He could feel the sunlight shining down. It was so warm and inviting that he couldn't help but embrace its afternoon grasp. His shoulders relaxed as he pressed himself further into the emerald-green grass. While being Champion had many perks, it rarely allowed him time to relax. So, he lay there, hat over his eyes, enjoying the brief respite this day offered. He was almost in a state of unconsciousness, a pleasant dream beginning to realize itself before his eyes, when a familiar sound reached his ears.
"Zee! Spritzee!" The Pokemon's cries made him lift up his hat. Above him, the small pink creature was circling, apparently waiting for him to wake up. When it saw his eyes unveil themselves from beneath the blue baseball cap, it dove towards him. Despite how tiny and soft it looked, it still hurts when an elemental creature slams down into your chest.
"Oof!" He cringed before looking down at the overly-happy animal. He smiled, and it responded by nuzzling him.
"Sprit… zee!"
"Hi, Spritzee." He sat up and looked around, searching for something. "It's nice to see you. Is your trainer anywhere nearby? I may want to have a word with them about proper etiquette."
"Zeke!" A male voice called out from behind him. "I'm so sorry about that! We were just taking a walk when she just flew off! Now I know why."
"It's no problem." Zeke stood and gave the Spritzee a pat before letting go of it. It continued to circle around him while he looked up at the man before him. "Though, Sycamore, I do have to ask why you've got Valerie's Spritzee. Shouldn't a Pokemon this young be with their trainer?"
"Normally, yes, but she thought that this one," he indicated to the Spritzee, which had perched itself atop Zeke's head, "should get some experience being around non-fairy types. In all honesty, it was a fantastic idea."
"I should say so."
"Seeing as you're here, care to help? Meeting Pokemon as strong as yours will certainly help it overcome any fear in battle."
"Of course." From his belt, Zeke took five Pokeballs. "Come on out, guys!" He threw them up in the air, and light exploded from the small capsules. When it dissipated, there were five magnificent creatures standing before him.
"Spritzee, meet Zeke's Pokemon. They are Dragonite, Galvantula, Talonflame, Aegislash, Charizard and… where's Link?" The professor looked around the field, not seeing any indication of the final member.
"Oh, he's just off amongst the trees. He didn't feel much like lazing about, so he decided to go for some training. I'll call him." Zeke then reached into his pocket, and pulled a small object out. It was a tiny blue sphere, covered in small patterns that glinted beautifully in the sunlight. He threw it up into the air, causing it to glow more than ever. He caught it midair, then put it back in his pocket. "He'll be here soon."
"I'm still amazed at how you two do that."
"Pokemon and Trainer connection. Ours is very strong. Of course, I have an orb for everyone else as well." He then turned to the Spritzee, who was looking at the impressive team with a hint of fear. "Don't worry." The pink creature turned to him. "They're all very nice. They'll only harm you if you're in a battle with them." His words seemed to comfort Spritzee, as it began to cautiously move towards the least scary one, the Talonflame. "This…" Zeke went over and began to stroke its feathers, "Is Fletch. Not the best name, I know, but she seems to like it."
"Flame. Talonflame!" It called in agreement. He gave her another pet before moving on.
"This is Draconis." He sidled up alongside the enormous dragon. "I got him when he was a newly-hatched Dratini. He has quite the gentle soul."
"Raah!" Draconis gave its trainer a vicious hug.
"Hey! Stop that!" Zeke laughed. When he was released from the dragon-sized hug, he walked over to the Charizard. "This is Charr. She was a gift from Professor Sycamore." Spritzee turned to look at the professor, who was beaming with pride.
"That's right! She was actually the runt of the litter, but Zeke has managed to change her into Champion material!" Spritzee turned back to Charr, who was proudly flapping its wings, almost knocking Zeke over in the strong winds. A chuckle could be heard from Professor Sycamore.
"Zee?" Spritzee had floated over to something shining on the dragon-like creature's body. It was a beautiful necklace, covered in ornate designs and various gems. The center gem stood out from the rest; it shone with the colours of the rainbow, and had a pattern seemingly inside of it.
"Ah." Zeke tapped the necklace. "That's her Mega Stone. You see, Charr is able to Mega Evolve, and that is one of the pieces she needs to do it. The other one is right here." He tapped a small stone set on the side of his hat, which had the same general design of the one around Charr's neck, though it was not as shiny. "If you don't know what Mega Evolution is, then you should probably ask Professor Sycamore about it. He knows a lot more than me; I just use it." He walked around them and onto the next member. "This is Glamdring." He had walked over to what appeared to be a sword and shield floating in the air. "He may look fierce, but he likes to stay out of battle as much as he can."
"Slash." The echoey voice of the ghostly weapon responded, though tone was difficult to discern. Zeke seemed to understand it, though.
"Yes, I know, you're still a formidable opponent; but you have to admit, it's true." Glamdring looked down at the floor, and attempted what could only be interpreted as a nod. Zeke walked over to the final of the five, who seemed to be eagerly awaiting its introduction. "This is TetraWatt." The gigantic spider hopped up and down. "If you'll notice, he's a different colour than most other Galvantula. He's what we call a 'shiny' Pokemon. They're a rare genetic defect that makes their colours very different to every other of its species." The electric spider could take it no longer. It bounded up and slammed Zeke to the ground, sending small jolts of electricity down its trainers body. "Cut it out!" The electric shocks were tickly, and Zeke barely managed to untangle himself from the four legs while still maintaining a somewhat respectable composure. "As you can see, he's very excitable."
"Where is Link?" Zeke looked up to see the professor once again searching for the missing member. "I thought you said he would be here."
"He already is."
"Really?"
"Yup. In fact, he's been here for the past two minutes."
"Then why can't I see him?"
"Because he's been behind you the whole time." At that, Sycamore turned around to try and see the elusive Pokemon. But there was nothing there.
"No, he isn't. What are you tryi- ack!" He had turned around, and come face-to-face with the elusive creature. It was a Greninja, its large eyes looking straight into the professor's. Behind the blue ninja, Sycamore could hear the unbridled laughter of Zeke, who couldn't hold it in.
"Ha.. and this… ha ha, is Link. We've been partners since the beginning." The large frog made its way over to Zeke, who was just barely taller than him, and wrapped its arm around his shoulder, and Zeke did likewise. "He may look somewhat fierce, but he is more like me than anything. An occasional prankster, a calm individual and a very caring being."
"And somewhat egotistical. But yes, he is very much like that." Sycamore had only just recovered from the scare he had been given. "So, Spritzee, what do you think?" It looked around at the assembled Pokemon, then smiled.
"Zee! Spritzee!" A cacophony of cries came from the team.
"Why don't you guys go and have some fun with the little one. I've got something to ask the professor." After a sound of agreement, the entire group of Pokemon spread out across the field, doing whatever they did to unwind, with the small Spritzee flying from one to the other. "I've been meaning to ask," he began as they sat down in the grass, "where did Yveltal go? I was just getting to know it when it flew off somewhere. I haven't seen it since."
He thought for a moment before replying. "I would imagine that Yveltal has gone back to its cocoon state. With all that you taught it, I'm sure it just went somewhere it wouldn't harm anything upon its slumber." A look of curiosity overcame his face, and he asked what Zeke was dreading he would not: "When did Yveltal fly away, exactly?"
"A year ago…" Zeke mumbled. Unfortunately, the professor had heard.
"A year ago?! Zeke, why didn't you tell me sooner?! I wanted to see what this legendary Pokemon was like up close!"
"I'm sorry, I've just been really busy. Three years of being Champion does nothing to quell the onslaught of shows I have to be on, battles I have to partake in and ceremonies I have to oversee. This is the first real rest I've managed to get in a month. Honestly, I don't know how Diantha did it."
"Well, I suppose I can't blame you for being busy. I guess the gym leaders haven't given you much time to relax, either."
"No, they haven't. You wouldn't believe how many celebrations they invite me to on a weekly basis." Zeke lay back in the grass. "I guess it just all comes with being Champion." For the next few minutes, they remained in silence, Sycamore looking out at the frolicking Spritzee and Zeke running over everything in his mind. Suddenly, Zeke shot up into a sitting position. "Hey, Sycamore, what time is it?"
The professor looked down at his watch. "3:30. Why?" Zeke jumped to his feet.
"I'm supposed to be meeting Shauna at the train station in half an hour!"
"Then you'd better hurry. Flying doesn't exactly get you there instantaneously."
"Tell me about it." With that, Zeke took off running in the direction of his spread out Pokemon. "Guys, we've got to go! Draconis, do you mind giving us a lift?" A growl of approval came from the Dragonite as Zeke recalled his party. As he ran towards the bowing dragon, he scooped up the black vinyl bag that was lying on the ground. Just before he climbed onto Draconis' back, he noticed a small pink thing floating just above the dragon. "Sorry, Spritzee, but they'll have to play another time. Right now, we have a deadline to keep!" He hopped up, waved goodbye to Sycamore, who now had a pink creature circling his head, and took off. Arceus, I hope I'm not late!
A/N: I know that there are those of you out there wondering why my team is what it is and why the protagonist is named Zeke. Honestly, it's just because it's my Y avatar. He wears the blue logo cap, has the green button accessory (which also contains the key stone), has on the plaid shirt combo, green camo pants and blue runners. He also has what classifies as the 'orange' hair and green eyes. Hopefully, that helps create a better visual for any questioning readers. I already have a pairing for Zeke, so no suggestions for that, please. I even have a plan for one of his Pokemon to have a crush. Which one? Wait and find out. So, as always, please review, and if you have any suggestions as to what I should do with this, don't hesitate to say it. Until the next chapter!