Olivie watched her Bidoof out of the corner of her eye as she approached despite the display, noting that the Bidoof appeared to be panicking.  At the last moment, before she wound back her leg to kick the little monkey across the sidewalk, Buck threw himself forward.  The plump mouse Pokemon's body slammed into the Pansear in a full-body tackle, knocking the skinny creature down into the trash and sending its berry bouncing away.  It did not get back up, and Olivie watched its eyes glaze over.  A needle of alarm shot through her: was it dead?  She didn't want to kill it, after all.  The movement of the monkey's chest, however, revealed that it was just unconscious.  A quiet exhalation of relief escaped through Olivie's nose.  [color=954535]”There you go.  Slow starter, is all.  Hopefully you'll get read a little quicker next time.  We're gonna be fighting tougher stuff than scrawny alley pests before long.”[/color]  She picked up her Bidoof, who seemed to be out of sorts.  His eyes were dark and his body shaking slightly.  Realizing this, Olivie pet his head.  [color=954535]”Aw, don't worry, tough guy.  It can be a little shocking to realize how strong you are.  I was surprised when I got my first K.O.”[/color]  She stared at the Pansear, which had awoken and was dragging itself through the rubbish to get to the berry, which had been mushed into a paste when it rolled onto the street.  [color=954535]”Yeesh, what a gross little monkey.  Pokemon like that must be a real hassle for the city to deal with.”[/color]  The Pansear scooped up a handful of berry mush in a trembling paw to bring it to its mouth, looking up at Olivie as it did.  Even conscious, its eyes were cloudy, and they beheld a deep frown on the brunette's face.

However, this frown wasn't from contempt.  Something inside Olivie was hurting.  Her eyes stung, and her breath caught in her throat, forcing her to swallow.  [color=954535]”Such...a pathetic...weakling.  No wonder nobody loves....nobody loves....”[/color]  When she looked into Buck's sad eyes, her vision was distorted by something.  Olivie felt some kind of liquid running down her cheek, and a pressure building up behind her cruel facade.  She tore her eyes away, glancing back down at the Pansear, who'd gone limp hanging off the side of the curb, one paw resting in the berry juice.  At that moment something broke.

Explosively, Olivie burst into tears. Noisily and messily she bawled, throwing herself to her knees in front of the Pansear.  She didn't put up any resistance when Buck squirmed out of her grasp, instead reaching out to gently lift the Pansear up beneath her arms.  [color=954535]”How could I do that!?”[/color] she sobbed.  [color=954535]”I'm not heartless, it's all an act, you poor thing everyone looks at you just like they look at me.  Please, I'm sorry.  I forced Buck to hurt you to keep me from doing it.  I'm so sorry.”[/color]  She cradled the monkey in her arms, standing up and rushing toward her house with Buck at her heels.  Still weeping profusely, the tapped in the residents' code to the lockpad and opened the door before hurrying inside.  

Once in the safety of her own abode, she immediately set the filthy animal on a folded, soft towel atop a table, then grabbed a leftover peanut butter and jelly sandwich to set before it.  The unique smell stirred the Pansear from her daze, and as she ate, Olivie washed and brushed its fur.  This she did using the old Pokemon grooming kit of her father's that he showed her the evening of her birthday, when he revealed to her that he'd been a trainer in his younger ears.  Once the Pansear finished eating, and she didn't look quite so ragged, she fell back into a daze, and Olivie took both her and Buck -who'd been watching the whole time- to her room.  She set them in her bed among the pillows, changed quickly, and then plopped into bed.  Perhaps out of instinct the Pansear clung to Olivie's stomach, while Buck settled himself closer to the foot of the bed.  [color=954535]”You've got fighting spirit,”[/color] she murmured softly to the Pansear, who'd fallen into a fitful sleep.  Caught in a bad dream, maybe, she tossed and turned, and each time she whimpered in fear she pressed herself closer to the human she clung to.  [color=954535]”It takes guts to keep living when nobody cares about you.  Even if you hate me, I can still care for you...”[/color]  Unable to keep herself awake any longer, Olivie sank into slumber.