Serena and Shauna: Girls of Chaos
Chapter Two
"You get to choose your first Pokemon now," Professor Sycamore says.
I watch as Serena sees with delight for the first time the trio of Pokemon from which she gets to select one. There is a fox with fiery tufts emerging from its ears, a frog creature with a strange nose, and a weird hedgehog freak I don't care for.
At that moment, someone runs in.
"Sorry to have not been here sooner, Professor."
It is Trevor, another of our acquaintances. He is out-of-breath, and he's eyeing the hedgehog creature with desire.
"Serena gets the first pick," Professor Sycamore says. "Then you two can choose."
Trevor stands on his toes anxiously hoping Serena will not select the hedgehog. I'm certain that's what he's thinking, particularly given that he's repeating a mantra under his breath, "Don't take Chespin, don't take Chespin."
I'm sure Serena's lovely ears hear it too, as she doesn't even give the hedgehog another glance.
She strokes the Froakie's skin and it stares back at her. She is mesmerized by it.
"I'm taking this one," she says.
"Superb choice," says Professor Sycamore.
"Chespin's mine then!" Trevor exclaims, gleefully coming forward to scoop up the hedgehog Pokemon, who subsequently flays him with his wings.
"Hey, I'm your trainer! Don't attack me!"
"He doesn't recognize you as your trainer yet. Give him time."
"Guess I'm stuck with Fennekin," I say.
"Is that such a terrible thing?" Serena asks.
"No. Fennekin is perfecto."
"Water types are strong against Fire, and Fire against Grass. But there are many surprises in these critters' future, if you take them all the way."
I sit on my knees and pat my lap for Fennekin to hop in, which she presently does.
"Serena, there's another matter I wish to discuss with you. My friend Professor Juniper from Unova is waiting in a back room in my lab. If you could go see her…"
"I'm here, Sycamore. The back of your lab is full of Corphish running around."
A woman with a green shirt under her white lab coat appears. She looks very young for a professor.
"You must be Serena," she says to me, smiling. "I'm Professor Juniper."
"Actually, I'm Shauna," I say, though it's in a choked voice that I'm not sure anyone hears it.
"This is Serena," Trevor says, holding up my girlfrien'd hand as though it were a prize in a Darumaka-Bunnelby match. He then kisses it fondly and she shivers away from him.
"Oh, sorry. Professor Sycamore just mentioned a girl and I assumed…"
Professor Juniper turns her attention to Serena. "Come with me. There's something Sycamore and I wish to demonstrate to you."
"Should I take Froakie?"
"Leave him. You can get him later."
For some reason, Professor Juniper looks sad as she gazes upon the frog Pokemon, as if she isn't too cheerful about its future, the way Professor Sycamore is.
When Professor Juniper and Serena have gone I feel that the Froakie is the one thing in the room that keeps her near, for I need Serena to live…my Serena, darling, precious, wonderful…
It's a moment before I notice that Trevor is staring at me with bug eyes.
"What?"
"I've been waiting for eons to be alone with your, Shauna. I wanted to tell you that your teeth are bedazzling, so much so that I cannot resist them."
He leans forward just as I leap back and knock over a case full of Pokeballs.
"Now, now, there'll be plenty of time love-making later," said Professor Sycamore. He had left after Professor Juniper and Serena but had clearly returned. "These are your pokedexes," he said, slipping a device into my hand. "Use it t identify Pokemon you have never encountered before. It's how people know not to call a Swirlix 'Connonlicker' when they meet it, unless they choose that as a nickname for catching it. But people aren't genetically implanted with every single Pokemon's name, you know…and it would be too much of a hassle to keep having to ask people what Pokemon are called. So this device was created to ease the issue."
I aim the Pokedex at Froakie, because I only want to think of Serena, and as Froakie is her Pokemon, it is the one I need to know the most about.
"Froakie. The Bubble Forg Pokemon. Froakie like to bounce in large puddles and splash people, particularly near caves. Froakie die if they do not evolve before crossing the IceGlamer Rapids if they are in the wild, living in the inhabitanhabitat wild Froakie have chosen. Froakie in captivity do not need to evolve because they are lured away from the ice caps where their wild counterparts gathers."
"Yuck. Why is talking about Froakie dying?"
"Because that's what happens in the wild, dear. But you don't want to worry about this Froakie here perishing. That won't happen until it has reached its ultimate evolution stage."
"What do you mean?"
"I just mean that I'll die eventually…"
I wonder if Professor Sycamore si hiding something. But at that moment Serena returns. She is looking down at the ground. I run over to take her hands and squeeze. I look up into her face, resting my head rest on her chest.
"Our journey begins today," I say.
"Or it ended yesterday," said Serena.
"What?"
"Nothing," she says, shrugging. Let's get our Pokemon and set out."
Professor Sycamore hands her a Pokedex as well. Then he gives her a Pokeball, which he tells her belongs to Froakie.
Next he hands me a green Pokeball for Fennekin.
"Why green?" I ask.
"If ever in your journey you meet a girl named Green, you'll know why."
"Why would anyone name their daughter that?" I ask.
"Don't worry about it," Serena says. "We'll never have a daughter, unless some means of parthenogenesis is invented."
"You two crack me up," Trevor said. "Selena is meant for Calem, and you're meant for me." He is gazing into my eyes as he says this. I turn away.
"Serena! Is that really you?"
I turn around and see a boy with black hair. He has a Pikachu on his shoulder. Fancy boy, not walking in with all his Pokemon properly contained in Pokeballs, like he should.
Serena stares at him, and a smile breaks out on her face. "Ash Ketchum, come to see me, are you"
"I came to Kalos to become a Pokemon master. Never thought I'd run into you again."
"Well, I'm fifteen now, and by Kalosian law a Pokemon trainer cannot attain their license until they're fifteen."
"Wow. I've been a Pokemon trainer since I was ten."
"What region are you from?" Trevor asks.
"Kanto.
"Oh. That place. I've read up on it. Caves full of Diglett and seas full of Tentacool. So you've got moles in your dirt and poison in your water."
"Now, now, Trevor, be kind to the Kantonian. You don't want to incur his wrath now, do you?"
"The only thing that is here which keeps me going is Shauna," Trevor says. "Once she is my girlfriend, I will be the happiest guy on the planet."
Trevor then backs out of the library, bumping his head on an overhead projector.
"Are you Shauna?" Ash queries of me.
"That would be my name."
"You're absorbingly cute. I can see why that guy wants you."
"Serena is my girlfriend," I declare.
"Oh?" Ask asks, his eyebrows raised. "I suppose puberty turned you that way, did it, Serene?"
"I lke who I like," Serena says. "And Shauna is sweet, and loving, and anyone who is against us being together, is not a friend of mine."
Shauna takes my hand and leads me out of the laboratory, heedless of Ash's cries. Soon we are outside. Then Serena takes me on to a sweetshop. We get frostshakes and dance the liagula, in celebration of our first day as Pokemon trainers.
When all the cheer has evaporated, hours later, we are seated ain a booth. Serena kisses my eyelashes, and we have a very enjoyable quiet moment together. Then curiosity gets the better of me.
"What did Professor Juniper want to talk to you about?"
"Um…I'm not sure you want to hear this, Shaun."
"Go on. Tell me."
"She wanted to give me another Pokemon."
"Oh, is that all? That's pretty cool."
Serena doesn't seem happy about it, though.
"What's wrong?"
"It's a Pokemon that Ash would know very well. Seeing as it is native to his region."
"Why are you mentioning Ash? He seemed a bit rude to me."
"He might not appreciate…us. But he is one of my oldest amigos."
"Still it is rather infuriating for him to speak to us like that."
"I know, but…."
"Show me your Pokemon. I want to see it."
Serena spins a Pokeball on the table, and out of it comes a two foot tall creature with a flame burning out of its tail.
"How neat! What's it's species name?"
"Charmander."
"That's so awesome. Glad to meet you, Charmander."
"Char, char."
Serena and I then find a place to rest for the night. We climb into separate sleeping bags, though I hope one day that I'll be in closer proximity to her during our sleeping time…