EPISODE 43: Building the Bridge!*

After that unexpected forfeit from Zinnia, without even proclaiming it, I and the rest of our crew returned indoors. It bothered me to think Zinnia was in contact with another person, this could mean she was working with a particular someone or organization, and it may either be the PIP or Team Galactic.

Back at headquarters, we were about to continue our discussion and move on from the interruption. That was when we noticed Zeal was missing. We scoured for her, in her room, in any of our compounds, nor even in the garage. It was as if the battle cast upon a spell which made her invisible, hidden from the society.

Losing hope, I then volunteered to search for her in the city. Perhaps, she went for a stroll after defeat? To contemplate on things or have a personal talk with Charizard to build back the bridge of trust between them? The problem is, finding her would be hard for Snowpoint City is vast and huge.

I first stopped by at the market square and searched the stalls one by one. Sadly, luck did not show itself but rather the opposite. On a bench somewhere in the market square, I sat to think of where she could be. Perhaps in the plaza? An alleyway? No, maybe in a mall? The last one doesn't sound right especially when someone was sodden with tears.

Minutes of thinking, it was time to do more action than planning. I stood up and continued my walk through the city, even encountering Candice along the way. Nothing much happened, a little greet of hello only took place. She still has no idea a secret organization is lurking somewhere in her city.

I met a couple of people whom I asked if they've seen a woman with orange hair, somewhat short but spiky, and according to one of the elders, she had seen one which perfectly fits the description I gave her. According to her, she saw Zeal in a local tea shop just north from here. I was feeling relieved, for I did not have to take a long time searching.

In front of the modern tea shop, was a glass wall. There I saw Zeal, just contemplating at her tea while spinning it with a teaspoon. Her face was tangled with a frown, and I went inside the tea shop to give her daylight. In front of her, I gave a wave, but she neglected it. I sat in the chair right in front of her and started a conversation.

"So, I know you and Charizard are having problems with each other. I wanted to help out. Charizard is a strong Pokemon, it would be a waste if it all it did was to loaf in and out of its Pokeball."

"Can you please stop referring him as "it", Charizard is a male, I told you this before." she corrected me, but it gave me a suspicion she was trying to change the topic.

"Alright, fine, I'll call Charizard a he, my bad, I forgot." I went with the flow of our conversation, and so far, nothing much positive was in her.

Then came the waitress who delivered my drink, a classical brewed green tea. It's a tea shop, I figured it would be best to grab a drink too. Plus, I'm feeling more confident on spending my salary more often.

"So, wanna train?" she didn't answer my question, so I intentionally sipped my drink loudly to gather her attention.

"Charizard's gone," she revealed and took a sip from her cup. Struck with a shock like a lightning bolt, I nearly spitted out the drink from my mouth back to the cup.

"What do you mean?!" I swallowed the drink a whole.

"So yeah, I left to talk with Charizard in an alley since it was the most private place I could think of. Um, we quarreled, and I accidentally called him a good for nothing Pokemon. There, it was as though as time froze for we were staring at each other immensely like never before. He then flew the skies, leaving me and going to a place I know not where." Zeal explained with a somber tone.

"Then why don't we look for Charizard? There is still a better way to fix this, Zeal. You and Charizard are close, but the thing is, you don't trust each other-"

"Well, look, I'm not going to deal with this some sort of madness. If Charizard's out of the game then so be it." Zeal's voice entered a violent and enraging one.

"That's it? You're giving up on your starter Pokemon who fought for you as a Charmander, who battled for you as a Charmeleon because of a simple misunderstanding? I'd rather fix things and make things proper like how they should be."

"What do you mean?"

"Building the bridge! All we have to do is to find Charizard and you can apologize to him directly. Or maybe, there was an issue between the two of you that you kept a secret, I won't ask what it is, but you can patch it with a private talk with your Pokemon. Trust me, talking to your Pokemon is great. They're pets to me, rather than monsters." with the most positive tone as possible, I encouraged her.

"Well, um... Charizard doesn't trust me because he was the type of Pokemon who doesn't like to lose and so he attacks by his own will, with his own strength."

"Hmm, then go and buy his trust by guaranteeing victory and teaching Charizard that sometimes it is okay to lose. Let's finish these drinks of ours and let's head out to search for him."

"Thanks, Luna."

"No, prob!" I smiled.

I've encouraged the human, and now what is left is the Pokemon. Things are heading according to plan, and by the end of the day, everything will be back to normal. This is quite exciting, and I can't wait for the heart-touching moment between Zeal and Charizard unless things don't go according to what I've planned.