Destiny [Pokémon]

❥ chapter XI

"Well—"

That was when Katy caught sight of Raleia and Rineis curiously peering at the device in your hands. "Oh, what's that? Are those two Ralts I see? Are they yours?"

"Yeah! That's why I'm calling, actually."

"Wait, don't say anything yet! Let me guess ..." She tilted her head, her shoulder-length hair falling over to one side, lips puckered as she seemed to think; then, her face lit up in a wide smile. "You're gonna go on a Pokémon journey, aren't you? Congratulations!"

May snickered. "It took Alex way longer to figure that out."

"Oi!" Alex exclaimed, a pout forming her indignant expression. "You were just as surprised as I was! It wasn't like you knew it right off the bat like Katy! Neither of us did!"

Lina chuckled, obviously amused by their squabble. "Can't deny that."

"Guys, stop it already," Kristie intervened. She made a half-hearted attempt to glare at the three girls to make them stop, but it was ineffective. "[Nickname] and Katy can't talk because of your pointless bickering."

May and Lina stopped laughing, and so did both Katy and you, having been entertained by your friends' antics.

"How come you decided to start your journey now, anyways?" Katy asked. "If I remember correctly, you wanted to wait until after graduation, didn't you? What made you change your mind?"

You opened your mouth to tell her about what had happened in Lucus Grove yesterday afternoon without hesitating—May, Kristie, Alex, and Lina had believed you, and that gave you the certainty that Katy would too. "You see—"

However, you didn't get to elaborate further because Alex beat you to it. "Katy, you won't believe what happened to [Nickname]!"

"Alex!" May quickly silenced Alex by poking her in the ribs with her elbow, causing her friend to yelp and scowl at her. "Shut your face! Don't just go and tell that to everyone without asking for [Nickname]'s permission first!" she rebuked her, interrupting her before she could tell Katy about your encounter with a Legendary Pokémon in your stead.

"That's not something everyone will believe," Lina said. "You don't want anyone to think our dear [Nickname] is crazy, do you?"

Alex firmly shook her head. "No, of course not! I'm sorry ..." she mumbled, hanging her head in shame.

"Don't worry about it." You patted her back in a comforting manner. "But they're right. I'd rather you don't spread this around, alright?"

"I would never, I promise!"

Katy looked back and forth between the five of you, confusion lifting both of her eyebrows. "What's up with you guys? You made me really curious about whatever you're talking about." She smiled mildly at you. "But if you don't want to tell me, [Nickname], then that's fine too, of course."

"No, it's fine," you replied with a slight headshake, smiling. "Just promise me that you won't tell anybody, okay?"

"Alright. Cross my heart and hope to die. I'll go somewhere more private so nobody can eavesdrop. Give me a second ..." The view of the PokéNav Plus's camera shifted from her face down her chest and to her stomach, the bright red colour of her shirt taking up the whole screen, when she lowered her arm. Footsteps could be heard, along with countless scraps of conversations merging into an incomprehensible chatter of voices.

"Who is that human girl?" Raleia piped up, her head tipped all the way back to look up at you. "Another one of your friends?"