Chapter 2: A Beginner's Test
Lumiose City,
Kalos,
3 AFC,
The two siblings stood at each side of an outdoor battle court, staring at each other while their father stood in the middle at the side of the court.
On the left side, the Pokemon Trainer who was about to get her first taste of a genuine Pokemon battle. Bonnie balled her hand into a fist, giving a confident smile with eyebrows furrowed down, showing her full battle mode. Hoping to prove to the other combatant that she would be able to give him the best battle she can do.
Meanwhile, Clemont, at the other end of the field, gave his sister the same look on his face. Though he is a loving and protective big brother, he would give his sister a battle to remember before her real journey kicked off. For years, Bonnie stood at the sidelines, watching her brother and their friends battle as a spectator, while also training her Dedenne to use his skills on inanimate 'opponents'. Now, she was not watching a battle. She was in it.
However, it was still her first battle, so Clemont agreed to use only one of his Pokemon to battle her only partner.
Meyer stood firm and prepared, waiting to give the call to begin the match between brother and sister and ensure the match is done fair and square. With his arms spread out, he was about to say the word.
"The match between Clemont and Bonnie, two of my beloved children, shall now begin!" He announced, though with a little fatherly love for the both of them. But since they were well under way, Meyer thrust down his arms and began the match. "BEGIN!"
"Alright!" Clemont pushed his spectacles up with his finger, which gave off a shining glittering effect, and deployed his Poke Ball. In his hand, the spherical capsule, tiny enough to be pinched upon, enlarged to fit in his whole grasp with the click of a button. "Quilladin! You're up, buddy!"
Clemont threw the ball to the ground in front of him and it opened up, shooting out a white flash of light that hit the dirt. A figure began to form out of the light as it faded away, revealing a chubby green and brown hedgehog-like Pokemon with a bit of fur sticking out above its nose.
With a cheerful cry, the plump Pokemon jumped in the air and stood by for battle.
The Quilladin, who was once the small, cute and always hungry Chespin, had evolved some time before during a Gym match. It was still as energetic as it was before, but its obsession for food was clearly evident by its current physique. Clemont used to think that Bonnie would thought the Grass-Type would have been cuter unevolved, but this was her he was talking about. Every Pokemon she saw was cute.
But Quilladin was still a force to be reckoned with, used sometimes by Clemont during his battles against more powerful Trainers entering his Gym.
Now, though, Quilladin stood as Bonnie's first challenge. She really wanted to do no harm to her friend, but for this once, she would have to prove herself.
Ready for battle, she turned her fedora around and threw her finger at the field, which Clemont recognized as yet another habit from Ash as he would do the same with his cap. Not really sure if Bonnie really needed to spin her fedora since the circumference was perfectly consistent, but if it helped her confidence, then there's really no trouble arguing.
"Dedenne! I choose you!"
"Dene!" The little mouse Pokemon leapt from Bonnie's shoulder and landed on the battlefield, facing his old friend for the first time as an opponent.
The two Pokemon glared at each other, waiting for their Trainers to make the first order. After a brief moment of calculation, Clemont was the one to start first.
"Quilladin! Use Vine Whip!"
Quilladin heeded its Trainer's call and launched a pair of thick long green vines from its back, zooming them towards Dedenne.
"Dodge it!" Bonnie called upon her Dedenne, just as they practiced, to scurry away from the attack and ran right forward, letting the vines crash into the ground behind him. Instinctively, the little Pokemon charged right for Quilladin with a surprising amount of speed.
"Okay! Let's go with Tackle!" Dedenne complied as he continued to speed forward and pounced on the spiny Pokemon in the belly. With full force, the impact was enough to push Quilladin back to a safe distance. Once he finished up the attack, Dedenne rushed back to his Trainer before Clemont could follow up with his next order.
"Yes! Great work, Dedenne!" Bonnie balled her hands into fists and jumped for joy, with her Pokemon copying her excitement. But there was no time to celebrate, so the two snapped out of their celebrations and resumed to battle.
"Not bad, Bonnie. But you'll have to do better than that! Quilladin, Pin Missile!"
Quilladin took in lots of strength in its body before unleashing it with a barrage of sharp and bright mini-missiles. The projectiles all converged and headed straight for Dedenne, who could not escape fast enough to avoid the blast, much to Bonnie's dismay.
"Yikes! Run aw-!" But it was too late. The missiles managed to knock the little mouse Pokemon off his feet and sent it flying. In mid-air, Dedenne made a back flip and landed safely on the ground, eager for more.
At this point, Bonnie clenched her fist and frowned. She was now feeling the pressure of a heated battle, especially when things get rough for her Pokemon. Watching Dedenne taking the hit was not easy for her, but she tried to make sure her confidence did not cloud her skills.
With a firm stance, she checked on Dedenne's condition from afar.
"You okay, Dedenne?"
"Dene!" The Pokemon nodded, also determined to see this battle through.
"Then let's give him a good dose of your Thundershock!"
"Dede… NNEE!" With a good charge of its power, Dedenne channelled the electricity in its body into its red cheeks before unleashing a surge of electric bolts right towards Quilladin.
"Rollout!" But Clemont came prepared. Watching the strike coming forth, Quilladin obeyed and curled up into a ball. Once the Thundershock hit the Pokemon, it simply bounced off from its protective shell.
"Huh?!" Bonnie was baffled by the result, seeing the attack simply doing no effect. Dedenne shared his partner's shock. Things then turned worse when Quilladin, still rolled up, and within the speed of light, raced towards Dedenne, threatening to slam into him.
"Dedenne, make a leap for it!" Dedenne quickly jumped away from the incoming ball of danger and escaped from being squashed or bashed at. Rolling away, Dedenne was ready to deliver another attack, with Bonnie also prepared to say the word.
"Good job! Now let's…" But before she could even utter, she suddenly spotted the rampaging ball quickly going at Dedenne again, rolling thunderously with haste. "Huh?!"
"Dede?!" Dedenne also caught on with as much surprise, and acted upon instinct, barely skipping away from the threat. However, just when he thought it was over twice, Quilladin repeatedly rolled out, zooming to and fro, forcing Dedenne to do nothing but run, jump and scurry some more.
"Oh no! If this keeps up, Dedenne's going to get roadkilled!" Bonnie panicked as she desperately thought of a way to break the cycle and let Dedenne catch up.
"Okay. Think… Think, Bonnie, think!" But in doing so, she was giving Quilladin more time to attempt multiple hits on the nimble Dedenne. She thought harder and harder, but every second she took was making her even more anxious.
Clemont, looking from the other side, was able to notice that his sister was struggling to maintain her composure. He saw as she stomped her feet and lightly bashing her head expecting an answer to just pop up. It was clear to him that Bonnie indeed had a lot to learn.
"Argh!" Finally, Bonnie had had enough. "I got it! Dedenne, use Thundershock! Blast it all around you!"
After barely avoiding another strike from Quilladin, Dedenne quickly made his move and fired another Thundershock around itself; the bolts zapping away at all directions. Unfortunately, none of them hit their mark with Quilladin being able to roll away to safety and back to its Trainer.
Bonnie cringed, clearly wanting at least one to hit Quilladin, but at it was enough to put a stop to Rollout for a while. Nevertheless, the anxiety remained. Just moments ago, she was bursting with high spirits, eager to fight a good battle. Now, though, she was already experiencing a nervous breakdown. The Trainer then flicked her hat back up after being swung around from the suspense and resumed her attention to Dedenne, now with hopes of getting a one up.
"Dedenne, use Tail Whip!" Bonnie called. Dedenne dashed towards his opponent again and swung its tail at its face. While it was about to strike, the tail flashed in a dim white light before making contact. It was a small and ticklish hit, but it was enough to distract the spiky Pokemon. It could feel its energy slowly draining from the hit as Dedenne landed back down.
"I dunno if this is enough, but using Tail Whip will help lower Quilladin's defense for Dedenne." Bonnie thought to herself, trying to gain some form of positivity in her battle style.
"Okay! Use Vine Whip!" It was then Clemont's turn to attack as Quilladin unleashed its dual Vine Whips on Dedenne.
"Dodge!" Bonnie shouted again, making the Pokemon escape the attack and the whips boring into the dirt. The rodent Pokemon hopped back to his Trainer before spinning around for another run.
Retracting its whips back, Quilladin prepared for its Trainer's next command.
"Okay, Quilladin. Let's keep it up!" Clemont, though wishing to go a little lighter on his sister, gave another order for his Pokemon. He really needed to show Bonnie that battling required a lot of patience and composure, but at the rate she went, it was slowly becoming obvious that she was losing her balance. So, he had to go on, hoping that his style of battle can help her learn something from it. "Leech Seed!"
Quilladin pulled in his strength and fired a single little seed to the ground. Bonnie was quick to spot the seed and alerted Dedenne of the troubling matter.
"Dedenne! Use Thundershock to blast that seed away!"
"Dede… NEEE!" Dedenne fired its electric attack once again, hoping to somehow hit the seed before it could reach the ground below him. However, even with all that power, the bolts did not even faze the seed. With no trouble at all, the seed hit the ground below Dedenne's feet. Then, within a second, Dedenne was suddenly wrapped up in a trio of strong roots, trapping him in an unbreakable grip.
The Pokemon cried out in desperation, trying to escape. Then, with its patience running out, Dedenne fire its Thundershock… without his Trainer's command. Trying to break free, it continued to fire and fire again. However, he was only losing more and more energy as the Leech Seed did its work at sapping away at his power.
"Dedenne! Wait!" Bonnie tried to call out to her Pokemon to calm down, but in her own sense of distress, she too had panic in her voice.
With the roots then sucking up Dedenne's energy, the rodent Pokemon was slowly getting weaker, with energy then being siphoned back into Quilladin.
All in all, this battle was starting to get hopeless. Bonnie was unable to shake off her discouragement as she was forced to watch Dedenne being sucked out of his power. The Pokemon began to move even less as Bonnie was also losing her will to fight.
Clemont saw it all. Bonnie was going to lose it. Unfortunately, it was time for him to call it off. There was going to be no backing down, however. He already declared that he would fight his sister the proper way, so he was going to finish it the proper way.
"I'm sorry, Bonnie. But I'm going to have to end this. Quilladin, finish this up with Vine Whip."
With a little hesitation from watching his own friend being drained of his energy, Quilladin had no choice. It then complied and fired its Vine Whips at the trapped and weakened Dedenne.
A direct hit.
Dedenne was then hurled towards Bonnie, who watched helplessly as Dedenne tumbled to the ground… and fainted; eyes swirling and unable to fight anymore.
"Dedenne is unable to battle!" Meyer, also struck with sadness for his daughter's plight, called the battle off. "The winner of this round is Clemont."
Quilladin pulled back its whips, but even if it had won, it did not feel any better from it. Instead, it just frowned, looking at its downed friend.
Bonnie could not hold in her emotions any longer. She walked slowly to pick up her injured Pokemon and knelt to the ground. Though she did not shed any tears, she still felt heavy inside.
Her first battle was a defeat…
With Dedenne in her arms, she brought him in closer for a hug, brushing the poor Pokemon with her cheek.
"Oh, Dedenne…" Then, she finally had a tear dripping down her face. "I'm.. so s-sorry." She whispered to Dedenne while she sobbed. It was not the part of her losing the battle that saddened her. It was her inability to watch out for Dedenne when he needed her the most. She let her eagerness for battle take a toll on her composure and it let her become blind to any potential dangers. She felt that she had let her Pokemon, and her family down.
"Bonnie…" Clemont could also feel Bonnie's pain. Just watching his sister cry in front of him was always such a heart-wrenching moment, but he stood strong in his belief that this battle would help Bonnie learn about battling.
Meyer walked over to comfort his daughter, pulling her and Dedenne in for an embrace. Clemont, wanting to join, reached for his backpack and pulled out his bottle of Potion.
He then reached over to Bonnie and looked at the bruised Dedenne in her arms. Bonnie saw her brother coming before sniffing up. She lowered her head in shame, not wanting her brother to see her in this state.
"I'm… sorry, big bro." She stuttered. "I… lost this battle." Clemont wanted to say something to comfort her, but she interrupted him, wanting to say more. "I let myself get carried away by the battle that I allowed Dedenne to get hurt because of me. I failed to help my Pokemon, and I failed to make myself any better. I'm a lousy Trainer." She sobbed some more, prompting Meyer to tighten his embrace.
"No, Bonnie." Then, Bonnie looked up at her brother, who looked back at her with a calm yet serious tone. "You are not a lousy Trainer." He then took hold of Dedenne while Meyer separated from the defeated duo. Spraying the bottle of soothing Potion, he then bent down to Bonnie's level. "You may have lost this battle, but you can't let it get to your head."
As he finished spraying, Dedenne slowly moved painfully. Bonnie then reached for her partner and cradled him in her arms while listening to her brother.
"You are going to have to face defeats in your journey, Bonnie, and as painful as they may be, you need to learn how to compose yourself and remain calm for your Pokemon."
Bonnie took a good look at Dedenne again, seeing that his eyes were half-opened but was still struggling to withstand the pain left on his body. While Bonnie cringed at seeing her Pokemon going through his pain, she still paid attention to Clemont.
"If you're unable to control your emotions and end up losing your focus, then how do you expect your Pokemon to fight?"
The words stung Bonnie. She knew Clemont was right after what she had seen before with everyone she knew, and here she was being unable to follow their example.
"I'm sorry, bro." Bonnie apologized. "I really wanted to remain focused in my battle, but it was… just too painful to watch Dedenne… get hurt." She then groaned before standing back up, but she was unaware that she had dropped her fedora in the process.
Clemont, not giving up on curing Bonnie of her depression, led her to a nearby chair followed by Meyer. They all sat down, with the males holding onto Bonnie to keep her company.
"Now, Bonnie. You're not the only one who's had their first taste of defeat. Everyone does." Meyer explained. "Why, I used to be all down in the dumps when I lost my first battle." Bonnie stop wiping away her tears and looked to her father, understanding her family's need to help her. "But I knew that if I continued to be the saddest boy in the world, then who am I to be as a Trainer?"
"Dad's right." Clemont agreed. "Even I was upset over my first loss. But then Helioptile wanted me to remain strong as it never wanted to give up for me." Bonnie then turned to Clemont. "And of course, you remembered when Ash lost his first Gym Battle with Viola, right? He never gave up. He took the loss and learnt upon it. But his Pokemon, and us, never gave up on him. He practiced hard and eventually he won. And every Gym Battle after that, he learnt from his losses and earned from his victories. You know what he used to say, right?"
Bonnie remained silent for another while, but this time, she was taking her time to remember all the times she had spent watching Ash battle his way to the Kalos League three years ago. There were times when he too had become depressed over his falls, but when he had his friends by his side, he got back up and took on the challenges again.
If Ash could rise from defeat, then Bonnie knew she had to do it too.
Then, she looked at Dedenne and saw that the Pokemon was smiling at her, not so brightly due to the hurt, but it was enough to show Bonnie how much it really loved her. And that love had cheered the sad Trainer up.
Overcoming her depression, she then looked into the sky and delivered the first smile she had since her disastrous battle, with her confidence returning to her. With all her strength, she said the same words which inspired Ash, and her friends, to this day.
"Never give up until it's over!"
Bonnie then gave her family a double hug, grateful that they were there to heal her wounds. The two men returned the embrace, feeling glad that Bonnie was all better.
As they separate, Quilladin came on over to Bonnie. In its hand, a brown and yellow fedora. Bonnie placed Dedenne in her father's care before standing up to retrieve it. She had no hard feelings for her brother's Pokemon and to prove it, she rubbed its head affectionately as Quilladin chirped in happiness.
Clemont and Meyer smiled at Bonnie's affection. Even if she was beginning to inhibit many styles and habits from her brother and her friends, she was still the same caring Bonnie who loved Pokemon to death.
Taking the fallen fedora from Quilladin, she proudly wore it back on her head and flicked the flap of the hat.
"Win or lose, I will battle to be the second greatest Trainer of all!"
Bonnie declared with pride, while also allowing some of the hope for her old friend and future Pokemon Master.
The day was still young. While Clemont's Potion did manage to heal Dedenne, the family knew that they had to bring the still weakened Pokemon to the care of Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Centre.
In the building, Clemont and Meyer sat at a waiting area reading some magazines to pass the time, while Bonnie sat on another chair playing with Quilladin and Clemont's other Pokemon, Bunnelby, Luxray and Heliosk.
It was always fun to play with Clemont's Pokemon, despite them being at higher evolution stages. She would find time to have fun with them while Clemont was not busy at the Gym. This interaction helped Bonnie learn more about socializing with Pokemon outside of battle, as well as getting to know more about how evolution worked. But even with all that new power and strength, they would always remain the same young little critters to her.
By the time she was done, Nurse Joy, dressed in a pink dress behind a white apron and a nurse cap to top it off, called Bonnie to the counter. The Trainer rushed to the counter where she saw the nurse with a Wigglytuff next to her. Dedenne, fully healed by the looks of him, was sitting as cheery as ever. Upon seeing each other, the Pokemon and Trainer embraced.
"Oh, Dedenne!" Bonnie cheered. "You're all better now!"
"Dene!" The Pokemon nuzzled, which then…
"WWAAAAHHH!" Bonnie danced crazily as the electricity raced through her nerves. Nurse Joy and Wigglytuff jumped at the sudden embrace while Clemont and Meyer just laughed it off. It was a little worrisome for them, but Clemont then remembered hearing what Ash would go through when his Pokemon start to shower him with their love… and bodies.
"Eeeeergghhh…." Bonnie swayed around and around while Dedenne just snickered at her.
With that out of the way, Nurse Joy then called Bonnie again.
"Bonnie." The girl, who returned to her normal self, walked up to the nurse. "First, I would like to wish you a happy birthday, and congratulations for your first day as a Pokemon Trainer." The nurse smiled happily for the Trainer, which caused Bonnie to smile twice as much.
"Thanks so much, Nurse Joy!" Bonnie clapped her hands together while Dedenne cheered from above her hat.
"Dene!" he shouted.
"So, what's next?" Bonnie inquired for the next news.
"Oh. Well, as it so happens you happen to have a couple of phone calls waiting for you."
"Really?!" Bonnie's eyes sparkled. "Who were they from?! Do tell me! Please!"
"Calm down, Bonnie." Nurse Joy sheepishly waved her hands, trying to calm down the hyper Trainer. "You can call them back through the video phone over there." She then pointed to the phone booth at the other end of the room with a video screen on each phone. "You'll find out for yourself." With a wink, Nurse Joy returned to her duties with Wigglytuff.
Excitement rushed through her blood as Bonnie raced to the video phone to call back the people who attempted to contact her.
Then, Clemont got up to follow her, knowing exactly who the people were. Meyer nodded at him, wanting the two siblings to the contacts.
Bonnie reached for the phone and looked through the call log for any calls meant for her, marked by her registration account. Then, she saw two numbers that had her name next to them.
She looked at the first number and dialled it in. She then waited for the phone at the other end to pick up. Once done, the call was answered and the screen popped up. Bonnie's smile grew bigger to see the person's face at the screen.
"Serena!" she cheered, very delighted to see the honey blonde girl who had travelled with her all those years ago.
"Dedenne!" Dedenne was also thrilled to see the Performer.
"Hey, Bonnie and Dedenne!" Serena greeted with a sweet voice. "Oh my gosh! Look at you! You look… beautiful!"
"Hehehe. Thanks!" Bonnie fiddled with the hair as she blushed at the compliment. "And what about you, you're looking gorgeous!" Bonnie returned the comment with another one with double the charm.
It was then Serena's turn to blush. Indeed, the Pokemon Performer, who was still aiming to be Kalos Queen, was now in her teen years. She was now wearing a strapped black sundress a white collar almost identical to her old outfit. After previously having cut her hair, she had now made it grow back longer again, but it was tied up to a ponytail much like Bonnie's.
However, what remained the same were two accessories. The first was the red and black fedora that she had worn ever since her first journey. However, the more important accessory was a blue ribbon now tied to her wrist; a special something from a special someone.
"And my, do you and Dedenne look like a team already!"
"We are a team, aren't we, buddy?"
"I heard from Clemont that today is your tenth birthday. So I thought I'd come up for the phone to wish a very happy birthday!"
"Awww, thanks Serena. I- Wait!" Bonnie was about to feel thankful for Serena's call, but when Serena mentioned that Clemont had called her before, she couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. "You got to talk to Clemont?!"
"Y-yeah…" Then, Bonnie, still stern, turned to find her brother rubbing the back of his head, feeling a little guilty about not giving Bonnie an earlier chance to speak to her old friend. "I did actually talk to Serena just yesterday."
"Hmph! And you never bothered to invite me to the chat." Bonnie pouted her cheeks, amusing both Serena and her brother.
"Actually, I wanted Serena's call to be a surprise for your birthday, so I told Serena to wait until today as a birthday treat."
In an instant, Bonnie immediately cheered up, smiling widely at her brother for considering a proper moment for Bonnie to catch up with the Performer. Forgiving her brother, the Trainer returned to her conversation with her friend.
"I'm really proud of you, Bonnie." praised Serena. "You're about to face some really powerful Trainers, but I know you will prevail like Ash did!"
"I'll show 'em a real battle!" Bonnie fisted her hand, proving her determination, but her sudden confidence had moved her hair bang a little to touch her cheek. She then brushed it aside to its proper place. Serena noticed the girl's action and giggled sweetly.
"I see you still care about your looks. You sure you don't want to be a Performer like me?" she laughed.
"I really wish I could, but after watching Clemont in his Gym battles, I know that being a battler suits my taste. Though I won't deny that Performances are still so extravagant!" admitted Bonnie.
"Well, if that's how you feel, then go for it!" encouraged Serena. "Just remember to maintain your bond with your Pokemon and love them to bits. Watch out for them as they do for you."
Then, Serena fell silent. Bringing her two pointing fingers together, she felt unsure whether to ask Bonnie a certain question playing around in her head.
"Oh yeah, um… Bonnie…?" She continued on when Bonnie noticed a hint of shyness in her face and voice. "Did you… happen to catch Ash by any chance?"
"Hmmm… Well, not really." It seemed that Bonnie answered the question in a normal tone, but then, listening to her guts from examining Serena's expressions, a dark side emerged. "Oh… why do you ask?" Mischievous with her voice, Bonnie opted to ask a very unsettling question, much to Serena's chagrin.
"Ergh! Well, it was… uh… just that I wanted to catch up with him too! Yeah! That's it!" Serena frantically answered, adding more fire to Bonnie's playtime.
"Oh really… Missing your little crush I see?" Bonnie then puckered her lips, making mocking kissing gestures that intensified Serena's blushes. Clemont quickly decided to put an end to her taunting.
"Bonnie… That wasn't really nice…" Bonnie puffed her cheeks again, unhappy that her brother had become something of a real killjoy.
"Oh... It's okay, Clemont. Really. Bonnie's just being herself." Serena insisted. Her long time crush on Ash had been so obvious to Bonnie that she couldn't help but fool around with her.
"But seriously though, when are you ever going to tell him about your… ahem… feelings?" Bonnie then perked up to ask Serena again about how she was going to confess to the boy. Poor Serena. Ash was always as dense as the skin of an Onix. He just did not get what Serena had been trying to say to him.
"I…" Serena stuttered. "I'll tell him when the time comes, okay?" Bonnie looked at Serena's troubled look. While she did feel that reminding Serena of Ash was necessary for her happiness, she did feel sorry for making her feel bad for the moment.
So, to cheer her up, Bonnie gave Serena a thumbs up and a cry of encouragement for her future attempts.
"Then in that case, good luck with him!"
Serena looked at Bonnie and couldn't help but smile gratefully. The expression and cheery attitude of the younger girl really reminded her more of Ash; the way he made that devilish grin that always kept everyone, especially her, in high spirits. Seeing that in Bonnie made Serena a really happy woman.
"Thanks, Bonnie." She thanked her for her kindness.
"Just what were you guys talking about anyway?" As always, Clemont made Bonnie a little disappointed that he could not see the bigger picture. Then again, was there any doubt that he wouldn't know what went on between Serena and Ash?
The fact that he was pulling Bonnie away from every one of her attempts to help him woo girls was enough for the young Trainer to prove her point.
"You wouldn't understand, Clemont. You're as dense as Ash is." Bonnie waved her arms to her sides and teased her big brother, who still fell confused. Serena laughed at the two, remembering how much the two would bicker about these kind of things.
Finally, though as much as she wished to continue the talk, Serena had to leave the call to attend to her usual business.
"Well, it's been fun, but I gotta rush. I have a Performance coming up and I really need to prepare for the competition. Turns out that one of my opponents is a really talented Coordinator from Sinnoh. And she has the cutest Piplup I've ever seen!"
"Do send me a picture of it when you can! And all the best in your Performances in Hoenn!" cheered Bonnie.
"Will do and thanks! And good luck to you as well for your Gym Battles!" Serena then turned to Clemont. "You too, Clemont! Have fun with the Gym! You must be really proud of Bonnie for making this journey."
"Oh I am, alright." he agreed. "And good luck out there. Will see you real soon, right?"
"I'll be sure to call again when I get back home! See you later, guys!" Serena gave one last wave to the group.
"Bye!" The siblings bid farewell.
"Dene!" Dedenne followed suit.
"And be sure to tell Ash I said hello!" With one last tease from Bonnie, Serena blushed lightly again before smiling back at her.
"Oh, Bonnie…"
After that, the call ended and the screen was shut off.
Bonnie put the phone down for a while as she remembered fondly of Serena.
The Pokemon Performer was something like a big sister to Bonnie, always spending time playing with the little lass and teaching her how to care for Dedenne. Surely enough, it was thanks to Serena that Bonnie became such a caretaker to her Dedenne and Clemont's Pokemon. But underneath that beauty and charm, Serena was a real sucker for that one boy she met as a toddler.
How long did the girl try to say something to Ash? It seemed like forever to Bonnie. However, if that one time when Serena pulled herself together and actually kiss Ash on the cheek in the airport proved anything, it was that there was a lot of hope left for her to confess her love.
Somehow, Bonnie wondered if she could have helped Serena realize her feelings for Ash. All that time she spent love match-making for her brother, she could have done the same for her other two friends. Feeling a slight sense of regret, she vowed that one day, if the time came, she would help Serena make Ash the happiest man alive. Every Queen's got have a King right?
However, what mattered to her most was that Serena was on her way to achieving her dreams, just as Bonnie was herself.
Then, with her time with Serena over, Bonnie then moved to contact the next person. She dialled in the number and waited for it to get picked up. It took a little longer than Serena's call, but she was really roused to speak to this person, for she had a gut feeling that she knew who it was. Surely enough, it was that person.
"Ash!" Bonnie and Clemont both smiled to see the ever-so messy but powerful Trainer in the screen, accompanied by his most trusted partner, a Pikachu.
"Alola, Bonnie! Clemont! Dedenne!" The raven-haired Trainer shouted at the other end.
"Pika Pika!" As always, Pikachu followed his Trainer's actions.
"Huh?" The weird word, however, confused the siblings.
"That means 'hello' here in the Alola region." explained Ash.
"Pika Pika Chu!" Pikachu then said hello again to the group.
"Hello to you too, Pikachu!" Bonnie greeted.
"Dedenne!" The little mouse also had its turn to say hi to his big brother figure.
"So, Ash. How is the Alola region so far?" asked Clemont. Judging by Ash's clothes; a simple white and blue T-shirt to go with his trademark red hat, it looked like Ash was in a tropical environment somewhere.
"It's been fantastic! I've been learning a lot here in Pokemon school with Pikachu and a whole new group of friends." Ash explained to the two.
"Pokemon School? They have that?" Bonnie, to everyone's unknowing, gulped at such a stupid question. Of course they would have Pokemon Schools… Why wouldn't they? People are supposed to learn more about Pokemon, so it would make sense to build facilities specialized for teaching youngsters about the world of Pokemon.
"Yeah!" But Ash, simple as always, did not seem to mind the question. "And did I mention that all the new Pokemon here are just super! Take a look here!" "Say hi to one of my newest additions, Decidueye!"
Ash then moved to the side and showed the group a tall and grassy owl-like Pokemon standing on two feet and covered in a shroud and hood made up of leaves. It remained quiet, but gave a small bow to the group.
"Oh my gosh! That is so cute!" Bonnie's expression brightened up at the sight of a brand new Pokemon she had never seen at all.
"Haha! Thought you might say that." Ash laughed at Bonnie's expression. "So, today's your tenth birthday, huh? Happy birthday!"
"Pika Pika!"
"Thanks, you guys!"
"Dene!"
"And wow. You're finally going on your very own Pokemon journey! I'm sure you're feeling pumped up and ready to take on the Gym Leaders now!" Ash raised a fist for Bonnie, wondering about the same amount of determination and fire he had when he took on Leagues before.
"Oh, you bet I am! Me and Dedenne are going to wipe the floor off them!" And Bonnie, complying with her idol, copied his gesture.
"De Dedenne!" Her Pokemon also mimicked Pikachu's synchronization with his Trainer.
"I just got my registration checked, got my PokeDex and Poke Balls, and…" Then, Bonnie fell a little quieter than her previous demeanour. "I… kinda lost to a battle with Clemont."
Despite her acceptance with her defeat, she could not help but feel a little down by the event.
"Hey, Bonnie." Ash saw her expression and immediately went to work and what he did best. "It's okay to lose a battle. Remember, always train with your Pokemon and bond with them. Make them stronger and learn from your defeats. Just like I've done when I lost the Kalos League."
Ash's comforting words invoked more positivity into Bonnie's heart. The young man had always been there to show Bonnie the ropes of being a Pokemon Trainer even at a young age, and now, she would be able to use that knowledge to help her on her path to becoming a great Pokemon Trainer.
With her mind now clear of her sorrows again, Bonnie gave a very warm smile to Ash.
"I know, Ash." she gratefully spoke. "And I promise, I will make you proud!" Her thumb was up again, followed by a sparking Dedenne.
"Dene!"
"Hahaha! That's the spirit!" Ash laughed at his friend's regained positivity.
"Pika Chu!"
"And when I come back to Kalos, I'll be sure to have a Pokemon battle with you so you can show me how much you've learnt!"
Bonnie could see it now. Her being at a Pokemon battle with none other than her own idol. It was certainly a dream come true!
"I'll be waiting!" She declared, dedicated for the day she will challenge Ash.
"And Clemont." Ash then turned his attention to the older brother. "Make sure you give Bonnie your all when she challenges you at the Gym!"
"Don't worry, Ash." Clemont also said. "While she may be my sister, I'm confident that she'll eat my dust before I can say 'Eureka!'"
"Hey! That's my catchphrase!" Bonnie ranted at her brother, who sheepishly apologized to his sister.
"Pika! Pika Pika Chu!" Pikachu then gave some squeaks of encouragements to his fellow Electric-Type. Dedenne responded by jumping in front of the screen and did a high-five at it, letting Pikachu to do the same.
Then, the siblings could hear a ringing sound wailing from the phone. Ash turned around and realized it was time for him to depart for class.
"Okay. There's the bell. I gotta get to class. Sorry I can't talk more. You guys take care now, alright?" Ash waved to his friends.
"We will!" The siblings simultaneously waved back to him.
"And Bonnie…" But before he was going to leave, Ash decided to give Bonnie one last bit of words to help her set off in the right direction. "Just remember, when things get tough…"
Bonnie grinned when she quickly remembered what Ash was going to say to her, following up by finishing it with him; the two saying the exact same word together.
"Never give up until it's over!"
Once done, Ash was ready to go.
"See ya, guys!" He waved to his travelling partners, hoping to catch them again sometime soon.
"Bye!"
"Pika Pika Chu!"
"Dedenne!"
"Oh!" Bonnie quickly interjected, which thankfully, Ash managed to stay a little longer. "And be sure to give Serena a call. She misses you a lot." Bonnie mocked the Trainer, expecting him to take it like a general request.
"Oh, Serena!" However, as it turned out… "She… missed me? Oh, okay… Uh… Alright. I'll call her soon then! Alola!"
That was certainly unexpected, Bonnie thought. Either she was feeling strange herself, or did she just see Ash, dense old Ash Ketchum, blush? At the mention of Serena?
Now that was an interesting turn in her quest to help Serena with her love problems…
The phone call was now over. Bonnie put down the phone and followed Clemont back to their father.
From these phone calls alone, she was now feeling extra determined to make her friends and family proud of her achievements and her spirit for adventure was now raised thanks to words of encouragement by Ash and Serena. Just how great it would be when they return to Kalos!
With a new more confident spirit, Bonnie was now feeling extra ready to take on her first journey to the Kalos League.
The morning turned to afternoon as the Sun now rose right above the city. As the metropolis became more active, outside the Edison house, the family was standing there.
Bonnie had already done what she needed to do in Lumiose City, at least for now. She had already gotten her registrations checked and her equipment and supplies all packed up. She then had her first battle, though not so pleasant, but it still gave her the first taste of what it was like to be in a battle and she would do her best to remember the lessons learnt from that experience.
And now, after being encouraged on by her loving family and her best friends, Bonnie was about to finally embark on her own.
Her first course was to head to Santalune City and challenge the Gym Leader known as Viola, as well as taking the Bug Badge as her first token of entering the Kalos League. In spite of that goal, though, she would need to make her party bigger in order to even the odds against the Gym Leader and her Bug-type Pokemon.
She looked out of the house and looked at the city around her. Her time of leaving was a much similar experience to what she had been through when she decided to follow Clemont in his quest to get stronger. However, things were different. She was now going off all by herself, accompanied by no one other than Dedenne and the future additions to her team that she hoped to find.
She then turned around back to her house. There, she saw her family standing outside the door, watching her embrace her new leash in life.
Suddenly, Bonnie could feel swelling up inside. Although she was excited to finally leave on her adventures, she was also feeling really sad knowing that she would have to leave them behind without having to see them almost every day. To muster up her courage, she came up to Clemont and Meyer, and gave them the biggest hug she had ever given them.
Tearing up, she tightened her embrace, letting her love for them take over. The two men returned her hug with just as much love.
"I'm really going to miss you guys." said Bonnie in between sobs and sniffs.
"We're going to miss you too, sweetie." Meyer answered with affection. "My baby's all grown up."
Meyer's little words caused Bonnie to put up a small giggle during her tears.
"Oh, dad…" She then let go of them and turned to the big brother who helped her all the way. She then gave him an extra hug for everything he had done for her.
"I'm really proud of you, sis." Clemont thankfully said to her. "You've really come a long way."
"Hey." Bonnie whispered to him. "We both changed for the better." She then separated from each other.
Bonnie, finally taking in one deep breath, stepped down from the house and walked out of the residence. Turning around, she gave one last look at her family and waved them goodbye. Dedenne ran up to her shoulder and followed her moves.
"I'll see you guys later! Goodbye!"
"Dedenne!" The two little tykes said their goodbyes as Clemont and Meyer waved back, wishing her all the best in her adventure.
"Take care, Bonnie! Don't get lost!" Meyer called from afar.
"And remember! Never give until the end!" Clemont added with Ash's catchphrase again.
Walking on until her family was out of sight from the street, Bonnie and Dedenne were now all alone. She took a good look at her Pokemon partner as it rubbed its cheek at her, but this time, did so without giving her a nasty shock. With Dedenne by her side, Bonnie was now well on her way. Looking up at the sky, she wondered to herself about all the wonderful things she would come across once she would leave Lumiose City.
"Well, Dedenne." She raised her elbow as Dedenne would run towards her arm to meet at the same level as her face. "It looks like we're finally ready to leave. You ready for this?"
"Dene!" The little furball raised its tiny arm in approval, ready to follow Bonnie all the way to victory.
Now, as Dedenne ran back to the safety of her hat, Bonnie looked forward, moving on towards the exit of the city where she would finally begin a brand new journey to become the second greatest Pokemon Trainer in the whole world!
After a rough start, Bonnie is finally ready to venture out into the Kalos region. What wonders would she stumble upon? What new discoveries are waiting to be found? And will she reach the very top? See what happens next as the journey continues!
A/N~ And there goes Chapter 2! A real heavy moment at the battle between Clemont and Bonnie. Of course, it was her first battle so she would need to really get the picture of what it means to be a Pokemon Trainer and how to accept defeat. It was hard to write, simply not because I wanted it to be longer, but I wanted it to deliver as much emotion as I can for now.
I still hope though that in future battles, I will write them longer and hopefully they will be enough. I really wished that her battle could be longer, but I still feel that how much I've written so far is enough for Bonnie.
Also, it was also really exciting to add Ash and Serena for a few guest appearances to boost Bonnie up. Plus, a little shoutout to another favourite character of mine XD
So for now, that shall be all for the second chapter. Stay tuned for the next one!