Here, Have a Cookie a Pokemon Fanfiction

I took in the limited sights of the tiny village and smiled. The Center was the biggest building in the whole damn town, all twelve of the houses were tiny, and the mart looked more like a newspaper stand than a proper store.

Oldale was small. Small enough that I could see the gates to Route 101 and 103 from where I was currently standing. Gates that are on the opposite ends of town. This little village wasn’t much to look at, but it was still an amazing milestone. This would be the first town I had ever seen beyond my own.

‘Don’t human settlements usually have more people?’ Ralts said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I glanced around in thought for a second before turning back to Norman.

“So, I know May probably just wants to sprint south as fast as she can to get her Torchic,” I said. May bobbed her head in agreement and I sighed. “But Ralts is a little curious about why this town... exists and isn’t just Route 101.5.”

“Well, this town was used as a port to ship supplies. You can see the dock on the river on the far side of town, though now it’s fallen into disrepair. That river leads out into the ocean, so before Petalburg had a trade route through Dewford and Rustboro, we would get most of our supplies through this little port town,” Norman said, looking a little sad as he took in the area.

“So, when the new trade routes opened up...” I started.

“The whole place dried up like a ghost town,” Norman finished. “Most of the younger generation from around here have moved to Petalburg, but for a lot of people here, this place is part of their identity. A nice, quiet village they can call home.” I looked down at Ralts.

An identity...

This was my starter. Referring to it by its species name just felt... wrong. I wanted something a bit more special.

‘Hey, Ralts? Would you be cool with a nickname?’ I sent over the link.

Ralts stopped and thought for a moment.

‘You wish to bestow upon me a Title?’ Ralts asked. ‘I don’t know that I have earned such a thing, yet.’

‘You’re probably making a bigger deal of this than it is, but I wanted something for us to stand out a bit more,’ I said with a smile. ‘Besides, standing up to a big scary Gardevoir to come with me feels title worthy, even if it was mostly just for cookies.’

‘I meant what I said then. I want to help fix things.’ Ralts paused. ‘I am not opposed to it.’

I thought for a long time.

‘How do you feel about Emilie?’ I asked.

Ralts frowned.

‘I don’t hate the name, but I feel like there’s a meaning behind it that I don’t understand yet.’ Ralts stared up and into my eyes. ‘Would you be against sharing? I can see the memories in your head, but I don’t quite understand what they mean.’

I chuckled. We’d have to give her a crash course later on modern amenities. How would I explain the concept of a video game to someone who’s probably never even seen a TV?

‘When I was younger, I found a story. It was about a girl that went on a quest to find out more about herself. I identified with that character.’ I chuckled to myself. ‘We even share the same first name. On her travels, the first friend she made, one that stuck with her through the bleakest of trials-’

‘Was named Emilie,’ Ralts finished. ‘I shall wear this Title with pride.’

“Lea...? Earth to Lea?” I jumped back as May started waving her hand in front of my face. “This is going to be a thing for a while, isn’t it? You and Ralts having private conversations and shutting out the rest of the world?” May poked me in the side as she finished. “Don’t forget you still have a best friend to talk to too.”

“Sorry, I just wanted to confirm something with Emilie.” I smiled at May’s confused expression. “She was okay with it, so that’s Ralts’s new name.” And the confusion is gone.

“Aww, that is adorable. You have a nickname now.” May said in a simpering voice. Emilie scowled.

‘I was wrong. I do not like this human. Lea, tell her I am a strong Titled warrior. Warriors are not adorable.’

Oh, I wish I had a camera right now. Emilie being a chunni was just... so precious.

‘What the hell is a... oh. Screw you.’ Emilie said, glaring at me.

I giggled a bit.

“Emilie says thank you for the compliment.” I smiled down at the little chunni as she shot me a look of pure betrayal.

“But at any rate, chop-chop, we’re burning day light and May wants her Torchic.” May said before running south to catch up with Norman who was waiting by the town gate. Emilie teleported onto my shoulder and made it a point to look away from me as I jogged to catch up.

‘I am not adorable,’ she said, pouting adorably.

‘Of course you’re not, honey. Of course.’

“See you both in a little bit, tired of walking, BYE!” May shouted before sprinting off the second we passed the Littleroot gate. I turned to Norman and sighed.

“I’m sure she’ll calm down a bit once she gets her starter.” Norman said.

“You don’t know your daughter at all, do you?” I asked.

Emilie tapped me twice on the shoulder, and I turned to see where she was pointing. My eyes widened a bit as I took in the eclectic collection of Pokémon in the field. I was able to identify a few of the regulars from around here like Swellow, Zigzagoon, and Lotad, but there were others that I had never even seen before. Four different birds were roosting in a tree further back, none of which I recognized, and...

The tree they were resting in was mobile? What the hell?

‘What is this place? I’ve never seen half of these Pokémon,’ Emilie probed.

“Well, this field is part of Professor Birch’s ranch. He sponsors a lot of trainers and I’m guessing this is part of where mons seven through however many they’ve caught go,” I explained.

Norman turned around as I started talking.

“Okay, I thought answering you out loud would make it easier for other people to follow along with the conversation, but now I just look like a crazy person,” I said.

“People usually talk to their Pokémon, Lea,” Norman said.

“Yeah, but usually the Pokémon says something first. Emilie isn’t saying anything and I’m just saying random things at seemingly random intervals. It looks weird.”

“Don’t worry about it too much. Most people will see the Psychic type on your shoulder and connect the dots,” Norman said.

Walking along on the ground would also work. Honestly, my shoulder’s starting to hurt a bit and I'm feeling a bit lopsided.

‘Deal with it, your shoulder’s comfy,’ Emilie said.

I sighed.

‘Privacy is a myth now, isn’t it?’ I asked. Emilie looked away. ‘Sorry, I know it’s not your fault. I’ll just... have to get used to it.’

‘Thanks.’ Emilie said.

“That said, I don’t recognize half of the mons out here either. I really hope May doesn’t mind sharing her Pokedex once she gets it. I need to study.” I looked over to Emilie, and I briefly realized that I had no idea what the best way of training her would be. “A lot,” I said.

“You’d be surprised how little people know about Pokémon when they first start out.” Norman reassured me. “Half my aspiring trainers barely know what Pokémon are local.” Norman looked away and started walking towards the lab. “You’ll be fine. I have faith in you.”

Emilie and I followed along at a slightly subdued pace as I took in more of the area.

This side of the lab was mostly an open field with a few ponds and streams strewn about for water types to enjoy. Once we got closer though, I could see more houses in the distance, all giving the Lab a wide berth. I could even see a small diner further back, right next to the center.

“At least this place is a bit livelier than Oldale.” I smiled as we made it to the walkway. May was still talking with one of the Aides.

“Look, it says it right there. Maple. I have an appointment to see Professor Birch.” I could hear how annoyed May was getting and groaned. This usually didn’t end well. The Aide looked like he hadn’t torn his gaze away from whatever he was-

Ah.

Understandable.

Space Invaders was a bit addictive.

“I’m sorry, but Professor Birch gave me rather strict instructions to not let anyone in the main part of the lab until Norman arrived to-” Honestly him still playing while blowing May off was both impressive and moderately insulting to my best friend.

I aspired to have this energy when I dealt with May in the future.

“Norman is here.” And there’s the hand jerk that has led many a starship captain to an early death. “Now then, I believe we have an appointment to get May her starter.” Norman politely prodded, and I smirked at how quickly the Aide scrambled to get up from behind the desk.

“Of course, sir.” I felt like this guy would’ve been freaking out less if he spent time with Norman for longer than ten minutes. “The professor’s been expecting you.” He pushed a few buttons and the main door slid open.

“Finally.” May rushed in ahead of the Aide.

“Wait, stop.” Who very quickly followed behind.

I stood back with Norman and watched.

“So did you really tell Birch to wait for you or was the aide just being a dick?” I asked.

Norman laughed.

“A little of both. I did tell the professor to hold back a Torchic for me, but most of the staff here knows May. I’ve brought her here on business more than a few times.” Here Norman sighed. “Birch can’t ever seem to keep himself out of trouble.” We started walking through the lab at a leisurely pace.

“I would think that Birch could handle himself,” I said.

Norman shook his head.

“You would think that. He has quite the accomplished team, but he frequently explores the local routes without one of his own. I had to make sure he didn’t wander off today.” He guided me left at the fork. “I only took the one day off, so I need to be back in Petalburg by tonight.”

I frowned.

“It’s already getting dark though,” I said.

“I’ll just teleport from the center. Gym Leader privilege at its finest. You girls will probably want to spend the night. Nurse Joy will help you with any other issues,” Norman said while leading me through the final doorway. The hall opened into a large atrium, and I spotted May holding a familiar orange bird in a very firm hug. A tall man with a full beard stood just a few feet away chuckling.

“I admire your daughter's enthusiasm, Norman.” Birch paused as he saw me. “Oh, I thought I was just getting one person from Petalburg today?” Who, me?

“Don’t worry, you didn’t make a booboo, Lea was a last-minute addition to our trip out here. She got the go ahead from her guardian yesterday,” Norman said. I shuffled in place, feeling a bit awkward being the center of attention.

“Er... Hi. I already have my starter.” I motioned towards Emilie. “I’m just here for May.”

As if broken from a trance, my friend looked over at me as I said her name.

“Lea, my starter is so adorable. Seriously, look at how cute she is,” May gushed, preening down at the small orange bird.

The Torchic dazedly took in the room around her now that May gave her a bit of air. Her head twitched to the side a bit as she looked at me.

“Tor,” it twirped out.

‘I’m assuming hi?’ I probed Emilie.

‘Yup.’ I don’t know how you can pop the p through a mental connection, but all right then.

“Hello, Torchic. It’s nice to meet you,” I said politely.

May put her down on the ground and she quickly ran up to me.

“Tor Torchic Tor. Chic Tor tor Chic.” I stared down at the bird.

‘Little help here.’ I probed Emilie again. ‘Any chance we can just cut the middleman and just open a three-way link?’

‘Hmm... I think I can as long as it’s with another Pokémon. I’ll translate today and work on splitting the connection tonight. She wanted to know if we’re friends with the overly clingy human, and if we could ask her to tone down the hugs.’ Emilie said.

“Yes, we’re friends with May.” I stressed the name as I answered, before looking up at the friend in question. “Torchic doesn’t like being hugged to death by the way, I don’t think she has anything against regular hugs, but no bear hugs, capiche?”

May winced.

“Sorry, Torchic. I got a little excited,” May said, rubbing the back of her head.

Tochic just nodded once before running back to May’s side.

“Wow, did you say you just got your Ralts today?” Birch asked excitedly. “You already having an open psychic dialogue is quite impressive. You’re not experiencing any pain, are you? Headaches? A bit of nausea, perhaps?”

“No, no, and no.” I answered in quick succession. “I honestly feel fine. I don’t quite get why people are finding that so hard to believe.” I shot Norman a small glare.

“Oi, it’s weird, okay? Even with more advanced psychics, a telepathic link can be difficult to maintain.”

I... really? Huh, maybe what Gardevoir did was a boon, then. Crap ton of pain now, no pain in the future.

‘Until I help you train your mental defenses, any psychic type within a hundred yards can hear your most private thoughts and scramble your brain worse than your sister’s breakfast this morning.’

I barely stopped myself from wincing. Wait, just how much...

‘I’m trying to stop myself from looking too deep into your memories, but... it’s hard.’ Emilie winced as she explained herself.

“Hello? Miss?” What? Oh, dammit I really needed to work on this.

“Sorry, I’m not that great at splitting my focus yet. We’ve only been at this for a day after all.” Birch laughed at my resulting blush.

“Not an issue, I’m honestly just surprised that tunnel vision is the only issue you’re having. You’ll work that out in no time.” He turned around and pulled out a small box. “Regardless, May, I have one last thing for you. As one of my trainers, I expect you to use it frequently. Your own personal Pokedex. This will serve as your ID and trainer card, so make sure you don’t lose it.”

May gently grabbed the device before placing it in the side pouch of her backpack.

“While we’re here, I also need to get Lea registered as a trainer,” Norman said.

Birch looked up in surprise.

“You mean she’s not already registered?" Birch asked.

“I figured I'd just get that knocked out while we’re here. Get it all knocked out at once. I also need to register Ralts as hers,” Norman explained.

Now Birch just looked annoyed.

“So instead of doing the paperwork yourself, you decided to wait, dump it all on me, and make me do double the work,” Birch said, crossing his arms as he stared at Norman.

Norman backed away at Birch’s glare.

“I’m sorry,” I stammered. Birch sighed.

“Don’t, you’ve done nothing wrong. Ah, screw it.” He went behind his desk and started ruffling through his bottom drawer. “Let’s see, ah ha! Here we go. The only current gen Pokedex I had prepared currently rests in Mays backpack, but I do have an older model. Say cheese!”

“I... What?” I stumbled awkwardly as he quickly snapped a photo.

“Great, do me a favor. Just fill out the rest of the personal information in the startup menu. Once you get done, just press the big middle button while the scanner is over Ralts’s poke ball. That’ll register her to you.” He casually tossed the thing my way, and I almost faceplanted grabbing the damn thing. Why did everyone think I had any kind of hand eye coordination? Just hand me crap like a normal person.

“You’re just... giving me a Pokedex. Free of charge?” I asked fearfully, worried he might take this amazing, wonderful, slightly banged up gift away.

“It’s way easier and faster than doing things the old-fashioned way, and that thing was just collecting dust. It’s yours.” Birch said.

I... Holy crap.

“Thank you.” I said earnestly as I started putting in my personal information. No, I don’t want to be an organ donor, and save.

Suddenly my good mood is ruined as I take in my profile picture.

“C-can we retake my profile picture? Please?” I begged.

Birch just smiled.

“Nope.” My head hung low in despair. “Wouldn’t matter much anyway. Everyone hates the photo they take for those things. You’re in the system,” Birch said.

I groaned before reaching for Emilie’s Poke Ball.

“Does she have to be inside?” I asked.

Birch shook his head no.

“And done,” I said, grinning like a loon.

“Congratulations, you’re a fully registered trainer of Hoenn. Love it, live with it, and go be the best like no one ever was.” Birch laughed.

I didn’t get the joke.

“Right, does that mean we’re done here?” May asked. An exceptionally loud growl sounded out from May’s direction. “Sorry, we didn’t eat on the road, and I’m starving.” She turned to her father.

“Yeah, we’re done here. I think I'll enjoy a meal with you girls at the center before heading back. Would you like to join us Professor?” Norman asked.

Birch shook his head.

“Can’t, sorry. Maybe another time,” Birch said distractedly as he started ruffling through his drawer again.

“Just the three of us then.” Norman smiled. “Alright then ladies. Allow me to show you the number one perk of being a trainer. The best free cafeteria food the league can pay for.”

Our room at the Pokémon Center is nicer than my room at home. It was about as basic, but the lack of a draft drastically improved my comfort. May was already unconscious, and Torchic was curled up against her dozing as well. I smiled before grabbing Sergei.

“Do me a favor and shove this in a hidden file.” I pulled up the camera feature and snapped a few shots. Sergei beeped twice before displaying a thumbs up icon. I turned around to look at Emilie, who despite being a foot tall, decided to fall asleep in the dead center of my twin size bed. “Same place for this one.” Snap. “Too bad Norman already went home for the night; we could’ve gotten embarrassing photos of a gym leader.”

I sat back down at the little desk we had and started going through Emilie’s pokedex entry. It... really wasn’t all that helpful.

“Most of them read like a weightlifter’s guide. Have the Ralts lift progressively heavier objects to work on power and have it do complicated tasks to improve control. I figured that part out already, surely you can give me something else to work with here.” I leaned back before scrolling through a few random entries on other Pokémon, trying to figure out what else would even work. “I’ve seen so many conference fights. Why am I having so much trouble trying to figure this out?” Dad’s team flashed through my mind, and I scowled.

He had managed a sponsorship position with Birch as well, and he took advantage of every tool that gave him. It felt like he had a Pokémon for every situation. Dozens of rare and powerful Pokémon were available to him and he rotated through his favorites, making him unpredictable. The only true mainstay was Holly.

Something that seemed so incredible and smart to me a few days ago felt wrong and mean now. Did he just grab whatever he could? Were there just a bunch of Pokémon chilling out on Birch’s ranch that had left their home to the promises of a great adventure, only to be put to pasture as soon as something new and shiny came along?

The thought disgusted me.

My team had to be awesome from the word go. I had five slots to fill. Each of them was important, and I refused to treat any of them like an afterthought. I needed a unit, and I needed a plan.

I already had a few ideas circling around in my head. It started as a way to secure my first badge against Roxanne, but it could be so much more than that if it worked. Assuming I could both catch my new teammate and train it up enough to do what I wanted, I’d have the framework for something amazing. The best part was that he was local. I stopped scrolling through dex entries on the picture I wanted.

It all started with a Lotad.

“I wonder... no, I’ve had Emilie for less than a day, and we’ve barely worked on anything yet. I know I'm not going to be able to tango with a Lombre, so we’re going to start from the ground up with a Lotad.” Even at this stage, this little guy just radiated happiness. A jovial Pokémon that liked to dance. Hmm...

“Sergei, could you do me a favor. Don’t play them right now, obviously, but could you make me kind of a varied playlist of music.”

I got another thumbs up.

“Thank you.” With that taken care of, I swept through a few more Pokémon before setting the dex down and putting my head in my hands. This was hopeless. Pokémon three through six would just have to wait.

“It’s just like your first day at the bakery, Lea. Things always get easier.” I told myself.

Sergei pinged again. Curious, I pulled him up and stared down at the screen. He had a Poketube video pulled up.

“Weather Tech, an Idiots Guide to Rain by TheHarshestCritic.” I tossed a glare Sergei’s way. “I don’t like what you’re insinuating.”

The only response I got was : D.

“Thank you, though. This will be helpful.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the description. “Always bring an umbrella.”

I fell asleep at the desk about halfway through the video.

***

“So, the ruins are to the north of Oldale, right?” I asked May as she fiddled with Sergei’s Nav feature. Honestly, Sergei could’ve just done it for us, but I don’t think May was used to having a sentient phone yet, and she seemed happy as navigator.

“Yup, they’re a bit off the beaten path, but they’re supposed to be super easy to spot. I guess a giant door with ancient writing carved into a cliffside is hard to miss. There’s also something in the area I wouldn’t mind catching if it shows up.” May said.

I turned around and started walking backwards, staring at her in idle curiosity.

“Care to share with the class?” I asked.

“Nope.” Stingy! “Think of it as payback for keeping me in the dark on Emilie,” May said.

Emilie perked up from what she was doing as her name got called, and the rocks she had been levitating fell to the ground.

‘Oops,’ She thought.

“Don’t worry about it, Emilie. That’s what practice is for. We’re simultaneously working on endurance, power, and multitasking. Just keep at it and don’t get discouraged,” I said, sending a smile her way. Honestly, considering what I was expecting to deal with, Emilie already knowing confusion was a blessing. My gaze shifted back to May as Emilie goes back to holding about fifteen small rocks in the air. “If you won’t tell me, then I can’t help you find it,” I said.

She just smiled and ignored me. “Fine but do me a favor. Keep an eye out for mobile lily pads. Lotads are a pain in the ass to find,” I said.

May snorted.

“What?” I asked, glaring over at my friend as she started laughing at me.

“I’m sorry. I just... I can’t see you training a Ludicolo,” May said.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!” I shouted. “Ludicolo are awesome. The whole line is awesome. Have you ever seen a sad Ludicolo trainer? Of course you haven’t because they don’t exist.”

May laughed even harder.

“That’s my point though,” May said. “The Lotad line is a very jovial line, and you’re one guitar lesson away from becoming the lead singer of an emo band.”

Excuse me!?

“The hell do you mean! My wardrobe is the HEIGHT of-”

“If you’re not in uniform, it’s always beat up black jeans with a black shirt, or a white shirt with a black jacket. You always wear those white lace gloves and black combat boots. You have a grand total of two colors in your wardrobe to go along with your blue hair.” May listed off. And with each comment, I shrank in on myself. “And you tend to brood.”

“Ya know what, explore your own damn ruins,” I snapped. “I’m going Lotad hunting. Come on Emilie.” I sprinted away from May towards the small river to the east, and sighed in relief when I felt a familiar weight teleport to my shoulder.

“Wait, Lea, get back her-” Her voice faded out as I got further away. Ah, blissful silence.

‘Running from your problems usually isn’t the best idea,’ Emilie probed.

‘Yeah, well I didn’t want to deal with her or the conversation anymore, and if I stayed, I already know I would have said a bunch of stuff I'd regret later.’ I started to slow down when my legs started to cramp. The river was still a ways off. ‘Add getting into shape on the mental to-do list.’

‘Already done. Should I also plan for a surprise to befoul May’s sleeping bag tonight?’ Emilie’s suggestion brought a smile to my face before I shook my head.

‘Don’t do anything extreme on my account.’ I sighed. ‘She didn’t really mean much by it, we poke fun at each other all the time.’

‘But what she said made you upset.’ Emilie patted me on the head. ‘I don’t like it when you feel sad, I can feel it through our link.’

‘I’m-’

‘Do not apologize. That is another thing we’ll have to work on. You apologize when you’ve done nothing wrong far too frequently.’ I stopped suddenly as my feet brushed up against water. The massive body of water cut Route 103 in half.

I couldn’t go any further.

‘You should tell May why what she said bothered you so much. Letting anger like this fester isn’t healthy.’

‘I thought I captured a Ralts, not a therapist,’ I quipped.

‘I’m an empath. You get both whether you like it or not. Would it help if you talked to me about it?’ she asked. I snorted.

‘Don’t you already know? I thought I was the most open of open books,’ I grumbled as I sat down and stared across the river.

‘That should just make it easier. And before you say anything else, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.’ Emilie paused. ‘I think you’re incredibly strong. Everything I’ve inadvertently pulled from the link has only solidified my belief that I made the right choice in traveling with you.’ She looked out across the river. ‘Even if you haven’t given me any more cookies,’ she grumbled.

‘There’s a box of butterscotch cookies in the left pocket of my backpack. Feel free to grab a couple.’

She tore at my bag with the ferocity of a crack addict.

‘But ONLY a couple.’

She slowed down her pace.

“Ralllts...”

Why did I feel like that was an insult aimed my way? Emilie didn’t comment on it when I thought that, so it was, wasn’t it?

‘Just tell me why it bothered you. Saying things aloud helps,’ Emilie said, looking at me like I was a bit slow.

“Right...” I remained tightlipped for a few more seconds, and Emilie gave me an unimpressed stare. “Fine. All my clothes are hand me downs from when my sister was a teenager. Happy? She was the goth and I just got stuck with the look. I'm so happy she grew out of that phase.” I shivered. “She was extra moody when I was younger. Every little thing pissed her off, and she’d just disappear into her room for hours sometimes. Norman was around a lot more back then.” I hugged my legs closer to my chest.

‘Uh, Lea-’

“It probably would have just been easier for everyone involved if we just moved in, but Eve was and still is incredibly attached to that house. I remember her working odd jobs for people outside of the work she put in at the bakery, and then there was me on top of it. She was angry all the time and yelled a lot. She scared me sometimes. But then, it all just... stopped. Sis disappeared for like an entire day, and when she came back, she just shut out her emotions, gradually changed her wardrobe, and stopped... talking about stuff. I used to like that change, but now I don’t know which is worse.” I noticed Emilie waving her arms.

‘Lea, please stop for-’ She gets cut off as a pair of arms pulled me into a painful hug.

“What the-”

“I’m an ass,” May said into my ear.

Oh, really Emilie.

‘I tried to stop you. I was just expecting you to admit you were poor and you’re wearing your sister’s clothes so we could patch things up and laugh about it. I wasn’t expecting a full trip down memory lane,’ Emilie frantically explained.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-” And May’s still going. Has she been working out? This hug feels more suffocating than usual.

‘Like, I REALLY wasn’t expecting you to open up that much. You’re kind of standoffish in your memories and I just thought this would be the fast-’

“And please don’t leave because I was looking forward to traveling-”

‘And I-’

“EVERYONE SHUT UP FOR A SECOND!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. May backed off and I took a few deep, shuddering breaths as I took in the blissful silence.

“Alright, in order of fuck up. May, I know you didn’t mean anything by it, I over-reacted. I forgive you for bullying me. I may or may not put a Wurmple in your sleeping bag later.” The sudden expression of fear was a beautiful sight. “Now for the more prominent fuck up.” I leveled a glare at Emilie. “What the fuck, dude?”

‘I’m a gi-’

“Dude’s gender neutral in my household,” I interrupted. “We also don’t trick the head of house into revealing state secrets. I thought it was just us, and you’ve already peeped at most of it. This was just supposed to be me venting, not me springing all this random crap on May, she doesn’t need that crap on her right now.”

Emilie now looked thoroughly chastised, and I nodded at a job well done.

“The hell do you mean I don’t need that right now,” May said, glaring at me as I turned to look at her. “You listen to me complain about my family all the time. That’s a two-way street. So, spill, because I need to know if I should kick Eve’s ass when we go back through Petalburg for being mean to my best friend.”

I... that’s just...

“Please don’t beat up my sister,” I said before thinking about it more. “Also, thank you. That means a lot.”

May beamed.

“But please don’t, Eve did the best she could. She raised me, kept a floundering bakery afloat, managed most of our finances once she learned how from Norman, ran our household...” I trailed off as I thought about those days. “And she had to do all of that right after Mom and Dad died. I think I can forgive her for slapping-”

“SHE HIT YOU!!!” Ow...

‘I think I have an idea for a new attack...’ Emilie commented in a daze.

“And you’re giving me tinnitus. It happened once, I was being a brat, she looked at her hand like it was a murder weapon afterwards, and after it happened, she went from being the moody goth kid to an emotionally distant but caring guardian,” I hastily explained. “Legends above, calm down.”

May kept opening her mouth and shutting it like a wild Magikarp, before nodding once.

“I won’t beat her up,” May begrudgingly conceded.

I smiled before I thought about how specific she was being.

“You won’t do anything to her.” I stressed the word ‘anything’.

“I won’t beat her up,” May repeated.

“Dammit, May. I-”

‘Excuse me.’ I stopped as Emilie reached out to my mind. ‘I don’t see a Lotad, but I see something else that’s going to be important for the strategy you’re thinking of.’ Emilie pointed to a Wingull flying just above the tree line.

‘Why would I-’

‘That Wingull is special, I can feel it,’ Emilie said, her voice sounding excited in my head.

I blinked twice. I... Did I want a Wingull?

‘Do you want it or not!? It’s flying away.’

You know what, if Emilie thinks it’s good enough, I’ll trust her judgment.

“Knock it out of the sky with Confusion. Bring it down to our level,” I commanded.

Emilie raised both hands into the air before I even finished the command.

“Eh, what’s happening? Lotad don’t fly,” May asked in a daze.

“No, but Emilie has a good feeling about this Wingull and I'm inclined to trust her.” And if the way it’s resisting Emilie’s Confusion was anything to go by, I’m starting to come around to her way of thinking.

‘Quiet. Focus,’ Emilie commanded.

I shushed May and watched as Wingull took a very erratic and confusing flight path towards our location. I prepped a single Poke Ball, and right as it started to get in range, it rapid-fired three high pressured Water Guns at our general area.

“Look out!” May grabbed me and pulled us both to the left out of the way, and Emilie briefly lost focus as the Wingull quickly started to fly away again.

‘Emilie, while it’s close...’

‘Got it.’

Emilie levitated four stones and followed the same motion I had thought of in my head. She brought the stones around her body and slung them forward.

‘Who says you need to be a rock type to learn Rock Throw,’ Emilie shouted.

She launched all four at Wingull. The arc was off a bit, and one went wide of the waterfowl completely, but one stone was right on target, and it forced Wingull to take evasive action. The resulting barrel roll looked incredible, and had that been the only stone, Wingull would’ve gotten away.

“Gull!” But it wasn’t and Wingull had flown out of the path of one rock into another, clipping its left wing. Floundering, Wingull flapped twice as it tried to correct itself.

‘Oh no you don’t.’ Both me and Emilie thought in sync. Emilie reached out with her mind and grabbed the Wingull.

“WING!” And pulled. The bird got dragged into a dive bomb right towards us.

Specifically, the ground in front of me.

The impact was hard, looked painful, and was above all, dusty.

“Cough, cough- maybe next time Emilie, cough- you could throw the wild Pokémon into the ground, hack, cough- a bit further away,” May complained.

Emilie shot her the stink eye.

‘Do you have any idea how hard it is to control living, moving creatures?’ Emilie mentally voiced to the void that was May’s mind. Secondhand thoughts sounded oddly... distant. ‘Nope, still can’t connect. Damn it.’ Hey, I'm teaching Emilie new words.

“Gull!” We all got pulled out of our coughing fit to see a very irate Wingull point a wing at Emilie.

‘What is your quarrel with me, girl? I’ve no business with you, nor do I seek a fight,’ Emilie translated.

“Emilie thought you would make an excellent member of our team, after seeing your skills in the sky, I’m inclined to agree.”

Wingull appraised me briefly before laughing.

‘Lass, I've seen many a trainer come through this route. They’re all about as dimwitted as a Slowpoke and green as the grass beneath my feet. I value my freedom too much to submit to a wet behind the ears rookie. If ye want to be my captain, you’ll have to force me to submit.’ Wingull flapped twice before shooting another Water Gun at Emilie.

‘Teleport behind it, grab three rocks this time, maybe a smaller number will help our aim,’ I ordered.

Giving orders at the speed of thought, as I was quickly realizing, was broken. Before the water even made it halfway across the field, Emilie was primed and loaded with a second volley. Aiming was a lot easier at point blank range.

“Gull!” And Wingull cried out in pain as all three made contact, before I could celebrate though, Wingull disappeared and the air around him cracked.

“What the-” Almost as soon as he disappeared, he slammed, beak first, into Emilie. Emilie was knocked back a solid three feet and tumbled once before grabbing the ground and pulling herself to a stop. “Hell was that!?”

“Aerial ace,” May gasped in awe.

‘Yeah... wheeze... how ya like that... pant... still want more?’ I stared at Emilie in confusion.

‘Is that him crying and carrying on or you?’ I probed.

‘Yes.’ Emilie was clutching a small cut on her chest, and a bruise started to spread. ‘That fucking hurt.’ More new words. I’m such a bad influence, I love it.

‘Are you still good to keep going?’ I asked.

She squared her shoulders and nodded before wincing.

“Well, in that case, Confusion.” Emilie grinned as she picked up the now exhausted Wingull and slammed him a few times into the ground like a rag doll. Wingull was out of it by the fourth. “That’s enough.” Emilie slammed him into the ground once more before setting him down.

I shot her a stern look.

‘I couldn’t stop in time.’ Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth with how she shuffled in place shyly. ‘Just toss the damn ball.’

“Bossy.” I listened though before something else went wrong. The ball shook once, twice, three times and...

Click.

“And that, takes care of that.” I walked over and picked up the ball before scanning it with my pokedex. “Let’s see here, just press that button, and if I did this right...”

Beep.

“Perfect.” A general bio of my Wingull came up, listing its general health as get to a center soon, but not in mortal peril. It was male and had Hy...dra...tion..

Oh.

‘Yup, go ahead, admit it. I’m the greatest. Maybe I should be the trainer in this relationship. Can I pick a winner or what?’ Emilie gloated.

‘I mean, yeah, this works well with what I'm planning to catch, but I don’t know if Wingull or Pelliper learn anything to take advantage of this. And how did you know what ability it had?’ Emilie tilted her head.

‘You looked up training videos but didn’t check my bio?’ Emilie asked with a smile. ‘I have Trace.’ I stared at her in blank confusion. ‘It lets me copy the abilities of other Pokémon.’

‘Wait, really? Neat,’ I said.

Emilie gaped before stomping her foot.

‘Neat? I find you a one in a million bird that hits like a truck and all you can say is neat,’ Emilie said, exasperated at my blank stare.

I think for a second.

‘Yep.’ I grinned cheekily at her.

“Is everything alright? Emilie seems upset.” May stared down at my now glowering psychic type as she ran up to me. When did we get so far apart during that? “Congrats on the capture. That Wingull looked strong.”

“Thanks. Emilie’s just mad I’m not worshiping the ground beneath her feet for finding me a Wingull with a rare ability.”

Emilie punched me in the leg.

‘Bully.’ Emilie said. I resented that.

“Well, Emilie, I appreciate your talents, so if you find anything else super cool, let me know, okay?” May smirked as Emilie nodded. “Very nice, I’ll sneak you some cookies from Lea’s bag later.”

“So just to be clear, you’re bribing my Pokémon with food that I made to find cool Pokémon for you instead of me?” I asked.

“Yep,” May said.

I could feel a blood vessel throb under my left eye.

“I can’t let you get ahead of me. I need every edge I can find.” Of course you do. You have a starter from a regional professor and your dad’s a gym leader and I’m a nobody baker that’s two years late to the party.

...come to think of it, her thinking she needed the help to keep up with me is kind of flattering.

“At any rate, think we can head back to the center in Oldale before we go hunting for Ruins again?” I asked. “I want to officially meet my new friend.”

“And a clean bill of health, thank you and come again.” Nurse Joy handed me back Wingull’s ball.

‘So, does she want us to get hurt again, or...’ Emilie trailed off as she watched Nurse Joy retreat to the back room of the center.

‘Just assume she’s being polite and move on.’ I looked at the ball for a solid five seconds trying to think of the best way to do this. ‘Think we should go outside?’ I asked.

‘It’d probably be wise. May will want to meet our new teammate.’

I nodded before heading back outside.

“Everything check out okay?” May asked.

I nodded before tossing the Poke Ball. Wingull raised his wing in a mock salute.

‘Ahoy,’ Emilie translated.

“That’s it? You seemed pretty against being caught by a ‘Greenhorn’ like me. Just going to say hi and we’re all good?” I asked, more than a bit suspicious.

‘Ya beat me fair and square and I'm a bird of my word.’

‘But are you the word is the more important question.’ Emilie said with a smile as I ran my hand down my face. Legends above my thoughts were already corrupting my sweet starter Pokémon into something unrecognizable.

“Emilie, I have a second Pokémon now, I can and will release you if you start singing that cursed song,” I threatened. Emilie motioned a zipper sealing her mouth shut.

“What song?” May asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” I hastily said before grinning down at Wingull. “I’m happy to have you aboard. My name is Lea, this is my best friend May, and this little gremlin is Emilie.”

Wingull just nodded along.

‘Aye, I remember now. You’re a lass that likes to name your captures. Suppose you have one already planned for me, eh?’ he asked.

“Hmm...” Do I keep to the theme? Emilie was easy, but he doesn’t really fit most of the characters.

‘Of course, I have a few recommendations if you don’t. Salty Beak, Teach, Cortez, maybe Barbossa,’ Wingull said, sounding more and more excited as he went.

Never mind, He’s a cosplayer through and through.

“I think I like Apollo, if that’s alright with you.”

Wingull fell forward in a heap.

‘Lass, I think you missed the mark a bit. I’m a sea bird, not a space bird. I like my seas to have fish, not stars.’ Apollo rapidly explained.

“Nah, I think Apollo suits you perfectly. You match his personality, even if you’re playing a slightly different role.” I commented and lightly brushed Apollo’s left wing.

‘So, Apollo is another character from your story?’ Emilie asked.

Wingull looked over to Emilie in curiosity.

‘It was a game from Lea’s childhood.’ Emilie answered the unasked question. ‘She shared a name with the main character and resonated with the plot.’

I shot Emilie another annoyed look.

‘Open book. Saying ‘Don’t think about the game’ repeatedly makes it harder to ignore, not easier,’ Emilie said.

“I seriously can’t wait for Emilie to evolve. Hearing and understanding a third of the conversation makes it hard to follow along,” May complained.

“Trust me, I’m quickly finding out that understanding your Pokémon is a double-edged sword.” May just tilted her head.

“You mind if I bring out Torchic? I feel a little bit safer doing that with a water-type on deck to put out any accidents. I missed the little guy while we were on the road.” Why are you asking me if... ah whatever.

“Go for it,” I said.

A bright white light filled the area, and Torchic formed right next to Emilie.

“Torchic.” ‘Hi.’

‘So, uhhh... back to my name, lass,’ Apollo said, shuffling in place a bit as we talked. ‘Is this Apollo... handsome?’

“Of course, well, none of the characters look bad, but Apollo has a cool and sleek design, makes his character pop right out of the screen.” Granted, the pop is mostly cause of how loud he is.

‘Strong?’

“He’s the lead rival for the main character for most of the story.” Against her will, but he came through when it counted.

‘...funny?’

“He was responsible for some of the funniest bits in the story.” And it was usually completely unintentional on his part, and at his expense.

Emilie started giggling at my running mental commentary.

‘Then we have an accord. It’s a bit of an odd choice, but It’ll work for this old sea bird. Now then, lass. Where are we off to? I expect this to be a grand adventure, so don’t disappoint,’ Apollo said.

I turned over to May.

“We have eyes in the sky, let’s go find us some ruins,” I said. May nodded.

“Apollo, you’re on scouting duty. Head north, and if you find anything that looks interesting, send word through the mental link with Emilie. We’ll follow behind shortly,” I explained.

‘Aye, Captain. I’ll also keep an eye out for something fun for the other lass,’ Apollo said with a salute.

“That’s nice of you.” I turned to May. “Anything you’re on the hunt for? Apollo’s looking if you’re buying.”

“Just something more interesting than the hordes of Zigzagoon and Poochyena that Torchic has been training on,” May said.

Apollo nodded and took off.

‘Good thing too, all the dogs I've seen so far have been a few planks short of a life raft.’ Apollo thought as he flew off.

“So, I Have a question.” I turned away from my new friend’s shrinking form to give May my full attention. “How come Emilie can form a mental link with Apollo but not me?” I turned to Emilie wondering what the best way to do this would be. Translating for something like this would be annoying, and I didn’t remember to grab scratch pa-

“Can I see Sergei for a sec?” May passes me the possessed smart phone. “Sergei, pull up notepad, please. Can you write stuff using note pad?” I got a thumbs up. “Would you mind translating for Emilie?” Second thumbs up. I turned to Emilie before stopping as another idea popped into my head. “Would you like us to leave notepad up as a default so you can talk to us whenever you want?” There was a decently long pause before words started appearing on the screen.

“I can send messages through messenger from fake lines.” Another pause. “Actually, screw note pad. I have a better idea.” The program closed itself and messenger lit up with two different notifications. I pulled it up and pulled May closer to me so we could read together.

Start of a new Direct Message with Sergei.

Start of a new Direct Message with Emilie.

Start of a new Direct Message with Apollo.

Start of a new Direct Message with May’s Torchic.

Start of a new Direct Message with Lea.

Setting up group chat.

“There we go.” popped up on the screen. “Through the power of messenger, Emilie’s psychic abilities, my own ingenuity, and the somewhat clever idea of a seventeen-year-old girl, I give you the most jerry-rigged Pokémon translator on the face of the earth.” Both May’s and my own eyes widened in pure shock. “Bow down before my brilliance.”

“Holy,” I started.

“Shit,” May finished.

“Wait, couldn’t you also just make a group call?” I asked and got a thumbs down emoji.

“Sadly, I can’t figure out how to translate thought patterns into spoken words that the speaker would register. I could maybe figure out how to translate them using spoken word databases online, but the delay on that would be... rather severe and it would sound terrible.” Frowny face emoji. “So, for now, Pokémon chat room.” I nodded towards Sergei after reading the message. Three dots appeared under Emilie’s name.

“I went ahead and told Apollo about the Direct Link.” Emilie said.

I smiled at the reference.

‘Thought you’d appreciate that,’ Emilie sent privately, shooting me a grin.

“Well blow me down, this is nice. Ahoy there, May. It’s nice to talk to a mate of the captain,” Apollo said.

May just laughed once she finished reading.

“Oh my god, your Wingull is a pirate and you named it Apollo of all things. We really need to work on that.” Three dots appeared under Torchic’s name.

“At least he has a name. Hint hint.” A cute angry face showed up under Torchic’s post.

May’s Torchic’s name has been changed to KFC.

“SERGEI, I WILL USE YOU FOR FUCKING TARGET PRACTICE.”

“Watch your language!” I automatically responded, doing my best to suppress my giggling.

Torchic puffed up and gave me a pointed glare.

“I am NOT putting that in the chat, young lady,” Sergei typed.

“Suzaku,” May said and Torchic stopped trying to grab the phone from my hands. “I wasn’t sure on giving nicknames, but if she wants one, I'm more than happy to oblige. It’s the name of a powerful fire bird spirit from one of Dad’s books. He’d read it to me when I was a kid.”

Torchic nodded once.

“Sounds good to me.” Suzaku replied.

KFC has been changed to Nugget.

“SERGEI!” All four of us yelled in unison.

Nugget has been changed to Suzaku.

“Killjoys,” Sergei responded. Suzaku’s profile picture changed to a picture of orange chicken nuggets. May opened her mouth-

“No, we should let Suzaku be called what she wants to be called. In fact, we should leave her profile exactly the way it is.” I hinted at May with a smile. I wanted to let Sergei have a little bit of fun, at least.

“Now, back to my original question,” May looked down at her phone. Before Emilie could explain though, three dots appeared next to Apollo’s name.

“Uh, Cap? I think I've found what you’re looking for, but... Okay you’re going to want to see this.” Apollo sent back. “There are three guys in blue bandanas guarding the entrance.”

I frowned.

“Come back and show us where they are. I don’t want you getting caught in anything alone.”

Emilie sent the message over.

“Aye aye, cap.” Apollo messaged back.

“Blue bandanas?” May asked as she picked Suzaku up from the ground and held her anxiously.

“They might be researchers.” I argued as I spotted Apollo start to fly closer in. “I want to take a closer look before we tell your dad. It’s probably nothing, It’s Oldale for crying out loud, there’s nothing here worth looting.”

Apollo very quickly made his way back to us and perched himself on my right shoulder.

“Lead the way Apollo, we’ll be quiet. Let us know when we’re close so we can stay hidden,” I ordered.

“Are you sure about this?” May asked before Apollo could take off. She looked between me and the road back.

“I just want to see what’s up. You can hang out here if you want,” I said.

May looked at me for a long bit, and just as I was about to turn and follow Apollo-

“Fine, but we’re not getting close if they look dangerous.” She pushed past me and briskly walked towards Apollo.

I ran up beside her and we started pushing through the foliage.

The ruins were a lot less conspicuous than I'd have thought. It wasn’t a building, but a massive stone door etched into the cliffside. Markings were etched into the door that I couldn’t make heads or tails of, and the whole thing gave me the heebie-jeebies.

What was making it worse was that the massive ass stone door had been pushed open.

Something had to open this massive, megalithic structure, and I don’t think it was the three goons standing out in front wearing matching outfits.

‘Can you pull any surface thoughts?’ I mentally asked Emilie.

‘They don’t know why they’re here. They don’t even really know what group they’re a part of beyond name. Their boss just told them to guard the door.’ Emilie said.

I nodded before sighing.

‘Any idea what they’re packing?’ I asked.

Emilie scrunched her face in concentration.

‘Got it.’ Emilie sighed as one of the guards rubbed his head. ‘Sorry, that was... not easy.’

‘Is our cover blown?’ I asked.

Emilie shook her head.

‘No, he thinks the headache is from a lack of sleep.’ Emilie smiled. ‘I might have... encouraged that line of thought while I was in his head.’

‘You’re terrifying, you know that right?’ I asked.

‘It helps that these three are about as smart as the local Zigzagoon. Speaking of, that’s mostly what they have. The loser in the back has a Mightyena though, so...’

‘Approaching would be a bad idea, got it. Tell Sergei what’s up and have him tell May.’ I frowned. ‘What is the group’s name?’ I asked.

‘They’re calling themselves Team Aqua.’