Oak's Gift

Miku could see it in Rokas' face, the same kind of disappointment she had had with Mako. It hurt her a little, but why? Why would she care what he thought? He was nothing to her, wasn't he? She bit her lip, shaking her head at the Professor's question. "I think that's all," Miku said, her voice now quiet and somewhat depressing.

She left the room, going over to the PC to link her new Pokedex as instructed. After a few on screen instructions she had successfully logged into the system. Out of curiosity, she visited her storage system, withdrawing Seel to see how it worked. The pokeball practically materialized there in the transporter, a real marvel of modern technology!

She clipped the ball to her waist, figuring it would be best to bring him out near a pond or water fountain. For now, she went back up to the desk to retrieve her party. The whole while though, she feared Rokas wouldn't want to travel back to Pewter with her.

The entire time Rokas seemed to be avoiding her, making sure to do things in opposing order. It was clear to her that he didn't want to be around her. She slowly clipped her pokeballs to their holster. So you can imagine the surprise in her eyes when Rokas popped up again, asking where they were going next. She was dumbfounded for a moment, jaw moving with no words coming out.

"I-I was thinking about checking out Route 2 to the west before going back to Pewter. I still want to challenge Brock, after all," she finally said, watching the boy with intensity. What was he on about? She didn't understand how he could still be so cheery. She certainly hadn't forgiven her brother like that. Then again, Miku for some reason couldn't grasp that it wasn't as if she'd set Rokas' home ablaze.

Miku nodded, smiling lightly at Rokas. "Right. We should get going then, huh?" She packed her things, taking a few extra moments to brush out her hair and tie it back into her ribbons once more she then led the way out of the Pokémon Center, and back to where Oak had mentioned the route to Johto, and Mt Silver. Miku paused, staring down the route for a few moments.

Finally she turned to Rokas, "Let's go check it out, yeah?" She asked, before walking out of the city along the road less traveled. It wasn't like they wouldn't be able to go back, but fortune favored the bold. Miku was beginning to learn that, among other things. It wasn't far into the route before they happened upon small ponds, formed by water trickling in from the waterways ahead. There was a lot of tall grass nearby as well, but Miku couldn't resist but to take the chance and let her water bearers enjoy some time out of their balls.

She giggled, rushing over to the clear waters. The current was gentle, perfect for Magikarp and Feebas. She figured she would let the others out while she was at it. "Want to let your Pokémon out for some fresh air?" Miku asked, clutching one of her pokeballs in hand. She tossed them out, her Pokémon each manifesting in turn. Magikarp, Feebas, and Seel were released directly into the water. Slowpoke, Psyduck, and Clefairy popped out at the waters edge.

The two fish Pokémon began swimming circles around each other, as they had learned to last time they were out. Meanwhile, Miku knelt down to get to know her newest team member better. "Hi Seel, I'm Miku, your new trainer," she spoke softly, holding out her hand for the pup. He sniffed it curiously, stiff whiskers twitching and tickling her hand. "Look, Rokas, isn't he cute?" The girl chimed. Aside from her clothing, it was about as girly as she got.

Miku examined Rokas' Pokémon, mostly from afar. She looked at the. Torchic and a slight frown came to her face. Fire types, they reminded her of her brother too often. She knew it wasn't that Torchic's fault, but still she stayed by the water. "They look well kept," she commented, turning back to the water.

"How do you train your Pokémon? I try to exercise mine, but sometimes it's hard to think of things to do with them," Miku explained. She pat her new Seel on the head, before he went off swimming and spiraling through the pond. "Like with Magikarp. He only really knows how to Splash, so it can be difficult to train."

Miku nodded. It wasn't really the answer she was looking for, but she couldn't expect him to read her mind or anything. "That makes sense," she said, before standing and brushing off her knees. I think I should train some then, so we can go back and hand it to Brock properly!" She looked down to her Pokémon team, wondering how Brock would go about his challenge. Would it be a set amount for each player, or would it be like the boy she had challenged prior? She had to be careful of which Pokémon she used.

Water types for sure, so Clefairy wouldn't be playing a role in the upcoming challenge. The fish would stand no chance in Brock's dry Gymnasium, so Slowpoke Psyduck and Seel would be choice. "Right then. Hope you don't mind if I have them train some?" She asked looking to Rokas. Regardless, she was going to train.

[Training: Slowpoke]

"Hey Slowpoke, what do you say to some cardio?" She joked, looking down to her sloth like partner. He replied with a grin, and a dopey call of his name. Miku nodded, pointing to the water. He understood, walking into it at what seemed to be a leisurely pace. He swam back and forth across the pond, working his stout little muscles as he went along.

"Magikarp, Feebas, wanna provide some resistance?" Miku asked, the two fish glancing up at her from beneath the water. Feebas seemed to relay an idea to the carp, and the two swam over to the wall of the pond. They swam hard facing it, creating a current for Slowpoke to fight. The pink Pokémon began to fall back against it.

"You gotta try harder than that," Miku laughed. Slowpoke gurgled in the water, bubbling before he began to wriggle his body harder. He slowly fought the current again, making it to the edge after a few moments. "That's good, but I don't think you could handle hard rapids yet," Miku noted, lifting her partner out of the water. 

He squirt her in the face with what got in his mouth. Her face was straight for a moment. She blew the strand of hair from her face before laughing and setting him down again. She set up a few targets, mainly water bottles and the like from her bag, but also utilized nearby stumps and boulders. "Since you want to be that way, we can work on your timing and accuracy. First start with the stationary targets. Water Gun!"

Slowpoke put on a serious face, gurgling water before his cheeks puffed out. He jettisoned the stream through puckered lips. He hit the first few targets with relative ease. Not surprising considering they were quite large. But as they grew smaller he took more and more moments to aim. "Come on Slowpoke, your enemies aren't gonna hold still while you aim!"

"Poke," he nodded, as he began squirting in quick, short bursts. Miku started tossing some empty cans of pokechow into the air as moving targets. At first Slowpoke missed, a few times in fact. He shook his head to focus, watching the rate at which the can began falling before shooting it out of the air. After momentary praise, he began performing more reliably.

"Great job," Miku pat her partner, as she had him help gather up the cans. No point in littering such a well kept part of nature, after all. She'd noted how his lack of speedy accuracy had messed them up before. Hopefully this would level that out some. Slowpoke placed the last can in her bag, backing up awkwardly to pull his head back out of the satchel.

[End Training: Slowpoke]

[Training: Magikarp and Feebas]

"Wanna see something neat? Miku asked, looking over to Rokas. She grinned, looking down at the two fish Pokémon swimming about. "If only you could use two Pokémon at a time in contest appeals, I bet these guys would be great. Watch this," she knelt down to the water. "Hey guys, let's show him what we did last time!"

The two Pokémon seemed to come to a halt, practically treading water as they looked up to her. Feebas looked to Magikarp again, bubbles escaping her fishy lips as she again relayed something. She swam down and out from the edge of the pond a bit, Magikarp following in her wake.

"First, they mirror," Miku said, hoping they'd remember the little routine. Surely enough, Feebas began swimming in a circle. Magikarp waited a moment like a child in a game of jump-rope before entering the ring. He had to rush a bit to find himself at the opposite side of the created ring. They weren't swimming hard enough to create a whirlpool, but a gentle looping current could be noticed. The two evened out their swimming patterns, matching each other near perfectly.

"See, I've got some synchronized swimmers on my team," Miku joked lightly. "Now, Splash!" Feebas was determined, telling Magikarp what to do. She didn't want to be discarded, and was relying on him. Like a dart the two shot into the air. Water droplets trailed them, twinkling in the sunlight. For a moment it reminded Miku of the beauty she'd beheld in the forest with the Surskit. Feebas' body curved as it made its way over Magikarp, the two coming down into the water with a splash!

Anything near the shore got a good dose of the water, Miku shielding her eyes. "Neat, huh? I figure since Magikarp can only splash around right now I may as well work on muscle control. Okay guys, try it again. But this time I want a little action in the water. Try a figure eight!" Miku drew the symbol in the air, in case they were unaware of what an eight looked like.

The fish glubbed in response, bubbles surfacing and popping with the gurgling sound of their voices. Feebas again led the charge, swimming down at an angle, slowing at the turn before looping to the left sharply. She crossed her own trail, changing the direction of her angle before she turned right this time. Magikarp watched carefully before joining in.

He went in the opposite pattern in every respect, flipping Feebas' angles so that when they met in the middle one would go over the other. On command, the two began to swim to the surface quickly, spiraling around each other. When they splashed, they curled away from each other. The resulting water trail appeared, though only briefly, almost like a heart scale.

[End Training: Magikarp and Feebas]

Miku clapped excitedly for the show. It was so interesting to watch Pokémon and the rest of nature interact sometimes. "You know, it's really amazing. The things Pokémon can do, I mean. And not just in battles," she rambled, only for a moment. She trailed her fingertips in the water, the carp nibbling gently at them curiously. She smiled down at them, tilting her head and bringing out a piece of bread to crumble and toss to them.

Miku stood up, looking over to Rokas. "I can't really say for sure whether I am or not. But I gotta give it a try, right?" Miku stretched out, before returning her Pokémon to their capsules. She let Clefairy remain out to travel with them for now, lifting the star Pokémon into her arms. "But I guess it's best we get moving now rather than later. We don't want to spend too many nights in the forest, after all," Miku began to walk back to town.

She stopped by the mart, picking up a couple supplies for the trek. Namely bottled water and some matches for a campfire, but still. They were off back en route for Pewter City, after one more pass through Viridian Forest. Unfortunately they would be taking the main path this time. Sure, they wouldn't get so easily lost, but that meant they were also more likely to run into more trainers. She took a deep breath, moving forward on their trails.

Miku looked to Rokas like he was crazy, "I'm pretty sure it just links between Vermilion and Pewter. It just has the two exits last I checked," she commented, moving deeper. "But yeah, I guess I like forests alright. Caves aren't exactly my favorite place to be." She thought back to Mt Moon, and the large mecha harvesting Clefairy.

"Say...have you heard about any poachers or organizations like Team Rocket lately? I thought they were mostly disbanded, but... Sometimes I wonder," she clutched to her satchel, the wallet still deep inside. If she weren't so easily distracted she would have turned it in by now. But, such was life in Miku's head. She would try remembering when they got back to Pewter City.

"How long do you think it'll take us if we stick to the main road?" Miku asked, before hitting a fork in the road. The road around clearly had trainers, but she could cut through the tall grass and brush to avoid them entirely. "Hey, let's go this way. I can see the other side of the path from here," she said, pointing across the way before she began to shuffle on through.

Miku trudged on, unsure of whether she should be relieved by Rokas' words or not. She didn't think the two from the cave could possibly be just some random poachers. A mecha of that size had to cost a small fortune, so an organization was the only thing Miku could currently believe it was. She sighed, trying to get the thought from her mind when Rokas spoke up.

"Hm?" She looked up to where he pointed. Curiosity got the best of her and she carefully stepped overlarge twigs and fallen branches to reach the shimmer. The fruit looked tasty, and could come in handy later. "Hey, I think these are the kind that are really healthy for Pokémon," she said as she dismounted her bag.

She opened the flap with it set beside her as she began to pluck the berries carefully. She was careful to try only choosing the ones that looked ready, to avoid any being too hard or bitter to eat. She placed them in a pocket of their own before gathering her things and continuing on her way. "That was a pretty lucky find, compared to the alternative," Miku laughed a bit. Having Rokas around was a nice escape for her. He was quiet, and not frustrating like most people.

Miku laughed once, nodding with Rokas' words, "Yeah, the wild Pokémon is what I meant. Not like they're always bad, but sometimes they just have bad timing." She continued along with Rokas, trying to enjoy the atmosphere for a bit. It was a nice forest, but she felt like there could just be so much more. She heard of a lot of spiritual stuff in Johto, especially with Ilex forest. She wouldn't mind visiting there some day.

"Poffins and Pokéblocks? No, I've never made any myself. I've heard they're really good for your Pokémon as treats, especially for Coordinators. My mom only ever taught me how to make basic PokéChow though," Miku admitted embarrassed slightly. She lacked a lot of knowledge, not that she was stupid or ignorant. She was merely inexperienced. "Why, have you?"

"Oh, I guess I never really had anyone like that in my life," Miku said quietly. Between her mother's illness and her psychopathic brother, baking wasn't a normal routine in her old life aside from for humans. When she heard the rustle of the grass, she shuffled away a bit; instinctively she reached for her pokeballs. As they passed it, she calmed once more. 

The noises of more of the little bug brats could be heard, Miku rolling her eyes at the sound. Then Rokas began again, "Contests?" She thought about the dancing duck incident. "I guess it's crossed my mind every now and then. Maybe if Feebas evolved she would make a good contestant. I'm sure Psyduck wouldn't mind shaking a tail feather either," she said. 

They'd been traveling for a while now, and Miku was getting tired. They'd taken a break to sit on a log and sip at some water, but the forest was big. "Think we'll reach Pewter before too late?" She queried, glancing to Rokas. "I'll likely have to wait until tomorrow to challenge Brock. Don't know where to go after that though..."

"Yeah, we should get moving," Miku stated in agreement. She didn't want to have to spend another night in the insect infested woods. Setting up camp was a bitch, and let's face it: Miku could be...less than motivated. She slipped her sandals back on, as the two continued their trek. She had a lot to chew on for a while, as far as plans for the future went. For most people, she felt their paths were set so easily before them. It was as though they had no true choices to make immediately, which drove her a little mad to be honest.

"I was thinking of traveling to Johto, perhaps," Miku admitted. It would be nice to get away from Kanto, and hopefully her brother in turn. "There's a city there I'd like to visit, Alto Mare. I heard it's a city built on water, so it really sounds perfect to me. But tropical islands might be nice to visit as well, if I can afford a ferry ticket," she sighed. Traveling expenses would eventually run her dry if she didn't find a way to make more money. 

"You know, the media always portrays these adventures like they're easy and fun. They always leave out the part of all the hardships and labor involved," Miku grumbled, half jokingly as she stared up through the canopy to the sky. The sun was setting, making it even darker down below where they were. "And the only time I regret not having fire types..." She said, hissing as she tripped over something in the dark.

Miku might have reacted to the mention of Clefairy, had the tumble not changed the focus of her attention. Now she was drawn to it, this amazingly bright egg. "Are you sure it's an egg?" She questioned, having a hard time convincing herself. "It isn't like any Pokémon egg I've seen before...it's more like a painted egg..." She noted, reaching out to touch it.

Her hand quickly retracted, "It's warm!" She spouted, astonished. She picked it up with both hands, gently caressing the smooth shell. Its small flaws and bumps made it feel all the more real in her hands, not like a plastic egg filled with candies. "But...it doesn't feel like it's been painted..." She said as she gently used the edge of a nail to see if the colors would flake. 

She got back to her feet, holding the egg in her arms and glancing around the area. It was dark and hard to see, but still, if she found the nest she would at least return the egg. "Do you see where it might have come from? I don't want to leave it in the path like this..."