Journey Through Createa

Luke called out as her behind hit the floor. She tried to sit up and assess the damage, but found herself trapped in a cocoon of blankets. She struggled free and sat up, looking around herself groggily. She was vaguely aware of a strange noise coming from the corner.

Where am I? She wondered. The room seemed unfamiliar. Then the day before hit her like a ton of bricks and she fell backwards onto the floor.

Ember was laughing, at least Luke assumed that was laughing, at her. Luke struggled to free her feet from the remainders of the blanket cocoon and stood up. Luke caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the wall opposite her, and joined Ember in laughter.

Luke brushed through her hair, which had resembled an enthusiastic fire, and washed off her face. Excitement rushed through her every time she thought about the day ahead of her. She could hardly wait.

The group assembled just after dawn, each member holding their respective packs and buzzing with a nervous energy. They glanced at each other, both surprised and amused that they had all gotten there earlier then planned.

"I guess there's no point in waiting around," Robert said with a smile. He pushed his glasses further up his nose. "We should be able to make the trip in one day if we don't take many breaks." He pulled out a map from his bag. "We should just head East from here and it'll be a straight shot."

"Sounds great," Fae said with a smile, grabbing Michael's hand and pulling it to her. "It's been a long time since I've been out of Peacove. Maybe we'll even try the gym boss." She wasn't sure that Jello could handle a gym leader on its own, but she was hoping to catch some new friends on their way to the city.

Robert moved closer to Luke.
"Are you ready?" he asked with an awkward smile.

Luke smiled and rubbed her eye groggily. She still wasn't entirely awake but she was just so anxious to go on this adventure. Behind her, Ember ran in circles. One would get the impression that he was chasing his tail, except that he didn't have one. It was adorable.

As Fae took Michael's hand, Luke couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She wondered to herself if it would be awkward for her and Robert to be around a couple for the whole trip. They were nice, and Luke really liked them, but she felt slightly uncomfortable.

When Fae mentioned facing the gym leader, Luke perked up a bit. Ember even stopped chasing his rump and looked at the group. "Oh, that'll be wonderful," Luke smiled. "It'll be fun to have a challenge."

Luke smiled as Robert leaned in closer to her. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, she hooked her arm around his elbow and smiled. "Of course I'm ready! Let's get going!"

Robert blushed ferociously as Luke wrapped her arms around his. He was definitely unaccustomed to physical contact like this. He didn't pull away though; it felt kind of good.

Fae and Michael led the way with Robert and Luke following close behind. The forest was alive with the sounds of its inhabitants. Fae shivered with excitement. There weren't too many rare pokemon here, but she loved knowing that there were so many around. She kept her eye open for any that she might want to catch. She knew that she wanted a balanced team. She had seen a remarkable amount of trainers choose one type and stick to it, a concept she never understood. She wanted her team to be able to work together and compensate for each others weaknesses.

Michael was less picky. Each one that they passed he jumped at the opportunity to catch. Fae held him back for the most part, knowing that he would regret it if he used all of his pokeballs up on this short trip. It wasn't long though before he felt like he had to stop.

"Sorry guys, I really want to catch a Pidgey!" he exclaimed at last. "Would you all mind waiting on me?"

Robert nodded; it would give him an opportunity to talk to Luke some. He turned towards her and carefully untangled their arms.

"So," he said, pushing up his glasses nervously, "are you looking for any specific pokemon?"

"I suppose I'd kind of like to catch a Pidgey as well," Luke replied. "Their evolutions are pretty awesome. I think I'll wait, though. I don't really want Michael to feel like I'm copying him. Also, as it stands, I don't know how Ember would react to me having another pokemon. He's pretty possessive of me."

Even as Luke was saying this, Ember was perched on her head. Every time a wild pokemon started to come near them, he let out a menacing growl. He was afraid that another pokemon would force Luke to spend less time with him.

"What about you?" Luke inquired, taking Ember down off of her head. "Are there any pokemon you'd like?" She softly stroked the top of Ember's head.

A clap of thunder roared in the not-too-far distance. A drop of rain fell right onto Robert's glasses. Luke looked around, worried. "I hope it doesn't storm now," She said. "Ember hates getting wet."

Michael's battle with the Pidgey didn't last long. Conleth was able to make quick work of his opponent with a few well-placed embers. Michael hated this part of catching pokemon, but he would make up for it later. A swift throw of his pokeball ensured the little bird would be his. He picked up the ball and placed it in his bag.

"Don't worry, little buddy," he said to his new friend, "I'll heal you up as soon as we hit the city."

Fae only watched with a small smile of amusement on her lips. Michael could be just too cute at times. She drapped herself over his shoulders when the battle was over.

"Looks like it's going to rain soon," she commented, making a face. "We should probably find some shelter. We're too far out to go back to Peacove now."

Robert sighed. The battle had not lasted as long as he had predicted.

"I have a few that I'm wanting," he admitted in response to Luke's question. "There is one in particular I've heard of that can alter it's shape according to the weather. I'm hoping to get one of them, sometime." He wiped the water drop off of his glasses and pulled a map out of his bag.

"It looks like there is a river just to our east that supports several small caves. We might be able to claim one of those until the rain passes."

"That would probably be best." Luke looked up towards the sky. "It looks like the clouds are rolling in pretty fast." She tucked Ember snugly in her arms to try to keep him dry.

The group set off and soon reached the caves quickly. Just as they arrived, the rain started pouring down. Ember jumped out of Luke's arms and ran for the nearest cave. Luke followed in quick pursuit and soon everyone was inside.

Luke sighed. "Does anyone have a flashlight or something? It's really dark in here." She shook her head a little, trying to get some of the water out of her hair. Meanwhile, Ember sat down near the entrance.

"Strange little thing," Luke muttered. "He hates getting wet but he loves to watch it rain." Ember looked back at her, made a small noise, and crawled over onto her foot.

Robert laughed at Ember's little habit. Cookie floated over next to the fire pokemon and laid down. Robert smiled. He was glad that the two pokemon seemed to get along so well. Perhaps it was a sign that their owners' could do the same. He pulled a heavy-duty flashlight out of his bag and set it up on the floor of the cave.

"Man, you've got everything in that bag!" Michael exclaimed, plopping himself down on the ground. Fae curled up next to him and laid her head on his lap.

"Wake me up when it's over, okay?" she said with a yawn. Michael stroked her hair gently and nodded.

"It's always best to be prepared, right?" Robert replied, a bit defensively. His face turned red and he looked away. It always bothered him when they did little lovey-dovey things like that. It was cute and all, he supposed, but it made him feel a little uncomfortable. He took a cue from them though and sat down on the ground to ride out the storm. He smiled as Luke took a seat next to him. They sat in silence for a moment, just watching the rain.

"So," he said, scratching his head, "what are your plans after this? I mean, it'll be nice to visit Peachpit and all, but we'll have to go back eventually, right?"

Luke smiled as Robert pulled out his flashlight. She would hate to have anyone find out, but she really didn't like the dark. It wasn't that she was afraid of it, so much as it was that she was afraid of the things in it. She wouldn't dare say it, but Luke was really grateful that Robert was perhaps a bit over-prepared.

Luke noticed Robert's face redden as Fae laid her head down. So it made him uncomfortable as well. Luke wondered for a moment if he would object to her putting her head on his shoulder, but she quickly dismissed the thought. She still didn't know for sure where they stood with their relationship. They had been much more flirty and open online. It was difficult to interact in person.

"I don't know," Luke looked over at Robert as she answered his question. "I've never been one to confine myself to a small place. Let's face it, Peacove is a small place. I don't think there's room there for someone like me. I'd like it if you could come with me." She blushed and looked at the ground. "I know it's a lot to ask, but it's really nice to have a friend around." She looked up at Michael. "Of course, I wouldn't ask you and Fae to. I mean, it's not that you wouldn't be welcomed, I'd just hate to ask you to leave your families and such. I mean, I hardly know you."

"Peacoves a nice town," Robert replied slowly, "but I wouldn't mind leaving it. For a while, at least. most kids our age have gone out on their own by this point. I would love the opportunity to study more pokemon out in the field like Oak used to do." He paused for a moment, clearly thinking over every detail of both options. "Okay, I'd like to go with you. For, um, company. You know."

The blush was beginning to return to Robert's cheeks as he trailed off. Michael couldn't help but smile. He remembered the awkward time before he had confessed his attraction to Fae. Now he could hardly imagine not being with her.

"On my part," he joined in, "I'll go wherever Fae goes. She's been itching for an adventure for years, but we never actually made anything of the plans. If she got wind of this, I'm sure she'd jump on it. If you want us along, that is," he added slyly.

"Why wouldn't we?" Robert grumbled, digging in his pack. "Here, for your new bird." He tossed a potion over to Michael who grabbed it with a nod of thanks. Robert recounted his supplies as Michael called out his Pidgey, whom he was calling Fletch. He had five potions left and one of each kind of status healer. He hoped it would be enough to get them to Peachpit.

Luke perked up immediately. "You two would be more than welcome to come along," she smiled. This was more than she had dared to hope for. She hadn't even been sure if Robert would come along.

Luke peaked over Robert's shoulder as he rummaged through his bag. Man, he had everything in there! She glanced over at her own. She had brought a few matches, some food, a few pokeballs and a couple of healing potions. She would need to stock up when they reached Peachpit.

Ember rolled over onto his back and looked at the pokemon called Cookie. Playfully, he swiped one paw at its stomach. He then started jumping around, as if daring Cookie to retaliate.

Glancing over at her pokemon, Luke couldn't help but giggle. She knew he still had some growing up to do, but, for the time being, she liked how rowdy he was. She looked over at Robert. A small blush rose to her cheeks as she thought of all the days and nights they'd be spending together. She could hardly contain her excitement.

Cookie wasn't sure how to react to the playful teasing. It floated up in the air and circled around the little fire pokemon, who ran in circles underneath it. A cooing noise came from the virtual pokemon as it did a flip in the air and settled back down next to Ember. Intrigued, Conleth and Jello inched over towards where the other two were playing.

Fae began to stir and looked up with a bleary expression at Michael.

"It's still raining?" she mumbled. Michael responded with a nod as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes. "I hope it doesn't rain all day. I don't want to spend overnight in this cave." She stretched her arms. "Well, I'm going to do some fishing to pass the time," she declared. She walked over to the back of the cave where a small pond sat. "I bet this feeds in to the river. Let's see if there's any pokemon in it." She took out some line from her pack and tied it on to a short stick. She didn't have any real bait with her, so she tied on a bit of dried meat to the end of the string.

"I've got extra line, if anyone wants to join me."

"No thanks," Robert replied. He was still working hard to organize his supplies. He wanted to make sure that he knew exactly where everything was if they needed it.

Michael shook his head to decline as well. He smiled happily at the tiny bird pokemon that was perched on his knee. Fletch looked a lot happier after the potion, but he was still a little weary of his new trainer.

"It'll be alright," Michael whispered soothingly, "we'll be good friends. You'll see."

The Pidgey spread his wings and chirped in agreement.

Ember pounced at Cookie but missed by a few inches. He then sat down next to his friend, switching his rump back and forth. It really seemed like he thought that he had a tail.

Luke tried not to giggle as Robert organized his pack. He was definitely a nerdy kind of cute. Still, she wondered why he didn't already have it organized. It seemed like something he would have done before they left. Heck, maybe he did.

Luke jumped up when Fae mentioned having an extra line. "I'd love to fish with you!" She ran over to where Fae was and pulled out a little meat of her own. "I'm going to need a water pokemon." She had just the one in mind, but it was embarrassing to say out loud.

Ember perked up as he saw Luke going to fish. No! If she got another pokemon, where would that leave him? He laid down and began to feel very sad for himself. He didn't want her attention to be divided.

Robert watched as Luke got up to fish. She was definitely something special. He smiled to himself as he put his pack down on the earth beside him. He crossed his hands behind his head and watched to two crouching figures with interest. After a time he decided to join them.

"If you have any more line," he said as he sat down next to Luke, "I wouldn't mind doing a little fishing after all. There's not a lot better to do until the storm fizzles out."

Fae nodded. "I brought a whole bunch, so we should be fine." She unspooled a bit more and handed it to him. As she did, her own line began jerking. Excited, she pulled sharply on the line and propelled the pokemon out of the water. It splashed around on the floor of the cave and Fae groaned. It was not exactly the glorious water pokemon she had hoped for.

"Carp."

"Crap," Fae responded. She moved to toss the useless pokemon back into the pond.

Luke could have sworn that her grin reached both her ears as Robert sat down next to her. She couldn't help but wonder if he decided to fish because she was fishing. No, it couldn't be that. If he said it was because it was the best thing to do, then that must be the reason. Still, she couldn't help but blush at the mere thought of him coming over here just to be near her.

"NOWAITDON'T!" Luke yelled extremely loud as Fae began to toss the Magicarp back in the pond. Her cry echoed off the walls and she sound found that she had gotten to her feet. "It's just that..." She blushed and played with her hair a little. "Well, I've been wanting to catch one of those. If I can be patient enough, I'll have myself one fantastic pokemon. Also," she admitted, "they're kind of cute, in a strange way. Sort of... derpy."

Ember ran over as quick as he could. All he had to do was knock it out before she could pull out a pokeball. She'd be angry, but she'd get over it. He couldn't let her catch that useless little Magicarp. It would require a lot of attention to train that thing to become what she wanted it to. Ember wasn't ready to say goodbye to his throne in Luke's heart.

Robert jumped a foot in the air as Luke let out a sudden yell. He straightened his glasses that had slipped down his nose and watched what was unfolding with mild bemusement. It was so cute how she got so excited over things. He would never have imagined that she had been looking for that common fish, but he thought it was great that she was so dedicated to training her pokemon. Magicarp were notoriously frustrating to train, which is why so few people could master their evolved form.

Fae blinked in surprise but didn't toss the pokemon back.

"No problem, you can have it. I don't have the patience for it." She laughed. "You probably won't even have to battle it first."

Conleth saw Ember rushing towards the helpless fish. It was clear what he planned on doing. Conleth could understand; he had been worried when Michael had caught Fletch earlier. All the same, it was not a pokemon's place to go against their trainer's wishes. He jumped in front of Ember, blocking its path. He spread both of his short arms as wide as he could and shook his head. Ember would get used to sharing Luke. Her love for him wouldn't change a bit just because she was training other pokemon. Ember would just have to learn that.

Michael watched his pokemon with confusion. It was strange to see pokemon interacting; it was almost like they were talking to each other. There didn't seem to be any aggression in their motions, so he didn't worry about it.

"Thank you," Luke smiled weakly. "I know it's a tough challenge to take on, but..." She pulled out a pokeball. "I like a challenge." She threw the pokeball and soon after the Magicarp was hers. "I think I'll name her... Ryu."

Ember laid down in defeat. He understood what Conleth was getting at. If Luke wanted another pokemon, it was her decision. Ember looked up at Conleth gratefully. Luke would have been really angry if he'd lost her that opportunity.

"Ember!" Luke called out. "Come over here." Ember perked up, nodded at Conleth, and went around. He sat down loyally at Luke's feet. She knelt down and petted him. "You're a good boy. Do you want to meet your new friend?" Ember nodded enthusiastically. Luke let Ryu out of her ball and Ember sniffed her. He let out a happy sort of growl and sat down beside the awkward fish.

"There," Luke smiled. "I knew he could behave himself." She looked over at Robert. "Suddenly I'm not so sure. Do you think I can handle this?" Her brow furrowed in a worried expression. She was a new trainer, after all. She knew that she may be biting off more than she could chew.

His job done, Conleth trotted over to Michael and laid down next to him. He stared up at the bird pokemon and snorted lazily. He supposed that it was alright. Fletch hopped over and perched on the charmander's head. Conleth rolled his eyes up into the back of his head trying to get a look at him, but quickly discovered that it was futile. He sighed and closed his eyes as Fletch chortled happily.

Michael smiled as he watched his two pokemon. He had been worried that there would be some tension between them, but they seemed to be getting along fine. He took one finger and rubbed Fletch's chest feathers. This trip was already worth the effort, even if they were stuck in this cave for a while. He returned his attention to Fae, who had returned her make-shift rod to the water. She was staring intently into the pool, clearly hoping that her next pokemon would be a little more exciting than an Magikarp.

Robert put his hand on Luke's shoulder.

"You'll do a fantastic job. Magikarp are frustrating, but I have no doubt that you can do it if you put your mind to it. Just don't give up, and I'm sure you two will be great friends."

As he finished talking, his own line began to shudder. He tensed up, excited and suddenly nervous.

"Oh man, what do I do now?" he pondered out loud. "I don't want to lose it!"

Luke smiled at Robert's encouragement. She tried not to laugh as he struggled with what to do over his line. Taking action, she grabbed the pole for him and tugged back forcefully. As a result, Luke fell onto Robert and a strange pokemon was catapulted over them. Luke rolled off of Robert and stood up. "Rule number one of fishing: be decisive." She stuck her tongue out at him as she offered a hand to help him up.

"That's a Barboach, isn't it?" She asked. "Is that what you were hoping for?" She glanced over at Robert.

Outside, the rain was letting down and the thunder was distant. "Looks like we can head on to Peachpit soon." Luke smiled. No more dark cave. "We'd better hurry to get out of here. It won't be too long before it gets dark."

Ember was laying down on top of Ryu. The fish pokemon was strange and scaly, but it made a comfortable bed. There was no protest from Ryu. Ember decided that he liked her.

Robert froze as Luke grabbed hold of his line. He could feel the warmth of her body next to him. It was. . . distracting. He let out a yell as she fell backwards sending them both to the ground. The breath was knocked out of him and all of his blood rushed to his face once again. That was beginning to become an irritating habit of his. He took Luke's hand and stood up. He looked over at the little white and blue pokemon that flopped next to him.

"I'll be honest, I wasn't looking for any specific pokemon. I like it, though." He smiled and tossed a pokeball. The Barboach struggled in the ball and broke out. Robert sighed. He had been hoping to take it without a fight.

"Cookie, a little help?"

The Porygon levitated over and assisted with a tackle. Robert tried the ball again, this time with success. He smiled and picked up the now-full ball. He went over what he knew of Barboach in his head.

"Water, ground pokemon," he muttered mostly to himself, "capable of learning certain psychic moves as well. Evolves into Whiscash with training." He smiled. Definitely a good catch. "I guess we can head out then, if the rain's stopping."

"Aw!" Fae said, pouting. "I was hoping to get one too." She sighed. "I guess it'll have to wait. I do want to get moving."

Luke was glad that Robert seemed happy with his catch. "Are you going to name it?" She inquired as she returned Ryu to her pokeball. She picked up her bag and Robert's bag, handing it to him with a smile.

The group set out again, Michael and Fae were walking in front and Robert and Luke were walking behind them. Luke was painfully aware of how close they were due to the narrowness of the path. Their hands kept brushing against each other and the contact sent electricity through her. "So about how much longer do you think it'll be before we get there?"

Meanwhile, Ember frolicked along behind the group, smelling flowers and rolling in the dirt. He loved the feeling of the world after a good rain. Luke glanced back at him and giggled a little. He was such a sweetheart.

"I think I'll name her Charm," Robert replied. He thanked Luke for getting his bag and slung it over his shoulders. They walked along in silence for a while. Robert was amused watching Ember play in the damp grass. He was really something else. As they walked along, Robert felt something rising inside of him. It was something that he knew he would have to get off his chest before too long. It was delayed however, as Luke started up a conversation.

"Well, it's normally a two day walk," he responded, "but we were delayed a bit by the rain. I would expect us to have to camp an extra night as a result." He cleared his throat. "I, um, I have something that I have to tell you. I've liked you a lot ever since we started chatting online and, uh, it's just gotten stronger since I met you in Peacove. What I'm trying to say is, I have feelings for you." He scratched his head, blushing. "And I, um, I hope that you feel something too. That's all." He held his breath, waiting for her response.

Fae was wrapped around Michael's arm, as usual, and still pouting slightly. She was supposed to be the senior trainer here, but she was the only one that hadn't been able to capture one yet. Michael could feel her frustration coming off of her in waves. He patted her hand with his free one.

"Don't worry, Babe. You'll catch one here soon. We've still got a long journey ahead of us." A thought came to him. "I'm not sure if you heard us back in the cave, but Luke is wanting to continue our journey after we reach Peachpit. I'm not sure how far she's wanting to go, but it should give you the opportunity to face plenty of gym leaders.

Fae's frown transformed into a grin.

"That'll be awesome! I've been wanting to travel farther for forever!" She jumped up and gave Michael a kiss. "You always know how to make me feel better."

Caught off guard by Robert's sudden confession, Luke wasn't sure what to do. Of course she felt the same way, but she hadn't expected him to confess so soon. Realizing she was blushing, Luke turned her face away. She was sure that it resembled a tomato by now. She wanted to say something, but her voice was frozen in her throat.

Luke looked back over at him and realized he was holding his breath. She also noticed that she was holding her own breath. So, as a response, Luke reached out and grabbed his hand. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute.

Ember noticed Luke and Robert holding hands, and let out a happy chirp. He climbed up Robert's back and sat on his head. He looked over at Luke and closed his eyes happily to show his approval. He then curled up and began to take a nap in Robert's hair.

Luke's voice thawed out and she smiled sheepishly. "I think Ember's as happy as I am." She brushed her hair out of her eyes and the bright red blush on her cheeks dimmed to a rosy pink.

Robert felt like each second was lasting a year as he waited for Luke to respond. His face split into a grin as her hand grabbed his. He gave it a small squeeze, unbelievably happy that she seemed to feel the same way. He gasped a bit as Ember climbed up onto his head. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt more content. He almost didn't notice when the couple in front of them stopped walking.

"What's going on, Fae?" Michael asked. She had suddenly stopped walking. She tilted her head to one side.

"I hear something," she responded quietly. "Wait here, I want to check it out."

Michael opened his mouth to argue but Fae was already wading into the underbrush off of the path. He sighed. There was nothing to do when she got like this except to do what she said.

"I guess we'll be waiting here, guys," he informed Robert and Luke.

Fae listened carefully. There. She kept hearing a strange high pitched sound, almost like music. She climbed through the dense brush towards the source of the strange sound. She traveled for a few minutes before reaching a large clearing. In the center of the clearing was an ancient tree. She couldn't see the top of it from where she stood. At the base of the tree leaned a solitary Nuzleaf blowing on a leaf. The music seemed to be coming from him. She looked around, surprised to find a Nuzleaf by itself. It noticed her presence and started. It moved to run away, but something was wrong with its leg. It let out a cry and before she knew it she was surrounded by Nuzleaf. She froze, afraid that a wrong move would bring on an attack.

"It's okay," she said in a small voice. "I won't hurt your friend. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Luke was more than happy to take a break from walking. She sat down on the grass at the side of the path, pulling Robert down beside her. "I wonder what Fae heard," she commented. "Did you manage to talk to her about travelling yet?" She asked Michael.

Ember jumped off of Robert's head as Luke pulled him to the ground. He yawned and stretched as he tried to wake himself up. Deciding it was best to go back to sleep, he crawled into Luke's lap and curled into a ball.

Luke put her head on Robert's shoulder and sighed. Between him and Ember, she couldn't have been much happier. She allowed herself to close her eyes. She hoped that this little break in the walk would last a while. She wanted to stay like this forever.