.
At least the location I'm in right now is nice. Oh, I can't even agree with that. I want to be home with my family, wherever they may be right now. Maybe six feet under; it's been years since I've been gone.
Mom? Dad? Sissy? Bro-bro? Nope, no answer. They ain't here. Why aren't they here? I want to leave. The truth is there is no reason I need to be stuck with the loser trainer (ugh) who hates me just as much as I hate him. Why am I still here then?
~~~~~~~~~Silver light was streaming into the room; it was quite beautiful. The panes of silver glass made the sunlight glow like polished jewelry. I sat on the floor soaking in the light.
"It's too bright, Seiko. Shut the curtains!" The woman barked to my trainer, Seiko.
He numbly got up from his comfortable chair and obeyed her wish by shutting the long, black curtains. He slumped back into his chair with a sigh. "Anything else, Lareese?" He asked the bossy woman I usually called "Shouter."
Shouter thought for a moment then shook her head no. I put my head back down, relieved. Sometimes she would ask to play with me and that was just plain torture. I relished every moment I wasn't being bothered by Seiko and Shouter.
"On second thought, I think I might want to take a walk on the beach with Eevee." Lareese said, her eyes locked on me.
"She's read my mind. I swear that woman is possessed. She always is trying to torture me!" I said. Of course, no one can decently understand "Pokemon Language" so it came out as, "E-eevee. Ee-ve. Ee!"
"Go ahead. Take that thing outside. I ain't using it." Seiko said, closing his eyes.
So the woman that was loud and bossy yanked me up from my comfortable place on the floor and brought me outside, bouncing as she walked.
When she reached the beaches of Mossdeep, she put me down and grabbed a branch.
"Oh, great. What now?" I asked myself. Shouter pulled the leaves and dirt off of the branch and then out of the blue threw it at me. I dodged, of course, but with much anger lashed back at her, bared teeth.
"You evil little thing. Don't you know how to play!? You aren't suppose to attack me!" Lareese screamed as I bit her ankle as hard as I could. "Ahhh!" She yelled louder. I dug my teeth in harder. I couldn't stand her! I hated that vile woman more than anyone else in the world, even more than Seiko.
I heard sounds behind me. A group of people ran towards the beach to come to the little brat's aid, I knew. So I let go of her ankle and licked the blood off of my teeth. I couldn't stay here. I knew this time I might have gone too far. I've kicked her and whipped her with my tail before, but never have I bit her so hard that her leg was bleeding.
"That little demon bit me!" She shouted to the people running towards her.
"I have to get out of here!" I said to myself. I turned on my heels and ran towards the swamp of the island. I had nowhere else to hide, nowhere else to go. I can't swim. Where is Mossdeep in relation to main land? I still don't know.
I ran and ran. I left Lareese shouting her ugly little head off and all of the townspeople tending to her wound. I couldn't even look back. Now, I was deep in the forest of trees; mud and mire was caked on my fur. I looked around. The swamp was cold and wet. There were birds high up in the trees. Tailow, I think. I tried calling to it, but it wouldn't answer me and flew away.
"Yeah, that's real nice! Don't help your fellow Pokemon brother, sure that's real nice." I shouted to Tailow as it flew away. "I hate my life." I grumbled.
Deep in the covering of the trees I couldn't be seen. I couldn't even hear the cries of Shouter anymore. It was quiet, silent, and tranquil.
"Now all I need to do is devise a plan to get the heck out of here!" I said to myself. It was frustrating, and I couldn't think about escape just yet. I felt safe in the swamp. I figured that I could get a good night of sleep and think about getting off this island in the morning.
The sun was starting to go down; I curled up in a ball and fell asleep. I shivered all night, though, and the mud made me look savage. It was actually fun sleeping outdoors for the first time. No Seiko, no Shouter, no Pokeballs, no rules. It's just nature and me. It felt... safe.
Morning light woke me up. It filtered through the trees and hardened the mud to my already brown fur. I stretched and then looked around. The forest looked different. It looked as if it were touched, disturbed in some way. I crouched down low, afraid that something might attack me. Then I saw what was different: a boy of about fifteen trying to hide behind a tree that was much too skinny to hide his bright red jacket.
"Oh, great. He's real smart. 'I can't see you so you can't see me.' " I mocked him. In his hand was a Pokeball. "Oh, no! Oh, no! I ain't getting sucked into one of those things again! No thank you!"
To my surprise he threw it at a tree and not me. I looked at what he was trying to catch. It was that smug Tailow from the night before! Ha! He got what he deserved! Now he's stuck with one those retarded "trainers."
I almost was going to scare the trainer out of this wits, but then decided otherwise. After all, I have better things to do than play pranks on kids; I have to escape from this mud haven.
So, I turned to leave, trying not to make a sound. Of course, it's always when you're trying hard not to make noise that you do, and yes, I did. I stepped on a twig (probably the only one in that entire grove!) and the boy spun around, the caught Tailow's Pokeball still in his hand.
"Eevee?" He asked. "Eevee in Mossdeep..." He looked utterly confused, as in my opinion, most human are confused. I don't believe they are on the higher end of the evolutionary chain. Anyway, he stood there for a few seconds with his mouth opened and I certainly could have escaped, but my foot was stuck! Yes, stuck! Why do bad things always happen to me?
This kid pulled out a red box-like thing and it started to talk in a robotic voice.
"Eevee. The Evolution Pokemon. Eevee has an unstable genetic makeup that suddenly mutates due to the environment in which it lives. Radiation from various Stones causes this Pokemon to evolve." The box-thingy said.
"I know what I am. Thank you! I am not a mutant! How dare you say that about me!" I yelled at the boy, but mostly toward the life form he held in his hand. Once again, I sounded much like "Ee. Eevee! E-eevee-e! E-eve!"
The boy looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, then his expression changed as he looked behind me. He pulled out an empty Pokeball.
I heard a group of people behind me and tried turning around to see if it was "Shouter and the Gang" trying to get their mitts on me again. I wouldn't stand for that nonsense again! "I don't need a trainer! Leave me alone!" I tried shouting to those behind me, but then I felt something pull me. I felt like I was sliding upward on a slide and then plopped into a strange vortex of space.
"I'm in a Pokeball! Darn!" I yelled. At least it was that kid's Pokeball and not Seiko's. I couldn't stand to be with him anymore.
Even though I was in my new Pokeball, I could still hear shouting outside. It was kind of muffled and strange, but I could make out what "Shouter" and the kid that was my new trainer were saying.
"Shouter": "Kid, have you see a rude little Eevee around here?"
Kid: "Nope. Never saw an Eevee. Are you looking for one, Miss?"
"Shouter": "Yes! But, that's none of your business! You just watch out for that Eevee and tell me if you see it. Be careful of it; it's a vampire."
Kid: "Sure thing, Miss. I'll let you know if I see your Eevee."
Then I heard "Shouter" scream something rude to the crowd she was in and stomp off. I felt myself moving and knew that this kid must be walking.
"So... my new trainer defended me? Or did he just want to keep me and not give me up to that annoying woman?" I wondered. The Pokeball I was in moved even more, bounced up and down almost. This kid must have been running. It was highly uncomfortable. I hated being in a Pokeball, especially while my trainer was moving. I felt sick and tried resting, but couldn't.
"What have I gotten myself into?" I asked. The darkness of the Pokeball didn't answer me back. I finally was able to close my eyes and the sickness in my stomach died down.
I was awoken to the sound of ship horns blaring outside of my Pokeball. "Where am I?" I wondered.
I heard a female's voice ask about a ticket, then I heard my trainer say thank you. And then he walked up wooden steps and into a place that was definitely less crowded and quiet. I heard a door shut and I felt something pull me out of my oasis and into my trainer's presence, through the sliding vortex and back into the real world, out of my Pokeball.
"How are you doing today, Eevee?" The boy asked me.
I glared at him as best as I could. It's hard to show people your bitterness when you're born with such a cute face. Everyone thinks you're cuddly all the time.
"I'm awful, Kid! I have motion sickness!" I shouted at him. He blinked, then sat on the blue bedspread of the cabin's bed. "Oh! Great! I'm on a ship! Now, I'll be seasick!" I complained to myself as I felt the ship take off.
I turned back to my trainer and watched his every move. First, he took his red hat off and ran his hand through his dark hair underneath, then he put his hat back on. He stared back at me and smiled.
"What do you want now?" I grumbled. He had a silly expression on his face.
"I guess I should introduce myself to you." He said. I somewhat nodded, shifted my feet, and waited for him to continue. "I'm Ethan from Jhoto. I've been training Pokemon for four years now and I'm fourteen. So far I have sixty different types of Pokemon and I'm hoping you'll like me as not just a trainer, but a friend." He got up off the bed and sat on the floor.
"Aww. How nice!" I wanted to tease. "Pbbt! You're a novice trainer, and I don't want to like you in any way, friend, foe, trainer, or role model. I'm my own Pokemon and I want to be by myself. So I thank you for helping me escape from Mossdeep, but I would rather be by myself." I knew I was rambling. My words meant nothing to this kid, Ethan, and I figured I could only get my point across if I bit him.
"What are you saying?" He genuinely asked, looking my in the eyes. I held my lips tight together. He wouldn't understand me no matter how much I screamed at him.
The tension was broken as a voice came from the ceiling of the room. It must have been a loud speaker. It said: "We have made land in Slateport City. Thank you for sailing with us on the S.S. Tidal."
"Alright, Eevee. We're here--Slateport. From here we're going to go on a little boat to get to Dewford then to Route 104. I'm going to be meeting someone there. You'll like her; she's good with Eevee." Ethan said, grabbing his backpack.
I still was standing with my fur bristled out, a smug attitude supporting my demeanor. Ethan looked as if he were going to have me go back in my stuffy little Pokeball, then put it away. "You can just follow me, right? You probably get sick in that little Pokeball." He said to me. That was awfully thoughtful of him; I nodded and took up a less aggressive stance.
I followed him out of the ferry and into the noisy city of Slateport. I had been here once before with one of my trainers that belonged to Team Magma and we had some operation robbing a museum. I wasn't able to stay with that trainer for long; Eevee was not considered an eligible Pokemon for the Team and my trainer had to give me up to his brother, Seiko.
We walked past the museum with all of the oceanic artifacts and I growled unknowingly. I could feel Ethan looking at me, and I stopped making noise and just simply continued to follow him. First, he decided to go to the noisy marketplace and buy some protein and calcium. He gave it to me to eat. I don't know which kind it was but it was tasty and gave me energy. When we left that stand, we headed towards the beach of Slateport and went inside a shack. Ethan bought some soda pop and once again shared with me. Mmmm, tasty. And bubbly, too!
I sat with Ethan on the beach and watched some kids build a sand castle. I licked at the soda pop bottle wanting more. Ethan laughed at me, for my tongue was stuck inside the bottle. He pulled the empty bottle away from me and handed me another bottle of liquid. But, this one was clear and not fizzy. Oh, it's just water. I pushed it away and put my head on the hot sand and watched the little kids throw sand at each other.
"I'm depressed." I said. "I wish I could just be with my family again. I want out of this whole trainer/Pokemon business. Ethan's great and all, but I don't think I'm cut out for traveling or battling. I'm a thief’s Pokemon, not an armature’s pet, like what Ethan thinks I am."
"Look!" Ethan got up and yelled to me. He pointed to a little boat that was docking on the beach.
"So, what?" I said. "I'm so bummed, you could show me a rocket and I wouldn't care.... Actually, I've seen plenty of rockets on Mossdeep; you're not missing anything." I continued to talk to myself as Ethan ran to the boat. He waved for me to follow.
My head sprang up. "I guess that's the boat that we were going to go on to get to Dewford! I almost forgot. I like Dewford. People there say funny things." I got up and raced through the white sand on the beach to get to Ethan. We got in the boat and it took off immediately.
While Ethan talked to the captain of the boat, most likely a close friend of his, I dozed off. The sea breeze wafted sweet smelling salt near my nose and I dreamed of pretzels for some odd reason.
Rumble.
The boat was being docked aboard Dewford, the town of trendy sayings. I got off of the boat with Ethan and noticed the Gym. I'd been there before with a girl that was once my trainer. She was into winning and was very competitive. It was very unpleasant when I lost a battle; she'd get furious.
Ethan didn't seem to take notice of my staring. I guess that's better. The kid might try to cuddle with me or something! Anyway, he just kept heading toward the Pokemon Center and expected me to follow, which I unfortunately did.
We entered the building and were plowed over by a crowd of people trying to leave. Ethan walked over to Nurse Joy and asked about the commotion while he handed her the Pokeballs on his belt. He picked me up and put me on the counter. Nurse Joy smiled at me and answered his question about the crowd.
"They were here for the new computer installed upstairs. Now you can talk to your friends via computer at no cost. A new trend is in now and everyone wanted to tell their friends." Nurse Joy answered. She handed the five Pokeballs to Chancey and turned back to Ethan, smiling.
Nurse Joy is nice, I suppose, but all of her relatives seem to share a family resemblance and a somewhat high-pitched voice. All of her smiling kind of made me feel uneasy.
Ethan questioned her again (boy, does he ever stop asking questions!). "What's the new trend?"
"I think it's something to do with 'Bad Medicham' or 'Mudkip Ball.' The trend changes so often; I can hardly keep track. Hehe." Joy gave a nervous laugh and continued. "There's a man that's selling merchandise with the in LOGO, though. I believe he just left here to go to the town hall."
"Oh, thanks for the info. I'll check that out and be back for my Pokemon later." Ethan picked me up again. "Can you let him rest in the back, too. Don't put him in a Pokeball. I think he doesn't like when he's in there." Ethan said, handing me over to Nurse Joy. She took a hold of me from under my arms and rested me in her bosom then walked to the back with me.
In the back, she put me in a little Pokemon bed and gave me a bowl of Pokemon food. I ate it, though it wasn't as good as the soda pop or a pretzel. I spent about an hour with the other Pokemon and Joy. I never got to see Ethan's Pokemon (not that I would have been able to recognize them, anyway), but I did catch a glimpse of a Corsola being rushed by me to the very back of the Hospital with the sickly Pokemon. I think I heard Nurse Joy say something about the Corsola having Pokerus. I felt bad for the Pokemon to have caught a virus, but he actually looked quite spunky for being sick.
I napped a little and then Ethan came back to pick up me and the rest of his team. I hate feeling like I belong to him. I still can't stomach that I'm "his" Pokemon. But, he was trying to be nice, I guess, and he bought a couple of Tee shirts from the Dewford town hall. One little shirt for me that was black and said "Bad Medicham" on it with red writing. Why are clothes so uncomfortable to wear!?! Oh, it itches so much! Ethan also had a shirt that matched mine, but I don't think his was as itchy as mine.
By the end of the day, we went back to the boat and the captain was frantic over something he couldn't find. He exclaimed to us that he lost a diamond to a bully. Apparently, a kid came and took his jewel and ran off to the beach of the island. And the captain was extremely upset and yada, yada, yada. I say, he should have taken better care of this said diamond of his and tried to fight back when someone was taking it, but no, not Ethan. Ethan had to be all kind and caring and volunteered us to go find it. Yes, both of us to find it.
"Hey, you lost it, you find it, buddy!" I yelled at the captain, but he couldn't hear me.
"Where'd you say the thief went?" Ethan questioned. (Oh, boy! Not again with the questions. Can you go a day without asking something, kid?)
"The teenager went toward the beach, maybe went to the cave. I don't know! But, my wife will be devastated if I've lost it. I just came here to get it polished and re-cut so she's happy. Oh! And now this happens! What will I do?" The captain said. Oh, he must have rambled on for ten minutes about how he's sooo upset and he's sooo lost and he doesn't want to get his wife upset and she'll be sooo angry.
"What will you do? What will you do? What you'll do is go find the diamond yourself! Don't send us on a wild goose chase. Alternately, you could get a better job and buy another diamond, right, guy?!" I barked at him. This time he looked over at me and thanked me for no apparent reason. I guess he was saying thank you because Ethan just volunteered us to find this said diamond and save the world in all of twenty minutes, since the captain needed to leave soon.
So... we went back to the center of the town and passed all the buildings and town hall where people were hanging a banner that said "Bad Medicham" on it. So, I thought to myself, "These people are surely the weirdest people I've ever met, except for Ethan the Do-Gooder!" We passed through the beach and reached a cave. The entrance seemed lit up, but as for the way inside, I couldn't tell at first.
Okay, now we were inside the cave and we climb down a ladder and all of the sudden it is pitch black, dark as can be, and I can't see a thing! Ethan pulls out a Pokeball and yells to his Pokemon and I couldn't believe it.
First he says, "Go, Ralts! Use Flash!" and this Pokemon obeys him and the cave lights up three feet around us on each side, about a nine and a half foot circumference. I can honestly say that I was impressed with Ethan and his pathetic little Pokemon at that point.
"Harnessing the power of light, eh? Impressive, kid. Alright, you get one point." I said to him. He couldn't tell it was a compliment, though. He just raised his eyebrows.
We continued to travel through the cave going to various floors and steps looking for this "thief," which I was starting to doubt existed. I continued to ponder over the "flash" occurrence and pros on Ethan's account. I made a list in my brain and went over it as I followed Ethan and Ralts.
1. This kid knows how to handle problems and solve them.
2 He must be special because he caught a Ralts and they are not only rare but only go to special trainers.
3. I guess, I should also be happy that he rescued me from "Shouter" and Seiko, which means he knows who and when to help those in need.
4. He was awfully nice to that captain dude.
5. He gives me soda pop sometimes and bought me this ugly itchy shirt. Wait. Scratch off the shirt from the bulletin board. That's not a plus on his side.
I was deep in thought about soda pop when Ethan yelled something to me.
"The thief! There he is!" Ethan ran ahead with Ralts after a man holding a crystal shaped object. "Stop!!!" He yelled to the man. I tried to keep up with the two of them. I didn't want to get stuck in the dark.
The man with the jewel turned around. He certainly wasn't a teenager, nor did he look shady like a thief. Actually, he looked quite familiar. And then I realized why.
"Hey! Stop, Thief!" Ethan grabbed onto the man's shirt.
"No! Dummy! Don't yell. Don't you know who that is?" I tried telling Ethan. Ethan heard, "E! Eee! E-e-eve! E-eevee-e-eve. E?" and he didn't bother to pay attention to me. I tugged at his pants, too, but Ethan was still demanding that the diamond be given back to its rightful owner. What he didn't realize was that he was screaming at a very important person--a person I wish would be my trainer and the one human I've met that I actually like.
"Okay. Okay. Okay. I was going to give this back to Mister Briney. That's why I have it. I found some kid had stole and got it back from him." My favorite person in the whole wide world said to stupid dumb-head Ethan, who dumbly opened his mouth to give an apology to.
"I'm so sorry. I thought you were the one who stole it. I was trying to get it back for Captain Briney." Ethan loosed his grip on the man's shirt.
"Well, that's good of you. At least someone's looking out for that scatterbrain. By the way, what's your name? Your not that kid that's been on TV recently, are you?" He asked.
"Yeah." Ethan replied shyly. I didn't know what he was talking about, but I listened to find out more about both trainers. "I'm Ethan. I was interviewed by Gabby and Ty about my thoughts about battles and Pokemon." Ethan took a step back, then his face changed. "But, who are you? Why are you down here in a cave unless you're a criminal?"
"Oh, no. Ethan, don't accuse him of being a criminal. He's a saint--the best human in the world!" I said to myself. Since I had moved to Mossdeep with Seiko, I had found out that there was at least one trainer in the world that treated Pokemon and people in a good way. He lived not too far away from Seiko and Lareese, and I often times peered in his window out of curiosity. He had several collections of rare stones and artifacts. Most of the time he was away, though.
"I'm Steven. Steven Stone. I'm from Mossdeep and I'm on my way to see my father in Rustboro. I had something to obtain from this cave before I met up with my father." My hero said. A perfect alibi. I thought that there was no way Ethan could continue to accuse, but somehow he shattered all of my respect in him.
"Oh, yeah? Where does your father live in Rustboro? Hmm?" Ethan questioned with his eyebrows raised.
"My father is Mr. Stone, president of the Devon Corporation. He lives there. I'm sure you've heard of the products he makes. For instance, you a trainer and probably have a Pokenav or Pokemon Navigator. Devon developed that, too." Steven answered. Ethan's face changed into a frightened pose.
"You really are Steven Stone. I'm sorry. I--I." Ethan started.
"Ha! Second time today you're sorry. Should I start keeping track, kid? You're slipping; that's Steven Stone. THE Steven Stone!" I thought to myself.
"It's okay, Ethan. Let's get out of here. We can return this diamond to Mr. Briney and then be on our own way." Steven accepted Ethan's weak apology. How kind and generous of my hero!
"Actually, we might be able to travel together. I'm heading towards Route 104 near Rustboro. It might be nice if I had some company besides Captain Briney." Ethan said.
"Good, good." I thought. I really wanted to spend time getting to know Steven.
"That's sounds good to me." Steven said and briefly glanced at me. I felt myself blush. I've always idolized Steven. I wished I was as tough and macho as him. If I could choose to be any human, I'd be him. I guess I've never found anyone else as impressive as him.
So, when we got back out of the Granite Cave near Dewford Town, Steven and Ethan piled into the boat and Captain Briney took off, excited to have reclaimed his diamond. I guess that old fool really was worried his wife would rip him a new one if he lost that darn thing. It's a good thing my hero got it back for him.
It took us about two hours to get to Route 104 and Briney's cottage house, which was rather small and cozy. He had some huge vases in there that I enjoyed climbing in and out of. (Hehe.) I guess I had a good time. Well, of course I did! Steven was enlightening me the whole time.
He explained to Ethan details about the Pokemon League. How did he know so much?!? And he told us about Devon Corp and said that a rare flying Pokemon had disappeared a few years ago and he was starting to think it was in danger of destroying Hoenn's natural balance. Ethan seemed to think that it wasn't a big deal, but Briney mentioned that he occasionally saw a trainer and rare blue and red flying Pokemon that he could almost swear were something called Latias and Latios. But, he's old; he could be mistaken.
Ethan showed Steven his Pokedex(apparently that's what they call that talking red box-like thingy! Who could guess?!?) and Steven didn't seen too impressed. Steven's seen a lot of Pokemon and has trained a lot, too. I wish Ethan could learn a thing or two from him!
Anyway, after we dropped the old sailor, Briney, off, Steven and Ethan started to head toward the forest.
It's awfully dark in there! Last time I was in a forest like that, Team Magma caught Shroomish and me. I just had this eerie vibe and Ethan wasn't going to force me into the forest.
"Fine. Stay here. Steven will have to leave on his own, I guess." Ethan said. I knew he was trying to convince me. He could sense I was attached to Steven, er, umm, in a manly way. I mean, I'm not all buddy-buddy with the guy; we're just two cool dudes that are, well, cool. Yup! But, Ethan saw otherwise and convinced me to go with him into the forest.
I tiptoed beside Ethan, cautious of my surroundings. "No signs of Team Aqua or Magma. Whew! I'm safe!" I said. Then, up ahead I caught sight of a purple object and a blue-ish purple light. I froze. Ethan saw it, too, but continued forward. "Why aren't you stopping? What's up ahead?" I yelled to Ethan. He laughed and continued forward.
I stood my ground and waited. Then I spotted a woman with brown hair and a purple outfit up ahead on a ledge. She smiled at Ethan and Steven. I took a step forward, still very leery. I don't know what she's capable of. She could be one of "Shouter's" relatives, for all I know!
"Hey, Ethan! Steven!" The woman shouted. Steven gasped and ran forward. Ethan did the same! "Can someone tell me what the heck is going on here? Is this the trainer we're suppose to meet?" I shouted to Ethan. I stayed in my place. I can't just trust a new trainer I know nothing about!!
The woman embraced Ethan and Steven and conversed with them for a few minutes. I was still a comfortable distance away and couldn't catch the whole conversation. The three of them looked at me and the woman and her Pokemon, which I realized was an Espeon, smiled warmly.
"How are you, little guy?" She said to me as she walked up, Ethan close behind. Steven waved and continued through the forest, no doubt to get to Rustboro. I growled a little.
"Look! You made my hero go away. Boo-hoo." I sulked. The woman bent down. I saw a purple streak in her hair the same shade as her Espeon's coat color.
Ethan introduced me to the woman. "This is the trainer we were suppose to me. Her name is Kelly and you'll like her." He winked at me and I gagged a little.
"Oh, stop this insanity! I don't need to meet new people. Just take me to an Eevee sanctuary and leave me alone... FOREVER!!!" I growled deeply in my throat, but this Kelly-girl reached her hand out. "I'll bite!" I warned. "Oh, what's the difference? She can't hear me anyhow!" I grumbled. Ethan heard, "Eee! Eevee. Eevee-ee-eve-ee-eve? Eve!"
Kelly backed away. "Well, now I don't want that." She said as if she were answering my question. "I really would like to connect with you. Pleeease don't bite me, big guy." She begged.
"Huh?" I thought. "Did she--did you? Huh?" I thought. Hmm, maybe I could test her? "Tell me how much you like Steven?" I questioned. Ethan once again looked at me like a loser, not knowing what I was speaking.
"I like Steven a lot. I think he's an exceptional trainer, in fact. Do you like him?" She replied.
"I think Steven is great!" I said to her, then had a take. "No! No Way! You can hear me? You know Pokemon language?" I asked her. She nodded, still smiling. Her hand reached out again and just before she touched me I saw her Espeon move. It looked as if its eyes changed color into a cloudless blue sky; its body glowed with a blue and purple aura. Her hand reached me and I froze. I just--just froze and let this thing--this hand touch me. I heard a voice and echo and then I felt a pull like that of when I went inside my Pokeball, but smoother. I opened my eyes and felt a strange presence around me.
"I'm Kelly, as you already know." Kelly said to me. We were in a strange vortex. I can't exactly describe it; it was pink and purple and we were standing but it seemed like on clouds or something. There was no borders or perimeters in this space we were in and though I was exposed, I felt safe.
Espeon jumped from the ceiling, somewhere, maybe the wall, but there were no doors. "Hello, brother." The Espeon said. Her voice rang in my head, clear and feminine. She looked so beautiful now that I could see her up close. "I'm Cellestria. What's your name?" The Espeon said to me, fluttering her eyelashes.
"I--um, I'm...Eevee? I can't say I have a name." I answered Cellestria. She looked to Kelly.
"Where is you family? Haven't they named you? Have you never had a trainer that has named you?" Kelly asked.
I shook my head. "I don't know where my--my family is. I haven't seen them for years. I've been called 'stupid' and 'dumb animal' before. Does that count?" I half teased, but I was really telling the truth.
Kelly and Cellestria exchanged worried looks. Kelly took a deep breath and then stated her reason for bringing me here to this place--this realm of...pink-ness!
"I've brought you here for a reason. Cellestria found your mind in Mossdeep a few months ago and asked to send Ethan to rescue you from Seiko and Lareese. That's their names, right?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's their names. I call Lareese "Shouter," though." I laughed.
"She certainly seems like a shouter from the memories I've gathered from your mind." She said with a half-hearted laugh. "I'm going to find your family, Eevee. May I gave you a name?" Kelly asked.
I nodded. "I guess. Anything's better than 'stupid,' right?" She nodded. Cellestria tilted her head towards me.
"I'll name you when I find your true talent." Kelly stepped closer to me in the vortex of energy. "I have a herd--I guess you could call it a herd--of Eevee in the back yard of my Ranch in Greenridge." Kelly explained. "I'd like to take you there and introduce you to the other Eevee. May I?" She asked.
I nodded. The vortex of pink light vanished and I felt myself being torn from the realm and back into my body. I shook my head. Ethan was hovering over Kelly and me with a puzzled look on his face.
"I got it from here." She said to Ethan. He nodded and turned around to leave, a tear in his eye. It looked as if he were leaving me with this new trainer, but he didn't even say good-bye. Perhaps he couldn't without crying. I don't why, though... Sniff... I'm okay. No attachments to anyone...ever!!!
This Kelly person and her Espeon, Cellestria, led me out of the forest and through Rustboro. We looked as if we were heading towards the Rusturf Tunnel then took a cut-through and appeared in a field of green. I saw a sign that said "Welcome to Greenridge--The town of hidden delights and treasures."
I stayed a few steps behind Cellestria so I could admire her beauty. I wondered about her, her past, her powers, and her grace. Something about her was different from other Pokemon, kind of the same way this Kelly seemed different. I mean, she read my mind before I met her, she understands Pokemon language, and she appears to be rescuing me or helping get back to my family or at least other Eevee. I can't help but wonder how an individual could do that.
"We're here--Greenridge's Grand Pokemon Ranch. This is my home." Kelly said, stopping in front of an enormous building with lush green fields on the side and front yards.
"This is your home? It's...wonderful." I said to her. Cellestria's eyes did that glowing thing again and Kelly answered me.
"Yes, this is my home. I hope you like it. You are welcomed to visit anytime." She said.
She paused and turned around, her back to me. A little girl ran up to her and smiled. The girl stayed quiet and made some hand motions. Kelly focused on what the girl's hands did. When the girl stopped, Kelly repeated the girl's hand motions. Kelly's motions were different, but all of it looked the same to me. The little girl nodded without saying a word.
"What's going on? Why ain't anyone talking?" I asked. Then, I heard a voice in my head. It was Cellestria's beautiful female voice.
She answered me, "The little girl, Sheri Ava, is deaf and must use sign language to communicate. She was inquiring of you." Cellestria said. I looked at the gorgeous Espeon and tilted my head in confusion.
"Did you just say that with your mind? Umm, telepathically?" I asked. She nodded and I knew she was going to say something again.
"Sheri Ava wants to get a Pokemon and thinks you are pretty." Cellestria said to me.
"Yuck! I don't want to be pulled around by a little girl and I'm not pretty. Pretty is a feminine label." I said to Espeon, this time in my head. She heard and giggled.
"Well, it would be nice if you helped Sheri Ava out. She will need a guiding Pokemon to help her around since she can't hear." Celletria tried convincing me, but I'm a tough nut to crack. I'm not going to melt just because this kid is disabled or anything.
Kelly turned around and introduced me to the little girl. "This is Sheri Ava. If you don't like her you don't have to stay with her, but I'd like you to get to know her. She'll take you to the Eevee herd in the back woods." I looked into Sheri Ava's face. She was a pretty kid, and seemed to need a good Pokemon to take care of her. She looked me in the eyes; I looked back into hers.
I saw something in her eyes. I saw genuine concern in her eyes. That's--that's--kind, very kind of her. Here she's a cripple, deaf and dumb, and she's concerned about me. Me! I can see it in her eyes, a faint glimmer of hope, too--hope that I will love her someday.
Sheri Ava motioned a few more signals to Kelly and pointed to her own eyes making a sign that looked like seeing something that was not visible. Kelly nodded and looked back to me.
"She says you can see inside of her, but not yourself." Kelly bent down to my level. "She says you see beyond appearances with some people, but you can't see yourself sometimes. You--you can love and trust again, Eevee." Kelly's eyes welled up with tears. She hugged me and Sheri Ava came over and picked me up, looking into my eyes deeply as if she was reading my heart.
"See. See ar. Seer." Sheri Ava tried to say, her voice soft and raspy.
Kelly looked at us surprised. "Seer. You want to call him Seer?" Sheri Ava petted my head. I looked back at her innocent childish face.
"Why do you call me Seer?" I asked, then realized the child couldn't hear, nor was I sure she could understand my language. Sheri Ava put me down started signing to Kelly again, then Kelly translated to me.
"She wants you to be her friend. Not just a trainer and Pokemon team, but her friend and guide." Kelly said, looking back to the little girl that began signing something else. Kelly once again translated. "Will you become her friend and stay by her side? Both of you can see beyond and can be a good team. She needs you just as much as you need her." Kelly winked at me.
"Need?" I said to Kelly. "I don't need anything, anyone. Friends aren't real! They're only in fairy-tales!" I yelled to Kelly, overcome with emotion, because I knew she was right. I did need Sheri Ava, more than she needed me. I did need a friend and I felt she was the one.
Kelly shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the girl and started to reply back to her. But, I knew she would break the girl's heart if she told her what I just said.
"No!" I stopped her. "I do need her. Please, don't make her sad. I need her." I said. I was overcome with sentiment and bowed my head, trying to stop the tears.
Cellestria came over to me and telepathically consoled me. "You are making the right choice. Don't wait to make friends until it's too late, Seer. Waiting to show others love and kindness is not fair to them or yourself. We all need each other." The kind-hearted Espeon said to me. I melted when I heard her voice. While Cellestria talked, Kelly informed the girl of my decision.
Sheri Ave smiled at me and led me to the back yard of the Ranch to a nest. Inside the nest were dozens of Eevee. I looked at all of them until one caught my eyes.
"Mom?" I asked. She looked up and raced towards me.
"Son! I thought I was completely alone in the world." She cried as we hugged. "I'm so glad to see you again."
I couldn't say anything else. I knew the rest of my family wasn't there and I refused to ask about them. I couldn't take the tears. Ugh! Tears. Hehe. I can't even joke about that; my mother is here! Here! I have a new friend, Sheri Ava, and I have a new home. A permanent home, I hope. I'm content. Just give me a minute to hold onto this perfect memory.
Yes, it's been three years since I reunited with my Mother. She's passed away since then. I'm okay, I understand. She was old and she lived a full life. Resting in peace, now.
On the other hand, Sheri Ava isn't with me today. She left us a while ago. You can't imagine how I felt. The last three weeks of her life in a hospital bed with tubes and medicine isn't fair. I just can't believe it. She was twelve when she passed away from the brain tumor that she was born with. She lived through deafness and difficulty speaking and yet never once did she complain or wait to embrace people. She lived and loved and gave and I'll miss her dearly.
Kelly and Cellestria still are at the Ranch. I lead the Eevee in the back. I'm an Espeon now and I'm given due respect by the pack of Eevee. I still pinch myself sometimes, still thinking that all this can't be real, but I never regret getting to know Ethan and Kelly and Sheri Ava.
"Seer, are you coming?" Cellestria called to me from the fence. Kelly was putting flowers on another grave, the grave of her Uncle. Kelly got up and put flowers on the headstones next to her Uncle's grave--her parent's resting place. Kelly had been through a lot of tragedies in her life, yet she was still going, still living.
"Am I still here?" I asked, waking up from my own thoughts. Cellestria smiled and jumped over the fence into the cemetery and came up to me. She looked at the gravestone I was sitting on.
"She loved you so much, you know that?" Cellestria said, looking at Sheri Ava's engraved name. "We'll never forget her, just like you'll never be forgotten. You've changed so much. You've given us all hope that good can prevail." She smiled and turned around to see Kelly walking over to us with one more bouquet left in her hand.
I kissed the headstone and then walked away with Cellestria. I turned to see Kelly placing flowers over Sheri Ava's plot and then stood back up and followed us to the car. We got inside and made no noise the entire way back to the Ranch.
I got out of the car and saw two familiar faces staring at me in amazement.
"Eevee?" The young man asked. He was about seventeen and wore a red jacket that I felt I knew. I looked at the person he was with, then it clicked.
"Ethan? Steven?" I questioned. I couldn't believe it was them, nor that Ethan recognized me. Kelly got out of the car behind me and greeted Ethan and Steven.
"You're still here." Ethan said. "I never wanted to give you up, but I knew that you could call this place home." He said then hugged Kelly. Steven smiled at me and Cellestria and then turned to Kelly.
"I believe Cellestria's found a friend." Steven smiled at us.
I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't care how silly or obnoxious it might look, I had to give Ethan a hug. He's the one that took the time to save me and change my life. I ran into his arms and hugged him. He hugged back and I felt oddly at peace.
A world I had once thought had no one good left inside of was a thing of the past. I saw new people, people worthy of each other and life and they were my friends. Yes, my friends. I still hate the word trainer, though. I can still say I don't have a trainer, nor did I ever. Seiko, Lareese, Team Magma, and others were just people I happen to have gotten stuck with for a while. Ethan, Kelly, and Sheri Ava aren't and were never my trainers, but my friends. My true friends.
And, though, many times I'd wonder if I'll still be here with my friends years from now, but after Sheri Ava left, I know I still be with my friends no matter what. Sheri Ava is still one of my best friends and I often dream about her being able to hear and speak. I think someday that dream can be a reality and I continue to keep her spirit of hope and vitality alive.
I'm still at the Ranch and I hope to never leave, but life has this way about it--a way of constantly changing. That's okay, though, because I'm still here, still with Sheri Ava and Kelly and Ethan and Steven all the time. In my head or in reality--it doesn't matter.
Don't let life and friendship pass you by. It's not worth it to hold grudges and hate. Bad feelings haunt you, good ones soothe. I know that now.
"Hello, Sheri Ava. Can I tell you about my day?"
"Sure, Seer. I've missed a lot."
"Oh, I'll bring you up to speed."
"Thanks. I don't want to miss a thing."