Hey there! It has been 5 to 6 months since I last updated this story. Some big changes happened but I am settled down now. Like I said before, this story was already written, it just takes some time for me to edit and get things in working order before I publish. I am still trying to learn how this site works. I received a few questions last chapter and I thought I'd address them here. Calem is the canonical main character of X and Y but he also has the experiences of all the other pokemon games. Just think about yourself as the main protagonist walking into Kalos, knowing what you know about all the games that came before it. He lived those events. Other than that I won't spoil anything. Without further ado. Here is chapter 2.
Route one in Kalos was short, but pretty. Fenced in flowering bushes lined the dirt pathway and beyond that, the land gave way to a sea of grass and wildflowers. To Calem it was quite pretty, to Shauna and Serena, it was just another walk to Aquacorde town. They were quite amused by his tourist- like gazes at the landscape. Aquacorde was in sight now, the land sloped down gradually until it hit a river and on the banks of said river was where Aquacorde was built. They took a small break on top of a hill overlooking the town.
"There it is! It's just a hop, skip, and a jump from Vaniville." Said Shauna while stretching.
Calem leaned against a section of fence and looked off toward the forest beyond the river, "Is there a gym in Aquacorde?"
"No, you'd have to go past Santalune forest to the next town. Why? Are you thinking about trying out the gyms?" Serena asked.
"We will see." Calem said.
"She seems very intent on me doing gym battles. I just need the publicity of getting strong to find my Pokémon back in Unova. Particularly Charizard."
Calem missed the fiery dragon, they had been together since Kanto all those years ago.
"Kanto? Wait… that's right!" Calem Thought, most of it came back to him. All the different regions and journeys he had been through.
If anything, he needed Charizard back, Calem felt lost without him. Calem's life had been a tumultuous one since he has set out from Kanto all those years ago. That Pokémon had been through a lot with him.
Serena's voice called him back to reality and out of the fog of his mind.
"Helloooo, Calem?" She was waving her hand trying to get his attention. "You good buddy? You spaced out there for a while."
"…yeah, just thinking."
"About what? Have you remembered something?"
"Yes, actually." He met her gaze. She seemed surprised and he noticed that Shauna was listening in. "In Unova, I was a Pokémon trainer." He dug in his bag and pulled out his old trainer I.D. "See?"
He flashed his trainer I.D. The old picture he took last year when he began his journey in Unova was a little faded. He had needed a new I.D. there to even participate in Pokémon battles. He stood up confidently and put away his card.
"I'm going to challenge the gyms here in Kalos. Serena, you asked me before what my purpose is here? I think I just found it."
"Good! I was hoping you'd say that!" Serena responded.
They were both interrupted by Shauna. "Heyyyyy, guys! Tierno and Trevor are waiting! Let's get going!"
Sometime later, a brick arch announced their arrival in Aquacorde. The tall, two-story buildings were sandstone colored with blue tile roofs that grew more vivid in the noontime sun. Various shops and outdoor cafés lined the street. It was a busy place, certainly bustling compared to Vaniville. Down the wide main street, they went.
"We're going to meet Trevor and Tierno at the usual spot right, Shauna?"
"Yeah! They should already be there at the plaza."
Calem could hardly believe he was doing this. "You guys must come often for there to be a 'usual spot.'"
Serena responded "There's more to do here than in Vaniville. Aquacorde is nice! See!" Calem looked around at his foreign surroundings. Most buildings were very ornate, there were flowers here and there with smiling faces all around. All of it bathed in a golden glow. He was taken aback for a second and looked back at Serena, she too was glowing with the same happiness and excitement portrayed in his surroundings. Calem remembered when he had first gotten his Charmander all those years ago, it had been a very happy occasion.
Serena noticed him staring "Huh? What's up?" She laughed "Did you space out again?"
Calem came back into reality, "Oh, uh…" He scratched the back of his neck. He had been mesmerized by her. She had reminded him of the past, and of a certain nostalgic feeling he had long since forgotten.
She smiled and said "It's ok! Look we're here!" and pointed at the plaza in front of them.
It was a large space with lots of outdoor restaurants and cafés that had various tables, chairs, and umbrellas out. Children played in the lawns down by the fountain in the middle of the plaza. Ornate streetlights lined the paths in front of more stores closer to the river front. The river was wide and painted a beautiful hue of light blue as it travelled under the bridge that separated Aquacorde from Santalune woods.
A very boyish voice called to them "Heeey! Shauna, Serena! Over here!" From off to their left, two boys sitting at two outdoor tables outside of one of the cafés waved them over.
"Hey Trevor! Hey Tierno! Do you have the Pokémon?" said Shauna who raced over and sat at the head of the table next to the tall, heavy-set boy that was Tierno. Serena and Calem took their places next to each other across from the two boys who each in turn greeted Calem.
"So! You're the Calem we've been hearing about!" Said Tierno.
"Serena's description was spot on." Trevor added.
Calem nodded in agreement. "Hi, nice to meet you all."
"So Calem, I heard you were found out in a thunderstorm and had lost some of your memories?" Tierno leaned over the table.
Serena and Calem met each other's confused gazes which read "How do they know that?" and both in turn looked at Shauna who was currently messing around on her holocaster. When she looked up and noticed the two looking at her, she shrugged and said, "What? I was keeping Trevor and Tierno updated? Besides if we are all gonna be friends we share secrets, right?"
"Uhh… right." Calem said. "Well, its half true. I was a trainer where I came from. But I mysteriously don't have my Pokémon and somehow ended up here."
"Ahh I see." Said Tierno. "Maybe you'll remember something as you join us on our journey!"
"Heyyyy, can we see the Pokémon now? I want to meet my new partner soon!" Shauna exclaimed.
"Oh yeah! Sure! I know you three are anticipating this. Trevor and I were too when we got our Pokémon!" Said Tierno.
They all stood up and found some clear space in the plaza. Calem couldn't deny that he was quite excited to see the starter Pokémon of Kalos. Tierno tossed the three pokeballs into the air and in a burst of light, the three Pokémon appeared. One was a small creature with green spikes and sharp teeth. It smiled eagerly at the trainers as excited as they were. The second one caught Calem's eyes as it was an orange fox with red ears and a bushy tail. "The fire type" Calem thought before moving to the next Pokémon which was a blue bubbly frog with big yellow eyes.
"That is Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie, in that order." Stated Trevor. He seemed like the bookish type. A bowl cut, frail but well dressed and his pokedex in hand. Calem was squarely focused on the Pokémon now.
"Shauna why don't you go first?" Tierno asked.
"I already made up my mind months ago!" She stated. She went over and picked up the little Chespin in her arms. "Hey little guy! We are going to be best friends!"
Calem then watched Serena as it was only right for her to go next. This was their journey. She was hesitant and absorbed in thought. The Pokémon both seemed happy that all three were without a doubt, going to find a new home with these young trainers.
"Alright, I've decided." She walked over and picked up the small blue frog. "Hi Froakie! I'm Serena, it's nice to finally meet you. We are going to be the best team ever!"
That left Calem and the Fennekin, who eyed him with a content yet confused look. Calem had always had a strange way of dealing with new Pokémon. He let them come to him, in a way he let them choose him. They all looked at him weird when he got down on one knee and opened his arms. The little orange fox grinned big and ran and jumped into Calem's arms making soft noises as it hugged him.
"Hey Fennekin." Calem said softly. "I'm your new partner, I'll be sure to give you a good home and an even better friend. We are a team now and we can get through anything together." The little fox seemed very happy at this proposition to join Calem's team. Together they could tackle any challenge that came their way.
The three trainers all had their Pokémon. Serena was one step closer to becoming a strong trainer just like her parents. Calem was one step closer to getting his former Pokémon back and beating the gyms in this region. Calem had a slight cloudy thought on his mind. He didn't just want to use the new Pokémon he caught here to get his old ones back. That seemed to be using them too much like tools or a means to an end rather than true partners or friends. He quickly waved this thought out of his mind. Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, Serena, and Calem all had a long road ahead of them.
Trevor dug in his bag and said "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The professor has chosen us." He put extra emphasis on "Chosen."
"Chosen Us?" asked Serena. "What exactly did he choose us to do?"
"How does professor sycamore know about me?" asked Calem.
Serena and Calem both turned to Shauna who was messaging someone on the holocaster. They all silently agreed that Shauna was the reason. She liked to keep people updated.
"Well," Trevor responded. "With these devices, you can learn more about Pokémon on a much deeper level than just catching them." He handed Shauna, Serena and Calem a pokedex. Calem recognized the symbol on the device, it looked different from his previous iterations of the pokedex. Though he had a few of them, that didn't diminish the value of this one. Trevor finished what he was saying, "It's a pokedex, it's a part of our mission from the professor: to completely fill the pages with information we gather. There's also another part of this little mission for us." Trevor had this very serious tone about him.
Tierno laughed "Trevor, I swear, you are too serious sometimes. Anyways, here." He handed each of them a letter. Whoever had written these letters had beautiful handwriting. The wax seal on the letter was very professional and ornate depicting a very strange looking Pokémon.
"Professor says we should open the letters in Santalune" Tierno continued. "Which means we better get going through the woods if everyone is ready!"
Everyone agreed and began making their way to the bridge crossing the river. Everyone except Shauna.
"Calem wait!" she blurted and stood across from him on a patch of grass.
"Huh?" He turned to face her.
"If you were once a great Pokémon trainer, why don't we have a battle to jog your memory?" She put her Chespin on the ground in front of her. "Not to mention, this'll be my first Pokémon battle debut!"
Serena put her hands on her hips. "Shauna, maybe Calem doesn't want to battle right now?"
"No, I'll battle her." Calem pulled down the brim of his hat. "You're on Shauna! Go Fennekin!"
The orange fox jumped eagerly in front of Calem, a puff of fire came from its ears and mouth as it prepared to toast the grass type in front of it.
Shauna gave the first order "Chespin use tackle!"
"Fennekin, Use ember!"
The battle began. This was not Calem's first battle. He knew all the type advantages and disadvantages and Chespin, as a grass type, was at a horrible disadvantage. Both small Pokémon ran in tiny circles across the battlefield in between Shauna and Calem. Chespin trying to dodge Fennekin's ember and Fennekin in turn trying to jump over Chespin's vine whip.
Serena became mesmerized by the battle. This is what she wanted to do after all, was become a master at this very thing. Pokémon battles. Every move, every attack, both trainer and Pokémon in perfect sync and coordination was an intoxicating thought. The skill with which Calem handled this sort of battle, you could tell this wasn't his first time. She could learn a thing or two from the veteran trainer.
Soon after, the final blow was dealt. As Chespin leapt into the air, Fennekin managed to hit it with an ember which sent the little grass type recoiling onto the ground.
Shauna cried out "Chespin!" She went over and picked up the little guy. "You'll feel better in a minute I promise!" She put Chespin back in its pokeball.
Calem recalled Fennekin to its pokeball. "Nice job Fennekin, good job too Shauna. You really put in some good effort there."
"Are you kidding?" She was in disbelief. "You're amazing!"
"I have more experience is all! You really did fight well." He turned to see shocked faces within his newfound friends. Serena seemed very surprised as she handed both a potion to heal their Pokémon.
"Calem, that really was something to see. It was almost like what you see on Tv." Serena said.
Calem gave her a grin and began walking off towards the bridge. "Thank you for the potion, Serena. Come on guys, you're causing a scene. Let's go! I want to see what mystery quest is that the professor has us on."
They crossed the bridge and onto route two. The moment they crossed the river, the trail began to be more rugged. Patches of grass began to pop up breaking up the dirt trail. With patches of grass comes Pokémon. Trees began to get denser as they neared Santalune forest proper. Once they were at the edge of the forest, the party stopped.
"Hey! I'm gonna run ahead to try and find a Pokémon with a unique move set in this forest. Later!" Tierno said and began to run off into the thick trees in front of them.
Trevor hesitated and said "W-wait Tierno! Wait for me! I'm coming with you; we've got to fill the pokedex reme…?" His voice trailed off into the trees.
"*sigh* as eager as always, I guess. Hey Serena? Can you teach me how to catch a Pokémon?" said Shauna.
"Um, Sure!" Serena said. "Let's walk together till we find one."
They both stepped into the woods with Calem in tow. He was looking for possible partners to add to his team. He began to consult his kalos pokedex lightly on known regional data. No Pokémon really appeared intriguing to him. He wanted a team that would augment and add to his old Pokémon. Serena's gasp brought him out of thought.
The three of them stood in Santalune Woods proper. The deep, dark green hue of the woods gave the atmosphere a very damp sort of earthy tone. This was a good place for bug types, and where there are bug types. There are also flying types! Up in the trees sitting on a low hanging branch there was a small orange bird, the same kind Calem had seen when he woke up in Grace's house.
"A Fletchling!" Said Serena. She threw out Froakie. "Watch closely Shauna. Froakie, use water gun!" A small stream of water bubbled out of the blue frog's mouth and shot toward the bird. It was knocked off the tree branch and fell to the ground with a warbling cry and whirlwind of feathers. Serena then threw a pokeball at the small bird. After three shakes, the ball closed and Fletchling was now in Serena's Possession.
"Impressive, her parents must have taught her with the intention of making her a strong trainer." Thought Calem.
"There, see? There's nothing to it! Just weaken the Pokémon and hit it with a pokeball. If it doesn't go in the first time, Shauna, just try again." Serena said as she went over to pick up her new addition to her team.
"That was amazing, Serena!" Shauna exclaimed. "Alright! I will see the both of you later! I'm gonna go catch my own super cute Pokémon!" She ran off into the underbrush off towards the general direction of Santalune City.
"Welp that leaves just you and I. That was a good capture, Serena." Calem added "I personally couldn't have done better myself!"
"Oh please, you flatter me too much" She rolled her eyes. "Hey, I have a small proposition."
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Well, that Pokémon battle was really good between you and Shauna… and you and I are going to have to battle the gym leader in the next town and whether we are ready or not, that's really soon." She looked away for a second and grabbed her elbow. "Maybe we could train together for the gym leader? It might be nice for me to pick up on a few things that you're good at and in turn maybe I can help you catch a Pokémon? You don't have to say yes but…"
"Yeah, Sure! Why not? We can train together on our way to Santalune." Said Calem. He gave her a smile.
Serena was overjoyed "Yes! You're the best!"
"Plus, I find it more fun to travel with someone over traveling alone. Even if you have Pokémon with you." Said Calem
And so, the two began to make their way through Santalune woods.
End Part 2
Some more interesting developments! A little more lighthearted tone from last time but we will soon get back to angst and complications. I will try and get more parts out more regularly; it just depends on my schedule. A lot of questions that I've been getting will be answered later on! Stay tuned. Also thank you for reading.
