Aki's POV:
"Hey Aki your face?"
"You got scratches by Sprigatito? Haha haha."
"Look at you. You got more bandages than me."
Well, this is ....
Argh!!!!! Sprigatito!!!
It's too embarrassing.
I was wearing a mask in the school but the bandage on my forehead was clearly visible. If they asked me about it, I could have said that I got a fever and I just had hurt myself on door. But.....
Marlon told them everything!
Marlon!!!!!
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Kathy's POV:
It looked like everyone had trouble getting along with their partners. Some students had fights with their partners. It even looked like some students got scratched by their partners or by their friend's partner.
I sighed. I am the same too.
My partner Snivy is not particularly interested in anything. She is mostly inside her pokeball and appears only when she is hungry. I try to get a long with it but it doesn't works.
If only I knew it's likes and dislikes I could have.
Asking others to help?
I could not ask for help as these people themselves seemed to have trouble getting along with their partners. I had no friends in particular as I didn't approached anyone in class.
I had only talked to Sia and Mona out of all the girls. But even they had troubles with their partners. Well from boys?
Let's not talk about it.
I must seek the teacher's help. I had asked Miss Briar beforehand that I had something to talk about. I took this opportunity of lunch break to ask her my doubts.
I found her in the staff room. I asked permission to enter.
"Come in."
"Miss Briar, I want your advice."
"Yes dear."
Miss Briar closed the book she was reading and looked towards me waiting for me to speak.
"It's about my Pokemon. My partner is always in her pokeball. She only appears for the meals. There is almost no progress at all."
Miss Briar listened to my queries. She paused a brief moment.
"It's just five days since you got your first Pokemon. It may take time to get along with your partner. Sometimes it do take a month or so to make your Pokemon comfortable around you."
"But there is tournament in two days."
"It's fine. You should not worry about that. There would be more opportunities later on. This school does focus more on Pokemon battles but that doesn't mean that you should force yourself into the battle. I even gave you a week time so that you would get along."
"But I-"
"Kathy, I think you should give Snivy some time. Listening to Pokemon trainers is a new thing for her. Snivy never had a trainer before. She would take time to understand new things around her."
Miss Briar gave a small smile.
"You will get along with her soon."
"Thank you Miss."
I left the staff room. There was nothing left to talk. The lunch break had long time to end. I took a walk to cafeteria alone.
I took my lunch set and sat on a chair near an empty table. I was about to eat my lunch that my eyes met with someone who was about to sit before me.
The person was wearing a black mask and had a bandage on his head. He put his lunch set on the table while his partner hoped from his shoulder to the table. His partner gave a happy cry.
"Is it okay if I sit here?"
"Sure you can."
"Thanks. The other seats were already filled and Marlon is kinda scared of Sprigatito so I thought it won't be good to trouble him again."
"No problem."
The boy before me was Aki. His Sprigatito had scratched the faces of two boys in class namely him and Marlon. He took out his mask. I took out my pokeball remembering that my partner must be hungry.
"Come out Snivy. It's lunch time."
Snivy hoped out of the pokeball. I put her lunch plate before her. Snivy and Sprigatito seemed to say something in their language.
"Bon appetite"
"Bon appetite"
We said it in synchrony. Our Pokemons had already began their lunch so we started our own too.
"So Aki, do you get along with Sprigatito?"
Why would I ask a question so obvious? He doesn't really.
"Yeah we do."
I looked at him in disbelief. Is he trying to fool me? He clearly got that scratch from his Pokemon. He isn't really getting along with her.
"We do get along. She gets angry quickly and she is little stubborn but mostly she is quite cheerful as she is now."
Sprigatito got angry at the initial but after Aki finished she calmed down and got cheerful back again.
Maybe they do get along.
"You must be getting along with Snivy right?"
His question was directed to me.
"Yeah we do."
I glanced at Snivy who was eating her lunch. She was quite far from me.
Shall I ask him for advice?
"Oh is that so?"
No I shouldn't.
"You are alright?"
"Huh?"
"I thought you had something going on in your mind. Even when you left the class, you looked like that so-"
He stopped.
"I wasn't staring at you! Sorry."
Idiot.
"Actually I do have a problem. I haven't made a progress since the day one. Snivy and I are still complete strangers."
I decided to tell him. I thought he could give me some advice.
"Oh. I will try to help you get along! I think Sprigatito will help us to get you friends with Snivy."
Sprigatito nodded at Aki's word and gave a cry. Snivy didn't looked interested and continued eating her food.
"Thanks, I will appreciate your help."
"Do you know what kind of food Snivy likes?"
"Uh no I don't. She has Serious nature. It's hard to guess by that"
"Oh yeah. Her likes are hard to guess then."
"I had already tried to give her food baits to become friends but none of them really worked."
"You must be having tournament in your mind. Forcing Snivy just for winning is not good. It will worsen your relationship. You should not approach her with those thoughts."
Am I approaching Snivy because I want to win?
"You were not having it as your original intention but as you could not progress at all. It must have come over your mind. Snivy had sensed it and tried to distance with you."
Maybe I was thinking that. I originally did not really had that thought but I got selfish. She didn't liked my selfish approach so she kept distance with me.
"It must be so."
"You must try becoming friends now. It's out of pokeball. Open your heart out maybe it would work."
I had tried that before but it didn't helped too. But this time it would be through different approach. It won't be selfish one.
"Snivy"
Snivy stopped eating her lunch. She was waiting for me to complete my statement. It was first time she did so, she used to ignore me if I was alone.
"Snivy, let's become friends-"
I was about to cry but Snivy stopped me by her vines. She had her usual serious look but it somehow was apologetic. She brought her vine close to me left hand. Wrapping my little finger.
"Snivy..."
"Sni. Vy." She responded. I could finally be friends with her.
"Snivy must have seen how much you want to be her friend. She is inside your pokeball but she listens everything."
"Snivy. Sni." Snivy responded. Her sharpness of eyes lessened. I hugged her.
I finally got her as my friend. I was happy. My eyes couldn't hold tears longer. I cried my heart to her.
"Sorry, I was.. selfish... Sorry Snivy."
"Snivy. Sni."
"Nya~"
"Ah Sprigatito. Here."
After hugging Snivy, I looked at Aki with my teary eyes. He was patting the head of his Pokemon.
"Thank you Aki."
"Oh you should not thank me. I did really nothing. It was Sprigatito who told Snivy about your feelings."
"Oh."
I asked my partner who nodded.
"Thank you Sprigatito!"
"Nya~"
Sprigatito came closer to me.
"If you want to thank her. Give her a head-pat. That's how you say thanks to her."
"Nya~"
I stroked her head. She gave a cry.
"Thank you Sprigatito! Thank you Aki!"
"Hehe. I told don't thank me. I am your friend after all."
A friend? Yeah
"Let's get along well, Aki."
I smiled looking at his face. He helped me to get my partner friendly towards me.
"Uh... Sure..."
I got finally my first partner and I got a friend....
.
.
.
.
.
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Author's note:-
Hello everyone,
This chapter was focused on Kathy and Snivy.
Next chapter will be the main event of the introduction arc. That is the beginning of the tournament. There would be lot of battles coming up.
Thank you.