Bab 51: Ch 51. Travel companion
(Unedited)
With a new gym badge in his pocket, Ares visited the pokemon center to let Nurse Joy check up on his pokemon. He didn't worry about Aisha, as she had returned not long after him, though she looked a lot paler. Her Wartortle wasn't as cheeky as before either, as it held Aisha's leg tightly without letting go for even a second. It seems that whatever happend had scared it to its bones.
It was as if they had seen a ghost and barely got away.
Not really his problem though.
Lucario only barked in laughter, as he seemed rather pleased at the beaten down attitude of the Wartortle.
'Served it right'
Lucario thought, as he waited patiently for Ares to finish what he was doing so that they could eat soon after. He was hungry, even if he wasn't the one who had fought the battle.
Handing Umbreon, Pikachu and Pidgeot's pokeballs to Nurse Joy, Ares enjoyed some lunch in the cafeteria. The food here was delicious like always, making his exhaustion disappear.
Lucario seemed to enjoy it as well, as he was enjoying a sandwich made by the impeccable workmanship of a Mr. Mime.
Mr. Mime waved in enthusiasm sending a few more plates of dessert their way.
*Bark! Bark!*
A familiar bark made Ares turn his head backwards, as a black and orange striped figure appeared in sight.
The Growlithe he had seen not even a few days before was now running towards him. A young girl in a black sporty training outfit soon joined him. Her cerulean hair stood out, but even more so the recognizable face of a younger Officer Jenny, even when it was covered in a thin layer of work-out sweat.
Patting Growlithe on the head, the younger Jenny look-a-like handed Ares a can of lemonade, opening one for herself as well, quickly downing its contents and catching her breath.
"It seems Growlithe's tracking is as good as ever. You must be Ares. I am Jennifer, better known around here as Jenny. I wanted to thank you."
Jenny bowed her head deeply, Growlithe wagging his tail at her side. It seems like Growlithe had become her pokemon after her mom passed away. That is if she was indeed the daugther of the recently deceased Officer Jenny.
She didn't say much, but Ares could fill in the rest himself. She most likely was indeed the daughter. While he did feel sorry for her, it was not like words of sympathy would bring her mother back, so he chose the next best option.
"...."
Jenny straightened herself, a few stray tears in her eyes as the corners of her mouth began to curve upwards a bit.
"Thank you for not saying anything."
Jenny's teary face was replaced by a bright smile.
"So, how was the gym battle? Sabrina's strong right?"
Ares thought back on the battle, thinking psychic energy was a cheat. It would be nice if he could talk with his pokemon telepathically, as giving orders would be a lot faster. Besides with Mew, as she was a bit too lackadaisical to even consider speaking up that much. She was even lazier than a Slowpoke.
"She was strong."
Ares nodded, showing the new sparkling badge in his hand, gaining a small gasp from Jenny. A badge only meant one thing.
Jenny's eyes sparkled at seeing the shining badge. At Ares's side, Lucario happily smile, equally happy with the win they had secured, even if he hadn't participated in the battle itself.
"So why did you really come here? I'm sure your aunt would have explained everything regarding the previous case."
Jenny averted her gaze, as she played with Growlithe's paws.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... I decided to become stronger and go out to travel."
"That still doesn't explain why you came here. You are old enough to travel on your own."
Ares pointed out.
"Well, seeing that you are a rather new trainer and you travel alone, I thought you might enjoy some company."
Jenny continued.
"I have my pokemon."
"That is not the same and you know it. Some company with people you can talk with. Talking to yourself on your lonesome causes depression."
Jenny countered, grasping Ares's hand.
"You are strong, you and your pokemon. I want to travel with you, experience more than just the city. To get strong enough to take down poachers, like the previous scumbag, easily by myself."
"And there is your real motive. You're angry."
Ares sipped his tea, pointing exactly what her motives were. She was angry at herself for being weak and she wanted revenge against the poacher who killed her mother. It was reasonable, considering the loss was recent. Even more so when the emotion continued to fester without anyone noticing.
"He is locked up, with no end to his prison sentence. He killed an officer, something that isn't taken lightly in any region. There is no one to take revenge against. Now, getting stronger is possible, but throw away that anger. It won't help you besides hurting you and your pokemon. It will only leave you with an empty heart when you succeed in your goal, leaving you without any drive, purpose or passion to continue with the future you still have left. Trust me, I know that feeling very well."
Ares put down his empty glass, ready to retrieve his pokemon. By now Nurse Joy should have checked their health and healed them.
Jenny made him feel uncomfortable, as he too had once harbored such feelings of hatred, though his was from being wronged himself, instead of others hurting his loved ones.
"W-Wait!"
Jenny yelled, seeming a bit lost. She didn't know what to do with herself. She was angry, yes. She wanted revenge at the pocher for killing her mom. But that didn't mean she would let her life be devoured by that emotion. That would mean giving up what she and her mother believed in.
Justice.
"I'll try. I can't promise it, but I will try to work things out, with myself and all the stuff going on in my head. I won't slow you down, I promise! If I do, you can leave me behind and continue on your own."
Ares halted, hesitating for but a moment.
"If you're not there by eight tomorrow morning, I'll leave without you. Get your father's permission too. It would be hard for him to worry about you if the loss of his wife and your mother is still fresh."
Jenny winced slightly, but still nodded.
She would be leaving her dad for a long time, but she would come back stronger than before. In that time, her dad would have the time he needed to grief. He wasn't someone who was comfortable sharing his own pains with others, favoring licking is wounds alone. She would give him that time, so he could recover. As would she. They both needed time to process this loss. She just chose to do so in a place that did not carry the everyday memories of her mother.
*
*
*
It was eight in the morning. Lucario was yawning loudly at Ares's side as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. They had stayed up late in the night to plan out the route they were taking. Now that they had defeated Sabrina, the next gym leader they would battle was Blain, the fire-type gym leader.
His gym was situated on Cinnabar Island, a place with tourism due to the volcano and its hot springs. Even with the dropping number of gym challenges there, it was still his next destination.
"It seems Jenny isn't coming."
Ares muttered, his Rotom phone showing the time as it giggled. Its face was visible on the screen, the lights flashing a lot. It had been rather annoyed, being waken up when it had just fallen asleep.
"Settle down Rotom, you can return to my backpack soon."
Rotom snickered, the flashing continuing. It was vindictive, like a ghost pokemon should be.
"Ares! Wait for me!"
From the side, Ares could see Jenny rushing towards him. Her Growlithe was nowhere to be seen, probably returned to his pokeball.
Her previous sporty clothes had changed into a grey turtleneck shirt. A brown longcoat was draped over it, as skinny jeans obscured her slender legs. A dark woolen cap finished the look, keeping her unruly hair in check.
A bagpack was strung to her back, showing her preparations were already done.
Behind her, her dad was staring at Ares with eyes that could bore holes into him. They were red and puffy, the tears still at bay but ready to fall at any time.
"You make sure to bring my little girl back home safely."
Was all Jenny's dad said as he turned around and left.
It seems seeing her off to her traveling companion was all he would do.
"Dad is a worrywart, so much that he has to see you for himself."
Jenny giggled softly at her dad's antics.
"So where do we go? I assume you have already made plans before I joined."
Jenny asked, curious as to where he was going. This was the first time she would go out of the city. She was really looking forward to it.
"First we head Pallet Town. We're using the teleport facility at the pokemon center to get there. After a few days of getting ready, we'll depart across sea towards Cinnabar island."
Jenny nodded, though she was a bit confused.
"There are no shipping companies in Pallet Town. How are we going to get to Cinnabar Island?"
"You'll see when we get there."
Ares mysteriously replied, as they made their way into the pokemon center.
Following Nurse Joy's directions, they were brought to the teleport room.
Standing there was a young lady, with at her side an Alakazam.
"Welcome and thank you for using the pokemon center teleportation services. My name is Lena and I am your guide on this teleportation service. This is my partner Alakazam, who will be teleport you to Pallet Town. As a security measure, we warn you that there is a chance for dizziness and nausea after long-distance teleportation. If there are severe reactions, such as severe headache, sudden memory loss or insomnia, we recommend that you seek the nearest medical professional. The pokemon center is not responsible for the aforementioned teleportation reactions. Wish you a safe journey."
Lena finished by grasping hands with Ares and Jenny. Lucario was returned to his pokeball to avoid any problems during transit.
"Now then, please hold the hands of Alakazam and me. We will be arriving at our destination in a few seconds."
Jenny and Ares both grabbed Lena and Alakazams hands, waiting for the teleportation.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived in the rural town of Pallet. In the distance, Ares could see professor Oak's laboratory, as well as his home. He wondered if Leaf and Blue were home. Leaf probably was, while Blue would be out and about again. Probably chasing after Red, as the last time they had made a bet on who would catch Entei before the other.
"Thank you for making use of the teleportation services and we hope to see you again."
Lena gave a slight bow, after which she and Alakazam disappeared again.
Turning around, Ares spread his arms out, showing the sight of Pallet Town in front of them.
"Jenny, welcome to Pallet Town, the Town of Beginnings. As well as my home."
Ares said, motioning towards the wide landscape in front of him.
Jenny just stared, mouth agape, as this was the first time she was in such a small place. Well, any city and town would be small compared to Saffron city. Yet the sight before her was nice. It was a peacefull little town that carried all kinds of sentiments belonging to a rural town.
"I'll introduce you to my mom and the rest. I'm sure she will be thrilled to see us."
Ares continued as he made his way towards his home.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone