Snippet #2717407

Pitch was also quite comfortable at the place on the dock they were sitting. There was no sunrise or sunset; it was much too middle of the day for one. But Pitch could easily take gratitude in this view he head. The ocean was a crisp blue, the small waves lapping gently against the side of the dock. The clouds in the air were puffy and white. Pitch suspected they would gather on each end and spread weather conditions throughout the region, barring Nimbasa City of course. The tall buildings in the way were partially the reason the entertainment hub of Ruula was so lacking in precipitation. He was glad to be here.

And for once, he was glad to be here with someone for company.

This girl wasn't perfect. Though in Pitch's opinion, no human was. However, she seemed to latch to his company quite well and he did the same. They weren't friends, but they established themselves as acquaintances. Sophie didn't seem to completely emotionally unhinged anymore, so the Eevee found solace in staying by her side. The sun was shining. The air was quite hot with the pavement all around them, but the salty sea breeze kept things from being too stifling, like he was used to. It was pleasant where he was...

He probably would've fallen asleep had he not heard the call, "Sophie!"

Pitch perked his ears up and followed the girl's gaze to a redhead in a lab coat fast approaching. She kind of ran in a slight uncoordinated manner, giving her an almost silly first impression. But the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight and her almost cheery complexion was enough to give him a slight feeling of safe company. It was further solidified by the shaky reply from Sophie's end, "S-Skyva?"

He scooted to the side and let the young girl make amends with the older girl. He kept an active ear on the conversation while he waited on his ride to show up. He held a watchful gaze at the ocean, eyes on the boat. It was now very big and very visible from his perspective, steadfastly approaching the slot in the harbor. Very soon, it would be pulling into the slot into the harbor and he could just leave. To where, he didn't know...

"Now you!"

"Huh?" Pitch peeked over his own back to see the redhead named Skyva staring at him. He was surprised to see the sudden shift in tone, given how softly he had been talking to Sophie. What was more concerning was how accusatory it sounded...and that it was directed at him. He pulled himself to his feet and began backing away slowly, ears folding behind his head as worry crossed through his eyes as well as his mind.

"N-no..." he shook his head, answering her question. He would've sounded young to the PokeSpeak trained ear...probably around the age of a seven or eight year old human.

---

Chinnyville was as blossoming a Pokemon community as there ever would be next to a human civilization. It wasn't too far from anything. Not the desert nor the sea nor the urban locales of Castelia City and the Desert Resort. It was a perfect conjunction of many different wildings to pass through unabated, gathering supplies and seeking refuge. However, there were only two different Pokemon that were most seen in Chinnyville: the Minccino and the Cinccino.

There were a good fifty of them in total, running the small markets and tiny hotels and massive beautification parlors that made up the crossroads of Chinnyville. Two dirt streets they occupied and called home with the rest of the wilderness around them to explore. They weren't exclusive to this area, but they definitely were majority. Occasionally, a Sandile or Scrafty would come trotting through here, looking to find some food or seeds or fancy trinkets to help them fend off trainers, which they were more than happy to trade for. After all, how could you say no to such an elegant Pokemon?

In the center of the street, a young-looking Minccino was looking around, paw on his forehead so as to pretend to shield the sun and emphasize his searching. Finally, he called out, "I don't see Meena!"

"Where is that little Minny at?" an older looking female Cinccino asked herself as she glanced around the surrounding forest. Minny was a slang term used to describe a Minccino, just like how they called a Scrafty "Scrapper" and a Darumaka "Daru". Cinccino liked to have pet names for other species of Pokemon. It was simpler to say things that way. And in the case of chatterboxes, which most Minccino and Cinccino were, that was everything.

"Can you go fetch your sister?" the older Cinccino asked the younger boy, "I need her help with bringing these apples out to the market."

"Okay. mom!" the boy shouted gleefully as he ran down the street. Mom was shaking her head, smiling at his innocence. He was the last younger child she had left and wanted to hold onto that as long as she could. At times, she would purposefully coddle him, preparing his food in bite sizes and tucking him into bed at night. And making his sister do some of the harder work so Nikolai didn't have to...like lug a bunch of apples down the street to their market. Meena would complain sometimes, but she would wave her off by saying he was too young to do certain chores. The truth was, she didn't want him to grow up...not yet. Besides, she already had a son out exploring the world. Why rush?

Humming, she went back inside her home and began preparing the apples once more, which included washing them and placing them in a bucket they'd found near the outskirts of Castelia City. She didn't know what it's original purpose was or why it had been throw out, but it worked fine in her hands. Anything the humans didn't want, she was glad to take up and refurbish to her own design. It was how she managed to run her shop as efficiently as she had.

She was drying her paws with a worn towel when he heard the door squeak open. "Mom! Guess who I found?!"

Chuckling at her son's playful demeanor in his voice, she turned around, "Good job, Nikolai. Meena, I want you to- OH!" she gasped in shock at the form that occupied the doorframe. His shoddy and slightly messy fur made him nearly unrecognizable, but a mother never forgot their own son. Not with that twinge of familiarity in his eye. Not with that awkwardly straight stance he held around her. He may have evolved into a Chinny, but there was no mistaking who this was. And she knew that something was wrong with him.

"Hi Mom," Liam replied softly.