- A Wish from the Heart - [03] {Pokemon Story}

"What a strange group of people they were... it sure was nice of them to give me breakfast though!"

'Hooray for you, I barely got two stinkin' mouthfuls'

"I bet you got plenty to eat though, sneaking food out of their cabinet ~"

'Oh please just shut up right now...'

Meowth gripped to the arm supporting his weight as Koneko walked down the dirt road, smiling happily to herself as her feet crunched against the sand and grit. His eyes narrowed as eyes peered out of the bushes back at him, leaves rustling noisily as creatures stirred behind them.

'Why'd I have to go and get caught by this twerp?" Meowth cast a glare at the smiling girl above him, 'I had to pull that dumb kitten act back there so Pikachu would shock me... but now...?' Meowth let his paws hang limp over Koneko's arm. 'I'm starting to wish I hadn't...'

"You sure are a quiet Meowth" Koneko slowly came to a stop, holding Meowth up to her face. "Do you have a trainer?"

'Just two boneheads, and no - I don't need a third' Meowth's eyes narrowed, eyeing Koneko's hands around his middle. 'Pet me and I'll rip your flipping hands off-'

"I couldn't catch you even if I wanted to though..." Koneko laughed through her nose, "Ah well... If you're still hungry - I still have some food back in my base!" Koneko nuzzled Meowth in the cheek, not realising his ear twitch angrily. "I wouldn't mind sharing!"

'I still hate you, but food is food ~' Meowth mentally purred.

"Meowth ~"

"I'll take that as a yes!" Koneko crooned as Meowth's tail slowly swayed backwards and forwards, brushing up against her arms. "Come on then, just through here-"

Parting two ferns with her hands, Koneko revealed a small dark hole in the shrubbery leading into the ground. Meowth could feel the disappointment sink deeper into his heart as they descended into the shadow filled hole.
A mansion, a nice house - the things Meowth had hoped for were not going to be in that small hole. He was starting to realize that this girl had living conditions that rivaled his own.
However, living in a hot air balloon - and living in a hole, even Meowth felt better off than this girl, and he hadn't had a proper square meal in over three weeks.

"It's not much, but it's better than nothing right?" Koneko knelt down, placing Meowth on the dirt floor. "I guess I've gotten used to it..." She smiled weakly, laughing slightly.

Meowth didn't know whether to laugh or start running. The prospect of getting used to this as an everyday home seemed like cruel and unusual punishment.
It was an old secret base, like the kinds trainers made with their pokemon to store plushies and rugs while they roamed around. However, the room was devoid of any such things, containing a bed, stool and a table, each covered with leaves, sticks and dirt. The ceiling was comprised of many branches and vines entwined together, so closely knotted that very little sunlight was getting through, making the room even danker and gloomier than it was before.
Meowth wrinkled his nose as he sniffed gingerly at a pile of old magazines that were messily stacked in the corner while Koneko walked over to the small, wooden stool.

"I don't have an oven or anything, but these should be fine" She said cheerily, as she stepped up onto the rickety structure. "They're leppa berries, but there are a few oran berries mixed in-"

'Berries?' Meowth could feel himself choke inside. 'I let myself be saved from a glorious kitchen to eat old berries-?'

Koneko stepped back down to the dirt floor, her old sneakers, falling apart at the seams sent a cloud of dust flying around them. Meowth could tell his dismal look was reaching his expression, but made no attempt to hide it.
But Koneko didn't seem to notice, happily holding out the berries in her cupped hands towards the fussy pokemon, smiling cheerfully.

"Go on" She picked one berry out and put it in Meowth's paw. "You're still hungry right?"

'Not for this crap though...' Meowth thought, feeling the frustration bubble up in his already aggravated mind. 'But I haven't had a decent meal yet...'

Meowth took the berry and several more from the girl's outstretched hands and quickly shovelled them into his mouth. Koneko smiled as he swallowed them whole, quickly reaching out for more.

"You're a hungry little Meowth aren't you? ~" She continued holding forwards the berries as Meowth continued to take them. "I guess it's a good thing I've got a whole tree full of these then!"

'I'm only eating 'em because I'm starving-' Meowth thought stubbornly as he stuffed his mouth full, 'It'd be nice if we had a natural food source on that dumb balloon...' He thought longingly.

He slowly became less aware of the girl crouching beside him as he ate his fill. Koneko watched silently, trying her best to stay still as not to disturb the Meowth. She was finding it hard not to giggle or smile - simply enjoying watching the pokemon guzzle down the berries.

As the last stalk fell to the ground, Meowth stretched and fell onto his back; a small, satisfied burp escaping his mouth.

'That oughta tide me over until we get some dough...' Meowth yawned, stretching his paws outwards. 'Man, now I'm exhaust-'

Meowth's eyes snapped open as two arms circled around him, lifting him off of the ground. One arm holding him close to her torso, Koneko's right hand stroked his golden medallion upon his forehead.

'Man this brat is annoying...' Meowth thought, his tail twitching in frustration. 'Does she just expect to pet me all day? I've got evil stuff to get back to...'

"Can I tell you something?" Koneko asked slowly, still prodding at his medallion.

'Go nuts, I can't say otherwise without you turning me in' Meowth thought dully.

"I've got a bit of a secret to why I don't want to go get a starter pokemon..." Koneko mumbled quietly, eyes fixated on Meowth's ears. "See, I don't like laboratories... so I really don't want to go..."

'Boo hoo, go cry to your mom' Meowth looked away from the girl. 'Let me go while you're at it'

"I bet that sounds dumb huh" Koneko laughed awkwardly, scruffing Meowth around the neck. "But I've got a reason! See-"

Koneko let go of Meowth and began to untie her bandanna. Springing to his feet, Meowth brushed his fur down with his paws as he prepared to run for it.
The bandanna fell onto the tip of his tail just as he turned around to go. Meowth swiped it off with his paw, turning just enough to stop dead in his tracks.

"Meow..." Meowth managed to croak out.

Sticking out from underneath her blue hair were two yellow and black ears, exactly like his. Where peoples' ears usually were situated there was nothing but skin - as if her normal ears had just disappeared into thin air.

"I'm kind of worried that if people find out, they'll sell me off to a laboratory" Koneko said, picking the bandanna up from beside the shocked Meowth. "That's why I have to wear this thing-"

"Meowth..." Meowth interrupted Koneko, eyes still wide from shock. "You're... You're a freak!"

Silence ran through the small hideout. Bandanna shaking, Koneko's mouth opened slowly.

"D-Did you just...?"

"I thought you were weird - but this is just ridiculous!" Meowth shouted frantically, jumping to his hind legs. "I was just gonna use you to make sure I didn't get shocked, and maybe score myself a meal - but Meowth!"

"Y-You're..." Koneko's eyes were quivering from a mixture of shock and horror. "You're talking! You're actually TALKING-"

"No duh Sherlock" Meowth suddenly jumped onto the stairway out of the hideout. "Sorry but I gotta scat!"

"Wait!" Koneko screamed frantically, stumbling to her feet. "You can't go - What's going on?!"

Meowth darted out of the bushy entrance and onto the dirt road, rounding around a corner. He was surprisingly a lot swifter on his hind legs then he had been on all fours - and soon Koneko's shouts were all in the distance.

'Wait until I tell Jessie and James about this-' Meowth grinned to himself, proud of his discovery that had originally shocked him. 'This is the best news we've gotten in a LONG time-'

Meowth dashed amongst the bushes and disappeared into the trees as two feet rounded the corner after him. Doubling over, Koneko fought hard to catch her breath; wincing.

'Did... I just see a pokemon talk...?' Her eyes began to cloud as she clutched her bandanna to her head. 'Am I going crazy...?'

"He talked..." Koneko whispered desperately, shaking her head slowly as she fumbled to tie up the bandanna. "That Meowth... he..."

"Koneko, what are you doing-"

Koneko screamed as something prodded her softly in the shoulder. Without meaning to, her grip on the bandanna loosened; allowing the bandanna to fall to the ground as she whirled around to see her perpetrator.

Max stood still in shock as Koneko backed away as far as she could, shaking in horror. The bandanna lay in the dirt beside her twitching glove.
Max slowly opened his mouth as he backed off a step - eyes widening.

"C-cat ears..."

Click-Clack