The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

A/N:

Two exams down, only about… six to go. *sigh* I don't really have high hopes for myself, because I have very poor memory skills. But enough about me, time to look at the review box!

And, surprisingly empty. Huh.

Dear readers, please, please review. As a novice writer, I need to understand the opinions of the public if I'm ever going to be able to tailor the story to how you fans would enjoy it. I'm okay with criticism; there are a lot of things I will have to improve on, and I hope to do exactly that, so that I can write a good story for all of you.

Please understand that this isn't an order, but voluntary. Thank you, once again.

"Aquacorde and Vaniville are separated by a route of about seventy-five metres. As far as the FLAK, or rather, the Fabulous League Association of Kalos (pg. 12), are concerned, this stretch of walkway, lined with various trees and shrubbery, is officially Route 1 on the Kalos Map.

Most people, however, jokingly refer to it as the Vaniville Pathway. So much so, that when the FLAK caught word of it, they simply shrugged their shoulders, put it up as an alternate name, then went out for tea.

Thankfully for beginner Trainers, it's merely a 250-feet long road with nothing of surprise to note. Except maybe during February, when the mating season arrives. In which case, keep a safe distance from the rustling bushes. You do not want to disturb any of the 'activities' that are or will be occurring."

'The Official Kalos Companion Guide' (2020), by Maison Prince Calem. Now available in both paperback and hardcover.

As Calem strolled under the arch that signified the entrance to Aquacorde, he veered towards the left. Sure enough, at the same table they always sat at, he noticed his quartet of friends talking it out in loud, relaxed tones that he could hear, even from that distance.

"C-Sharp, over here!" And they'd also noticed him too.

The moniker 'C-Sharp' came into existence about two weeks after they'd first met him. They'd run into a wandering minstrel who had a penchant for musical games. At Aquacorde, where they'd met him, he was playing a game of 'Guess The Pitch!' and had invited the five of them up to play.

The catch was that, if they failed to identify said pitch, they had to subject themselves to a penalty game, courtesy of the minstrel's Jigglypuff. One by one, they missed the note, and at the end, it was Calem's turn to bat, er, guess.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened next.

Being the only member of his group to have an initial in the heptatonic scale helped.

He raised a hand in greeting before settling down at his usual place, next to Serena. They'd already ordered his cup, and as he took a small sip, he savoured the fragrant, bitter taste of the warm coffee.

And promptly spat it out.

"Merde, *cough* how many packets *cough* was it this *cough* time?" Between the hacking breaths Calem took while trying to force the sharp, spicy taste out of his mouth, it was any wonder he could even speak coherently at all.

He didn't have to actually ask the question to guess that it was the person sitting right next to him, who had an appetite for all things chili (he preferred pepper himself).

~One month earlier~

"We need revenge. That puff-pastry ruined my second-favourite hat."

"What are you going to do about it? The minstrel left yesterday."

"Obviously, I'm not taking it out on the furball or her master. I have my sights set on someone more… local."

"But, butbutbut, he has nothing to do with this! We can't just put the blame on C-Sharp because he actually did something right!"

"Someone call me?"

"E-eep!"

~Three weeks earlier~

Calem had had a bad morning.

Sir, I am fine! We Ralts are sturdier than that; it's didn't hurt me in any way!

That was an understatement. He'd nearly squashed Oberon flat when he'd accidentally rolled out of bed.

Please, sir, I am v-very much okay. You need not worry about me.

Despite his reassurances, Calem was still very much upset at himself.

The day didn't get much better when he took a long gulp of his mocha and spewed it all over the café floor.

~Two weeks earlier~

"Serena, pass me your cup."

The blonde looked up from her Sudoku puzzle. "Why?"

He narrowed his eyes. "May I remind you what happened to my mocha last week? I had to stay back for half an hour just to help clean up the mess!"

She simply shrugged and doodled in another number. "Go ahead, doesn't make a difference."

He scooped up the cup and brought it to his lips.

"I always drink mine with wasabi, don't you know?"

Another half an hour it was.

~One week earlier~

"…Nothing at all."

The blonde looked up from her crossword. "What?"

Calem swirled his frappe. "It's just that, after two straight weeks of burning my tongue with spice, you suddenly go cold? It's not like you."

Serena shifted in her seat, and her eyes stole a quick glance to her right. Calem followed her glance to see Shauna, leaning backwards on the seat, with her eyes closed, and a smug grin on her face.

Ah, Calem thought, she actually got her to stop.

He brought up his cup in salute and took a long gulp.

"Calem?"

"Yeah, Siri?"

"What's a seven-letter word for backsliding; first letter 'R', last letter 'E'?"

~Present day~

After they'd cleaned off the spill on the table, with Trevor luckily coming away unstained, they got back to the order of business: their new Pokémon.

"Can you guys bring out the Pokémon now? I'd very much like to see my new partner soon! "

"I know that feeling, Shaw! It was so cool when Trevs and I got our Pokémon! Hope you and Siri feel the same way we did!"

With a flourish, he brought up a small, cylindrical case. He pressed the button in the middle, and set it down, before opening it.

The three Pokéballs lay there, pristine and shiny, as if they had never been touched by human hands.

Never mind. Shauna had already picked them up.

"Who are they? "

"Their species names are Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie. They each belong to of one of the standard starter types."

Serena tapped a finger on her chin. "How do we tell who's who?"

I believe this, is my kind of job, sir.

He unzipped the front, before taking out the white ball and releasing its inhabitant.

Oberon set down his copy of 'The Great Gastly'. He yawned, straightened his hair, and leaned forward, before waiting for the 'jump' from inside the Pokéball to the outside.

Like a bungee, a coil of ethereal rope snaked from the ceiling down to the small of Oberon's back. With a tug, the rope yanked, hard, and Oberon was pulled off his feet.

A moment later, after the obligatory pink flash of light that preceded his entry, he looked up to find… Trevor.

He raised one small limb and raised his fringe to reveal one of his garnet eyes.

"Ippen… shinde miru?"

Trevor, who was bilingual, screamed in a manner most unbecoming of a boy, and fainted on the spot.

Oberon!

Sir, I gave you my word I wouldn't mentally scar him. You never said I couldn't scare him.

…Touché, Oberon. Touché.

His fun over, Oberon trudged over to the three stationary Pokéballs. He ran a quick Psychic burst over the three balls, and used the latent Fairy powers each member of his species had to project a small hologram of the occupants of the ball.

Predictably, Shauna was the first to respond. "MIGNON! I WANT THAT FROG!"

She picked up the ball, shattering the hologram, and launched it.

In a flurry of bubbles, a small, blue, quadruped Pokémon burst out of the Pokéball.

"Froakie!"

The Froakie landed in Shauna's welcoming arms, where it proceeded to be crushed, er, nuzzled.

"Froakie froak froak kie!"

To Shauna, and the surrounding people, this was seen as a sign of affection, and thus, she proceeded to cuddle it more.

Oberon, who knew much better, smiled.

"That isn't very nice, you know."

"Scratch that, she's flatter than a pillow! Maybe a cutting board!"

Serena strolled over and picked up the ball in the middle.

"Come on out, Fennekin!" She said, with a small throw of her own.

With a burst of flame, the fox jumped around and spewed fire, ending with a fiery arc and a proud look on her face.

"…Show off." said the frog, who had stopped squirming.

"I take offense to that." the fox yipped, "I can't help it if you're not as good as me."

That left Calem with the last remaining Pokéball. The hologram showed a green and brown rodent-like Pokémon, deep in sleep. He tapped the button, releasing Chespin onto the table, still serenely sleeping on its arms.

He gently stroked the quills on his head, causing him to stir. The hedgehog stood up and stretched, rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck.

Before falling back on the table.

"Five more minutes, ma…"

Calem grinned.

"I think we'll get along just great."

A/N:

Merde – Damn

"Ippen… shinde miru?" – 'Won't you try dying this once?' in Japanese. Used by Enma Ai, the eponymous Hell Girl, when sending her quarry to hell.

Touché – You got me. Used in fencing to signify a hit, or an admission that the speaker was wrong.

Mignon - Cute