Chapter 3: Journey
“But Professor, I ain’t got enough money saved up for a journey. Unless…”
Junia bit down on her bottom lip, shuffled her feet and fluttered her eyelashes with the best darned Lillipup impression she could muster, eliciting laughter from the woman.
“Haha! Oh Junia, you’re adorable…” Nina then let out a lancholic sigh. “I rember using the sa ploy back when I was a kid. So this is how it feels to be on the other side eh…” She chuckled. “But no. Unfortunately, I am unable to sponsor you.”
“B-But why?”
Nina gave the precocious girl a little ruffle. “Because sponsorships, be they comrcial or academic, necessitates a certain degree of give and take.” Companies sponsored promising trainers for brand exposure while academics do so for data and prestige. “I have no need for either.”
Junia wilted.
“Not to ntion, sponsorships aren’t strictly just a financial thing. As an academic sponsor, I am also expected to act as a ntor of sorts, providing guidance as and when they beco necessary.” Nina gave the girl a pat on the back when she noticed Junia was starting to lag behind in her steps.
“And that is the main reason why I can’t sponsor you. Because I’m always travelling, oftentis to unknown regions and secluded ruins where there’s no Pokenet access. It wouldn’t be fair to you to have a ntor who is incommunicable half the months in a year.”
Junia nodded in dejection. “So what should I do then? Am I gonna have to continue toiling away on the farm until I save up enough money?”
The Professor chuckled. “Oh don’t you worry. I was going to refer you to a special society of League sanctioned Mimikyu lovers for guidance.”
“A society of Mimikyu lovers?”
“That’s right, the Mimikyu Appreciation Society, or MAS for short. They’re a group of Mimikyu trainers or Mimikyu obsessed people who share and collate information on all things Mimikyu.” The MAS mbers also often engaged in promotional activities to dispel so of the fear and paranoia surrounding the species.
“And as it just so happens, one of my ntors, Professor Samuel Oak, is a major sponsor of the society.” Nina continued before launching into an explanation about why it was so difficult to study Mimikyus.
“Because we can’t observe them directly, you see. And there isn’t a single conventional instrunt in the world that allows us to scan and asure them either.” So the best way to study Mimikyus was to simply live with them and observe their habits through engagent.
“And in exchange for organising periodic reports on their mbers' findings, the Mimikyu Appreciation Society receives funding for their activities in the form of generous grants and stipends for their mbers to be used in the nurturing of their Mimikyu.”
At the ntion of grants and stipends, Junia imdiately lit up in glee. “That ans…!”
Nina chortled. “That’s right, it ans you’ll be eligible to receive so funding as well, if you join. Nothing too extravagant of course, but it should be enough to get you going until you can run on your own two feet — I recomnd taking on gigwork from the League’s job board the way that other travelling trainers often do.”
“I’ll do it! Sign up! Where do I gotta go to join?!”
“Woah there… settle down. There’s no sense in rushing things. And the Unovan chapter of MAS can be found in Castelia City. Though the president who heads it is a bit of an oddball if you ask …” The Professor shook her head. “But I digress. For now, we’ll need to first get back to the farm and explain the situation to your parents. I know you’ve already co of age and have the right to travel out on your own, but no sense in making them worry.”
Junia nodded, already dreading that particular conversation. “D’ya think ma and pa knows that I snuck outta the house?”
***
“Junia Carlson!” Judy screeched.
The answer was yes, yes they did.
“Urgh.” Junia grumbled and lowered her gaze as she sheepishly shuffled along behind Nina to enter the house, where her parents were currently pacing the foyer in a blind panic.
“Where did you run off to, young lady! Your pa and I thought you’d been eaten by the Creaker or sumthin’!” Apparently, the commotion that followed Tumbleweed’s joy had woken Junia’s parents as well, prompting them to go check on their daughter only to find her absent from her bed.
“Urgh… For the last ti, ma, the Creaker doesn’t eat people. Also, his na is Tumbleweed and he’s the sweetest Pokemon you’ll ever know.”
“And how would you know that, huh?!”
Junia sputtered then looked up at Nina with a pleading gaze, eliciting amused laughter from the woman. “That’s because the Creaker’s already been caught, Judy… By your daughter no less.” She said as she gestured towards the Pokeball in Junia’s hands.
“W-Wha?!” Both Judy and Carl stood up in alarm. “How could you?! Junia! That thing’ll kill you at a glance, girl! Hand it over to the Professor, right this instant!”
Junia hugged her Pokeball tight then clung to the back of Nina’s yellow trenchcoat for protection. “Nuh-uh! Tumbleweed’s MY Pokemon, MY partner! Ain’t nobody gonna take him away from ! Tell ‘em Professor! Tell ‘em that Tumbleweed ain’t gonna hurt nobody!”
Nina sighed as the exchange beca increasingly heated, the trio practically yelling at each other by this point. “Alright, that’s enough…” Nina gestured for her Espeon to flash a Dazzling Gleam to shock everybody back to attention. “Junia, why don’t you head up to your room while I talk to your parents. I have a feeling tonight’s gonna be a long night…”
“But Professor! We can’t just let such a dangerous thing into our house—”
“Carl, Judy.” Nina glared. “It’ll be fine. By my word and all the authority vested upon as a League certified Pokemon Professor, no harm will co upon your daughter. I swear.” With a smile, the woman gestured for Junia to hurry upstairs.
anwhile, as Junia was shutting the door to her room, she managed to catch a whisper of their conversation.
“That thing’s capable of killing at a glance! You said so yourself, Professor!”
A deep sigh. “Figures that’s the only thing you guys took away from my lecture. Honestly, why do people never listen—”
The door slamd shut and Junia breathed in deep as she slid down onto the floor and stared intently at her Pokeball. “We’re ho now, Tumbleweed… Ain’t nobody gonna tear us apart. Ever. I swear by Arceus’ light, even if I have to run away from this God forsaken farm to keep that from happening…”
With a tactile press of a button, Junia released Tumbleweed in a flash of light, who then proceeded to jump up and down and look around creakily in fascination.
“K̷̛͈̤̺̱͔̬̈́͒͌̈͘ÿ̷̞͗̓u̷͇̣̽̔̕ů̸͍̪̦̼̙̾̏̓ũ̴̱͈̭ù̶̙.̵̰͖̣́̈́́͝ͅ.̸̨͇͍̗͙̍͗̈́̂͜.̴̗̤̼̠͉͈̆̕”
“Hehe… Hey there, partner~ Welco to your new ho.”
“K̵̫͈͠y̵̞͆͗̑̚ú̸̙͖̤̹͂͠!̴͖̩̂̾̇͜͠ ̵̢̛͇̬͑̕͜͝M̷̛͎̪͖͂̈̆͝ȉ̶̜͕̐̌̊m̸̖̯̥̽͜i̵̬̽̂̂͌͝ḱ̸̨͂̎̇͐y̷̧̩̖̺̓͛ͅu̴̩͘͝!̴̮̗̟͛͐̔”
The little disguise Pokemon danced around gleefully as he nuzzled affectionately against his human.
Junia giggled. “Heh. I dunno about you, Tumbleweed, but I’m all puckered out. You ready to go to bed, buddy?”
“K̵̫͈͠y̵̞͆͗̑̚ú̸̙͖̤̹͂͠!̴͖̩̂̾̇͜͠ ̵̢̛͇̬͑̕͜͝M̷̛͎̪͖͂̈̆͝ȉ̶̜͕̐̌̊m̸̖̯̥̽͜i̵̬̽̂̂͌͝ḱ̸̨͂̎̇͐y̷̧̩̖̺̓͛ͅu̴̩͘͝!̴̮̗̟͛͐̔”
Mimikyus didn’t need to sleep, of course, but Junia didn’t know that. If anything, Tumbleweed was fully content to just let himself be cuddled and silently keep watch over the girl, to protect her from any ne’er-do-wells intent on causing her harm.
“Hehehe… Good night, Tumbleweed…”
“K̶̨̖̺̜͎̖̐̌y̵̯̘͈̩̪͓͒͒͌̈͝ů̶͉̜̤͌͋̕ứ̸̡̛͍̬̅̃̈́ȕ̵̢͍̼͍̃.̵̠͉͊͗͝.̴̨͈̙̻̇̌́̂̐̕.̵̟̠̝͈͉́̏ ̸̣̗̜͇́̅͂M̴͙̼̾̂̕ị̴̢͙͆̎̾̂͜m̸̠̮̭̀̈́͘i̷̠̱͎͔̠͆̔̄͋̾͗k̷̙̞͎̀͠ỳ̷̦͙̦̆u̵̳̣̲̺͙̒.̶̰̫̻̬̘͇̈́̅͌̌̐̑.̴̹̯͠.̷͙̦͚̠͌̚”
The girl stumbled head first into her bed. Then, with a Mimikyu in her embrace and a peaceful smile on her face, she rapidly slid off into a deep slumber.
***
“Nghhh…” Junia awoke the next morning with a satisfied yawn, only to startle out of her blanket when she saw that it was already way past noon from the corner of her eyes.
“I’m late for school!”
“K̵̫͈͠y̵̞͆͗̑̚ú̸̙͖̤̹͂͠!̴͖̩̂̾̇͜͠ ̵̢̛͇̬͑̕͜͝M̷̛͎̪͖͂̈̆͝ȉ̶̜͕̐̌̊m̸̖̯̥̽͜i̵̬̽̂̂͌͝ḱ̸̨͂̎̇͐y̷̧̩̖̺̓͛ͅu̴̩͘͝!̴̮̗̟͛͐̔”
The girl blinked, then broke out into a silly grin as the events of the night prior ca back to her — she was a proper Pokemon Trainer now. “Hehehe… Good mornin’ to you, Tumbleweed… Or I s’pose I should say good afternoon instead.”
“K̴͉̍̂̍̚y̸̩̦̎͗̾̆͛̚u̴͖̩̳̅͋͌͒͊̍͜!̴͐́̂̌̈́͜”
“You shoulda woken up, you little rascal!” Junia nuzzled against her partner’s coarse exterior. “But then again, I s’pose you wouldn’t have known huh…?”
“K̵̫͈͠y̵̞͆͗̑̚ú̸̙͖̤̹͂͠!̴͖̩̂̾̇͜͠ ̵̢̛͇̬͑̕͜͝M̷̛͎̪͖͂̈̆͝ȉ̶̜͕̐̌̊m̸̖̯̥̽͜i̵̬̽̂̂͌͝ḱ̸̨͂̎̇͐y̷̧̩̖̺̓͛ͅu̴̩͘͝!̴̮̗̟͛͐̔”
“Urgh. Ma and pa’re gonna give an earful for missing out on my chores…”
And with that, the girl reluctantly shuffled out of bed, cleaned herself up, returned Tumbleweed into his Pokeball and trudged down to the living room, only to find her parents both seated peacefully in front of the TV — almost too peacefully.
“Ah, you’re finally awake. Are you hungry, Junny? Want to make you so pancakes?” Judy asked with a sunny smile on her face.
“P-Pancakes…? Am I in trouble or sothing?” Junia stuttered while subconsciously clutching down on the Pokeball in her pocket. Her mother almost never made pancakes unless there was a special occasion.
Carl chuckled. “Your ma and I aren’t mad at you, squirt. Why don’t you have a seat and settle down?”
“So you’re not gonna try and take Tumbleweed away from ?”
Junia’s parents shared a glance then sighed in sync. “Not gonna lie to you, Junia… Your ma and I… We still got our reservations. But after our talk with the Professor last night, we decided to trust in the system and let you have this one. Provided! That you listen to the Professor and get certified by the League or whatever it is you gotta do.” Carl added hastily, eliciting frantic nods from the girl.
“And Professor Nina, she ain’t around?” Junia noticed a glaring lack of the young woman’s presence in the house.
“The Professor spent all night runnin’ around with the sheriff to calm everyone down — even had a big ol’ eting this mornin’ to address the residents while you were still snoozin’ away.” Carl shrugged. “Everyone was real riled up. And I reckon, you and I, we’re gonna have to go door to door at so point and apologise to everyone for all the hubbub.”
As for the Professor herself, she had begun mingling with the locals towards the tail end of the eting and caught wind of that old hermit woman in the Lostlorn Forest, piquing her interest for whatever reason. So, once everyone disbanded, she ran off on her own to go look for her, leaving Carl to return to the farm by himself.
Junia wilted in remorse. Apparently, Tumbleweed’s fervour had caused more of a commotion than she initially thought. “Sorry pa…”
“Heh. Don’t ntion it, squirt.” Both Judy and Carl moved to Junia’s side and pulled her into a hug. “So, you gonna introduce us to this new friend of yours?”
Junia lit up at the question. “Yup! But erm… You gotta swear that you won’t peek into Tumbleweed’s costu, okay? Not sure what exactly’s gonna happen but Professor Nina said that it was super-duper important that I stop it from happenin’.”
Judy chuckled. “‘Course Junny, we had the sa talk with the Professor too.”
“I know, but this is serious! I need you to swear, okay? Swear by Arceus’ light!”
The pair of farrs nodded helplessly and did as they were told. And after another round of back and forth, Junia finally felt assured enough to release her partner into the living room.
M̶̢̱̽i̸͉̽͠m̸̤̬͝i̵̢̩͌͠-̸̠̈́̀͜ ̸͓̉̕Ḱ̶̳͙̕ȳ̵͔̈́u̸̦̞͛͋!̷̫̰͋
Carl and Judy flinched back from the soul grating noise that emanated from the creature, nearly falling out of the couch as they did.
“You can’t be scared! You promised!” Junia exclaid, bringing her parents back to their senses.
Carl was the first one to regain his composure. “So err… This is the Creaker huh? Looks kinda like a scarecrow to .”
“K̴͉̍̂̍̚y̸̩̦̎͗̾̆͛̚u̴͖̩̳̅͋͌͒͊̍͜!̴͐́̂̌̈́͜”
“Sounds uh… real intimidatin’ too. Maybe we should stand him outside the fields to scare off those pesky Pidoves.”
Junia bead. “Yup! His na’s Tumbleweed and he’s a Mimikyu, not a Creaker!”
Judy cleared her throat and reached over hesitantly to pat down on the head of Tumbleweed’s disguise, eliciting noisy little creaks with every touch. “Huh? Now that I have a good gander at ‘im, he looks kinda cute actually. Reminds of that homade Pokedoll that my ma stitched for back when I was just a lil’ girl…”
“K̵̫͈͠y̵̞͆͗̑̚ú̸̙͖̤̹͂͠!̴͖̩̂̾̇͜͠ ̵̢̛͇̬͑̕͜͝M̷̛͎̪͖͂̈̆͝ȉ̶̜͕̐̌̊m̸̖̯̥̽͜i̵̬̽̂̂͌͝ḱ̸̨͂̎̇͐y̷̧̩̖̺̓͛ͅu̴̩͘͝!̴̮̗̟͛͐̔”
Tumbleweed perked up at the complint and began jumping up and down in barely contained joy, filling the living room with grating creaks and causing Junia’s parents to flinch away once more.
“Hehehe…” The girl giggled. “Oh don’t be pansies, Tumbleweed ain’t that scary. Right, buddy?”
“K̵̫͈͠y̵̞͆͗̑̚ú̸̙͖̤̹͂͠!̴͖̩̂̾̇͜͠ ̵̢̛͇̬͑̕͜͝M̷̛͎̪͖͂̈̆͝ȉ̶̜͕̐̌̊m̸̖̯̥̽͜i̵̬̽̂̂͌͝ḱ̸̨͂̎̇͐y̷̧̩̖̺̓͛ͅu̴̩͘͝!̴̮̗̟͛͐̔”
***
“Are you really leaving, Professor?”
Nina smiled down on the girl and gave her a gentle pat on the head. “That’s right, I’ve already spent more ti than I should in this settlent. Ti to get back on the road.”
Junia pouted. The past couple of days had mostly been spent going around the settlent with Nina and her dad to introduce Tumbleweed to everyone. The reaction to the Mimikyu was pretty much what they’d expected from a bunch of close-minded hicks living in the countryside.
Thankfully, the conversation almost always got diverted to the subject of the Professor’s beautiful black steed, distracting them from their knee-jerk paranoia surrounding Tumbleweed — the residents of Sett-16 had quite a penchant for Ride Pokemon after all.
Junia did not know if it was Nina’s intention all along to flaunt her Rapidash that way, but it worked out for the better. And most importantly, Junia got to ride on Rice Shower while they flitted from farm to farm, making her the happiest farmgirl this side of Unova.
She also got to go to school with Tumbleweed after gaining the pastor’s approval, under Nina’s supervision, of course. And Junia was proud to say that she had successfully intervened when nosy Bonnie tried to pull at the Mimikyu’s disguise with a vicious smack on her head, earning the girl a nod of approval from the observing Pokemon Professor.
But all in all, the children of Sett-16 were quite receptive to Tumbleweed’s presence, reacting to his discomforting noises and abrupt mannerisms more with curiosity than fear. It helped to lighten Junia’s mood and made her think that maybe there was hope for the settlent in the future.
“Anyways, did you have a chance to read through the material I gave you yesterday?”
Junia paled at the thought of the daunting pile of paperwork sitting on her desk. “I-I tried to read through it but then the words got all swirly and, and…”
Nina chuckled. “The contents on those pages are very important if you want to acquire the proper permits for Tumbleweed. I’m not expecting you to morise them in just a single night. But you should at least prioritise anything pertaining to Mimikyu ecology if you’re serious about maintaining Tumbleweed’s wellbeing.”
Junia nodded fervently. “Is it really true that Tumbleweed doesn’t need to eat food?”
“Yup.” Nina affird. “See? You did read so of it after all. Proud of you, Junia.” The girl blushed. “But to answer your question, yes. Over the years we’ve managed to ascertain that Mimikyu as a species feed on emotions — fear, predominantly. Hence why they subconsciously engage in behaviors designed to inflict terror.”
It wasn’t intentional, more so survival instincts — a default way of being. The discomforting noises of their makeshift disguise, those eldritch cries and even the way that they tended to move, jerky and abrupt, all so that they may invoke fear and feed on it.
“But love is also a potent substitute.” The Professor continued. “If anything, most Mimikyus, once they learn the taste of love, can’t stand going back to feeding on fear afterwards.”
Junia nodded again. “But Tumbleweed can still eat food though? I’ve seen him do it. Even though he can’t taste it?”
Nina laughed. “The running theory is that the act of consumption is a thod of social adaptation for the sake of garnering acceptance. The fact remains that Mimikyus do not excrete waste and we have no way of knowing where all of that food goes after they eat it. As for whether or not Tumbleweed can actually taste anything from the act, you’ll have to ask him yourself. Because truthfully, I don’t know.”
Junia humd and pursed her lips in consideration. “I swear on Arceus’ light that Tumbleweed will never have to taste fear ever again!”
The woman responded to the declaration with a warm smile and lowered herself to gently caress Junia by the cheek. “With a trainer as wonderful as you, I have no doubts that Tumbleweed will always have his fill of love. But you do rember what I told you about your journey, right?”
The girl nodded. “Yuppers! Make Castelia City my first stop and get to MAS as soon as possible.” To obtain funds for her journey and so that the Mimikyu Appreciation Society could help in facilitating Junia’s permit.
“Heh. That’s right, otherwise you’re gonna have loads of problems whenever you have to get Tumbleweed healed up in a Pokecenter. I added an entry to your trainer profile to prevent that from happening. But make no mistake, Junia, that’s only a stopgap asure…”
The two continued to exchange farewells until Nina was satisfied that Junia kept her words in mind. She then turned her attention to Carl and Judy, thanking them for their warm hospitality before blowing into a silent whistle to summon the powerful and majestic form of a Dragonite.
“Alright, everyone! Once again, take good care of yourselves and I hope to see you all again soon! Until next ti!” Nina waved before jumping onto the back of her tubby orange Dragon and taking off into the skies at sonic speed, leaving the awestruck family of farrs mouth agape and staring off into the distance.
Carl chuckled and said to his wife; “Still think you can take her in a fight?”
The woman scowled and glared viciously at her husband while Junia sighed. “Papa’s gonna be sleeping in the barn again tonight…”
***
“I’m gonna miss you Juns…”
“Aww… I’ll miss you too, Bonnie~” As incorrigible as the gossip queen was, she was still one of Junia’s closest friends.
“Heh. Don’t go stumblin’ now, Juns, Boufallant and I are gonna catch up to you real soon.” Clyde warned.
“Heh. I wouldn’t count on it, Clydo~”
It had been a month since Nina’s departure from Settlent 16. And after a couple of delays, Junia finally found the resolve to set out on her journey.
“Are you sure about this, dear? Maybe you should start off in Nimbasa after all? It’s just right next door — easier to co back to the farm if sothin’ terrible happens.”
Junia sighed and pulled her mother in for a hug. “For the hundredth ti, ma. The Professor said I gotta start in Castelia and et up with the MAS people first if I don’t wanna get in trouble with the League.”
Judy frowned. “But Castelia is so big, dear! That place is ginormous even for a city. Not to ntion the city-slickers there are the rudest darned people you’ll ever et!”
“Heh. Ain’t no city-slicker gonna put down!”
“But Junny—”
“And besides,” Junia gestured towards the distance, to a whole line of caravans and Bouffalants, where Carl could be seen conversing with a copper-skinned individual covered from head to toe in paint and tattoos. “Caravan’s already here — can’t have them co runnin’ around for nuthin’.”
“Junia!”
“Bye ma, gotta hi to the chief!” The girl waved, running off to escape Judy’s incessant nagging.
“—Redstone, my daughter’s in your care. Please make sure to get her as close to Castelia City as possible.”
Chief Redstone, leader of the Castelian Nomads responded with a deep and throaty chuckle. “Rest assured, Carlson, your daughter is safe in our hands. And should she require it, I’ll even take her directly to the gates of the adelanv-dayvdi myself—” the silver pillars “—though I doubt that will be necessary.”
“Still—”
“Howdy there, chief! Thanks for the ride!”
“Ah… Little Junia, my congratulations to you. The first step to any adanvdoi is always a montous occasion.”
Junia bead. “Not sure what that word ans, but thanks!”
The nomad smiled. “Adanvdoi is our ancestors’ word for ‘journey’, child. And also the true mark of adulthood — a trial to temper one’s spirit in worldly understanding. You will do well to heed the whispers of the wind and keep your eyes open.”
Junia pried her eyes wide with an exaggerated gesture. “Will do, chief!”
“Heh. A tsuni-aniyvwi, this one… Go and say your goodbyes, then jump into my carriage. It is bad luck to allow for lingering regrets at the dawn of one’s adanvdoi.” Redstone said while gesturing towards an incensed looking Judy trudging through the sand.
Carl chortled. “C’mon, Junny… Best let your ma get it all outta her system. ‘Else I’m the one who’s gonna get burned once you’re gone.”
Junia scoffed. “Hmph! Ain’t none of my business — ain’t gonna be around to hear it. And besides, you deserve it! Don’t think I missed what you and the sheriff said ‘bout Professor Nina’s milkers.”
Carl choked then broke out into a violent fit of coughing. “Ahem! Well, they do be a fine pair of milkers… But that’s besides the point, girl! C’mon, let’s get this over with before the sun sets.”
And so Junia went through another round of goodbyes and suffered through yet another round of her ma’s nagging before she was finally allowed to join the caravan and set off on her journey, a Mimikyu on her shoulder and her sights set on that wide open world beyond the sandy dunes of gold.
***
Author's note:
Hope you enjoyed reading this so far.
And for those who are wondering, I'm not posting this Pokefic under it's own publication because I'm unsure if I want to continue writing it past the first arc. I'm currently leaning towards yes, but I don't exactly have the bandwidth to maintain two stories at the sa ti. So I might just co back to it from ti to ti when I feel like it.
Anyways, I'll be releasing one chapter a week on Mondays until the 11 chapter mark. At which point, I should be close to the end of my two month break with Into the Unown.
User Comments
0 comments from readers