Bonding

Kimi was still going through her thoughts as she reached many conclusions but the main issue was.. 'Do I even need to be an officer so that I can uphold justice or do good in this world? I could just join the league or become a gym leader if I want to have more rights and benefits for what would be required of me. There is the option to be a regular trainer this time or to work as a mercenary or bounty hunter.. it would give me much more freedom while it would also provide me with the means to get in touch with the dark societies. If I am required to move in secret then I need a fake identity and a set of illegal Pokeballs so the league cannot track every Pokémon in my possession.'

Illegal Pokéballs usually come from the black markets and are all unregistered as they do not work with the leagues system.

Normal Pokéballs are bought and then registered to the owners name and account so once a Pokémon was caught within it, the information would be uploaded to the leagues server which granted them more information and control over those below them.

If Kimi wished to act in secret and was connected to illegal events then she could not use her public Pokemon set and would have to acquire an illegal set while the other identity was best used when she did not want to be seen as an officer or be discovered to be somewhere she should not be.

The biggest disadvantage of being born in the Jenny family was their strong female genetic traits as many look very much the same.

It made going undercover or taking another profession very difficult as everyone would unconsciously ask her for assistance even if she was off duty or if others were not an official officer.

Even if someone chose another profession, it was difficult to escape from the worlds expectations of the Jenny family so many were burdened with additional responsibilities wherever they are.

Many of the Jenny family that did not qualify as an officer found jobs as park rangers or security for the wealthy or influential but that was only if they had some connections or power of their own.

Kimi thought to herself. 'But is every Jenny a perfect example for an officer? No! There are some that are doing many bad things behind the scenes but the main family choose to often ignore it or do not punish the offenders too much due to their influence.'

Kimi then stood up and then threw the hat off her head towards the side of the room and then removed the hairband on her head. "No more trying to fit in with them all and following every order."

Her long teal hair which was messy at the back due to the curls being pulled back and tied while the front and top was very neat under her hat like many others of the family but once she had removed it all, her long wavy teal hair had fallen down her back and looked very beautiful but also a little wild. "That is better."

She then turned to Growlithe and activated the weak aura in her body that she had gained access to. "Do not worry, I would never harm you. I hope that we can be good partners in the future. As for what happens next, it may seem strange at first but it will not bring you any harm."

Suddenly her aura headed towards the Growlithe and conveyed her emotions and intent towards the Growlithe.

It was a mixture of love, care and expectations that Kimi felt towards Growlithe but here were no signs of malice or other types of ill intent.

Growlithe was startled at first and let out a growl as she was unsure of what was happening but Kimi then explained. "These are my feelings towards you. It is me wishing to form a bond with you and for you to stay by my side forever. Please become my partner. You do not have to trust in my words, feelings or intent right away but I will slowly prove myself to you. For now we will just do this test together, there is no pressure to perform well."

Kimi could feel Growlithe's negative feelings towards her along with a mix of distrust, fear and anger but Kimi could then detect it lessening as she continued.

Slowly it was becoming a little less distraught but there was still a large wall up between them so she could not maintain their connection for long.

The last feeling that she could detect was how unsure Growlithe was feeling towards what she had said as it was uncertain if it could trust her.

She made an unexpected action and took the Pokéball that belonged to Growlithe but instead of calling it back, she put it away into her small bag on her waist. "So long as you remain close to me, you can remain outside. This is me putting my trust in you as your trainer but also my hope that you will want to stay by my side. Come on."

As she walked out, the Growlithe followed behind her slowly but kept a certain distance behind her.

It also carefully avoided those in its path as it still had slight anxiety towards other humans but slowly she felt that staying close to Kimi would not be as bad as she thought. 'Is this my new master? I hope that she will treat me well.'

Her thoughts or feelings were faintly picked up by Kimi as she continued to observe Growlithe behind her with her own aura.

A small smile appeared on her face. 'Not a bad start but the second round was a time when she showed the most problems. I will have to wait and see why that was.'

At the time of the second test, Growlithe was even less cooperative and difficult to deal with in her previous life but she had just assumed that it was due to her own inexperience as a trainer but she later realised that Growlithe's trauma was probably triggered at that time.

She was never able to figure out the cause of it but she had another chance to find out.

After the time had passed, the first test had begun and the judges of the tests had started to come out and explain. "The first test will be a simple one. It will be a test of the bonds between you and your Pokémon. This course has been set and all you have to do is get your Pokémon to complete it by your side with the shortest time possible. If they stray too far ahead or fall behind then extra time will be added but there will also be more added if you fail to complete any of the obstacles."

Kimi looked at all of the equipment laid out and sighed. 'This one was a complete failure the last time I participated.'

Many people started participating as they went through all kinds of obstacles, some had been forced to skip some of them while few had raced towards the end with a fast speed.

It was finally her own turn but she was not in a hurry as she knelt down to meet Growlithe's eyes from a certain distance away. "Follow my directions. I know that you have been trained before so you should be capable enough to complete this. Just take it slow and steady."

Growlithe nodded as she listened to Kimi's words as she followed behind, they both walked slowly towards the starting line until the judge shouted. "Begin!"

Growlithe flinched a little but Kimi reassured her. "It is okay. Lets go."

They first arrived near some cones which had been set up so Kimi went first between two as she went from left to right and then passed through the next gap in between the cones lined up as she went from right to left. "Follow my actions for this one."

"Pff.. this is an obstacle for the Pokémon, not for the trainer."

"To be honest… not everyone has a partner which can know how to perform these tasks. I think what she is doing is correct for a beginner with a shallow bond with her Pokémon."

"We are the masters, why should we have to do such things to earn their trust? They should just follow our orders."

"If you say another thing like that then you will be punished. The league does not like it when its image is brought down by idiots like you."

Growlithe could pick up on the surrounding noises and was not very happy as her new master was being mocked because of herself so she followed along and quickly finished the first obstacle as she moved from left to right, right to left and repeated it until she reached the end but as she was closer to the end, she was a little closer to Kimi than she had been previously.

Kimi could sense that the thick wall that was up between them was slowly beginning to weaken even if it was a little so she became happier. 'Thank you my old friend.'