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Chapter Eight
'No, no– just stop,' Kindle said, pausing mid-Scratch, shaking her head. 'This is exactly why Ash didn't have you use this move in the gym!'
Amber paused, opening her eyes, surrounded in the green energy dome of a Protect. The Vivillon blinked, before letting the shield fade away, tilting her head. 'What's wrong with it? I'm doing it.'
'On the ground.'
'So?'
Kindle gritted her teeth. 'You can fly– and that's your greatest advantage in battle!'
Amber was sitting out on the path of route 4, looking very confused at Kindle's words. Ash was sitting under a tree a ways from them, looking back at Santalune City, gaze distant as he waited for... something. Kindle had decided to take this opportunity to begin training with Amber, but things weren't going as smoothly as the fox had hoped.
'The purpose of the move Protect is to get it up as quickly as possible– before you get hit by a move,' Kindle said, claws digging into the ground at the blank look she was getting. 'If you have to go and land every time you use it then it's pointless– because by the time you land you're already going to have been hit by the attack. And then there's the fact that you'll then be on the ground instead of up in the air and out of reach– are you even listening to me?!'
The Vivillon was staring out beyond Kindle– and she blinked as Kindle spoke, before pointing with a small arm. 'There's a Combee,' She said with a small smile. 'It's a bug like me.'
Kindle glanced over her shoulder out at the flowery paths that covered the route they were on, and sure enough there was an array of bug types hovering over the well-kept gardens. Kindle was sure if they ventured farther out there would be more wild Pokemon, and more natural paths, but clearly the bugs thrived in the human's gardens. The Combee that Amber was looking at was buzzing aggressively at a Flabébé, chasing it away from a flower.
'That doesn't matter,' Kindle said sharply. 'You need to master all your current moves if you want to learn a new one– and so you need to learn how to use Protect while flying.'
'But I learned how to use it before I could fly,' Amber replied.
'Same with Stun Spore– and you use that just fine!'
The bug type grinned. 'I like that move. It makes things stop,' She flapped her wings, rising up into the air. Her flying was still slightly crooked due to her wing, but she was no longer cringing in pain as she flew. 'I wonder if it'd make you stop talking.'
Kindle froze up, a growl in her throat. 'Don't you dare!'
Amber giggled. 'Hehe! I was kidding– I like it when you talk– you're smart!'
Kindle blinked, before shaking her head. 'Alright, let's try this again, okay?' Kindle lowered herself into a charging position. 'I want you in the center of the path, using your wings to hover in place. When I come at you, use Protect.'
Amber obeyed, drifting over to the center of the trail, wings flapping a few feet off of the ground. Her scales gleamed in the sunlight, except for her left wing– which was scarred from the gym fight. The wing was warped along where the rip had been melted together, the wing looking almost wrinkled and charred.
The Fennekin allowed her claws to glow with a Scratch, just forming the basics of the move so it wouldn't leave any lasting harm on Amber. She darted forward, racing at the Vivillon with her claws out. She sprang into the air as she approached, waiting for the mass of energy to surround Amber and block the attack.
Instead the Vivillon drifted to the ground, landing softly in the dirt– and Kindle leapt right through where she had been flying moments before. The fire type crashed into the ground– and it was only then that the dome of the Protect surrounded the bug type. Kindle laid there in the dirt, tensing with frustration.
'You can't land!' Kindle cried, springing to her feet, twisting around to face Amber. 'You need to do it while flying!'
'But I avoided the attack,' Amber said.
'That's call dodging– you're trying to learn how to block the attack!' Sparks flew from Kindle's mouth, her patience running thin. 'If that was a real battle I would have been coming much faster– and I would have hit you before you landed!'
Amber let the Protect fade, wings quivering in the breeze as she sat on the ground. She stretched, letting the sun wash over her. 'Today is a good day, is it not?'
Kindle growled, a purple glow filling her eyes. Amber looked unconcerned at the sight, simply taking in the sunlight. The fox was about to once again lecture the bug type on why she needed to stay in the air, but before she could a strange feeling washed over her. She paused, slowly turning, eyes scanning the route. Her gaze narrowed on a patch of flowers and bushes a ways down the path. Her fur bristled, knowing that not only was something there, but that they were watching them. The feeling was familiar– it was the exact same feeling she had gotten yesterday before their gym battle. Kindle let her growl rattle her throat, an Ember forming in her mouth as she slowly crept forward. The purple glow had completely engulfed her eyes as she slunk forward, ready to attack whatever had been following them.
"Kindle, stop," Ash called, eyes flickering towards her. "Leave them alone, they're not hurting us."
The Fennekin froze up at this, the glow in her eyes flickering out– how could Ash sense that something was following them?!
Then she shook her head, realizing how stupid that was. Ash had clearly been watching her, and could tell by the way she was acting that something was there. He probably thought it was just some other wild Pokemon, not that this energy she felt was the same thing she had sensed yesterday. Whatever was trailing them had done so for a while now– she couldn't just let it go!
'Lookie!' Amber cried, eyes lighting up. 'It's old trainer!'
Kindle glanced over her shoulder, ears going back as she saw four familiar figures walking towards them– one of which was indeed Shauna, Amber's old trainer. Kindle's eyes flicked over the rest of them; Serena, Trevor, and Tierno. She was far from happy to see these humans again, Kindle hated how they looked at her like she was nothing but a mindless Magikarp.
She looked back at where she had sensed the energy– but whatever had been there was now gone.
"See!" Shauna said happily as she and their group came closer. "I told you Ash was waiting for us!"
"Vill!" Amber called, throwing herself into the air, happily flying towards Shauna. The brown-haired girl stiffened up as the Pokemon rushed at her, but the Vivillon simply landed on her head, peering over and looking down at her. 'Hi hi hi! Lookie at me, Shauna– I can still fly!'
The human, of course, only heard a jumble of Pokemon noises. However she seemed to relax as she realized the Pokemon was only making friendly sounds, taking Amber off of her head and allowing the butterfly to sit on her arm. Amber flared her wings, causing Shauna to frown.
"Was this scar from the gym battle?" Shauna asked Ash as he headed towards the other humans. Kindle shot one more glance at the bush, before running over to Ash, following at his heels. "It looks pretty nasty."
"Yeah," Ash said, looking away at the mention of the gym. "Her whole wing got ripped..."
"Viv!" Amber flew off of Shauna, landing on Ash's hat. She peered down over the rim, making a happy hum.
"We can tell," Serena said coolly. "Its flying is horrible."
Kindle tensed, a growl forming in her throat, and Ash eyed Serena uncertainly. "Considering what she went through," Ash said slowly. "I think she's doing very well. The gym was far from easy, but still she pulled through."
"It sounds like your battle went well then," Tierno said. "How did yours go, Serena?"
"Fine," Serena said. "Fletchling put in decent work, and Jet's showing that his bloodline is as decent as Siebold says. They came out with a few scratches, but I've already started training them for the next gym," Her gaze fell on Kindle, and she looked at Ash. "Why are your Pokemon out?"
"Because they want to be," Ash replied, glancing at Kindle as well. "Kindle was also doing a bit of training with Amber before you guys showed up," He shifted. "Shauna said she wanted to meet here to talk about something?"
"We have a message from the professor," Trevor said, stepping forward. "He wanted us to ask you if you'd come to his lab with us once we get to Lumiose, he wants to meet you. Also he said that Lysandre would be there as well, and it'd be good to meet your sponsor."
Ash glanced towards the north, down the path that headed towards Lumiose. "Mr. Lysandre did say he wanted to meet with me, so I think that'd work out just fine. Are you guys planning on leaving now, or...?"
"It's about a day's walk to Lumiose City from here," Tierno said. "If we leave now hopefully we can get there before dark."
"Then let's stop chattering," Serena said coolly, starting down the trail. "And actually get moving. We're wasting time, and we're not going to find any decent Pokemon in the gardens anyways, and I'd like to expand my team."
"Ooo!" Shauna said, running up to catch with Serena as they followed after her. "I heard there's a lot of cute Pokemon on this route! Like Skitty, and Ledyba, and Ralts, and Skitty, and Flabébé, and Combee, and Budew, and Skitty and– what kind of Pokemon do you want to catch?"
Kindle sighed, falling a step behind Ash as they headed after the group, realizing that this trip to Lumiose was going to feel a lot longer than it really was.
Unlike on their way through Santalune Forest, the group didn't seem to stick together as much as they made their way to Lumiose.
Serena and Tierno were off in search of the rare Ralts that was said to live here– Serena saying that its evolutions were strong, while Tierno was more interested in the fact that Kirlias were known to dance. Trevor had taken to looking over each Flabébé they found drifting through the garden route, comparing it with his orange-flowered Flabébé. Ash had only politely shook his head when they asked if he had wanted to come along, only sticking to heading down the trail. After what had happened yesterday... he just wanted to be with his Pokemon.
Shauna had decided she wanted a Skitty, and had been adamantly searching off-trail ever since.
"Don't you want to catch another Pokemon?" Shauna called to Ash.
The group was still sort of moving together, just more spread out. Trevor was lagging a bit behind as he snapped a picture of a white-flowered Flabébé, and Serena had gotten into a battle with a trainer up ahead, while Tierno was even farther ahead. Shauna was off to Ash's right, an empty Pokeball in hand.
"...I don't want to catch just any Pokemon," Ash called back uncertainly, and Shauna nodded in understanding.
"That makes sense– you're doing the league challenge like Serena– so I guess you'd only want the best fighters!" She said, sending a group of Ledyba flying as she waded through the grass some more.
Ash hesitated, because what she said was partly true, but not for the reasons she had in mind. He did want the best fighters, but that was only because it'd be cruel to place any other Pokemon into such a battle as what happened in the gyms. And he didn't not want to catch any Pokemon because he was being picky, but because he didn't want to force a Pokemon to join him unless it truly wanted to.
But before he could offer any further explanation to his words, Shauna's eyes lit up– a happy squeal coming from her. "Oh my gosh!" She cried. "Skittys!"
Rushing out of the underbrush was indeed several Skittys– three of them fleeing from the shouting girl. One was about the same size of the Skitty that Ash was familiar with, two much smaller Skittys falling behind her as they all ran, and Ash realized they were probably hatchlings. Shauna hurried after them in a swift pursuit, and the larger one glanced over its shoulder.
The mother Skitty seemed to realize that while she could outrun Shauna, that her two kittens wouldn't be able to. She hesitated, before whipping around and grabbing the closest kitten to her by the scruff. The mother Skitty then turned, racing across the path and into the bushes on the other side as fast as she could.
The remaining Skitty mewed out for its mother, confusion in its small eyes as the larger Skitty ran off, leaving it behind. A shadow fell over it, Shauna grinning happily, throwing the empty Pokeball at it. The kitten was engulfed in a flash of light, being drawn into the Pokeball, which began shaking.
"Come on!" Shauna frowned as the Pokeball burst open, the Skitty kitten shaking fearfully. With a sigh she pulled a Pokeball off of her belt, releasing her Litleo. "Leo– use Tackle."
Leo let out a long yawn, stretching, before focusing on the Skitty. The Pokemon hesitated, clearly not wanting to attack something so young. He carefully approached the Pokemon, before nudging it with his head. The Skitty was shaking fearfully, and pressed up to the lion's lead. The Litleo looked back at Shauna, whimpering.
"That's not really a Tackle," Shauna said, approaching the two felines. "But since it's so young it might be enough."
She pressed the Pokeball to the Skitty once more, sucking it into the sphere. It shook several times in her hand, before clicking shut. Shauna smiled proudly, holding it out to Leo.
"We got her!" Shauna beamed. "Great work, Leo!"
The Litleo whimpered, and Ash looked away. "Come on," He muttered to Kindle. "Let's go."
Amber peered down curiously at Ash from on top of his head. Kindle gave a yip of agreement, pressing forward with Ash following behind her. The trio didn't say anything as they walked, a heavy feeling in Ash's stomach.
They may have beaten one gym– but there was still seven more to go. Yesterday had been hard, but he was starting to realize that they were far from what would be the end of this. There was only more battles ahead of them– only more death.
Shivers raced down Ash's back.
He shook off the feeling, trying to settle his mind elsewhere. On getting to Lumiose, on staying upbeat for his Pokemon. He was fine... he was doing just fine, he just had to keep going...
The beginning of a yawn built up in his throat, and he had to struggle against it. He had been up most of the night– finding it impossible to fall asleep despite his exhaustion. Everytime he drifted off the image of the burning Vivillon or the writhing Surskit would pop into his mind, the sheer horror jerking him out of any attempt to sleep. He had ended up spending most of the night attempting to read magazines he had found in his Pokemon Center room to distract him, or making sure that his new Pokemon were still sound asleep.
Even though he had only known them for a few days, he just couldn't bare the thought of something happening to either of them.
He felt the strange chills again, and this time he came to a stop as he heard a low growl coming from Kindle. The Fennekin's sharp amber eyes were sweeping the path around them, and settled on a cluster of hedges up ahead. Ash followed her gaze, and once again shivers raced down his back. He quietly hushed Kindle, whose fur was now up on end, and took a few steps towards the bushes.
A sense of nervousness washed over him, and something in the bushes shifted.
"You've been following us for a while, haven't you?" Ash asked, and the trembling stopped for a moment. "You can come out, you know– I won't hurt you."
There was a low whimper from the bushes, and Kindle slunk around his leg, fire forming in her mouth. Ash knelt down, placing one hand on Kindle's back to calm her, the other he held out invitingly to whatever was hiding. Ash sensed a vague feeling of curiosity– before it was washed away in another rush of nervousness.
"Kindle's usually like this, don't mind her," Ash said, scooping up the Fennekin and placing her back a ways– earning a glare from the little fox. "Just come on out, if you want."
The bushes rustled as the being in them shifted, and then a pair of ruby red eyes stared out from them. Ash smiled, but didn't move as the Pokemon slowly crept forward, a blue paw appearing from between the leaves. The canine watched him for a moment, before retreating away into the branches that had been hiding it.
"Lu..."
"Vi!" Amber churred happily, flapping her wings from on top of Ash's head, trying to get the Pokemon to come out.
Ash sat down, crossing his legs, waiting patiently. Kindle again came to his side, eyes narrowed, but her growling had come to a stop. Again the Pokemon crept out a ways, this time coming out further. Paws were pressed up against the Pokemon's chest, looking around uncertainly as it finally stumbled out of the bushes, a slight tremble in her step.
The Riolu peered up at Ash, and he got another vague impression of curiosity. A thin mask of black fur surrounded her bright red eyes, which were staring right at him. She tilted her head slightly, before looking down at the ground. Much to his relief she didn't pull back into the foliage, just standing there as if waiting for something to happen. He was slightly surprised at just how open her aura was, the Pokemon's shifting emotions running through him.
"Rio..." She whispered after a moment, inching towards Ash, slowly moving a paw towards him. That's when he noticed that she was holding onto a small object in her paw, which she was holding out towards his hand. Her warm fur brushed against his fingers, setting a rough item into his palm. "Lu."
Ash blinked in surprise– the same moment she had made the sound the strongest impression ran through him. This time it wasn't an emotion, but rather a strong urge for him to accept the object. His fingers closed around it, looking down at what he had been given.
It was a rock.
It was vaguely round in shape, the brown stone rough against his skin as he fingered it. It just looked like any average stone you might find on the ground, save for a slight gleam as he twisted it in his hand. The little Riolu rocked back and forth on her heels, watching him nervously. Ash hesiated, not quite sure if she was attempting to give it to him, or just showing it to him.
"It's very nice," Ash said with a kind smile. "Did you find it?"
The Riolu shook her head, pulling back slightly as Ash shifted, and let out a few muttered sounds. Ash tried to focus on them, trying to gather the meaning through his aura, but all he got was the impression of... he wasn't quite sure. The sense of passing...? Time perhaps, or maybe a person?
It was just short of telepathy– not words filling his mind, but rather vague understandings of what she was trying to communicate.
She stood there uncertainly, and Ash held the rock out to her. Ruby eyes widened, the Riolu rapidly shaking her head at the offer, stumbling back towards the bush she had been hiding in. Ash paused, before pulling the stone back, hesitating for a moment.
"Is it for me to keep?"
"Lu!" She chirped– and this time Ash was able to get a clear confirmation– yes.
Of course there wasn't much he could do with a stone, but he smiled and slipped it into his pocket. It clearly meant a lot to the young Pokemon, so he wasn't about to treat it as nothing. "Thank you, I'll be sure to take care of it."
Kindle snorted.
Ash pushed himself to his feet, causing the Riolu to yelp and race back into the bushes. He paused, and after a moment he saw her eyes looking up at him again. Ash smiled softly, in hopes of not scaring her again. He didn't usually draw on his aura, but he tried to keep feeling the strange energy as he studied the Pokemon– and again he got the impression that she was confused and curious.
"We're heading to Lumiose City," Ash said. "We're meeting people there, so I can't stay here for too long. You're welcome to accompany us if you'd like though– just be careful. Some... friends, I guess, of ours are looking for Pokemon to catch."
She pulled back into the bushes.
"I thought so," Ash said. "I wouldn't want to be captured either."
Danger. The word was faint in his mind, full of desperation and fear.
Ash glanced at Kindle, whose ears were twitching impatiently, giving no sign she had heard the word. Clearly she wanted to get back on the road. This Ash could understand, since her old trainer was waiting for them in Lumiose, and she had seemed to be very fond of Lysandre. He wanted to get moving as well, but he didn't just want to walk away from this little Pokemon either.
"I'm afraid it is dangerous," Ash said. "But I have to keep going, I don't really have much of a choice– and I think Kindle's going to Ember me if I don't get moving," He felt the Riolu's panic rising at this, so he swiftly added on: "Just kidding."
A low whimper was all the reply he got.
Ash sighed. "I'm afraid I have to go now. Goodbye, Riolu."
He gave a small wave, before turning to head back towards the path. Kindle eagerly took the lead, small paws silently pressing through the grass. Amber flapped her wings in the wind, still perched on Ash's head as they went. And though he didn't hear anything as he reached the road once more, he still paused as a wave of chills ran down him.
A small shape slammed into his leg, small paws wrapping around him. He looked down to see the little Riolu grasping his leg, looking up at him in desperation. Her ears were back, watching him carefully. He closed his eyes, and got the feeling of loneliness and emptiness.
"Do you want to come with us?" Ash asked softly.
"Lu!" She cried, nodding, causing Ash to smile.
"Then welcome to the team, Riolu," He said, and the Riolu tilted her head.
...Name? The word was basically a whisper, a questioning tone as she pressed it into his mind.
"Um– I really don't do nicknames," Ash said, carefully pulling his leg out of her grasp, and her gaze fell.
Others. She said, and it took him a moment to discern what she meant from the word. There was almost a jealousy to it... No– more like a questioning confusion, directed at Kindle and Amber. He glanced around at his other Pokemon, before realizing what she was trying to say.
"They came with names," Ash explained. "I didn't name them. If you want one you're going to have to come up with one yourself."
She blinked with this realization– and Kindle let out a frustrated bark. He looked towards the fox, who was up ahead, claws curling into the ground. Ash gave her a smile to let her know he was coming, and started down the path after her. Riolu was a few paces behind him, head tilted in thought as she stumbled after Ash. After a moment her eyes lit up, peering up at him.
Nami. She decided with a nod, before scurrying to catch up with them.
Caught Nami, Riolu, route 22. Lv 6, female. Naive, Capable of taking hits.
As far as species went, Kindle supposed another teammate could have been worse.
After all, it was a Riolu. They were famously rare to catch, let alone bond with– most of the Lucario line came from breeding and not the wild, their offspring normally only bonding with a human upon hatching. So of course Ash just managed to get one to agree to come with him without even a battle– because this Pariah just had to be the strangest human she had ever met.
But the Riolu herself on the other paw...
'Nami,' She said quietly as she followed after Ash. 'Nami Nami Nami.'
'We get it– you have a name!' Kindle snapped– sick of hearing this for the millionth time. Kindle wasn't quite sure when Ash had come up with the name, considering that he had even said he wasn't going to name the Riolu, but Nami seemed quite pleased with it– having been repeating it for what felt like an hour. At least it was one of the few things she said that actually made sense.
Unlike her rambling about the "special" rock.
The Riolu shot an uncertain glance at Kindle, but fell silent. She pressed her paws together, glancing down at the ground as she continued on, stumbling as she tried to stay with the group.
'I'm tired,' Amber declared after a moment. 'We've been walking for ages!'
The Fennekin tried not to roll her eyes. 'No– you're bored, if anything– not tired. You can't be tired because you haven't done a thing this entire trip but sit on Ash's head!'
The Vivillon nodded at this. 'Yes, it is comfortable. Comfy– but I'm bored.'
The little Riolu hesitated, before looking up at Ash and Amber. 'Comfy?'
'Very!' Amber exclaimed happily, wings flaring open in her excitement. 'My last trainer didn't let me walk with her– she'd only let us out of our Pokeballs for a few minutes! Ash is a good trainer!'
'Yes,' Nami agreed with a soft nod. 'His aura is very good. It looked scary, but if you look closer the scary aura isn't his aura, the scary aura is just around his aura. His aura is pretty, very pretty,' She tilted her head. 'So he's nice and comfy?'
'Yes!' Amber said, and Nami stared up at Ash.
"If you want me to carry you I can," Ash said as they walked along. "I don't mind, I'm used to walking all day, but you guys must be tired."
Nami let out a small yelp as Ash reached down, scooping up the small Pokemon. He carefully set the Riolu on his shoulder, pausing for a moment to allow her to find her balance. She was a bit tall to comfortably ride on his shoulder, but after a moment she settled with having her front paws resting on Ash's shoulder, and her back legs standing on his backpack as she peered over his shoulder.
Nami gave a small smile, resting her head on Ash's shoulder.
"You too Kindle," Ash said after a moment, and the fox stiffened up. "You've been walking all day too."
Kindle didn't have a chance to protest– Ash's hands wrapping around her back as she was lifted up into the air. The fox stiffened as Ash placed her on his other shoulder, her claws instinctively digging into his shirt to keep her balance. She stood frozen on his shoulder for a moment, before she carefully shifted into a more secure position.
Ash was smiling as she got settled– perhaps the first smile she had seen without a hint of sorrow since the gym battle.
"You guys comfy?" He asked– and Amber let out a happy call, Nami pressed closer to Ash's shoulder, and Kindle gave a stiff nod. Not where she wanted to be... but Ash's shoulder wasn't necessarily uncomfortable. "In that case– on to Lumiose City!"
They headed down the path once more, and Kindle let out a sigh. Perhaps it was nice to have a break from walking... she was still a bit sore from the gym battle yesterday.
Her golden eyes shifted towards Ash, was currently talking softly to Nami, the Riolu still eyeing their surroundings uncertainly. Her nose twitched, lost in thought as they continued on. She had thought getting the Pariah to Lumiose would be a long errand, one that would be exhausting and one that she'd be looking forward to being finished with. She thought she would be begging Lysandre to put another Pokemon on Ash's team to watch over him instead of her.
But her time with Ash had been fairly enjoyable.
Except for the gym battle. And Yveltal. And anytime someone had got on her nerves.
But Ash had been nothing like she had expected.
Ash clearly cared for Pokemon– just like Lysandre. This of course was nothing but good news, this meant that as a Pariah he might be able to help them far more easily than they had hoped. Perhaps he wouldn't have to just be a stepping stone to bring this world to peace, but someone that would happily help.
Battling with Ash... it was almost exciting, to hear a trainer that didn't just want you to win, but wanted you to be okay as well.
Of course she could make do without him petting her and picking her up all the time. And he wasn't as picky about team members as what would be preferable. And the fact that he had just zoned out in the gym battle had been annoying.
But if she was going to be on Ash's team a bit longer, she supposed she wouldn't mind.
The Lumiose City in this world was just as impressive as in his world.
Towering buildings, endless streets, crowds of people that stretched on for what felt like miles– this was the capital of Kalos, and it most certainly felt that way. Ash had been in other metropolises before, but Lumiose definitely took the cake. He kept looking around as he followed after their small group, already lost after a few steps in.
However, there was something much different than when he had been in the Lumiose in his world.
When he had first stepped into Kalos, the first thing he had noticed in the major city was all the different Pokemon he had seen. Pokemon walking next to their trainers, playfully chasing kids down a street, cheerfully working alongside humans. There had been familiar and new Pokemon to see, each one just as exciting as the last. It was one of the things that had made him so eager to see more of the region.
But this Lumiose City was almost void of Pokemon.
Perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration– there were Pidgeys and Fletchlings flying overhead, Zigzagoons digging in trash cans, and Houndours lurking in dark alleys. But they were clearly wild, slinking as far from the humans as they could, scattering if a gaze lingered on them for too long.
It was the lack of Pokemon among the humans that was the most unsettling.
He saw Pokeballs on belts and purses, but yet there was few Pokemon with humans. Every now and then he'd spot someone walking a white dog-like Pokemon on a leash, or see Machops tiredly hauling wood through a construction site. He did see a Gogoat carrying someone through the streets– but the grass type looked absolutely exhausted, eyes dull and empty. The sight made his stomach twist, seeing them being treated as means to an end, a tool to be used– not as the companions they were meant to be.
The closest interaction he saw was a girl lingering in an alleyway, a purple cat Pokemon resting on her shoulder. She frowned at him as they made eye contact, eyeing his Pokemon before retreating back into the shadows of the alleyway.
Ash had been getting several strange looks as he went through the city, everyone looking surprised to see he had his Pokemon out. Amber was still perched on his hat as she had been the whole trip, happily looking about the city. Kindle was walking at his heels, glowering at anyone that stared at her for too long, nose in the air. Finally there was the newest member of his team– Nami.
The small Riolu was in Ash's arms, the Pokemon trembling as he held her. Her ears were pressed back against her head, aura sensors pressed just as flat, as if she were trying to limit every sensation as much as she could. He didn't blame her, her aura was strong, and she was shy– going from the wilds to suddenly walking down the streets with hundreds of people was overwhelming both emotionally and auraticly.
Bright. The word echoed in Ash's mind, and he guessed Nami was referring to the auras around them. Many.
"We'll be off of the streets soon," Ash promised her, shifting her slightly. He glanced up ahead, looking at their two guides through Lumiose.
First there was Dexio– an enthusiastic assistant of Professor Sycamore who couldn't stop smiling. He had greeted their small group with a grin, happily telling them everything he could as he lead them through the city. Next there was his partner, Sina, who was much calmer than her companion– often shooting him glares as he rambled on. It was only thanks to her that they hadn't stopped at every possible place to sightsee, keeping their group together as they headed towards Professor Sycamore's lab.
It was strange to imagine that there was a laboratory somewhere in this bustling city, most Pokemon labs he had been to were often isolated, in small towns or near the wilds, offering a place for Pokemon to be studied in solitude and in their natural habitat. In a city the only wild Pokemon that could probably be studied were the Pidgeys, who swooped down everytime a crumb was spotted on the ground.
"Well, here we are!" Dexio declared proudly, coming to a halt in front of a white building. There was a gate that separated it from the streets, gleaming in the sun. Sina stepped forward, typing in a code as Dexio grinned, the gates sliding open. "Sycamore Labs– the best in all of Kalos!"
"Less chatting," Sina said. "We don't want to keep the professor waiting."
She watched them as their group of five shuffled in, Dexio and Sina coming in last, having the gates slide shut behind them. Serena was looking up at the building, clearly impressed. Shauna was rocking back and forth on her heels, eyes gleaming in excitement. Tierno and Trevor seemed indifferent– not that they didn't care, but rather that this was simply something they had seen before.
Ash paused for a moment, heart thumping uncertainly. Professors were some of the most kind people in his world, always caring for Pokemon, willing to do anything for their safety. But now that he was in this world... just how different would they be? This was the man that Shauna had gotten her Chespin from, and he did seem happy enough...
But it wasn't just the professor he was worried about– because it was here he'd be meeting Lysandre in person for the first time.
This was the man who had probably been the kindest to him in this world– he had promised to help him search for Pikachu, and given him Kindle, and had generously just handed Ash money as he started this new journey. Without him Ash wouldn't have been able to afford to heal and stay at the Pokemon Center, to eat, or even fight in the gym battles. He had placed so much trust in Ash, and had even watched his gym match.
What did he think of him? Did Lysandre think that he had wasted his time and money on him? And also he had watched the battle... he didn't want to think rudely of the man that had helped him, but it sickened him to think someone would be entertained by such cruel fights. Also, how was he to explain that they no longer needed to search for Pikachu? He didn't want to dismiss his assistance as if it were nothing, but he didn't want the man searching in vain since the mouse wasn't even in this world.
But what Ash was most worried about was that Kindle would want to go back to Lysandre.
He had promised her that if she wasn't happy that he'd let her go back– she had clearly thought a lot of the man, and often gave Ash disapproving looks. He wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to go back to her original trainer, back to the man she trusted... and he wouldn't stop her. He wanted Kindle to be happy.
But with the last few days he had spent with her, he had grown fond of the fox. She was a bit uptight and sassy, but yet she had been there in his hardest moments in this world. She had saved both Amber and their match in the gym battle when he had shut down, she had been next to him when Yveltal had appeared in his room. And with Pikachu being gone, it was comforting to have her by his side at night, to have someone there with his best friend now gone.
And honestly he couldn't imagine continuing this journey without her.
Ash took in a deep sigh as he followed after their group, climbing up the front steps to the lab. His hand wrapped around the garnet necklace around his neck, he wasn't in the position to linger on things, to dwell on whatever was going to be placed in front of him.
If he was going to survive this, if he was going to defeat Yveltal's 'game', he was going to have to keep moving forward.
Nami was quite the encounter, to be honest. I actually caught her before the gym on route 22, but since I didn't really use her until after the gym I didn't have Ash catch her in-story until now. She was hard to catch too (I had her hit points in the red, paralyzed, and it still took a ton of Pokeballs), Ash had it much easier than I did. xD
I actually was a bit annoyed with Nami when I encountered her, not that I didn't want a Riolu (I planned on having a Lucario on my team from the start, since Korrina gives you one), but I was really hoping for a water type. That and the fact that I spent ages resetting for a female Fennekin that it felt like almost a joke to just run into a female Riolu on the first encounter.
In the end though, she was definitely worth it.
