Cam's day at the park

The sun was shining brightly. Billowy white clouds lazily drifted across the blue sky above. A sweet Summer breeze kept the day from getting too hot to enjoy, and had the added bonus of filling the sir with the fragrant aroma of all the wildflowers that bloomed around the park. It was the perfect day to kick back, relax, and not have to worry about life's everyday struggles.

That was exactly what Can planned on doing. It had been too long since he had really taken time to relax during his travels. He would never forget where he came from, but he really had no idea where he was going. Nonetheless, sometimes it was good to stop and collect yourself before venturing on towards whatever ends awaited him on his meandering journey.

Such was the life of a Pokemon trainer. The world was filled with the wonders creatures. They came in all manner of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were as long as houses, others were small enough to fit in your hand. Some made their home in dark caverns. Some ran wild and free through the grassy plains. The depths of the oceans and seas were full of scores of swimming varieties, and the skies teamed all sorts of flying Pokemon.

Pokemon were an undeniably crucial part of the world they shared with humans. Many humans befriended Pokemon, keeping them as pets, or teaching them to help in many labor industries. There were many individuals that called themselves Pokemon trainers.

Trainers collected Pokemon and raised them to be powerful fighters in order to battle against other trainers, all in a never ending struggle of attempting to be the very best, like no one ever was. But it was a vain struggle. When it came to Pokemon, there would never truly be a best. Every Pokemon had its own strengths and weaknesses. It was up to the individual trainer to create a team of Pokemon that balanced and supported each other. For every strong Pokemon, there was one that was stronger. For each brilliant strategy, a counter.

However, a true Pokemon trainer knew that the joy of training didn't come from simply winning battles. It came from the bond they made with their Pokemon along the journey.

Cam knew this. His pokemon were strong, and they had shared many victories together, as well as their share of defeats. As much pride as he held in his Pokemon’s strength, it couldn't compare to how much he simply enjoyed their company as friends and companions. He wasn’t just their master, they were simply domesticated animals that followed his commands. They were his partners. They were a part of himself.

He sat on a wooden bench, one of many that were placed alongside the winding concrete path that wove its way through the park. Cam tugged at the end of one of the long sleeves of his white, buttoned shirt. A black tie hung down his chest haphazardly, tied, but not tightened quite tight enough. After satisfying himself with his sleeves, he leaned over to brush some dirt of the bottom of his shoe.

It landed with a plop a few inches off the the side, a puddle of semi solid white substance. It slowly shifted to the side a bit as it melted into the warm concrete it had landed it. Cam blinked at the melting puddle of thick white cream, his dark green eyes fixated on it.

A soft, whining sigh brought his attention up. Cam sat up and looked over. On the bench, sitting beside him, was a Pokemon. A Gardevoir. His Gardevoir, specifically. One of the more humanoid shaped variety of Pokemon, she was about a half a foot shorter than her trainer. Her body and arms were a grassy green color, as was the neck length hair that curled under her chin. Her face was a milky white. Her long, slender legs were covered by fluted white sheets that fell from her midsection, forming a sorry of natural, elegantly slitted skirt. From the midst of her chest jutted a gently curved red protrusion, matched by a similar growth jutting opposite her back. She was primarily a psychic type Pokemon, and this 'horn’, as it was called, was an organ that her species used to sense the empathic feelings of those around them.

A pair of red eyes that matched this sensory organ frowned down at the empty cone she now held in her lap. Ice cream. A cold dairy treat that even Pokemon could savor. Hers had grown a little too soft out in the heat of the day resulting in the largest portion of it falling to the ground, much to Gardevoir’s dismay.

Cam smiled a small smile as he scratched at the back of his head and locked a length of his long, earthen colored hair behind his ear. His Pokemon turned to him in her distress, the sorrow over the loss of her frozen treat all to apparent in those big, gleaming eyes of hers.

“Come on then,” Cam said as he patted her head in a reassuring sort of way, “Let's go get you another.” She smiled pleasantly back at him. She liked ice cream ever so much.

It wasn't hard to hunt down another ice cream salesman. There were several working their carts around the park. Cam came to the first one he saw, Gardevoir following close behind. After explaining the gist of the situation to the pleasantly round shaped man working the cart, he paid for another cone, vanilla, her favorite, and handed it to her.

A moment later and the two of them were sitting again. Cam went back to work picking meticulously at his clothes again. Just as he was pulling an invisible hair off his sleeve, a large white mass filled his vision. He blinked. It took a moment for his brain to register the vanilla scoop being held out in front of him. He glanced over to see Gardevoir smiling his way. She was offering him a taste. He smiled back, happy to oblige. But trying to lick ice cream from a cone someone else was holding could be tricky business. He miscalculated the distance between his face and the dairy treat, and when he pulled his face back, he had a small dab of vanilla ice cream stuck to the tip of his nose.

Green eyes crossed as Cam tried to focus on the frozen substance that was chilling his nose, eliciting a giggle from the Pokemon beside him. He wiped it off with his finger and sucked it off before it could drip off and mess up his clothes. The pair shared a laugh and then shared the cone, this time being sure not to let it melt off the cone.



Fetch. It was a simple enough concept. You throw an object, and have it returned to you. It was a game as old as anyone could remember, and simple enough for anyone to understand. Half a dozen other trainers were enjoying the game with their Pokemon at the moment. Balls, sticks, and frisbees took the the air as canine Pokemon gave chase, leaping to catch them mid flight, or chasing them across the grass as the rolled.

Growlithes, kneehigh Pokemon with orange and black striped fur, sat patiently as they waited for the order to give chase. Tiny Lillipups hopped around energetically. There was even a trainer enjoying a game of tug of war over a rope with a feisty, dark haired Poochyena. So why was Cam having so much trouble?

“Come on, girl,” he said, waving a stick about, “Just once? Just fetch the stick one time?”

His Lycanroc laid back on the grassy knoll and yawned. She wasn’t the noble, loyal, obedient midday kind. No, she was the stubborn, aggressive, defiant midnight type. A werewolf in all but name, Lycanroc of the midnight variety gave up their quadrupedal gait in favor of walking on their hind legs, using their forearms for grabbing and clawing and scratching instead of walking on.

Cam’s Lycanroc breathed out the corner of her mouth, puffing the thick main of air that grew from the shoulders over the top of her head out of her face. Cam always thought Lycanrocs had a pretty shade of red fur on their backs. That was one reason why he preferred the midnight kind over midday. He found that he could care less about how good her fur looked at this very moment.

The stubborn pup folded her heavy front paws under her head and she made herself more comfortable on the ground where she lay, even going as far as to cross one leg over the other. Chasing sticks and stuff was for Pokemon that actually gave a care. Lycanroc had no cares to give.

“Go get the stick, girl,” Cam said as he tossed the stick.

Lycanroc followed the stick through the air with her menacing red eyes, but did no more than watch it fall to the ground. She yawned again and rolled over on her side, facing away from the direction Cam had thrown the stick, propping head chin up on a paw.

Cam waited, hoping against all reason that Lycanroc would have a miraculous change of heart and decide to cooperate. He waited in vain. A light breeze blew across the field as he stood there in silence. A young trainer ran by him only a few feet away, a fluffy little brown Lillipup barking and yipping behind him in a game of chase. Cam was starting to wish he was training a Lillipup. He marched off to collect the stick his own self since it was obvious Lycanroc had no interested in doing it.

Lycanroc yawned again. With the paw that wasn’t holding her head up, she absently scratched at the white fur the lined her belly. Then she picked at her teeth with the point of one of her sharp claws. Then she blew her black tipped main out of her face again.

Fetch was for losers. Lycanroc wasn’t one of those pets that would go bounding off after some toy like a stupid little fool. She had better things to do. Like nothing. Leave the playing to all the other annoying little pokemon. She would rather be doing anything else. She would definitely rather be eating. Or beating up a rival pokemon. Or sleeping.

Her arm was starting to go numb from lying on it, so Lycanroc decided to change positions again. She rolled her body over so that she was laying on her other side, and propped herself up on the other arm. Just as she was starting to get comfortable, her nose was abruptly poked by the end of a stick held in the hand of her trainer.

“Come on,” he said as he poked her nose with the stick a few times, “You know you want the get the stick. It’s a nice stick, isn’t it? See? Why don’t you go get it, just one time, please?”

Lycanroc’s eyes narrowed like the eyes of a hunter that was staring down its prey. Cam stopped mid poke as a bead of nervous sweat trickled down his forehead.

He gave up on trying to get her to play for the moment. She was just being too stubborn to deal with. Cam sat down beside her on the soft grass and sighed. All the other trainers seemed to be having so much fun. Of all the Pokemon, his Lycanroc had to be the most obstinate of them all. All she seemed to enjoy doing was fighting, sleeping, and.. Eating. An idea flashed through Cam’s mind.

“How about we go get something to eat?”

Cam watched out of the corner of his eye. He saw what he was looking for. An ear twitched and turned his way at the mere mention of food. Lycanroc tried to act disinterested by yawning again, but he knew he had piqued her curiosity.

“Yea, I think i remember seeing someone selling some nice, fresh, steaming hot hotdogs earlier,” Cam said, pretending as if he were talking to himself. Another uncontrollable twitch of the ear made him smile smugly to himself.

He waiting a moment for the idea of food to really solidify its way into Lycanroc’s head before he went on to add, “Tell you what. You fetch this stick one time, and we’ll go get one. What do you say to that?”

Cam look over. Lycanroc was eyeing him incredulously, but he knew she wouldn’t be able to resist. He sweetened the deal, just to be sure.

“Two hotdogs,” he said, holding up a pair of fingers to emphasize his point, “You fetch this stick for me like a good Pokemon, and I’ll get you two hotdogs. Deal?”

Lycanroc thought for a second. She sat upright and held a paw up. Three claws pointed up.

“Hmm, i don’t know,” Cam pondered.

Lycanroc growled.

“Fine, fine,” Cam relented, “Three. But I’m going to throw it as hard as i can!”

Lycanroc nodded in agreement. The deal was struck. Stubborn as she was, Lycanroc would do most anything as long as a decent meal was involved, especially if it was a meal of meat. Cam stood, gave his arm a stretch, reached back over his shoulder, and hefted as hard as he could out towards the open grassy field.

Like a red blur, Lycanroc was off her haunches and on her feet. She streaked past Cam, tongue hanging out the side of her mouth, already anticipating the taste of delicious meat. And for what? Chasing down one stupid stick? She’d have done it twice if he had've asked. Silly trainer.

Or so she thought. Cam grinned as he watched Lycanroc chase a stick that wasn’t there. He pulled his hand out from behind his back and twirled the little piece of wood between his fingers. The old pretend throw trick, oldest gag in the book. And she fell for it.

Cam grinned impishly. Until he thought about how mad Lycanroc would be when she realized he never threw the stick. He was going to have to buy her a lot of hotdogs if he wanted to survive.



Cam gently pulled the brush through the thick, soft hair of Lopunny’s long ear. They sat on the ground, under the shade of a goodly sized old tree, Cam with his legs crossed, Lopunny with her strong hindlimbs all stretch out in the grass. Cam paid especially close attention to the light colored fluffy tufts of hair at the ends of her ears. It wouldn't do for the bunny to have a burr or anything else stuck in her fur.

The large rabbit Pokemon leaned back, eyes closed, half asleep as she enjoyed the brushing. Lopunny were extremely selective over who they let from them, especially when it came to their sensitive ears. But Cam knew just the right way to brush her. Lopunny had no reason not to lay back and enjoy herself.

Suddenly, Lopunny’s dark eyes popped open. Cam noticed her nose twitching alertly. He looked around to see if he could determine the source of Lopunny's sudden distraction. They had settled down in one of the quieter areas of the park. There were no other people around that Cam could see. Other than the sounds of a few bird Pokemon chirping in the trees around them, it was pretty quiet. Lopunny’s sense of smell and hearing were several times better than Cam’s, so it was possible she had noticed something he had not.

She turned her head, her big ears draping over her back as she did. Cam turned to look to. He saw what it was that had brought Lopunny out of her blissful stupor. A long body curved around the side of the tree that they sitting under, shimmering bright and green as the grass that it crawled over, with patterns of yellow adorning its face and back. A split tongue darted out, tasting the the air. Bright red eyes focuses on Cam and his Pokemon. But neither trainer nor Pokemon seemed too concerned over the Serperior that was watching them so closely. Why would they? This wasn’t some randomly encountered wild Pokemon. It was Cam’s Serperior.

The long grass snake Pokemon slithered its way closer towards them, curious about what its trainer and fellow Pokemon were up to. She seemed especially interested in the brush Cam was holding in his hand. Cam held the brush up and Serperior’s eyes followed its movements. Maybe she had seen how much that Lopunny was enjoying being brushed and wanted to get in on the action herself. Cam had brushed Lopunny out pretty thoroughly already. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Serperior a little grooming as well. Lopunny agreed. She hopped up, bouncing energetically on her hind legs as she chittered and whistled at Serperior, urging the big snake over.

Serperior made her way over, and coiled herself up next to Cam’s legs. There was a lot of her to coil. Her long body was almost twice over as long as Cam was tall, and bigged around in the midsection than he was. There was a lot more of her to try to brush than a Lopunny, but Cam was up for it. Except, how did you brush a snake? Cam held the brush over Serperior’s head and paused. She didn’t have fur or hair. Her body was covered in a leafy sort of scales that sprouted from atop her head like a pair of pointed ears, and off her body, giving her what Cam kind of thought was a look similar to a giant, half peeled green banana. But it wasn’t exactly good for brushing.

“Um..” Cam considered several different spots along Serperior’s long form, but there just wasn’t anything to brush. Even Lopunny came over to examine Serperior. But she didn't have any better luck than he did.

Serperior realized that they were having difficult. She was suddenly very aware of just how different her reptilian anatomy was. She wasn't warm and fluffy like Lopunny. She didn't have soft, cottony fur like Lopunny. She was just a long, cold, unbrushable snake. She knew she should have know better than to think she could enjoy the same kind of treatment as Lopunny.

Serperior hung her head and took on a wilted look. Cam and Lopunny shared a quick concerned glance with each other as Serperior began unfurling herself to crawl away. Cam felt a twinge of guilt. Serperior only wanted to involve herself. He should have out a little more thought into how things would work out.

“What should we do now,” Cam asked Lopunny absently. He wracked his brain over what he could do to make Serperior feel more included. What could you do for a snake to make it feel prettier?

Lopunny crossed her arms over her fluffed chest and tapped a foot as she thought. She didn't have any idea what to do either. Lopunny didn't have much experience with being so smooth skinned. With no fur to brush, what else could you do to get all gussied up?

It came to her in flash. Lopunny snapped her fingers, causing Cam to glance up out of his own thoughtful daze. He almost had a hard time keeping up with Lopunny as she bounded around fervently. What was she up to now, he wondered. The rabbit hopped about, picking at the ground here and there before bouncing off to pick at another random spot. Finally, she ran back over to Cam, arms full of.. flowers?

She held them up towards him, an excited grin on her round face. There were so many that they were spilling out of her paws, and they were of all different sizes and colors, blues, reds, yellows, and every shade in between.

Not far off, Serperior sulked by herself in the cool shade. She sighed heavily, gazing off into the distance with heavy lidded eyes. She was a snake. Snakes weren't cute like rabbits. People were scared of snakes, they thought snakes were all mean and dangerous. She wasn't mean or dangerous though, but she certainly wasn't cute and lovable either. At least, she didn't feel like she was.

Something soft fell on her head. It slid down a bit, half covering her view. She picked her head up and looked about. Cam and Lopunny were there with her. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed them come up behind her. What was going on?

Cam reached out and straightened the flower wreath they had placed on her head. They had made it a little bit too big though, and he was having a hard time getting it to stay in place. Lopunny busied herself with placing various smaller rings of flowers across Serperior's long, round body.

Serperior was shocked. She hadn't expected this. That they had gone through all the trouble of stringing together dozens of little flowers to make the wreaths they were decorating her with made her feel, well, a lot more cute and lovable than she had thought a snake should feel.

Cam patted her on her head between her ear leafs. Serperior was glad that she had such a thoughtful trainer. She brought her tale around, using its green, leaf like tip to wipe away the tear resting in the corner of her eye before either of them noticed it.

Lopunny suddenly flung her arms around Serperior's lifted neck and nuzzled against her cheek, knocking the precariously place crown of flowers on her head off center again. But that was ok, Serperior didn’t mind. She still felt beautiful, and, more importantly, loved.



Stretching was a good way to relax and keep the body strong all at the same time. Cam had changed his collared shirt and dark slacks for a pair of red athletic shorts and a simple white tee. He brushed a strand of brown hair out of his face. It always fell in his eyes went he leaned over. Cam was knelt down, front leg bent, back leg stretched out. He held that pose for a second before changing positions, twisting at the hip and changing legs.

Beside him, mimicking Cam's position, Lucario stretched as well. Lucario always wanted to do to best to stay fit. Her trainer needed to her be ready at any moment, there was no time that wasn't a good time to train.

Cam stood, held his arms over his head, and bent his torso from one side to the other, Lucario mirroring his actions. Lucario’s slim frame held a lot more strength than it looked like it should. She continued to follow his movements as he bent down, touching the tips of his fingers to his toes. She knew that these routine stretches, as basic as they were, were an important part of their workout. A pulled muscle meant days of being unable to properly exercise, and that was simply unacceptable.

After finishing up the last of the stretches, Cam stood and held his arms at the side, shaking them loosely to get the blood flowing through them. He glanced over at Lucario. She nodded. The two of them drew a long, deep breath in unison, then pulled their arms back, fists clenched tight, holding the about waste high.

The pair began performing a well practiced martial art form. Hands shot out in swift, solid punches. Feet snapped up through the air in high, overhead kicks. Elbows bent in defensive blocking positions. They moved, stepped, turned, as gracefully as if it were a dance, every move made by one made in perfect sync with the other.

They wrapped up their formal demonstration, ending in the same position that they started in. It was an efficient way to practice moves, Lucario though. By practicing a form over and over again, you trained your muscle memory. When it came time to actually use your skill, it was better to have your body ready to react instinctively. The shortest moment spent thinking about what move to use in the middle of a fight could make the difference between winning or losing.

But now it was time for the part Lucario liked the best. She knew stretching and practicing were both important parts of any training regime, but Lucario was eager to put all her training to work. They turned and faced each other. Cam looked too relaxed, with the half smile plastered carelessly on his face and his lose posture, but Lucario knew just how serious he was.

She, on the other hand, showed displayed her seriousness through her stance. She dug the ball of her paw into the ground for leverage and raised her hands. Lucario was a whole head and shoulders shorter than her trainer, but size wasn't everything, especially when it came to Pokemon.

Cam lifted his arm and waved his hand, beckoning Lucario in fashion reminiscent of every old Kung Fu movie that was ever made. Lucario narrowed her eyes. He was goading her. It was working. It shouldn't be working, but it was. She gritted her teeth and reprimanded herself mentally. Lucario knew better than to let herself get angry over a simple little taunt like that.

Lucario were natural born fighters. Their bodies were built to fight. Small, sleek, fast, and powerful. The dark blue and black fur covering her body mixed and blurred as Lucario lunged at Cam. She throw a straight right jab, aiming at the core of Cam’s torso. As fast as she was, he was still able to block her punch with an open hand. She pressed into him with a flurry of punches, but Cam blocked each one as he slowly stepped back. She was the one on the offensive, but he was the one leading the fight.

A kick, aimed low, swept across the ground. Lucario saw it coming just in time to jump out of the way. But it diverted too much of her attention. She looked back up to see four knuckles coming right at her face. Cam stopped his punch short of hitting the end of Lucario’s dark tipped nose. It was enough to cause her to stagger back a step though. She quickly regained her composure and redoubled her assault.

Punches and kicks flew wildly. She would strike at one side, then the other, constantly searching for the opening in his defense. But Cam wouldn't give her an opening. She came close twice, once when she kicked at his waist, but he stepped back far enough that she missed, and again when she threw a jab high, but he leaned his head to the side at the last second.

Cam wasn't throwing any more punches, but he was only blocking or avoiding all of hers. She was getting frustrated, at herself mostly, for not being able to land any blows. She could do better than this.

Lucario suddenly broke off her attack. She kept several feet back, her feet sliding across the grass a few inches as she landed. If a direct attack wasn't working, she would try a different approach. She brought her hands around to the right side of her body, left hand on the bottom, right hand on top, with a couple inches of empty space between them. Empty only for a brief moment. Lucario began channeling her inner power, forming a swirling ball of dark energy between her palms. Aura sphere. It was one of Lucario’s beat attacks.

Cam recoiled in surprise. He hadn't expected her to use that move. They were supposed to be having a friendly little sparring match to keep each other sharp. But Lucario had gotten lost in the moment, caught up in the pitch of the fight and was taking things a little too far. Again. Sure, she was adamant. But Cam was going to have to teach her a little restraint sooner or later, or else their little sparring matches would get the better of him.

“Lu, wait a second,” Cam held his hands up, trying to urge her not to use the move, but it was too late. The ball of energy expanded until it no longer fit between her hands, and she pushes it forward, palms first, hurling it his way.

There was precious little time to do anything more than cross his arms over his face defensively and hope for the best. The attack hit him with explosive force, enveloping Cam in a cloud of dust and smoke.

A few other park visitors turned their attention towards all the commotion, curious as to what was going on. Lucario didn't see what the big deal was as she eyes some of the onlookers incredulously. She had used an aura sphere on trainer. So what?

She had just used an aura sphere on her trainer.

Lucario’s ears turned down as she look back over to where Cam had been standing, to where she had hit him with the exploding ball of energy. The dust was starting to clear. On the ground lay Cam, on his back, hair all this way and that, with a dull, lifeless look on his face.

Lucario ran over to his side and knelt down near his head. He was conscious, if only barely. A oddly gentle look came across Lucario’s features as she looked down with relief that Cam wasn't badly hurt. She had a bad habit of going overboard when they trained. Most trainers would scold a Pokemon if it ever did something like that, but not Cam. He never got angry. Even when she accidentally went too far, Cam would laugh it off and pretend that she hadn't done anything wrong.

“Aw, Lu,” Cam, face covered in dust, reached up and gave Lucario a scratch between the ears, “You're actually kind of cute when you're worried.”

Lucario blinked the sappy expression off her face as she quickly turned away. She slapped his hand away, perking her ears back up to their normal alert position. She had landed the blow, but he had still caught her off guard.

“That was some aura sphere,” Cam commented. Lucario looked back over. Only Cam.would compliment a Pokemon like her on their attack if that attack was actually used on the trainer himself. Cam sat up, dusted his shirt off a little and added with a hint of sarcasm “Maybe next time, don't hold back though, ok?”

Lucario narrowed her eyes with a huff. She drew back her arm and laid into Cam’s shoulder with a punch hard strong enough to knock him back down. She crossed her arms over the spike in her chest and shook her head at him. He just laughed. It was infectious. She tried, she tried hard, but Lucario couldn't help but laugh too. What kind of trainer laughed at being hit by their Pokemon? The kind Cam was.



A faint pink color was slowly creeping over the edge of the horizon. Soon, the sun would set, and this serendipitous day would end. Cam had decided that he would have to make more time for days like this in the future. He reflected on his thoughts while he watches what was left of the sun’s light reflect off the surface of the lake that stretch out in front of him.

A small flock of bluish white Duckletts fluttered down out of the air. They quacked at one another, splashing about in the water, ducking their heads under here and there. They lazily tread through the water until a head broke through the surface of the water from below, scaring them away. Angry quacks and honks could be heard as they flew up and away. Primarina brought one of her flipped out of the water and covered her mouth to hide her little laugh.

“That wasn't very nice, Prim” Cam called out from where he was watching.

Primarina turned his big, watery eyes towards her trainer. She smiled before she dove back down, only to make a full body leap from the water a moment later. Primarina’s body glistened in the light. A spout of water and bubbles shot up from the lake behind her as she twisted her agile body around mid air in an elaborate display​. She dove nose first into the lake as the water she had turned up came raining back down. The droplets caught the light and shimmered like a thousand tiny mirrors as they cascaded back down.

Cam smirked. He leaned back, propping himself up on his hands, and muttered, “Show off.”

Primarina swam just under the surface, close enough that she was visible, but only as a distorted visage through the cool, clear water. She swam until the water became too shallow. In the water, Primarina were elegant and graceful, but on land.. not so much. She awkwardly shuffled her way over to Cam’s side, stopping briefly to wring the water from her long, sea blue hair before she got too close.

Can reached an arm over and poked the rounded pink end of the nose with a finger. 'Booping’ was the term given to poking, or being poked with, a Primarina’a nose. Primarina noses were several time stronger that a human's, but they weren't just for smelling. They were powerful and delicate sensory organs used to 'sniff out’ sources of food hiding below the soft, underwater sand, as well as to get a sense of their surroundings. When a Primarina poked and prodded at something with its nose, it was usually trying to learn information about it that wasn't conveyed by simple sight or smell. It was also often done as a sign of affection between one Primarina and another, or, in some cases, between Primarina and trainer. Being one of those cases, Primarina leaned in and pressed her nose against Cam’s cheek, giving him a firm, but gentle booping.

Cam smiled and playfully pushed her head away, but she just nuzzled up against him even closer until he relented. “Ok, ok,” he said as he ran his hand across her nose, then down the long blue hair that lay over her shoulder and back. “You can be so needed sometimes, you know that?”

Primarina feigned a gasp, going as far as to hold a flipper over her mouth. Her coy little display didn't fool Cam though, he knew better that to let the little diva fool him into believing she was offended. Instead, he reached over and gave her another gentle shove, this time on the shoulder.

Somehow, the Pokemon managed to make her eyes looks even bigger and wetter than the normal did. Another one of her attention grabbing tricks. Cam wouldn't fall for it any more than he would her others.

When Primarina decided that Cam wasn't going to give in to her attempts at goading him into smothering her with the attention she desired, she turned her head away from him and harrumphed, making sure she did so louder than was really necessary.

Cam could only his eyes at her overly dramatic display. He knew it was all an act, but he gave in nonetheless. Cam reached over and wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her back over close to himself.

“Don’t be such a big baby,” he told her, smiling. She smiled back. The slightest bit of attention was all it took to change her mood. She began nuzzling up against him again, this time nudging him with her forehead, pushing him towards the direction of the lake.

“No, I'm ok,” Cam said, trying to hold off her advances with both hands, “I'm not in the mood for a swim right now.”

Primarina tried for another minute to coerce him into the water, but he simply wasn't having it. She finally gave up, choosing instead to sit by him at the shore, watching the peaceful water as it calmly rippled in the breezy evening air.

The Duckletts returned after a while. One turned a gave a loud quack in their direction, probably chastising Primarina on her earlier behavior. She deserved it. Other than that, the evening was turning out to be a calm, quiet one.

People were beginning to leave the park for the night. They walked by the path near the lake, sometimes alone, or in pairs, or in small groups, families with children mostly, or some who had brought their Pokemon to the park, like Cam. He saw one of the Swanna shaped paddleboats being moored in at one of the docks on the opposite side of the lake. Soon, it would be time to go.

The humming caught Cam by surprise. It was Primarina, carrying on a little melody as she gazed out over the water. Singing came naturally, it was, as a species, in Primarina’s nature. Her hum grew, gradually becoming its own wordless song.

She sang and sang. Cam didn't stop her. He liked listening to Primarina sing. Each song was usually made up on the spot, the notes and pitches affected by how she felt the moment, and no two songs were ever the same. Primarina sang on, become so engrossed in her song that she lifted herself, standing erect, balanced on the split end of her tail. Eyes closed, Primarina raised one flipper high above her head, bringing the other close to her chest as her song reached it's crescendo.

And then, the song ended. Primarina half opened her eyes. She breathed in quick gasps, trying to replenish the sir she had used while she sang.

When the crowd started applauding, Cam and Primarina both looked back. A group of about two dozen people and a handful of Pokemon had stopped on the walkway a few yards away to enjoy Primarina’s performance. She lowered herself back down and tried to hide her face behind a paw as her soft white cheeks flushed red while the people clapped.

Behind her flippered forelimb, she beamed. Cam knew she wasn't as embarrassed as it seemed. That too was simply a part of the act. Well, let her enjoy herself. Cam joined the applause, a few slow, soft claps, to show Primarina that he was proud of her.

She noticed. Her cheeks reddened a little deeper. As much fun as it was to impressive a group of strangers, it meant something else altogether to know that her trainer enjoyed her singing. She lifted her other arm and buried her face in her hands. This time, her bashfulness wasn’t an act. At least, not entirely.



The sun was almost completely gone. Only the very top of it still remained above the line of old oaks and pines of the wooded area of the park. The sky had turned a shade of deep crimson, as was only getting darker as the minutes ticked by. The town’s Pokecenter would be closed for curfew soon, but that was ok, Cam preferred to find his own lodgings that to stay at the local Pokecenters. Their services were free to any traveling Pokemon trainer, but he enjoyed the more private touch of having a room to himself, rather than sharing a common area with other trainers that would be staying at the Pokecenter too.

Primarina was there as well. The cool evening air, coupled with the serene sound of the lake lapping at the edge of the shore had lulled her to sleep. She lay with her head rested on top of her arms, which she had crossed over Cam’s outstretched legs.

Cam turned to look over his shoulder when he heard a chitterning noise growing steadily closer. Lopunny hopped across the grass, trailer not far behind by Serperior, the latter’s head still adorned with the flowery wreath Cam and Lopunny had made for her earlier that day. Lopunny must have continued picking wildflowers as she still had a hefty pile in her arms, so much so that they spilled out here and here and she merrily hopped over to her trainer.

The ring of flowers on Serperior's head and fallen to the side again. Cam reached out to straighten in once she had crawled within arms length of him. She lowered her head down to he could reach there.

“There you go,” he said once he had managed to get it to stay in place.

The leafy green Pokemon smiled sheepishly. She could herself up beside him, opposite the side that Primarina’s blue tail lay, and laid her head down at his feet.

Not a second later, two more Pokemon approached. The dogs, Lucario and Lycanroc. One went to each side of him. Lycanroc gave a small growl when Cam stuck his hand out to her, but cut it off when he started scratching her behind the ears, under the thick mane of hair that draped over her face. Lycanroc could see Lucario watching from the other side of her trainer. She stuck her tongue out tauntingly. The look that Lucario gave back could be described as jealous at best.

That is, until Cam reached his other hand over and scratched her head much the same way as he had done Lycanroc. Lucario blinked the surprise out of her eye and briefly looked away. But she couldn't help but melt when Cam’s fingers hit that sweet spot just above the long black fall of hair between her pointed ears. Those ears lay back as her eyes rolled up a little. She didn't notice at first that one of her feet once involuntarily kicking at the ground. A quick gasp escaped her mouth before she cleared her throat, somewhat embarrassed to have to herself act in such a puppiesh manner.

Last to arrive was Gardevoir. Her fluted slits of skirt billowed around her dainty legs as she came up from the side. Cam lifted an arm for her as she knelt down at his side, sitting just behind the biggest part of Serperior's coiled length. Cam lay his arm over her shoulder and gave the psychic type Pokemon an affectionate embrace.

Primarina yawned. All the motion at stirred her from her rest. She lifted her head from Cam’s lap and looked around. Her big wet eyes sparkled in the last light of the setting sun. Flowers suddenly rained down around her head. They rained down around everyone.

Six heads turned, trainer and Pokemon, as Lopunny hopped around the group, tossing handfuls of the flowers she had picked all about. Several of the company laughed. Lycanroc rolled her eyes and blew off a small yellow flowers that landed near her nose. Primarina yawned again and lay her head back down.

Cam was glad he had the Pokemon he had. He couldn't imagine having anyone better to travel with than then. He trusted them, and they trusted him in return. He wasn't their master. They weren't simply pets. They were his friends. And they were wonderful.

But now, it was time to find somewhere to stay for the night. Tomorrow would be a new day, and with it would come new adventures, new trials, and new happy memories.