AN: Yo ! Here is Luky again ! I'm glad the fanfic with the first chapter was really well received ! Thank you ! I want to thank like always AdvanceAlto who make a big job about editing this chapter, it took for him 4 days for edit it lol. Like it's been a while that I didn't posted, here is a BIG chapter (over 10k) be happy :D ! Also, I made the cover of this fanfic (yeah I don't always do cover only for Epicocity, I can even make my own one yolo) and it's posted on my DA: GreatPeace and even my Tumblr GP:Luky, I even did the Speedpaint ! Enjoy it !
Like always, the chapter use the Japanese names for the character and the English name for the town and Pokemon (except the Pokemon's scream or whatever). So here a quick lexicon: Satoshi = Ash, Sana = Shauna, Trova = Trevor, Platane = Sycamore, Haruka = May, Hikari = Dawn, Takeshi = Brock, Dento = Cilan. (Next time I will do the lexicon at the end.)
Chapter 2 :
« Si tu m'apprivoises, nous aurons besoin l'un de l'autre. »
A small Fletching was flying above a field, hurrying to land on the ledge of an open window of a house. It entered quietly and jumped gently to the human who was preparing breakfast. The young woman noticed it and gave it a wink, followed by a smile. "It's already time, right?"
It replied by hopping and shaking its little head.
"Serena is still not up. Can you give her a hand again?" the little flying Pokemon nodded its head again at the question, and flew towards the stairs. The young woman smiled and took her cup of coffee, drinking a sip. She lowered the cup when she heard the doorbell. Opening the door, she wasn't surprised to see two faces that were familiar to her. A girl with matte skin and a tall boy with hair that could almost touch his shoulders stood in front of her, and she gave them a smile as she greeted them. "Calem, Sana, come on in!"
The girl entered, hands behind her back, filled with a strange aura of excitement while the boy, who was calmer and serene, followed. He looked at the mother with a surprised look. "Serena isn't up yet?"
She didn't answer him immediately, only taking a sip from her cup. Immediately, the two newcomers jumped when they heard a loud cry come from the upper floor. The woman, acting as if it was natural, lowered her cup and looked at the two young people with the same smile. "She's coming down."
Before either of them could answer, they heard the same voice who had just shouted come closer, seeming to be lamenting. A girl taller than Sana, but shorter than Calem entered the room they were in. Dressed in a pink pajamas with a pink ribbon in her hair, nothing made her as angry as the little red bird on her little ribbon, who was just laughing at her.
"Every time! Every time you do this to me! I hate you!" she stopped complaining when she saw the other two people and her mother. Sana had a big smile on her lips and kept laughing. The Fletching flew off her head to land on her mother's shoulder, while the young lady felt ashamed. She tightened on herself as she spoke. "Oh, hi guys..."
Sana didn't wait and darted to the girl, who had just woken up, as if it had been months since she had seen her. Serena was at first a little embarrassed, but patted her on the shoulder and then pulled back from her. She looked at the boy who approached her. "Serena, you weren't going to arrive late, were you?"
Serena blinked a few times as she looked at the taller boy. Sannah lost her playful mood, showing concern when she noticed her friend who seemed lost to what the boy had just said.
"Serena!" she said with a rather sharp voice. "You weren't going to forget the day we all go together to get our first Pokemon back in Lumiose City!"
The information reached her brain and she jumped.
"Oh yes, it's true!" she finally said and then went in all directions "I must hurry!"
She ended up going upstairs without being followed and the others looked at her equally cheerfully.
"The bus to Lumiose City leaves in thirty minutes!" Calem added, intending to make her much more panicked, which worked as a scream rose again.
When the girl had finished putting on her clothes, a red skirt and a black top, she now began to hesitate, not knowing which hat she wanted to wear. Fortunately she had already prepared her bag in advance. She had her box of pokepoffles, her other lunch box, a toilet case, spare clothes and also a small sleeping bag that weighed things down a little. She had to take it because, according to Calem, it could be that she would spend her nights under the stars, something she didn't particularly want. She glanced between a pink hat and another hat that was purple, still lost between the two. She wasn't disturbed when she heard her mother coming to her door, but this time with a rather tight expression. "What're you waiting for, Serena? It'll soon be ten minutes!"
She turned to her with a sad face, two hats in each of her hands. "I don't know which one to take!"
Her mother was annoyed with her behavior and she pointed to her daughter's place without thinking. "Take the purple one."
Serena's gesture was one of disagreement as she threw the purple hat on her bed and put the pink hat on her head, happy to finally have the hat on her head. Her mother raised an eyebrow at her reaction and Serena noticed it.
"Look Mom, I'll always choose the opposite of what you suggest to me, because I know it's the best choice for me!" she explained to her mother.
"If you think so..." her mother snapped, quite motionless. "But, hurry up now, your friends are waiting for you."
She quickly took her bag, putting it on her back, and then went down the stairs at the same speed, finding herself in the same room where her two other friends were. Sana wore a worried expression. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"Ahhh..." Serena said, at first surprised by the question, and then shaking her head. "No, I'll be fine. I'll eat something in Lumiose City!"
Her mother joined them and before her daughter left for good, she asked without any real hesitation. "By the way, when will you come home? You know, it should be as fast as possible. You've to finish your training for the Rhyhorn race!"
It tired the young honey blond, but she didn't linger to give a long answer. "I don't know. I'll see when I get back..."
The young woman raised an eyebrow and she tried to say something, but her daughter took off with speed. "Don't worry, Mom! The important thing is that one day, I'll return!"
Serena was the first to open the door of the house and say goodbye, followed by her two friends, who were quite embarrassed by the situation. They said farewell to Serena's mother and joined their friend. Outside, the girl hurried out of her garden, shouting a goodbye to the family's Rhyhorn and was joined by her two companions. They all walked together and found themselves at the bus stop. While waiting for the bus to arrive, Serena sighed heavily. Calem smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder.
"It'll refresh you, you'll see." he tried to comfort her.
"You both know why I'm doing this..." she recalled in a morose tone.
"Well, tell yourself, thanks to this journey, you'll learn something new in your life. Exploration is important too." he added, sure of himself.
Sana looked at her friend as well and with her childish expression she added softly. "But the Rhyhorn races are good too..."
As soon as she said her sentence, Serena got pissed off. "No! It's so annoying to have a mother who, twenty-four hours a day, tells you what your future will be like!"
Calem tried to calm her down. "You know, it could be useful for you to know. Imagine during your journey you might have to ride a Rhyhorn!"
"I can' see why I'd need to ride a Rhyhorn again..." she mumbled.
Calem sighed boredly, knowing his friend had a sort of grudge against the races in general. It was normal, in a sense, since the girl was the daughter of a Rhyhorn race champion, and from a very young age she was very connected to the racing world and also to Pokemon. Although Serena was very accustomed to very docile Pokemon, like Rhyhorn, she didn't see how it would be useful to her, yet Calem knew she was wrong and that it would help her on her journey. Even though she had no real purpose on this journey, everything she knew could be useful to her.
"Anyway, think of today!" he tried to change the conversation. "You'll receive your first Pokemon and you'll certainly start a wonderful odyssey!"
It didn't change Serena's mindset much, but she changed her expression at least by blinking. Sana, taking Calem's mood and transformation into excitement, then shouted. "Yes! I can't wait to have my little Fennekin! I hope it'll be a female! Like, during Tripokalon, I could dress it up! And between girls, we'll certainly love the same thing!"
Calem laughed at her reaction, though Serena said nothing.
"That's why I'm going to take Chespin." Calem added. "Cute at the first evolution and strong at the last! Perfect for the League."
Serena looked at the floor and thought about the Pokemon she was going to receive. She had to take Froakie, not by choice, but because it was the last one left and she hadn't really decided which one to take, although she admitted to having had a soft spot for Fennekin. Sana was too cheerful to not receive it, so she had decided to give it to her as the good friend she was.
Noticing her distraught mood, Calem decided to reassure her. "You know, Froakie can be a great Pokemon! The latest evolution is downright cool! Greninja seems like an epic Pokemon, but it's not my style...Maybe with you it'll be the right style."
She turned to him, but before she could add anything else, the bus arrived. Sannah climbed up and stayed in the front row to look at the landscape, as Serena and Calem stood side by side. Serena stared at the speeding trees, but Calem only had his eyes on her. He knew there was something wrong with her. So he took her hand and sent her a signal. "Hey, you know I'll always be there to help you."
She looked at him for a moment and nodded, but withdrew her hand from him and kept looking away.
In the laboratory, one could almost hear people screaming outside. Two boys, one big and one small, were sitting side by side and breathing very loudly. Eyes closed and tired, their mouths opened to breathe as best as they could. The big boy attempted to share what he felt with the smaller boy, even if he already knew it, since both of them had gone through the same experience. "Terrible, this Pokemon. I would never have imagined that capturing a Pokemon makes me get so exhausted..."
The smaller boy shook his head and also added. "The worst is that it's not even a wild Pokemon..."
Before they could say anything else, a young woman with darker skin ran past them, without stopping, and shouted to them. "All right, boys! I managed to get it!"
They didn't have time to reply, as she had already disappeared into another room, but in the end, they ended up letting out a long sigh, which meant it was over. The professor tapped his foot in his office, having his arms crossed. He looked at the two pokeballs in his box, while the third was somehow in his laboratory. A boy younger than him, blond, didn't linger as he entered his office, just as breathless, but the professor made his first reaction known. "Have you managed to catch it?"
The boy shook his head in response. "Eh...no, Professor Platane. But Sina is trying to find a solution and I think-"
He was cut off when the darker skinned girl came in, pushing the boy aside, and quickly approached the professor by handing him the third pokeball. "It's alright, professor...It's here..."
He took a deep breath and took the bokeball from her hands and put it in the box. In this third pokeball, that had been slow to come, was a Pokemon he wouldn't have thought difficult. Yet he had received it yesterday and it was the only one that was now at his disposal. He hoped that when this Pokemon found itself in front of the next three trainers that would arrive it would be calmer.
Serena finished the cake she had just bought at one of the many bakeries that existed in Lumiose. Her two friends and herself finally found themselves in front of the laboratory, where they all had an appointment. At first impressed that the building actually looked like a huge manor in a baroque style, she wondered if Professor Platane had a particular taste for art and fashion. When Calem rang the door, two heads he knew well appeared when the door was opened. Yet, unlike them, they seemed to pull a really distraught face.
"Tierno? Trova?" Calem asked. "Are you okay?"
Tierno tried to look normal, trying to hide anything from their three friends, but Trova began to express agitation. "One of the starters is just terribly rowdy!"
The three newcomers bowed their heads because of what he said. Was there a problem? But, Trova was quickly held back by another person, a blond man, who appeared to reassure them.
"What're you talking about?" Sana asked.
"It's nothing, Sana." Dexio replied, trying not to look too upset. He picked himself up and noticed the other two. "Oh, Calem! You're here too! And..."
He turned his head to Serena, she being unknown to him.
"Serena!" she asserted herself.
"Ah, yes!" he remembered. "Your friends here have spoken about you from time to time."
"I didn't have a lot of free time, so I couldn't come here," she replied, lowering her head shamefully. "My mother often held me back."
"Well," Dexio said. "You're here for your Pokemon!"
After the rather meager conversation, Dexio let the three teenagers in, followed by the other two boys. Dexio explained that everything was going well and that even if Trova persisted about a problem, it was now resolved and everything was fine. He took them to the professor's office. The interior of the office was different from the main lobby, though the lobby looked old, dark and filled with bookshelves, its desk was much cleaner and brighter. The professor, and by his side Sina, smiled at the teenagers when they entered the office.
"Bonjour, children!" he began. "I think you already know me. I'm Professor Platane."
He turned his head to all the people around him. Then he spoke again.
"I already know our two usual boys, as well as you two, Calem and Sana." he stopped on Serena. "But you...This is our first meeting."
The girl smiled as she approached the professor, who was rather elegant as she had imagined, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Serena! "
The man took the hand and squeezed it. "Nice to meet you too. I'm sure you're excited about this moment."
Serena nodded shyly and stepped back to return to her place. Platane turned to his desk table and opened the box, which contained three bright pokeballs inside.
"I think you all know, in the four main areas of the archipelago concerning Pokemon, each trainer who's ten years old begins their journey. But here it's not the case," he stopped and took the open box to show the teenagers. "Ten years is a pretty young age for a Pokemon journey, but here we've no real rule regarding the age of departure. All three of you preferred to take your time before starting and to devote yourself to studying before finally leaving."
Serena looked down, remembering that her mother didn't really let her participate in these classes, but she could thank Calem and Sana for giving her a lot of lessons regarding the classes. "And now that you feel ready, it's time to show you your first partners."
Sana's eyes widened and Serena's heart beat at full speed. Calem was the only one to show no real emotion, only wearing a smile, but deep down inside, he hid his great excitement. The professor took the first pokeball and threw it in front of them. A little green and brown Pokemon appeared smiling, and it looked like it was wearing a cap on its head.
"Rimaaaa! " it cried out.
"I introduce you to Chespin." began the professor. "It's the grass type starter and its thorns can become so hard that it can break anything."
Calem nodded, satisfied to discover the little Pokemon, but said nothing for the moment, instead waiting for Platane to finish presenting the others. He then took another pokeball and unveiled a new Pokemon. This time it was a little fox with light yellow fur and orange-red ears. It wagged its tail as it saw the three humans watching it.
"Fennekin." the professor said. "It's the fire type starter. With the fur on its ears it can release a comforting warmth."
This time, Sana refrained from screaming, but everyone could see that her eyes were filled with glittering stars. Then Platane hesitated for a second to take the last Pokeball. "And the last one…"
He stared at it for a moment and finally tossed it to reveal the last Pokemon. This time, unlike the others, the Pokemon that appeared was folded on itself, its little body trembling with fear and the foam around its neck hummed with it. Now all eyes were on it and instead of wonder, all of them were astonished. Even the two Pokemon already presented looked at it in the same way. Tierno and Trova had a bad memory of it, while Sina and Dexio wondered if the Pokemon in question would act like it had done earlier. Serena didn't stand out, but looked more curiously at the Pokemon that didn't look like it was going to do anything. The Pokemon had its eyes closed and its front paws were drawn in on itself, as if it was afraid and it was trying to protect itself. The professor blinked several times, but tried to ignore their visual remarks and continued normally. "And here's Froakie!"
The Froakie in question raised its head when it heard a voice and also discovered its entourage by turning its head everywhere. There it saw the other two Pokemon, who seemed strangely ashamed to be with it.
"It's a water type Pokemon, so the starter water type! With the foam from its neck, it suffers less damage during an attack."
The concerned Pokemon turned to the professor visibly shocked by what it heard.
So he was a starter? Transformed into a Pokemon for beginners? Satoshi began to feel panic rise in him. His heart was beating fast and if his skin had been human, he could've felt sweat pouring on him.
The professor always kept a smile, although the reaction of the Froakie worried him, and announced what they had been waiting for. "So, now you can choose your Pokemon!"
Sana was the first to react and ran to the little yellow fox. She took it in her arms, caressed it and cheered. "I take it! I take it!"
It was impossible to stop her, she was too sure of her choice now. Calem smiled and instead of being as excited as Sannah was, walked calmly to the grass type Pokemon. He went down on one knee on the floor and patted the Pokemon's head. "I choose you."
A smile spread on Chespin's face. It ran up to the boy and shouted out in happiness, as if it was the happiest day of its life.
Satoshi had watched the two Pokemon as well as the two trainers who were getting to know them. It was the best day of a trainer's life, something he knew since he'd already had the experience. But here he couldn't feel the same emotion. He was too bewildered by the fact that he was a Pokemon and was presented as a starter. If he had been a wild Pokemon, things would have been a lot more different. In the end, he saw a girl in front of him who seemed to hesitate. She was there with the other two trainers, but this one seemed to want to choose him as a starter. Before she could take a step, Satoshi stepped back. From this simple gesture, all the others looked at the Pokemon, who was still so scared. Silence was very present in the room. Everyone was waiting for Serena's reaction, but she took her backpack and pulled out a cake box from it. She opened it and then presented what was inside to the water type Pokemon. The surprise was now present on everyone's face, as even the professor didn't expect it. Satoshi looked at the different cupcakes inside and felt different smells coming from them. The girl didn't move and simply smiled.
"You can choose whatever you want." she told him softly. She ended up squatting to be at the height of Froakie while holding the box. Satoshi hesitated again and finally stepped forward. He was now in front of the box and decided to pick one of the cakes available. Chespin seemed interested, but Calem, noting his excitement, told that it wasn't meant for it. Satoshi gently tasted the chosen cake and, to his surprise, it was delicious. His face lit up and continued to eat as quickly as he could.
"These are my pokepuffles, special cakes for Pokemon. I made special ones for water types, so it doesn't surprise me that you like it." she added. While he was almost at the last piece, Satoshi froze. He liked this cake because it was intended for Pokemon and this one specifically for water types. He had heard that he was a water type. A big shudder went through his body and it was then that he let go of the last piece after that realization. Serena lost her smile and gasped, with the little Froakie having gone hiding under a desk where no one in the room could catch him.
"Oh no, not again!" Sina complained when she saw the frog run away. Dexio slapped his forehead, and all the others were now confused, including Serena, by the reaction of her new starter. She tilted her head at the furniture where the little frog hid and tried to kneel to see if she could do anything. Platane approached her and squatted next to her with a shameful face.
"I'm sorry for that..." he told her. "This Froakie arrived yesterday morning and it seemed very shy. This morning I tried to put it in its pokeball, and it was a nightmare."
Serena didn't react, she just listened to the professor talking and waited to see if Froakie would change its mind.
"It's pretty special...I thought that when it would be in the arms of its new trainer, it would be happier..." he continued. "If you wish, Serena, you can always wait for the farm to send me a new one and you'll be able to leave for your journey."
At first she blinked a few times, but then looked at the professor to see if what he was saying was serious. Platane didn't look at her, but just waited for the hidden Pokemon to move. Only nothing happened at the moment and Serena looked down, having no answer to give.
Serena looked at her feet without really thinking. She was sitting on a chair outside the room they had been waiting in, while Dexio and Sina had managed to capture the blue Pokemon again. Sana, who was holding her new companion, took a seat next to her, putting the little fox in her lap. She looked up in the presence of her friend and the other girl gave her a compassionate smile.
"Sometimes it happens that a Pokemon refuses the trainer, you know?" she tried to say, with no intention of being annoying, but then resumed. "And sometimes it happens that this Pokemon who didn't want to belong to the trainer can become the best friend of another one."
Serena only sighed. She didn't understand why the Pokemon was refusing her, especially her poffles. She had taken her time to do it so that if the approach between her and her future Pokemon wouldn't work, she could always pull out her secret trick. But here it wasn't working. Yet when she discovered the Pokemon, she remembered how frightened it was, as if it had been taken from its natural state to be presented to her. Maybe he had left the farm too early and wasn't used to it yet? Calem approached the girls with a serious face with Chespin at his feet, who was more worried than its trainer. The boy looked at the honey haired girl and stood in front of her.
"Listen, Serena," he began. "If you want, you can stay here to get another starter."
She looked up at him as she heard what he said and then he went on. "I have to go to the Santalune Gym, to face the Gym Leader, Viola."
Sana puffed up her cheeks and put her hands on her hips. "You're really selfish, Calem!"
Calem looked at her, at first a little lost, but he explained himself. "I promised Viola that I would face her today after receiving my Pokemon..."
Serena exhaled a sigh and rested her chin on her hands. Calem felt even more nervous, so he got up and tried to reassure her. "I'm sorry, I absolutely wanted to go with you. I think for you, Serena, it's better that you have another Pokemon than this Froakie."
The two starters made a confused noise on hearing this from the boy. The little Fennekin in Sana's arms shifted its tail, tilting its head to the side. Serena thought and didn't stop thinking about this little Pokemon now. Calem may have been right. Maybe this Froakie wasn't meant for her. "So, Serena...I'm going to leave. After you've had your Pokemon, try to contact me and we'll meet again."
"Hey!" Sana added. Calem felt even worse about it but continued for her.
"Of course Sannah, we'll all be together. But, doesn't your Showcase start in a week?"
Sannah put on a confident expression. "Yep! And I intend to do my best!"
"That's the spirit, Sana!" Calem responded. Serena was in between. Of the three of their small band, she was the only one who didn't have a real goal. She didn't really dare talk to them about what she wanted, because in the end, she didn't know. Sana seemed very cheerful, wanting to become a celebrity, something which was very glittery. It was her dream. But Calem just wanted to be stronger and win the League. That was his purpose. And for every purpose, there was a reason why they wanted to make that dream come true. But Serena had been too locked up in a world where she was dictated by a mother who already had her future planned for her. She didn't see this future for her. She didn't believe in this future. She just wanted to enjoy this journey, to learn and getting to know other things. She came out of her thoughts when a hand rested on her shoulder.
"Serena, I have to go. But, we'll meet again. I promise." Calem finally answered. She nodded and the two girls watched him leave. The professor then left his office with an exhausted face. He approached the two girls and looked at the honey-blonde.
"Good Serena, we're almost done." she nodded in response to the professor's words.
"But, I think it's better that you wait for someone else to come to the lab. " Serena watched the professor take a breath and then continued. "This Pokemon is really young. I think it's newly hatched. I think I'll give it to someone when it's more used to it. "
This Froakie was afraid, she could feel it. However, she felt in him that there was something different, he had liked her poffle when he was eating it. There was certainly something that scared him, but what? He wasn't comfortable in this place, that was for sure. His look said as much, he didn't like being locked up. He felt so alone. Could she give him whatever he missed? Comfort? Love? Warmth from a person who loves him? Something that could bridge his loneliness. It was the least she could try to do. They heard several noises in the room, and then the door ended up slowly opening with the two assistants of the tired professor who had just managed to accomplish their task appearing. Sina's hand was held out towards the professor with the pokeball in it.
"Here's the pokeball, professor..." Sina was just as breathless. Serena looked at the pokeball. She could see her reflection on it, noticing that her face was looking rather hesitant. She blinked at first and then felt something coming from the red and white ball. A kind of energy that wanted her. Serena took a long breath at first, then approached the ball and didn't hesitate to take it, under the shocked gaze of the two assistants and Sana, then turning to Platane.
"I'm going to take this Froakie, professor," she said seriously. "I'll do my best to make it a great Pokemon!"
Platane looked at her with his mouth open and finally continued to smile. They then went back to his office and the professor turned to a drawer, where he picked up several things inside and gave them to Serena. "Here're your pokeballs and your pokedex. It'll serve you every time you search for information on different Pokemon. The entry of Froakie's already in it."
She took them with pleasure and put them in her bag. After finishing with the professor, the new trainer eventually descended into the main living room accompanied by Sana, who asked her something then. "Will you join Calem?"
Serena thought about it. She just wanted to spend time with her new Pokemon. She looked at the pokeball in her hand, so small and inactive. Could Froakie breathe from the inside? She eventually kneeled down and activated the pokeball. Sana pulled back from what she wanted to do, being quite shocked and thinking that her friend was crazy. Serena's hand went in one direction and the ball opened, and a light appeared, which landed on the ground to form a frog that she was slowly getting to know.
Satoshi finally shakes his head in every direction, as he now understands why Pikachu didn't like being in a pokeball. After all, he was human, and he had never gotten used to life inside a pokeball. First he looked at himself, seeing that he was still in the form of this Pokemon he had never seen before. But looking up, he saw the face of the girl he had seen earlier, who gave him a cake. Her worried, but confident, look suddenly caught him off guard. Her eyes were strangely familiar, but not so much. When he tried to remember why he had the impression of knowing these eyes, the faces of Haruka or Hikari appeared in his head...She had just a simple physical resemblance to them, nothing more.
The frog boy looked around, being free again. He tried to throw himself out of her reach and tried to go as far as he could, however as soon as he'd considered moving, he was held by a pair of arms that stared at him and leaned against something. He turned his head, seeing that it was the same girl who held him against her. But as soon as he was touched by the girl, his heart beat faster. Excitement? Fear? His head moved quickly, having a strange flash in his head, as if his thoughts zapped through different TV channels, but he had no image, only the black and white dots that meant that it didn't show anything. It was as if he was watching an old TV that would never work again. That's what he felt in that moment.
Serena gently squeezed him against herself, not wanting him to leave. However, Satoshi, after losing himself mentally, recovered and tried to push back the arm around him in order to be released. The young trainer at first only made a small noise, but the Pokemon didn't give up. Sana was still behind her friend, watching them with various concerns.
"Um, Serena, are you sure about..."
She didn't continue her sentence when she saw that the Pokemon had started to make noises as well. The blonde haired trainer didn't give up and gritted her teeth. She tried to speak to try to calm the Pokemon. "Everything's alright! Nothing will happen to you!"
Satoshi heard the words, but nothing really seemed to stop him. He kept moving in all directions so he could leave.
"Please..." Serena said while panting. "Give me a chance!"
Still no positive reaction came from the Pokemon. Sannah behind her was ready to leave and warn the Professor and his assistants, but then in a last attempt, Serena screamed. "I'll not give up until the end, Froakie!"
And then, listening to her words, Satoshi stopped. He raised his head to look at the blue-eyed girl and showed that she was pretending to be serious. A sensation sprang up in his spine, recognizing the words spoken. It was often him who used them, especially during a trial that was impossible to solve. And it was so strange that a person like her announced to him such a determination, showing a surprising amount of tenacity.
Serena let her grip become more gentle and he did nothing. He only looked at her, as if he was trying to understand what was hiding in her. The answer was nothing. Froakie looked down and lost himself looking at his two little front legs. Serena tried to make her smile much softer, while looking at the Pokemon, who seemed to be lost.
"Froakie," she began with a soft voice. "I want you to be my partner for my journey."
He raised his head to look at her and she stroked his head. "Let's travel together."
Satoshi didn't say anything himself. This girl seemed nice. Maybe if he had been human, they would've been good friends. But here she only saw him as a starter, even if that's what he was, and she only wanted him as her companion. He was her first Pokemon. Today for her was the same as the day when he had received Pikachu. His eyes widened at the thought. Pikachu! Where was he? Since yesterday, when had arrived here, he hadn't found him anywhere. Was he here? Had he become a starter for another trainer? No, that wasn't possible, because Pikachu already belonged to him. What did Estelle do to him...?
Estelle...That name was beginning to annoy him...It's because of her that he was here. She turned him into this Pokemon. Cursed to do her a favor.
Seeing that he didn't give any kind of reaction to her and that he seemed to be disturbed by something else, Serena sighed and held him in her arms, keeping him against her chest and got up. It was strange for him, because now he was in the arms of a girl who was carrying him and his feet didn't touch the ground. It was rather nice for him. Serena turned around smiling at Sana, who was getting closer and happy for her friend.
"You managed to calm it down!" she exclaimed.
"I think it was just scared..." she replied. "But there's still some work to be done."
Serena offered a new smile to the Froakie, but he showed no response. A new idea then appeared in his little head. He could always wait for the right moment to escape. When they're out and she had a moment of inattention, he could always find a way to return home and find his old Pokemon, who could always help him to return to his human form and find Pikachu. However, he had no idea where he was.
"I think today I'm going to stay with Trova and Tierno for a while." announced Serena's good friend. "I'm going to ask Tierno for advice to find out what my little Fennekin could be taught!"
The honey-colored blonde nodded while tightening her new ally against her. The latter winced, but he had to be patient. He would feel sorry for her, but at the right time they'd never see each other again.
Serena was ready now. After a rather hurried farewell, she left the mansion while having her new supposed friend with her. She still held him firmly in her arms, and that didn't bother the human in the body of a Pokemon.
But when they found themselves on the street, a feeling of unease seized the frog boy. The surroundings, the houses, the style, the city where he was, was totally unknown to him. He didn't recognize any shops or buildings. He had visited various cities in several regions, but he knew at least how the cities of his native region were. But now he didn't doubt that he was no longer in Kanto. How was he going to get home?
Serena ran while holding her Pokemon, who panicked mentally, and unlike him, she expressed only joy. She arrived at the main square, where a very large tower could be seen. Satoshi was impressed, as the building seemed to dominate the entire city. Serena didn't look down at him and spoke to her Pokemon. "Did you know there's a very strong Gym Leader in the tower?"
Suddenly, panic and fear subsided and were replaced by curiosity. The blue frog looked at the young trainer and then back at the tower. He notices the logotype of Gyms on one of the main entrances. So here too, there were Gym Leaders, meaning there was a League. Everything seemed normal after all. But, he had never seen this city and this Gym. He came to the conclusion that he was in a region he hadn't been to yet.
Serena turned away and walked quietly down the alleyways, looking for directions, but also looking at the windows of some dress shops. It made Satoshi sigh. After all, she was a girl. An hour later, she finally found the way to get out of the city. The road was the same, so she could either go home...or she could find Calem as they had promised. The idea of finding her best friend made her groan. She wondered if he would call her mother every time they were together to tell her that she was fine. Well, she was sure they could make a deal. She had gotten what she wanted, having gotten away from home and her mother. She didn't hate her mother, quite the contrary, but she just wanted her to let things go. But now that she had done the first part of her journey, receiving her first Pokemon, she didn't really know what to do. She could stay in Lumiose City, but she would be bored. Calem had a goal, Sana had a goal, but she didn't have one.
Satoshi glanced up at her as she hesitated, wondering when she was going to let go of him. If he tried to escape her arms, he was sure she wouldn't let go. The new trainer didn't hurry, only looking at the vegetation that was now abundant. And then she stopped at last, two signs that indicated two different paths.
She was able to go back home, or she could go see her best friend. She rubbed her foot on the ground, and then exhaled loudly. However, she didn't notice that she had loosened her arms and Satoshi, who felt it, took advantage of it. He jumped from her arms very quickly with a victorious smile. Serena noticed her Pokemon on the ground, looking at him as if time had stopped, and she let out a little cry when the information reached her head. Her panic set in, afraid that he'd escape. Satoshi looked at her with a mischievous smile, running away when she reached for him. In her hurry she hadn't paid any attention to the fact that he had taken off in the direction of the city where Calem was.
"Wait!" Serena ran after him, but he managed to get up on a nearby tree. Serena arrived at the foot of the tree and looked at her Froakie, who gave her a terrible but victorious look. This didn't amuse the girl and made her puff out her cheeks. "You had planned this from the beginning!"
"Kero! Keroma!" he laughed.
"I thought you gave me a chance!" Serena proclaimed. Satoshi didn't say anything, having nothing against her. Above anything, it was was that he wanted to become human again, so he couldn't play the Pokemon for a beginner trainer if he wanted to accomplish that. He looked at her while waiting for her to go away, but she didn't move and kept looking at him angrily while tapping her foot.
"You know, you'll stay up there for a while." she announced with a bored tone.
The frog boy did nothing but shrug his shoulders. He then watched as the girl sit down against the tree on which he was, not trying to make eye contact with him anymore.
"I don't care, I have plenty of time to wait for you." she said with her eyes closed. "I wonder what you're going to do to eat. Fortunately, I got my meal for this afternoon."
As she said that, she pulled a box out of her bag with a plastic lid. Satoshi watched her do so and felt annoyed. It didn't bother him! Until he heard his stomach gurgling, that was. He was hungry, and since yesterday, he hadn't eaten anything. Only a few small berries he had found in the garden from where he was, but he didn't want to eat Pokemon food.
Opening her box, Serena started digging in with her fork, eating quietly while waiting. Satoshi was hungry too and he wanted so badly to be human now to be able to eat anything. At the same time, Serena put down her fork and pulled out another box, looking at him sadly, before speaking softly to him.
"There're still your pokepoffles if you're hungry." she turned her head fully towards him and looked harder at the Pokemon on the tree. "But you don't like them, right?"
He wanted one, but no, it was wrong. What she gave him to eat was good, but it was food for Pokemon...But it was good. What a dilemma...
She put the box of pokepoffles beside her and continued to eat from her other box, always watched by the former human.
When she had finished, she put her box next to her and rested her head against the tree. She stopped thinking about anything and then yawned. She closed her eyes slowly and began to breathe peacefully. Noticing her, the frog debated with himself, but he gave up, so he climbed down slowly. He moved closer to the box of pokepoffles, trying to get at least one, but when he touched the cake, Serena acted. He jumped in surprise as she had his Pokeball in one hand. Now scared, he started screaming with Serena holding the pokeball dangerously close to him. He went to hide behind the tree under the gaze of the astonished trainer. Noticing his behavior, she lowered the pokeball while blinking, she saw again what she had seen in his eyes this morning. Fear. She looked at the pokeball and then looked at him again and asked him in a neutral tone. "You don't like pokeballs?"
"Ro..." he whispered, shaking his head. Surprisingly, he shared a common trait with Pikachu. The trainer lowered the spherical object and tried to reach out for the Pokemon trying to avoid it.
"Listen, if you don't like it, I can put it away and not use it..." she began to say. "But please, stay with me."
She handed him the poffle he had tried to take, as she wanted to make him understand that she wasn't a bad person. Maybe she was a beginner, but she knew she had to try her best. That was something Satoshi saw. He sighed for a moment, but he looked at the poffle, taking it and starting to chew on it. This made him smile, as although Takeshi or Dento were very good cooks, in terms of pastry she seemed to be better than them. Serena touched him again, but this time, Satoshi decided to let it go, since it wasn't a bad feeling, instead feeling nice.
"I think we started off on the wrong foot, you and me." Serena acknowledged. "Thinking about it, we didn't really get to introduce ourselves."
Satoshi stopped eating. It was true, he knew nothing about her. She switched up the position she was sitting in and faced him.
"I'm Serena. " she said.
"Ke...ro..." the frog boy tried to respond.
"Se-re-na." she said again, emphasizing the syllables.
Satoshi couldn't pronounce her name, or even his own, as his voice couldn't make anything but simple sounds. He would've liked to know how Meowth had managed to learn to speak.
"So, I just started my journey and I chose you as my partner." she continued.
It seemed simple and he understood it, but did she want to become a Pokemon Master like him? Travel to fight Gym Leaders? If that was the case, it made her his rival. Well, she could become one, if he managed to return to his human form and come to this region. He waited for something else, hoping that she would say something more about it, since he would like to at least know why she was traveling. But, she sat down properly and with her hands still close to him, she tried to lift and touch him everywhere. Satoshi blinked. It was on one hand very annoying, because it touched sensitive spot, but on the other hand it was quite ticklish. When she stopped, she looked at him everywhere, something that made the boy uneasy.
"I wonder what gender you are." she suddenly spoke.
He nearly fell over at her words. That's why she had touched him all over? That wasn't correct at all! If it was to make him take a bath, he could maybe see it. Though why would he need her to take a bath? Satoshi shook his head in all directions. Did the Pokemon he had turned into show no difference between genders? With Pikachu, it was simple, as you only needed to see his tail. He ended up continuing to watch, rather disgruntled, shocked that they could spend two minutes on something so useless. Or not really useless. Not that it mattered.
Serena got up and started walking, the Pokemon following her. He had to keep staying with her because of those delicious cakes she had. Satoshi desperately wanted to leave, but for the moment, he had to stay, until he knew where he was. He had to follow her for now.
The honey blonde girl was in front of him, leading the march. About every ten minutes, she turned her head to see if he was still there, but there was no doubt about it. He followed her, so far. Satoshi looked around trying to see if there were Pokemon he knew. He could see some Pidgey in the trees, but also Pokemon which must be flying types too, being orange with a thin beak. He was now afraid that this day of departure could end up like his own while watching the birds, but they seemed harmless. He tried to see better in the area, but apart from the flying Pokemon, there were no other Pokemon he could see. They had been walking for a long time now, and they had talked very little. Well, Serena had talked a little. She'd told him that they would find a Pokemon Center to spend the night at, as she hardly wanted to sleep outside. Satoshi whispered to himself how when you travel, you should be ready for anything, even sleeping outside.
It was slowly starting to become night, the sun slowly disappearing in the horizon and the moon casting its light over everything. A strange impulse was felt in his chest, and it made Satoshi stop. His skin was drying up and he felt so raspy. He needed water. Strangely, yesterday he didn't feel that way when he was in the lab. The frog boy then ran to the right, leaving his trainer to walk alone. The young girl stopped when she heard a bush rustle, turning around, just to be surprised to see that the Pokemon who'd accompanied her all afternoon had disappeared. Her heart began to beat quicker as a knot in her stomach formed. She whispered the name of her Pokemon first and then left in one direction.
Satoshi ran as best he could, looking for a river or even a waterhole, and being in dire need of it. He knew he was a water type Pokemon, so maybe his body needed water to feel refreshed. In the end he found a little pond, the dark blue sky now dominating the sky and the moon lit everything up. Satoshi first looked at himself in the water, and he saw his reflection again. It looked rather funny, in a way, especially his eyes coming out of his head, but it was as if he had known that feeling forever. He inhaled and then jumped into the water and swam around, his head under the water. Fun fact, he could breathe underwater! It was a very good experience for him, but before he could enjoy it, he felt a strange tingling inside of himself, though it wasn't unpleasant, it was just surprising. Yet he felt almost different from what how he'd felt before. But as soon as the tingling ceased, the ability he had just found was disappearing. His mouth filled with water and his chest burned, he couldn't stay any longer. He immediately took his head out of the water, stunned that he couldn't breathe underwater anymore. Had the Pokemon he had become stopped working? The boy caught the edge of the pond and took quick breaths so he could gather himself. He put his hand on his chest, feeling that his skin had a different texture. A familiar texture. He dropped his head and looked at his hand. It was human.
Satoshi coughed in surprise, but he couldn't contain his joy. He looked all over his body and touched his wet hair. He was human! He was no longer blue, neither did he have his mane of bubbles. He had his old body back...but he was naked. It was a detail that could easily be noticed. How was he going to find clothes? He could be mistaken for a madman. He went out of the water and looked for a solution. If he went to a Pokemon Center maybe the Nurse Joy there could help him. He couldn't spend the night naked in the woods, so he had to find something.
As he searched for other things he could do, a cry stopped him from thinking. The voice belonged to her. He felt the voice coming closer, though he tried to do nothing but hide behind a tree. Serena came near the pond and kept shouting the name of her Pokemon, not suspecting that this same Pokemon had hidden behind a tree and was watching her, and that he was in his human form.
"Froakie!" she shouted again.
From where he was, Satoshi saw the girl who was supposed to be his trainer. He could see through the tears that were slowly beginning to form in her eyes. She had lost her Pokemon. He could understand her. Satoshi could feel it. Now in his human form, he felt similar to her. But before he could think too much more, Serena left again and he had no time to tell her anything. He couldn't show himself to her, not like that it mattered currently. He had to forget it for the moment, but he felt sorry for her, definitely not liking that a trainer had their Pokemon disappearing. He came out of his hiding place and felt the wind caressing his naked body. He was getting cold.
Satoshi walked in the woods and it was starting to get very dark, making him afraid that someone could find him like that, or worse, a wild Pokemon attacked him. Yet everything turned out alright for him when he found a very familiar building, with a very large field in the back. He rushed to the door, but he remembered that he had no clothes on him and that if he entered anywhere, he could be chased out. The naked boy then went over to the side, looking for a window. He found one high enough, one that left only his head visible. It was perfect. The lights were still on and as he looked around he saw no one except the nurse, who was probably a Joy. But, apart from her, he saw no one else. He knocked several times on the window, waiting until the nurse opened the window. She looked at the boy and he couldn't help but blush and smile awkwardly, his body stuck against the wall so she wouldn't see him completely.
"G-Good evening." he stammered. He knew for sure that this was the kind of thing that never had happened to him in his life.
The nurse blinked several times, confused enough that a young boy was talking to her at the window.
"I have a problem..." he continued. "I was doing...I was taking a bath in a pond and then almost all my possession, including my clothes, were gone."
The young woman with pink hair uttered a little cry of surprise and quickly closed the window. Satoshi froze at her reaction. He should probably try to give an explanation, or he might not get any help. He hesitated, not sure if to leave or to wait, just in case. The window opened again and he got a thick cloth thrown over his head. He pulled it off to see the young woman who had come back. "Here, take this and put it on! Then you can enter!"
He didn't have time to answer as she had already closed the window. He looked at what she had given him and it seemed to be just a thick gray sports outfit, consisting of a pair of pants and a jacket. He hurried to put everything on and finally, he walked to the entrance and entered. The nurse was at her post as she should, while behind her was a Pokemon he knew: a Wigglytuff. He quickly approached her and tried to everything to her.
"I'm sorry," he started. "I lost all my belongings, and now I have nothing on me!"
Nurse Joy made a reassuring gesture. "It'll be fine. I can always report the incident police."
"Thank you." he responded, even though he knew it was pointless call to make, since he really never had any belongings since had been brought here.
She tapped on a screen and then looked at the boy. "Do you have a pokedex?"
"No, I don't have anything on me..." he recalled.
"Yes, I know, but do you know your trainer number?" Satoshi grimaced at the question. He had never learned his trainer number, with it not really being the most important thing to him. He never thought that one day he would end up without a pokedex. "Unfortunately, without your pokedex, I can't give you a room, but you can still sleep on the sofa."
The boy nodded and thanked her. He looked at the walls and spotted a map. It depicted the region he was in. A region with a pentagonal shape, on one side with the sea and on the other side mountains. A city was almost in the middle, and it seemed to be the most important city, almost the heart of the region. Then he saw the name: Kalos. His eyes widened slowly, a strange flash reminded him of Estelle. She came from this region. Everything was almost related to this girl. She turned him into this Pokemon, then sent him to her region! His fists tightened as he bit his lower lip. Damn, how did he get there? Just because he lost a match and promised he would help. But now that he was human again, did that mean it was over? That he had succeeded and broken the curse? That he could now return to his normal life? He noticed the telephones and thought that the best thing to do would be to he call his mother. He hoped that Pikachu was with her and that nothing had happened to the two of them. He picked up the handset and tapped in the number of his home. But he didn't hear a signal on the other side, but instead, there was a weird sound on the line and the screen was still black. That didn't work. He know he lived in a village far from almost any bigger city, but still, the phone should be working. He hung up. Maybe his mother wasn't home, but with Professor Oak. He began by typing the professor's number, but he stopped himself when he saw the girl he had met entering.
Serena's eyes were completely red and her mouth was gasping as if she had participated in a marathon. Instinctively, Satoshi turned around so she couldn't see him, which was stupid because she had never seen him in his human form. She slowly moved closer to Nurse Joy and spoke weakly. "My Pokemon...my Froakie is gone...I can't find it..."
Joy put a hand to her mouth, obviously rather saddened for her, but she still asked for her pokedex, giving her a key for a room after checking it. She asked her to rest while she could call the police for an investigation. Serena sat down on the sofa, totally drained of her strength and having searched everywhere for her Pokemon. Satoshi was still hiding so that she wouldn't see him, but it didn't matter, as she wasn't paying attention anyway, as she was too destroyed to notice anything. Curious, he turned his head to watch her. The boy's heart tightened when he realized that Serena was crying. She had lost her Pokemon, but this Pokemon, it was him. He had almost rejected the entire idea, he had just used it for a second, he didn't care about her. But she loved him all the same, in the same way that he had loved Pikachu on the first day while he had hated him. He was Pikachu and she was him during his first day as a trainer. And she had done everything to love him back, she wanted him to be her partner and form an unique bond with him. He had to tell her the truth. It's true he was a human, but he was also her Pokemon and he had to tell her about what happened and why it happened.
Then he suddenly felt selfish. Wanting to tell her the truth was one thing. Wanting her to absolutely help him was another, especially under these circumstances. His heart tightened. He didn't want that. He didn't want her to cry because she had lost her Pokemon and he didn't want to be selfish. But he had to try, at least to tell her the truth. But would she believe it? Would that break her even more? He got closer to the girl, trying to stretch out his arm, but she got up and he stopped. She turned and, without looking at him, she went to the rooms. Satoshi didn't follow her. She needed to be alone. He would try to tell her tomorrow. It was the best for him, but especially for her.
The sunlight was hidden behind the curtains, allowing Satoshi to sleep well. He opened his eyes slowly and got up from the couch, noting that he was still human. He turned his head to the counter and the nurse greeted him with a smile.
"Hello!" she said. "The police will arrive today to help. And you can eat breakfast outside!"
With half-closed eyes, he nodded. He rubbed his eyes and tried to think about the day before. There was...Serena. Oh right, he had to talk to her. Was she awake? Maybe he had to wait for her to come to breakfast. He knew she was waiting for the police to know if they had found him, something that was impossible now. He went out of the Pokemon Center, covered by the shadows. Outside, he noticed her sitting on a chair staring blankly at her cup of tea. He hid in a corner, but like yesterday, she didn't notice him. His heart started to beat faster. What should he say first? That he was sorry? Sorry for what? In any case, he had to apologize. But, he had to explain things to her. Or should he comfort her? It was the right thing to do. The boy nodded to himself decisively and with a determined step he went into the light, leaving the shadows. However, he felt himself shrink. The same tingling as yesterday came back to him and lasted only ten seconds. It felt almost too bright as he closed his eyes and even before he could react and make any sound, he felt like he was hidden under sheets. He opened his eyes and saw that he was hidden by the fabric of the clothes he had been wearing. He came and looked at his body again. He had become a Pokemon. The Froakie he had been yesterday. He panicked, now being a Pokemon again. The curse was not broken. Why did he manage to be human last night and now he wasn't?
He looked around and saw that no one had seen him, not even Serena. After all, he was hidden, but he didn't know if he should go yet. Should he really go back to her? As he had noticed yesterday, Serena wasn't doing well without him. And if he refused to be with her, he would be as bad as Pikachu when they had met for the first time. He could see it. Her eyes were so dull, having lost the living blue they had yesterday. And she had lost her smile. For some reason he didn't know, her smile was something that warmed his little heart, even if he didn't want to admit it. As it stood, it wouldn't appear anymore. The frog boy gritted his teeth and then the sting in his heart made him realize that maybe Pikachu had felt the same way in the end, but now everything was clear. She needed him.
Perhaps for a moment, until he finds the solution, and he found the method he had taken to become human again and explain, he had to stay with her. He exhaled and then swallowed his ego. He approached the girl slowly. The sad girl hadn't noticed him yet, so Satoshi did the only thing he could do in that little body.
"Kero!"
Serena looked up and moved slowly to look at him. Time had frozen for her again. She remained stunned and slowly, a smile appeared and her tears flowed again, but this time they were tears of happiness. She jumped to him, falling to her knees and grabbed him, pulling him tightly against her. Satoshi was smothered at first, but he felt good. That's what he did to his Pokemon after all, and that's what they should feel. He closed his eyes, and accepted this human warmth, which he rarely knew.
"Miss, Officer Junsar has arrived." the nurse called, but stopped when she saw the girl with a Pokemon against her.
She looked at the officer, shrugged and then shared the joy for the girl. But, the officer looked at the nurse and asked quietly. "Wasn't there a boy too?"
"Yes," she responded. "but, he should be here."
Satoshi opened his eyes when he heard the conversation. It was true that there was his human version that had problems, but what could he do now? Better to just make them think he was gone while he was in that girl's arms. He had to trust this girl now, as in a way, she had started to tame him.