Chapter 1: Friendship to Prodigy
Two boys wandered around Santalune Forest after a hard day of work. The two boys came from a town called Rosea, a small and quiet settlement in Kalos. Though modern, the town is known for its old styled customs and traditions. At age 17, many boys begin working in the town's local shops, usually lending a hand in heavy lifting. However, many children leave the town at age 10 to meet Professor Sycamore and become Pokemon trainers. However, these two waited too late and appear to have forgotten this dream. Starting this day, their everyday lives began to change.
"Ugg… My arms are killing me!" explained Gryffon Fukui, the somewhat more quiet of the two boys. Gryffon was more into staying inside instead of actually working. He prefered thinking to solve problems rather than actually tackling them head on.
"You just need to lift more," replied Jei Akiyama, though everyone called him Dynamo because of his confident and hyper attitude. Unlike Gryffon, Dynamo was more curious of the outside world, but never found a reason why he wanted to see it. Although he enjoyed lifting, he didn't enjoy running.
"Wait a minute! You were complaining about your arms feeling numb. Why are you preaching to me?!" asked Gryffon as he tried to stretch his right arm.
"Because, my friend. No pain, no gain," Dynamo responded while examining what he thought was a Pokemon nest.
"Whatever, it's just too bad that every job hiring involves carrying something heavy. I need a new calling," Gryffon thought loudly.
Just then, a nearby bush rustled. Dynamo rushed ecstatically towards it to see what was in it. It could have been a Pangoro or Ursaring waiting for its next meal, but he didn't care. Pulling away twigs and snippets, Dynamo looked inside to see the biggest surprise of his life. A male Chespin was laying under the bush, covered in wounds.
"Gryffon, get over here fast!" Dynamo whispered loudly.
Gryffon quietly crept to the bush. He looked inside and examined the wounded Chespin, nodding his head as he decided what may have happened to the weak creature.
"It was attacked by something," Gryffon concluded. "It may have sneaked into another Pokemon's nest, something clearly larger than it."
Dynamo then began to gather Chespin in his arms, avoiding to touch the Pokemon's wounds as he feared that he may make the Pokemon view him as a threat.
"We can't just leave him here to die. Come on, we have to take him back to town to care for him," Dynamo said.
"What? He's on the verge of death! Who else can possibly help him?!" Gryffon demanded.
"We can ask Old Kingsley," Dynamo responded. "He makes old styled medicines from herbs for Pokemon. Maybe he knows how to treat Chespin."
Gryffon, with a look of pity, began clearing his throat.
"Look, it's natural. It's best we let nature take its course and leave the Chespin here," said Gryffon with a somewhat indifferent gleam in his eyes.
Dynamo stopped in his tracks, with feelings of shock and rage invading him.
"How could you possibly even think that?!" Dynamo quickly shouted. "We are this Pokemon's key to surviving, and you think we should just leave him here?!"
Gryffon was speechless. Dynamo looked down at Chespin lying limply in his arms. The Pokemon weakly looked up, with his small, black eyes half shut and dim from pain. Dynamo then started back towards Rosea.
"Come along if you want or not at all," Dynamo muttered, looking back at Gryffon.
Gryffon, letting out a short moan, began following behind the running Dynamo. They soon made it to Kingsley's small home at the edge of town. Though just as old as most of the other homes in Rosea, Kingsley's home looked more as if it was falling into disrepair. The home's still existing white paint was chipping off and the windows began clouding up from age.
Dynamo, painting and at the verge of passing out, quickly and abruptly began knocking on the door of the disrepaired home. Not long after, a short, old man opened the door. He had long, white hair tied into a braid and a long, white beard. His clothes resembled something from the past, wearing white pants, moccasins and a handmade leather coat. This was Kingsley, one of the wisest townsfolk in Rosea.
"What's going on, friends?" Kingsley asked in confusion.
"Sir… we found this… Chespin in… Santalune Forest. We think he… might be fatally injured," Dynamo said as he tried to catch his breath.
"Very well. Bring him inside. I'll see what I can do," Kingsley responded, directing the two boys into his home.
The boys walked into a cramped and dark room. It only had one light hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room, which barely gave enough light. A small, rustic table sat in the middle of the room, and shelves crammed with several bottles and vials were to the right of the table. Near the door outside was a shelf crammed with books about natural medicines made with herbs.
"Place him on the table, Kingsley said, pointing at his small table while examining Chespin.
Dynamo laid Chespin on the table. Chespin was slightly writhing to his wounds. Kingsley pulled a small stool to the table and sat down. He began examining the wounds and nodding. He then laid his hand over his mouth, falling into a deep thought, before finally rising from his chair.
"Chespin's wounds are not fatal. He just needs to let them heal," Kingsley announced.
"Oh thank God!" Dynamo exclaimed in relief. "Is there anything you can give to Chespin to help him heal faster?"
"Yes there is," Kingsley replied. "Let me find it." Kingsley then walked over to a shelf in the right corner of the room, grabbing a small ceramic jar just labeled "salve." He then took the jar back to the table and Chespin.
"This ointment may sting a bit, but I promise that it will help you wounds heal fast," the wise old man told Chespin.
Chespin, moving his eyes towards Kingsley, slightly nodded his head. Kingsley then opened the jar and grabbed a small slab of the pasty substance with his hand and began rubbing it with both hands until the salve became a became a shiny, greasy material on his fingers. He began rubbing Chespin's wounds gently until his hands were close to dry. The old man then turned towards Dynamo.
"He should be okay now," he said. "Take him home and let him get some rest."
"Yes, sir. Thank you," Dynamo replied, lowering his head in respect.
Dynamo scooped Chespin into his arms and left. Gryffon followed behind him. The two boys didn't speak to each other the entire walk. Eventually, Dynamo made it to his house and walked inside.
Within a few hours of resting, Chespin was able to move around with little to no pain. Dynamo cleaned his fur with warm water and a washcloth to make sure any blood from the Pokemon's wounds was gone. The two went outside to play until nightfall. Afterward, Dynamo and Chespin, both exhausted, slowly climbed upstairs to bed. Dynamo crawled under the covers of his bed, and Chespin curled up next to him, ready to see what would happen to the two the next day.