Adamant Region : Chapter 5

Chapter Five : Camouflaged Hunger


"Ok Sparkles, we had some breakfast and slept a near twenty hours since Travis attacked us, there is no reason you can't hit me a little harder than that" the golden haired trainer taunted.

Sparkles brought her front paw behind her, throwing it as hard as she could into Logan's cupped hands in front of her. He sighed with a friendly smile as he sat in front of his pokemon, his hands barely coming back from the after shock of her assault. Sparkles pounded into his hands a few more times before collapsing onto Logan's left leg. "Heh, twenty hits in a row, not bad for only being a few days old huh?"

"Mew" the small pokemon mumbled, making herself comfortable against her owner's leg like a pillow.

Logan grinned, petting Sparkles in response to her hard work. "I guess Mew is all you can say. Must be that way for other pokemon too. I never really spent time around pokemon; I was always in my house studying them. Its funny, you don't really know them until they are really there." The exhausted pink form nodded in understanding as Logan continued his pets on her head.

Soft winds blew through the forest the two were in, tingling rays of scattered sunlight highlighting their bodies through the leaves of the trees above. It was a nice day for sure, fresh and clear enough to energize any trainer or pokemon alike. Logan looked up a worn path towards the east, wondering how long a walk it would be till he arrived in the next town. "Or, at least I think that is the east. Sun is over there, and the path should go to the next town. What do you think Sparkles?" Sparkles mewed, lulling to sleep. "Oh come on, you can't be tired already! The day has just begun!"

Sparkles squeaked as Logan lifted her into the air by her front paws, spinning her behind him to land on his right shoulder. She gasped as her stomach rested on his back, her arms grabbing at his neck and leaning over the shoulder blade. Logan stood up, the Mew blinking as she was elevated higher than normal. She grinned with her eyes closed in glee; she was beginning to like being this high.

"So what do you think, should we get going or work on that pound of yours?" Sparkles licked his cheek causing him to giggle a bit. "Heh heh, well since you are up here, I guess we should go."

The young trainer brought his hands on his front visor, twisting his cap backwards. He started to dust himself off, shuffling side to side a bit to wake his body up from his rest earlier. "Alright, let's roll," he said with enthusiasm as he started to walk the path they were practicing on.

* * *

"Myuu?" Sparkles rested over Logan's shoulder, slowly urging forward with his steady walk on the uneven path. She blinked, watching his feet move one at a time under him. His gold shoes amused her, how they glittered whenever they stepped into a pool of light in-between the shade of the trees. He hadn't spoken a word since their training a few hours ago, or for what she understood for proper lengths of time.

Her eyes dripped to a half open state, looking around at the infinite number of trees blurring by them. Ahead, the path seemed to bend and turn into more and more trees. Some were plants with red, blue, and even yellow berries, but she felt she saw enough of those too. She gave out a small sigh as she started to watch her trainer's shoes again. So this is what it was like to be bored. At least she wasn't stuffed in one of those cold and dark pokeballs. She looked down at the gold and silver ball attached to Logan's belt whenever it came in view from under his vest, her body shuddering at the thought.

"Hmm. Something wrong Sparkles?" Sparkles jerked a bit at the suddenness of her owner's curious voice.

"Meewww…" she groaned, her long tail twitching a bit, tapping against Logan's backside.

"I see. Sorry, it takes a while to get to the next town." Logan grinned, looking around at the forest around him. "It is nice out here though, to be outside for once, instead of cooped up inside my house all day." Sparkles blinked, thinking back when she was in her egg; maybe it wasn't so bad after all.  "I think, it's the sounds. It isn't all that quiet if you listen right." The trainer looked to his Mew, petting her on the head with a calm expression on his face.

Sparkles closed her left eye a bit, looking at Logan funny. No, it was quiet; there was nothing to hear. "Myuu?" the Mew looked to her left, her ears twitching. It was subtle, but soothing; the wind was whispering its song.

"Ariel Forest, that's where I think we are. It sounds like an orchestra, doesn't it?" Logan tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Right, you don't even know what an orchestra is."

Sparkles grinned at the whispers and howls of the wind; she didn't notice the lovely song it sang to them before. It sounds nice… she thought.

"Hmmm?" Logan stopped for a moment, looking around the forest. He turned around suddenly, looking for anyone that might be behind him. "Did… who was that?" Logan looked at Sparkles, she was too focused on the wind's voice to notice that he stopped, let alone talking. "Hello, Sparkles?" Sparkles blinked, looking at her trainer wondering what the matter was. Her eyes glowed for a moment as she looked into Logan's. He shook his head. "I guess it was just me…" he said, turning around again to walk the path.

The trainer shook his head again, trying to dismiss any knowledge of hearing anyone's voice, when a small voice of his own escaped his stomach. "Oy, I know I heard something that time. My stomach is growling… must be approaching lunchtime. Are you hungry too?"

The pink and gold ears of the pokemon twitched at the word "hungry", she knew full well what that meant. "Mew mewww!" she chimed, her mouth watering at the thought of food. She remembered the meal Logan had at the pokemon center; maybe she will get to try some of that.

"Alright then, we will find a place to take a break and eat something."

"Mew, meeew meww!" Sparkles started to wriggle on Logan's shoulder, almost falling off before he grabbed her to settle her down.

"Ok ok, we can just rest, uhh, on that tree there. Weird." Logan looked ahead of him towards a bent over tree on the side of the path. It seemed smooth and darkened, as if it were warped by water and then set on fire. "Maybe it was struck by lightning or something" the trainer assumed as he made himself a seat on the trunk, just inches from the ground.

Sparkles slid down Logan's shoulder to sit on the trunk next to him, leaning against his side. "Myuuyuu" she soothed.

"And now to see what is in my hat." Logan looked blankly into the air for a moment as he took his cap off. "I don't know if I can get used to this fully, I feel like I am doing a magic trick every time I get something out… Maybe that is where James got the idea. Heh, yah…" Logan thought for a moment of what he packed that might be edible, reaching into his hat to take it out. "Let me see. Half a stick of jerky, half a bottle of Mountain Dew, an empty box from the poptarts this morning, and some formula for you. Right, I guess I should have gotten some things at the pokemon center. Oy…"

"Myeeh. Meeew!" Sparkles reached for the bottle of formula in Logan's right hand, gripping her paws around the lid.

"Heh, ok ok, you first. Don't want my little Mew to be hungry." Logan giggled as his Mew took the bottle from his hand, tilting back to balance it on her feet. He watched intently as she let the liquid seep into her mouth from the nipple. She continued to gulp it down, purring at the taste. "Great, I guess you don't need me anymore…" he sighed.

"Mmmyeh?" the bottle tipped away from Sparkle's mouth, stopping her drinking. Her stomach churned for a second, but not from hunger. "Myuu…" she cried pushing the bottle back into her owner's lap. "Myuhh Myuhhh!"

"Oh, now you want me to feed you do you?" Logan laughed as a smile sprouted on Sparkle's muzzle. "Ok, fine with me."  He pulled Sparkles up into his lap, letting her rest against him as he tipped the bottle for her to drink again. Her teeth gripped hard on the rubber as she started to drink the berry-milk-flavored formula eagerly.

"Good girl" Logan said, patting his Mew on the head. She had just finished her meal, her tongue still licking the outside of her mouth. "Heh, you liked that. Just wait till you are old enough to try some real food." Sparkles giggled as though to understand exactly what he meant. The trainer looked up at the branches above his head in a sigh, his hair falling in his face as he did so. "Heh, well it would be nice if I can get something to eat too. It isn't as much fun to walk for miles without anything to eat."

The trainer sighed a bit longer, his feet shuffling in the dirt. Feeling the bottle give way in his hand, he set it next to him with Sparkles sliding off of his lap to his other side. "Maybe I should have studied about the berries in forests too, some of these plants look tempting, but I don't know what would be poisonous or sour. I hate sour stuff… And here I am talking to myself, in a forest, with my pokemon. Wonderful."

"You'll get used to it."

"What the-" Logan jumped from the trunk of the tree in surprise, Sparkles mimicking him, crawling up behind his legs. "Who said that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Logan's ears twitched for a moment as he turned his body towards one of the thicker and higher trees in view. A light shadow at the bottom of the tree became darker as a body landed on it from above a high branch. "Hello there."

Logan crossed his arms looking at the person that stood before him. It was a trainer, a female trainer with long brown hair and a dark complexion. She was wearing tight blue jeans with a pink T-shirt. Her blue eyes focused on Logan causing him to blush and turn away. "I wasn't scared… I just didn't see you up there" he admitted.

The girl giggled, taking a camouflaged design bandana to tie her hair back. "If you say so" she responded, walking to the bent tree to take a seat. "So what are your names?"

"Uhhh… My name is Logan, and this is my Pokemon, Sparkles" Logan started, bending down to pick up his pokemon. She mewed, waving to the unknown trainer.

"Wow, that pokemon is even cuter up close!" the girl smiled, reaching her hands out. "Can I see her?"

"I'm not sure about that, she isn't too fond of strangers. She's really attached to me." Sparkles mewed at the last remark, trying to crawl underneath Logan's vest. The boy started to laugh as she wriggled out of his arms, popping up behind the collar of his vest to rest on his shoulders. "Heh heh, see?"

"I see. That's fine, I have my own pokemon here, and it is much cuter than yours." The girl smirked as she balanced a spinning pokeball at the tip of her index finger, throwing it in the air to catch it back in her palm.

"Ha ha, very funny. I don't think so though, Sparkles is pretty cute, cute as they get!" the two laughed when Sparkles licked Logan's cheek, mewing with agreement.

"Hee hee. Then if anything, my pokemon is stronger than yours."

"That I might have to agree on. Sparkles is only a few days old, she hasn't battled another pokemon yet, let alone practiced much."

"Aww. That's a shame, I was hoping to challenge you to a battle. I heard you complaining about food and I was thinking if you won I might give you something to settle your stomach."

The male trainer frowned for a moment at the girl, taking in a long breath of air through his nose. He was hungry and the girl had food? "Oy, now that is more than a shame. A girl has extra food and she doesn't want to share."

"Not just any food, I have-"

"Two bottles of Pepsi and Mountain Dew, a bag of hot chips, and if I am not mistaken, two sub style turkey and cheese sandwiches prepared specifically for lunch."

The girl blinked, backing up in astonishment. "H-how did you know that? Where you spying on me?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. I thought you smelled familiar, you were at the pokemon center yesterday morning weren't you?"

"N-no… I mean yes. Ok yes, I was. I saw you come in to eat and I might have seen what you had too…"

"That isn't the full story?"

The girl brought her hands in-between her thighs with a pout. "Fine. I heard you talking with Dr. Joy about your being a new trainer and noticed you didn't bring any food with you when you left. Andd… I also saw Travis fight you and that you disappeared, so I might have gone to look for you. You seemed interesting and need of help."

"Uhuh. Well for your information, I don't need any help. I can manage being on my own with just Sparkles. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have left home." Logan turned his back to the girl, his arms crossed as he took a few steps in the other direction.

The girl looked at Logan with a curious sense. "Well, you don't have to be a stubborn jerk about it. No wonder you left in a hurry when that that blue haired girl approached you, you don't like people do you?"

"I never said that. I'm just… shy around girls, so I try to avoid them…" the boy sulked his head down, his face starting to flush.

"Really? Then you are just shy? So you are trying to avoid me then?"

"That was the idea…"

"So you accuse me of spying and say you don't need my help?"

"Well, if waiting in a tree and watching me isn't spying, then what do you call it?"

"I fell asleep there, there is a difference."

Logan continued to stare away from the girl as silence took over the forest. The girl crossed her arms as she stood up, setting her backpack on the tree. A low growling sound started to come from Logan, causing him to shake his head in dismay as the girl laughed. "Oy, not now stomach…" he complained, breaking the silence.

The girl rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "If you are that hungry, just come here. I'll give you some food and will take a rain check on that battle. Fair?"

"Deal."

* * *

Logan smiled with a pleasant daze as he downed the Mountain Dew, finishing his lunch. "Ah, much better. Thanks" he said crushing the bottle in his hand, placing it in his cap to be thrown away later. He also picked up the bottle of formula he finished feeding his pokemon earlier, returning it with the rest of the empty bottles.

"Don't mention it… Umm, why are you putting trash in your hat?" the girl watched as Logan twisted his cap back on his head, noticing how it molded to his head. "Huh, there is no lump!"

"Uh, heh heh. Well, it's a storage device. James gave it to me after he shredded up my backpack…"

"Wait, James? The Professor James Drakenson? That must mean you are from Rivers Eye, right?" the girl leaned towards Logan in interest of the subject, an unconquerable smile on her face.

"Eeerr, is he really that famous? And, yes, I am from Rivers Eye… Will you stop leaning so close, you are making me uncomfortable…" Logan shuttered for a moment as he scooted closer to Sparkles next to him.

"Sorry. But you know Professor Drakenson? He is my favorite scientist!"

"Cool, I think. He is a pretty neat. Used to visit him in his lab long before I became a trainer, so he is more my friend for more reasons than one."

"Wow, someone that really knows Professor Drakenson! You must be honored."

Logan shook his head as he started to stand up. "You know, I really should be going. Want to get to the next town before dark."

"Oh. Well good luck, according to my pokegear, it is more than a two day walk from here."

"Two days!?" Logan tripped over his own feet, falling face down on the floor. "Ow… but two days?" he repeated, rolling over to sit up, then crossing his legs as he looked up at the girl. "Really that long?"

"You didn't expect being a pokemon trainer to be that easy, now did you?" Logan nodded with an uneasy smile. "Well, most towns that have crests are purposely located far apart, so you have to travel a lot to get to them. That is why you are supposed to bring a lot of supplies with you when you go to pokemon centers."

"Great… Still a long way to go… Maybe if I run there…"

"Ha ha, run. Well, if you want to completely exhaust yourself, you do that. I'm patient."

Logan jumped to his feet, his fists shaking. "I am patient too! I just, the supplies, I don't want to go back to Rhodolite since that jerk is there, and I don't want to have nothing… oy, forget it."

The girl shook her head, standing up next to the anxiety filled trainer. "You don't have to worry. Remember, I said I came here to help you. In other words, I brought extra supplies."

"Yah, so I smelled" he replied with little enthusiasm.

The girl giggled at Logan's response, picking up her bag and strapping it on. Sparkles walked up to Logan, quickly scurrying up his pant leg and vest to get on his shoulder. "Myuuu"

"I'll take it you won't mind then?" the girl started.

"Mind you coming? I guess not, if it is going to take as long as you said to get to the next town, I won't mind having someone with food to come along. Especially if she has Hershey's chocolate in her bag."

"Oh, you smelled that too? Wow, you must have a nose like a fox then!"

"Heh, maybe…" Logan smirked as he started back on the path to the next town, the new companion following close at his side.