To Bloom Again

Chapter 6: Devon Sh*tstorm

A/N: Content warning for Toilet humor and Trauma. 

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Marina opened her eyes at 3am with her Ralts sleeping beside her, feeling groggy after the events from yesterday. She returned her pokemon back into the ball and tiptoed to the restroom, changing into her purple swimsuit.

The woman exits the motel room quietly, so as to not disturb Steven and Wallace from their slumber and makes her way to the pool area.

"There it is." Marina whispers under her breath.

The pool was closed, but she snuck in anyway and threw her towel on the lounge chair, and after a few stretches, Marina dived into the pool. The cool, crisp water touched every single surface of her body, embracing her with a soothing, refreshing hug.

The big, bright moon shines above her location, shimming the water with a magnificent glow as she swam around gracefully, like how a beautiful mermaid would.

The atmosphere was calm and serene, making it the perfect escape from the current issues plaguing her mind. She didn't have to worry about her first gym battle or her Treecko right now.

The only thing that was on Marina's mind was to just swim the pain and stress away, like she used to do back when she was still living at her parents' house, constantly using the indoor pool for exercise and the outside pool to clear her thoughts.

Marina continued to swim multiple laps until the process became too redundant for her liking. Then, she got out and wrapped the towel around her to dry off.

"That was nice." She remarks, wringing her hair out. "I really wished Steven and Wallace were awake to experience this. They really missed out."

Then, she thought about her Treecko again, more specifically what to do with it, "Should I just release it? Get it out of my life for good?"

It was not a bad option to consider, given the fact that the pokemon was rude, mean and a complete pain in the ass to work with.

But on the flipside, maybe it was just troubled and seeking attention in the way it knows how. It got her thinking.

Is it really the right thing to get rid of the mon without giving it a chance?

After she dried up, Marina walked back to the motel, feeling a bit uneasy about what's going to happen today.

She gazed at the night sky once more before returning, "Dear god," she begged, softly, "Get me through this."

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After spending the morning hours battling as many trainers and wild pokemon as she possibly could, Marina, along with Steven and Wallace have finally made their way to Rustboro city.

And while the men were ecstatic to see her compete in her very first gym battle, Marina, however, was not enthusiastic about it, especially after the spat she had with her new pokemon.

All she wanted to do is quit. Quit while she still had the chance and tell them to take her back home to her parents because the task of raising pokemon was too overwhelming for her delicate heart to handle, even if Steven and Wallace were by her side.

As they enter the Pokemon center, Marina remains stoic and distant, only giving a soft "Thank you" to the pokemon center lady for healing her Pokemon.

By this point, Steven knew something was up and wanted to know what it was. Her silence started to worry him in more ways than one.