For 32 points, I was doing fairly well for a first year. George had apparently only gotten 3 points in total due to the Beedrill focusing down on his Bronzor who was in charge of using gravity to get them low enough for his other Pokemon were mainly physical in nature except his Piplup. As I walked over to collect up the Stufful I saw the girl with bug types walking over to me. I figured she would walk past me but she had other ideas."I want the bandanas you stole from me" she looked me in the eye and put her hands on her hips in a power pose. I did remember taking bandanas from her knockouts, but from what I read that was legal. I had even watched her steal one from me.

  "Huh?" Yup, that was my response as I noticed that her shirt comprised the Bluepoint city gym leader and her Goodra. She was obviously a fan of hers as even her backpack was in the shape of a Goodra. I moved my eyes back up once I finished my once-over and tried to figure out how to navigate her.

  With how the first group had halted before proceeding while the one that had been hidden had sped forward with both groups shooting poisoned needles as cover fire. If I had learned one thing today, it would be that bug types work really well together. She had definitely gotten unlucky with how the Beedrill had obviously pnned to catch someone off guard but that didn't mean I should have to compensate her.

  "I want the bandanas you stole off of my Pokémon's hard work. They put in the effort and should be rewarded" she repeated, adding on reasons why she should get the bandanas.

  "But like, you also stole from me?" I didn't understand her reasoning here.

  "What are you talking about? I only took bandanas I knew were mine" she made a motion as if she was offended that I would suggest such a thing.

  George had hurried off to get in line for the nurse Joy, so I was by myself. I looked over at the resting Stufful and decided that I had better things to do. I shook my head and passed her.

  "Hey! Get back here and give me my bandanas!" She yanked on the back of my shirt, one that I had been in since I left from Darkuf(don't judge, I only have two sets of clothes!) I tripped and fell forwards and my shirt loosened from her grip as my weight pulled the cloth down with me. I felt the dark TE churning and I felt new anger towards her.

  "Oh my god are you alright? I'm so so sorry, I didn't expect" she paused as if unsure what to say. Unconsciously, as if watching myself from a second person POV, I braced myself from the ground and pettily swept her feet such that she fell too. She yelped and nded a roughly.

  "I am NOT giving you anything" I fought this feeling of anger, but it hit back. Eating away at me and trying to overtake other parts of me. The only three things I seemed to dislike more in this moment were certain species from the Strange Forest, the government, and waking up te. This line of thinking seemed to calm me down, so I continued. Waking up te was in a category lower than the other two, it was more of a self-improvement goal while the others were personal grudges.

  The girl got annoyed that I tripped her and started demanding even louder that I give her what she wanted. Impertinent? Is that the right word? I tried to ignore her but with both her and the darkness egging me on I was unable to push back both while clearing my mind.

  “Give me my points you brute!” I bit my tongue and kicked her again before getting up and running away. I scooped up the sleeping stuffed animal Pokemon and ran farther from the screaming girl rising from the ground. She didn’t put too much effort in chasing me, that would be too much exertion for someone like her and boy was I fast.

  I ran through at least three different roads before getting socked in the gut and having to stop. The anger faded as I focused on the Stufful who hit me. He wasn’t crying this time but creepily stared at me as I heaved and coughed from his hit. I took this as a sign he wanted to be put down and did so. Its sibling was still using rest, but I set them down anyways to catch my breath.

  Oof, that hit hurt.

  I stood there, bent-over for a solid minute before being able to straighten up to standing normally. That girl could have easily caught me if she had followed me a little through some houses but the only ones who saw me were the one Stufful and a concerned old dy who offered me a cup of lemonade which I gratefully accepted. Hey, it's free lemonade.

  She also knew about the Stufful and pet it such that it leaned into her touch. She chuckled and then congratuted me for protecting Elizabean before heading further down the street. I assumed she was one of the ones who watched the colony attack as several retirees had brought out folding chairs from houses and back porches to watch the young trainers with their aged Pokemon, reminiscing on what once was.

  With everything about my mindset reset, no longer angry or hurt, I walked at a slow pace such that my companion Stuffel could keep up on our walk back to Puff. What had happened back there? Normally I would feel a bit annoyed, I mean I only fell to the ground not off a house. It was nothing important.

  But the Z-energy lingering from that bck hole eclipse, it reacted to her. I tried to feel it out but doing anything with the metaphysical force hurt, although I could at least feel it now. The rgest contingent of it was focused inside my head.

  There wasn't much I could do, if nothing would move then I couldn't change anything. The best I could do was understand what was going on and that didn't appear to be possible.

  Another thing I wasn't able to do right, just like back home.

  Puff was gd I was alright, although she still wasn't in the best condition. Spritzee hovered over her, looking worried towards the younger Pokemon and friend. He looked as if he was praying and had summoned a thin pink mist that lingered around them. The sweet scent sparked bad memories, now that I knew what it was, as I walked up to our spot with a toothy scowl.

  "Heeey Maxyyyyy" she didn't have a cough but the tone still had a rasp to it.

  "Drink some more water," I ordered, sitting next to the Stufful who had finished using rest before walking over to take her temperature. It felt normal? Yeah I suck at this medical stuff. I did know that warmth is good somehow, so I made sure to wrap Puff in one of my other shirt before carrying her along with my other stuff. "Are you feeling better?" She wasn't if her reaction was any indication.

  It was at the tent I saw George; he was near the front half of the line for the good nurse and let me cut in line in front of him. There were many gres targeting us as I instead chose to focus on how Puff was doing. Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out, breath in--there was a pause--breath out.

  "Do you want to be a healer?" I was trying to make conversation to avoid the gres.

  "Swaaaaa?" she whispered.

  "It would help," I pcate. I've had so many injuries, and my team has been getting hurt often. The Z-move where Ian was shattered, the Zweilous' dark pulse, Puff's current state, heck, even Sin's arm. I may have left my home, but the attacks keep following me. Every week an new battle.

  She didn't answer immediately, and after a few minutes of waiting I began to think she hadn't heard me. I stayed silent anyways, it had to be her. The others didn't have the move pool. I'd been considering what having Pokemon meant, what the retionship was like, and what I wanted. In some respects, I was inflexible. This moment had come sooner than I had hoped, the time to see if she would make this hard choice for me, even in her weakness. Was she family?

  The Joy and her small team of what appeared to be loaned Pokemon worked on each of my faithful warriors individually although the nurse could not cure Puff. After telling me to let the flying type rest and about supplements that could help she released me to fix George's team.

  I was walking away, back to my little campsite when I felt something touch my chest. She had used peck, extending and hardening her yellow beak until she poked me with it lightly, “Bluu.” It was then that she drifted off to sleep. She'd think about it.