Hello! Been a short while since I updated this story. This part, Calem and Serena battle Viola and that is why this chapter is so much longer than the others. I, for one, hate writing pokemon battles so they are very short. Oddly enough, in the games, most battles are over in 4 to 5 moves at best. I will probably save longer chapters for big events and gym battles and such. Though I am wondering, would longer chapters be better? Genuinely curious about that one. Anyways, enjoy!
The morning air was very cool and crisp. A dampness hung in the air and clung to everything, coating the foliage of Detourner Way with dew. Calem, was happy he had brought a jacket along but even then, the damp permeated, and he found himself a little cold. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon as he made his way down Route 2.
His main purpose here was to catch a second Pokemon that would aid him in his fight against the bug type gym leader, Viola. The fight was going to take place this morning after Serena's which he also had to get back to as he had promised to be there for her battle.
I have got to get a move on. It's already 7:30 and I haven't found so much as a trace of the Pokemon I want…
A loud rustling in the tall grasses and foliage on the side of the dirt path interrupted his thinking. Calem instinctually reached for Fennekin's ball on his waist and sent out the little fiery fox. She had already gotten into several fights this morning, and her blood was running hot.
"Be ready Fennekin! This might be the one!" Said Calem who grabbed the brim of his hat. Fennekin let out a puff of small flame ready to face whatever emerged from the grass.
A small, blue Pokemon that stood on two legs with long floppy black ears and a narrow snout emerged from the foliage to cross paths with Calem. Fennekin dropped to a fighting stance.
"Just the one I was looking for!" thought Calem
"Alright Fennekin! We are going to catch this one, keep a level head, no critical hits, and use Scratch!"
Fennekin charged the Riolu. She was a little smaller than it but nonetheless she lashed out with her claws landing a decent blow on the Riolu's chest.
Riolu winced at the scratch but reared back and blew Fennekin away with a quick attack. The small fox was pushed back but recovered and landed on four paws in front on Calem.
"Good moves Fennekin! Hit it with ember!" said Calem.
Fennekin's ears puffed out a wave of sparks that hit Riolu causing it to be pushed back a until it flopped into the dewy grass.
"Now's the chance!" Calem pulled out a pokeball and threw it at Riolu who was just beginning to recover. The ball struck it, opened, and seemingly absorbed Riolu in a bright flash. The pokeball landed on the dirt path and wobbled once… twice… three times until it finally let out a hollow click indicating that Riolu had been caught.
"Good job Fennekin! Haha!" Calem let the small fox jump into his arms and crawl up on his shoulder as he ran to go collect Riolu.
He picked up the pokeball and released the new team member. Riolu came out of the ball seemingly in a daze. He wobbled on his paws until he flopped over. Calem managed to catch the little tyke before he could land in the wet earth.
"Woah, easy there buddy. Welcome to the team." Calem dug in his bag and pulled out a potion and an oran berry. "Here, I am going to make you feel a lot better. I didn't mean to hurt you earlier; it's just how these things work." Calem said softly trying to comfort Riolu. At first, he seemed a little apprehensive about being caught but that feeling soon went away with the potion and the oran berry snack.
Fennekin and Riolu seemingly made up after their tussle, speaking to each other through purrs and other small noises. Fennekin eventually jumped off Calem and onto the ground where she began to play with Riolu around Calem's legs.
"So cute." Calem thought. A thought struck him though and he reached for his Pokegear. It was an old phone device he had received back in Johto. He flipped the small phone open only to discover that the screen was broken, and mechanical bits were visible past the dark glass. It must have been broken a while ago somehow, probably even before Kalos.
"Damn it! I really needed that to check the time and make sure I wasn't running late." Calem said. He turned to look at the sun in the sky which had risen considerably since the last time he checked.
"Oh… Come on you two. We gotta get back to Santalune or else we'll be late!" Calem said as he recalled both Riolu and Fennekin to their pokeballs. He took off into a sprint back towards town.
…
Serena was brushing her hair, trying to get ready for her morning gym battle. She was very nervous. She had some thoughts about her conversation with Shauna last night and found them to be troubling. As the time drew near, losing the battle seemed more and more like a fatal connotation for the rest of her journey.
"Find my place… if I don't do good in my battle today, am I really cut out to be a top tier trainer like mom and dad? What if I fail? What then? The journey continues but what would I be working toward for myself? "
As much as she liked Shauna, the thought of not knowing what she wanted to do with her journey was a little scary. Serena didn't just want to work on Professor Sycamore's work. While important, she wanted something unique to her. Something to distinguish herself from the other trainers. A small comforting thought came to mind.
"Calem will be there watching me battle. He promised to give me pointers too after the battle if I win or lose."
She felt a bit more confident but not much. She found it slightly difficult this morning.
Shauna knocked on the bathroom door, her voice was slightly muffled.
"Hey Serena!?"
"Yes Shauna?" Serena opened the door to a slightly frantic Shauna.
"Calem is gone." Shauna said wide eyed and astonished.
"What?!" Serena sounded surprised and very worried but then she remembered what he said last night. "Wait, he said he was going to go catch a new Pokemon this morning."
"Oh, wait. That's right!" Shauna said. "Snap, I knew I was forgetting something. I am going to go tell Tierno and Trevor that everything is ok. They woke up and were startled to see his bed empty and all his stuff gone with him." She shut the door leaving Serena alone.
While it was true that Calem had mentioned leaving early to go catch a Pokemon, the unexpected hostility from him last night wasn't reassuring. *Sigh* "I wonder if he's always been like that." Said Serena. She felt a little hurt that he had not called upon her to help him catch a new Pokemon in Kalos. Even if he was experienced, she wanted to repay him for helping train her in Santalune woods and for giving her pointers in her gym battle. She had to push this thought away however as the gym awaited.
She finished getting ready, threw her bag over her shoulder and, with as much confidence as she could muster, headed to the lobby to join her friends for breakfast before heading to the gym.
…
The four of them sat in the lobby sipping tea and coffee after breakfast. Outside of the windows was a beautiful, cloudless day with the sky dyed a saturated inky blue that made the pink flowers of Santalune glow even more bright than they already were.
Tierno, Trevor, Shauna, and Serena had been friends for a long time with Calem being a new addition to the group. He felt more like an anomaly though as opposed to the four of them considering the circumstances of his arrival in Kalos and his general feeling of mystery. Nonetheless they had invited him into their troop.
"Do you think he's alright?" Asked Trevor. "I didn't mean to argue last night, he didn't seem angry beforehand."
"Calem is a good trainer and he has Fennekin with him. He will be fine" Shauna Answered.
"He didn't run away because of you Trevor, he just wanted to go explore and catch a new pokemon on his own." Serena added. She glanced at her empty tea glass. "I thought you said you preferred travelling with people." Thought Serena.
"He will probably be back soon!" Tierno added. "In the meantime, Serena! Are you hyped for the battle today?"
"Sort of…" Serena said nervously. Truth be told, she was having doubts.
"Sort of?" said Tierno. "You can do it Serena! Your parents taught you well and out of the four of us, you are the most experienced! Besides, we will all be there to cheer you on."
"Yeah! You'll do great, that badge is as good as yours." Said Trevor.
"Its your ultimate goal right?" Said Shauna. "Its time to take that first step!"
Serena was surprised by the sudden support from the three of them. It was slightly overwhelming, but welcome at the same time. They were right though; it was her own actions that would lead to victory. She had to work with Froakie and Fletchling to win and she knew that they were reliable. She checked the time, almost there. With a confident smile, she stood up from the table much to everyone's surprise.
"Come on everyone. I don't want to keep Viola waiting." She said.
…
Serena led the group through the streets of Santalune, retracing the steps Calem and her had taken the night before.
Once the gym was in sight, Serena felt a little nauseous. Gathering herself, she crossed the threshold into the bug gym.
The immediate interior of the gym was that of an art gallery. Large, high quality photos of bug Pokemon and nature from Santalune woods hung in dark frames against the white walls of the building. The photos were very almost like looking into a scene taking place rather than just a picture.
"Impressed? Viola took all of those. She's quite the photographer." A familiar voice said.
"Alexa?" Serena asked.
"Hello Serena! I see you're on time for your gym battle. And you brought friends!" She gestured toward Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna. She scrunched her face a little "Wait, but where is Calem?"
"He will be late." Said Serena. "I am ready to get started though."
"Excellent!" Alexa said. "Here's how this is going to work. You will need to use your skill and Pokemon's abilities to make it to the gym leader. Then you will need to beat Viola in a gym battle to obtain the badge. Your friends need to come with me since they won't be participating."
She gestured to a hole in the floor where a metal pole seemingly disappeared downward.
"Your challenge awaits you down there." Alexa said.
"Wait, no one ever told me there was an obstacle course!" Serena said a little bewildered.
"Of course! We are here to test the capabilities of you and your Pokemon, not just in battle." Alexa said. "Work well with your partners and you will succeed."
Alexa turned and led her friends through a side door.
"You'll be great Serena!"
"You've got this!"
Once they were gone, Serena walked over to the pole and leaned over to look down the hole. Beneath her, a wide-open green room filled with trees and plants was slightly visible. The actual shape of the room and the size of it was obscured. At the bottom, there seemed to be some sort of net structure which was probably to catch her if she fell.
"Bad day to wear a skirt…" She said as she grabbed the pole as best she could and slid down. Serena was not necessarily the athletic type and found this to be more difficult than originally anticipated.
Once at the bottom she let go and found she could stand on the net structure and she used this time to readjust herself and get her bearings. She was in a large room with green foliage littering the forest floor beneath her. She was standing at the center of a giant spider web seemingly spun from Wurmple silk. The air was thick, sort of like a climate controlled green house with a high humidity. Directly in front of her was a raised wooden platform covered by a tent. This tree house structure was the only thing that stuck out and Serena assumed that was where she needed to go. She would have to cross the webs while balancing like on a tight rope to get there.
"Here we go."
She took her first steps on the web and realized that it shook up and down quite a bit. Serena almost lost her balance but managed to right herself again just in time to notice the vibrations coming from the opposite end of the web. A few scritch scratching noises alerted her to a few green-spider like Pokemon emerging from somewhere in the foliage. They scaled the web and were making their way toward her. The sight made her skin crawl. She whipped out the Pokedex. They were Spinarack, bug type Pokemon that spun webs.
It then dawned on her what she needed to do.
"Fletchling! Use peck on the Spinarack!" She threw the ball up and out came Fletchling who took to the skies and began to dive bomb peck all the Spinarack off the webs. Serena crossed the web slowly while relying on the small orange bird to take care of the spiders attempting to stop her. Fletchling was doing a good job too. Not a single spider managed to get to Serena.
"Rely on your Pokemon, they'll take care of you." Serena thought. Suddenly, the gym didn't seem too much like a challenge and was instead kind of fun!
She crossed the web and successfully made it to the tree house. She was very happy about this.
"Good job Fletchling!" she said as the bird warbled a jubilant response and alighted on her arm. The remaining spiders retreated off the web net and back into the foliage once they realized they had been bested.
Now it was time for the gym leader.
Serena stepped through the canvas tent opening to find herself in a standard Pokemon arena. From the spider web room, it appeared to just be a small tent but in reality, it was a large room with stands on either side for people to watch Pokemon matches. The only people in the stands were her friends who excitedly cheered upon her entering the arena. Alexa stood at the middle line of the field with referee flags and across from Serena, in the trainer box was a very similar looking woman. When she noticed Serena enter, she looked up and greeted her.
"Hello! You must be Serena. My name is Viola! Welcome to the Santalune gym!"
Serena just stood there a little in shock and awe that this was happening. She was about to face the gym leader.
"Make it or break it…" She thought.
She looked to the stands at her friends who all had beaming faces that said, "I am proud of you." As comforting as this sight was, it was lacking a professional's approval if you will. Calem was nowhere to be seen. Viola pulled Serena back to the present.
"I assume that this is your first ever gym battle seeing as you have no badges on record and only two Pokemon with you. Very well. I will only use two Pokemon. Such is only fair." Viola said. She had a camera around her neck and a white tank top that solidified the idea of her being a photographer. Her green eyes and blond hair suited her face well as a bug type user.
"This is my first time" Serena had a bit of confidence left "but that doesn't mean we won't give it our all!" Serena said. Fletchling warbled in agreement.
"I love to see it!" Said Viola. "You see Serena, my lens is always focused on victory as well." She grabbed the camera obviously proud of the cheesy pun. "I don't plan on losing."
Serena recalled Fletchling figuring that she'd save the flying type advantage for later.
"This will be an official, moderated gym battle between Viola, the standing gym leader, and Serena the challenger. Both teams shall use two Pokemon and victory will be declared when one side's Pokemon are all unable to battle. May the best trainer win!" Said Alexa. This was obviously the script they were given to read off.
The blood rushed to her ears and everything seemed to slow down as she grabbed Froakie's ball off her waist and sent the blue frog into battle.
Viola threw her Pokeball and sent out a round, blue Pokemon with thin spindly legs that quickly glided back and forth. Serena checked the dex again to see that it was a Surskit, a water/bug type.
"Alright Froakie, use quick attack!" Said Serena.
The blue frog made three short hops toward Surskit and rammed into it, full speed. It sent the bug type tumbling backwards. Surskit regained its balance quickly.
"Surskit, use water sport!" Viola said.
Surskit began to spray a large amount of water across the battlefield, thoroughly soaking it. Surskit began to glide across the battlefield as if it were skating on the thin water's surface.
"Steady Froakie!" Said Serena.
"Surskit, use bubble!" called Viola. Surskit began to spray bubbles in Froakie's direction that would pop and deal a small amount of damage as evident by Froakie holding up its hands and defending itself.
"Froakie, retaliate with water pulse!" Said Serena.
Froakie managed to dodge one salvo of bubbles and send a shockwave of water towards Surskit that disrupted its skating and sent it tumbling back toward Viola.
"Follow up with quick attack!" Said Serena.
"Froakie gained speed and charged at the Surskit while it was still down and landed a critical blow. Surskit fainted.
"You did it Froakie!" Serena cheered. This was fun! It was exhilarating and it felt very freeing to be able to unleash all her power on a foe meant to do nothing more than test her limits.
Her friends cheered from the stands.
Viola recalled Surskit, "good work with Froakie, let's see how well you stand up to my Vivillon!" She threw another Pokeball out and a large pink butterfly looking Pokemon flapped its wings and kept aloof a few feet off of the wet battlefield.
"Froakie! Quick attack! Hit it before it moves!" Serena yelled.
Froakie charged at Vivillon.
"Vivillon use infestation!" Viola said. A large clump of powder flew off Vivillon's wings as it flapped, hitting Froakie and seemingly keeping the frog in place.
"Froakie!" Serena called. The blue frog winced in pain as the infestation took over rooting him to the spot.
"Vivillon, use silver wind!" A large gust of silvery wind blew from Vivillon's direction and buffeted the stuck Froakie and sending him careening backwards until he landed at Serena's feet unable to battle. Serena was stunned, her starter had just been beaten. The disbelief must have shown on her face as Viola called out to her.
"Serena, you have to keep a cool head on the battlefield! Don't let emotions get the best of you! Power forward!" Yelled Viola.
Serena sent out her last Pokemon.
…
Calem managed to make it back precisely as the clock struck 10:00. He ran through Santalune, past people and Pokemon going about their business on a beautiful morning.
"They should be starting right about now." He thought.
A few agonizing minutes later and he was at the front doors of the gym. He was just in time to hear what sounded like a Pokemon battle going on.
"Please be doing well Serena!"
He went into the gym to an odd, unfamiliar sight. It was a photo gallery.
"Huh?" Calem looked around confused. Had he wandered into the wrong building? He soon saw a sign on the door that read "Visitors for gym battles this way." He took it and one flight of stairs later, he found himself in the stands with Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor.
"Hey guys, sorry I am late. What did I miss?" Calem said.
"Where were you this morning?" Tierno said, "You scared all of us half to death."
"I was out catching a Pokemon how is Serena?" Calem focused his attention to the battlefield to see a pink butterfly knock out Froakie and send the blue frog careening toward Serena.
"Oh no." thought Calem.
"Serena, you have to keep a cool head on the battlefield! Don't let emotions get the best of you! Power forward!" Yelled Viola.
Serena recalled Froakie.
"Is she… shaking?" Calem thought.
Serena sent out Fletchling, her last Pokemon. She hadn't even landed a hit with Froakie. She felt overwhelmed at this moment and was hardly paying attention.
"Serena!" She heard a familiar voice call out and glanced towards the stands to see Calem there trying to ger her attention. She felt a moment of relief but also a pang of frustration as he was late to the very thing he'd promised to be there for.
"Fletchling is a flying type! Way faster than that thing could ever be! Get up high!" Called Calem
Serena nodded and the battle continued.
"Vivillon use infestation!" Viola called.
Fletchling dodged the attack and flew way above the battlefield.
"Come down with peck!" Serena said.
Fletchling soared into a divebomb, beak first and struck a critical hit on the Vivillon. However, Fletchling was now down low and Viola saw an opportunity.
"Vivillon! Use Silver wind." A large gale of silver wind began to buffet Fletchling who somehow managed to stay in the air.
"This is it! Rely on your Pokemon!" Serena thought.
"You can do it Fletchling! Use quick attack and power through!
The bird struggled against the silver wind, its wings flapping tirelessly as Fletchling grew weaker and weaker from the silver wind. With one last burst of strength, Fletchling powered through and struck Vivillon once more sending the butterfly into the wet battlefield unconscious.
"Vivillon is unable to battle! Which means Serena is the Victor!" Alexa called.
Everyone Cheered and jumped out of the stands to meet Serena on the battlefield. Tierno and Shauna gave her a big hug and congratulated her on her win.
Calem gave her a smile "Good job Serena! That was an impeccable first gym battle!"
She seemed a little distant with him and merely gave him a glance and said "thanks."
Calem could tell something was wrong but he didn't have time to think about it as the gym leader approached.
"Serena, for beating me in battle I want you to have this." She handed Serena a small pendant sized, ornately carved brass and steel charm. It had the shape of a Ledyba. "This is the bug badge! And it's also your first step along the trail of gyms in Kalos. You fought well! You earned it!"
She accepted the badge.
"This feels like a dream" She thought. Serena was on her way to becoming one of the best trainers in Kalos. She could feel it without any doubts on her mind. The smile on her face returned.
"Alright, Calem?" said Alexa.
All attention turned toward him.
"Yes?" he said.
"Are you ready to take on the gym?" Asked Alexa.
He nodded in response, his eyes growing serious.
"Alright, let's reset everything and start from the top." She left to prepare, and Viola healed her Pokemon back into fighting form.
Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, and Serena all headed for the stands. Serena paused and met his gaze for a moment. She was slightly colder and more distant than usual. Certainly, more distant than she was last night.
"You're going to do fine." Said Serena. She turned and headed up the stands.
Calem didn't know how to take her words.
…
Calem blasted through the web portion of the gym. Having a fire type meant burning just about everything down and before it was done, the web net was in cinders on the foliage below. Spinarack scurried everywhere looking for cover.
"I can't say that this is your fault Fennekin, but I think we both went a little too far." Calem said as he observed the smoldering net. He recalled Fennekin and stepped through the canvas tent to a familiar sight. The same battle arena as before. He approached the trainer box.
"How many times have I done this?" He thought about it. This all felt familiar. Viola across from him could've been any gym leader he had faced; it didn't make a difference. She was going down.
"Calem, that determined expression… that glint in your eye tells me you're up to the challenge."
"I am." Calem confidently said back. "Give me your best."
"Oh, I plan to. This doesn't appear to be your first-time challenging gyms. I checked your previous records in the other leagues."
"It's not, which is why I don't want you holding back." Calem said.
"Very well." Viola responded.
Once the battle began, Calem threw out Riolu and Viola threw out Surskit.
"Interesting type coverage." Thought Calem. "But not good enough!"
"Riolu! Let it come to you." Calem said.
Riolu got into a fighting stance and prepared to take the hit.
Serena saw this and was very confused as to what was happening. "What are you planning Calem?" She thought. Studying his face proved difficult as he had the brim of his hat pulled down low. Serena noticed that he did that whenever things got serious.
"Surskit, water sport!" Viola commanded. Surskit began to glide around the arena at a very fast speed. "Now use quick attack!" Said Viola.
The Bug type charged at Riolu who just stood there, calculating something.
"Now Riolu! Use counter!" Said Calem.
As Surskit collided with Riolu, Riolu brought his fist down smashing Surskit into the ground. Everyone gasped as the battlefield cracked with the blow.
"Surskit! Get up if you can." Surskit struggled to get up. Riolu stepped back, letting Surskit go. Eventually it started gliding around the arena again, but this time at a slower pace. Riolu stood ready for anything.
"Surskit, use bubble!" said Viola. A stream of bubbles emanated from Surskit and began to batter Riolu.
"Use Quick attack! Don't let it get too far!" Calem said. Riolu charged forward and landed a quick attack on Surskit sending it back to its trainer unable to battle.
"Impressive…" said Viola. "We aren't done yet! Go Vivillon!" She sent out the pink butterfly just as she did last time. Calem had seen some of what this thing was capable off. Going second had its advantages.
Calem recalled Riolu and sent out Fennekin. The small fox didn't much care for the water on the battlefield but was ready to fight, nonetheless.
Tierno, Trevor and Shauna were in disbelief as to what they were seeing. Serena was busy trying to analyze his moves. While she was still upset with him, it didn't mean she couldn't at least try to learn something.
"A tactical swap," Said Viola. "It only works when you know you have the type advantage. Which is why I have planned another way to deal with this situation! Vivillon use infestation!"
A mass of writhing dust settled on Fennekin who simply took the hit and was unable to escape.
"What? You didn't even try to dodge it?" Viola asked.
"What is he planning?" Serena was questioning these risky tactics too.
"Don't need to." Answered Calem.
"Fair enough. Vivillon! Finish this with silver wind!" said Viola.
The butterfly beat its wings trying to send Fennekin flying away while it couldn't move.
"Now Fennekin! Flame charge!" Calem yelled!
Fennekin erupted into flames, burning the infestation move off of itself as she began to charge against the silver wind toward Vivillon. The infestation was more kindling to the fire. Vivillon kept the silver wind up, trying to batter Fennekin down, but the silver powder in the wind continued to feed the fire around Fennekin as she neared closer and closer.
"That's the same tactic I used just better!" Said Serena. She couldn't help but be delighted.
Fennekin eventually connected with its target and sent the butterfly spinning into the ground unconscious and slightly charred.
"Vivillon is unable to battle! Calem is the victor!" Alexa announced.
"We did it Fennekin!" Calem let her jump into his arms and onto his shoulder.
"Nice job Calem!" said Viola who approached first. "You've shown me a whole new depth of field honestly… that was a fantastic battle! You've more than earned this." She presented him with a bug badge identical to Serena's. Calem took the badge and stuck it in his bag. He would put it in his badge case later.
"One down, seven to go" he thought.
The rest of the group ran to meet him on the field to congratulate him on his win.
"That was AMAZING!" said Shauna. "Way to go Calem!"
"Truly that was a spectacular move!" said Tierno. "Top tier definitely! You gotta show me how to use that one someday."
"Thanks guys," Calem pushed past them to Serena who gave him the same cold stare as before. Something was wrong.
"Hey Serena, did you like the battle." Calem asked.
"Yep, it was good." Serena responded. She turned to leave the gym leaving Calem among the others. Calem looked after her and was able to identify the problem immediately. He had broken their promise.
"Damn" He thought.
…
The time was a little after noon when Serena and Calem had rested their Pokemon from the gym battle and the five sat down to discuss their next move. Due to their letters from Professor Sycamore, and the fact there was another gym in Lumiose city, the decision was made to make Lumiose City their next destination. Serena had intentionally been avoiding conversation with everyone and something seemed quite wrong at lunch but Calem decided he shouldn't ask while everyone was together.
After lunch, they headed toward route 4.
"Route 4 is called 'Parterre Way'" said Shauna "Anybody know what that means?"
"A parterre is a kind of garden style specific to Kalos" Said Trevor "Haven't you been to Lumiose before?"
"We all have! I was just curious…" Said Shauna.
Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna had been making most of the conversation and had noticed Serena and Calem being eerily quiet. Calem walked with a serious look on his face and Serena mirrored him.
Tierno was able to read social situations well. He got Shauna and Trevor's attention and motioned for the three of them to get out of there for a second.
"Oh! I think I left my Holocaster back at the Pokemon Center!" Shauna said frantically as she dug in her bag.
Serena and Calem stopped ahead of them concerned.
"Oh, you want to run back and get it?" Asked Serena "They're pretty expensive, your parents don't want you losing that."
"Yeah, go get it. We will wait here" Calem said.
"Thanks guys! Sorry, I'll be back soon!" Shauna said.
"We'll go with her" Tierno and Trevor said before following her down the street.
Calem leaned against the gate leading onto route 4. In the distance, he saw high rise buildings with a very large prismatic tower among them. That must be Lumiose City. They were close and would most likely be there by nightfall.
Calem decided to break the tension first.
"Hey Serena?" Calem said.
"Hm?"
"I am sorry for being late this morning."
He noticed Serena visibly tense her shoulders a little and then relax some only to tense them up again. She turned to him and looked him in the eye. The coldness from before was gone but now she was a little scary.
"It's ok." Said Serena. "You were there for some of it at least."
Calem felt a little relieved.
"That's not all that is wrong though." Said Serena. She seemed irritated.
Calem felt the tension come back.
"You have some answering to do Calem!" Serena said Sternly.
By this time, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna had returned. They had only gone around the corner and were back sooner than they anticipated. They watched from a small distance.
"First you show up here in Kalos without an explanation, and every attempt to talk to you is met with rejection and silence. Then you completely disregard all of us without saying anything and go off on your own. We invited you to come along! Then I offer to help you catch a Pokemon and you don't even take it and all I'm trying to do is help you, but you never want help!"
Serena let it out. Calem sat there with a stunned expression on his face. He hadn't expected to cause so much drama.
"I may prefer people… but I've always journeyed alone. I can tell you want to help with more than just catching Pokemon." Thought Calem. He cast his eyes to the ground. His burden was his to carry. It didn't feel fair casting it on Serena, or any one of these people he had met just a day ago.
"Well?" Serena asked, expecting a response.
Calem couldn't produce one and stood there, silent.
"Calem…" Serena's face softened a little. "Not everything has to be a battle you know." She turned and headed up the route toward Lumiose.
Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna witnessed this and went after her. As Shauna passed Calem, she said "She will calm down, just give it time."
"You're still welcome with us Calem." Tierno said. "Come find us in Lumiose."
The three of them passed Calem and followed Serena. Calem watched from the gate as their forms disappeared down the route in the waning light of the afternoon sun. They looked like a whole group. All of them, childhood friends and native to Kalos. Yet again, he was the outlier. He had always been this way. His habit of running off alone had gotten worse with the past experiences in the previous regions. He had moved from region to region so often that attachments and friends seemed like a bad idea knowing he would just leave again. Though something bugged him. He still couldn't recall why he had ended up in Kalos from Unova. He still had to get his pokemon back though.
"Its always been like this… Only one thing to do." Calem adjusted his bag and hat. "…Press forward."
End Chapter 4
Well well… we have some angst and a bit of drama. Good stuff with the gym fight though! Not everything starts off good and goes immediately peachy! Sometimes, the hero must go through some hardship. Poor Calem. You all will have to wait and see how the next part turns out! As always, thank you for reading.
