"You look fucking stupid right now."

  "Shut up."

  Dwebble rustled in his disheveled hair, clinging on like mama bird in her nest. It faced backwards, so Yuewen was forced to understand that Helmet plus Dwebble's height was almost exactly equivalent to hers. So much for looking down… When she stared into its coaly eyes like this, face-to-face, she felt that any moment, he would reach out and give a little pinch on the cheek.

  Dwebble."

  "Dumbass," she said, flicking the Pokemon onto its forehead. It retreated back into its shell. "You're only slowing us down, you know? What's the point of carrying him around like that?"

  "Because I want to."

  "Seriously," she sighed. "This is why I wanted to travel alone."

  "Hey. C'mon, alone? What about… your Pokemon?"

  "Pidove. I have a Pidove. It's not like I'm hiding it or anything."

  "Why'd you decide on pidove?"

  "Why'd you decide on dwebble?"

  "Rocky. That's what I decided to name him."

  "What?" she chortled. She rarely ever chortled. "I thought he had to earn the name? Like to prove himself with strength and dignity and shit?"

  "I trust the little guy," he said, knocking the rock on top of his head. "He's stronger than he seems."

  "Dweeble!"

  Was it just her or did this Dwebble - no, Rocky - seem incredibly smug? Annoying bastard. She pinched his forehead. It went back into his shell again.

  "You know," she said loudly. "You have a hard shell, but you really are just a softie at the end of the day, huh?"

  "Huh?"

  She went on without responding, overtaking him and his sluggish pace, her long legs faster than he could ever keep up, even if he was fully healthy, she supposed.

  -.-.-

  They were six days into their journey. They walked, usually in silence, down this downtrodden path, Rocky walking right beside them, unusually obedient for a wild Pokemon. It was strange, walking down this empty path obviously meant for hundreds. It was like drifting down empty hallways in school in the summer, but the hallways never ended, what was so lively with youth became so dead, so haunted. It was like the dusty corner that she spent her prime years in, punching at numbers and stressing over scribbles, her only companions, the other forgotten women who like her, silently sorted and ordered files in dreary isolation. She felt the most alone in these places when there should be companionship.

  Was she the one being cold hearted? No, I'm the normal one. This was the way you were supposed to be, the strict routine of gym training and the endless efficiency of trying to do your job properly. It made no sense to try to communicate with someone that can't even talk back. She should be thankful. For the first time in her life, she could do things properly, without parents, without having to play pretend for her friends. This… was just the way it was done.

  It just wasn't very adventurous. Yuewen could only imagine what it would be like, traveling with hundreds of peers her age, pointless Pokemon battles springing up like weeds, silly Trainers that just wanna have fun, who don't care to turn their pets into competitors. And they wouldn't be stuck on this path forward, that's for certain. They had two years. They could explore route one as they pleased, delving into the wild grass, be stricken by the wild Pokemon they have never seen before; run for their lives from a pack of beedrills, hold their breaths as a pack of ursaring come sniffing around. Hold their Pokemon, not worry about gym battles or whatever. And she would be in the midst of it, following Angelina and her pack of friends, doing whatever they wanted, laughing at their jokes, and seeing what a world could be, if only she could live it.

  This shit was just depressing.

  "Hey… Helmet?"

  "Yes?"

  "I want to do something fun."

  He sprung ahead of her, pacing backwards, hands behind his back. He looked rather silly, crouching and smiling like that, his seedy eyes beaming with joy.

  "Say. Do you really like Pokemon?"

  "What?"

  "I mean, this has been my dream since I was ten. Just being here, walking alongside Dwebble. It's enough. I want to do this for the rest of my life."

  Yuewen laughed, then smiled. A smile so gentle that she could feel the sadness leaking through her. So vulnerable that it was embarrassing.

  "You know, Nurse Joy and I," she said, pausing in her tracks. "We worked at the same hospital that you were held in, probably. And I always hated her until the very last moment where I… needed her. I think I will hate everything I love until those rare moments. I work for those moments. So even if I'm miserable for the rest of my life-"

  "See, you're cheating too." He interrupted her. Rude. He stopped pacing and looked at her with an intensity, an intensity that Yuewen could only dream of. "You're supposed to work for those moments, no? So why must I give your joy a name as well?"

  He tugged on her sleeves, the shock of it causing her to stumble, to almost fall to her own feet. She wretched away from his grip, smoothing out her blue jumpsuit again. It was ages since she last showered.

  "Come on," he said. "Let's explore the forest together. Just for tonight."

  Yuewen sighed, running the numbers in her head. "That's like one out of twenty-two days we have left.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "For someone that doesn't care at all, you sure care a lot. Come on, let's go."

  "For someone that's supposed to care, you sure don't care at all."

  -.-.-

  Yuewen didn't really know how to be happy. Angst? Meaningless self-revelations? She could put those off no problem; it came as naturally as she breathed, the words flowing out like a waterfall. Yet, she was just too smart to have any fun. The size of her genius truly made her beyond any simple concept as trivial as dopamine. Who did she think she was? She hated the idea of being the Jester afterall; she was more of a bitchy queen.

  When was the last time she went into the woods without adult supervision? How about… Never? Whether it be in her home or on the streets or at work or at school, Yuewen has never truly been outside. Hilarious, right? Eighteen years of existence and she has never experienced what nature was. She even caught Pidove in the midst of urban life. She had a sinking suspicion that if she never met Joy, if she never met Pidove, she would have never been outside her entire life.

  They were definitely going to get lost. All the trees, the rocks, the bushes, they all looked the same to her. She hadn't the experience to tell the difference, to recognize what it meant to be truly untouched. Everywhere she looked, she felt the stubborn grasp for humanity tugging at her. Yuewen wondered if she stayed in this wilderness for the next 22 days, would she be able to escape it all? To look at a leaf and see it as a leaf, some kinda natural, beautiful object. To begin to love all Pokemon.

  Oops. I'm totally cheating on Pidove right now.

  She laughed as Rocky hacked at every tree and stone, insurance that they would be able to get back to the path. He just looked so weak, his claw marks rippling against the bark and needing 3-4 repetitions to make even a mark of the slightest of grey stones. She wished she took that Pokemon battle. It totally would have been fun to see Pidove peck at a stone, as Rocky's stubby little legs could never reach her. They would have fluttered and scraped for hours, each too awkward and too harmless to inflict any sorts of damage. Yet, looking at Rocky now, she had no doubts that he would be willing to fight for hours, the stubby, little soldier marching with them for the vast majority of the journey.

  "Look, look," she whispered with a lot of fluster, pounding Helmet's back, causing him to half-collapse into the bushes. It was fun being physically overpowering towards a boy. "A bunch of caterpies. These can be your first victories."

  "Rocky's first victories," he said with full seriousness, causing Yuewen to chortle some more and wack his back more. Hilarious.

  "I'm a believer," she said, rubbing Rocky's shell as he looked strangely determined. "Send the soldier out, boss. He's waiting for your orders."

  He hit her with an exasperated look - are you having fun yet, he seemed to ask - and stood up to his full height, his peak potential, as to say.

  "Rocky, go," he yelled, pointing vaguely at the caterpies' direction. "Use scratch. And keep on scratching."

  "Yeah, Rocky! Keep on scratching," she repeated, all the cheer she could muster in her voice.

  Rocky gave her a mean look and scuttled to scratch her face. She sprung up, to her full potential, a trickle of blood streaming down her face. Well. I guess I deserve it. She wondered if it would leave a scar.

  And on he went! The brave soldier, scuttling himself to war, a 1v20 at least. He emerged out of the bush like a leaping Torracat, fierce and fiery, its war cry ('Dwebble!") thundering throughout the forest.

  And they scattered. Like the wind! The little, green caterpies shot off the moment they spotted Dwebble, shooting large strands of string and quickly zipping into the deaf forest leaves as fast as a Pidgeot. By design, of course. Leaving poor, old Rocky standing in the dust, frozen, claws held high. He probably never saw anything move that fast in his life…

  "Watch out, Rocky. Behind you," Helmet hollered, but it was too late.

  A caterpie slammed Rocky from behind. Already off balance, Rocky stumbled forwards, landing squarely on his back, leaving an orange strip of body exposed. As quick as a flash, the caterpie shot out string, trapping the shell in the very beginnings of a cocoon, the sticky white web holding it down from all angles.

  "Rocky. Get out of your shell now," he said. Good instincts, I suppose. But can Rocky even do that?

  It didn't seem like it. Rocky could only squirm as the caterpie went to town onto him, nippling and tackling its exposed interior. Yuewen flinched. It was a rather sad scene where they could only watch in hopelessness… Yet, at the same time, it was only a caterpie despite the continuous assault. It coiling its entire body to swing its head like a baseball bat and then practically drooling on it as he tried to bite through would practically result in an ultimate battle of endurance. Forget hopeless. This is just awkward.

  "Caterpie, Caterpie, Catepie, Cat!"

  'Dwebble…"

  "Fuck," Helmet said, springing out of the bushes. Yuewen wanted to stand up and sit him back down to surprise her. She fell to the side instead, almost hitting her head. "Wait for me, Rocky. This ain't over yet."

  "Where do you think you're going," Yuewen mumbled, sitting back up and rubbing the part of her head that stung.

  He stomped through the foiling and into the clearing where the Pokemon laid bare. Caterpie paused. They met each other's eyes. And when two wild beasts made eye contact it could only mean one thing- Battle!

  Oh my god. This dumbass just threw a right hook to a caterpie. It swerves, using Rocky as a stepping stone. Before Helmet could react, it shot out string, catching his left foot, gluing him to the ground. Yet, bent over, he reached for Rocky and pressed his Pokeball against it, catching, then releasing him again just as Caterpie shot out the string again, catching Helmet's right foot.

  "Rocky," he said. ("Dwebble?") "Watch and learn. See, I wanted you to get out of your shell. Like this-"

  He sprung out for his shoes with a dramatic, superhero left punch. Unfortunately for him, he was even weaker than her, so caterpie met him with his fist dead on with a tackle. And guess what? He was blown away like a twig. It was kinda pathetic really. Hilarious.

  Rocky rushed forwards, taking the opportunity to get in close with its minimum speed stat. Though, yet again, he was strung down to the ground, the caterpie shooting its thick string out of its mouth much faster than Rocky could ever dodge, halting him just before the caterpie's reach.

  And now they stood face-to-face, staring each other down. At this point, little Caterpie will just leave, right? It has proven itself superior in every aspect of the word. Faster witted, more skilled, and even superior in strength. There was nothing left to do here. Every circus must come to an end eventually, right?

  No! The show must go on. The caterpie rushed in. Yet, it was different this time. Rocky was upright and his soft, orange interior held in front of it two, blunt claws, ready to take swings at the fleshy, green head hurtling towards it.

  They battled, gashes slashing across the side of caterpie's face, concussions battering down at Rocky's exposed head. They both could leave at any time, Rocky simply ducking his head into his hell and caterpie, flying away like all his comrades did, swinging into the leaves where they would simply never see it again. Yet, they choose to stand in place and fight. A slugfest of two amateurs that knew nothing but to punch.

  Ding, ding- Knockout! After two and a half long fought minutes, Rocky caught a nasty headbutt to the chin and collapsed. Drooling onto the forest floor, his rival caterpie stood victorious before him, slinging his way onto his shell in celebration.

  Yuewen glanced to the side. Seriously? It seemed after being tackled by a caterpie, Helmet was blown away into a tree and his head or something, because he was laying limp, sliding down a trunk. Knocked out by a caterpie.

  Yuewen laughed. Ah. She was having so much fun.

  "Pidove. I choose you."

  She slung out the Pokeball.

  "Pidove!"

  "This is unlike me, but… When someone does you a favour, you have to pay the favor back, right? I apologize for the short notice and the unoptimal location and please don't hate me… Pidove, catch that caterpie."

  "Pidove-"

  "And Pidove? I needed you. Sorry for never telling you that."

  Pidove."

  Perhaps she didn't need to work for those moments anymore, she thought as she threw the capturing Pokeball at the fainted caterpie who was knocked out in one vulturous swoop. She was still afraid that once getting to know her better, Pidove would simply fly far away, never to see her again, their one-in-a-lifetime connection broken forever. But that's okay.

  She needed this.