PMP 78: Hand in hand

Mitsumi and Jun spent a few more days in Snowpoint. One of those days was spent at Suzuna's house, where Mitsumi read all of the current volumes of Aura Chronicles and had long discussions with Suzuna about Pokémon and boys. Another day they visited the trainer's school where Suzuna was an assistant teacher during the school year, followed by a visit to the crusty old man who knew complicated vocabulary words. Once they found one of Suzuna's old friends who was returning to town for a Pokémon Contest, her fifth ribbon that would qualify her to enter the Grand Festival. All the while they laughed and smiled and grew almost inseperable.

It was the fourth night. Mitsumi was already getting antsy to leave the tiny, quiet town, but had been putting off the arduous trek back. The three of them all sat on a park bench, just finishing up a hot bread-like food that was a Snowpoint specialty. Mitsumi had let Empoleon out to enjoy the cold, while Riolu was safely in its Pokéball.

Jun finished first, balling up the paper that the pastry had been wrapped in.

"That was good!" he said, "Man, for so cold a place, you guys can sure cook food that warms people up from the inside out!"

"That's the best way," said Suzuna as she finished hers, "If you guys will excuse me… I need to go to the bathroom."

As she stood up to leave, Jun also stood up.

"I also hafta pee!" he announced, "I'll go with you! Mitsumi, you'll watch our stuff, right?"

"Yeah…" said Mitsumi, "Empoleon and I will make sure nobody takes it."

"Kay! We'll be back soon!" said Jun.

The two of them raced off. Mitsumi watched for a little before turning back to her pastry. There was a quarter of it left.

"I'm full…" she said quietly, "Empoleon, do you want some?"

Empoleon took the bread in its golden claws and ate it, tearing off chunks with its beak. Mitsumi watched it, marveling at its size and grace. It was such a powerful Pokémon; its flippers could cleave through ice floes. At the same time, those flippers could gently take a piece of bread from the hands of a young girl.

"We've come a long way…" she said, "It's only been a few weeks, but… you've really grown a lot since I first met you."

Empoleon nodded, as if to say, "You've grown a lot yourself."

"Maybe this is just the tip of the iceberg, too," said Mitsumi, "Two and a half weeks… it's really not a long time, is it? Maybe my journey will go on for years… Maybe we'll discover new lands and new Pokémon, pursue all eight badges, win all the contests in Sinnoh… Maybe we'll be together until I can't remember the life I led before this."

It hadn't been long at all, yet already her previous life was becoming nothing more than a memory. Nothing remained to prove that it had happened. What if she'd lived here her whole life, had one long dream, and then her original memories were replaced with the ones in the dream? What if she'd been here her whole life, surrounded by Pokémon, and hadn't known it?

"No, no," she said, shaking her head, "That can't be. There was pain there, and there's pain here. Neither one is a dream."

Empoleon stared at her, lost.

"Where are those guys?" asked Mitsumi, "They've been gone at least ten minutes."

She stood up. Empoleon moved to follow her. He took her hand gently in his claws.

"What's up, Empoleon?" she asked, "Just need to hold hands?"

Empoleon nodded and waddled closer to her. She giggled.

The two of them set off, following the path Mitsumi thought her friends had taken….