Aviva The Half-Breed Pokemon

Chapter 7 -- Ice Cream Day

Blurp! Blurp! Blurp!

Aviva heard the burping sound of liquid as her body formed inch by inch. Despite her pain, she opened an eye and stole a look downward. The grey-haired man was holding a white steaming ice-cream cone and kept poking her gelatinous body with it. Three heartbeats later, her pain reduced, followed by a tinge of numbness, as if she was soaked in a bathtub filled with icy water. Once the steam disappeared, she gasped in bewilderment as she realized that she was rebuilt.

The boy, Ashley Archer, turned his face away as he saw Aviva's naked body. His face became red as if he'd bitten a bunch of chilies. Upon noticing the awkwardness on Ashley's face, Mr. Mime quickly took off his black outer coat and covered Aviva's body.

Aviva didn't seem to be aware of Ashely's discomfiture. Her focus was all on herself.

"I'm alive!" Gingerly, she touched her arms. Her head looked normal now, securely attached atop her neck. Abashed, she turned to regard the man. His grey hair jutted out messily like a porcupine's spines, the result of tension as he tried to save her. 

Reluctantly, she muttered, "Uhm, thanks for that." 

Beside her, Mr. Mime, the boy, and the rest of the Pokemon cheered for her resurrection.

The old man merely nodded as he took out a silver necklace from the inside of his white coat. Swiftly, he slipped the necklace through the pendant which the ice-cream-like Pokemon was already wearing. Then, to Aviva's amazement, he placed that Pokemon in front of Aviva's chest.

Aviva's brows scrunched up in perplexity. It made her feel like she was wearing an amulet with a pendant that shaped like an ice-cream cone. Pulling her face, she glanced down. The Pokemon didn't look like it could grow any bigger than her thumb. Its hair was foamy, like the spiraling soft-serve cream. As Aviva was studying it, its dark blue eyes stared up at her inquisitively; its dark blue lips broke into an impish smile, showing two dimples in the shape of light blue diamonds. Two stubby arms waddled out energetically from its short, square body. Aviva's frown morphed to a smile. She found this dainty creature adorable.

"What is this?" she asked. As the man didn't reply, she added, "The Almighty Professor Oak."

The middle-aged professor adjusted his blue-shaded glasses and didn't forget to wear a snobbish expression as he explained, "This, is Vanillite. Its body size can expand and diminish according to the temperature around it. Keep it well. I caught it from the faraway North Pole."

"Did you, uhm, get it to cure my symptoms?" Aviva's cheeks glowed scarlet as she asked.

Professor Oak cleared his throat -- his way of saying yes when he was embarrassed -- before continuing, "When you went all melted just now, Vanillite blew its breath on you in order to solidify your body. I believe by wearing it, your body won't dissolve under the presence of fire."

Aviva's eyes watered. She grabbed the professor's hands and turned them over. His fingers were calloused and his palms were blistered, having survived the chilly weather in the North Pole. The professor, despite his constant taunt on Aviva, was her great supporter, mentally and financially. 

She felt guilty for his care when a realization struck her. "Vanillite used to live in cold weather. Will anything bad happen to its health if--"

"Good for you to ask." Haughtiness returned to fill Professor Oak's tone. "I've done some research on it. As long as you constantly feed it ice-creams or ice-cubes in daylight, it will be fine. By the way," he looked around the surroundings, "what had happened to your glasshouse?"

Aviva sighed before narrating the happenings of the day. When she'd finished, she added, "Professor, can you arrange the transportation for me to go to Salton Shore? I want to bring Pikachu home and also save all the Pokemon that have been captured by the poachers."

"No problem at all. But there's actually a Pokemon Gym in Salton Town. I wonder why nobody has notified me about the incident." Professor Oak scratched his chin. "Something fishy is definitely going on. Well, I hope you won't screw up everything and put everyone in danger."

Ashley Archer, who had stayed quiet all the while, barked a laugh at Professor Oak's words.

Aviva glared at him before saying, "No worries, old man. Now, can you examine my Pokemon?"

Professor Oak tsked as he retrieved a black rectangular gadget out of his coat. Crouching down, he scanned Oddish Number Five's body with it. His expression turned serious. After studying the statistics on the monitor, he said, "It's no big deal. Its leaves will grow out soon."

One by one, he checked the rest of the Oddish, Gloom, and Butterfree. When he approached Pikachu, his gadget buzzed manically and smoke swirled out of its sensor. Edgily, Professor Oak tapped it and its screen blackened. "Damn it! That thing costs me 28,000 Rhonda!"

Pikachu rubbed the back of its head in embarrassment, concurrently muttering its apology. 

However, instead of feeling angry, Professor Oak's grey eyes sparkled. Squatting, he studied Pikachu. "You can affect my device even without touching it. You must be very powerful." Excited, he pinched the red pouches on Pikachu's cheeks and--

Yellow thunders assailed the professor. Instead of helping, the onlookers hugged their arms and watched with a bemused expression. Minutes later, when Pikachu had finally stopped attacking, Professor Oak crawled on the ground; his limbs bent in an awkward position, his hair singed.

Aviva and Ashley let out a burst of curt laughter. Mr. Mime struggled very hard to hide his grin.

With much difficulty, the old man climbed up and exclaimed, "It's indeed a very powerful Pikachu." Grinning like someone who had just won a lottery, he wiped the soot away from his face and landed his gaze at Charmander. "I'm sure you are as strong as Pikachu."

Charmander placed its hands to its waist and raised its head up in the air, looking smug.

"Alright, the end of showtime!" Aviva clapped her hands for attention. "Old man, can you assign your staff to help Mr. Mime fix my glasshouse and feed my Pokemon while I'm away?" As the professor nodded, Aviva continued in an uneasy tone, "About the transportation payment--"

"Don't worry about the payment, my dear." A grotesque smirk tore across his face. "You know that I'm never a generous old man. I actually want you to bring along someone. She happens to be heading in the same direction as yours too."

Damn it! I got duped again! Aviva swallowed a lump in her throat. Judging from Professor Oak's expression, that someone, undoubtedly, was going to cause her a lot of trouble.