How to Train Your Pokémon

Curiosity Peaks

How to Train Your Pokémon

A/N: Here we go, with Chapter 7! Roll it!

Chapter 7

Curiosity Peaks

Later that afternoon, Mari found her way back to where she had brought down the Electric type. The torn rubber net was still here, with small strange footprints leading away from it. She gently picked it up.

"So why didn't you?" Mari asked in a whisper to herself. She then placed the torn rubbery net into her satchel and stood back up. Behind her was the twins, who had come with her up the path after training.

"Okay, let me get this straight." Luke said as he and Evan followed their sister further into the forest. He began to briefly recount the story that she told them earlier. Well, it was more like they pried it out of her. "You found the Electric type, but instead of capturing it, you let it go?" Mari mutely nodded.

"And when the Electric type had you pinned down, it also let you go instead of zapping you into oblivion?" Evan asked. There was another silent nod as Mari waited for her ears to get blasted off by the twins' shouts of anger or disappointment.

But instead, they seemed to be deep in thought. "Well, that's strange." Luke said. "Why would such a very elusive Pokémon spare you?" He realized his wording and flinched. "No offense."

Mari gave her younger brother a dry glare. "Some taken." But still, she was relieved that her brothers weren't angry with her. "This is top secret. We can't have anyone know about this." The twins nodded and crossed their hearts, making their sister smile.

The three Ketchum siblings followed the Electric type's trail until they came across a small cave near the hills. The trail seemed to lead inside it. The three went inside of the dim tunnel until they saw a light at the end of it.

"What is that?" Mari asked.

"I have no idea." Evan replied.

"Come on." Luke said.

They carefully went towards the light and saw the most beautiful and serene thing they had ever seen. A small natural spring was filling a huge basin in the ground, and because of the water and light that was spilling in through an opening, there were vibrant green patches of grass all around the spring, growing from the patches of dirt scattered around the cavity.

"Whoa." They quietly breathed.

"This is just beautiful." Mari said, looking around the large cavity. It seemed like it was a secret paradise within a stone cold world.

"This natural spring is amazing." Luke breathed.

Evan did a quick virtual analysis of the small spring. "It's obvious that the spring water has many minerals, and that is providing this little batch of paradise here in this cave."

Ever since he could remember, the youngest Ketchum kid always felt drawn to almost any body of water and was especially interested in Water type Pokémon. So, he studied pretty much everything about the ocean, lakes, streams, springs, and of every known Water type.

"This could be like our secret hideaway." Luke suggested. He turned to his sister. "What do you say, sis?"

Mari looked around the gentle oasis. "I really would like a place to get away from town with no one really knowing." She smiled. "I'm in."

The twins grinned happily. Suddenly, a painful squeak rang out through the cave in a high-pitched echo. The Ketchum kids immediately hid behind a group of large boulders near the entrance they came from, turned their eyes towards the center of the cave, and saw the Electric type trying to come over to the spring.

Luke and Evan breathed out in surprise. "A real Electric type." The elder twin quietly said.

"I didn't think that such a dangerous Pokémon would actually be pretty cute." Evan pointed out.

Mari kept her eyes on the Electric type. It was really cute, but she felt a twinge of guilt when she listened to it, making efforts to get over to the water.

Suddenly, in all three of their heads, the Ketchum siblings heard something. They couldn't really distinguish what it was exactly, but it was very familiar. It was the same thing that they heard back in the training Arena. It sounded like words, but they were muffled, like there was water in their ears.

They then saw why the Electric type was having such a hard time getting over to the spring. Its left front leg was sprained pretty bad. Mari looked away with guilt, seeing that it was her fault that it was in pain. The twins gave her comforting looks in an attempt to make her feel a little better.

Evan shifted himself into a more comfortable crouching position, but in doing so, his foot made a twig snap. The Electric type perked up and scanned its surroundings. Mari and Luke glared at their youngest brother, and then they all quickly hid again.

The Electric type then turned to the direction it came from. The Ketchum siblings can feel its piercing gaze from behind the boulders. Finally, Mari signalled to the twins to keep quiet with a finger pressed to her lips, and slowly stood up, showing herself.

Through the cracks in between the boulders, Luke and Evan watched the Electric type with anticipating eyes, hoping there would be no sudden movements. But the little yellow rodent kept its dark eyes on Mari.

Yet, there was no move to attack or to run. The two kept staring at each other. Finally, the Electric type broke the intense gaze as it made one last effort to push itself towards the edge of the spring. Once it did, it shifted itself to place its sprained leg into the steamy water.

Mari gestured to the twins to leave quickly, and they did just that. Before she followed, she turned back to the Electric type. It gazed at her, this time with curiosity. In her head, Mari heard muffled words. From what she could make out of it, it sounded like, "Come back tomorrow. I'll be waiting."

The Ketchum girl did a quick scan around the beautiful spring. But, there was not another soul around than the Electric type. It couldn't be the Pokémon that said that. Right?

Well, whatever it came from, Mari slowly nodded in response and left the cave.

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When Mari met back up with the twins, they began walking back to Pallet Town before anyone noticed that they have run off again.

"That was definitely interesting." Luke commented. Mari and Evan gave their brother a confused look.

"Tell me that's not all you have to say about this." Evan said.

"There's other things I want to say, but I don't exactly know how to put it in words." Luke retorted back.

Luckily, Mari spoke up before a fight would break out between the two. "I'm going back there tomorrow."

"WHAT?!" The twins shouted.

"Sis, that Pokémon is dangerous." Evan reminded.

"Then why did it let me go?" She asked. "Twice now." The twins were silent. She does have a point. If such a Pokémon was dangerous and ruthless, why would it spare her and them if it had the chance to do away with them?

"If you guys are that concerned, we'll find a way so that you can check on me so that I won't get zapped." Mari added.

Luke sighed. "Fair enough. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Me, too." Mari added.

A/N: I can bet you guys know what is coming up next. And I'll be doing some research on various Pokémon, but not in the way you think.

Interested? Well, you have to wait until Chapter 8 to find out. Please leave a comment about what you think. I really enjoy hearing what you guys have to say.

Got to fly! ;)