Blowing Bubbles

Chapter 53: Nebbys home

"Hey, Millie," Lillie greeted. "Hi," I replied. "Your mother told me that you had something for me. What is it?" "Right. About that," Lillie started.

"I've been with Nebby for a long time now. When it was a Cosmog, I did everything I could to protect it. When Nebby evolved into Solgaleo, though, it was the one who protected me. Nebby wants to explore the world with you and I, now..."-Lillie paused, then hung her head and sighed-"...but...I can't do that. I'm not a trainer. I can't take Nebby to new places, and I can't battle other trainers with it. Which is why..." Lillies expression changed, and she looked up at me with determination. "...I want you to have Nebby." My eyes widened as I let out a small gasp. Lillie couldn't be serious? "Do the things with Nebby I couldn't do. Win the battles I couldn't fight. Take Nebby to the places I couldn't go. Show it the things that I couldn't show. Millie, you're the only one who I can trust Nebby with, so give it a ball to call home."
"I understand," I admitted. "Thank you, Lillie." "No, Millie. Thank YOU," Lillie replied. "Without your help, Nebby and I wouldn't be standing here." I didn't reply, but instead smiled at Lillie with determination. With that, I took out a pokeball, and Nebby bent down to let me tap the button on its head.
Tilt.
Tilt.
Tilt.
Click!

"Nebby," Lillie spoke. "No...Solgaleo. You belong with Millie. She's going to take care of you now." As Lillie continued to talk, I saw her eyes filling with tears. "Just...remember to listen to her! Try not to hurt other pokemon until you get used to your new strength, and when you do get used to it...try hard to win your battles! Show those pokemon that you're remarkable!" Nebbys pokeball shook in response.
"Millie..." Lillie whispered, then hugged me tight. "...Thank you. Thank you again for all that you've done. Take good care of Nebby...okay?"

Two weeks had passed since I caught Nebby, and now I was with Yvonne. We were on Ula'ula island, walking to the top of Mount Lanakila, where the Pokemon League was. We had spent those two weeks training, and over that span of time, Yvonnes Minccino had evolved into a Cinccino after I gave Yvonne a shiny stone as a gift.

"Millie...are you scared?" Yvonne asked. "I mean, if you or I lose just one battle...we won't be able to compete in the Pokemon League again for quite some time." "I am a little worried," I admitted, "but as long as we have our pokemon with us, and as long as we believe in ourselves and our pokemon, we'll be fine." "Another question..." Yvonne started. "Why do you want to compete in the league?" I sighed at Yvonnes question, then looked up at the sky with a bit of sadness.
"You see..." I responded in a slightly lower tone. "Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to be a trainer. I lived in Eterna City, which is in the Sinnoh region, and we had a Growlithe named Rusty. So when I was five, my dad challenged the gym leader Gardenia to a battle. He lost, though, so he spent two years trying to train Rusty and evolve him. By the time he won against Gardenia, though, Rusty had become very disobedient. When him and my dad came home, Rusty bit me. After that, my mom and dad had a huge argument and eventually got a divorce. I..."-I swallowed as a single tear slid down my cheek-"I remember his exact words, too. 'I grew to hate both you and Millie!'" Yvonnes eyes widened in shock, but she continued to listen.

"After that, my mom and I moved to Alola. I still wanted to become a trainer, but my mom said I couldn't, because she was worried that the pokemon I caught would hurt me, just like Rusty did. I went to a new school, but since I was the only kid without a pokemon, I was bullied a lot." Yvonne looked like she was ready to cry now. "Then...I met Bubble. Wanting to achieve my goal of becoming a trainer, I caught her, and then began the island challenge. Now...I want to prove to my mother that not all pokemon are bad. I want to do that by competing in the Pokemon League."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that turmoil," Yvonne responded, "but at the same time, it's true that not all pokemon are bad." My friends expression changed to determination as we finally reached the top of Mount Lanakila.
"That's a good goal to try and achieve," Yvonne told me. "Don't let a bad past define your future, Millie. At the same time, try hard to win those battles in the Pokemon League!"