Seven Years Later Chapter 4
Seven Years Later
CH. 4: Roommates
"YOOM-TA! Now it's official. From this day forth, exploration team Well Wishers will be allowed to train under the guild until they are experienced enough to take and pass the graduation exam. Unshi! Kutty! I hope your time here with us will be fun and exciting. Welcome to our guild!" After being dismissed, Chatot led the new recruits towards the dorms. "Girls live on the left side while guys live on the right.. We do this so because we don't want any 'incidents' to happen, especially during ahem mating season. Now, the first two rooms here are reserved for our senior members, so no entering without permission. Further back, you'll see the relaxation area that splits off into two more rooms. This used to be the room where two of our prized members once stayed in, but we had to expand the area to house new members such as yourselves. It's getting late, so go ahead and find your beds."
With Chatot hopping away, Kutty and Unshi looked at each other. "I guess this is goodnight?", Unshi shrugged. Nodding, Kutty slowly walked towards her room. Looking back, she saw Unshi enter his room before taking her own steps forward. Closing the door behind her, she stared at her new roommates. Shinx and Numel were talking to each other before Kutty had walked in on them and now the room was silent. Rubbing her arm nervously, she quietly introduced herself to the girls with a tint of embarrassment glowing on her cheeks. "No need to be shy", Shinx giggled. "Yea, we won't bite", added Numel. Both pokemon motioned to their new roommate to get closer and find a seat. After introducing themselves, they began to bombard the charmander piles of personal questions. Tears welling up, the char could only reply with a loud, "I don't know!"
The sudden outburst made the waterworks start, and the confused girls could only gather around and sooth her with apologetic words and gentle hugs. Finally calm enough, Kutty explained her situation to her roommates. "I don't remember anything about my life. Friends, family, everything in my mind is gone. Even my body and this world feels unusual to me and I hate it. Sometimes I wonder if I should have died that day. If Unshi hadn't saved me, nature would have..." "Enough!", interrupted Shinx. "Don't you ever think like that. I know it must be hard for you right now, but thinking about dying just isn't right. You should be glad that you're alive. You should be happy to have met someone like your totodile friend. You should be excited about getting a chance to start anew. Don't let all the negatives hold you back, alright? Focus on what's ahead and start being positive." Blinking back a few tears, Kutty took these words to heart. "I'll try", sniffled Kutty. "Try what?", Shinx glared. "I'll...I'll try to look ahead and be more positive", Kutty whispered. "Good. It's a start, but be louder and more confident next time", smiled Shinx. "I'm glad we all worked this out", nodded Numel. The three hugged each other one last time before heading to bed.
Next door, Unshi and Growlithe were both banged up from fighting each other. "Don't you dare touch her", shouted Unshi. Growlithe snarled before pouncing towards Unshi and using headbutt. Landing a critical hit and making Unshi clutch his belly in pain, Growlithe jeered at the fallen totodile. "Even with a type-advantage, you're still too weak. If that's all you got, then how do you plan to protect that beautiful piece of..." "SHUT UP!" roared Unshi. "She...she doesn't deserve...any of this. You can't just think that she is a prize waiting to be snatched up by your grubby little paws. In fact, the way you treat all the girls is just sick." Getting ready to pounce in anger, Growlithe was stopped by Sandshrew. "Enough violence. Any louder and the whole guild will be down here. You two should agree to disagree and just stay away from each other in the future." Spitting at Unshi, Growlithe snorted and turned away. "Watch yourself and that girl of yours, runt. Next time, there won't be any interruptions."
Silently glaring at Growlithe, Unshi took those final words to heart. Although he didn't want to admit it, Growlithe was right about one thing. If he wanted to protect the ones he cared about, then he had to become stronger. The fights with Meowth's group, the Ariados pair, and now this all ended with him getting beaten up. It felt frustrating to know that he had the guts to take on the challenge, but not enough skill to overcome it. Still clutching onto his belly, he crawled his way over to the bed farthest away from Growlithe. After everything that has happened so far, Kutty and Unshi both thought about how to improve themselves. Being smothered in warm hugs, Kutty smiled to herself at the idea becoming a more confident and outgoing pokemon. Unshi on the other hand looked down on his bruised body in sorrow, determined to find some way to hone his skills. With these thoughts taking refuge in their minds, both of them drifted off to sleep.
Somewhere else in the northeast corner of the world, the swift movements of a pokemon could be heard rustling through the trees. Eyes and paws glowing blue with a mystical power, it ran towards the direction of Treasure Town. "Gotta stop them", he puffed. In his mind he could clearly remember the mission he was given and knew he couldn't afford to fail. As he ran, the area filled with a dense feeling of dread. Slowly down, the pokemon curse under his breath and he fired a sphere of energy into the thicket behind him. "So you already knew that we were chasing you. That is quite interesting." Forced to stop and face his enemy, the pokemon growled as it took up a fighting stance. "Show yourself, foul creature." An evil chuckling filled the area. "We would have loved to reveal ourselves and fight you, but master only ordered us to observe you. Having been found out so easily, we must retreat for now." With that, the pressure in the area lifted. Alone once again, the pokemon refocused his strategy. Instead of openly charging through the landscape, he would try and cautiously sneak around until he reached his destination. "So you found friends in this world. Very resourceful, but it won't matter. I will find you, and I will stop you. You can't hide forever, Kieth."