Can't Nobody Tell Me Nothin'

“Yes, seventy as in seven and zero,” Claire replied. It wasn’t really that big a deal to her–if anything, she wished she had more–but she soon realised why Cassie had thought so. 

“You only have two of them?” Despite Cassie’s attempt to explain, Claire still couldn’t quite wrap her head around the girl having only two Pokemon even though she had been travelling for a while now. “But you do know how to catch one, right? I mean, don’t you wish to have more of them? Rattatas can be good practice for battling and throwing pokeballs. Fishing too. I’m not a good fisher myself either but I do try to practise every now and then,” Claire shared, setting her half eaten sandwich aside. She wasn’t as hungry as she had thought. Well, not as hungry as CJ Pudds or his owner anyway. “So what are your future plans? Like, after you’ve paid for the bike you owe me. Are you just gonna continue whatever you’re doing and have your Pokemon survive on canned food?”

Blinking at Claire's question, Cassie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she finished off the rest of her sandwich. "Of course I know how to catch a Pokémon. Battle, weaken, toss a ball. But, I don't really want to catch Pokémon if they don't want to come along with me." She said, shifting to cradle CJ Pudds in her arms. "I would feel really weird about just yoinking a Pokémon out of their natural habitat just to have them tag along with me? That's just me though." She shrugged.

"Uhhhh. I mean, probably just keep on keeping on. And hey," Cassie said indignantly, "You make it sound like I'm feeding him garbage. Look at this." She said, rummaging through her bag to pull out the tinned food she'd just bought for Pudds.

"Check it out, this stuff is like, top shelf." She tossed the gourmet canned food at Claire. "CJ Pudds is a trash baby. He lived near a touristy lake town for most of his life, so he likes junk food. Which, I don't let him have cuz he'll get fat, fat, fat." Cassie said, poking her Pokémon's tummy with each word.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched Cassie start on her sandwich. It wasn’t anything special, but the girl seemed to enjoy it a lot, almost as though she hadn’t eaten in a while.

At Cassie’s question, Claire turned away to focus on Bubbles, not wanting to be caught staring. “Yeah, she’s my first too,” Claire shared as she reached out to bop her Popplio on her nose with her finger.

“I’ve almost 70, so I’m more than ready to challenge the gym. I’ve heard trainers need at least 50 before they’re allowed to enter,” she said, wondering just how much Cassie knew about gym-fighting. “I believe a balanced team is the way to go, so I always have a range with me so I’m prepared to face all kinds of situation. What about you? You probably don’t have as many if you’re not into fighting gyms.”

"She's a cute one. Suits you." Cassie said off handedly through a mouthful of sandwich. CJ tapped her hand impatiently and she angled the sandwich closer to him so he could have another bite. "C'mon bud, you're making it look like I don't feed you. You just don't like the canned food I got you." She said, nudging the Pokémon with her elbow.

Cassie choked on her sandwich, coughing as she heard the number of Pokémon Claire had. Whaaaaat? "You've got 70 Pokémon? Like, Seven-Zero, not seventeen?" She asked, startled. Just how long had this girl been training? Or was she just like, constantly running through the tall grass, chucking PokéBall's left and right? At that point, she'd need like a t-shirt gun shooting out balls or something. Ha, that was a funny mental image.

Swallowing, Cassie replied. "Well, you've actually already met all of my Pokémon. I've got Pudds here and the Seel I dunked into your bike basket, R&B." She said, tapping the PokéBall on her belt. "I've had Pudds for years, but I grew up between cities, so that makes it hard to find wild Pokémon that aren't like... Rattata and Joltiks. I'm also a lousy fisher, so I was never gonna fish up a Pokémon." She leaned back, thinking back to the day when she'd found CJ with a fond expression on her face.

“As cute as he is, I’m not gonna steal your Pokémon,” Claire replied, throwing a glance at the Mudkip which showed no signs of paying attention to its owner at all. Shaking her head as Cassie turned to take her leave, Claire drew out a pokeball from her belt and called out one of her Pokémon. Her Popplio appeared by her side in a flash, and like her, Bubbles was wary of the new Pokémon, choosing to remain close to Claire instead of approaching the Mudkip.

“It’s fine. CJ Pudds here and his owner Cassie are gonna hang out with us for a bit,” she said, before pulling out some treats from her bag and held them out for the two water Pokémon. “You guys can share some of these while I grab a sandwich from the food truck over there, okay?”

When she returned with two sandwiches in her hands, Bubbles was still keeping her distance from CJ, giving him a side-eye as she continued to appraise him. Claire couldn’t help but crack a smile. But it was quick to disappear when she noticed Cassie returning from the bathroom.

“Here, I got you this. They were having a promotion for two,” she explained nonchalantly as she handed the girl one of the sandwiches, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, “You can pay me back later.” 

Rubbing her wet hair with a paper towel, Cassie threw it back into a ponytail and looked at the outfit Claire had given her. It wasn't totally her speed, a bit more color than she usually wore and a little short in some places, but she mostly just appreciated that she wasn't soaking wet. Shoving her wet clothes into the plastic bag the Nurse had been kind enough to give her, Cassie popped out of the bathroom and was surprised when Nurse Joy came up to her, Pokéball in hand.

"Your Pokémon is all healed up and ready to go. Please, make sure not to let him get in such condition again, poison is very dangerous." The pink haired woman said. Nodding, Cassie took back the Pokéball, clipping it on the borrowed belt.

"For sure. Thanks so much, really." She said before hurrying out of the Pokémon Center. Squinting in the light, she looked around and saw CJ Pudds attempting to play with a very cautious looking Popplio, the little Mudkip rolling on his back and flailing his legs around in the air. Cassie grinned as the tiny guy wiggled around energetically--a classic Pudds move. Walking over, she noticed that Claire was holding a pair of sandwiches, one of which was handed off to her. Blinking in surprise, Cassie accepted the sandwich. Huh. That was super rad of her, and totally not expected. After all... she'd kinda just destroyed the other girl's bike. But, she was totally gonna pay her back!

"Thanks! Yeah, yeah, for sure!" She said, biting into the sandwich. Mmmf, so good. She hadn't eaten since this morning and it felt good to have something that wasn't just protein bars and dry cereal. "Is this your main Pokémon? She's really cute. I didn't figure you for a water type trainer, though." She commented after swallowing a mouthful of bread.

"Pudds, quit trying so hard and get over here." She laughed, gesturing to the Mudkip to join her. Rolling onto his stomach, CJ Puddles crawled over to her and began to clamber into her lap. With a smile, Cassie patted him on the head and let him take a bite of her sandwich.

“It’s Professor Oak,” Claire corrected, unable to decide if she was more amused or miffed about Cassie getting one of her idols’ name wrong. But the other girl didn’t give her much time to dwell on it, swooping her attention with an impressive collection of stamps, most of which Claire had never ever seen.

A hint of guilt tugged at the coattails of her conscience, silently chiding her for being too quick to judge again. “That’s… cool.”

It was obvious how hard Cassie was trying to be accommodating despite her circumstances, and Claire saw a chance to make things better. Digging into her backpack, she pulled out a change of clothes and held it out to the other girl. “Here, you can change into mine first. They might not be a perfect fit, but I’m sure they’re better than what you have on,” Claire said. She didn’t want to travel with a sick companion who could delay her plans, and besides, she doubted Cassie could afford to fall sick either.

"Professor Oak!" Cassie snapped her fingers, nodding. That sounded a lot more like it, now that she thought about it. But, she didn't really keep up with science-y stuff that a lot of people did. Pokémon were cool and all, but she didn't care about the research that so many folks were interested in.

"Yeah! I've got stamps from the Cinnabar Islands, Mauville City, Goldenrod, all kinds of places. I've been all over. I want to go to Kalos and Alola some day, but that's gonna be a big trip." She said, excitedly pointing to the various stamps on her booklet.

"Huh?" Startled when the blonde handed her a bundle of clothes, Cassie blinked before smiling. "Oh, rad! Thanks! Uh, here. Just so you know I'm not gonna like, run away with your clothes..." She plunked CJ Puddles on the ground next to Claire. "You can hang with CJ Pudds while I get changed. You're not the kinda person who'd steal someone's Pokémon, I can tell. Plus, CJ, you know Ice Beam, dontcha bud?" The little Pokémon was too busy licking its own tail to answer.

“Yeah, I’m from Pallet Town.” Claire wasn’t sure how much information she should share with Cassie, considering the impression she had of the girl wasn’t getting much better. A drifter without any goals or plans didn’t seem reliable in her books.

“So why did you decide to come here? If you’re not planning on becoming a trainer, is there something else you’re working towards? It’s a pity though. You seem to have a really good Pokemon there,” Claire commented as she gestured towards Pudds. She wondered if the Mudkip was Cassie’s first Pokemon, just like Bubbles was hers.

“Anyway, I’m gonna grab some food. You coming?”

"Pallet Town? That's where that old dude who did the stuff with the PokéDex is from, right? Professor... Pine? Something?" Cassie said, squinting as she tried to remember who it was. She hadn't ever really paid much attention to all of the Pokémon professors when they'd covered it back in school.

"I wanted to see more of the world, ya know?" Pulling out her Trainer card and documents, Cassie flipped the booklet open and showed the girl the collection of stamps she had from the various ports and cities she'd travelled to. "I might not go for badges, but I collect stories, fun experiences, stuff like that." She said before tucking it back in her pocket.

“Well, that doesn’t exactly surprise me.” Claire gave the girl another once-over as she took a moment to think rationally. She had grown so used to travelling alone and she wasn’t sure if she would be comfortable having a stranger around, but there was something about the girl, or rather her adorable Mudkip that convinced Claire that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Besides, she really wanted a bike back and there seemed no other way to make sure the girl kept her promise.

“Fine, I guess you can stick around for a while. I’m Claire Williams,” she reached out to return a quick handshake before she looked up at Pudds with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Pudds,” she said before giving the Mudkip a few pats on his head.

“I’ll be in Fuchsia City for a while,” Claire added as she looked back at Cassie, “I’m gonna challenge the gym for the Soul Badge. But I don’t suppose you’ve any plans on earning any badges here, do you?”

Cassie's face broke out into a huge grin as the girl accepted her offer. Oh thank Arceus. She honestly had no idea what she was going to do if the girl-- Claire had turned her down. She probably would have had to call her dad to wire her some money, which would mean she would owe him one, which would mean she'd be stuck on the next boat back to Slateport to begin school. Groan. Nope, not happening. This worked out a lot better than that.

Claire would have found the situation amusing or even endearing if the girl in front of her hadn’t just singlehandedly destroy her bike in less than an hour. She seemed to be telling the truth and Claire really wanted to believe her, but she was still steaming mad and upset over the loss of her new bike to even try and see where the girl was coming from. 

But the appearance of the girl’s mudkip helped to soothe her anger a little. It was cute, but also distracting. Her face couldn’t help but soften when ‘Pudds’ started to sniff her, but she took a step back, knowing she had to focus on getting an answer from its owner.

“And how many of those odd jobs are you gonna have to do before you can buy me back a new bike? Are you just expecting me to wait around for your call? I don’t have time for this. And I don’t even know who you are.”

Cassie winced as the girl picked apart her offer. It was true, she didn't exactly make a lot of money off her odd jobs. Usually, she worked when she ran out of food and needed to buy groceries. But, she did feel really terrible about breaking the girl's bike. She hadn't meant to. It just kinda... happened. "Are you in a big hurry to get somewhere? I'm just wandering around Kanto, I don't really have a big "plan" on where I'm going." She said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. CJ Puddles balanced on top of her head, standing on his back legs as he batted at the blonde girl with his front paws, trying to get the girl's attention. "If you've got places to be, I could go with you. Like, pick up work in town or whatever."

Rubbing her dirty hand on the damp material of her shorts, Cassie stuck out a hand. "I'm Cassie Mitchell. And this is Christopher James Puddles." She said, pointing upwards to the Mudkip that was currently doing his biggest begging eyes at the blonde girl in the hopes of getting pats. "He's a bit of a goober who won't stay in his ball, huh???" She said loudly. True to form, CJ Pudds ignored her.

Swamp Pokes

Claire couldn’t pay full attention to the girl when her priority was to assess the damage done to her bike. When her bike responded by drawing its last breath, her jaw dropped and she rushed forward to pick up the loose strut and made a feeble attempt to fix it.

Upon hearing the girl’s voice again, she turned back with a dangerous glare, one that was similar to what she wore whenever she was challenged to a battle.

“Pay me back? How are you gonna do that with five dollars?” She asked in exasperation. “Being ‘sorry’ isn’t gonna get you out of this one. The only thing I’ll accept is a new bike,” Claire replied. Her bike had been barely a week old, and she had lost it even before she got used to the feeling of riding with the wind in her hair. If only one of her aunts was around… perhaps she might know what to do.

Cringing, Cassie held up her hands. "I know, I know. I didn't mean to wreck your bike, I really didn't." She said before cupping her head in her hands. What a day. What a fricking day. She really didn't know what else she was going to do in order to make this right. Cassie rubbed the sides of her head, wincing slightly as she did. Her elbow tapped the Pokéball on her belt and the sound of the capsule opening filled the air. The girl scrambled as her other Pokémon began to materialize next to her. CJ Puddles yawned wide, his orange gills flaring as he padded up to her and began to crawl up her arm to take his usual perch on her shoulder.

"No, no, Pudds, please go back in your ball--" Cassie gave up when the Pokémon gave her a slimy lick up the side of her head and settled around her neck. Patting the little guy, defeated, Cassie glanced up at the girl. "I don't have any money now. I make most of my cash by doing jobs for people in towns, chopping wood, running a delivery, babysitting, stuff like that." As she spoke, CJ Puddles crawled up onto her head and began to sniff at the blonde girl, his nose twitching in the air.

"I can't buy you a new bike right now, but when I have the money, it'll be the first thing I do." She said.

“What… What are you doing?” Claire stammered, watching in shock as the stranger went ahead to take her bike, completely ignoring what she had just said. “Hey, I said no!” She shouted, “Come back here, you thief!” Claire reached out, making a feeble attempt to grab the seat of her bike but it slipped easily out of her hands and she could only watch the girl speed away with a dropped jaw. 

“Unbelievable. Oh, I cannot believe this is happening to me!” She huffed to herself, drawing several stares from the passers-by. No, she couldn’t just stay here and wait like a fool. The girl might not come back at all. Securing the straps of her backpack, she started to jog and quickened into a run, heading towards the Pokemon Center of Fuchsia City where the bicycle thief was most likely to be found.

It seemed that luck was on her side (or maybe the girl was being honest after all)  and Claire easily spotted the girl standing at the entrance of the building from afar. As she sprinted to close the distance between them, she noticed the other girl had gained several more injuries and bandaids on her. “What the hell happened to y—my bike?” Claire exclaimed when she realised what was standing, or rather, lying beside the girl. “Please tell me that’s not the same bike which you just stole from me…”

Cassie blinked blearily, still a bit dazed from everything that had just happened. She was still soaking wet, bloody, and very much confused. So when a pretty blonde girl ran up to her and started yelling at her, Cassie just looked on for a moment. Then it clicked. Oh. Oh no, this was the girl who owned the bike. Shit. “Um... So. I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is my Pokemon is getting some top notch care, which is great. The, uh, bad news is, I kinda crashed your bike into an Aron. Which, it honestly shoulda moved outta the way, it was totally in the bike lane.” She said, ignoring the fact that Aron’s were some of the slowest Pokemon in existence. “And I didn’t steal it. I was going to give it back to you.”

The bike let out a groan as one of the struts collapsed and the metal shell caved in on itself. Wincing, Cassie rubbed the back of her head, hair matted and wet. “Sorry... I, uh... I can pay you back? C’mon, let’s see...” She began to rifle through her backpack for her wallet. Opening it, she pulled out a wrinkly five dollar bill, a fro-yo punch card, some car wash tokens to the place back in Hoenn, and a sticker she got the last time she popped by a clinic that had a Chansey on it with a speech bubble saying, “I’ve Got All My Shots!” Yikes. “Uhhhh. Damn. I don’t remember being that broke.” She said and squinted up at the girl. “I’m really, really sorry about your bike.”

clairefaery‌:

A few hours of cycling and battling had finally brought Claire to route 18, and one step closer to Fuchsia City where she was about to earn her next badge. Parking her bicycle to the side of the path, she allowed herself a moment to catch a breather as she looked out to the sea. The beach was crowded as always, filled with people suntanning and children playing with their water Pokémon. But a sudden commotion drew Claire’s attention to its direction, and soon she found another girl around her age standing in front of her. 

 "You wanna borrow my bike?“ Claire asked incredulously, her gaze darting from the girl’s face to her injured arm and then to the fainted pokemon she was carrying. “Uh look, I’d really like to help but I’m in a hurry to get to somewhere myself,” Claire said hesitantly. Her mother, like all the other Officer Jennys, had always warned her to be careful around strangers, especially those who sought her help. “Can’t you borrow someone else’s bike instead?”

Without paying attention to what the girl was saying, Cassie dunked R&B into the basket of her bike and grinned. “Thanks, you’re fantastic, I’ll make sure to get this back to you like, ASAP.” She said and jumped on the bicycle and began to peddle away. Her legs, strong from the months she’d spent walking and swimming across Hoenn, easily pushed against the peddles, leaving the girl in the dust.

“I promise I’ll give it back!” She shouted over her shoulder as she zipped away towards Fuchsia City. “C’mon, buddy, hang in there.” She panted while biking furiously towards the city limits. R&B let out a weak growl, his face green. Oh god, he must have been poisoned by the Cloyster’s spine. She had to get him help, like, NOW. She flew down the busy streets of Fuchsia City, going far too quickly on the bike than she should be. People and Pokemon alike skittered out of her way as she yelled at them to get out of the way.

“Make a path, c’mon, move, move, move!” Cassie yelled. There! The red roof, the Pokémon Center. She just had to--

Out of nowhere, an Aron stepped into her path. Before she could turn, the bicycle collided with the stout Steel Pokémon and she went flying over the handlebars. The front end of the bike crumpled from the impact and Cassie rolled along the sidewalk. Popping up, she let out a relieved sigh when she saw that the basket was unharmed. But... the rest of the bike definitely wasn’t. Shit.

Grabbing the broken bicycle, she limped/wheeled it the rest of the way to the Pokémon Center,  The automatic doors slid open and Cassie scooped R&B out of the basket before ditching the bike in the lobby. “I need help! My  Pokémon’s been poisoned, he needs help!” She said. Nurse Joy ran up to her, staring at her.

“We’ll take it from here. But, you need to get some help yourself. Also, can you please take your... bike out of the lobby?” She said, pointing to the heap of twisted metal. Cassie grimaced. Fuck...

She dragged the bike outside and propped it up against the bike rack, before digging around in her backpack for her own first aid supplies. With a sigh, Cassie began to stick pink Glameow-themed bandaids on the various cuts she’d received across her arms and head. Rubbing her eyes, she leaned against the side of the building and let out a long sigh. Jeez. What a day.