Serena and Sweetheart make their way through Avance Trail. Sweetheart makes short work out of any Pokémon that crosses their path, be it a Pidgey or a Fletchling. Along the way, they meet up with Shauna and Calem.
"Oh! Hi, Serena!" Shauna says, noticing them first. Calem turns to her and waves. Shauna continues, "Come learn how to catch Pokémon with me! Calem's mom and dad are amazing Trainers! That's why he knows so much about catching Pokémon and battling."
"You can talk about my parents if you want, but it doesn't have anything to do with me," Calem clarifies. "I'm going to show you how to catch one now, so watch carefully!" He points his finger in emphasis at Shauna. Serena watches in amusement; she's seen so many different people catch Pokémon and they've shown her different techniques and different Pokéballs to use. Calem's technique is rather normal. He only threw the ball.
"Wow!" exclaims Shauna. "The Pokémon went INSIDE the Pokéball?!"
Calem runs out of the grass and back to the girl in question. "Seriously, Shauna? Did you forget already? Your Chespin is in a Pokéball, right?" He shakes his head, but he isn't annoyed. "Anyway, I'll share some Pokéballs with you two.
"Thanks," Serena says, "but I don't plan on using them unless the Pokémon wants to come with me."
"Pokéballs!" sings Shauna. "Do you think I can catch Pokémon with them, too?"
"If you throw a Pokéball at a Pokémon around here, you'll probably catch it," Calem answers.
"Okay! If I find a cute Pokémon, I'll throw lots of Pokéballs at it, and then we'll become friends!"
Calem rolls his eyes. "Catching a wild Pokémon makes your Pokémon stronger, too. Be seeing you." He runs ahead into the forest. Shauna stays with Serena, the two choosing to journey together for now.
What other Pokémon should I catch? Serena wonders. I don't know the Pokémon here like I do in Kanto. Some are the same, but it makes no sense since Kanto is thousands of miles away. No way could they have migrated all that way. Before they realize it, Serena and Shauna enter the Santalune forest.
Trees line the forest floor. Thin paths made of dirt outline the way to go, some hidden by the growing grass. Fletchling and Pidgey chirp in the trees. In the distance, trainers can be heard battling, but the foliage drowns out the noise of all but the Pokémon cries.
Along the way, they find Trevor, Tierno, and Calem, the three boys exploring on their own. Several trainers challenge Serena to a battle and several Pokémon appear from the trees to fight Sweetheart. With Shauna healing Sweetheart, none of them succeed.
"How do you know when another Pokémon wants to be on your team?" Serena asks.
"When it's cute and it pops out at you!" Shauna answers. "My team is going to be full of cute Pokémon."
"You're just looking at them based on surface value. What if they evolve and they aren't cute anymore? Will you still keep them?"
"Of course 'cause they'll be my friends!"
It just doesn't feel right, Serena thinks. None of the Pokémon here are right.
By the time they get to the exit, Calem literally ran circles around them. Serena thinks he's ridiculous, Sweetheart finds him amusing, and Shauna didn't notice.
"Tierno," Serena begins when she finds him in the tall grass, "How do you pick Pokémon for your team?"
"I look for the ones with the best moves," he says, looking around. "I wonder what kind of dance works best for a crew with Pokémon in it."
That makes sense, but I don't think he was talking about Pokémon moves.
"I really wanted to catch a Pikachu," Shauna says after a while, "but I haven't seen a single one..."
"You're sure they live in this forest?"
"Yeah! Calem told me."
"Maybe we'll find one."
"I hope so!"
The girls keep searching for both a Pikachu and the exit to the forest. They find the exit first, leaving the search for Pikachu for another day. Calem runs through the grass behind them right as they are about to leave.
"So, you got here first," he says to Serena. "Seems like I'm neighbors with someone who has a lot of potential."
"Thanks." Serena rubs Sweetheart's head. "We wouldn't have made it here if it weren't for my Fennekin."
Trevor and Tierno catch up with them, Trevor panting as he had to run faster to keep up with Tierno because of his small legs.
"The way Pokémon move-it's just incredible!" Tierno proclaims. "I want to show off some of that spirit when I dance!"
"Tierno…" Trevor cautions. "Could you think about something besides how Pokémon move for once?"
Shauna stops them before they start an argument. "We're all here! Let's go to Santalune City!"
As a group, they walk onto Ouvert Way.
"What are you all going to do?" Shauna asks.
"Why, look for Pokémon, of course," Trevor answers immediately. "The professor did ask us to complete the Pokédex, after all. And furthermore, different Pokémon prefer living in different places. To put it another way, it's a chance to find different Pokémon than the ones in the forest!"
"I'll bet different Pokémon will use different moves." Tierno sways when he speaks, moving along to a melody in his head. "I sure want to see lots of moves."
Shauna turns to the boy next to her. "What are you gonna do, Calem?"
"I'm going to go to Santalune City's Gym and take on the Gym Leader. So you know, Pokémon Trainers test their strength by battling with the Gym Leaders in each Pokémon Gym," he explains.
"Wow! You sure know a lot!"
"I learned a lot from others." Like his parents. "Here, I have something for you guys-'Adventure Rules.' I wrote down 10 different tips every Trainer should know." After giving one booklet to each of his friends, Calem runs ahead.
Shauna immediately flips through hers. "Oh, this is great!" She puts the book away and turns to the rest of the group. "I'm going to spend some time getting to know my Li'l Chespin! What are you going to do, Serena?"
"I'm not sure yet," Serena says. In Kanto, her goal was to see the cities she read about and to be the best trainer ever. She wanted to one day surpass Gold and Red. She already knew about the 150 Pokémon who lived there, so there was nothing left to discover. Here, however, she doesn't know anything about any of the cities. Kalos is in the shape of a star, not a square she was used to. She doesn't know who the Champion is or how the Elite Four are set up. Almost none of the Pokémon are familiar to her. How can she go on an adventure while focusing on being her best, helping the professor with his Pokédex, and one day surpassing those who came before her? She'll never fully complete the Pokédex.
Serena doubts she'd be able to even beat Calem. Both his parents were skilled Pokémon trainers who taught him everything he knows. He's grown up in this region and knows where all the gyms are and what type of Pokémon exist and where they are. I'm just a failure with a father who could never spend enough time with her and a mother who left to be a Rhyhorn Racer.
Tierno has his life planned out too. He knows he wants to make a dance troupe out of Pokémon. He's already caught a couple from what I can see.
Trevor is focused on the Pokédex. He's probably working to be the next professor. He's been doing this for a while too.
And Shauna… Shauna doesn't have a care in the world. She only cares about her Pokémon, not what she'll be. She's immature and doesn't know much about the world, but she doesn't care.
How can I compete with them?
"I suppose I'll find out along the way," Serena says, sparing them her emotional turmoil. She runs ahead with Sweetheart and avoids looking at the other trainers. When she knows she's alone, she sits down and cries. Sweetheart puts his front paws on her knees, reaching for her face and licking away her tears.
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart," she says. "I'm sorry you picked such a bad trainer. It's only our first day and I'm crying and I'm sorry. You should've picked Calem instead of me. He's going places. I'm just nothing."
Sweetheart barks in protest, nuzzling her face. When she lowers her hands from her eyes, he licks her tears, trying to will the sadness away. Serena buries her face in his fur and Sweetheart purrs. They sit like that as the sun sets.
Rustling grass behind them startles Serena. She hastily wipes her eyes before she turns around, finding Calem.
"Serena?" he asks. "What's wrong?" He kneels on the ground next to her. "Are you hurt? You're crying."
"I'm fine," she says, her voice shaking. Sweetheart barks in protest.
"Obviously, you're not." His eyes darken. "Is it about your father?"
"What? How do you-"
"Your mom came to my house about a week after you moved here. Said your dad sent you here because some crazy stuff was happening in Kanto. She was looking for advice on how to cheer you up. Shauna and I tried helping, but… Anyways, did something happen with your dad, or are you afraid of finding out if something did?"
"I am now. Thanks." Serena scoops Sweetheart into her arms, holding him close. What if something did happen to Dad? What if Team Rocket decided he wasn't working hard enough? What if they found out he talked to Mom? What if they find out about me and try to use me against him? What if-
"-rena? Serena? Calm down. It's okay. You're okay. Breathe with me, okay? Breathe in for four seconds."
Serena inhales, holding Sweetheart tighter.
"Hold your breath for seven seconds."
She clenches her eyes, trying not to cry.
"Breathe out for eight seconds."
Serena exhales, loosening her hold on Sweetheart. Calem walks her though breathing two more times, calming her down.
"Better?"
Serena nods, not trusting her voice.
"Do you want me to see if there are any updates in Kanto on the Holo Caster? We can watch it together.
When Serena nods again, Calem sits next to her. His Holo Caster turns on to news about Lumiose City and an apparent blackout pandemic. He switches the transmission from Kalos to Kanto, searching for the most recent update.
"Officer Jenny and the Pokémon Rangers have taken refuge in Viridian City. They and their Pokémon are acting as a standing army against the invading threat from Pewter City. The hope is that they will either have enough time to evacuate citizens to Johto or to even push back and recover Pewter City. Cinnabar Island is protected as well with Gym Leader Blaine commanding a group of trainers from Cinnabar Island. So far, Team Rocket has made no effort to advance by sea…"
"Is there anything about Saffron City?" Serena asks.
Calem glances at her, gauging her reaction, before scrolling through the newsfeed, searching for Saffron specifically. "Nothing since a few days ago," he says. When she frowns, he continues, "No news is good news, right, Rena?"
Serena stares at him.
"Sorry. Can I call you 'Rena'? It's just your name, but shorter, so it's not like the nicknames everyone else suggested earlier… I probably shouldn't have. You did say that you preferred your own name…"
"Rena's fine," Serena says.
"Really?"
"Yeah. You can call me Rena."
"Okay." Calem puts his Holo Caster away. "Wanna tell me what made you cry earlier?"
"I was just…" Serena leans away from him, petting Sweetheart on the head. Sweetheart leans into Serena's hand, but watches Calem. "...just feeling bad about myself. There's nothing you can do."
"Rena, I meant what I said in the forest. You have a lot of potential."
"Ha. That doesn't mean anything when I don't stack up to anyone else."
"You don't have to compare yourself to us. We're your friends. It's not a competition."
Serena hums, not believing him.
"I'm serious. If I have to teach you what friendship is between people, then I will spend this entire journey being your friend."
"We'll see, Calem. We'll see."
With Serena in a better mood and the sun about to set, Calem stands and helps Serena to her feet. "Let's head to the Pokémon Center. They'll let us stay the night for free and they'll feed our Pokémon in the morning. Okay?"
"Lead the way."
Together, they walk into Santalune City and into the Pokémon Center. Since they arrived so late, there was only one room left with two open beds. Serena elects to sleep outside since she's already burdened Calem enough today, but Calem insists she stays. "Friends don't force friends to sleep outside," he says. With no other option, Serena stays.
"Goodnight, Serena," Calem whispers when she turns the light off.
"Night, Calem," she answers back.
The next day, Serena wakes up to an empty room. Calem's bed is made, his backpack gone. On her bedside table is a note.
I didn't want to disturb you. You looked like you could use the sleep. I'm challenging the Gym later today. You should try it if you don't have plans. When you're ready to leave, just give the room key to Nurse Joy. She'll take care of everything else.
~Calem
Serena puts the note down when her stomach grumbles. Sweetheart-who had been resting in the crook of her arms under the covers-whines when he sees the sunlight and tries to burrow under the covers. "It's morning, Sweetheart," Serena says, ignoring his protests and setting him on her lap. "I want to sleep too, but we can't stay here."
Serena rubs her calves, wincing at how tight they are. She gets to work brushing Sweetheart's fur and changing out of her pajamas. They eat breakfast before stepping outside, seeing Santalune City for the first time in daylight.
"It sure is pretty," Serena says, staring at the Roselia fountain.
"Watch out!" someone shouts at her as they skate past, nearly knocking her over. "Sorry! I'm late!"
Serena rolls her eyes. "Let's just see if we can find the Gym."
Serena and Sweetheart wander up and down the boulevard, travelling the road clearly marked. They pass by a Trainer's school full of students learning. To the left, not too far from the school, is the Gym. It blends in with the stucco and brick, the only outwardly indication that it's more than what it seems being the yellow sign outside. Blocking the doorway is the skater from earlier. The skater blushes when she notices Serena.
"I'm so sorry! I was in a hurry to help Viola and I totally lost track of time," she says.
"Right. Can I-"
"I don't expect you to forgive me, but please take these!" the skater interrupts, handing a pair of rollerblades to Serena. "I've gotta jet-I promised to help teach some children how to skate. Those skates attach to your shoes. Bye!"
Serena stares at the skates in her hands. Before she can say anything, the skater disappears. Serena signs, smiling. "Can't look a gift Ponyta in the mouth."
Tucking the skates in her bag, Serena enters the Santalune City Gym. It's like a museum in here. She wanders over to one of the pictures on the wall when a man walks up to her.
"What's the hustle, little Crustle?" he greets. Serena cringes at the bad rhyme. "Welcome to the Santalune City Gym."
"Thanks."
"So, future Champ, this'll be your first time challenging a Gym, huh?"
Future Champ? "Yeah. My friend, Calem-"
"Are you thrilled? Are you pumped?" The man ignores Serena's responses. "You should be! No worries here! You've got Pokémon on your side! And really, they're the ones who are gonna be doing all the battling. Am I right or am I right? Right?"
Serena plasters a grin on her face and nods along. If every Gym is going to be like this, I don't think I want to do them.
The man turns away. "Anyways, jump on that pole there-" he points to one hidden between two large photographs of Metapod and Butterfree "-and you'll be on your way to where the Gym Leader's a-waitin' for you!"
"Thank you," says Serena. "I suppose I should-"
"Whoops!" the man interrupts. "But wait! Before you go, I'm supposed to tell you something! Everybody in this Pokémon Gym uses Bug-type Pokémon. Got it?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you. I'll be on my way now. Take care. Goodbye," Serena prattles as she reaches the pole, hooking her legs around it and sliding down. She lands in the middle of a spiderweb-shaped trampoline. "Woah." Small barriers block her feet from walking through the trampoline straight to the Gym Leader, forcing her to walk on the web's lines. She and Sweetheart battle three trainers, each stronger than the last. Bug-type, however, is very weak to Fire-type; the battles are a cinch.
Leader Viola, however, is another story. "My lense is always focused on victory-I won't let anything ruin this shot!" she shouts as she takes a picture of Sweetheart. The sudden flash of light distracts them both when Viola brings out her Surskit.
Sweetheart slips on the wood surface when Surskit uses water sport, but he howls when he stands and traps the Surskit in a fiery vortex. Surskit puts out the fire with its bubbles. Before it can attack again, Sweetheart uses psybeam and knocks it out of the field, rendering it unable to battle.
They don't celebrate for long; Viola calls out her Vivillon. Though beautiful and graceful, Vivillon can't escape Sweetheart's fire spin. Sweetheart howls, boosting his confidence. Vivillon tackles Sweetheart but misses, giving Sweetheart the opportunity to counter with more fire. Vivillon falls to the ground, defeated.
"Serena, you…" Viola corrects herself. "No, it wasn't you alone. You and your Fennekin have shown me a whole new depth of field! Fantastic! Just fantastic!" Viola says, taking more pictures of Sweetheart. She flips down the shutter on her camera. An assistant hands her a box and she takes out a beetle-shaped badge. "This is the Bug Badge. This commemorates your win against a pro photographer like me!"
Serena searches through her bag for her badge case. She saw it in there that morning. It's different from the ones in Kanto. Taking the Bug Badge, she snaps it in place.
"Now then," Viola continues. "Can you zoom in a bit to check out the tent behind me? Take the stairs that you find beyond it, and you'll be back up to the entrance faster than a flash!" Viola stretches her arms in the air after Serena passes. "Two trainers in a day and it's all before lunch!"
Serena follows the staircase back into the museum. The man from earlier blocks her path, appearing to gloat when he stops her. "Whoa-ho-ho! Wouldja look at that Bug Badge! Nice! Very nice, future Champ!"
Please stop calling me that. The likelihood that I will ever be Champion is statistically improbable , especially since I still don't know where the Elite Four even is!
"I bet that schmancy-pants professor who gave you your first Pokémon'd be amazed to see it!" he continues, not seeing Serena's reaction. "After you heal up your Pokémon in the Pokémon Center, why don'tcha head on up to the Pokémon Lab in Lumiose City and show it to him, huh?"
"Sure," Serena says, drawing out the vowel. She hurries out of his way and runs to the door. Tierno waits for her outside.
"I saw you go in earlier. Did you win?" he asks.
Serena nods, showing him the badge in its case.
"That's so cool! I bet those bug Pokémon had some awesome moves. I heard Viola has a Vivillon. It's so cool!"
They walk together to the other end of the city. "This is the way to Lumiose," Tierno mentions. "I think Calem and Shauna went on ahead. You should go on without me. I wanna see that Vivillon's moves!"
Serena waves to Tierno when he returns to Santalune. "I guess we're on our own now, Sweetheart."
Unlike back in Kanto, the Kalos region isn't as hot. Serena hardly breaks a sweat when she wanders through the flowers and hedge mazes. In the flowers, she spots small Pokémon clinging to petals. She hardly ever notices them, but Sweetheart tries to chase after them when he sees them. They don't ever go to the hedge mazes. Geometric gardens, she corrects. She learned the name from one of the gardeners. Aside from getting lost in the foliage, the route is straightforward.
At the gate to the next town, two people in white clothes block the entrance. The male is blond and wears a blue ascot. The female has purple hair and wears a red ascot. Their conversation trails off when she nears.
"Hello there!" the male says, noticing Sweetheart. "Have you ever heard of a Pokémon called Flabébé?"
"No," Serena answers.
"Oh! I see. Flabébé is a Pokémon that can be caught in the flowers."
"Flabébé is-now brace yourself-a Fairy-type Pokémon!" the female interjects.
"Fairy-type is a new Pokémon that was-"
"This turned the entire type-matchup system on its head!"
The male turns to his companion, annoyed at her interruption.
"And," she continues, ignoring him, "We've been battling Fairy-type Pokémon against other types of Pokémon at Professor Sycamore's request. My name's Sina! It's a beautiful name for a beautiful lady!" She winks as she says this.
"I'm Dexio," introduces Dexio. "Two years ago, Professor Sycamore entrusted me with a Pokédex. You could call me a Pokémon-voyage veteran."
"If you'd like," Sina adds, "I'll show you the way to the lab. So, come along now!"
"Umm…" Serena hesitates.
"You'll get lost in Lumiose city otherwise. There's a bit of a power outage right now. Besides, the professor's waiting for you."
"Okay."
"Okay! Let's get this show on the road!" Sina takes the lead, Dexio on her heels. Serena smiles at Sweetheart and steps into the City of Light.
Serena's current team:
Sweetheart (Fennekin)
I might have to start posting these every other week because the chapters keep getting longer and I'm no longer as far ahead as I was previously.
~Bridgett