Disclaimer: I do not own anything at all from the Pokémon franchise. The only characters I own are River and Calem.

Amorphous

River giggled as her Marill, Sensen, hopped back and forth, admiring the new bounciness of his tail. His eyes glimmered as he bounced it against the ground and it immediately sprung back up like a rubber ball. He squealed in happiness and jumped into his trainer's waiting arms, eager to share his excitement over his unexpected evolution.

"Come on, Sensen! It's about time we left for Camphrier Town, anyway." River announced, rising from her seat in the café.

The girl and her Pokémon had spent three long days exploring Lumiose City to its fullest, despite not being able to enter one half of the huge city. They had done everything they could possibly think of before they had to leave; ate at restaurants, visited cafés, made PR Videos – she had even gotten a haircut! Gone were her old-fashioned braids and heavy fringe. Instead, her hair had been carefully layered and her brown curls now floated down her back, far silkier then she ever remembered them being. Her fringe was cut and parted to the right, and she now had identical bangs framing her face.

But River knew it was time to move on. The Professor was counting on her to help with his research, and she was hoping she wouldn't let him down. Exiting the café, it only took moments for her to find the gateway that would take her to Route 5, Versant Road. However, the gateway wasn't the only thing she found.

"Hey, neighbour."

River stilled unconsciously at the sound of that drawl voice. It was slowly becoming the sound that represented dread in her mind; the voice of Calem Bellerose, her recently acquired neighbour from hell. The moment she had set foot in the Kalos region, it seemed his only goal was to make her feel miserable. All she had wanted was to greet the new neighbours cheerfully, but all the tall male had to say was,

"You didn't get a good grade in French, huh?"

River had been instantly mortified, despite the reassurances and apologies from the petite girl who had also greeted her. The embarrassment had only continued on from there. Whenever she spoke so much as a simple 'yes', even when she didn't speak, he went out of his way to humiliate and belittle her. Even the moment of getting her first Pokémon, or winning her first battle were ruined by his obnoxious comments and superior attitude.

"Hm? Ignoring me? That's pretty cold of you, neighbour."

River's mind snapped back into focus as Calem was suddenly standing before her, an innocent smile on his face.

"I-it wasn't- I wasn't trying to-"

"No, that's all right. It's my fault." He smiled bashfully and gave her a look of pity. "I'd forgotten people from the Hoenn region were so hard of hearing."

She didn't say anything, only clutched her Pokémon tighter in an effort to remain calm.

His eyes gazed over her hair. He raised an eyebrow. "You got a haircut?"

One hand immediately went to pinch the strands over her eyes. Yes, she had a haircut, yes she knew it looked different and maybe didn't suit her, but the last thing she wanted was for him to comment on it. She remained silently as she continued to preen her hair, wishing she could disappear.

He gently brushed her hand aside and smiled softly. "Don't be self-conscious about it. I bet the salon recommended it, right?" She gaped at him wordlessly, unable to reply other than a small nod. "It's alright, really. Not everyone can pull off a style like that. At least you tried, right?" He shrugged as if there was no helping it, and her heart began to sink at his words. She looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment.

He ran his fingers through one of her soft bangs. "But the braids suited you better. After all," She cried out as Calem suddenly yanked the strand of hair in his fist, and she was forced to look at his cruel smile. "You're just a country bump-kin."

Before either of the two teenagers could react, Sensen blasted a shot of cold water straight at Calem's face. The boy sputtered as he took a step back, now completely soaked from the sudden attack. Sensen giggled joyfully while his trainer only looked on in horror.

"Oh, are you alright? I'm so sorry, I don't know why he did that-" She reached a hand toward his shoulder, but it was quickly swatted away.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" He accused.

River paled. "N-no, I definitely didn't! I-"

"Man, you can't even take a joke! All I'm trying to do is be friendly, and you do," He gestured to his wet form, dripping onto the concrete. "THIS!"

She continued trying to placate him, though it seemed beyond hopeless at this point. "NO, I wasn't! It was an accident!" River glanced around worriedly. Many passer-bys had stopped and gathered around the two of them, wondering about the commotion.

"You call this an accident? That's it!"

Without any warning, he backed away from her and sent out a Pokémon. A flash of light later and a Litleo stood before her, flaming tail waving in agitation. She stood in confusion, her brain not keeping up with the sudden turn of events. He yelled at her in frustration. "Come on! Battle me!"

She took a step back, in refusal rather than preparation as Calem had done. She shook her head quietly. "I…I don't want to." The crowd realised a battle was about to begin, and began cheering and egging on their preferred victor. It made River nervous; she hated being the centre of attention.

"Now."

She flinched at the hard tone that had laced his voice. Sensen hopped out of her arms and onto the ground, swishing his new tail back and forth. She immediately picked him up and shook her head again. Sensen whined at being denied a battle, but she didn't care! She didn't want to fight.

Her Pokédex chimed, and River took a glance at it. The words 'Battle is mandatory' flashed across the screen in bold letters. There was also a warning in smaller letters below, describing a £3000 fine if the battle was refused. River's eyes widened and Calem spoke up. "If you understand the situation, then get on with it." Staring at his cold eyes, she realised she had no choice.

"Not you, Sensen." She murmured in his ear. Sensen was her baby, barely over ten levels. She wasn't risking him like that. Instead, River tossed a Pokéball at her opponent and her Psyduck, Hydra, appeared.

"Tch. Finally." He wasted no time in launching the first attack. "Litleo, Headbutt!"

"Confusion!" River fumbled out with little time to spare.

Hydra's eyes furrowed in puzzlement for a moment, before they glowed intensely and the Litleo was suddenly halted in its charge. It whined in frustration as it flailed in the air, unable to move or escape from the Psyduck's hold. "Use Water Gun while it's pinned down!" Hydra did so, dowsing the cub in water. The Litleo drooped in the air, fainted midmove.

Hydra gently lowered it to the ground, and the crowd whooped at the masterful use of Confusion. River blushed under the praise, while Calem stood with fists clenched as she made a fool of him. "Don't celebrate yet - Ralts!"

"Confusion!" Calem quickly struck out with the first move yet again. Hydra began to float aimlessly, just as Litleo did before her.

"Water Gun!" River cried out. Hydra understood, and launched a Water Gun from the air. The added height gave the move momentum and it became more powerful, striking the Ralts down and breaking its concentration. The Ralts was pushed back, and Hydra dropped painfully to the ground. "Are you okay?" River called, while Hydra gave her a small affirmative wave.

"Can you stand?" Calem called to his own Pokémon, and the Ralts stood. It had been a strong move, but not strong enough. "Alright, Confusion again!"

"Hydra, Disable." River called out less urgently.

The Ralts paused in its actions and glanced around in confusion, as if not sure what had just happened. Calem balked as he realised his mistake, but it was too late to correct it.

"Finish it." Hydra obeyed her trainer's command and launched one final Water Gun, and Ralts fell. While Calem recalled his Ralts, Hydra wobbled on unsteady feet, and River ran forward to catch her. "You did really well. Rest for a while." Hydra quaked happily, before returning to her Pokéball.

River reached into her bag for another Pokéball, but was stopped by Sensen's insistent cries. The water Pokémon gave River a long stare with determined eyes, and River found she couldn't deny him. She gave him a steady nod, and he hopped onto the ground and into a ready stance. At this point the crowd was leaning forward in anticipation, and Sensen preened under the attention, tail swishing.

Calem debated silently regarding his next move. He had two Pokémon left – his Chespin and his Pikachu – and either would be effective against her current choice. However, he didn't want to give her any more chances to beat him. Despite her annoying 'good girl' attitude, she had an unusual level of skill in battling. She acted like a nervous stuttering idiot at first, but the longer a battle lasted, the more she got into it. Her hesitation fled, her lack of confidence melted away, and she didn't even seem to notice the roaring crowds that once had her cringing.

As much as he hated to admit it, her mind was perfectly built for competitive battling. His only advantage was that she hadn't noticed it yet. Regardless, he refused to be used as a stepping stone for her ego any longer. He would beat her so badly she'd go crying back to Hoenn with her tail behind her legs.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Bubble Beam." But the Pikachu dodged the clumsily aimed attack with ease, and struck with enough force to knock Sensen back.

"Follow up with Thunder Wave!" Calem quickly demanded, and the Pikachu was able to do so at such close range.

"Bubble Beam." River repeated, and Sensen once again attempted the attack. This time, the Pikachu was too close to dodge the attack, and took the full brunt of the hit. It went flying and landed harshly on the ground, though it quickly was back on its feet, electricity cracking around its cheek pouches. Sensen panted as his body shook with electricity, and River worried if it was too much for him. But his tail continued to swish, and she knew he wanted to continue the battle.

"Not paying attention? Too bad! Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

Without any warning, a huge chunk of electricity was suddenly hurled towards the paralysed Pokémon. "Sensen, dodge!" River cried out, but it was too late. The attack struck Sensen with a direct hit, and the water mouse was flung backwards. "Sensen!" River shot out to catch her Pokémon, and the force of the impact sent her hurling towards the ground. She crashed into a table outside of a café, startling customers as the audience to their battle gasped.

Sprawled out on the floor, River grunted in pain. "Sensen, are you ok?" She asked quietly. The Pokémon didn't respond. "Sensen…?" His eyes remained closed and she began to panic. "Sensen, wake up. Sensen!"

But it was futile. No matter how hard she shook him, how loudly she called his name, Sensen did not respond.

River hadn't been a trainer for long, but she knew what happened when a Pokémon fainted. They lost consciousness for a moment, five seconds at most, and then they woke up. The battle ended once a Pokémon had fainted, because any further was a risk to the Pokémon. Battles weren't to the death; they were only supposed to last until the opponent was no longer able to battle.

Sensen wasn't waking up. He hadn't just fainted.

"No…" She whispered. The audience was silent as they absorbed what they had just seen. Even Calem began to look unsure of himself. "No." She said louder. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. Not to her baby. Not to Sensen.

She stood on shaky legs, staring blankly at the still Pokémon in her arms. The audience began to murmur, wondering what was going to happen, when River sprang into action. Without any hesitation, River rushed forward and the crowd dispersed to let her through. She began to sprint away from the battle, and towards the area that held the Pokémon Centre. After an unsure moment, Calem recalled his Pokémon and followed her. He almost lost sight of her; the pace she was setting was unreal.

River wasn't thinking about anything at this point. But she knew she had to get to the Pokémon Centre. Surely they could save her baby. Surely they could do something. All she was aware of was her feet pounding against the pavement and the unconscious Pokémon in her arms. Hang in there Sensen…She pushed herself to run harder. Hang in there!

River nearly ran straight past the centre, and almost tripped up at the speed she stopped running. The automated doors wouldn't move fast enough, and the line was too long. She pushed past the other people, ignoring their irritated comments and yelled, "Please help my Pokémon!"

A nurse took one look at the unconscious Sensen in the trainer's arms and immediately hit the emergency button located under the counter. She spoke into the microphone with urgency. "We have an unconscious Marill at the front desk. I repeat, an unconscious Marill."

Two nurses suddenly burst through the double doors behind the counter, bringing with them a stretcher. One took Sensen from her arms and placed him on the stretcher, while the other one asked her what happened. "Electro Ball…it was too fast, he couldn't…" It was all River could stammer out, but the nurse understood.

"Alright, we'll do everything we can." The first nurse began to wheel the stretcher away and River whimpered, reaching out a hand towards her baby. The second nurse blocked her, as River continued to reach for her Pokémon. The nurse took hold of her hand, looked into her eyes and repeated more clearly, "We'll do everything we can."

River's resolved weakened, and she stopped struggling. She let her hand drop and whispered. "He's my baby…"

The nurse grimly nodded, then went out to follow the stretcher. As they moved past the double doors, all River could see of her Pokémon was his tail, hanging limply over the side of the stretcher. She promptly burst into tears, unable to move from the spot she stood. "I'm so sorry…" She whispered to his retreating form.

"I…"

She froze. Her entire body went rigid at the voice she heard behind her.

Calem winced at the reaction, and found he couldn't continue. He hadn't meant for it to go that far. He'd wanted to beat her, wanted to show her that he was obviously the better trainer. Had wanted to prove it to himself. But instead, he had managed to critically injure her Pokémon. Her baby.

He knew, sort of, what it was like to lose a Pokémon in battle. His mother took him to a river once, where three grave stones lay. The graves of her Pokémon, she had told him. The opponent was cruel and ruthless, and wouldn't stop attacking even after they had fainted. He had sworn, as a child, he would never be the cruel one. It would never be him that murdered another trainer's loved ones.

So why did he do it?

What convinced him to use Electro Ball? He had the advantage already, he could have used Thunder Shock, or even Quick Attack and won the battle. So why Electro Ball? Why the move that not only had the type advantage, but was also quadruple its strength because of the opponent's low speed and paralysed form?

Head hung in shame, he knew the answer. He had wanted her lose. Not just that, he had wanted her to suffer. He had wanted to defeat her so utterly, so completely, that she would never think to oppose him again. Well, he had what he wanted. But it wasn't her that had suffered for it. Her words kept ringing in his head, beating painfully and tugging at his stomach until he felt ill.

"I'm so sorry…"

What? She thought this was her fault? Guilt continued to wrack at his stomach, and he opened his mouth to say something that would get rid of it. Something that would redeem what he had done.

"I…I never thought it would get that far. I-"

"Go away." The words were whispered in a throaty voice, so quiet he almost missed them.

"But I-"

She spun, hair swishing behind her, and suddenly he couldn't look away from her icy cold eyes. They bore into him with such misery, such hatred, that he took an unconscious step back. Tears streamed down her face, and his gut wrenched again.

"Go. Away." River didn't once break eye contact as she usually did. She dared him to challenge her, to test her patience now after what he had done.

He did not. He simply looked away in shame and muttered his affirmation. "Ok."

She turned away and sat down on one of the chairs outside the double doors, for once ignoring the stares of everyone in the room. They didn't matter. He didn't matter. Only Sensen mattered. River and Sensen and all of her Pokémon. They were all that mattered.

Calem left the centre without his usual self-assured confidence or arrogant attitude. River didn't bother to watch him leave. When he had belittled her and called her names, she didn't hate him. When he had tugged her hair and made her want to cry, she didn't hate him. But she knew one thing. He had crossed an invisible line, a line that – despite his arrogance, his meanness, his bullying – she had never once thought he would cross.

She knew it now, as clearly as the water she was named for.

She hated Calem Bellerose.

And she always would.

Katunei999 here!

Just a little something that came to me while watching a Nuzlocke run. Honestly, the original plan was for Sensen to die, but I couldn't bring myself to do it after giving him a personality and attachments.

Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review!