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"Time for bed, Sprigatito."
Another day had passed for Liko and Sprigatito at the Sekiei Academy in the Kanto region. The lights were already out in their dorm room, as her roommate Anne tended to sink into a snoring sleep a couple of hours before Liko.
Sprigatito walked in a circle a couple of times, and once satisfied, plopped onto the blanket. Curled up into a ball, Sprigatito was out immediately. Liko watched the entire process unfold, observing Sprigatito's actions from start to finish.
"Seems like sleeping is as easy as breathing for Sprigatito," Liko giggled.
Even though Liko had told her Pokemon it was time to sleep, the night had only just begun for her. She rolled out of her bed and crawled over to her desk without making a sound. After a quick head turn to make sure Sprigatito was still sleeping, Liko turned on her Rotom Tablet and opened up her favorite app - Dokimeki Diary.
The current page that was now present on her screen was from lunch earlier today. There was a partial doodle of Nidothing, her favorite streamer, in addition to a couple of notes about Sprigatito's behavior from that morning.
"Sprigatito sure loves to sleep… if only Anne's Oshawott would do the same," Liko monologued. "Their energy levels are the complete opposite. Pokemon are just like people."
Liko began writing down some observations and reflections she had made during the day. She commented on how Sprigatito chased a leaf after classes were over, a clever observation her teacher had made about type matchups in battles, and also how she had failed to talk about grass-types with the student who had a Bulbasaur.
"Ugh… talking to people is so complicated. How are some people able to manage that?" Liko thought. "If talking to myself was the same as talking to others, I'd be the best talker in the entire boarding school."
Liko again looked over at Sprigatito, who had no idea Liko was over at her desk. Even though Sprigatito took multiple naps during the day, it also slept for the whole eight hours during the night as well.
Liko swiped her tablet to reach another page she had made two days ago when she had first received Sprigatito, titled "Sprigatito's Sleeping Log." Whether tracking her Pokemon's sleeping hours was necessary or not, she figured it could be a good way of monitoring Sprigatito's energy levels as she gathered more data.
"Sprigatito has just as much energy as any other Pokemon when it's awake, but sleeps more than any of my classmates' Pokemon. Maybe the extra sleep is needed to match those energy levels - or maybe sleeping is just a fun hobby? I need to figure it out… to understand Sprigatito."
She then thought back to her first encounter with Sprigatito just the other day. The words 'first impression' had rung in her mind, as the last thing she wanted to do was to start off on the wrong foot. But as she reached to pet Sprigatito, she was met with a scratch on her hand… not a fun first impression at all.
"Understanding Sprigatito will let us grow closer together. Trying to force the issue won't do either of us any good. I could've done an exchange for another Pokemon like a couple of my classmates did, but… Sprigatito is my partner. I wouldn't want to have any other Pokemon as my starter."
Again she turned around from her chair to watch Sprigatito sleep. She was convinced she had made the best decision for both of them. Even if it took extra work, extra studying, and extra effort compared to other Pokemon...
"It's all worth it. For Sprigatito. And for myself. We're both rookies, and we'll both grow together."
Liko turned off her Rotom Tablet and walked back over to her bed. Although she was exhausted, one more thought popped into her head. She decided to view her pendant one more time today before falling asleep. As she grabbed the box from underneath her bed and opened it, the green pendant reflected in her eyes. The chain was cold to the touch, but she held the pendant in her hands for several moments.
"I still remember when Grandmother gave me this pendant. I looked at it over and over again - just like I'm doing now. It's beautiful, but still, what purpose does this pendant hold..."
One of the most important things her grandmother had told Liko was that the pendant was to be treated like "your entire stash of money." Even though she had little money, she was smart enough to see the metaphor at play.
"This pendant... it's green, almost the same green as Sprigatito. Maybe they are related somehow?"
She made a mental note - as she often did - to write down that observation in her diary tomorrow morning. As funny as it sounded to her, she never seemed to miss any observation or mental note, no matter how long she had to keep it on her mind before writing it down. It was second nature to her at this point, just like how talking to others was second nature to Anne.
"If only I could actually talk to others about my ideas, just like how I write all of my ideas in my diary... nah, too awkward."
As her eyes grew more heavy, Liko decided to call it a night. She tucked the pendant back into it's box, ensuring the chain would not get tangled up. It was also second nature for her to protect the pendant in any possible way. It was how she was raised all of her life.
Now that she was done thinking for the day, Liko crept over Sprigatito and got into her bed. She took one more look at her Pokemon before falling asleep.
"Goodnight, Sprigatito," she yawned with a whisper while closing her eyes.
Liko swore she heard a soft meow in response, but she passed out before processing the thought.
There was always more thinking in store for tomorrow.