A Pallet Pair #5b:

The Making of a Team

 

            Ivonar hesitated a moment before knocking. She hugged Static to her chest nervously. Manx, the picture of calm, sat beside her, and began licking his right front paw.

            The door opened, to reveal a small man whose entire face but for his cheerful eyes seemed lost in a cloud of curly white hair. It was impossible to tell where his hair ended and his thick, long beard began. "Welcome!" the man cried, his eyes sparkling with humor. "Come in, come in! I don't get many visitors! Yes, do come in!" He stood aside to let Ivonar in.

            A little stunned at the enthusiastic welcome, it took a moment for her to realize she was a Pokémon short. "Come on, Manx." Manx glared at her, then snorted, returning his attention to his paw. "Manx!" This time he didn't even look at her.

            "Come on in, and I'll give you a nice big fish," the man offered.

            Manx glanced at him, frowning a little, then stood, stretched, and meandered inside.

            "So, what brings you here, young lady?" the man asked her. She started to follow him, but he gestured for her to sit down. "No, no, you stay here. Old Farley keeps his promises! And I'll bring us some lemonade to drink while we talk." He wandered deeper into the cabin. Ivonar made herself comfortable in an armchair as she listened to Old Farley hum to himself. Sweetie jumped into her lap for pets; Fluffball and Static amused themselves by untying Ivonar's shoelaces and playing with them. Soon the man returned with a plate of fish in one hand and two tall glasses of lemonade in the other. "So, what brings you here?" he asked again, as he placed the fish in front of Manx.

            "I'm Ivonar Marain, from Pallet Town," Ivonar began. She thanked him with a smile as she accepted one of the lemonades. "I would have started training a couple years ago, but when I was ten I got the flu, and last year I broke my leg. But now that I've finally started training… it really hasn't gotten any better."

            "Oh?" Old Farley sat in a rocking chair, sipping his lemonade.

            Ivonar shook her head. "I keep getting Pokémon that are too strong, and won't listen to me," she explained. "One of the first Pokémon I caught was a Spearow, which evolved into Fearow, and the only reason I still have her is because she's thankful I helped her evolve." Ivonar put the untouched lemonade down on the small table in front of her. With one hand, she pet Sweetie; with the other, she toyed with the pokéball in the fifth pocket in her belt. "My friend caught a Poliwag and let me have it. I sent it away for a little while because I already had six Pokémon, but when I got it back, it came back as a Poliwhirl. As a Poliwag, it was a skittish little thing, but now it's too stubborn to listen." Briefly, her hand slid from the fifth pocket to the fourth, then moved to the third. "And there's Manx. He was my mom's Pokémon, but she insisted I take him with me. He won't battle, and he keeps coming up with excuses not to go into his pokéball." Finished with his treat, Manx glared at Ivonar for a moment, then, ignoring her, curled up by Old Farley's chair. Ivonar bit her lip. "Then there's Nuisance," she said finally. "My brother gave him to me last year, partly because he felt bad because it was his fault I broke my leg, and partly because he didn't really like him. I never trained Nuisance, not like my mom did Manx. So far, all I've taught him is Tail Whip."

            "Has he been giving you trouble, too?"

            "That's just it," Ivonar said, shaking her head. "He hasn't." She sighed, trying to think of how to explain. "I never trained Nuisance," she said again, "but someone did. Nuisance is extremely powerful. He knows Psychic Toss, and he used it on a huge Onix."

            Old Farley's mouth fell open, revealing itself from within his beard. "Psychic Toss on an Onix?" Ivonar nodded. The man frowned, his mouth disappearing again. "Go on."

            Ivonar grimaced. "There really isn't anything more to say," she told him. "Nuisance has been a great pet. He sleeps on my feet every night. It's… it's like capturing a Caterpie, then finding out it's a Weedle. My harmless pet is an extremely dangerous Pokémon. But he always listens to me. He's never once been a problem."

            Old Farley's fist disappeared as he rested his chin on it. "When you first start training," he said thoughtfully, "It's natural to have problems. You don't know what you're doing yet." Ivonar could tell he was frowning, because the cheerful sparkle left his eyes. "Let all your Pokémon out. Let me talk to them in private." He stood up, reaching down to ruffle the fur between Manx's ears. "Come on. You first." With a snort, Manx climbed to his feet and followed Old Farley deeper into the cabin.

            "You heard what he said," Ivonar said. "Everybody out." With one big flash of red light, the room was suddenly crowded with Pokémon. "All of you behave," Ivonar told them, rubbing Sweetie's head nervously.

            Ro glared at her, then lay down on the couch, eyeing the other Pokémon warily. Tagalong sat in the rocking chair, sulking. Char played with Fluffball by rolling an ashtray around for her to chase, then bring back when it stopped rolling and fell over. Static got himself hopelessly tangled in Ivonar's shoelaces, but was having fun trying to get out. Nuisance sat by Ivonar's chair, his fingers pressed to his forehead, looking upset, while the Kakuna simply stood perched against the table, looking bored.

            Manx returned after a few minutes, and Char took Fluffball with her. When those two returned it was Ro's turn, then the Kakuna's. After the Kakuna, the Poliwhirl went to "talk" with Old Farley. While the Poliwhirl was gone, there was a knock at the door. Nervous about what the Pokémon were telling Old Farley, and feeling desperate for something to do, Ivonar answered the door. There was Remmy, with Cole and-

            "A Raichu?"

            Remmy grinned, giving the Raichu's head a rub. "Chia," he replied.

            "Oh." She left the door open, going back to her chair. "Make yourself at home. He's talking to Tagalong at the moment."

            Remmy frowned a little, sharing a skeptical glance with Chia, then shrugged it off and, after shutting the door behind them, took a seat in the rocking chair. He returned Ro's suspicious glare with a grin, which made her look away.

            The Poliwhirl returned, wondering into the room, looking much more cheerful. Old Farley peeked in the doorway. "Well, that one was simple enough," he said. "I'm ready for Nuisance now. While we're gone, you two can figure out the name thing."

            "Name thing?" Remmy echoed.

            Old Farley looked at him in surprise. "Where'd you come from?" he asked, then he shrugged. To Ivonar, he said, "The only problem your Poliwhirl has is that he hates the name you gave him. You and him figure out something else, 'kay? Come on, Nuisance."

            Nuisance glanced at him, then looked at Ivonar. She forced herself to smile, rubbing his head. "Go on," she told him. "It's okay." Nuisance frowned, and, for a moment, Ivonar felt… cold, nervous, alone. "What…" Nuisance stood up, giving her leg a brief hug, then waddled after the old man.

            Ivonar shook off the cold feeling that had come over her, and looked at the Poliwhirl, which was still standing near the doorway. "I'm sorry," she said.

            "I'd been wondering why you named it Tagalong," Remmy told her.

            She shrugged a little. "I only caught Tag- er, the Poliwag - because Static liked him, and because he didn't look interested in going back in the water. He was sort of tagging along with us." The Poliwhirl frowned a little. "I'm really sorry," Ivonar said again. The Poliwhirl shrugged slightly. "Do you… uh… have any suggestions, or anything?"

            "Po," the Poliwhirl replied, crossing its arms and squinting a little.

            Remmy grinned. "Didn't know you could talk to Pokémon too, Eevee."

            "Shuddup," Ivonar told him ruefully. She grinned at the Poliwhirl. "He's right though."

            "Po!" the Poliwhirl said again. He put his hands on his almost nonexistent hips. "Po."

            "You want to be called Poe?" Ivonar asked, frowning a little.

            For the first time, the Poliwhirl smiled. "Po!"

            "Okay!" Ivonar smiled. "Poe it is. I'm real sorry, Poe." The Poliwhirl shrugged a little. He perched on the table next to the Kakuna. "That's really it? You just didn't like your name?" Poe shrugged a little, frowning slightly. Ivonar smiled a little. "That's all that really bugged you?" Poe smiled a little, nodding slightly.

            "Who needs somebody who can talk to a Pokémon when you can guess?" Remmy asked Ivonar.

            She glared at him ruefully. "How many times have I told you to shut up today?"

            "Not as many times as yesterday."

            "I'll have to speed it up."

            "Tha-"

            "Shut up."

            "Okay, you're caught up."

            "Am not."

            "You think I'd lie to you?"

            "About that, maybe."

            "Be nice, Old Lady."

            "You first, red-haired kid."

            Remmy grinned. Ivonar gave him a tolerant half-smile. "You know, I've been wondering," Remmy said, doing his best to look thoughtful while still grinning, "when, exactly, did I stop tagging along?"

            Ivonar frowned a little. "What do you mean?"

            "When we left Pallet, you said I could stick with you as long as I could keep up."

            "Why'd you decide to come with me, anyway?"

            "I wasn't about to talk to Gary about that," Remmy replied. Ivonar rolled her eyes; she knew what he meant. "And Ash… I don't know. He's always been kind of obnoxious, you know? Bragging about how great he's going to be. They make a great pair - Ash bragging about how great he's going to be, and Gary having a whole squad of cheerleaders yelling about how great he is." Remmy looked thoughtful for a moment. "You just didn't."

            "Didn't?"

            "You just try your best. You don't act like you're already perfect. Can you imagine Gary, or Ash, coming here, if they had a problem with their Pokémon listening to them?" For the first time, Ivonar saw Remmy smile. Not grin - just smile. "You didn't answer my question."

            She considered it, then shrugged a little. "I don't know. I guess it was after we caught Pidge and Pi. When we actually started training, you know, not just getting our starting Pokémon. When it just… started." She laughed. "Am I making any sense?"

            "No." Remmy grinned. "But who said you had to?"

            "That's true. I mean, after a week with you, how could I possibly know what sense means anymore?"

            "What's that supposed to mean?"

            Manx rolled his eyes, putting his paws over his ears.

            "Miss Marain?"

            Ivonar looked up, surprised. Her surprise increased when she saw the solemn look on Old Farley's face. She stood up. "What? What's wrong?"

            Silently, he motioned for her to join him in the next room. Ivonar glanced at Remmy; without a word, they both stood up (pausing a moment for Ivonar to get Static out of her shoelaces, and her laces re-tied) and entered the small kitchen. Old Farley sat at the table, and motioned toward the one other seat in the room; her mouth set in a grim line, Ivonar sat down. Remmy looked around for someplace to sit, and finally chose to perch on the counter next to the sink. Nuisance, looking kind of distant, wandered from a corner to lean his head against Ivonar's leg.

            Old Farley folded his hands together, looking thoughtful for a moment, before speaking. "Well, I talked to all your Pokémon," he began, "and I must say, each one of them has a very interesting story. One day, I'm sure they'll tell you them, because I'm sure you'll be training them for quite some time - long enough to learn to understand them." Ivonar looked at him in surprise. Old Farley smiled. "They all respect you, in their own way. For example, Ro is quite taken by your bravery. Rather than hide, you chose to fight those Beedrills. The Kakuna, too, is impressed that you fought so hard for it. It'll be hatching in a couple days, by the way." He winked at her. "As I said, with the Poliwhirl, he was simply upset that you chose such a demeaning name for him. I'm sure you have that worked out now." Ivonar nodded slightly. "He realizes that you didn't really want to catch him, and is quite pleased that you would allow him to fight for you anyway. Now, Char is willing to respect you…" His tone became that of a gentle warning. "… but only if you use her more in battle. She feels left out." Ivonar frowned a little: she'd only been in two battles - the one with Samurai, and the one with Brock - and she'd used Char in the one against Samurai. Then she remembered how quickly the Pinsir had given up, and nodded again. If Char wanted to battle more, she'd battle more. "Now, Manx…" Old Farley chuckled. "Manx is an exceptional case…" He glanced toward the other room, then leaned forward, as if to tell a secret. Ivonar leaned forward as well. Quietly, Old Farley said, "Manx has the natural aloofness of a cat. He doesn't want to look like he cares. But one thing is clear about him: he has a very protective nature. Forgive the expression, but Manx is quite the mother hen." Ivonar giggled in spite of herself. "You're actually better with him out of his pokéball, I think. He admits to adopting the Eevees, but I think he's adopted you, too."

            Ivonar smiled, but then her smile faded. She remembered how much she'd hated - well, not really hated, but extremely disliked - Manx back home. But, since starting her training… it was like with her and Remmy. Without really noticing, they stopped simply tolerating each other or just knowing of each other, and worked as a team. She remembered Manx, his lips pulled back, snarling at thirty Beedrills, daring them to attack.

            Never once had she realized he'd done that for her.

            The shock of the sudden realization made her jump slightly, as if she'd dragged her socked feet across a thick carpet and touched a metal doorknob. She looked toward the doorway to the other room, where she could see Manx trying to keep Static occupied while Ivonar's shoelaces were not available. She smiled to herself: here she'd thought he'd "adopted" four Eevees, when the whole time, he'd adopted five.

            When she turned back to look at Old Farley again, he was frowning once more. "Then, of course, there is the matter of Nuisance."

            Instantly, Ivonar's smile died. She looked down at the Pokémon who had his head rested against her leg; he looked up at her, and she felt it again: the cold nervousness, the sense of distance that came with being utterly alone. "What about Nuisance?" she asked quietly, rubbing his head gently. The cold feeling faded almost instantly.

            "Well, for one thing," Old Farley began with a sigh, "he's older than you think. A year older, actually. And he did have a trainer before you." Ivonar looked up, away from Nuisance, at Old Farley. "His other trainer was quite strict with him. Not physically brutal - not strict in that sense - but strict in training his mind. Simply put, his old trainer wanted him to evolve, and they wanted it very badly." Old Farley sighed again. "But his other trainer had other Pokémon. They had another Psyduck, who evolved first. They abandoned Nuisance about three weeks before your brother found him. A week after that, he was given to you." One of Ivonar's hands rested gently on Nuisance's head, but the other, on the table, shook violently. Old Farley smiled a little, reaching over the table to stop her hand. "He was quite adamant in saying that that was the best thing to ever happen to him."

            Ivonar wasn't sure where to look, or what to say. First she stared silently at Old Farley, gratitude and sorrow warring for control over her face. Then she looked at Remmy, but his face was blank, impossible to read. Finally, she slid out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Nuisance, hugging him tight. "Oh, Nuisance, I'm so sorry…" she whispered.

            "Psy…" He hugged her back, his bill rested over her shoulder. "Psy ai, ai psy-ai-duck, psyduck psy duck psy."

            "He says that you have nothing to be sorry for," Old Farley translated.

            Ivonar shook her head a little. "I know," she replied.

            Old Farley stood up quietly. "I don't think I need to tell you how he feels," he said. He glanced at Remmy, still perched on the counter. "Don't you have anything better to do, boy? Get offa there." He ushered Remmy out of the room.

            A moment later, Ro stalked in, her wings folded to her sides, her dangerous eyes looking around suspiciously, checking for any danger. Seeing none, she hopped onto the chair Ivonar had abandoned, spreading her wings protectively.

            Next to enter the room was Char, Fluffball still tagging at her heels. Char ducked under Ro's left wing, looking at Ivonar worriedly. Silently, she rested a paw against Ivonar's shoulder. Fluffball stopped prancing about, frightened by Ro's spread wings and worried by the silence.

            Poe came next, lugging the Kakuna with him. Static was trying to help by shoving at the base of the Kakuna with his head, but in reality he wasn't really doing anything. Poe put it down, resting it against the chair Ro had commandeered, and stood next to Char, equally silent, equally solemn. Static sat next to Fluffball, equally as upset and confused as his sister.

            Finally came Manx, carrying Cole in his mouth. Sweetie raced passed him to jump onto Ivonar's shoulder, wrapping her tail protectively around the back of Ivonar's neck. Manx put Cole with Fluffball and Static, then nudged Ivonar's shoulder with his head. She looked at him, and his pointed, impatient look. She looked at the others - at Ro, her wings spread wide; at Char's worried face; at the upset Eevees and unreadable Poliwhirl and Kakuna; and at Nuisance, who was just starting to smile again. Then she looked at her impatient, tailless Persian once more.

            And, for no reason at all, she had to laugh.

            And so she did.

*

            They stayed for a couple days, resting for the long trip ahead of them. Remmy and Ivonar agreed to head for Cerulean City next, but this time, they would walk and enjoy it.

            The day before they left, Old Farley took Ivonar aside. "Whenever I give someone help with their Pokémon, I give them a gift to help them on their journey," he told her. "Usually, I give them super potion, or some other healing, or energy, sort of thing… but, considering your crowd, I've decided to give you something a little different." He held out a small pouch, putting it in her hands. Before she could protest, he said, "I know you'll get use out of these - at least, with some of them. Not right away, perhaps, but some day." He smiled. "Perhaps when you're ready for some of your Pokémon to evolve again."

            Even though she knew he was trying to get her to look, Ivonar managed to wait until she was alone. In the little pouch there were three stones - one ocean blue, one bright yellow, and one fiery orange.

            Not sure whether to grimace or smile, Ivonar had closed the bag and packed it deep in her backpack. Old Farley was right - she wouldn't be needing them any time soon.

            The next day, leaving their bikes behind with Old Farley, Remmy and Ivonar slung their backpacks on their backs and headed out, their Pokémon beginning their journey with them. Remmy and Ivonar waved back to Old Farley for a long time, until finally they couldn't see him anymore.

            For awhile, they walked in silence. Sweetie rode on top of Ivonar's backpack, enjoying the view. Drake had managed to balance itself on Remmy's pack while wrapped in a tight coil, its purple eyes glittering happily. Ratzy and Saurus walked on one side of Remmy, glad to be able to stretch their legs and enjoy the brilliant sunshine. Somehow, Cole had figured out how to balance on Chia's narrow shoulders, but that might have been because she had her long tail wrapped around him once, to keep him there. Static pranced along between Poe and Nuisance, who seemed deep in conversation; to anyone who could understand, it was obvious that Poe was trying to explain how to use a Water Gun attack, but at the moment it didn't really matter to any of the others. Fluffball was busy alternating between trying to climb onto Manx's head as he walked and trying to capture Char's tail without getting burned; she wasn't having much success at either, but she was having fun just in trying. Overhead, Nasty and Pi flew on either side of Ro, although Pi flew noticeably lower than Nasty, his natural dislike of the other birds showing itself in the distance he chose to keep. However, their newest member flew even lower - in fact, he kept barely a foot above Manx, his fragile wings beating the air with a gentle hum.

            He'd hatched from his Kakuna shell quite late the night before, and right until sunrise they'd tried to come up with a name for him, but, quite frankly, there was no name he liked better than what he had been called before.

            Ivonar looked at her newest Pokémon with a grin. "I'm probably the only Pokémon trainer with a Beedrill named Kakuna," she laughed.

            "Not Kakuna," Remmy corrected her. "The Kakuna."

            "Of course," Ivonar chuckled. "My mistake." She hitched her backpack higher onto her shoulders, grinning at the cry of protest from her passenger. "Hey, Remmy?"

            "Yeah?"

            "What did you do, while I was at Old Farley's? You were gone for almost an hour."

            Remmy laughed, grinning. He bent down a little to give Chia's head an affectionate rub. "You're probably not going to believe me…."

 

 

 

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