Chapter 1: The Pokémon Center

Strix took his first step into Santalune City. It was mid-morning and the grey sky was threatening to release its barrage of liquid bullets.

"I like this kind of weather you know, Jelly," he remarked to the blue Solosis at his side which turned to him, started floating upside-down and sparkled in response.

"I should catch a water type and teach it Rain Dance so it can be like this all the time, methinks." He continued as they made their way on the path from Santalune forest. A sign hit him in the head and that's how he knew which town they had wandered into. He had a headache which throbbed Satalune City in his mind. Jelly span around twice. The ball of plasma around the cell within continued to spin to a halt as a result of inertia after Jelly's face stopped to look at him. It was hard to communicate with Pokémon. He knew that this rare blob of goo devoutly loyal to him could at least fully understand him, especially because he was a psychic type. However, he could be agreeing, he could be disagreeing or he could just be excited for his first trip to a Pokémon center. Who could know? The doors to the center sensed their presence and opened on time and the boy and his goo walked in.

"Science…" Strix mumbled as he unzipped his rain jacket. He nearly hit his head on the top of the entrance. Confound being this tall! The music playing on a loop inside this Pokecenter was familiar, but more acoustic than he was used to. He took out Jelly's customized metal-plated pokeball which gleamed in a metallic blue and pointed it at his beloved companion.

"You've been a star, Jelly. Return!"

Jelly made a bubbling sound and then turned red and translucent and was sucked into the pokeball. He hoped that Jelly would be one of those rare psychic types to pick up English and communicate it fluently with telepathy. Wouldn't you need the ability Telepathy for that though? That would make him triple rare! He already attracted a lot of attention in Santalune forest for being from a strange region. Although, some people might not know that Solosis is usually green. He would have to be more careful in that case. Team Rocket is still everywhere. Can Pokémon with Telepathy communicate through pokeballs?

"Uhm… Sir?"

The nurse in front of Strix was blushing. At nineteen, he wasn't bad looking and had been staring at her for a good long while (but actually he was staring through her in his daydreaming state). His were deep bright blue eyes that had seen every region besides this one. The skies and the seas of the rest of the world were captured in them. A glinting bronze necktie hung around his regular blue collared shirt. His pants and shoes are not worth mentioning at this point or any other, but he was wearing them.

"Oh," our hero blinked and shook his head briskly. "Ah… Excuse me. Could you please repeat that?" Strix replied after coming to and meeting her gaze which was now more professional.

She smiled, blushing a little less now and replied, "I said, hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. Would you like to rest your Pokémon?"

"Yes," said Strix and turned his attention towards his bag. He took out the three pokeballs he had brought with him from his home region, Unova.

"OK, I'll just take your Pokémon for a few seconds, then."

He handed them to her without re-establishing eye contact. She tried to come in contact with his hands as she took them from him, but failed. She scolded herself for being so unprofessional, but she couldn't help it. Wasn't he too young for her? Age, height, everything is just a number when you like someone, she told herself as she loaded his pokeballs into the machine just as she had hundreds of times before, but this time she did it a little more reverently than usual. His capsules are so cool, she thought with minor dejection. Jelly, Lampent and Mesmo, a Noctowl from Johto greeted him. They were the ones he chose to raise in this strange new region. He would catch the rest of his team here on his way the league. Right now, they appeared on the curved screen.

"That's new," Strix said to himself.

"You're really not from around here are you? :o"

Strix spun around suddenly as he recognised the cute voice. Why did it surprise him so much? She was obviously here to heal her Weedle and Bunnelby. Lass Lise was looking up at him with her golden eyes. Strix's heart raced so fast that it pumped all coherence from his brain. She was smiling broadly, but then frowned.

"Are you okay? :\" she asked, genuinely concerned.

Nothing.

She tried again, beaming. "Those are some interesting Pokémon. :)" She pointed up to the screen. "I only saw your… Jelly? Was it? That's a really clever name. I sure am jelly of it. It's a shiny, right? That's SO cool! What color are they usually in…? Wait, where do they come from? Ooh, and this!" She started playing with his necktie and it made a metal-against-metal jingle. "Plus, that's an official region rain jacket, isn't it? ^^"

Strix was sweating at this point. He wanted to answer all her questions. He loved her enthusiasm and her body language was definitely flirty. But… He didn't say anything during the two battles with the two lass girls in Santalune forest and that was because the mere appearance of them took away his words. All of them in fact, except for 'I'.

"I…" clarified Strix.

"Thank you for waiting," said the nurse who had managed to stop blushing, but felt her face set aflame when Strix turned around looking relieved and sweaty.

"We… We've restored your Pokémon to full health. We hope to see you again." The nurse bowed more to hide her face than habitual courtesy and held out Strix's friends.

Unexpectedly, Lass Lise came up from behind and took the Pokémon before he could.

"Wow! These are amazing! They're in different metallic colors." She mused.

The nurse was surprised and reddened a little more. Lass Lise in turn held out the pokeballs to Strix with a smile and a ^^. Strix took them from her. Her touch felt so soft and he wanted to say so, but decided against it. Well, it didn't matter what he decided to say or not say, except for 'I' which was well within his control.

"I," he thanked her and put his stuff back into his bag, rightfully feeling retarded. Now he was blushing too.

"Oh, so that's the kind of girl you like." The nurse said quietly to the floor.

In the next five seconds Strix was out the door, leaving the two of them staring after him.

'I'm way too curious. I think I scared him. Oh well… :P"

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center." The shaded nurse face said to the indifferent school girl.

Some say that I'm snatching the cradle, but I say she's robbing the grave.