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- Seen Sep 25, 2013
Chapter 61: Songs About June
Azure City. We should've been there by now, I thought, staring at the Town Map. I was trying to retrace my steps on the Town Map. I couldn't spot Tough Town anywhere, and supposedly, Azure City was supposed to be only a couple of towns away from Cloud City. The towns, Tower Town and Increment Town, were supposed to be very close to Cloud City, and Azure City wasn't meant to be much further from there. Nonetheless, June and I had been traveling for quite a while now, and still hadn't reached Azure City.
I was wearing my black, lightweight jacket with the image of Mewtwo on the right breast. My black fitted cap sat atop my head, backwards, the Poké Ball showing from the front that way.
It was getting so much warmer outside now. Spring was here for sure. This worried me, knowing the Pokémon League was getting closer and I still only had six badges.
June was quiet for a change today. She had been since our battle with the Butterfree girl not long ago, walking close by me.
The silence should've been nice. It should've been what I'd desired since June first decided to travel with me. But it wasn't. Not this kind of silence. This was a forced level of silence. An unwelcome kind of peace.
I had taken out the Town Map to distract myself from the uncomfortableness, trying to understand why we weren't in Cloud City yet. I must have been looking at the Town Map for a couple of hours, glancing up on occasion to see if I could spot any signs of Azure City up ahead. I glanced back at June on occasion from the corner of my eye.
She kept her head down as she walked, pain clear in her eyes. She was really distraught about seemingly having lost her ability to read Pokémon.
I placed the Town Map back into my backpack that hung from one shoulder and continued to walk, wishing June would speak to me. As much as I hated how much she talked about complete nonsense and made me wish she'd just stay quiet and enjoy the walk, I now found myself unable to enjoy the nature around us, desiring her to talk now.
We walked along a path with much lower grass than we had been maneuvering through previously. The field we were in was very pleasant.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if we were even headed in the right direction. Everything looked the same around us. Grass reaching just below our knees was the only thing to see for miles.
I heard June sniffle behind me. It was the only sound I'd heard from her all day.
I had fed my Pokémon a while ago, and June traversed on her own through the field until she vanished from sight, not returning for a couple of hours, spending time with her Pokémon yet again, privately. When she returned and we were ready to continue our journey, she remained silent.
I hadn't said a word to her for quite a while. I had no idea what to say. The ability to read Pokémon wasn't like anything I'd ever heard of even being remotely possible. Sure, some people were highly in tuned with their Pokémon's feelings, but June's ability to read them was something else entirely. A true gift. It was incredible. Why couldn't she read Porygon-Z and the Butterfree girl's Pokémon? It was a question I wasn't able to answer, and one I wasn't sure on how to help her get over.
And so we continued to walk, relatively close to each other, through the tall grass, in silence.
Personally, I didn't see June's issue as such a big deal. I mean, it was probably upsetting to be able to read Pokémon's internal, personal feelings and be able to communicate with them, and then suddenly be unable to do so, but it wasn't the end of the world. June probably just needed some time to herself to rest and catch her breath and focus. Her gift would return. I was sure of it. I was curious as to why it was specifically Porygon-Z and the Butterfree girl's Pokémon that she couldn't read, but I felt it was a problem that could be resolved.
When June met Porygon-Z at Cleopatra's Gym, it was a very intense situation. When she met the Butterfree girl's Pokémon, it was also a serious moment.
With a clear head, I believed June could read any Pokémon.
"You know..." June said in a voice just barely above a whisper.
I stopped walking, shocked at the voice I heard from my quiet companion. I turned to her, my eyes wide.
June had her head down, staring at the ground. She looked up at me, a deep story beneath her eyes.
A story I was dying for her to tell me. I waited, not saying a word.
June stared at me, not speaking. I saw her swallow saliva in her mouth, not taking her eyes off of me. "I love Pokémon."
I didn't respond. I just watched her intently, waiting.
"I could always read Pokémon," June said. "Always."
I swallowed, listening to June, my heart beating faster as she spoke to me.
"There's no reason I shouldn't be able to read any Pokémon, I think," June continued. "Especially if I can still read them. I can read all your Pokémon, but not Porygon-Z and that girl who owns those Bugs. Her Butterfree she keeps on her shoulder; I stared at him before the battle began. I couldn't read him, either."
I wanted to nod, but I couldn't even manage to do such a small action. I felt frozen. But, I was glad June was speaking for a change.
"I don't understand, Gary..." June said weakly, her eyes watering. She fell to her knees.
"June!" I cried out in surprise. I ran to her and knelt down next to her.
June's eyes were closed. "I remember when I first read a Pokémon," she whispered so low, I leaned in to hear her better. "I remember much further back than then, even..."
I listened to June, refusing to speak, holding back any questions I had as she spoke to me.
"I was born in Vermillion City," June spoke gently. "My mommy and daddy never wanted me, from what I understood. At a very young age, about, maybe five, I was becoming a lot more conscious of my surroundings, and I had friends whose parents loved them. So I immediately took notice of how different I was treated by my mom and dad in comparison to how my friends' parents treated them. I remember seeing my friend, Angie, running to her mother in preschool, and her mom ran to her and wrapped her in a hug. I teared up immediately after seeing that, because I never saw love before. I never felt that. Just from seeing it, I wanted it desperately. When my mom came to pick me up from school, I tried it. I ran up to her and tried to have a loving, warm, happy hug. My mom instead walked away from me as I got closer, and I ran after her, seeking a hug. She simply strolled away as I chased after her, confused. I remember falling to the ground and scraping my arm. I cried. I looked up at my mommy and cried so badly, just wanted to have that moment that Angie had with her mom. A sense of love, affection, concern, care, even before I knew what it was that I was witnessing between Angie and her mom. I only knew I wanted it. My mom simply picked me up by the arm and pulled me up as I stumbled on my feet after her, crying."
I held back tears as June opened up to me, the warm sun high in the air, the temperature comfortable, the wind blowing very lightly, the air fresh against my face.
"My mom and dad loved Pokémon," June stated. "My dad always had Normal type Pokémon. I remember that he had a Raticate and a Tauros. Others, too. But I definitely remember Tauros and Raticate the best. I recall my mother usually caring for a Glalie and a Jynx, I think. I'm pretty sure those are the Pokémon I saw as a child. I especially remembered my mom and dad hugging their Pokémon. I remember it because it reminded me of Angie and her mom. It reminded me of something I...never experienced from them." June stopped and closed her eyes, lowering her head. She wiped her eyes and kept her hands over her eyes for a while.
I stared at June patiently, not wanting to urge her to tell me more than she desired.
"I never knew love from them," June said weakly. "But they cared. They cared enough, I guess. They fed me, housed me, clothed me. But I never received that feeling I felt just from witnessing a hug between Angie and her mommy. What I felt from just watching that filled me up with a feeling I didn't recognize. A feeling I had no name for." June paused, wiping her eyes and then lowering her hand. "My parents both died, at the same time, just about. I never was told why. I was six years old when they passed away. Six years, and not a single sign of affection that I can remember from them... I was sent to live with two complete strangers who lived on the other side of the city. I never got to know them at all. I don't even remember what they looked like. I just remember being completely terrified when I was first sent there, sitting in the back of somebody's car, being driven to these people's house. The new man and woman seemed so sweet at first, smiling, laughing with the person who drove me there. They even...gave me a hug..." June let out a low weep for a few seconds before inhaling deeply. Her head stayed low, unable to look up at me.
My eyes didn't move away from June as she spoke her emotions to me.
"Once the person left, the man and woman changed immediately," June cried. "I never received a hug again from them. They didn't feed me at all. I stayed in the same clothes. I didn't get to shower. I was locked in my room, unable to escape. This torment lasted about a week. A week of no food, clean clothes, or any human contact whatsoever. I cried, screamed, and begged for food and to be let out. I pleaded so desperately. The door never opened. But one day, it did. I'll never forget that night..." June breathed heavily several times, reliving the moment.
I was desperate to stop her, but I couldn't. I couldn't just interrupt her like that. I could only listen to this horrifying story of June's. There were no other options.
"The man who was now raising me stepped in with loose fitting jeans hanging low on his body and a belt in his hand," June said, her voice trembling hard. "He beat me with the buckle of the belt repeatedly. I couldn't find the woman anywhere. It was just me and the man. He beat me down. I bled. I cried. I screamed for my life. No one ever came to my rescue. As he swung his belt buckle at me one more time, I blacked out. I awoke in darkness. My eyes opened, but it was as if I still had them closed. I was in some kind of alleyway, alone. Blood dripped repeatedly from my head onto my pants and the ground. I cried, my entire body sore, aching, and desperate to collapse and never move again. I was ready to die. At six years old, I no longer desired to live any longer." June stopped talking.
I hadn't moved in the slightest, still watching her, listening to her horror story. Even my usually active mind was blank on words to even think as I listened to June.
"Curled up into a ball, laying on my side, I cried in a low voice, wishing death upon myself," June continued. "I lay there in the cold, starving. I only had my pants, a torn up shirt, and no shoes for my feet, shivering in the cold, desperate for death. I heard something in the distance, and, crying, I sat up and looked around. Something was headed towards me, making a scary noise. I didn't know what it was, but it was scaring me badly, and I cried louder. Finally, a Pokémon appeared from around the corner and stared at me. It rolled closer to me and I stared into its eyes. My eyes were filled with tears, and I couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like a ball. A red and white ball. Shivering, fearful, I wiped away the tears from my eyes and stared at the creature again. It was a Voltorb..." June whispered the last sentence, and covered her face with both hands, crying.
My heart began to beat immediately as I feared where this was going.
June kept crying continuously, sniffling hard, wiping her eyes. Even through all of this, she began to talk through her tears and pain. "I looked into Voltorb's eyes. It stared back. The warm feeling I saw when I witnessed Angie hug her mother embraced me immediately. Before I knew what I was doing, I stood up and hugged Voltorb so tightly. It was the warmest hug I've ever had in my life. Voltorb couldn't hug me back, but it didn't matter. The warmth I felt was incredible. My first ever hug. And, I knew, that if Voltorb could've hugged me back, it would have. It was the first time I'd ever read a Pokémon in my life. After that, it was me and Voltorb. It...raised me... Voltorb brought me food, water, and even gave me minor electric shocks of energy when I was weary and tired. Just enough to bring up my stamina. But it never hurt me. Not even once. Voltorb...loved me... It loved me like nobody else ever had before. Also, I began to come to the realization that I was no longer in Vermillion City. My foster parents, I guess, had dumped me off in a strange city. They left me to die. I was dumped in an alleyway to just be forgotten and die off. Voltorb and I lived in secrecy for several months. Voltorb was friends with other Pokémon, too. A group of Rattata, a couple of Chikorita, a Mankey, a Ralts, and a group of Jigglypuff. The Jigglypuff were so sweet. They sang us all to sleep every single night. And I could communicate with each and every one of them. We talked and I told them my story of my parents and foster parents. They loved me and accepted me as one of their own. But none of them loved me like Voltorb. It was my best friend..."
I couldn't believe my ears. What I was hearing was unbelievable. My heart seemed to beat harder with every sentence June spoke.
"While Voltorb, me, and Mankey were stealing food from a store so we could eat, I was captured by the angry owner," June said, her voice low, but less shaky. "We usually got away when stealing, but that day, I tripped and was snatched right up. There was no saving me. When it was discovered I was an orphan, pity was given to me. The entire city sought to care for me. I couldn't read them like I could read Pokémon, but after a while, I began to learn that these people, these people who lived in this city, truly did care for me. They loved me. They...hugged me. They kissed me. They fed me. Clothed me. Housed me. These humans actually gave a damn about me. I never knew love from a human before then. The people of Gringey City, where I was dumped at to die, raised me, as...a family. Together."
At that moment, I reflected back on the time when June ran away from Gringey City to join me. She was chased down by the police as we tried to escape. She was filed as missing and having been kidnapped by me. I recalled battling June in Gringey City, and how the residents all came to watch our battle. They all booed me fiercely every time I beat one of June's Pokémon. It was all so clear now. It all made much sense now.
"I had tried hard to find my friends. My true, closest friends," June said, her voice calming down more. "My true, first family. But I only ever found Voltorb. My best friend. The other Pokémon were afraid of me after having been captured by the humans, and I understood. I held nothing against them. Voltorb wasn't afraid of me, though. It always stuck by me and late at night, I would sneak out and play with it. I was ten years old after a few years of being raised by the people of Gringey City, and I demanded to go out on my own journey. As you can assume, the Gringey City citizens refused to allow me on my own journey. I ran away from the main people who were raising me, a man and a woman, and ran to find my Voltorb as they chased me. These new parents of mine grabbed me and stopped me from running any further, no matter how hard I struggled against them. As they dragged me back, Voltorb came to my rescue, threatening to shock them. I begged it not to, and it listened. I broke free of my new parents' grasps and hugged my Voltorb and it lightly shocked me in a friendly manner. My parents were so shocked, but happy. They entrusted me with Voltorb, and it lived with me for a few months before it was agreed by my parents that I could go off on my own journey. They gave me the chance because they saw that I was actually able to communicate with Voltorb. I never told anybody about this ability of mine, but once my parents saw it between me and Voltorb, the entire city knew within a day, and it was agreed that I should go off and befriend more Pokémon."
A strong gust of wind blew warm air against June and I. I closed my eyes as June brushed her hair out of her face.
I hadn't moved since June began her story. I had no intentions of doing anything else but listening. And that's exactly what I did as she spoke to me. As she told me everything.
"I traveled through Gringey City with Voltorb at my side, having caught it in my first ever Poké Ball, but always letting it roam outside of it," June said fondly. "Just before truly exiting Gringey City, I ran into my first ever Pokémon battle. It was a Magnemite. I had no idea what to do, even though I had studied up on Voltorb's attacks days before leaving. I was stunned. I didn't want to fight against Pokémon. I only wanted to make friends. And yet, I had made the decision to become a Pokémon trainer. As Magnemite attacked my Voltorb, I pleaded with it to be our friend. I didn't want to fight. It beat up my Voltorb so badly, and I fell to my knees and cried. It was at that very moment that my Voltorb evolved into Electrode."
Hearing her say Electrode wasn't enough to send shock waves throughout my body and freeze my heart. It was seeing her look up at me and give me that ice cold, blank stare, that made me feel something powerful inside of me. I knew exactly how this was going to end.
"Electrode took control and battled back against Magnemite and defeated it," June said coldly, keeping her hard eyes on me. "Magnemite was my first Pokémon I captured in a battle. And then. And then, after a bit more traveling, I found myself in a city I didn't really recognize, having only been in it as a child. It wasn't long before it was revealed to me that I was back in Vermillion City. Once that came to light, I passed out." June's eyes seemed to intensify.
My lips were dry. My throat was desperate for water. I didn't make a single movement, held in place by June.
"I awoke to a handsome figure," June said. "A tall, powerful, muscular man. We were in a house. The man's house. The man sat on an old couch, stuffing popping out from it, holding me in his enormous arms. I stared into his warm eyes and glanced at his pointed, fantastic blonde hair. He smiled so caringly at me and I melted instantly. I was paralyzed against the man who introduced himself to me as Lieutenant Surge, the Gym Leader of Vermillion City. He gave me water and after a while, I caught my breath. He asked me, so sweetly, if I was okay. I couldn't fight against him. I told him everything about me. From my parents, to my foster parents, to my family in Gringey City. The sorrow in his eyes made me lose control and I just barely could resist the urge to kiss his sweet, gentle, yet hard, face." June smiled a little bit as she reflected on this. "He asked me what Pokémon type I favor, and I pointed at my Electrode, who, apparently, Lt. Surge had befriended while I was passed out. I told him I don't really know much about Pokémon, but I knew that Electrode was Electric. I knew that I loved when Electrode shocked me and I loved the way it made me feel, so Electric would have to be my favorite type. He told me again that he was the Electric type Gym Leader and, if I decided, he would school me in the ways of the Electric type Pokémon."
I was mesmerized by June's tale. This was a side of June that I had never heard before. I remembered when June had told me a little bit about her life when we first met in Gringey City. I also remembered that some of the things she told me there weren't matching up with what she was telling me now, but I held my tongue and waited.
"Lt. Surge trained me, Electrode, and my Magnemite harshly," June told me, her voice getting more serious. "We did drill runs. It was me, my Pokémon, Lt. Surge, and his other protégés, training together. We crawled through sand, climbed walls, ran track, and did all kinds of intense workouts and stuff that he claimed were related to understanding Electric type Pokémon. I didn't really understand how they were related, but I stuck with it, desperate to not only learn, but to stay close to Lt. Surge. After a couple of months, I demanded a battle, but he refused to battle me. He felt I was not ready. The training continued, and I stuck with it, demanding a battle after every day of training, but he constantly refused, scorning me and saying I wasn't able to defeat him, yet. I began to hate living there. I wished I were back in Gringey City with Electrode and Magnemite, having fun, or being homeless with my other Pokémon friends who became afraid of me once I had been caught by the people while trying to steal food. My only peace of mind was going home with Lt. Surge and playing with his Mareep. She was so sweet. She would lick me and play with me. Me, her, Electrode, and Magnemite would have so much fun. No matter how exhausted I was from training with Lt. Surge, I always had energy to play with Mareep. At one point, my training with Lt. Surge included what he called Practice Charges. We battled, one Pokémon each. It could be me versus him, his understudies versus him or me, whatever he wanted it to be. He beat me every time in as little as two moves most of the time. Usually it was his Raichu that he used. He always stuck by Lt. Surge and never played with me, but he was a sweet Pokémon and I could see a lot of interesting stories behind his eyes. One day, after a particularly difficult day of training, Lt. Surge approached me and helped me to my worn out feet with one of his enormous hands. He smiled so brightly with surreal, bright white teeth of his and said I'd done well that day. It was the first time he had ever said anything like that about my day of training with him. He then took me home and gave me a reward for my hard work. Mareep. In our excitement and joy with this news, Mareep evolved into Flaaffy. I begged Lt. Surge for an official battle, and he actually obliged."
Something flew overheard, high in the sky, crying out loudly. The noise surprised me, but nothing in the world could grab my attention, or make me take my eyes off of June as she spoke to me.
"Lt. Surge left to go to the gym, and I took a stroll outside to speak to my Pokémon in the woods, privately, to let them know what we were in for and to hype them up to win," June said quietly. "While talking to my Magnemite, Flaaffy, and Electrode..." June stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. Her eyes started to water. "...an Elekid came out. He was so cute. I knelt down and spoke to him, so eager to see the little cutie, but knowing nothing about what he was. I only knew that I wanted him. He spoke to me and we were fast friends. He was such a friendly Pokémon. I picked him an apple from a tree, and he picked me a berry from a bush, and we ate together, smiling." June wiped at her dripping eyes. "I asked if he wanted to join up with me, and he immediately said yes. I was so psyched. I just knew I'd defeat Lt. Surge without a doubt."
I couldn't believe my ears. I listened, eager and impatient, dying for more from June.
"The battle was four on four. It was such a harsh battle, and it didn't seem like I would win," June said, panic raising in her voice as she spoke, her eyes glued to me, fear in them as she thought about what she was telling me. "I had only but just barely beaten him. His Raichu was just terrible. He was evolved immediately once Lt. Surge had captured him so many years ago, so he never got to learn the Speed moves he can only learn as a Pikachu, so he was a little bit slower than he could've been, but he was just so powerful. He beat Elekid immediately, without any struggle. Magnemite tried hard and fared a little better, but it was taken down quickly, too. It was Flaaffy who was able to stop Raichu by protecting herself with Cotton Guard, and then used Cotton Spore to slow him down and finally kick in some strong moves and end up winning. Jolteon came out, and Flaaffy won that match too, but was just barely hanging on. She beat Lt. Surge's Luxray, as well, but Flaaffy couldn't take anymore. She refused to go down, but I could see the pain in her. I refused to let her battle any further and I returned her, declaring that she wouldn't battle any further and should be considered defeated. I couldn't dare let my dear Flaaffy keep battling after the pain I saw her going through, just to win for me. Lt. Surge was stunned by this and commended me, stopping the battle. He said I had strength, heart, and spirit. He said not only that, but I had the compassion every trainer needs to truly be victorious in battle. His tall form knelt down to me. I was so used to having that open shirt and flexing, sweaty muscles of his all up in my face that seeing his face so close to mine was surprising." June stopped and smiled wider, thinking of this.
I stared at June impatiently now, wanting her to get out of her fantasy and continue speaking some more about the battle and not the brawn.
June took a deep breath, still smiling. "He said that life as a Gym Leader is hard. He told me I have promise and he wanted to send me to back to Gringey City to be the alternative Electric Gym Leader for when his gym got too busy. I had mixed feelings. I wanted to be in Gringey City rather than in Vermillion. I wanted to go back to what I had considered my true home. My home in Gringey City. I wanted to show my family what I had accomplished. But, to be honest, as silly as it sounds, I had fallen in love with Lt. Surge. I cried and he hugged me, asking me what was wrong. I told him I loved him, and of course, he rejected me." Tears fell down June's eyes, her smile not fading, her eyes now on the ground. "I didn't cry, and interrupted him as he started to try to explain why. I forced a laugh and told him that I didn't mean it that way. I told him I got too emotional about leaving such a wonderful teacher like him and that I loved him platonically. Lt. Surge laughed, but I felt that he could see right through me. He hugged me as I left that same night and I left with my head held high, back to Gringey City. Once I was alone in the woods, I cried so hard, I was truly surprised nobody came from Vermillion to see what was making that loud noise. I cried for such a long time, and so loudly, and so hard, but when all my tears had been drained, and when I felt my determination return, I remembered his last words to me. 'Don't let me down.' I inhaled deeply, got to my feet, and held my breath, trekking back to Gringey City."
I inhaled shakily, staring at June with a focus.
June looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears. She closed her eyes, still smiling, inhaling deeply for a moment and holding it. She let her breath out, but didn't open her eyes.
I could see more tears slid down her cheeks.
"My family in Gringey City were ecstatic with the news of me being a Gym Leader," June softly. "I was, too, of course. However, once the challengers started coming, well, you already know I sucked. I told you this before." June's eyes opened and she gave me a weak, saddened stare. "What I didn't tell you was about my Elekid." She sighed. "The entire city came to see my very first gym battle, which was a complete disaster. I always had several people from town see my battles, every single time. I used Elekid in pretty much every battle I ever had. He lost each and every time. I was getting very angry, and yelled at him a few times. I was so young and stupid and immature, but that's no excuse at all. To be honest, I was thinking constantly of Lt. Surge and what he demanded of me before I left Vermillion. I yelled at all of my Pokémon. I caught others during my time as a Gym Leader, like my Pikachu, but nobody performed as bad as Elekid for some reason, so I was the hardest on him. In one particular battle, Elekid actually evolved while I was yelling at him angrily to get up. He evolved into Electabuzz. Even evolved, he still lost the battle. It had been running up on about eight months of me losing and I was getting calls from the Pokémon League about my constant losses and a lot of pressure was building on me as my gym status was coming under fire. Lt. Surge was calling me, and I never answered his calls. I was terrified to speak to that man. I was failing him completely. Letting him down. To my surprise, one day, he paid me a visit, and he wasn't too happy with me."
I finally moved after such a long time of sitting in one place, sitting on the ground. I stretched out my arms until my elbows cracked, not taking my eyes off of June. It felt good to move and stretch out just a bit, but I was very much into June's story and didn't want to interrupt her in any way.
"He spoke gently, yet harshly, saying he was hurt that I had ignored his calls and wasn't staying in contact with him. He said I wasn't in tune with my Pokémon like I was during our training and our final battle. He said I needed that focus again in order to be able to win. He said I was blocking myself from success. Lt. Surge suggested that maybe I wasn't ready yet to be a Gym Leader, and I insisted that I was and begged for another chance. He conceded after a while and left later that evening after we had a late lunch together. In the Pokémon Center, I sat by the window, crying silently, wondering what I could do to get stronger with my Pokémon. Nurse Joy walked over to me and asked me what was wrong, and I told her. After hearing about my troubles as a gym leader, she gave me something that she thought might help. Something that would change everything. An Electirizer."
My eyes widened. An Electirizer. An Electabuzz traded while holding that item would evolve into Electivire.
"I walked to the waters with Electabuzz that night, and spoke about evolving him to make him stronger. Electabuzz agreed with me, stating he wanted to evolve for me. He wanted to win for me. But no. Electabuzz knew I could read him. He knew I knew how he truly felt. I could see, clear as day, that Electabuzz didn't want to evolve at all. He was always. Always. Always! Such a happy Pokémon... But I ignored that..." June's voice took a new tone. It became lower, all the way down to a whisper. It was now sadder, and quivered noticeably. "I ignored Electabuzz's feelings and turned to my own personal desires to not disappoint Lt. Surge. I evolved my Electabuzz into an Electivire." June's eyes leaked as she stared at me. "I evolved him!" she cried. "And...and..."
I couldn't help but look down at my belt and glance at Ivysaur's Poké Ball before looking back up at June.
June shook her head hard, tears flying from her face. "No. It wasn't like Ivysaur, Gary. Electivire isn't quite like that. He didn't evolve and demand respect from me, per se. Electivire doesn't obey me because I ignored what he knew I knew about him. He knew that I knew he didn't want to evolve. He knew I was only evolving him for my own selfish needs. He resents me for that. He resents me for my selfishness." June swallowed. "I wanted a powerful Pokémon, Gary. And now, he's giving me exactly what I want... Electivire is being exactly what I angrily screamed for him to be. What I selfishly forced him to be. He's giving me exactly what I wanted this entire time. I used him in a battle that wasn't an official gym battle, and got a taste of just how disobedient and vicious he had become. He beat somebody who I asked to battle me as a test battle, and after easily destroying the trainer's Pokémon, Electivire chased the trainer down, trying to beat him up! He chased the trainer out of the city before I finally returned him to his Poké Ball. I've never used him in a gym battle before. I would never use something I couldn't control. I'd rather lose. And I did. And then, a few months later, Robin came to my gym. And then, of course, not long after, I met you..."
I sat there, stunned by June's story. I licked my lips and stayed silent, not moving, my eyes on June. I wanted to speak to her, but I couldn't. I was completely in awe. I replayed everything she had told me about her life as she stared at me quietly. It was a long story to go through again, but I went over as much of it as I remembered. I blinked, keeping my eyes on June. I licked my lips again and parted them to say something. A bit of saliva started to leak from my mouth and I caught it, clasping my lips and sucking it back up, swallowing. I opened my mouth again. "June." It was all I could get out, so I closed my mouth, swallowing again.
"I know that when we first met, I didn't exactly tell you everything," June admitted. "A few things I told you about my journey to becoming a gym leader weren't quite exactly how it happened, but it's just that this is very personal and I didn't know you too well. The things I changed around weren't a big deal. Just things about going to Gringey City for the first time when I really had been there before, really."
"June, you don't owe me any apology," I told her, shaking my head, reaching out to gently touch her shoulder.
June leaped forward and wrapped me in a hug, crying hard.
I hugged her tightly, reflecting on how important hugs were to her, and wrapped my arms around her even tighter.
June's arms pulled me in even harder as she cried more.
I understood now, reflecting once again on June's story, why she was so distraught about seemingly having lost her touch at reading Pokémon.
I finally understood her Electivire's furious attitude.
I understood why, after all the hard work she put into becoming a gym leader, and all the trouble and pain she put her Pokémon through, she felt like such a failure and was so destroyed about having quit being a Pokémon trainer.
I gasped suddenly and froze. My eyes began to tear up. Oh, no, I realized as tears dripped from my eyes, landing on June's shoulder. I remembered something I had feared about once June had told me a bit about her past.
June continued to cry.
I held her, not moving, and silently cried as I came to an understanding.
June looked up at me, her face covered in tears. She stared at me and slowly reached a hand up and wiped at my cheek.
I shook my head and stared back at her. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry. For everything. Everything that happened to you. And what I did to you."
June stared at me, fully understanding my last sentence, and nodded. "Electrode saved my life," she whimpered, more tears rolling down her cheeks. "It was my first friend. My best friend. My family. You took it from me." She closed her eyes and lowered her chin to her chest, crying.
I closed my own eyes and silently cried.
"Before I left Gringey City, I purchased a burial plot for Electrode," June sniffled. "I purchased one from Gringey City for Electrode, in Lavender Town. I had decided to travel with you, and I knew we'd end up there eventually. There's a place called the House Of Memories, where dead Pokémon are buried. That was where I went when I left you at Lavender Town. I had bought a gravestone for Electrode, there. I didn't want to go there, but I had to...say goodbye..." June broke down into more tears.
I was trembling so hard, my heart colliding with my chest repeatedly. What have I done? I thought miserably, crying.
June looked up at me, wiping her eyes. "I don't blame you," she whispered. "It wasn't your fault. I forgive you, Gary."
"No!" I cried. "June, I had no idea. I can't believe what I've done to you! I just can't." I began stuttering, unable to find the right words to express my sorrow.
June placed her hand over my mouth, silencing me. "Accept that I forgive you," she pleaded, begging with her eyes. "That's the best thing you can do. For yourself. For me. For Electrode. Please, Gary. That's all you can do now. We can't turn back the hands of time. We'll move forward. Together. Give me that. It's all I want. For my dearest friend, and most loving family member. In the name of Electrode's memory. Accept my forgiveness, as Electrode surely forgives you, too. It wasn't even your fault. Please, don't carry that burden." She grabbed my hands in hers and raised them to her lips and pressed tightly, not taking her eyes off of me. She lowered my hands. "Please."
With teary eyes, I nodded. "Okay."
She smiled and dropped my hands, pulling me into a tight hug, which I returned.
I closed my eyes and pulled her in even closer. My lips neared her ear. "June," I whispered.
"Yes?" she said in a low voice.
"I think it's time, June." I pulled away from her and stared her in her eyes.
June stared back, a look of confusion and worry on her face.
I looked down to her bag.
June turned to it, too, and immediately looked back at me in shock.
I stared at her sternly and stood up. I extended my hand out to June.
June looked down at her bag, but didn't take my hand. After a while, she took a deep breath and turned back to me, a stronger look on her face. She took my hand and got to her feet. June picked up her bag and turned away from me, taking several steps away. She stopped and turned back to me, setting her bag on the floor and kneeling down.
I watched as June dug through her bag and after a few minutes, stood up with an armful of Poké Balls and a face full of determination.
June nodded.
I nodded back, backing up a few feet.
"I choose you! Everybody!" June yelled, throwing her Poké Balls into the air.
"Eeeeveee!" Eevee cried out happily, waving her tail slightly.
"Electiviiiiire!" Electivire cried out, punching his fists together, seeming to look around, presumably for an opponent.
"Pika Pikaaaa!" Pikachu cried out cheerfully.
Ampharos cried out happily, reaching for the skies.
"Manectric!" Manectric said, staring at me.
"Magneton!" Mangneton greeted.
"Bllliiiiiitzllllle!" Blitzle cried.
A Lanturn popped out from a Poké Ball, crying out.
A bizarre, kind of scary looking Pokémon stared at me that I didn't recognize.
"Galvantulaaaa!" the enormous spider screamed out.
"Gary, these are all of my Pokémon," June introduced. "Electivire, Galvantula, Eevee, Pikachu, Manectric, Ampharos, Blitzle, Magneton, Lanturn, and Rotom. Everybody, this is Gary. Some of you already know him."
Everybody greeted me cheerfully, except for Electivire, who completely ignored me and stared at the other nine Pokémon.
"Electivire!" Electivire screamed out at the surrounding Pokémon, and began sparking eagerly.
"Electivire, stop it!" June shouted. "I sent you all out so I could apologize to you all for everything I've put you all through. I-"
"VIRE!" Electivire screamed out, not looking at June, and shocked June with a powerful Electric blast.
June shrieked and fell to the ground, shaking her head, and looked up at Electivire angrily. Her hair was now standing on end in several places. "Electivire! Just listen to me! Give me a chance! I'm sorry! I hate myself just as much as you hate me for what I did to you. But I love you, Electivire. Can we try to just talk? Don't you remember how we used to talk? Because I do..." June stood up and looked at Electivire with pleading eyes. "Electivire, remember when we first met? I remember that day. I was in the woods with Magnemite, Flaaffy, and Electrode. You came up to me and-"
"TIVIRE!" Electivire screamed, and electrocuted June again.
June fell to the ground, but shook the shock off, glaring at Electivire, her hair looking funny in this serious situation. "Return!" she demanded, and returned Electivire as he yelled at June's Manectric, who looked back quietly, not responding. June sighed, staring at Electivire's Poké Ball. "This may take some more time." She turned to her other Pokémon. "Hello, everyone." She smiled.
June's Pokémon all faced her and greeted her eagerly.
June's smile widened as she brushed her hair down with her hands. "I know Ampharos, Magneton, and Electivire were the only ones here who trained with me when I was becoming a gym leader. I met the rest of you later on. But I still want you all here for this. This is also for Magneton, Pikachu, and Eevee due to our battle we had just the other day. To begin with, Ampharos, Magneton, I'm sorry for what I did to you guys. I was very hard on you two when we were losing battles, and then after all of that, I ran away from our accomplishments. And, I ran away because of us losing battles, but the losses were due to my own faults. I was blinded by the wrong things and fighting for the wrong reasons. It was that which caused us to lose our battles, not you guys not being strong enough. I'm so faulty and horrible of a trainer. I know we've had our private times together, but today, I want to truly apologize to you all, in front of our new friend, Gary. And the reason for that is because, I'm finally able to move on. You all already have forgiven me the several times a day that I apologize to you for what I've done. You all have moved on. But I was never able to forgive myself. When battling with Eevee, Magneton, and Pikachu, I was once again the cause of our loss and caused you three much unnecessary harm. I apologize to you three, once again, as I've done before. And, you three forgave me for that, already. Today is that day when I can finally walk alongside you all. You all were so far ahead of me on the road to recovery. Now, I can join with you all, and we can continue our journey and discover all kinds of new and amazing things about each other and this incredible world that we live in."
June's Pokémon all cheered loudly and surrounded her, licking her, hugging her, and floating around her.
June laughed hysterically from the love her Pokémon gave her.
I smiled and pulled out my Pokédex.
Eevee. The Evolution Pokémon. Depending on how it is raised, it can evolve into a wide variety of different types.
Galvantula. The EleSpider Pokémon and the evolved form of Joltik. They make their homes in electric caves. They set electric webs when in danger.
Lanturn. The Light Pokémon. The final stage of Chinchou. The bright part of its body is used to lure prey. It can devour its food in a single swallow.
Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pichu. This popular Pokémon can become a nuisance as they enjoy eating electric equipment.
Ampharos. The Light Pokémon and the final form of Mareep. This Pokémon is often very gentle and enjoys grazing with others of its kind. Their tails light up and are used as a beacon in place of a lighthouse in emergencies.
Blitzle. The Electrified Pokémon. Its mane holds in electricity from any power source. This Pokémon gains boosted effects when hit with electricity.
Magneton. The Magnet Pokémon. The evolved form of Magnemite. It is said that this Pokémon have been discovered in ancient ruins, indicating their existence of at least 1,500 years.
Manectric. The Discharge Pokémon and the evolved form of Electrike. This Pokémon discharges electricity from its body almost constantly. In battle, they can create thunderclouds.
Rotom. The Plasma Pokémon. This Pokémon can infiltrate electronic equipment and enjoys pulling pranks while doing so.
I was in complete awe as I watched June happily play with her Pokémon. It was quite the sight. I wasn't sure what else to do as I put my Pokédex away but smile, so that's what I did. And that was all I did, watching happily.
"June?" I said as we walked up a mountain.
"Huh?" June asked, turning to me.
"I'm surprised you own a Galvantula, to be honest with you," I stated.
"Oh," June said, looking at the ground.
We had finally cleared the grassy field, the area extremely and uncomfortably dark at this time of night, and were now climbing a mountain. It wasn't too steep of a climb as we followed the curving path going upwards, but it was still a fair amount of work.
"You criticized my Beedrill when we battled with you back when you were a gym leader, and then you made a comment about disliking Bug types when you met the girl with Butterfree back in Celadon City," I reminded her.
June nodded. "I remember. I know it's odd that I have a Galvantula. I'm just really in love with the electricity flowing through her. I think that's really cool. And, she's really pretty strong. I found her back in Gringey City when I left you after Saffron. She was at the Power Plant, on the ceiling. She scared me half to death and I ran, but she actually gave chase and shocked me." She giggled. "From then on, I stopped running and just had to catch her. I totally fell in love when I realized she was Electric."
"Ah," I smiled.
"It's not that I hate Bugs," June explained. "It's just, some are kind of scary and gross to me. But I love all Pokémon. I'm not really afraid of any types at all. I guess I'm just not an enormous fan of Bugs, but some are pretty awesome, really. They do pique my interest quite often, actually. Like Parasect. That is a really interesting Pokémon. Like, as Paras, the mushrooms on their backs have a life of their own and slowly take over the host Bug. When evolved into Parasect, the mushroom takes complete control over the Bug. It's like, totally creepy and scary but so interesting."
I smiled as June kept on talking, not willing to complain, happy she was okay and able to talk again.
Happy she and her Pokémon were doing okay, other than the relationship between her and Electivire.
Grateful I got to understand more about June and her Pokémon's past.
Pleased that I got to meet all of June's Pokémon and we could all spend time together.
As June talked, I closed my eyes and tuned her out for a moment and gave a brief, silent 'sorry' in my mind, and a 'final rest in peace', to Electrode.
Azure City. We should've been there by now, I thought, staring at the Town Map. I was trying to retrace my steps on the Town Map. I couldn't spot Tough Town anywhere, and supposedly, Azure City was supposed to be only a couple of towns away from Cloud City. The towns, Tower Town and Increment Town, were supposed to be very close to Cloud City, and Azure City wasn't meant to be much further from there. Nonetheless, June and I had been traveling for quite a while now, and still hadn't reached Azure City.
I was wearing my black, lightweight jacket with the image of Mewtwo on the right breast. My black fitted cap sat atop my head, backwards, the Poké Ball showing from the front that way.
It was getting so much warmer outside now. Spring was here for sure. This worried me, knowing the Pokémon League was getting closer and I still only had six badges.
June was quiet for a change today. She had been since our battle with the Butterfree girl not long ago, walking close by me.
The silence should've been nice. It should've been what I'd desired since June first decided to travel with me. But it wasn't. Not this kind of silence. This was a forced level of silence. An unwelcome kind of peace.
I had taken out the Town Map to distract myself from the uncomfortableness, trying to understand why we weren't in Cloud City yet. I must have been looking at the Town Map for a couple of hours, glancing up on occasion to see if I could spot any signs of Azure City up ahead. I glanced back at June on occasion from the corner of my eye.
She kept her head down as she walked, pain clear in her eyes. She was really distraught about seemingly having lost her ability to read Pokémon.
I placed the Town Map back into my backpack that hung from one shoulder and continued to walk, wishing June would speak to me. As much as I hated how much she talked about complete nonsense and made me wish she'd just stay quiet and enjoy the walk, I now found myself unable to enjoy the nature around us, desiring her to talk now.
We walked along a path with much lower grass than we had been maneuvering through previously. The field we were in was very pleasant.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if we were even headed in the right direction. Everything looked the same around us. Grass reaching just below our knees was the only thing to see for miles.
I heard June sniffle behind me. It was the only sound I'd heard from her all day.
I had fed my Pokémon a while ago, and June traversed on her own through the field until she vanished from sight, not returning for a couple of hours, spending time with her Pokémon yet again, privately. When she returned and we were ready to continue our journey, she remained silent.
I hadn't said a word to her for quite a while. I had no idea what to say. The ability to read Pokémon wasn't like anything I'd ever heard of even being remotely possible. Sure, some people were highly in tuned with their Pokémon's feelings, but June's ability to read them was something else entirely. A true gift. It was incredible. Why couldn't she read Porygon-Z and the Butterfree girl's Pokémon? It was a question I wasn't able to answer, and one I wasn't sure on how to help her get over.
And so we continued to walk, relatively close to each other, through the tall grass, in silence.
Personally, I didn't see June's issue as such a big deal. I mean, it was probably upsetting to be able to read Pokémon's internal, personal feelings and be able to communicate with them, and then suddenly be unable to do so, but it wasn't the end of the world. June probably just needed some time to herself to rest and catch her breath and focus. Her gift would return. I was sure of it. I was curious as to why it was specifically Porygon-Z and the Butterfree girl's Pokémon that she couldn't read, but I felt it was a problem that could be resolved.
When June met Porygon-Z at Cleopatra's Gym, it was a very intense situation. When she met the Butterfree girl's Pokémon, it was also a serious moment.
With a clear head, I believed June could read any Pokémon.
"You know..." June said in a voice just barely above a whisper.
I stopped walking, shocked at the voice I heard from my quiet companion. I turned to her, my eyes wide.
June had her head down, staring at the ground. She looked up at me, a deep story beneath her eyes.
A story I was dying for her to tell me. I waited, not saying a word.
June stared at me, not speaking. I saw her swallow saliva in her mouth, not taking her eyes off of me. "I love Pokémon."
I didn't respond. I just watched her intently, waiting.
"I could always read Pokémon," June said. "Always."
I swallowed, listening to June, my heart beating faster as she spoke to me.
"There's no reason I shouldn't be able to read any Pokémon, I think," June continued. "Especially if I can still read them. I can read all your Pokémon, but not Porygon-Z and that girl who owns those Bugs. Her Butterfree she keeps on her shoulder; I stared at him before the battle began. I couldn't read him, either."
I wanted to nod, but I couldn't even manage to do such a small action. I felt frozen. But, I was glad June was speaking for a change.
"I don't understand, Gary..." June said weakly, her eyes watering. She fell to her knees.
"June!" I cried out in surprise. I ran to her and knelt down next to her.
June's eyes were closed. "I remember when I first read a Pokémon," she whispered so low, I leaned in to hear her better. "I remember much further back than then, even..."
I listened to June, refusing to speak, holding back any questions I had as she spoke to me.
"I was born in Vermillion City," June spoke gently. "My mommy and daddy never wanted me, from what I understood. At a very young age, about, maybe five, I was becoming a lot more conscious of my surroundings, and I had friends whose parents loved them. So I immediately took notice of how different I was treated by my mom and dad in comparison to how my friends' parents treated them. I remember seeing my friend, Angie, running to her mother in preschool, and her mom ran to her and wrapped her in a hug. I teared up immediately after seeing that, because I never saw love before. I never felt that. Just from seeing it, I wanted it desperately. When my mom came to pick me up from school, I tried it. I ran up to her and tried to have a loving, warm, happy hug. My mom instead walked away from me as I got closer, and I ran after her, seeking a hug. She simply strolled away as I chased after her, confused. I remember falling to the ground and scraping my arm. I cried. I looked up at my mommy and cried so badly, just wanted to have that moment that Angie had with her mom. A sense of love, affection, concern, care, even before I knew what it was that I was witnessing between Angie and her mom. I only knew I wanted it. My mom simply picked me up by the arm and pulled me up as I stumbled on my feet after her, crying."
I held back tears as June opened up to me, the warm sun high in the air, the temperature comfortable, the wind blowing very lightly, the air fresh against my face.
"My mom and dad loved Pokémon," June stated. "My dad always had Normal type Pokémon. I remember that he had a Raticate and a Tauros. Others, too. But I definitely remember Tauros and Raticate the best. I recall my mother usually caring for a Glalie and a Jynx, I think. I'm pretty sure those are the Pokémon I saw as a child. I especially remembered my mom and dad hugging their Pokémon. I remember it because it reminded me of Angie and her mom. It reminded me of something I...never experienced from them." June stopped and closed her eyes, lowering her head. She wiped her eyes and kept her hands over her eyes for a while.
I stared at June patiently, not wanting to urge her to tell me more than she desired.
"I never knew love from them," June said weakly. "But they cared. They cared enough, I guess. They fed me, housed me, clothed me. But I never received that feeling I felt just from witnessing a hug between Angie and her mommy. What I felt from just watching that filled me up with a feeling I didn't recognize. A feeling I had no name for." June paused, wiping her eyes and then lowering her hand. "My parents both died, at the same time, just about. I never was told why. I was six years old when they passed away. Six years, and not a single sign of affection that I can remember from them... I was sent to live with two complete strangers who lived on the other side of the city. I never got to know them at all. I don't even remember what they looked like. I just remember being completely terrified when I was first sent there, sitting in the back of somebody's car, being driven to these people's house. The new man and woman seemed so sweet at first, smiling, laughing with the person who drove me there. They even...gave me a hug..." June let out a low weep for a few seconds before inhaling deeply. Her head stayed low, unable to look up at me.
My eyes didn't move away from June as she spoke her emotions to me.
"Once the person left, the man and woman changed immediately," June cried. "I never received a hug again from them. They didn't feed me at all. I stayed in the same clothes. I didn't get to shower. I was locked in my room, unable to escape. This torment lasted about a week. A week of no food, clean clothes, or any human contact whatsoever. I cried, screamed, and begged for food and to be let out. I pleaded so desperately. The door never opened. But one day, it did. I'll never forget that night..." June breathed heavily several times, reliving the moment.
I was desperate to stop her, but I couldn't. I couldn't just interrupt her like that. I could only listen to this horrifying story of June's. There were no other options.
"The man who was now raising me stepped in with loose fitting jeans hanging low on his body and a belt in his hand," June said, her voice trembling hard. "He beat me with the buckle of the belt repeatedly. I couldn't find the woman anywhere. It was just me and the man. He beat me down. I bled. I cried. I screamed for my life. No one ever came to my rescue. As he swung his belt buckle at me one more time, I blacked out. I awoke in darkness. My eyes opened, but it was as if I still had them closed. I was in some kind of alleyway, alone. Blood dripped repeatedly from my head onto my pants and the ground. I cried, my entire body sore, aching, and desperate to collapse and never move again. I was ready to die. At six years old, I no longer desired to live any longer." June stopped talking.
I hadn't moved in the slightest, still watching her, listening to her horror story. Even my usually active mind was blank on words to even think as I listened to June.
"Curled up into a ball, laying on my side, I cried in a low voice, wishing death upon myself," June continued. "I lay there in the cold, starving. I only had my pants, a torn up shirt, and no shoes for my feet, shivering in the cold, desperate for death. I heard something in the distance, and, crying, I sat up and looked around. Something was headed towards me, making a scary noise. I didn't know what it was, but it was scaring me badly, and I cried louder. Finally, a Pokémon appeared from around the corner and stared at me. It rolled closer to me and I stared into its eyes. My eyes were filled with tears, and I couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like a ball. A red and white ball. Shivering, fearful, I wiped away the tears from my eyes and stared at the creature again. It was a Voltorb..." June whispered the last sentence, and covered her face with both hands, crying.
My heart began to beat immediately as I feared where this was going.
June kept crying continuously, sniffling hard, wiping her eyes. Even through all of this, she began to talk through her tears and pain. "I looked into Voltorb's eyes. It stared back. The warm feeling I saw when I witnessed Angie hug her mother embraced me immediately. Before I knew what I was doing, I stood up and hugged Voltorb so tightly. It was the warmest hug I've ever had in my life. Voltorb couldn't hug me back, but it didn't matter. The warmth I felt was incredible. My first ever hug. And, I knew, that if Voltorb could've hugged me back, it would have. It was the first time I'd ever read a Pokémon in my life. After that, it was me and Voltorb. It...raised me... Voltorb brought me food, water, and even gave me minor electric shocks of energy when I was weary and tired. Just enough to bring up my stamina. But it never hurt me. Not even once. Voltorb...loved me... It loved me like nobody else ever had before. Also, I began to come to the realization that I was no longer in Vermillion City. My foster parents, I guess, had dumped me off in a strange city. They left me to die. I was dumped in an alleyway to just be forgotten and die off. Voltorb and I lived in secrecy for several months. Voltorb was friends with other Pokémon, too. A group of Rattata, a couple of Chikorita, a Mankey, a Ralts, and a group of Jigglypuff. The Jigglypuff were so sweet. They sang us all to sleep every single night. And I could communicate with each and every one of them. We talked and I told them my story of my parents and foster parents. They loved me and accepted me as one of their own. But none of them loved me like Voltorb. It was my best friend..."
I couldn't believe my ears. What I was hearing was unbelievable. My heart seemed to beat harder with every sentence June spoke.
"While Voltorb, me, and Mankey were stealing food from a store so we could eat, I was captured by the angry owner," June said, her voice low, but less shaky. "We usually got away when stealing, but that day, I tripped and was snatched right up. There was no saving me. When it was discovered I was an orphan, pity was given to me. The entire city sought to care for me. I couldn't read them like I could read Pokémon, but after a while, I began to learn that these people, these people who lived in this city, truly did care for me. They loved me. They...hugged me. They kissed me. They fed me. Clothed me. Housed me. These humans actually gave a damn about me. I never knew love from a human before then. The people of Gringey City, where I was dumped at to die, raised me, as...a family. Together."
At that moment, I reflected back on the time when June ran away from Gringey City to join me. She was chased down by the police as we tried to escape. She was filed as missing and having been kidnapped by me. I recalled battling June in Gringey City, and how the residents all came to watch our battle. They all booed me fiercely every time I beat one of June's Pokémon. It was all so clear now. It all made much sense now.
"I had tried hard to find my friends. My true, closest friends," June said, her voice calming down more. "My true, first family. But I only ever found Voltorb. My best friend. The other Pokémon were afraid of me after having been captured by the humans, and I understood. I held nothing against them. Voltorb wasn't afraid of me, though. It always stuck by me and late at night, I would sneak out and play with it. I was ten years old after a few years of being raised by the people of Gringey City, and I demanded to go out on my own journey. As you can assume, the Gringey City citizens refused to allow me on my own journey. I ran away from the main people who were raising me, a man and a woman, and ran to find my Voltorb as they chased me. These new parents of mine grabbed me and stopped me from running any further, no matter how hard I struggled against them. As they dragged me back, Voltorb came to my rescue, threatening to shock them. I begged it not to, and it listened. I broke free of my new parents' grasps and hugged my Voltorb and it lightly shocked me in a friendly manner. My parents were so shocked, but happy. They entrusted me with Voltorb, and it lived with me for a few months before it was agreed by my parents that I could go off on my own journey. They gave me the chance because they saw that I was actually able to communicate with Voltorb. I never told anybody about this ability of mine, but once my parents saw it between me and Voltorb, the entire city knew within a day, and it was agreed that I should go off and befriend more Pokémon."
A strong gust of wind blew warm air against June and I. I closed my eyes as June brushed her hair out of her face.
I hadn't moved since June began her story. I had no intentions of doing anything else but listening. And that's exactly what I did as she spoke to me. As she told me everything.
"I traveled through Gringey City with Voltorb at my side, having caught it in my first ever Poké Ball, but always letting it roam outside of it," June said fondly. "Just before truly exiting Gringey City, I ran into my first ever Pokémon battle. It was a Magnemite. I had no idea what to do, even though I had studied up on Voltorb's attacks days before leaving. I was stunned. I didn't want to fight against Pokémon. I only wanted to make friends. And yet, I had made the decision to become a Pokémon trainer. As Magnemite attacked my Voltorb, I pleaded with it to be our friend. I didn't want to fight. It beat up my Voltorb so badly, and I fell to my knees and cried. It was at that very moment that my Voltorb evolved into Electrode."
Hearing her say Electrode wasn't enough to send shock waves throughout my body and freeze my heart. It was seeing her look up at me and give me that ice cold, blank stare, that made me feel something powerful inside of me. I knew exactly how this was going to end.
"Electrode took control and battled back against Magnemite and defeated it," June said coldly, keeping her hard eyes on me. "Magnemite was my first Pokémon I captured in a battle. And then. And then, after a bit more traveling, I found myself in a city I didn't really recognize, having only been in it as a child. It wasn't long before it was revealed to me that I was back in Vermillion City. Once that came to light, I passed out." June's eyes seemed to intensify.
My lips were dry. My throat was desperate for water. I didn't make a single movement, held in place by June.
"I awoke to a handsome figure," June said. "A tall, powerful, muscular man. We were in a house. The man's house. The man sat on an old couch, stuffing popping out from it, holding me in his enormous arms. I stared into his warm eyes and glanced at his pointed, fantastic blonde hair. He smiled so caringly at me and I melted instantly. I was paralyzed against the man who introduced himself to me as Lieutenant Surge, the Gym Leader of Vermillion City. He gave me water and after a while, I caught my breath. He asked me, so sweetly, if I was okay. I couldn't fight against him. I told him everything about me. From my parents, to my foster parents, to my family in Gringey City. The sorrow in his eyes made me lose control and I just barely could resist the urge to kiss his sweet, gentle, yet hard, face." June smiled a little bit as she reflected on this. "He asked me what Pokémon type I favor, and I pointed at my Electrode, who, apparently, Lt. Surge had befriended while I was passed out. I told him I don't really know much about Pokémon, but I knew that Electrode was Electric. I knew that I loved when Electrode shocked me and I loved the way it made me feel, so Electric would have to be my favorite type. He told me again that he was the Electric type Gym Leader and, if I decided, he would school me in the ways of the Electric type Pokémon."
I was mesmerized by June's tale. This was a side of June that I had never heard before. I remembered when June had told me a little bit about her life when we first met in Gringey City. I also remembered that some of the things she told me there weren't matching up with what she was telling me now, but I held my tongue and waited.
"Lt. Surge trained me, Electrode, and my Magnemite harshly," June told me, her voice getting more serious. "We did drill runs. It was me, my Pokémon, Lt. Surge, and his other protégés, training together. We crawled through sand, climbed walls, ran track, and did all kinds of intense workouts and stuff that he claimed were related to understanding Electric type Pokémon. I didn't really understand how they were related, but I stuck with it, desperate to not only learn, but to stay close to Lt. Surge. After a couple of months, I demanded a battle, but he refused to battle me. He felt I was not ready. The training continued, and I stuck with it, demanding a battle after every day of training, but he constantly refused, scorning me and saying I wasn't able to defeat him, yet. I began to hate living there. I wished I were back in Gringey City with Electrode and Magnemite, having fun, or being homeless with my other Pokémon friends who became afraid of me once I had been caught by the people while trying to steal food. My only peace of mind was going home with Lt. Surge and playing with his Mareep. She was so sweet. She would lick me and play with me. Me, her, Electrode, and Magnemite would have so much fun. No matter how exhausted I was from training with Lt. Surge, I always had energy to play with Mareep. At one point, my training with Lt. Surge included what he called Practice Charges. We battled, one Pokémon each. It could be me versus him, his understudies versus him or me, whatever he wanted it to be. He beat me every time in as little as two moves most of the time. Usually it was his Raichu that he used. He always stuck by Lt. Surge and never played with me, but he was a sweet Pokémon and I could see a lot of interesting stories behind his eyes. One day, after a particularly difficult day of training, Lt. Surge approached me and helped me to my worn out feet with one of his enormous hands. He smiled so brightly with surreal, bright white teeth of his and said I'd done well that day. It was the first time he had ever said anything like that about my day of training with him. He then took me home and gave me a reward for my hard work. Mareep. In our excitement and joy with this news, Mareep evolved into Flaaffy. I begged Lt. Surge for an official battle, and he actually obliged."
Something flew overheard, high in the sky, crying out loudly. The noise surprised me, but nothing in the world could grab my attention, or make me take my eyes off of June as she spoke to me.
"Lt. Surge left to go to the gym, and I took a stroll outside to speak to my Pokémon in the woods, privately, to let them know what we were in for and to hype them up to win," June said quietly. "While talking to my Magnemite, Flaaffy, and Electrode..." June stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. Her eyes started to water. "...an Elekid came out. He was so cute. I knelt down and spoke to him, so eager to see the little cutie, but knowing nothing about what he was. I only knew that I wanted him. He spoke to me and we were fast friends. He was such a friendly Pokémon. I picked him an apple from a tree, and he picked me a berry from a bush, and we ate together, smiling." June wiped at her dripping eyes. "I asked if he wanted to join up with me, and he immediately said yes. I was so psyched. I just knew I'd defeat Lt. Surge without a doubt."
I couldn't believe my ears. I listened, eager and impatient, dying for more from June.
"The battle was four on four. It was such a harsh battle, and it didn't seem like I would win," June said, panic raising in her voice as she spoke, her eyes glued to me, fear in them as she thought about what she was telling me. "I had only but just barely beaten him. His Raichu was just terrible. He was evolved immediately once Lt. Surge had captured him so many years ago, so he never got to learn the Speed moves he can only learn as a Pikachu, so he was a little bit slower than he could've been, but he was just so powerful. He beat Elekid immediately, without any struggle. Magnemite tried hard and fared a little better, but it was taken down quickly, too. It was Flaaffy who was able to stop Raichu by protecting herself with Cotton Guard, and then used Cotton Spore to slow him down and finally kick in some strong moves and end up winning. Jolteon came out, and Flaaffy won that match too, but was just barely hanging on. She beat Lt. Surge's Luxray, as well, but Flaaffy couldn't take anymore. She refused to go down, but I could see the pain in her. I refused to let her battle any further and I returned her, declaring that she wouldn't battle any further and should be considered defeated. I couldn't dare let my dear Flaaffy keep battling after the pain I saw her going through, just to win for me. Lt. Surge was stunned by this and commended me, stopping the battle. He said I had strength, heart, and spirit. He said not only that, but I had the compassion every trainer needs to truly be victorious in battle. His tall form knelt down to me. I was so used to having that open shirt and flexing, sweaty muscles of his all up in my face that seeing his face so close to mine was surprising." June stopped and smiled wider, thinking of this.
I stared at June impatiently now, wanting her to get out of her fantasy and continue speaking some more about the battle and not the brawn.
June took a deep breath, still smiling. "He said that life as a Gym Leader is hard. He told me I have promise and he wanted to send me to back to Gringey City to be the alternative Electric Gym Leader for when his gym got too busy. I had mixed feelings. I wanted to be in Gringey City rather than in Vermillion. I wanted to go back to what I had considered my true home. My home in Gringey City. I wanted to show my family what I had accomplished. But, to be honest, as silly as it sounds, I had fallen in love with Lt. Surge. I cried and he hugged me, asking me what was wrong. I told him I loved him, and of course, he rejected me." Tears fell down June's eyes, her smile not fading, her eyes now on the ground. "I didn't cry, and interrupted him as he started to try to explain why. I forced a laugh and told him that I didn't mean it that way. I told him I got too emotional about leaving such a wonderful teacher like him and that I loved him platonically. Lt. Surge laughed, but I felt that he could see right through me. He hugged me as I left that same night and I left with my head held high, back to Gringey City. Once I was alone in the woods, I cried so hard, I was truly surprised nobody came from Vermillion to see what was making that loud noise. I cried for such a long time, and so loudly, and so hard, but when all my tears had been drained, and when I felt my determination return, I remembered his last words to me. 'Don't let me down.' I inhaled deeply, got to my feet, and held my breath, trekking back to Gringey City."
I inhaled shakily, staring at June with a focus.
June looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears. She closed her eyes, still smiling, inhaling deeply for a moment and holding it. She let her breath out, but didn't open her eyes.
I could see more tears slid down her cheeks.
"My family in Gringey City were ecstatic with the news of me being a Gym Leader," June softly. "I was, too, of course. However, once the challengers started coming, well, you already know I sucked. I told you this before." June's eyes opened and she gave me a weak, saddened stare. "What I didn't tell you was about my Elekid." She sighed. "The entire city came to see my very first gym battle, which was a complete disaster. I always had several people from town see my battles, every single time. I used Elekid in pretty much every battle I ever had. He lost each and every time. I was getting very angry, and yelled at him a few times. I was so young and stupid and immature, but that's no excuse at all. To be honest, I was thinking constantly of Lt. Surge and what he demanded of me before I left Vermillion. I yelled at all of my Pokémon. I caught others during my time as a Gym Leader, like my Pikachu, but nobody performed as bad as Elekid for some reason, so I was the hardest on him. In one particular battle, Elekid actually evolved while I was yelling at him angrily to get up. He evolved into Electabuzz. Even evolved, he still lost the battle. It had been running up on about eight months of me losing and I was getting calls from the Pokémon League about my constant losses and a lot of pressure was building on me as my gym status was coming under fire. Lt. Surge was calling me, and I never answered his calls. I was terrified to speak to that man. I was failing him completely. Letting him down. To my surprise, one day, he paid me a visit, and he wasn't too happy with me."
I finally moved after such a long time of sitting in one place, sitting on the ground. I stretched out my arms until my elbows cracked, not taking my eyes off of June. It felt good to move and stretch out just a bit, but I was very much into June's story and didn't want to interrupt her in any way.
"He spoke gently, yet harshly, saying he was hurt that I had ignored his calls and wasn't staying in contact with him. He said I wasn't in tune with my Pokémon like I was during our training and our final battle. He said I needed that focus again in order to be able to win. He said I was blocking myself from success. Lt. Surge suggested that maybe I wasn't ready yet to be a Gym Leader, and I insisted that I was and begged for another chance. He conceded after a while and left later that evening after we had a late lunch together. In the Pokémon Center, I sat by the window, crying silently, wondering what I could do to get stronger with my Pokémon. Nurse Joy walked over to me and asked me what was wrong, and I told her. After hearing about my troubles as a gym leader, she gave me something that she thought might help. Something that would change everything. An Electirizer."
My eyes widened. An Electirizer. An Electabuzz traded while holding that item would evolve into Electivire.
"I walked to the waters with Electabuzz that night, and spoke about evolving him to make him stronger. Electabuzz agreed with me, stating he wanted to evolve for me. He wanted to win for me. But no. Electabuzz knew I could read him. He knew I knew how he truly felt. I could see, clear as day, that Electabuzz didn't want to evolve at all. He was always. Always. Always! Such a happy Pokémon... But I ignored that..." June's voice took a new tone. It became lower, all the way down to a whisper. It was now sadder, and quivered noticeably. "I ignored Electabuzz's feelings and turned to my own personal desires to not disappoint Lt. Surge. I evolved my Electabuzz into an Electivire." June's eyes leaked as she stared at me. "I evolved him!" she cried. "And...and..."
I couldn't help but look down at my belt and glance at Ivysaur's Poké Ball before looking back up at June.
June shook her head hard, tears flying from her face. "No. It wasn't like Ivysaur, Gary. Electivire isn't quite like that. He didn't evolve and demand respect from me, per se. Electivire doesn't obey me because I ignored what he knew I knew about him. He knew that I knew he didn't want to evolve. He knew I was only evolving him for my own selfish needs. He resents me for that. He resents me for my selfishness." June swallowed. "I wanted a powerful Pokémon, Gary. And now, he's giving me exactly what I want... Electivire is being exactly what I angrily screamed for him to be. What I selfishly forced him to be. He's giving me exactly what I wanted this entire time. I used him in a battle that wasn't an official gym battle, and got a taste of just how disobedient and vicious he had become. He beat somebody who I asked to battle me as a test battle, and after easily destroying the trainer's Pokémon, Electivire chased the trainer down, trying to beat him up! He chased the trainer out of the city before I finally returned him to his Poké Ball. I've never used him in a gym battle before. I would never use something I couldn't control. I'd rather lose. And I did. And then, a few months later, Robin came to my gym. And then, of course, not long after, I met you..."
I sat there, stunned by June's story. I licked my lips and stayed silent, not moving, my eyes on June. I wanted to speak to her, but I couldn't. I was completely in awe. I replayed everything she had told me about her life as she stared at me quietly. It was a long story to go through again, but I went over as much of it as I remembered. I blinked, keeping my eyes on June. I licked my lips again and parted them to say something. A bit of saliva started to leak from my mouth and I caught it, clasping my lips and sucking it back up, swallowing. I opened my mouth again. "June." It was all I could get out, so I closed my mouth, swallowing again.
"I know that when we first met, I didn't exactly tell you everything," June admitted. "A few things I told you about my journey to becoming a gym leader weren't quite exactly how it happened, but it's just that this is very personal and I didn't know you too well. The things I changed around weren't a big deal. Just things about going to Gringey City for the first time when I really had been there before, really."
"June, you don't owe me any apology," I told her, shaking my head, reaching out to gently touch her shoulder.
June leaped forward and wrapped me in a hug, crying hard.
I hugged her tightly, reflecting on how important hugs were to her, and wrapped my arms around her even tighter.
June's arms pulled me in even harder as she cried more.
I understood now, reflecting once again on June's story, why she was so distraught about seemingly having lost her touch at reading Pokémon.
I finally understood her Electivire's furious attitude.
I understood why, after all the hard work she put into becoming a gym leader, and all the trouble and pain she put her Pokémon through, she felt like such a failure and was so destroyed about having quit being a Pokémon trainer.
I gasped suddenly and froze. My eyes began to tear up. Oh, no, I realized as tears dripped from my eyes, landing on June's shoulder. I remembered something I had feared about once June had told me a bit about her past.
June continued to cry.
I held her, not moving, and silently cried as I came to an understanding.
June looked up at me, her face covered in tears. She stared at me and slowly reached a hand up and wiped at my cheek.
I shook my head and stared back at her. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry. For everything. Everything that happened to you. And what I did to you."
June stared at me, fully understanding my last sentence, and nodded. "Electrode saved my life," she whimpered, more tears rolling down her cheeks. "It was my first friend. My best friend. My family. You took it from me." She closed her eyes and lowered her chin to her chest, crying.
I closed my own eyes and silently cried.
"Before I left Gringey City, I purchased a burial plot for Electrode," June sniffled. "I purchased one from Gringey City for Electrode, in Lavender Town. I had decided to travel with you, and I knew we'd end up there eventually. There's a place called the House Of Memories, where dead Pokémon are buried. That was where I went when I left you at Lavender Town. I had bought a gravestone for Electrode, there. I didn't want to go there, but I had to...say goodbye..." June broke down into more tears.
I was trembling so hard, my heart colliding with my chest repeatedly. What have I done? I thought miserably, crying.
June looked up at me, wiping her eyes. "I don't blame you," she whispered. "It wasn't your fault. I forgive you, Gary."
"No!" I cried. "June, I had no idea. I can't believe what I've done to you! I just can't." I began stuttering, unable to find the right words to express my sorrow.
June placed her hand over my mouth, silencing me. "Accept that I forgive you," she pleaded, begging with her eyes. "That's the best thing you can do. For yourself. For me. For Electrode. Please, Gary. That's all you can do now. We can't turn back the hands of time. We'll move forward. Together. Give me that. It's all I want. For my dearest friend, and most loving family member. In the name of Electrode's memory. Accept my forgiveness, as Electrode surely forgives you, too. It wasn't even your fault. Please, don't carry that burden." She grabbed my hands in hers and raised them to her lips and pressed tightly, not taking her eyes off of me. She lowered my hands. "Please."
With teary eyes, I nodded. "Okay."
She smiled and dropped my hands, pulling me into a tight hug, which I returned.
I closed my eyes and pulled her in even closer. My lips neared her ear. "June," I whispered.
"Yes?" she said in a low voice.
"I think it's time, June." I pulled away from her and stared her in her eyes.
June stared back, a look of confusion and worry on her face.
I looked down to her bag.
June turned to it, too, and immediately looked back at me in shock.
I stared at her sternly and stood up. I extended my hand out to June.
June looked down at her bag, but didn't take my hand. After a while, she took a deep breath and turned back to me, a stronger look on her face. She took my hand and got to her feet. June picked up her bag and turned away from me, taking several steps away. She stopped and turned back to me, setting her bag on the floor and kneeling down.
I watched as June dug through her bag and after a few minutes, stood up with an armful of Poké Balls and a face full of determination.
June nodded.
I nodded back, backing up a few feet.
"I choose you! Everybody!" June yelled, throwing her Poké Balls into the air.
"Eeeeveee!" Eevee cried out happily, waving her tail slightly.
"Electiviiiiire!" Electivire cried out, punching his fists together, seeming to look around, presumably for an opponent.
"Pika Pikaaaa!" Pikachu cried out cheerfully.
Ampharos cried out happily, reaching for the skies.
"Manectric!" Manectric said, staring at me.
"Magneton!" Mangneton greeted.
"Bllliiiiiitzllllle!" Blitzle cried.
A Lanturn popped out from a Poké Ball, crying out.
A bizarre, kind of scary looking Pokémon stared at me that I didn't recognize.
"Galvantulaaaa!" the enormous spider screamed out.
"Gary, these are all of my Pokémon," June introduced. "Electivire, Galvantula, Eevee, Pikachu, Manectric, Ampharos, Blitzle, Magneton, Lanturn, and Rotom. Everybody, this is Gary. Some of you already know him."
Everybody greeted me cheerfully, except for Electivire, who completely ignored me and stared at the other nine Pokémon.
"Electivire!" Electivire screamed out at the surrounding Pokémon, and began sparking eagerly.
"Electivire, stop it!" June shouted. "I sent you all out so I could apologize to you all for everything I've put you all through. I-"
"VIRE!" Electivire screamed out, not looking at June, and shocked June with a powerful Electric blast.
June shrieked and fell to the ground, shaking her head, and looked up at Electivire angrily. Her hair was now standing on end in several places. "Electivire! Just listen to me! Give me a chance! I'm sorry! I hate myself just as much as you hate me for what I did to you. But I love you, Electivire. Can we try to just talk? Don't you remember how we used to talk? Because I do..." June stood up and looked at Electivire with pleading eyes. "Electivire, remember when we first met? I remember that day. I was in the woods with Magnemite, Flaaffy, and Electrode. You came up to me and-"
"TIVIRE!" Electivire screamed, and electrocuted June again.
June fell to the ground, but shook the shock off, glaring at Electivire, her hair looking funny in this serious situation. "Return!" she demanded, and returned Electivire as he yelled at June's Manectric, who looked back quietly, not responding. June sighed, staring at Electivire's Poké Ball. "This may take some more time." She turned to her other Pokémon. "Hello, everyone." She smiled.
June's Pokémon all faced her and greeted her eagerly.
June's smile widened as she brushed her hair down with her hands. "I know Ampharos, Magneton, and Electivire were the only ones here who trained with me when I was becoming a gym leader. I met the rest of you later on. But I still want you all here for this. This is also for Magneton, Pikachu, and Eevee due to our battle we had just the other day. To begin with, Ampharos, Magneton, I'm sorry for what I did to you guys. I was very hard on you two when we were losing battles, and then after all of that, I ran away from our accomplishments. And, I ran away because of us losing battles, but the losses were due to my own faults. I was blinded by the wrong things and fighting for the wrong reasons. It was that which caused us to lose our battles, not you guys not being strong enough. I'm so faulty and horrible of a trainer. I know we've had our private times together, but today, I want to truly apologize to you all, in front of our new friend, Gary. And the reason for that is because, I'm finally able to move on. You all already have forgiven me the several times a day that I apologize to you for what I've done. You all have moved on. But I was never able to forgive myself. When battling with Eevee, Magneton, and Pikachu, I was once again the cause of our loss and caused you three much unnecessary harm. I apologize to you three, once again, as I've done before. And, you three forgave me for that, already. Today is that day when I can finally walk alongside you all. You all were so far ahead of me on the road to recovery. Now, I can join with you all, and we can continue our journey and discover all kinds of new and amazing things about each other and this incredible world that we live in."
June's Pokémon all cheered loudly and surrounded her, licking her, hugging her, and floating around her.
June laughed hysterically from the love her Pokémon gave her.
I smiled and pulled out my Pokédex.
Eevee. The Evolution Pokémon. Depending on how it is raised, it can evolve into a wide variety of different types.
Galvantula. The EleSpider Pokémon and the evolved form of Joltik. They make their homes in electric caves. They set electric webs when in danger.
Lanturn. The Light Pokémon. The final stage of Chinchou. The bright part of its body is used to lure prey. It can devour its food in a single swallow.
Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pichu. This popular Pokémon can become a nuisance as they enjoy eating electric equipment.
Ampharos. The Light Pokémon and the final form of Mareep. This Pokémon is often very gentle and enjoys grazing with others of its kind. Their tails light up and are used as a beacon in place of a lighthouse in emergencies.
Blitzle. The Electrified Pokémon. Its mane holds in electricity from any power source. This Pokémon gains boosted effects when hit with electricity.
Magneton. The Magnet Pokémon. The evolved form of Magnemite. It is said that this Pokémon have been discovered in ancient ruins, indicating their existence of at least 1,500 years.
Manectric. The Discharge Pokémon and the evolved form of Electrike. This Pokémon discharges electricity from its body almost constantly. In battle, they can create thunderclouds.
Rotom. The Plasma Pokémon. This Pokémon can infiltrate electronic equipment and enjoys pulling pranks while doing so.
I was in complete awe as I watched June happily play with her Pokémon. It was quite the sight. I wasn't sure what else to do as I put my Pokédex away but smile, so that's what I did. And that was all I did, watching happily.
"June?" I said as we walked up a mountain.
"Huh?" June asked, turning to me.
"I'm surprised you own a Galvantula, to be honest with you," I stated.
"Oh," June said, looking at the ground.
We had finally cleared the grassy field, the area extremely and uncomfortably dark at this time of night, and were now climbing a mountain. It wasn't too steep of a climb as we followed the curving path going upwards, but it was still a fair amount of work.
"You criticized my Beedrill when we battled with you back when you were a gym leader, and then you made a comment about disliking Bug types when you met the girl with Butterfree back in Celadon City," I reminded her.
June nodded. "I remember. I know it's odd that I have a Galvantula. I'm just really in love with the electricity flowing through her. I think that's really cool. And, she's really pretty strong. I found her back in Gringey City when I left you after Saffron. She was at the Power Plant, on the ceiling. She scared me half to death and I ran, but she actually gave chase and shocked me." She giggled. "From then on, I stopped running and just had to catch her. I totally fell in love when I realized she was Electric."
"Ah," I smiled.
"It's not that I hate Bugs," June explained. "It's just, some are kind of scary and gross to me. But I love all Pokémon. I'm not really afraid of any types at all. I guess I'm just not an enormous fan of Bugs, but some are pretty awesome, really. They do pique my interest quite often, actually. Like Parasect. That is a really interesting Pokémon. Like, as Paras, the mushrooms on their backs have a life of their own and slowly take over the host Bug. When evolved into Parasect, the mushroom takes complete control over the Bug. It's like, totally creepy and scary but so interesting."
I smiled as June kept on talking, not willing to complain, happy she was okay and able to talk again.
Happy she and her Pokémon were doing okay, other than the relationship between her and Electivire.
Grateful I got to understand more about June and her Pokémon's past.
Pleased that I got to meet all of June's Pokémon and we could all spend time together.
As June talked, I closed my eyes and tuned her out for a moment and gave a brief, silent 'sorry' in my mind, and a 'final rest in peace', to Electrode.