Only when Selena's legs began to sore did she finally stop, choosing a small patch of grass to set up camp. She pulled out the sleeping bag and laid it on the grass, placing the backpack near the top to use as a pillow if she needed it. When she was finally done, her small camp site set up with a circle of rocks around her, she sat down on top of the sleeping bag, calling Turtwig over to come rest by her.
"We did well today, buddy," she said, rubbing her hand along the roof of the Turtwig's head. "Do you think it's about time to meet our new friend?" The tiny leaf Pokemon gave a nod, a smile beaming on its face.
Selena returned the smile before taking the Ralt's Pokeball from her jacket pocket and enlarging it. Selena cast it a glance. "Okay, little buddy, it's time to meet you." She tossed it up lightly before it opened in a flash of bright white light. Slowly, the light disappeared, leaving in front of Selena a tiny Ralts, covered in dirt and grass stains. It gave a small shake of its head before it turned to look up at Selena and Turtwig.
"Ralts!" it gave a large squeal of surprise and it jumped back, mouth agape.
"Whoa, calm down," Selena said, raising her hands lightly, palms facing the scared Pokemon. "It's alright, we're not going to hurt you." Selena wanted to coax the Psychic
Pokemon. She knew that she took the Ralts from its family, if it had a family, and she had her Pokemon attack it. She knew it was in an unfamiliar area with unfamiliar scary creatures trying to get it to calm down.
The Ralt's lip quivered and it whined lightly.
"Turt, Turtwig, Turtwig," Selena's trusted grass Pokemon stepped forward and started to talk with the little Psychic Pokemon, trying to explain what had happened. The Ralts bit back with its own words.
"Listen Ralts," Selena began and the Psychic Pokemon turned to her, an upset expression across its face. "If you really don't want to be with us, we can walk back to where we battled and found you and release you. I don't mind. If that makes you happy, we can do that," The Ralts stared at Selena for a few moments, transfixed by her words. It looked at Turtwig for a minute before back at Selena. It was unsure.
"Okay, how about this: you spend the night with us, and in the morning, if you still want to leave, we'll bring you back and release you. Does that sound fair?" Selena asked, and the Ralts slowly nodded. "Great, then how about we all get some rest."
As Selena got comfortable in her sleeping bag, Turtwig nestled by her side, while the newly caught Ralts sat by the rock border. It wasn't ready to fall asleep just yet. It needed to make its decision. Did it want to go back and join its family again, or should it join the caring Selena?
By the time the sun rose the following morning, Selena began to stir, welcoming the morning nudge of Turtwig with a pad on his head. "Seems like another good day, doesn't it, buddy?" Selena pulled herself and sat up, but still slightly inside the sleeping bag. She looked around, but there was something missing. Where was Ralts?
Turtwig seemed to have the same thought, because it was looking around frantically for its new friend, for the new team member. Had Ralts left without Rayne and Turtwig to go back home? It wouldn't do that venture without them… would it?
"Oh… I guess he left to go back and join his family," Selena said, disappointed.
But a rustle of the bushes behind them left the duo turning to see what emerged. What did surprised both Selena and Turtwig. It was Ralts, and in its tiny arms, he was carrying an assortment of berries. With its Psychic abilities, it pulled away one of the rocks on the rock barrier before it waddled its way inside with the berries still held tightly in its arms.
"Ralts, you didn't leave," Selena said with a sigh of relief. It shook its head, and with a smile, dropped all the berries into Selena's lap.
"Ralts, Ralts," it said, pointing to the berries. A brilliant smile was on its face and it seemed that the berries were an apology for last night and that it was glad that it found so many to offer to Selena and Turtwig.
"Thank you, Ralts. This is very kind of you," Selena said, and Ralts nodded. It waddled over to Selena's backpack pillow and began to dig inside. Selena watched, confused, but then saw as the Pokemon retrieved a small plastic cup, holding it up in the air with success.
It waddled back over to Selena and held out the plastic cup for her to take, and as Selena did, the Ralts used its Confusion to lift several Oran Berries up from Selena's lap and hovered them over the cup. With its psychic abilities, it squeezed the berries and all the sweet juice spilled down into the cup, creating a sweet morning drink.
"Look at that!" Selena said, owed at the cute trick, before putting the blue-purple drink to her lips. After a few sips, Selena lowered it away and with wide eyes, spoke, "Oh man, I've never tasted anything so sweet! This is great Ralts, thank you."
The tiny Psychic Pokemon seemed to blush.
"Why don't we all share the berries? What do you think, Turtwig?" Selena watched as Turtwig nodded, and Selena laid one of each berry on the ground for it. And then turned to Ralts before laying one of each berry on the ground for it too. The tiny Pokemon looked up at her, not sure if Selena was serious or not.
"Go on, eat up Ralts," Selena said with a grin. "You deserve it." Ralts smiled and sat down before it took one of the berries and began to eat. The Ralts didn't think that Selena was so nice. Back at home when he did something bad, he wouldn't be permitted any berries for breakfast even if he scavenged them as an apology for his family.
After the trio had finished their breakfast of berries, with a few berries left over as extra if they needed them, Turtwig and Ralts helped Selena pack away the sleeping bag and put the stones back where they found them, Selena pushed the backpack over her shoulders and looked at the Pokemon.
"Alright Ralts, like I promised, would you like to stay with us, or would you like to be released to join your family?" Selena asked, looking down at the now washed Psychic Pokemon. Turtwig helped to get the dirt and grass stains off of its white body easily and now it looked ***** and span.
For a moment, there was no answer from Ralts. But then, it stepped forward and brought its arms upwards in a fighting stance. "Ralts, Ralts!" it proclaimed. A determined expression was crossed over its face.
"You want to stay with the team?" Selena asked, to be sure, a smile slowly creeping across her face.
Ralts nodded, and Turtwig jumped at its side in happiness.
"Great!" Selena said, bending down to wrap her arms around both of her Pokemon. "We'll do amazing." She exchanged a look with both of her Pokemon, and then said, "I guess for right now we can train for a few hours. I'm sure the route is going to become harder than it has been, so if we can get some training in, we can be ready for whatever happens!"
Both of her Pokemon nodded.
A few minutes later, they were ready. In front of Ralts was a pile of rocks, and Turtwig stood in front of a tree. "We won't take this too far where you guys have to strain yourselves," Selena explained. "But we'll work on your moves. Ralts, I want you to work on Confusion, and Turtwig, I want you to work on your Tackle." There was a pause. "Ralts, I want you to levitate the rocks with Confusion and throw them at that target," Selena pointed towards another tree, and on the tree she had drawn a bull's-eye on it in berry juice. "Turtwig, I want you to Tackle the tree, and continue to do it, from many different angles. Stop when you start getting dizzy or your head starts to hurt. Understand?" Both of her Pokemon nodded. "Good, now begin!"
Both of the Pokemon began to work. Ralts used its Confusion and began to levitate each rock one at a time and chucked them toward the tree bull's-eye target. Each barely made the outer ring, but Ralts wouldn't give up. He joined the team and he didn't want to let down his new family.
Turtwig had rushed forward and began slamming into the weak tree, again and again, each at a different side, and sometimes he hit it with his side or head. As Ralts pile of rocks slowly disappeared, and finally the last rock was thrown, Selena called a break. Her Pokemon hustled over to her, and in front of them she had prepared her own berry juice mixture in front of them as well as a small bowl of fresh water, and a portion of canned food from her backpack. They enjoyed the break and as quickly as they stopped, they got back to work.
This round Ralts's rocks had begun to hit inside the most outer circle of the bull's-eye, and Turtwig was hitting the tree hard enough that it had begun to shake.
"Alright, Ralts, try levitating several rocks at a time and throw them," Selena commanded, and Ralts nodded its understanding. Even though it was difficult, Ralts was about to get three rocks up at one time, but couldn't throw them all together. He had to throw each one separately.
Turtwig had continued to tackle the tree. When Selena called the next break, Turtwig had stopped but Ralts was still practicing. It wanted to see if it could levitate all three rocks and throw them at the same time.
"Ralts, are you okay? You sure you don't want a break?" Selena asked as she gave Turtwig another round of the berry drink. But Turtwig turned and looked to see what Ralts as up to. It was still trying to levitate and throw three rocks. Ralts shook its head and continued on. But it only got so far to throw two of the three rocks. It was still trying to get all three rocks shot at the same time.
"Ralts, come on, take a break," Selena said again. Ralts stopped briefly and turned to look at Selena. "It doesn't matter how many rocks you can throw at the same time. This is just practice – to strength your Confusion attack." Selena bent down and offered the berry drink. "Now come on, it's time for a break."
Ralts, after a minute, nodded its head and waddled over to join Turtwig. "Okay, you both did well. And it seems to be close to ten. I think we should leave this area now and continue on the path." So, after the trio had finished their berry drinks, they started back onto the road.
Ralts had looked back as they began their walk, looking at the forest that it knew its family was living in without him. Would they miss him? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he had a new family now. And he'd prove himself to protect them. He'd strengthen himself for them.