Pokemon Special: Protector's Code

Chapter Six

“So that’s how you got Peach,” said Yellow with a wonder, looking down at the said Pichu who was snuggling in her arms.

“Yeah, his trainer is nothing short of weirdo,” answered Amber, rolling her eyes before grinning.

“I can imagine that,” giggled Yellow before lifting her arms and setting Peach gently on Amber’s shoulder. “So with you, there are currently eleven pokédex holders.”

“Really?” asked Amber, lifting a brow, raising a hand to steady Peach as he spun on the spot to find a comfortable position. “You’re well-informed.”

“Of course,” replied Yellow with another giggle. “Professor Oak and his great invention isn’t exactly new, but the pokédex holders like to keep their discretion so their faces aren’t too well known. You’ll come to meet them as you go along with your own pokédex and you’ll hear their names from others too.”

“Great,” muttered Amber. She wasn’t exactly the best when it came to meeting new people and usually came off on the wrong foot. Yellow, on the other hand, was a special case. She was quite shocked that she felt so comfortable around the smaller girl as being so easily accepted wasn’t something she’d experienced often. After witnessing her connection with her Pokémon, Amber could only conclude that it was simply in Yellow’s nature to easily bond with not only Pokémon, but people as well. 

“You’ll be absolutely fine,” laughed Yellow, a gentle twinkle in her eye. “I’m sure you’ll get along with the other pokédex holders.”

“If they’re anything like the two boys I met today, I highly doubt it,” pondered Amber, pushing one of her twin-tails off her shoulder.

“Give the others a chance,” said Yellow with an amused grin.

Whilst walking with Yellow, it had struck Amber more than once that the other girl seemed to possess more knowledge than she let out. It was against Amber’s policy to delve too deep into another person’s business and it had been difficult holding herself back from asking Yellow what exactly she knew. However, the questions she wished to ask could never be strung into words and Amber had ultimately found herself unable to speak out each time a cryptic statement slipped out from Yellow’s lips.

“You sound like you actually know the pokédex holders,” said Amber simply. Even now, she wanted to ask Yellow precisely what the full extent she knew about the said pokédex holders was, specifically Gold and Silver, as well as her own twin sister.

“I am familiar with them,” replied Yellow mysteriously, her eyes lit with contained laughter.

Amber visibly pushed down a sigh, but Yellow’s bright aura was contagious and she once again found herself involuntarily letting the matter slip. By the time they reached the outskirts of Viridian City, the sun was beginning to dip below the belt of the horizon, sending streaks of twilight throughout the landscape.

“Phew, today was really full of surprises,” said Yellow as they stopped outside the city, stretching her arms above her head and grinning down at Ratty, her Raticate.

“A few too many surprises, if you want my honest opinion,” added Amber, thinking darkly back once more to her encounter with violent Pokémon and zealous trainers. 

“Trust me, you’ll appreciate those surprises later,” laughed Yellow, bending down to pick up Ratty and cradling him gently in her arms. “I enjoy being surprised. After all, it led to me meeting an interesting person.”

“You make it sound as if I’m a rare Pokémon,” said Amber, laughing as well. Yellow’s nature really was contagious.

“All the Pokémon and people I meet and connect with are precious,” answered Yellow with a chuckle. “I look forward to seeing you another time, Amber.”

Amber started before nodding with a soft smile. “It was great meeting you, Yellow. Thanks for accompanying me back to Viridian City or it would have been a couple more days in that forest for me.”

Giggling in reply, Yellow shook her head before pointing down a street. “You’ll want to stay at the Pokémon Centre for the night, right? Just go straight from here and you should reach it without any problems. There should be no need to turn any corners.”

“Thank you,” answered Amber with a grateful nod. “Then I’ll see you next time, Yellow.”

“Bye,” said Yellow with another grin, waving as Amber entered the city and head towards the Pokémon Centre.

***

“So interesting,” said Yellow to Ratty as she watched the younger girl walk out of hearing range. “I was a bit shocked when Crystal appeared only to have her act as if she doesn’t know me. I thought she had amnesia at first.”

Ratty squeaked, rubbing his head into his trainer’s palm. Yellow giggled and began walking around the perimeter of the city without actually entering it. Her home wasn’t in the city itself and lingered more towards the fringes.

“Maybe I should pay Professor Oak a visit tomorrow,” continued Yellow to herself. “I wonder how Crystal will react when she finds out that I met her twin sister.”

She chuckled and scratched behind Ratty’s ear. Thinking back to her conversation with Amber only made her grin wider. Apart from appearance, Amber had nothing in common with Crystal, with the exception of being serious. However, where Crystal’s seriousness came only during capturing Pokémon, Amber seemed to possess a more stoic nature and wasn’t a person of many words. If Yellow hadn’t been who she was with the connections she had, she would never have been able to interpret the events that Amber had been attempting to explain during their exchange. If Yellow hadn’t previously been associated with Gold and Silver, the pokédex holders that Amber had spoken of, the two would have remained a mystery until further investigation as the new dex holder hadn’t even revealed their gender, let alone their names.

“She’s interesting, isn’t she, Ratty?” asked Yellow, grinning down at her partner Pokémon, before stopping to set him down. “I can’t wait to see her again.”

***

“So now that I have this thing, do I have to do anything special?” muttered Amber as she looked down at the small red gadget in her palm.

After separating with Yellow, she had wasted little time in arriving at the Pokémon Centre to get her team checked. Despite Yellow’s reassurance, she had still worried about her Pokémon and was truly relieved when Nurse Joy had confirmed that they were completely healed. Now in a room she had miraculously managed to secure even though the Pokémon Centre rarely had open rooms, vacant or available, Amber was perched comfortably on the edge of the bed with Peach dozing in her lap and Mister hovering over her shoulder. She had showered and had thrown off her shoes, coat and tie so that all the she wore was her black slacks and her white shirt, which was unbuttoned leaving her stomach bare.

“The only clue I got about this thing was an adventure, which technically means going on a journey right? But I practically journey everyday,” said Amber with a sigh, absentmindedly tickling under Mister’s chin. “I should have asked those two properly before. Even Yellow probably would have had a better idea.”

With another sigh, she tossed the pokédex carelessly where it landed safely on her soft leather case. She then threw herself back. At her sudden movement, Peach was shaken from his half-asleep state. He jumped up, bristling his fur, before padding over to lick Amber’s cheek. 

“Sorry about that, Peach,” murmured Amber, scratching behind his ear and then staring blankly up at the ceiling. After a moment of consideration, she finally sighed and rolled onto her stomach, stretching her arm out to flick the lights out. “I guess I’ll pay her a visit tomorrow before I start my duties again. Until then, we better get some sleep. Good night, Peach, Mister.”