High in the treetops of Santalune Forest, a small Pachirisu lay snuggled between the branches of an enormous oak tree, laying so still that her soft, gentle breaths were the only indication that she was even alive.
Slowly, as the sun began to rise, the squirrel-like Pokemon was awakened from her peaceful slumber. The Pachirisu let out a mighty yawn, and began her day like she always did, grooming the soft coating of fur that adorned her humongous tail.
As she dutifully groomed her fluffy coat, the Pachirisu witnessed the majesty of Santalune forest spread out all around her. Riding the morning gale, a swarm of Vivillon flapped their multi-coloured wings, flying over the canopy of the forest in search of food. Far down below, two Breloom led a group of Shroomish through the dense undergrowth of the forest, while a pair of Amoonguss feasted on a bushel of berries.
Once she felt clean enough, the Pachirisu launched herself from her branch, and nimbly hopped onto a neighboring one. With the agility of a seasoned tree climber, the Pachirisu jumped from branch to branch, using her tail to help maintain her balance. As she traveled through the trees, she nicked Oran berries from the tips of tree limbs and expertly stuffed them into her tail, mid-leap.
Finally, through an opening in the dense wall of leaves, the Electric Pokemon caught a glimpse of the reason she had made the week long trek through the forest. A giant outdoor circus was set up near the outskirts of Santalune city. An enormous red circus tent was erect on the ground, topped off with a red flag embroidered in gold, waving proudly from a sturdy metal pole.
As she gracefully leaped from the final tree, the Pachirisu could hear the loud whooshes and booms of what could only be circus Pokemon practicing their act. She landed on the roof of the tent with a small bounce, causing small ripples across the surface of the tent as it absorbed the impact of her descent. She leaned forward and slid down off the top, and leaped over the edge, performing a backflip worthy of an acrobat as she landed firmly on the ground. "Finally," she thought as she entered the tent.
What she witnessed inside took her breath away.
The first thing she noticed was a Beautifly and Butterfree pair circling one another, both encased in a shimmering display of a Sweet Scent attack. The Bug/Flying Pokemon flapped their beautiful wings in sync, creating gusts of air that they used to expertly manipulate the Sweet Scent into a whirlwind of beauty and aroma.
On the ground, a Gardevoir's eyes glowed a brilliant sapphire, as she used Psychic to manipulate a Signal Beam from her partner, an Ampharos. With a mighty leap, the Ampharos twirled over the Gardevoir, as she used the Signal Beam akin to a ribbon, twirled to created a marvelous spectacle.
Towards the edge of the tent, an Infernape, Luvdisc and Meganium were lazily sprawled over the hard dirt. Hard ground was ideal for performances, as it was leveled and firm, aiding the performers in their acrobatics, and it allowed for a secure placement of trampolines and such. However, it made for a poor place to relax, and the resting Pokemon were constantly shifting their bodies in order to make the most of it.
"Hey guys!" the eager Pachirisu yelled while racing towards them. They were her long-time friends, and the Pachirisu would always tag along to perform only during the Kalos segment of the circus' annual world tour. Pachirisu giggled as her friends tried to determine the whereabout of the greeting. She jumped high in the air and laughed as she landed on the head of an unsuspecting Infernape. He let out a soft grunt of surprise and reached up to gently grab the small of Pachirisu off of his head.
"Sylvia!" He exclaimed, "what a pleasure it is to see you again! I was afraid you would abandon us this year. That would have broken my old heart." The Infernape feigned a sniffle and pouted his bottom lip in a display of an exaggerated heartbreak. Sylvia simply rolled her eyes. "You do this every year, Seb. Making me feel bad about how emotionally unstable you are is not going to make me join you in a cramped tour bus." The Pokemon let out a hearty chuckle as the other performers began to gather around them.
Sebastian, the Infernape, was a tall and handsome Pokemon. He was the only one out of any of his comrades that was ever trained by a human, thus making him most knowledgeable and powerful amongst his friends. "Sylvia, how have you been?" the Gardevoir, Ophelia, asked. She was as talented as she was beautiful, and walked with a confidence and grace that reminded Sylvia of why Ophelia was the lead Pokemon of the traveling circus. The psychic type slowly lowered her long white hand and gently scratched the top of Sylvia's head. "Oh, that hit's the spot. You always know exactly where I need a good scratch."
From above, the Butterfree (Lily) and the Beautifly (Jessica) gently descended to greet their little friend. Their wings still shimmering with the remnants of Sweet Scent, they encased Sylvia with their wings in a shallow attempt to embrace her.
Jessica was the first to speak,"Sylvia! Gurl, you look bigger... I mean, not like, fatter bigger, but like...buffer. Wait no, I mean cuter. Well, to be honest, you have always been kind of cute, not that think about you in that way cause- " the Beautifly was abruptly caught off by her companion.
"What she is trying to say is, it's nice to see you again," Lily shyly whispered. Lily was not much of a talker. She only ever spoke if she really had to, and usually it was whenever Jessica's chatty mouth could not form a proper sentence. "Oh my gosh, thanks Lil, you always know exactly what I'm trying to say!"
"I'm also the only one who can stand you for longer than five minutes," the Butterfree muttered so that only Sylvia could hear. She burst into a fit of giggles, while Ophelia sneezed through a face full of Sweet Scent with as much grace as she could muster.
Before any of her friends could continue with their bombardment of questions, Sylvia nimbly jumped out of Sebastian's arms and landed on the floor. She fervently shook her tail. Out popped the Oran berries Sylvia had gathered en route to the circus. "Oh my God! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Valentina, the heart-shaped Luvdisc exclaimed with a little excessive gratitude. "I was so hungry! Honestly guys, we need better management, because those humans feed us literally, like, once a week!" She finished her rant with a generous bite out her Oran berry.
"Val, you need to chill, we ate less than an hour ago," Megan, the Meganium, muffled through a mouthful of berry. "I don't even understand where all of the food goes in your tiny body."
Valentina indignantly rose and levitated to meet the height of Megan's long, green neck. "How many times do I have to tell you, I eat a lot before shows because I get nervous, okay." She jerked her tiny frame away from Megan and proceeded to continue chomping on her berry.
Megan snorted "Yeah, you also become extremely annoying, have mood swings, and find it very difficult to shut up."
Mid-bite, Val jerked her tiny frame to face the towering Meganium and shot a stream of concentrated water straight at Megan's face. Before the attack could hit its mark, Megan tilted her long neck to the side, nimbly evading the jet of water. Val's face was decorated with a vicious sneer, as she taunted Megan to make the next move.
"Oh, now you're asking for it," Megan growled. She opened her jaw, where an Energy Ball brilliantly illuminated into existence, before being launched straight towards the Luvdisc.
Valentina counterattacked with a powerful Ice Beam. Her lips were encased in a blue light, and she shot a beam of freezing blue energy straight towards the incoming projectile. They collided with an explosion that sent poor Arnold hurtling away, who as of now, had yet to even bite into his precious berry.
"Enough!" Ophelia yelled. Using Psychic she levitated the quarreling Pokemon high into the air, and then sent them flying to the ground with a loud crash. "You two are insufferable! Is it really too much to ask for more than one minute of peaceful silence in this circus!"
Megan and Valentina slowly rose from the ground, their eyes unfocused and dizzy after the impact. After sheepishly apologizing to Ophelia, who still looked as if she was ready to kill the both of them, both Pokemon warily returned to their snacks.
Sylvia chuckled. She missed her crazy group of friends, and not for the first time, considered becoming a permanent member of the circus. After spending so much time in solitude, she very nearly forgot what it felt like to be around company that she enjoyed. Every year her friends would ask her to stay, and every year came the same reply. "I'd be really honored guys," she'd say, "but the way you live your lives is too much for me. I'm a forest Pokemon after all!" Sometimes she honestly felt guilty for denying the offer, after what her friends had done for her. Sylvia first encountered the circus about five years ago. She had badly injured her foot, and was struggling in her search for comfort from the pain. At the time, Ophelia was outside taking a break. She noticed Sylvia trying to head to Santalune City, in an attempt to reach the Pokemon Center. Ophelia kindly offered her help, by carrying Sylvia inside the tent. Valentina provided some ice for relief, and slowly the injured limb began to heal. As Sylvia was recovering, she made friends with the members of the circus. As they practiced, she would often join in, and eventually the humans saw her potential. She was invited to join the Kalos segment of the tour by her new found friends, and readily agreed. Ever since then, she has always took part in a small fraction of the tour, claiming that the life of a full time performer was just too much for her.
After all the Pokemon had caught up, it was time for practice. As a forest dweller, Sylvia's lifestyle dictated a strong physique and proficient maneuverability. She was perfectly at home performing complex aerial routines, and her electrical abilities were a huge asset to the team.
While she was practicing her new routine, Sylvia caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a sparkling blue wristband on Arnold, the Ampharos' wrist. After closer inspection, she realized that it was actually a watch. It had a small screen attached to blue straps that were hugging the wrist. Everyone was wearing the exact same thing. Sylvia was confused, but her practicing was so intense that she didn't remember to ask anyone.
The hours flew by, and before she realized it, Sylvia was drenched in sweat. Each breath she took was loud and heaving. Her companions were in no better in condition, they all lay on the hard ground, eyes shut in what could only be a deep sleep. It took all the strength she had to get up and head out of the tent for a drink, her muscles screaming with the effort.
She lapped the stale water the circus master left in a large bowl outside the tent with a zealous ferocity. "Is it too much to ask for a fresh cold drink?" she glumly thought. Her grumbling stomach did not fail to remind the exhausted Pokemon that she hadn't eaten anything since early morning. Lazily, she made her way towards a small van near the human tent. The back window was left open, probably by mistake, and Sylvia seized the opportunity. She climbed slowly through the opening, and plopped down with a loud thud, wincing at the sound. She was in no mood to deal with any kind of human interaction. Anyone foolish enough to mess with Sylvia in her current state would receive a faceful of electricity.
Through the darkness, she sniffed out a bag of Pokefood. She used her long, sharp front teeth to make an incision at the top of the bag, stuffing her head inside the packet. While she munched on her long overdue dinner, Sylvia admired the beauty of the night sky. Twinkling stars stood side by side to form massive constellations, and the moon illuminated the night with its faint reflection of the sun's light. Slowly, the Pokemon began to nod off. As her eyes started to close, Sylvia's head shot up. "Not here, dammit!" She spoke to herself. With a grunt, she pushed herself off of the van floor, and made her way back to Santalune forest. Sylvia was settling in a tree branch, when all of a sudden, she heard movement near the tent.
Wearily, she raised her head and saw the rough outlines of a group of Crobat, making their way towards the circus tent. "What are they doing here?" Sylvia thought. It seemed as if someone had sucked the weariness out of here, as she curiously gazed towards the Pokemon. Fully evolved Pokemon were not as common in the wild, as the necessary strength and training that is required is primarily provided by a skilled trainer. Crobat were also very rarely found outside of the caves that they called home, so Sylvia was especially intrigued to see what business they had here. Beneath them, a dozen or so Seviper were menacingly slithering across the ground. All of the invaders were headed towards the same destination; the tent.
Sylvia silently climbed down from her tree, and quietly watched from the relative safety of the forest. Right before her eyes, the intruders began their attack. The Crobat let loose a barrage of Sludge Bomb on the tent, disintegrating it, eliciting the surprised screams of the Pokemon inside. The Seviper leaped inside, baring their large red fangs.
Sylvia immediately dashed from her hiding spot, and raced towards the attacking Pokemon. "What the hell is going on?" She exclaimed. One of the Crobat noticed her getting closer, and broke off from the group in order to intercept her. With blinding speed, it raced towards the little squirrel Pokemon, and let loose a glowing crescent of wind. Sylvia's tail became encased in a metallic aura and she spun around, using a powerful Iron Tail to deflect the attack. Then, she leaped high into the air, and before the Crobat could attack again, she used her downwards momentum to smash an Iron Tail attack on the Crobat. It was pelted to the ground with a sickening crunch, and Sylvia winced as she heard the Pokemon hit the ground. However, there was no time to help the fallen creature.
With the tent gone, Sylvia had a clear view of all her friends fighting for their lives. She nimbly dodged a Poison Fang from a menacing Seviper, and recoiled with a crackling Thunder Punch to the back of it's head. Together, her friends had formed a defensive line launching an array of attacks at the intruders. However, the circus Pokemon were at an obvious disadvantage. The attacking Pokemon used their numbers, sending attack after attack.
"We won't last much longer out here!" Sebastian exclaimed. He was simultaneously battling two Seviper and a Crobat, using an array of physical moves to hold off his attackers. "Ophelia!"
"I'm on it!" Ophelia yelled. She used her mastery of telekinesis to violently shove all of her companions towards her. Quickly, the circus Pokemon reached out one of their limbs to firmly grasp onto Ophelia. In a flash of green light, all of the circus Pokemon found themselves surrounded by the tall trees and lush greenery of Santalune Forest.
Heavily panting, more from exhilaration than exhaustion, Sylvia turned to survey the condition of her friends. Fortunately, none of them suffered any major injuries, except for Luvdisc's pride. She had been attacked by 3 simultaneous Thunder Fangs, and was about to obliterate the three Seviper before being unflatteringly hurled towards Ophelia. Jessica was literally holding her back with a thick ribbon of string, as the infuriated water-type tried to force her way back to the fight. "HOW DARE THOSE LOWLIFE IMBECILES LAY THEIR FANGS ON ME! I WILL TEAR THE FLESH OFF OF THEIR BONES AND LEAVE THEIR CORPSES TO ROT AND-." She was abruptly cut off with a faceful of silk. "Girl, you need to chill," Jessica said.
"I didn't send us that far off, maybe half a kilometer at most, so we need to move." Ophelia spoke, calm and graceful as ever. "They were definitely sent to eliminate us."
"I agree," Sebastian said. "If we move fast we will be able to make it to the edge of Santalune Forest by night fall. I just contacted the Expedition Society and they have made arrangements for us at a nearby base."
Megan let out a sigh. "I was really hoping that we could pull off this circus charade for a couple more years. It was pretty fun while it lasted, I guess."
"Yeah… man this sucks" Arnold exclaimed.
While the "circus" Pokemon mourned the loss of their circus lives, they seemed to have completely forgotten Sylvia, who simply stared at them with utter confusion written all over her face. When her baffled expression elicited no response, she obnoxiously cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry, but in case any of of you have not noticed, I don't know what the hell is going on. I wouldn't mind receiving an explanation. "
Suddenly, as if having woken from a dream, all of the Pokemon jerked their heads towards their enraged comrade. Sylvia did not wait for their reply.
She turned her accusing gaze to Sebastian first, "What exactly is this 'Expedition Society'? And where exactly is this 'base'? Who-"
She was abruptly cut off by Megan. "Sylvia, wait. We're sorry we had to leave you in the dark for so long, but it was for the best, trust me. We don't have time to talk about this right now, we need to move "
Sylvia opened her mouth to argue, but as if to prove Megan's point, two Crobat appeared over their patch of forest. The group of Pokemon instantly ran for for cover as the Corbat used their four wings to descend into to the forest with eerie silence.