A/N: I had completely forgotten about Tierno and Trevor, so I'm bringing them back in the story.
CHAPTER 9: ROAD TO LUMIOSE
Later, Serena got a call from Tierno.
"Hello?" said Tierno. "Serena, is that you?"
"Yes!" said Serena. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the Pokemon Center in Lumiose City," said Tierno. "Trevor and I have been waiting for a while. Where are you guys?"
"Route 4," said Serena. "We will be in Lumiose as soon as possible."
"Okay," said Tierno. "Take your time."
"I'll see you when we get there," said Serena.
"Sure thing," said Tierno.
Serena and Tierno hung up. Then Serena addressed Calem and Shauna.
"We better hurry over to Lumiose City," said Serena. "We don't want to keep Tierno and Trevor waiting."
"Let's go," said Calem.
Calem, Serena, and Shauna started running along the path. They looked around and saw the gardens that flanked the path. Shauna was running a little too fast and did not even look at her surroundings. Eventually, she fell into one of the hedges.
There were two old gardeners working on them. They were pretty annoyed.
"Hey!" said the first gardener. "Watch where you're going!"
"EXCUSE ME?" asked Shauna.
"You ruined my concentration!" said the second gardener.
"Sorry," said Calem. "We should have watched where we were going."
"Too late, kids," said the first gardener. "We are going to have a Pokemon battle!"
"I did not plan for one!" said Calem.
"You should have thought of that before," said the second gardener.
Calem and Shauna got themselves ready for battle. Calem sent out Naveen and Shauna sent out Cleopatra. The gardeners sent out Roselia.
Calem noticed that Naveen would not do too good, so in the first turn he switched out and sent out Athenais. Shauna ordered Cleopatra to use Ember on Roselia. Calem then made Athenais use Peck on the other Roselia. The Roselia's attacks weren't very effective on either of them. Soon, Calem and Shauna managed to defeat the gardeners by having their Pokemon use Peck and Ember respectively.
After the battle, Calem noticed that Naveen and Athenais were glowing. Their forms started to change and they evolved into a Frogadier and a Fletchinder. Cleopatra also evolved - she became a Braixen.
"Wow!" said Calem. "Our Pokemon evolved!"
A third gardener approached the first two.
"Guys," said the third gardener, "I'm very disappointed in you both. You know you are not supposed to challenge random people to Pokemon battles while we're on the job. Our boss is going to be annoyed - she's already annoyed with both of you for other things."
"Sorry, Fabian," said the first gardener.
"It won't happen again," said the second gardener.
"That's okay," said Shauna. "We actually had fun battling."
"And our Pokemon evolved!" said Calem.
"We should get back to work," said Fabian.
The three gardeners got back to work. Then Calem and Shauna looked for Serena. They saw her with a Quilladin - she had managed to get Chipper to evolve.
"Hey guys," she said. "My Chespin evolved! Isn't that great?"
"Our starters evolved too," said Calem.
Serena looked in the distance and saw Lumiose City.
"We better get to Lumiose now," said Serena. "Sorry I got sidetracked."
"That's okay," said Calem. "We got sidetracked too."
Calem, Serena, and Shauna made their way over to Lumiose City.
When the three arrived in Lumiose City, they were amazed at how big it was. The city was so expansive - there were buildings everywhere. This looked like a very easy place to get lost. But the three knew that they should be careful and not stray too far from the path.
"Wow," said Serena, "it's huge!"
"We should stay on the outer path," said Calem. "I know this city well."
Calem, Serena, and Shauna walked on the outer path. They looked along the streets and saw lots of shops and cafes, among other things. Eventually, they reached the Pokemon Center. The three of them entered the building right away.
When the three of them went in, they got a big surprise. A married couple was standing near the entrance. The man was tall with dark blond hair and slightly heavy. The woman was of average height with short light brown hair. Their names were Louis and Grace, and they were Serena's parents.
"Mom! Dad!" said Serena. "What are you doing here?"
"We had just visited Professor Sycamore," said Grace. "We heard about your first victory, and we figured that we'd go to see the professor right away. He's an amazing person, isn't he?"
"He's going to be very helpful," said Louis. "You should go see him."
"We should," said Serena.
"I'm glad you and Calem are working hard," said Grace. "It brings me back to my days as a Rhyhorn racer. I learned to bond with my Rhyhorn in the same way that you bond with your Pokemon." Serena smiled. Then Grace turned to Calem. "I've been talking to Pierre and Cecilia every day since you left. They're happy about your journey. But they do worry about you."
"I know," said Calem. "I miss them too. But Serena promised that she would protect me."
"I'll try not to let Calem stray too far from me," said Serena.
"It is very hard being on a journey when you're got what Calem has," said Louis. "But I know it can be done. I had a friend with autism who went on a journey - and she managed to get all eight badges and was able to challenge the Pokemon League."
"Really?" asked Calem. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Aurore," said Louis, "and she's a great Trainer. She managed to become a successful Pokemon Breeder too. She lives in Shalour City."
"Looks like I've got some inspiration," said Calem.
"Did you see Tierno and Trevor?" asked Shauna.
"They're in the next room," said Grace. She looked at Serena. "Good luck on your journey, kids!"
Louis and Grace bade farewell to Calem and Serena and left the Pokemon Center. Then Calem, Serena, and Shauna went to the room where Tierno and Trevor were waiting.
"Hi, guys!" said Serena.
Tierno and Trevor looked at the three.
"What's up, guys?" asked Tierno.
"How are things going?" asked Trevor.
"Great," said Calem. "We haven't seen you in a while."
Trevor got up from his seat and walked over to Calem. He looked up at Calem, who was a whole foot taller than him.
"I can see you're really growing up to be a fine Trainer," said Trevor.
Calem giggled.
"I can't help being tall," said Calem.
"And I can't help being short," said Trevor.
The two of them laughed.
"How have you guys been doing?" asked Serena.
"Okay," said Tierno. "We got here yesterday, and we have been catching quite a few Pokemon. We want you to meet Professor Sycamore, but I think he's closing the lab soon. We'd better go tomorrow. He's going to be quite excited to see both of us."
"I guess we'll see him then," said Shauna. "We'll stay here tonight."
"Okay," said Calem.
"Then it's settled," said Trevor. "Tomorrow we'll see the professor."
The five of them spent the night at the Pokemon Center.
