It's been a few days since I met Riolu. Tom's Dad wasn't happy with us, but he let us off easy since I did still get a Pokemon. Although he did ground Tom for a week for going behind his back, Tom said it's totally worth it. Riolu is a big help at the Richissime. He's very agile, and makes cleaning a cinch. I would have thought that he would have hated cleaning, but I guess he just likes spending time with me. Yesterday, we got to bring food up to Serena's room. She ordered a ton of pizza, because she was having a friend over. Riolu really seemed to like her, confirming my suspicion that she's a good person. Shauna seems nice, too. They invite us to lunch at Cafe Bataille.
"Serena tells me you're an orphan," Shauna says. I almost choke at the bluntness of her question. Serena sits across from me, trying to hide an embarrassed laugh. Sylveon, Riolu, and Shauna's Fenniken stare at me intently.
"Yes, I am," I tell her.
"That's unfortunate," she says.
"Yes, it is," I agree.
"Do you ever wish that your parents were still here?"
"Yes, I do."
"Why don't we talk about something else?" Serena interrupts. Shauna shoots her a strange, almost nudging look. Confused, I decide to find a way to excuse myself from the awkwardness.
"I'm going to go see what's taking the waiter so long," I say, about to stand up.
"No, I'll do it," Shauna smiles. Without waiting for confirmation, she leaves.
"Okay," I mutter to myself. I sit back down. Serena and I sit in awkward silence.
"Sorry about Shauna," Serena apologizes, "She's just got this idea in her head, it-it's nothing."
"Okay," I say. More awkward silence.
"Do you like me?" Serena blurts.
"What?" I ask.
"Well, you just acting weird around me. I thought that maybe you were like, crushing on me or something."
"No, nothing like that. I'm just not used to people my age being in the Rich, especially not nice people my age. Most of the guests I serve are middle-aged assholes."
"Like my dad," she says, her eyes downcast.
"No, of course not," I insist, "I'm sure your dad's nice. I mean, I haven't really gotten to know him, but…"
"No, trust me. He's an asshole."
"Well, I'm sorry. But if it's any consolation, I'd rather have an asshole for a dad than no dad at all."
"Right," she spits. I hesitate, confused.
"Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Fine," she says. Riolu bristled.
"Serena, what's wrong?" I ask.
Without saying a word, she gets up and leaves. Sylveon follows her.
"Wait-" I call after her, but she's out the door before I can say otherwise. Shauna comes back, picking up Fennekin in her arms.
"What happened?" she asks.
"I honestly don't know," I say.
"She just got up and left. I don't know what her problem is. She was fine a second before," I say.
"Who cares? She's probably just on her period. Or, I was right, and she's a rich bitch," Tom says.
"No. I don't believe that. Something set her off."
"Okay, forget about that. While I was in solitary confinement-"
"You were grounded."
"Tomato-potato. Anyway, I got an idea."
"What?"
"You're going to take on the Santalune City Gym."
I stare at him for a while, dumbfounded.
"What?" I ask.
"Take on the gym challenge. Not just everyone can earn a Riolu's companionship. My dad said so. You've got to be some sort of trainer! You could totally take on the Pokemon League!" Tom explains.
"No. No way. If you're so gung-ho, why don't you do it?" I ask.
"Because, Skiddo and I aren't into battling. Plus, Skiddo's type doesn't match well with Viola's bug-pokemon," he admits.
"I can't just pick up and leave! What about you? Or all the new friends I've made here? I don't want to leave Serena alone. She hates her dad, and she got mad at me for whatever re-"
"Daddy issues?" Tom interrupts.
"I'm going to pretend that those words didn't come out of your mouth."
"You rejected a girl with daddy issues?"
"Why are we friends?"
"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"
"FINE! I'LL CHALLENGE THE LEAGUE IF YOU SHUT UP ABOUT DADDY ISSUES!"
"Yes!" Tom pumped his fist triumphantly.
"And you really need to stop with the weird womanizing shit, man. It's fricking weird."
"Okay. I'll do my best."
"One more thing," I say.
"What?"
"You're coming with me."
Tom thinks about it for a minute.
"An adventure across Kalos with my best friend, seeing new people and Pokemon and taking on the League. Hmm… I'M IN," he shouts.
"Good. Go get ready. I've just got to take care of something first," I say. Tom rushes back to his house, and I set on the road back to Lumiose. But when I first set foot on Parterre Way, something seems off. I look around, and I notice it has suddenly become cloudy. I also become aware of Riolu, clinging to my back, shivering. As I walk down the empty road, I begin to shiver myself. Has it suddenly gotten cold? Where is everyone? My heart beats like a drum, and I sweep the horizon warily. Then, in the distance, I see a strange, white-furred, four-legged Pokemon with a dark, crescent horn and striking red eyes staring at me. Riolu jumps in front of me, growling. Terrified, I was about to tell Riolu to use force palm when the Pokemon bounded into the thick grass, and disappeared. Instantly, the sky clears, and the sun comes back out. Riolu, looking as dazed as I probably do, hops back on my shoulder.
"Hey, there!" a voice calls behind me. I turn sharply to see a bespectacled boy about my age walking towards me, with a small, fox-like Pokemon on his shoulder.
"Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," he asks me."
"I'm fine," I say. He stands there for a second, probably confused since I am obviously shaken up.
"Well, my name's Mason. And this is Zorua," he chirps, gesturing to his Pokemon.
"I'm Leonard," I tell him, shaking his hand.
"I just came from the Santalune City Gym," he informed me, "and I got my first gym badge!"
"Nice! I'm going to challenge the gym later myself. My friend and I are taking on the League."
"Cool! Maybe I'll see you around."
"Yeah."
"Before I let you go, though…"
"What?"
"I need to see if you're ready to face Viola!"
"A battle? I don't know… I've never really battled before."
"Well, then now's the time to start. Let's battle!"
My Riolu jumped down to meet Mason's Zorua on the dirt road. Before I could even make a move, Mason began giving commands.
"Zorua, use bite!" he yelled.
Zorua leaped forward, preparing to dig into my Riolu.
"Riolu, use counter!" I yelled. Riolu sprung into action. Putting up his fists, he blocked Zorua's attack.
"Good! Now, use force palm!" I ordered. Riolu obliged, hitting the Zorua hard. It skidded, and flinched in pain, but otherwise stood its ground.
"Zorua, use quick attack!" Mason shouted. Zorua vanished, and a blur rushed towards Riolu. I tried calling for him to dodge it, but Zorua was too fast. He hit Riolu, knocking him to the ground.
"Riolu!" I cried. Riolu stumbled, unused to battling.
"Zorua, finish him off with a tackle!" Mason grinned.
"No!" I shouted, "Riolu, use quick attack!" Riolu jumped up from the ground, rushing towards Zorua at break-neck speeds. Taken by surprise, Zorua faltered. But that was all it took. Riolu struck the Zorua swiftly, and when the dust cleared, Zorua had fainted. Riolu was painting, but he stood strong.
"Impressive," said Mason, "especially for someone who's never battled before."
"I guess Riolu and I just work well together," I say.
"I guess. Well, you should have no problem at the gym. Watch out for Viola's Vivillion, though. It's part flying-type, so your fighting-type attacks won't do much against it. Come to think of it, just avoid those all together. Because the rest of her Pokemon are bug-type. But you have a killer quick attack! I look forward to competing with you, Leonard."
"Thanks. I'll see you later. Where are you headed?" I asked.
"Professor Sycamore's. He says he has something for me. He knew my dad, and he wants to give me something of his."
"Cool. Well, I'm headed back to the Hotel Richissime. I might see you around, but Lumiose City is a big one."
"You live in the Rich? So you must be like, really… rich, I guess?"
"Sort of. I'm an orphan. I work there, and in return, I can sleep in the least expensive room in the place."
"Oh. Well, that's still cool. I'll see you around."
"Yeah, see you."
I knocked on the door. After a couple of seconds, a man opened the door.
"Who are you?" he barked. His voice was incredibly gruff, and he clearly hadn't shaven in weeks.
"I'm Leonard," I said, "Is Serena here?"
"Oh, so you're Leonard. Well, you're skinnier than I thought," he said, scratching his stomach.
"Um… thanks. So…"
"Oh. Right. SERENA!"
"Coming!" I heard Serena yell. After a few seconds, the man left and she replaced him.
"Leonard," she said. She was surprised.
"Hey," I said.
"I didn't expect to see you here. I mean, after lunch today, I-"
"Forget about it. It's okay. That's not what I'm here to talk about," I dismissed her comment.
"What?" she smiled, picking up Sylveon in her arms.
"I'm leaving. Tom and I are going to challenge all the gyms, and I just thought I'd come to say good-"
"Take me with you," she interrupted.
"... What?" I asked, stunned.
"Please. I hate it here. You know I do. I need to get out of Lumiose, see the world. Or at least the region. Can I come with you?"
"Well, I guess, but what about Shauna?"
"Shauna's a good friend, but she likes it here too much. We were never going to make it past next summer, when I left for Johto."
"Johto? What's in Johto?" I ask.
"I'll tell you, but only if you agree to let me come with you," she demanded.
"Okay, but how? Won't your dad know, and realize that you're gone?"
"No. He never notices anything. If he does, he'll probably be happy about it."
"Damn. Okay. I guess you can come with, then."
"Awesome! Let's go, Sylveon!"
Sylveon meowed, then bounded down the hallway, Riolu not far behind.
"So, what's first?" Serena asked.
"First, we need to go to the Santalune City Gym."
The walk to Santalune City on Parterre was mostly silent. I looked around nervously, searching for the mysterious Pokemon I had seen before. But there was no sign of anything. While I peered into the thick grass, looking to see that red pair of eyes, Serena was jabbering excitedly. I wasn't listening. I should have, though, because before I knew it, Serena was tugging on my shirt.
"Leonard," she said, her voice trembling, "Look." I looked, and there in the middle of the path was the Pokemon. It stood, eerily calm, blocking our path. This time, I was ready. Riolu ran to meet the Pokemon, and Sylveon followed.
"Riolu, use quick attack!" I yelled.
"Sylveon, you too!" Serena commanded. Both Pokemon rushed forward, but the Pokemon stood its ground. Then, before either Riolu or Sylveon could attack it, it vanished. We stood there for a while, looking around. Then, a roar was heard, and a boom resounded through the area. A blur whizzed by, and Riolu and Sylveon fell to the ground. They had fainted.
"What the hell?" I shouted.
"It used extremespeed! It's the fastest attack in existence!" Serena said, "It broke the sound barrier!"
"What was that thing?" I asked.
"That," a cold voice responded, "was Absol." Serena and I turned to see who was there. A woman, dressed all in white, stood near us.
"What's an Absol?" I asked.
"Not an Absol. The Absol. It's presence is a sign of natural disaster, and it's considered a bad omen if it comes around," the stranger explained. Without saying another word, she picked up our Pokemon and carried them towards Santalune. Serena and I looked at each other, and followed.
When we got there, Riolu and Sylveon were resting. The mysterious woman was gone.
"Where did the woman who left these Pokemon here go?" I asked Nurse Joy.
"I don't know. She just said to give them to the two kids who arrived here asking for her," Nurse Joy responded.
"Okay," I said, "thank you."
"I hope Sylveon is okay. Riolu, too," Serena said.
"Are you okay, Serena?"
"I'm fine. I just-"
The doors swung open, and Tom stomped into the lobby. He looked around, and when he saw us, he rushed over here.
"Where have you been? I've been waiting for you for a while, and all of a sudden, you just… wait, who is this?" he asked.
"This is Serena," I said, rubbing my eyes. I completely forgot about Tom.
"Serena? You mean… this is… 'daddy issues'?"
"I'm going to hurt you, Tom."
"Right. Sorry. Hi, Serena," Tom said, extending his hand.
"Hi, you must be… Tom," Serena replied, tentatively shaking it.
"It's nice to meet you," Tom smiled, "What are you doing here?"
"She's coming with us," I said.
"Oh," Tom said, "Okay. … Can I talk with you for a second?"
"Um, sure," I said. I followed him over to the other side of the room, where he grabbed my shoulders.
"What are you thinking? You can't just bring some random girl onto our trip, man! This is a broventure! We can't have any girls with us," he begged.
"Give me one reason why that statement is true," I told him.
"It's. A. Br-"
"The reason can't involve the word 'bro'"
"Oh. Well, what about when she needs to change clothes, man? Won't that get awkward? We can't have girls changing in front of us and shit," he said.
"Since when did that bother you?" I asked.
He was silent for a long time.
"WELCOME ABOARD!" he yelled.
"You pervert," I muttered.
"Yay!" Serena exclaimed.
"This is going to be… interesting," I said to myself, looking at my two best friends in the world hugging it out, each with very different things on their minds.
After Riolu and Sylveon were healed, we headed for the gym. When I walked in, my jaw dropped. Several photographs hung in frames from the walls, only attached by spiderwebs. In the center stood a tall, blonde woman holding a camera. She snapped a photo, then squealed excitedly.
"Perfect! This picture just screams ragtag band of adventurers. Am I right?" she cheered.
"I guess…" I said.
"Oh, sorry!" the woman apologized, "I'm Viola. I'm the gym leader here!
"I'm Leonard. This is Tom and Serena."
"You're not all three challenging me, right? Because that wouldn't be fair," Viola asked.
"No, just Leonard," Serena chimed in.
"Leonard, huh? Let's see what you've got. Say cheese!" Viola said. And the battle began.