When Serena got back to Aquacorde Town, she briefly looked over at where Calem and Shauna had been before she left, and tried to not feel disappointed when they weren't in sight. Calem had told her that they'd meet up in Santalune Forest, wherever that may be, but she couldn't help but hope that one of them had at least waited for her.
Still, she continued forward, and jogged down the stairs leading to the fountain in the town. Serena could see different coloured coverings above the doors. Two had signs behind the coverings, one being a Potion store and the other being a Pokéball store. The one that didn't have a sign behind it had a red covering over the door, and Serena was tempted to go inside to figure out what was in it, but she figured that she would know later.
Continuing forward, Serena could see the bridge to the edge of town. She sped up, now jogging towards it. There was a new town beyond that bridge, and she was dying to get there.
"Hey, Pokémon trainer." A man called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. Hesitantly, Serena turned around and faced the man. "If you step into tall grass, Pokémon will jump out at you. You'll be fine, though, as your partner will help you." Calming down, Serena smiled at the man, silently thanking him for his warning. She had completely forgotten about wild Pokémon. Turning around, she walked out onto the bridge, relaxing now that she could she the edge of Aquacorde Town.
The view on the bridge was beautiful. Serena loved how the water was still and perfectly reflected the sky and the trees. Noticing that there was a small observation area on the bridge, she ran up to it, and was amazed by what she saw. The river seemed to go on forever, it's peacefulness a never-ending beauty. Serena reluctantly left the marvelous sight, knowing that she had to continue onward. Hopefully, she could come back later with a friend and show them this sight.
At the edge of the bridge, Serena could see a patch of tall grass, waving in the wind. Swallowing nervously, she slowed down, deciding that the smartest decision would be to walk through the grass instead of running. The less sound she made, the better it would be for Chespin and her. If Chespin got injured because of her stupidity already, Serena would never be able to forgive herself.
Serena tiptoed through the grass, fiddling with the strap of her purse again. She looked around for the nearest and safest path out of the grass, hoping that when she took a step, she didn't step on a Pokémon. Although the patch of grass was only a couple feet long, and Serena knew that she could have easily made it through if she would have just stopped panicking, it took her a couple minutes to get through. Once she did, she turned around and looked at the patch, sighing miserably. If she continued at this pace, it would take months to beat the Kalos league, perhaps even years.
Serena turned around again, letting go of the strap of her purse as she did. Looking up, she saw Calem and Shauna standing in front of another patch of tall grass, and she briefly wondered how she didn't see them before. Shauna turned around, and gave her a smile. Serena, still nervous from going through a patch of grass, gave Shauna a weak smile, and tried to avoid her fear of Chespin getting hurt. The other girl seemed to notice Serena's uneasiness, despite her best attempts at hiding them.
"Hey Frostbite. Calem was just about to show me how to catch a Pokémon, wanna watch?" Shauna asked. Serena nodded, glad that Shauna didn't push the subject. "Calem's parents are amazing trainers. He pretty much knows everything there is to know about catching and battling."
"My parents have nothing to do with me. Watch carefully, okay?" He said, sounding annoyed. He walked into the tall grass, and a wild Pokémon jumped in front of him. Calem grabbed the first Pokéball on his belt, and threw it. A Fletchling popped out, and Serena couldn't help but clutch the strap of her purse, feeling panic rush through her.
"The Pokémon that just popped out is a Bunnelby. It was just discovered a couple years ago, and as far as we know, it's only native to Kalos." Shauna explained. She noticed that Serena was holding onto her purse, and gave her another smile. "Hey, calm down. He'll be fine. Calem knows what he's doing."
"Fletchling, use Tackle!" Calem said, bringing both Serena's and Shauna's attention back to the battle. His Fletchling did as she was told, and hit the wild Bunnelby. The one attack seemed to do a lot of damage to Bunnelby. After it attacked Calem, he turned to face the girls.
"After weakening it, you grab a Pokéball and throw it at the wild Pokémon. You cannot throw a Pokéball at a Pokémon that is already caught." He explained, while opening his bag to grab a Pokéball. He then threw it at the Bunnelby, and waited. The Pokéball shook three times, before finally stopping and sparks came out of it. "A catch won't always be as flawless as this one was."
"Wow! The Pokémon went inside the Pokéball?" Shauna said, once Calem came back to them.
"Shauna, where do you think your Froakie is now?" Calem said, exasperated. Serena laughed silently, feeling less nervous than she was before. Shauna blushed, and muttered something underneath her breath that Serena couldn't make out. "Here, I have some Pokéballs for the both of you." Serena looked back up, surprised that Calem wanted to give somebody he had just met supplies. Reaching out, she took the five Pokéballs he gave her, then opened up her purse's closest pocket to her, and placed them inside of it. This time, she zipped up the pocket, not wanting to lose anything.
"Thanks, Calem." Serena signed. Calem shrugged, acting like it didn't matter to him if he received thanks or not.
"It's no problem, really." He said.
"Do you think I can catch Pokémon with them, too?" Shauna asked.
"Yeah, you can catch Pokémon around here easily." Calem replied, almost absent-mindedly.
"Great! If I see a cute Pokémon, I'll throw lots of Pokéballs at it, and then we'll become friends."
"Before I forget, when you catch a Pokémon, it also makes your Pokémon stronger." Calem said, before walking through the grass and out of their sight. Serena gulped, staring at the grass in front of her.
"If you're scared of Chespin getting hurt, I understand, Serena. But not only do you have to protect him, he has to protect you. That's one of the bonds Pokémon trainers share with their Pokémon." Shauna said. Serena looked over to the smaller girl, wondering how she knew about her fear.
"I don't want him to get injured because I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, Shauna." She signed, reaching for the purse strap once she was done. Shauna gave her a small smile, and Serena could tell that she was trying to relax her at that point.
"Serena, I don't want Froakie to get hurt either, and I'm terrified that I won't be a good enough trainer for her. You just have to be careful about where you step, that's all. If a wild Pokémon jumps out at you, you can run away from the battle or you can fight it and try to catch it if you want to. If he does get hurt, there's a place in Aquacorde Town that will heal him up to full health. I'll see you in Santalune Forest, okay?" She said, before giving her a small wave and walking through the grass. Looking back down at the grass, Serena suddenly didn't feel as scared as she was before.
Serena could walk through the grass, knowing that she could run away from a battle if she had to. She was still afraid of Chespin getting hurt, but she knew that she wasn't alone in her fear and that she could always go get help back in Aquacorde Town.
