Chapter 5 - A Fateful Encounter "Bye, mom!" called Ellie as she stepped out the door, Hatterene following behind her. She started down the path to Wedgehurst. "Today's schedule is pretty light, surprisingly," she told Hatterene. "I'm sure we can stop by the lab today. Plus, I'm pretty sure Hop should be there too." Hatterene beamed. The pokemon was always eager to see her trainer's best friend. Although she rarely does it in the public eye, Ellie talks to her pokemon quite frequently. It was a habit of hers when she was younger and didn't have many friends. But, unlike other children who eventually grew out of their childish habits, this particular one always stuck with Ellie. In fact, Victor once said that she was nicer to pokemon than humans, to which she responded, "People are annoying." But, despite her sassy, tough exterior, she still cared for and respected her friends. After all, anyone who could put up with her for more than a week is pretty admirable. She knocked on the door of the lab. Sonia opened the door. "Good morning, champion!" she greeted brightly. "What brings you here?" "Oh, I was just stopping by." Ellie peeked into the lab. "Is Hop here?" "No, I was hoping you've seen him. He's never late." Ellie raised an eyebrow. Perhaps Hop slept in again? "No, sorry. I haven't seen him since yesterday." "Ah, that's a shame." Sonia tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, come inside! You have time to wait, right?" Ellie nodded. "Yes, thank you." Ellie sat down at the table as Hatterene went over to play with Yamper. Magnolia set a cup of tea in front of her. "Here you go, dear. Drink it while it's hot." A small smile formed on Ellie's face. "Thank you." She took a small sip. The door opened and a familiar face popped in. "Professor Sonia?" called Gloria. Sonia rushed over. "Gloria!" Ellie got up and walked over to see Victor, Carrie, and Alexander standing behind Gloria. "Have you seen Hop?" asked Alexander. "His mom called me, saying he had disappeared overnight somehow." "Same with me and the twins," Carrie explained. "We thought he had just come here early." Sonia shook her head. "But if he isn't at home, and he isn't here... then where is he?" Ellie let out a groan. "I am not in the mood to deal with this today." Sonia tapped her chin. "I think you should go look for him. I'll phone Leon and we can meet again at the cafe." She sighed. "Hopefully, you'll have some good news by then." Ellie nodded. "Alright. We'll go to the Wild Area first." She looked at the others. "Sounds good?" Victor gave her a thumbs up. "Then let's get moving." Ellie stared out the window. The group had decided to take a train to the Wild Area, and it wasn't exactly a quick trip. As she sat, her mind began to wander. Back to a simpler time, many years ago. It was another beautiful day in Postwick. A little girl with snow-white hair and lavender eyes walked out of her home and sat down on the steps. She giggled as her Hattenna bounced toward her, as the Budew chattered amongst themselves. This girl was Ellie, the daughter of a sweet, mild-mannered florist, and her husband, a determined trainer who travels the world, coming home every few months with a new gift for his precious daughter. While she loved her family very much, and her family loved her just the same, Ellie couldn't say the same about other people. She tended to come off as unwelcoming and rude to many, and despite her mother's attempts to help her, nobody was willing to stay. And because of this, Ellie often found herself quite lonely. To solve this, her father caught her Hattenna, and since then, the two have been inseparable. Ellie watched the Wooloo play in the fields, as the Butterfree fluttered aimlessly in the sky. Her eyes drifted to the gate leading to the Slumbering Weald. She watched as a Wooloo ran out of the foggy woods, bleating loudly. The young girl, longing for adventure, walked closer to the entrance. Hattenna warped after her, trying to stop her. But her curiosity was only strengthened by the loud howl coming from the heart of the forest. Ellie stepped past the broken fence and was about to set foot into the forest when she heard a shout from behind her. "Hey, don't go in there!" said a boy around her age, with dark blue hair and golden eyes. "It's dangerous!" Ellie turned around and crossed her arms. "How so?" "Well, there's a lot of dangerous pokemon in there. You could get seriously hurt!" "Why would you care about a stranger getting hurt?" She turned around. "Besides, me and Hattenna can deal with whatever's in there!" "No, you can't! I can't let someone get hurt just because I don't know them!" Ellie turned to face him again. His face was stern yet determined. "But if you insist... then I'm coming with you!" Ellie sighed. Who did this kid think he was, coming out of nowhere and trying to tell her what to do. She took a deep breath, and calmed herself down. "No. Sorry, I wasn't thinking."
im on a roll here please im so proud of the thumbnail music: Tender Strength - Genshin Impact (aka the Unwavering Emotions of genshin) (cont) Hattenna smiled. Her trainer was learning. That was good. "W-what's your name?" she managed. The young boy beamed. "I'm Hop, it's nice to meet you!" Ellie blinked as the train arrived at the station. As they walked out, Victor explained the plan he had formulated during their trip. "Divide and conquer," he explained. "We split up, and then report back at the stairs leading Motostoke. Is that clear?" "Yep!" said Gloria. "All clear!" "Then let's go find our friend!" declared Carrie. Ethrelia stroked her partner's head calmly as she faced her prisoner. "Stardust, I'm bored." She smirked. "Plus, our prisoner won't shut up!" "Help!" hollered Hop, desperately hoping for someone to hear him. "I'm in here!" Ethrelia let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, that's absolutely useless! We're too deep in, just save your energy." She walked over to him, her small body barely standing above her tied-up prisoner. Hop stared into her cold, bright red eyes, seething with rage. She smiled, her black iron locket gleaming in the dim light of the crystal. Hop wondered what must have happened to this little girl for her to become something like this. Her smile was unnatural and unnerving, her eyes unhinged and almost a little sad. "Now, my little puppet, it's time to play..."
