Have you played through the entire series of the Pokestar movies with F-00? If you have, you'll probably already have a guess at the ending will go… but will I stay consistent with that ending? You'll have to see.

This is a story that starts with a certain inventor…

The love he felt for F-00, the robot with a heart, was strong, possibly even too strong for his own good.

Unable to cope any longer with the situation, his assistant had finally betrayed him; F-00 was taken away and re-programmed, its memory having been seemingly erased for good.

In its new state, F-00 had soon gone into a destructive rampage, attacking its creator. After a harsh struggle, he had been able to put a stop to the unruly robot for the time being.

Was there still hope for himself and F-00? He wanted to believe…

%%%

"NATE… NATE…"

That high-pitched, cheerful voice… how long had it been since he had been treated to hearing it?

"NATE…"

The boy opened his eyes and sat up from his lying position, turning his head to locate the speaker addressing him.

He didn't immediately find the source of the voice, but a survey of his surroundings had revealed to him something else. The lush meadows that seemed to extend well beyond all directions of his field of vision, the small population of pastel-shaded flowers that scattered their petals in the wind, and the graduation of pink to orange that filled the sky, where the sun was making its ascent… He wasn't in the lab anymore. In fact, he didn't quite know where he was. Even so, this painting-esque landscape seemed somehow familiar to him, an orphaned memory tied to no place in his past.

As his eyes wandered down to his own body, he also noticed that he was no longer wearing the lab coat he hadn't changed for days, having been substituted by a simple attire of a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts. Was it possible that he had been exiled from the lab, to wander forever in this far-off place? Nate tried to arrange the pieces of this puzzle in his mind, but to no avail. There was obviously some vital information somewhere that he had missed out on… but if he had to make this his new home, he was grateful to have been left somewhere tranquil, an area where he was free to do as he pleased.

Off to one hill in the distance, the boy eyed an inconsistent speck of color; a gleaming bead of gold against the pale green of the grassy knoll. It was his curiosity that led him closer and closer to that unusual anomaly, wondering whether he would have any of his questions answered. Once he had approached closely enough, he could see for himself what he was chasing after, and he suddenly inhaled deeply, not knowing just what to expect as he spoke.

"F-00… is that you?" His question preceded silence, but no words were needed as the answer became clear.

Shifting its small cup-like feet, the robot turned itself around; Nate could see that it was tightly holding some lumpy, rounded objects within its thin arms, but that was not what had caught his attention. Back when they were in the lab, Nate had always told F-00 that it was impolite to stare at faces, but in this moment it seemed almost necessary for his mind to verify what he was seeing.

"F-00… I AM F-00."

He looked deeply into the black face screen, a reflected smaller version of himself staring back, barely visible beyond the robot's luminous rounded eyes, small nose and smiling mouth. The docile, emerald-green face, that never failed to put a smile on the boy's own, had finally returned… or had it even left to begin with?

Nate thought back, to that day when he had been locked alone in the empty room… He could so vividly remember everything that had happened; the scornful expression on Manuelo's face as he gave his harsh lecture, the assistant's warped, grotesque rendition of F-00, and how it had been ordered to make the boy suffer… The entire experience had been devastatingly excruciating in so many ways, and yet it had now become so easy for him to forget the pain of it all among this verdant paradise, in the company of his robotic friend and lover.

"I'm so glad you're okay, F-00… When Manuelo changed you, I thought I lost you forever, but now…"

The robot raised a wiry arm as Nate began to struggle for words, partially spilling to the grass the bushel of berries it had gathered. "EVERYTHING IS OKAY NOW. F-00 AND NATE WILL STAY HERE."

One of the dropped berries started to roll towards the boy, and without thinking he began to pick the runaway fruit up, shortly pausing before bringing the berry to his mouth and sinking his teeth into the flesh, its mildly sweet tang filling his palate as he consumed the food. Once he had finished eating, he watched as F-00 began to reach at the ground, gathering the dropped berries into a small pile. While the robot worked at this task, Nate began to think about his current situation, and how he would spend his days to come.

Would he leave this place – if that was even possible; there seemed to be nothing but flowery field in the horizon – and attempt to search for civilization? Or would he simply stay put, permanently residing in these plains with F-00? There really was no reason to leave, so long as there was enough food… and F-00 seemed to know where to procure the berries he would need.

"Yes, F-00. We'll stay here. It'll be just you and I." With those words, the boy brought F-00 in for a deep embrace, his arms trapped as tightly as possible around the robot's metallic body.

This new existence he would now lead seemed simple, but as long as he had a companion to share his life with, that would not matter; everything would still be perfect.

But nothing is ever perfect…

%%%

Nate opened his eyes, and, while lying on his back, bent his head down to look forward.

Gone were the fields blanketed in fragrant flowers and the reunion with the friendly robot… now replaced with the more familiar location of his lab bedroom. Remnants of pain had also returned to him in his waking state; the aching and injuries were faint, but provided enough suggestion for the boy to stay lying down. He dropped his head upon the pillow with a muffled thump, fighting the urge to shiver, even as he was covered in more layers of blankets than usual. Cold… why was he so cold?

Thinking back to the previous day, he was able to remember the final moments of that disastrous episode, before he had blacked out and entered that painfully sweet dream; in desperation, he had told Cryogonal to unleash a freezing Blizzard attack to put a stop to the re-programmed robot's rampage, inevitably freezing himself in the process. Somehow, he had been thawed from his icy prison and returned to safety…

But how had that been possible, and what of Cryogonal and F-00?

Nate could hear the door's knob turn before it opened, and he feared for a fleeting moment that Manuelo had returned when he was most vulnerable, completely helpless to withstand a repeat attack from his dreadful rendition of F-00. His worries were soon quelled, however, when he didn't see the stern middle-aged man; instead, the calmly smiling face of a younger woman, holding a paper cup, gradually entered his view.

"…Simone?" His parched throat strained slightly as he spoke.

"Oh, Nate," she replied, the relief in her eyes visible, "I'm so glad you're awake! When I saw you frozen in the room, I didn't know what to think!" The doting assistant brought the cup to Nate's dry mouth, and slowly poured the water inside, sating his thirst.

Swallowing the tepid water, Nate breathed heavily, "Thanks… How did you find me? I was locked in there, I couldn't get out…"

"Hmm, I'd better explain what happened." Simone pulled up the chair at the boy's desk, and sat down. "You see, when I finally came back to the lab, I could feel that the air was a little colder than normal, and I had to investigate it. When I heard something knocking at the door of that room, I unlocked it, and I saw Cryogonal, and the ice it made to freeze you and your robot."

The assistant's tone remained impersonal, but her hands fought the urge to curl into fists as she recounted the next part, "As I headed to the storage to find a Fire Pokemon, I bumped into Manuelo, and I asked him if he knew anything about what had just happened… and that's when he told me about what you and F-00 did, and what he did to try fixing it."

Nate turned his head away, in embarrassment and shame. "It's true though. I… I did delete the blueprints, and I did treat F-00 like a sex toy… What I did was awful, and I'm sorry."

Simone simply shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. I may not entirely agree with what you did with F-00, but I do know that you're still a child, and you needed someone you could closely relate to… But what Manuelo did was completely unnecessary. Something came over him when he locked you in there, and I'll have to get to the bottom of it the next time I see him. Right now, though, I'm afraid we have a more serious problem, Professor. It's about F-00…"

Exercising his muscles, Nate sat up, still on the bed. "What happened to it?"

Simone explained, "When I used the Pokemon to melt the ice holding you, I had defrosted the robot in the process, and its generator started to run again. I had to get you out of the room before it was able to run at full power… By altering its memory, Manuelo had made the robot unstable, and if it manages to escape, it could end up hurting everyone in the lab…"

The young scientist was still shivering, even as he immediately stood to his feet, and started changing into a fresh set of clothing. Throwing on a clean lab coat, he looked to his assistant and told her, "I need to save F-00…"

After having carefully selected the Pokemon he would use to assist him for this operation, Nate took a deep breath, and unlocked the door to the empty room, slightly unsettled as unrestrained banging noises were heard from inside. Opening the door, mixed emotions had overtaken him as he looked upon his robotic friend in its current state.

No longer were F-00's limbs contorted beyond their natural length, and every other aspect of the robot appeared more or less normal… apart from its screens, which still glowed with a deep shade of red, which Nate noticed as the robot's gaze met his own, while its limbs flailed at whatever they could hit.

"F-00?!" Nate exclaimed. Its condition had somehow improved… maybe F-00 could be fixed.

The robot's purposeless thrashing ceased as it turned to the boy. "Beep bzzt… NATE? NATE…" Its face screen flickered oddly as it spoke, flashing sporadically between blankness, jumbled patterns… and a flash of green? Nate wondered if his eyes were deceiving him as he reached for his Poke Ball.

"F-00… IS IN PAIN. NATE… MUST STOP F-00. BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE… BEFORE F-00 LOSES CONTROL…" Nate knew that the robot had retained some memories, but the reboot from being frozen may just have been what it needed to get back on the proper track. He needed to find a way to safely repair F-00… then that glorious dream could be made real. As he opened the Poke Ball, a white, ursine Pokemon emerged from the capsule, coated with thick fur that seemed to radiate a cooling air.

With Beartic's help, Nate could freeze the robot in place again, without getting frozen himself this time. "F-00… I need to repair you. Please, stay still so I can freeze you." F-00 attempted to obey, its frame shaking as it stopped moving, but its willpower proved too weak, and it charged headlong towards the icy Pokemon, emitting harsh beeps and buzzes.

"NO GOOD… NATE MUST DESTROY F-00… Beep beep boop beep…" The robot struck at the Beartic with all the effort it could muster; the polar bear Pokemon assumed a guarding position to defend itself as it awaited attacking orders.

"D-destroy you? No, F-00, I won't let that happen…" There had to be some other way, he thought. What kind of friend would he be to destroy the one he loved most? "Beartic… Ice Punch!" At the scientist's command, Beartic roared as its large fist glowed with white energy as it charged the attack, before throwing the punch at the robot's feet, gluing its legs to the ground with a solid layer of ice, preventing it from moving.

"NATE… NATE… PLEASE STOP F-00…" the robot fidgeted in an attempt to break free, its face screen flickering rapidly from green to red.

Nate's heart seemed to stammer at hearing its pleas. If he were to dismantle F-00, he would lose the only being who he had ever truly loved, the one warmth in this cold and indifferent world of science. Yet, he could hear for himself the way it was begging to be ended, the pain almost tangible in its fading, digital voice. The decision was growing more difficult to make as the scientist saw the robot's icy fetters crack from beneath its feet, and he noticed a change in F-00's expression; for the first time, its face screen displayed brief flashes of an unhappy frown, images of tears dropping from its small, round eyes. If he truly cared for his metallic friend, he would have to do as it wanted… even if it meant the end of their relationship.

"F-00… I love you." The boy closed his eyes, hoping to hold his emotions inside. As he fought against every instinct that begged, implored him to refuse this battle, he shouted, "Beartic! Brick Break… now!" before turning his head away, unable to bear witness as the bear Pokemon smashed F-00 free from the ice with an unrestrained blow in its chest , cracking the screen on its abdomen, the one that displayed its dying, robotic heart. Once Nate heard the crash of the chassis collapsing to the ground, he too felt as though his own heart had been struck.

"NATE… THANK YOU…"

Nate desperately ran to the robot's aid, kneeling down at its damaged body. F-00's final moment was close, but for some reason, its face was smiling, even as tears from the boy began to drip on to its surface.

"F-00…" Words were beginning to fail Nate as the smile became intermittent, peeking through complete blankness.

"NATE… LOVES F-00. F-00 LOVES NATE… AND F-00 WILL ALWAYS LOVE NATE, FOREVER…" The robot couldn't even move its arms or legs anymore, as it began to slowly twitch. "FOREVER… FOREVER… FOR…" The voice gradually faded as the robot's face screen stopped displaying anything altogether. Its time had come to an end, and all Nate could do was kiss the robot's unmoving head as he held the body around his arms, crying uncontrollably.

He had stopped F-00 from causing more damage, but he had lost his only friend.

%%%

After some time, my assistant had come to see if I had been successful in stopping F-00, but all she saw was a boy sobbing over a dead robot, and she had nothing else to say.

I tried to put the whole incident behind me as I began to catch up on my research, but my hurting heart just wasn't in it. Perhaps it was because all this work in the lab could only remind me of building F-00, or the grief was simply eating away at my willpower, but I couldn't work anymore, and I was of no further use to the lab, thereby prompting me to leave. I didn't know if the lab had managed to save itself from bankruptcy, but not once did I ever see any of Manuelo's robots being sold in any shops.

I needed to distance myself entirely from the world of science and research, and renew my life, starting from a clean slate. With some luck, I was able to find a place to stay, and I lived as a normal kid, going to school, raising Pokemon, making friends…

I had made a lot of friends over the coming years of my life, some lasting longer than others, and I thought that I would eventually be able to forget the pain I had felt that day when I had to part with my F-00, the robot who had been my very first friend, and more… but I guess some memories can never be forgotten.

F-00 was the one who had helped me learn what love is, and I am forever grateful to it for that.

I wonder if someday, I will be able to find another person for me to share my feelings, and my life, as I had done with my robot with a heart…