Destiny [Pokémon]

❥ chapter XIII

"I know it's not as easy as it sounds, but you should really try not to think about all this too much anymore and instead look forward to everything that'll come," Kristie said.

Alex nodded eagerly. "Yeah! You're only gonna spoil your own fun if you continue moping around!"

"I agree," Lina added. "Nothing good can come of dwelling on this matter. You said it yourself, it only gives you headaches anyway. The best thing is to forget about this for the time being. Maybe you'll get to the bottom of this one day."

"Hopefully ..." you murmured. But before your thoughts could drift back into the vast sea of open questions, you took them and locked them away in the most remote corners of your confused mind. Like your friends had advised you to, you wouldn't let them bother you again any time soon. You still had your whole Pokémon journey in front of you—you hadn't even begun yet, for Arceus's sake! You wouldn't let this rain on your parade!

With a curt nod, you squared your shoulders and sat up straighter, determined not to let these gloomy thoughts lie heavy on you. "You're right. I'll try to stop thinking about this. Thank you." You smiled as a safe, comfortable warmth spread through your body.

"Group hug! Again!" Practically launching herself at you, Alex flung her arms around you in a sideways bear hug, drawing a surprised cry from you which melted into laughter once you had overcome the initial shock (of not only suddenly being pounced on, but also nearly dropping your PokéNav Plus for the second time in a few minutes).

This triggered an unfortunate chain of events: You bumped against Kristie sitting on your other side—who then knocked against Lina and almost caused her to topple from the bench the five of you had oh so tediously figured out how to sit on at the same time. Both of them yelped, Kristie more surprised than angry, though that wasn't the case with Lina who instantly scowled at Alex.

In the meantime, May—who was sitting next to Alex—narrowly escaped the painful fate of getting kicked off the bench by the brunette girl by gripping the bench's planks so tightly that her knuckles turned white, letting out an affronted yell, "Oi! Are you out of your mind?!"

Furthermore, the impact of Alex's body against yours would have sent the two Feeling Pokémon (who were still standing on your thighs, mind you) flying if they hadn't clung to your shirt for dear life. They, too, reacted differently, much like Kristie and Lina; while a panic-stricken look crossed Rineis's face, Raleia burst out laughing. It didn't take long for your three friends to follow the female Ralts's example, their quiet giggles and snickers soon turning into full-blown laughter as they joined Alex in cuddling you, and the siblings followed suit.

The muffled sound of a door opening coming from the PokéNav Plus in your hands attracted the attention of everyone, including Katy. Having been watching your group hug with a tender smile gracing her lips and the longing in her eyes to just climb through the screen and join you if only she could, she now looked away from the electronic device's camera. "Yeah? What is it?" she asked someone off-screen.

"Miss Kaitlyn, two celebrity idols from Unova wish to talk to you," a barely audible voice answered. "They're already waiting in the main hall for you. Should I turn them down, seeing as you're busy right now?"

You shook your head when Katy directed her teal-eyed gaze at you in a silent question. "Don't let me keep you," you said after blowing a strand of Kristie's light blonde hair out of your face.

"I'll be there in a minute. Thank you." Still smiling, Katy nodded to the person—probably her assistant of some sort—and then looked back to you. "[Nickname], you have to come visit me in Auriga City some time! You can find me in the Concursus Arena most of the time. Or just call me when you're there, and we'll meet up, alright?"

You nodded, a big smile on your lips. "Gotcha! Thanks so much, Katy. You too, guys. I don't know what I'd do without you, I really don't." Tears of overwhelming gratitude were pricking the corners of your eyes, and you hurried to blink them away, not wanting to worry your friends any further. You felt utterly blessed to have these five girls as best friends.

Waving her hand slightly as though it was no big deal, Lina grinned at you. "Don't mention it."

"That's what best friends do, after all!" Alex chirped, pulling you even closer than you already were. "No matter what, we'll always be there for you! Even if we're apart!"

"You better give us a call every now and then while you're travelling, alright?" May said, and although it was posed as a question, you knew from the sound in her stern voice that she wouldn't take no as an answer. But then her features softened again, and she smiled. "We'll sleep better knowing that you're doing well."

Kristie searched for one of your hands in this cluster of limbs and squeezed it. "And if you should need any help, call us. We won't be able to come to you, but I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out together that will help you."

"Don't be scared of going on a journey on your own. You'll have your Pokémon by your side, so you'll be just fine, believe me! And those Ralts seem like wonderful companions. You've got nothing to worry about. Well then," Katy concluded, "see you soon, hopefully! Good luck on your journey! And I'll call you guys again as soon as I can, promise!"

"Bye-bye!" your friends and you sang out. You were still smushed together in a hug and happily waving to Katy along with Raleia and Rineis who had spontaneously decided to mimic your actions until your PokéNav's screen went black and then switched to the main menu.

Flipping the PokéNav Plus shut, you pulled back from your friends' embrace to put the device back in your shoulder bag. But the moment you did so, you already missed the warmth and the feeling of safety the hug had provided.

Barely a second later, Alex jumped up from the bench, without speaking, but with a certain glimmer in her eyes that told you that she had something in mind—whatever it was. She whirled around to you. Clasping your hand, she tugged at it zestfully, leaving you no choice but to let her pull you to your feet after the two Ralts had hopped off your lap. "C'mon, let's do something fun to distract you!"

"I actually came here to train," you said, smiling at your two Pokémon who grew excited at this prospect—well, at least Raleia did; Rineis just smiled tensely back at you. Then, you looked at your friends. "Wanna join me?"

"Sure. But how about we have a Pokémon battle before that?" Lina suggested as she stood as well, closely followed by May and Kristie. "It's going to be your first one, isn't it? I'd like it to be against us, if you don't mind. We'll fight you in two-on-two battles, alright?"

"I'd love to, but a Double Battle as my first one? I'm not sure if I'll manage ..." you replied, voicing your concerns, but they were halfway through buried by Alex's joyful whoop.

"That's an awesome idea! I call dibs on the first battle!" she exclaimed, already reaching for the Poké Ball attached to her belt clip. "May, you're gonna be my partner! And then come Lina and Kristie!"

May and Lina apparently wanted to object, both opening their mouths. (Knowing them, they most likely weren't disagreeing with the order of who battled with whom and when, but rather because Alex had simply decided over their heads.) But no words came out when they became aware of Alex's aura of stubborn determination that basically screamed, "But me no buts!"

May sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. Don't bother to ask if we agree ... Why should you?" She muttered that last part to herself while grabbing her Poké Ball.

"Are you even okay with this, [Nickname]?" Kristie chimed in as she looked at you worriedly, drawing the other three girls' attention to you. "If you think Double Battles are a bit too much for the beginning, then we can fight you one-on-one too."

Lina paused, her hand frozen in the movement of throwing her Poké Ball to the ground to send out her Pokémon. "Yeah, Alex didn't even wait for your answer, now that I think about it." She shot said brunette girl a reproving glare.

You thought about Kristie's offer for a moment and, upon making up your mind, shook your head with a smile. "It's fine. Double Battles are only fair since I've got two Pokémon and each of you only one. And it'll be a good exercise to start with."

Kristie smiled back at you and took her Poké Ball. "Good."