At Robbie's scream, the eye suddenly moved backwards. He heard a sudden rustle of sheets, and realized that Cal was sitting upright.
"What the hell was that for?" Cal snarled.
"The...glowing eye…" said Robbie weakly, cowering under the thin bedsheet.
Cal paused for a moment. "Glowing eye?" he repeated blearily. "Oh, that's just my Aegislash, Claire." The older boy immediately lay back down, rolled over and went to sleep.
"Cal! Why do you have an Aegislash out at night? How did you even get one? And why did you name it?"
Cal has gone to sleep. I would advise you to do the same.
"Who are you?" whispered Robbie, startled at the sudden intrusion into his mind. The voice that he heard inside his head was feminine, but surprisingly deep.
I am Claire. As a human, I was knighted by the king of Kalos himself, three thousand years ago. As a Honedge, I agreed to pledge allegiance to Cal, when he was about your age. I have become who I am solely because of him.
Robbie could make out Claire's shield below her eye, held by her tassel-arms against the sword that made up her body, as his eyes adjusted to the dark. "You can use telepathy? You call him 'Cal' too? Can you tell me more about him?"
It is a skill that all Aegislash have, and that I have practiced over the years. Cal is what he prefers to be called. And no, I cannot.
"Can't, or won't?"
I will not tell Cal's secrets without his express consent. And now you will go back to sleep, and I will resume my guard.
"Guard? We're in a Pokémon Center. We're safe, right?" The events of the past day were catching up to Robbie, and he felt his eyelids grow heavy despite his curiosity.
It is a habit Cal acquired while camping in the wilds of Kalos, when he was your age. You would be surprised at how many wild Pokémon will approach a tent in the hopes of an easy meal.
Robbie nodded, and lay back down. Claire seemed satisfied, and floated away to the window on the far wall. Robbie found himself dozing off, forgetting Cal, Scatterbug, and the itchy sheets until the sunlight that crept in shone bright and intense.
When he woke up, Claire had been returned to her Poké Ball, and Cal was standing over his bed, fully dressed, wearing the same navy jacket and dark jeans that Robbie had seen him in the day before. However, he had shaved the stubble off his face, and Robbie was now certain that he had seen Cal somewhere, or even on TV, long before meeting him on Route 2, but he didn't remember where exactly.
"You shaved, but you didn't change?" were the first words out of Robbie's mouth. If Robbie were more alert, he would have cursed himself for letting the comment slip out.
Cal shrugged. "It's a jacket and jeans. They don't need to be washed every day. But yes, I did change the rest of my clothes."
"You had to tell me that?"
"You asked. Now get ready—it's eight o'clock!"
"Why are you so...awake this early in the morning? It's too early for me!"
"My Pokémon and I ate breakfast already. We also got in some morning training. It's really not that bad, once you get used to it."
With a groan, Robbie got out of bed. He staggered to the large communal bathroom, and took a quick shower, hating the cold water coursing down his back and the close quarters of the shower stall. He then dressed in a T-shirt with a red Poké Ball logo and well-made blue denim jeans. As he brushed his teeth at one of the many sinks, he noticed how his usually-curly brown hair lay limp and wet against his forehead. There were a few other boys next to him that were also brushing their teeth, dressed in similar—but certainly off the rack—clothes. It surprised him how much he blended in with the other trainers. He was not quite sure how to feel at this revelation.
Now mostly awake, he walked back to the room, drying his hair with a towel. Cal stood outside with his backpack on the floor beside him, tapping his foot. "Pack up your stuff and meet me in the lobby," he said. "We'll get breakfast and pick up Scatterbug."
Robbie nodded, and Cal shouldered his backpack and set off down the hall. Quickly, Robbie put his pajamas and toiletries back into his bag, then picked it up and followed Cal. When he reached the lobby, he met up with Cal, and asked him, "Is Scatterbug alright?"
"I have not talked to the nurse yet. Let's do that together."
The nurse confirmed that Scatterbug had made a full recovery overnight, and handed Robbie her Poké Ball. Before Cal could steer them to the crowded cafeteria, Robbie spoke. "I have to do...something important," he said.
Cal said nothing, only looked at him with searching blue eyes as he walked out the sliding doors. As soon as he exited the Pokémon Center, he started running and didn't stop until he reached the Route 3 gate. Remembering the gang, he nearly heaved at the thought of going back to the place where he and Brianne had been attacked. Only the gravity of what he was about to do kept him moving through the gate and onto the road. Once he saw a patch of tall grass near Santalune Forest , he released Scatterbug from her Poké Ball. She bounced in excitement at the fresh air, but then settled down. Robbie watched her, a bitter smile appearing on his face as he watched her joy.
Finally, he spoke. "I...I'm sorry."
She looked at him questioningly, and Robbie continued on. "When I first caught you, I...wasn't the best Trainer. I only caught you and trained you... because Cal told me to. And then, for your first real battle, I…" he felt his throat grow tight, but forced himself to continue. "I sent you out against a dangerous opponent, who nearly killed you."
Scatterbug waited for him to continue, and Robbie wiped his eyes ineffectually. "I was a horrible trainer to you! If you...if you want to go back to the wild, then go ahead! You deserve better than me!"
Scatterbug moved away from him, but didn't step into the grass. With a sob, Robbie gripped her Poké Ball tightly, trying to crush it and free her. Instead of succeeding, he found his hand bound in place by a familiar silken fiber.
"Scatterbug?" whispered Robbie, finally looking at her again. She had used String Shot on him, keeping him from destroying her Poké Ball and releasing her into the wild. She chirped at his voice.
"Are you...really giving me a second chance? You want to stay with me?"
"Terbug!" cried Scatterbug, crawling closer to him and smiling.
Robbie knelt down, and gave her a gentle hug, although the string made it difficult. With Scatterbug's help, he removed the string, and returned her to the Poké Ball. He walked back towards Santalune City in silence, but as soon as he approached the gate, he saw Cal standing in front of it.
"Were you spying on me?" asked Robbie.
"I was ensuring your safety," said Cal. However, he wore a faint smile that was genuine and warm. Robbie did not press him further.
"I thought about what you said yesterday," said Robbie. "About if I want to go back home. And... I don't. Even if the sheets itch and the food is terrible and I get grass stains on everything I own, even if I face down my very own evil team... I don't want to go home. My parents...don't like common Pokémon, especially Bug-types. They'd release Scatterbug as soon as I wasn't looking. And today, I don't know if you saw us, but Scatterbug gave me a second chance today. Even though I almost got her killed. I don't want to throw that away."
Cal simply nodded, but was listening intently. Robbie continued. "I'd like to keep traveling with you, if that's okay. I said it before and I'll say it again—I learned a lot more in one day than I did with years of the best tutors money could buy."
They stood in silence for a few minutes. Then Cal finally spoke. "What do you plan to do, on your journey?"
The earnest nature of the question caught Robbie off guard. He thought for a moment before answering. "Santalune City has a Gym, right? I'd like to challenge the Gym Leader with my Pokémon, and try for a badge. After that, I think I'd like to get the rest of the badges and challenge the Pokémon League, if my Pokémon also want to. Maybe we'll beat the Champion! He's defended his title for six years, though."
"Maybe you will, Robbie. Maybe you will."
Cal handed Robbie three small brown paper sacks. "The Pokémon Center prepares food for both Trainers and Pokémon who cannot stay and eat breakfast. Why don't you eat, and then we train for a bit?"
Robbie released Froakie and Scatterbug, and then gave them their food. He opened his own bag as well, pouncing on the protein bar inside. After about ten minutes, Robbie and his Pokémon were done eating. "Are you ready to train?" asked Robbie.
Froakie and Scatterbug responded with affirmative cries. Robbie turned to Cal, with a slight look of fear in his eyes. "Are you going to make us train with Claire?"
"No." As Robbie breathed a sigh of relief, Cal pulled out two Poké Balls, and silently released a Charmander and an Eevee. Both Pokémon stood in front of their trainer, confident and ready for action.
When Froakie saw Charmander, he let out a growl and began angrily shouting at it. Charmander merely smirked, which further enraged Froakie. When Scatterbug saw Charmander, however, she squeaked in terror, and scurried behind Robbie.
"I think Scatterbug's afraid of Charmander!" said Robbie, moving further between her and Charmander.
"It's understandable, especially considering what happened, for Scatterbug to fear all Fire-types," said Cal. "We will make sure that Scatterbug only trains with Froakie and Eevee today. I will manage Charmander."
Cal gently led Charmander away, and Froakie followed, still croaking insults. Eevee approached Robbie, but avoided his tentative hand, seeming much more interested in Scatterbug. Scatterbug slowly crawled out from behind Robbie's legs, glad that the Fire-type was gone. Soon, the two Pokémon greeted each other warmly.
"What should I do now?" called Robbie.
"First, let Scatterbug warm up by practicing her Stun Spore attack on the air. Then, have Eevee and Scatterbug practice their Tackle attacks, first against the air, then each other. I will help you to the best of my ability, but I am making sure that my Charmander's and your Froakie's training session does not devolve into them fighting each other."
Robbie nodded, and watched as Scatterbug practiced firing the yellow spores into the air. Eevee stood next to Robbie, avoiding the paralyzing attack. After a half-hour of that, the two Pokémon then moved on to tackling the space around them, then each other. Fortunately for Robbie, both Pokémon understood that this was a simple attack practice, and they did not put their full strength into the attacks. Eevee seemed to be taking it much easier on Scatterbug than Scatterbug was on Eevee, and Robbie wondered if Cal had told his Pokémon to be careful.
One of Scatterbug's tackles managed to knock Eevee back a few inches. As Robbie and Eevee watched, she glowed with white light, and Robbie couldn't look away. When the glow faded, she had lost the three antennae on her head, and her body was covered with thick white fur.
"Spewpa!" she cried.
"Scatterbug! You evolved!" exclaimed Robbie, grinning brightly. He gently picked her up and gave her a warm hug. "But I guess you're not Scatterbug anymore...what are you now?"
"Spewpa!"
Robbie faintly remembered the lesson on Kalosian Pokémon's evolutionary lines. "You're a Spewpa now, and you've gotten stronger! Soon, you'll be a Vivillon!"
Behind him, he heard footsteps, and realized that Cal must have heard the commotion. He turned around, excited to show off Spewpa to his mentor.
A/N: I know that Aegislash does not have telepathy in the games. However, its Pokédex entries state that it advised kings, is capable of manipulating people and Pokémon with its powers, and also suggest that it has the capability to recognize innate qualities of leadership. Given this information, it is not a far stretch to say that the species could (and did) communicate telepathically. Claire is also a very well-trained individual, and has practiced hard to be able to use the skill without much effort.