Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon nor I ever will. I only own my OCs.
Prologue:
Of Blooming Minds and Wilting Connections
"Charla, come here quick! Look what Raiden is doing!"
"Daniel, I swear, if you two caught yet another Wurmple-"
The soft rustle of leaves is barely heard as a little girl carefully traverses the flowery field. She checks and double-checks before each step, mindful of not stepping on any Bug-type Pokémon that could be in her path. Stepping on one would be disastrous after all! Especially a Wurmple! The very idea of hurting a Bug Pokémon with such a cute face is unacceptable in her mind.
"Move it, Slowpoke or you'll miss it!"
On any other day, the girl named Charla would have happily breathed in the calming aromas of the colorful flowers and perhaps taken a picture or two of the hills in full bloom. On any other day, she would have also brought honey with her to smear on trees and wait for rare Pokémon to appear. She would then have them immortalized in her bug-watching album with a quiet click of her trusty camera. Unfortunately, today isn't any other day. Today she needs to babysit her friends.
Charla huffs in annoyance and quickens her pace to reach Daniel and Raiden before they anger a Combee hive with their shenanigans. Weirdly enough, it wouldn't have been the first time.
Her eyes quickly scan the field until she finds Raiden and Daniel sitting among a sea of white tulips. They seem far too focused on something on the ground in front of them and Daniel already sports his trademark troublemaker smirk. That either means trouble or that something particularly awesome is about to happen.
"Look! Look! Raiden is making it bloom!" Daniel says with too much enthusiasm for it to be a joke.
Suddenly interested in what Daniel means, Charla approaches the two boys and looks. A wilted Gracidea flower timidly peeks from the ground, lonely and lost among the tulips like a Butterfree hiding among Beedrills. It is a sad sight, but not one worth much attention. Gracidea flowers are pretty rare these days.
"What's all the fuss about?" she asks.
"Just watch! Raiden is about to do something amazing," Daniel replies with barely contained excitement.
Charla arches an eyebrow and looks at Raiden. The boy is quiet, though that is quite typical of him. His wavy purple hair is caressed by the wind and his squared glasses sliding down his nose are barely an inconvenience as his inky black eyes focus intently on the Gracidea. Such a focused gaze strikes Charla as highly unusual. She is far more used to those eyes roaming around the world in an unfocused glaze. A gaze more preoccupied with chasing down fragments of daydreams than bothering much with reality.
Raiden is never this focused on the present. This isn't… normal.
Just like Charla is infamous at school as the weird Bug Catcher girl among her peers, Raiden is known as the silent, lonesome type who often stares right through people and unnerves them. One would be mistaken in thinking the boy is pondering some highly complicated matter or analyzing the very soul of people he meets with attentive scrutiny.
Charla knows better.
Raiden, for all his weird intellectual facade, is simply a dork. It's the glasses, she supposes, that gives him an air of authority and the illusion of sharp intelligence. In truth, more often than not, Raiden is simply thinking about what he had for breakfast.
The strange, silent kid, and the weird Bug Catcher girl. Perhaps it is because of those labels that they get along so well. When playing together they don't have to worry about the whispers of classmates and the rude pointing. They can be free of doing what they like without fear.
A friendship born of convenience, but one Charla treasures highly.
A glow. Feeble like a newborn infant and blue like the sky, the glow slowly spreads around Raiden's palm. The boy breathes in and out calmly and small beads of sweat start to form on his forehead in response to whatever it is he is doing. The glow flickers on and off like an old light bulb with each breath. First weak and shy, then bright and purposeful. Only mere instants pass before the Gracidea lights up with the same glow.
Charla is surprised. Perhaps such surprise is why she feels like time itself has come to a halt. The wind stops blowing and all noise ceases. No movement disturbs the grass as if the plants too have stopped their bodily functions just to stare despite lacking eyes. Charla's very lungs refuse to obey her as everything seems to collectively hold their breath.
Then the world starts to breathe again.
The wind picks up once again, and the flowers greet it back gratefully. The buzzing of distant Bug-type Pokémon resumes as if it never ceased and time itself seems to finally resume its course.
Among the tulips, a lonely Gracidea flower rights itself up and blooms.
Charla feels that something has irreversibly changed as the air is filled with the rumored scent of gratitude itself.
The change is regrettably not for the best.
A Psychic's Journey
The temperature falls as the day comes to an end. The Sky is tinted in wondrous shades of red and orange as the sun disappears behind the treetops. The ever-present scent of flowers and chirping of Starly wanes until it finally disappears leaving its place to the hooting of Noctowls and a widely different set of far less delicate scents wafting from the nearby woods.
Charla skips along a narrow path while humming a catchy tune she heard on the most recent radio show. A smile sticks to her face as if put there with a potent super glue. Her eyes look forward to avoid tripping in the waning light but her mind isn't really registering the route she is walking.
Looking in the distance, she can already make out Floaroma Town with its small huddle of rustic houses built around the town hall. Branching out from there, a bunch of rural roads stretch out like an unfinished spiderweb. The farther from the center the roads travel, the fewer houses and shops can be seen, replaced instead with countless cultivated fields and well-maintained farmlands.
Floaroma town certainly is not one of those big metropolises, and if it weren't for the nearby Valley Windworks to the east and the Fuego Ironworks to the north just beyond the forest, the small town would be quite unremarkable. The countless fields of flowers contribute to giving the location its own identity and a way to attract tourists, yet it is those very same flowers that make the place literal hell on earth for those people allergic to pollen.
Overall the pros and cons kind of balance out and Charla loves her hometown deeply. It is small and cozy, immersed constantly in the glory of nature. The woods and open fields surrounding it provides an endless amount of adventures, perfect for the likings of a Bug Catcher wannabe like her.
Charla quickens her pace, suddenly eager to get home and tell her parents all about her latest adventure on the hills. She doesn't make it very far though before her dad appears in her field of view walking the road in the opposite direction. He is tall and quite muscular from working all day in the Ironworks. His receding hairline is a constant problem he battles with, and his bulbous nose is the cherry on top of his roundish face. Overall his figure is that of a dependable and approachable man with a kind smile and warm brown eyes.
"Daddy! What are you doing here?!" she shouted as her walk quickens to a sprint as she tackles her father into a hug.
"Oof, easy there, sweetheart. Your poor daddy is tired from work and could fall," the man chuckles as he returns the hug.
Charla simply sticks her tongue out and giggles.
"Ah, I see my little Beautifly is getting quite cheeky, isn't she?"
"Hehe," Charla giggles as she weasels out of the hug. "Did you come to bring me home?"
"Your mother told me you were out playing with your friends so just thought I'd check on you. Actually… where are they?"
"Oh, they already went home. They live out of town."
"And left you all alone? Oughta teach those rascals some manners…"
"Daaad, they live just behind that hill," Charla says, puffing her cheeks and pointing at the hill behind her. "I can survive the two minutes walk to get home."
"I'm sure, but I can't help but worry, you know? Wild Pokémon could jump out of nowhere and hurt you. Don't you remember what happened last year with the Combees?"
Charla puffs her cheeks in a pout and starts her walk back to town. "That was just Daniel being Daniel! He lacks common sense and does stupid things all the time!"
Her dad chuckles behind her as he follows. "Poor boy… thrown under the bus like that."
"He deserves to be called out on his stupidity, dad! It's basic common sense not to stick your hand into a hive."
"I guess that is true… so what did you children do today?"
"Oh, we studied Fire Pokémon at school today, which was pretty boring… but after school, we played hide and seek on the hills and had lots of fun! We also played Pokémon Rangers and..." Just like an open dam, Charla's excited chatter drowns out the distant sounds of the forest as she tells her father about her busy afternoon.
Her father nods along and chuckles a couple of times at the children's antics, though he rarely interrupts his daughter's spiel. There is a lazy smile on his mouth and a happy glint in his eyes as he simply walks and listens, following the road home and taking in the peace of the countryside.
"Oh… and then Raiden's hands were all glowy and stuff and the flower bloomed! Daniel wanted to copy him but couldn't. Raiden didn't explain how he did it very well…"
Her father hums softly but doesn't reply, so Charla decides to ask something that has been bothering her since the flower bloomed. "It… it looked like a Pokémon move. Dad… can humans use moves too?"
"What do you mean Charla? Only Pokémon use moves. Humans don't have all those fancy powers Pokémon have. Perhaps your friend was pulling a prank?"
"Oh, it could be," Charla mutters, not convinced. "It surely was a pretty weird prank though."
A Psychic's Journey
If Raiden really is pulling a prank, it is a long-term one. Those tricks of his only grow and grow in complexity as time passes by, slowly but surely attracting the attention of his peers. Before long, classmates start to ask him to float their toys up in the air and cheer as their superhero figurines battle in the sky. They ask Raiden to pick fruits from the tallest trees and recover their ball that has been stuck on the roof for who knows how long. Raiden, of course, never refuses, especially when Daniel insists. Raiden never says no to anyone, in truth.
Charla wants to be happy for her friend. He is now always surrounded by other children and would often be invited to play after school with them. Daniel, of course, would tag along too. Unfortunately, Charla is still the gross Bug Catcher of the class. The weird girl that can talk your head off about the differences between Silcoon and Cascoon if given the chance. That means she is never asked to play. Forgotten by both Raiden and Daniel in their brief contact with popularity.
Charla smiles through it and dives into her books to pass time. Surely… surely her friends would come back to her after the other children got tired of them. Raiden's stupid prank… how long can it last? She misses her two friends…
It isn't a prank though, Charla knows it deep down even if she constantly reassures herself that it is. Her classmates call it magic, and she calls it a Pokémon move. After all, they are basically the same thing, aren't they?
Something ugly twists in her chest. At first, she doesn't know what it is. It's uncomfortable yet bearable, something one can easily ignore. The thing is… ignoring emotions doesn't make them vanish. More often than not they are strengthened, emboldened, and grow far more aggressive.
One day, as Charla remains alone in class, an invitation to her birthday party clenched in hand, she manages to give a name to that feeling. Daniel and Raiden were just dragged out by their classmates to play. She didn't get to invite them to her birthday before it happened. The other kids would not let her near them… they talked over her until her confident words devolved into a stuttering mess.
The feeling was, regrettably, Jealousy.
An ever-present voice that reminds her that she is feeling this lonely only because her friend can move toys with his mind. A fit of jealousy that only intensifies when she runs home and locks herself in her room where she strains uselessly in the attempt of lifting her Butterfree doll in the air with a mere thought. She cannot lift anything in the air as Raiden can. No powers to save her from her loneliness. She will just be left behind as the class weirdo with only her parents and books for company…
Somehow, she can't accept it.
She has to try harder and reach out herself.
A Psychic's Journey
"Um… Can I play with you?" Charla asks meekly, trying to be heard over the chatter of the group.
She has intercepted Raiden after school before he can get swallowed in yet another crowd eager to look at his magic tricks. The boy turns around, recognition sparking in his eyes.
"Oh, Charla! Sure, you can come with us," he says in his soft tone, barely louder than a whisper and a smile.
Charla smiles back, warmth spreading through her chest at his words. Maybe she was just being pessimistic, her friend still wants her around and-
Such thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the muttering of the crowd.
"Oh, it's the Bug-Catcher girl, what does she want?"
"Ew, I hope she doesn't bring another Metapod with her! That was gross."
"I heard she eats roasted Spinarak for breakfast…"
"Really? No wonder nobody wants her around… Her breath must stink."
Charla's eye twitched as her heart sank. In the end, she can't do it. "Oh, never mind. I am pretty busy anyway this afternoon. You can go without me."
Raiden's eyes widen in surprise as she turns around and starts walking away. She barely hears Daniel's voice saying, "What was that about?" and kept on walking, tears already prickling in her eyes.
"Come on, Raiden, we're better off without her," says one of Raiden's new friends while dragging the boy away.
Charla knew that Raiden would not refuse. Of course, he wouldn't, the doofus didn't know how to say no to people. He would always go along with whatever she said to him when they played together too… just like… just like…
Charla stops.
Just like a Pokémon following a trainer's orders.
Charla turns around, shock and anger swallowing her heart and venom on her tongue. Everything is clear now. If her suspicion is right, that is… Humans can't use Pokémon moves after all… which means that whatever friendship she might have had with Raiden might have been simply all in her mind.
There were plenty of Pokémon capable of transforming into people or tricking others into thinking they were people. Raiden never used his powers in front of adults… was he hiding something? Was he actually human?
After looking at the boy's plain expression, marred by only a slight frown, Charla's doubts waver.
"You are all stupid!" she shouts, tears now rolling down her cheeks. "What Raiden is doing isn't magic! It's Pokémon moves! He is tricking all of you!"
Charla doesn't wait to see the effect of her words and sprints down the road and out of sight, cursing Pokémon and humans alike. She regrets those words. She really does. Feeling alone though, feeling such jealousy… had done strange things to her she didn't fully understand. Even a precocious seven-year-old sleeping with a bug-encyclopedia under her pillow is still just a seven-year-old at the end of the day. The thought of her treasured friendship being a lie… broke her.
That fateful encounter is the last time she talks to Raiden for a long while.
A Psychic's Journey
After her outburst, days keep passing by in loneliness for Charla. She is still the class weirdo whereas Raiden is always surrounded by people. She doesn't approach them again and they simply leave her alone as the young Bug Catcher watches from afar.
It is subtle at first but changes slowly become more apparent and Charla only notices them when it is far too late. It starts with a more forceful tone of voice when telling Raiden to retrieve a ball from a roof, then a subtle shift in the kids' games in the playground with Raiden always ending up as a Pokémon. It only spirals down from there with countless requests of using 'Psychic' to move things and whispers of smuggling Poké balls to school to 'catch' a rare pokémon.
Daniel seems to keep the others in line though, so Charla isn't worried. Raiden is in good hands… Daniel is his friend, isn't he?
A mere week passes and Charla hears Daniel talking to Raiden in class. "You'll be my Pokémom, right? When I turn Ten I mean…"
Raiden frowns in response. It seems to cost him a great deal of energy to contest those words. "Daniel, I am not-"
"Don't worry, you don't have to hide it. I already planned my team, you know. You'll be my ace, of course."
Charla can certainly spot unease in Raiden's eyes. It is something that she has never seen on the boy's features. She doesn't say or do anything though. It isn't her problem.
The next day school is canceled. There had been an accident in the nearby forest and several of Charla's classmates were hurt. Trees had been broken like chopsticks and the terrain itself was littered with craters and unearthed rocks. A Psychic-type pokémon rampage according to the adults. It was likely that the children had encountered a wild Kadabra and angered it while trying to capture it with smuggled pokéballs. The children were too afraid to speak of it and thus the truth was shrouded in mystery.
They were lucky to be alive… though not all of them had made it out of the forest.
Daniel Williams, 7 years old, was never found.
Consequently, Raiden Psych, 7 years old, was pulled out of school and was soon forgotten.
Charla simply lowers her gaze at the news. She keeps repeating to herself that this isn't her problem like a broken record as tears threaten to fall once again.
Sadly, she never quite manages to convince herself.
Author's Corner:
I'll be honest. This story is mostly a writing exercise for me. I'll basically try and write daily to work on my procrastination. As of now I'll aim to post once every two weeks so as to create a bit of a back-burner and eventually aim for weekly releases.
The story will be mostly based on the games and the main-character's team will be Psychic mono-type because I'll be exploring the various trainer classes within this story. If you want to suggest a Pokémon for the team don't be afraid to do so! I would also love to read why you decided on that particular Pokémon. Currently, I already have a very rough idea on the team... but that is certainly susceptible to change. I hope you enjoyed and see you in a couple of weeks!