After giving a lesson to the three teenagers about catching new Pokémon, Professor Juniper gives each trainer a few Poké Balls and walks on ahead to Accumula Town. Kaminari shoves the spheres into her bag and immediately runs into the tall grass, ready for her first wild encounter. "Wait!" Bianca shouts. "I just came up with a fun game!"
Cheren carefully places the polished Poké Balls into his bag and groans at Bianca's suggestion. "Is this really a time for games? Professor Juniper is waiting for us up ahead. I think the two of you have kept enough people waiting already."
Kaminari, still dancing around in the grass with the autumn leaves, takes a handful of the dead plants and thrusts them towards Cheren as he saunters past. "Don't be such a downer, Four-eyes. Can't you just take a moment and soak all of this in?" A bunch of little rats dive out of her way as she rushes through the grass, smelling the pinecones and kicking up the leaves on the ground.
Cheren indignantly plucks a leaf from his hair and tosses it aside without a second thought. "Should I apologize for being more considerate of others than you?" he mutters and continues walking.
"You'll like this game, too, Cheren," Bianca states. "We just see who captures the most Pokémon by the end of this route. It's like a competition!"
"By definition, that is a competition. However, I suppose I'll take part in it." Cheren grips Snivy's Poké Ball in his palm. "After all, there's no reason not to prove my superiority to my rivals."
"Oh really?" Kaminari raises a full Poké Ball in the air, showing it off to a stunned Cheren. "Well, you'd better get to it, Professor's Pet, or you'll lose to someone who's only been to Juniper's lab once in sixteen years."
Frustrated and shocked, the boy storms off into another patch of grass, muttering something about being the Champion of Unova one day.
"Wow!" Bianca exclaims in awe. "Did you really catch a Pokémon that fast?"
Kaminari smirks and tosses the ball up and down casually. "Nah, this is Tsunami's ball." She marches off through the grass, already feeling victorious over her rival when something bites her on the toe. "Ow!" she shrieks and lifts her foot up to see one of the little rats from before glaring up at her with its striped, bulging eyes. "Gross…" The girl pulls out her Pokédex and scans the little brown creature. "Patrat, huh? Well, I guess I can't complete this thing without you, little guy. Alright Tsunami, it's time to shine!"
The teen whirls out the Poké Ball and out pops her Oshawott, whose battle cry doesn't faze the crazy rodent at all. "Use Tackle!" Tsunami, with a fierce look in his big eyes, leaps up and hits the Patrat with the full force of his tiny body. The two skid in the dirt, but Patrat is the first to rise. He uses Leer on the Oshawott, who backs up nervously.
"Oshawooott…"
"Is that all you've got?" Kaminari taunts. "Go for another Tackle, Tsunami!" Shaking the fear out of his head, the otter tackles the rat once more and rolls back onto his feet quickly.
"Pa-Patrat!" the rodent cries and springs forward, tackling Tsunami back. The Oshawott is a bit dazed by the hit, but still gets up after the Patrat jumps off of him. His trainer flings a Pokéball at the Patrat, and his form becomes white as he is sucked into the sphere. The ball shakes once, then a second time, then pops open. "Rat-rat!"
"What?" Kaminari asks, stunned. The Patrat leers again, and Tsunami shivers, nervous. "Not this time, you little rat!" She tosses another ball and watches it intensely as it shakes once, then twice, and finally three times. Tsunami waddles over to the sphere and observes it closely as it seals itself shut and quits shaking. "Yes!" Kaminari cheers as she scoops up the ball and tucks it into her bag. She picks up her proud Oshawott and holds him at eye level. "I'm sorry that didn't go as planned. Were you scared?" He smiles at his trainer and assures her by shaking his head side-to-side. "I knew you wouldn't be, my brave little buddy."
"Shaaa…" he gushes cutely. Kaminari sets him down and places him back in his Poké Ball before continuing down the path. No matter how long she runs around in the grass, she finds nothing but Patrat. As Tsunami becomes weaker and weaker from knocking out all those Pokémon and the sun sinks closer and closer to the horizon, Kaminari decides to leave Route One.
Cheren and Bianca wait at the very end of the route, the blonde playing with her energetic Tepig and the boy stroking Snivy's head, praising him with his impressive vocabulary. "It's about time," he huffs. "Alright, let's get this over with. We all know you lost, Nari, so you go first."
"Prepare to eat your heart out, Four-eyes," she retorts with a righteous grin. She presses the button on her second Poké Ball and the beam of white light that emerges takes the form of a Patrat on the ground. The rodent looks up at his trainer for the first time and hisses at her. She ignores him as she proudly proclaims her victory. "I caught a Patrat!"
Cheren bursts into a fit of giggling and snorting when he sees the creature. "It's, um… adorable…" Bianca lies unsuccessfully.
"I bet you didn't catch anything better!" Kaminari shouts, kneeling down to pet her Patrat. He chomps her finger right away.
"Actually," Cheren regains his composure and digs a Poké Ball out of his pocket. Inside the sphere is a purple cat, who judges the girls with an arrogant expression. "I caught a Purrloin." The cat spots the Patrat and begins chasing the poor creature around in a circle.
Kaminari crosses her arms jealously. "Stupid cat," she murmurs, eyeing the feline.
"Come on, Nari. That's not the attitude you should have if you're going to complete the Pokédex!" Bianca pulls another ball out of her purse and presses the button. "Check out what I got. It's a Lillipup! Isn't she just the cuuuutest thing?" The tiny terrier yaps at her Tepig, who then starts bounding around with the little dog.
"Well, the winner is whoever caught the most Pokémon, so technically we all win," Kaminari states as she withdraws her Patrat.
"Mhm," Cheren sneers, "we'll see if that matters in a battle."
"We'll see if that big head matters when I bash your brains in," the brunette replies, cracking her knuckles.
"Brainless brute."
"Gutless geek."
"That's enough, you two," Bianca says softly. "Kaminari, come with me to the Pokémon Center. That's where Professor Juniper said she would be."
As the two girls race off towards the giant red building, Cheren yells, "Try not to get lost!"
Although she would never admit it to him, Kaminari could have gotten lost in her own wonder while in Accumula Town. All Nuvema Town has is the lab, a couple of stores, and a row of houses. This new place, though, has ten times that and a lovely park right in the center of it. It has hills and paved streets and a Pokémon Center combined with a Pokémart- things Kaminari had never seen outside of a television screen. The lamps that line the streets shine in her blue eyes as Bianca drags her towards the Center, growing slightly tired of Kaminari's admiration. She couldn't help it, though. She wanted to talk to each of the fifty-or-so people they passed, eager to learn more about this more luxurious lifestyle. Never has she seen such a crowded place before.
When at long last the pair reaches the Pokémon Center, Professor Juniper greets them at the blue doors. "Welcome to Accumula!" She grins at the gawking girl. "Please, follow me inside." The doors slide open automatically for the three women, and the professor can't help but giggle as Kaminari gasps behind her in amazement. She leads the two girls straight down the middle of the center to a cheery lady covered in pink. "This is Nurse Joy. She'll heal your Pokémon anytime you like, and she'll do it for free!" The professor motions to the grinning lady behind the counter. "Why don't you try it, Kaminari?"
The brunette turns to the nice lady, overwhelmed and speechless. "Hello there! Welcome to the Pokémon Center. Would you like to heal your Pokémon?" the woman says at last. Kaminari places her two Pokéballs on the counter and nods slowly with a gaping mouth. "Alright. I'll just take these for a few moments…" She takes the spheres and plants them carefully on a table with six slots behind her. They spin until they abruptly stop and glow, flickering to the tune of a catchy little jingle. "Your Pokémon have been healed." She hands the spheres back to the teenager. "Have a nice day!"
"Wow! That's really neat!" Bianca closely observes Tsunami's ball, which is shiny and good as new. "Are all Pokémon Centers this advanced?"
Professor Juniper chuckles. "Wait until you reach Castelia City. Let me show you something even more useful." She leads the girls over to a one of the computers at the edge of the counter. "This is the PC. You can use it to check your Pokédex with my PC, review your records with your PC, and most importantly, store Pokémon in Someone's PC. I took the liberty of registering all three of you into the PC, so all you have to do to access it is type in your trainer ID and use the scanner on one of your Poké Balls."
"Who's Someone?" Kaminari asks, "Why should I trust them with my partners?"
"Calm down. Someone is just the person who created the system," the professor assures her. "I'm sure you'll meet her soon. Now, I have one final thing to show you." She guides them back across the center to a blue counter, where two grinning men stand in front of a shelf full of items. "This is the Pokémart. Just talk to these nice gentlemen to purchase healing items, Poké Balls, and more." Professor Juniper turns back to the girls. "Well, it's about time I head back to Nuvema. When you get to Striaton City, find my old friend Fennel for me, will you? And if you ever need anything, just call me on that fancy watch of yours." Bianca glances down at their X-transceiver and a shiver is sent down her spine. She stole it from her father when she snuck out of the house that morning. "I'll see you ladies around. Be sure to enjoy yourselves!" the professor adds as she walks out the door.
Bianca, trying to get her father's disapproval off her mind, searches the shelves behind the clerks for interesting items. Kaminari decisively buys a handful of Poké Balls and ten potions before hiking straight back to the PC and entering her trainer ID from her trainer card. She places Patrat's Pokéball directly in front of the green scanning beam, accessing her PC. "Nobody bites my finger and gets away with it," she mutters as she places his ball in the slot beneath the keyboard. Immediately, a pixelated image of the brown rat pops up in the first box of Someone's PC. "Maybe you'll have an attitude adjustment during your time in there." She can practically hear the rodent squeaking his disapproval, but Kaminari just pushes it out of her mind and marches smugly past Bianca out of the center, feeling fulfilled for getting the last laugh.
When she leaves, she sees a wave of concerned residents moving towards the middle of the town. Curious, Kaminari joins the current of people, pushing her way through the crowd and murmuring "excuse me" along the way. After weaving her way close to the front, the teenager spots a couple of banners with giant P's and shields with lightning bolts on them set up in the park. Between the banners stands a line of people with that same insignia on their knight-like clothing. Nothing holds the crowd back, but still, none of the residents dare to cross the fake border made by the edge of the pavement.
"Hey, Kaminari!" Cheren calls to her from the corner of the audience. "Come over here and take a look at this." The girl swerves her way through the packed-in residents until she reaches her friend, who pushes his glasses up to eye level. "These morons decided whatever they're doing was worth closing the park. It had better be interesting."
The two people in the center of the line fall out of formation momentarily to allow an older man to pass. The tall man strolls forward to face the crowd with his single red eye, his long robe and flowing hair blowing ominously in the wind as he moves. Half of the silent crowd cringes when he brings his cryptic staff down on the concrete, creating a sharp sound that echoes throughout the town. His blood-red eye patch casts a spine-tingling shadow over his face as he greets the audience with a twisted smile. "Hello, people of Accumula Town. My name is Ghetsis, and I am here representing Team Plasma." The man's abnormally raspy voice demands all of the attention of the crowd- not that he didn't already have it. "I am here to speak to you about Pokémon liberation."
The anxious residents begin muttering about his final word, a wave of hushed sound rolling over Ghetsis' audience. "Something's off about this guy..." Kaminari whispers in Cheren's ear, her fingers cautiously curling around Tsunami's Pokéball.
"Perhaps he smokes," Cheren guesses, his observant eyes not daring to move away from the pacing man. "I hear some of these big-city folk like to do that. Absurd, isn't it?"
"I'm sure most of you believe that humans and Pokémon are partners, who view one another as equals and remain together with a connection of love and respect," Ghetsis continues, quieting the crowd simply by opening his mouth. "However, have you ever considered that this belief is not the truth? That it might just be what you tell yourselves to avoid any and all guilt? Perhaps the Pokémon don't see it that way."
"No, it's not that," Kaminari continues her conversation with Cheren when Ghetsis pauses to let the audience consider this. "Have you ever heard anyone question our bonds with Pokémon while he has an entire crew of trainers and a Master Ball hidden discreetly in his robe?"
Her statement shocks Cheren and forces him to take a closer look in the gap in Ghetsis' robe. Indeed, there is a violet sphere dangling on a chain beneath the yellow-and-blue clothing. "Geez, I didn't realize how observant you can be. Hold on… how do you know what a Master Ball is?"
Kaminari's blue eyes follow the slender man wherever he steps. "Akira and I read a story about one when we were little."
Not as stunned by her explanation, the boy turns his attention back to the display in the park. "I didn't know you could read." His comment quickly earns him a smack to the back of his head.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are slaves to selfish trainers, who are out to fulfill their agenda and their agenda alone. Our supposed 'partners' are subject to torture on a daily basis, forced to fight their own kind for their trainer's satisfaction." Ghetsis quits pacing and stares directly at the audience, daring them to put up their own opinion. "Can anyone say with complete confidence that my words are dishonest?"
"I can!" Kaminari utters in an exasperated tone as she steps forward and releases Tsunami from his Poké Ball. "Pokémon are our partners, and they love being by their trainer's side! I've only had this Oshawott for a day, and we already trust each other more than we trust ourselves. As soon as I opened his ball for the first time, our friendship began, and nothing can possibly break my bond with him!" she cries passionately. Cheren puts his hand on her shoulder and subtly tugs her back, but she immediately rips his palm from her black vest.
"Is that so?" With a gleam in his devious eye, Ghetsis taps his staff on the ground. Tsunami's expression goes from confidant to unsure.
Kaminari points at the old man, fury and payback flooding her troubled heart. "Tsunami! Use Water Gun!"
The nervous Oshawott steadily backs away from the towering figure, quivering. "Shaaa…" He flops back on her foot before leaping onto his feet and cowering behind Kaminari. The quiet crowd stares at the outspoken girl, judging her wordlessly.
"Tsunami?" she asks softly, bewildered by this abrupt change of heart. "What happened to you?" She was sure that her brave little Pokémon would embarrass the green-haired man where he stood, but instead it is her who has been humiliated. Cheren pulls the defeated girl back onto the sidewalk, feeling slightly sorry for his friend.
"As I was saying before that interruption, these creatures are unconsciously viewed as inferiors by the human eyes. Only after they are liberated will they truly be our equals." Ghetsis sends Kaminari a vicious glance. "Residents of Accumula Town, I implore you to reconsider your relationship with your Pokémon and what they truly deserve from you. My comrades and I sincerely appreciate your attention today. Farewell for now."
With those words, the two Team Plasma members at the ends on the line pick up the banners, and altogether the members form a block around their apparent leader. In perfect unison, they all march in step out of the park and towards the checkpoint to the north of the town. "Is what he said true, Dad?" a small boy breaks the silence of the dispersing crowd.
"Erm…" The conflicted father takes the hand of his son. "Let's go home, son. I'm sure Mom has the right answer to that question."
Kaminari watches the questioning residents as they leave the scene, wondering why she failed to show them the true power of a Pokémon's connection to its trainer. She holds Tsunami in her palms, gazing sadly at her partner. "Why didn't you do what I asked?" Tsunami's ears fold down and he lowers his tail in shame. She sighs and sets him gently on her shoulder, disappointed in herself and not knowing why.
"Cheer up, Nari." Cheren comforts her as the Ostawott scrambles up her wavy ponytail onto her head. "That guy's not going to get far on his weird charade. People aren't that ignorant."
"I know, but…" Kaminari narrows her eyes at the ground where Ghetsis stood and clenches her fist. "I just thought that Tsunami would trust me enough to humiliate that jerk!"
"Come on, you two have known each other for a day and you've already done a lot together," Cheren reasons with his friend, "but you can't expect him to do everything you ask right away. He probably thought he would injure-"
"What if I did something to hurt him?" Her nervous eyes dart to Tsunami's Poké Ball. "Is that why he doesn't trust me? Maybe it's because I let Patrat harm him…"
"Why are you upset, my friend?" an unfamiliar voice asks from behind Kaminari. The girl spins to see a boy, around her age, standing about half a foot away. "Uh-huh… Oh I see," the fast-talking teen croons. His focused eyes are trained more on her hat than her face. "Well, it's not your fault entirely. The trainer is always to blame if the Pokémon gets harmed."
Kaminari shoves the green-haired boy away. "Who do you think you're talking to?" she vents her fury, shaking her fist at him violently.
The young man's focused blue eyes scroll down to Kaminari, puzzled by her action. "That's very rude," he says plainly. "You interrupted our conversation."
"Who were you speaking to?" Cheren asks, searching around the empty area for another person.
"Clearly not her," he huffs. "I'm assuming you can't hear him either. How disappointing." The young man nods to Tsunami, who wears an unexpectedly bright expression after talking to him.
"What're you talking about 'hearing him'? Who are you?" Kaminari fumes. "You'd better speak up before I have Tsunami here attack you!"
"Based on your display just now, it doesn't seem like he would do that even if you told your… 'Tsunami' to hurt me," he retorts, causing Kaminari's mouth to curve into an ashamed frown and her eyes to dart away. "I suppose that was a bit rude of me. I apologize," he says after a moment. "My name is N. Unlike you humans, I can converse with Pokémon."
Cheren leans in close to his friend. "I think he's mad. Let's get out of here..." he whispers in her ear.
"I'd expect that from someone who doesn't care enough to listen to his partners," N snaps before shifting his indignant gaze back to the humiliated girl. "I sincerely didn't intend to hurt your emotions." He finally speaks slowly, unsure how to handle this situation. His stare softens into an honest, apologetic gaze as he approaches the girl like she's a wounded creature.
Tsunami, sensing the discomfort of his trainer, takes to action and attacks his new friend with a Water Gun to his face. Water blasts from his mouth, soaking N from the top of his head down to his white shirt. Kaminari's regretful gaze shoots up to the torrent of water above her head and her mortified face turns white. "No, Tsunami!" she shrieks as she yanks him off her head and sets him on the ground. "I'm so sorry!" she blurts, not knowing what else to say. "I-I don't know where that came from."
N simply smiles and wrings out his long hair. "That's quite interesting." He chuckles calmly. "Your Pokémon is willing to disobey in order to protect you." Tsunami points his paw from his eyes to N's, as if to warn that he's watching him. N observes this closely, listening carefully to everything the Oshawott says. "Battle me," he asserts, intrigued by the Pokémon's words.
"Um… okay…" Kaminari answers hesitantly as N unleashes a Purrloin from his Poké Ball. The cat licks his paw and meows sassily at the Oshawott. "Tsunami, go for… Tackle?" she commands quietly, her mind clouded from the events of the past few minutes.
"Purrloin, use Growl," N requests, his partner already in his attack stance. The Purrloin emits a high-pitched noise of warning from its throat while Tsunami is midair. The cute growl makes Tsunami take pity of the clever creature, hitting him with less force than normal as he tackles the cat. The two create a ball of fuzz that rolls across the pavement. "Use Scratch!" N shouts. The Purrloin swipes at Tsunami with his paw, scratching his nose.
"…Water Gun!" Kaminari blurts after a moment. Opening his mouth wide, Tsunami unleashes a stream of water on the cat, who tries to block the attack with his paws. Dripping wet, the Purrloin meows loudly, as if whining to his trainer while the water-type rubs his nose. "Use Water Gun again!" the girl commands, her mind clear after seeing her partner being attacked. Seeking revenge for his poor nose, the Oshawott gladly blasts the cat as he paws at his trainer's leg, pleading to be dried. The fur on the Purrloin's back sticks straight up and he makes the most awful noise before flopping on the ground, defeated.
N places the purple Pokémon back in his ball and stares at the sphere with regret. "I'm sorry, my friend. I've failed you." He speaks softly, stroking the Poké Ball and setting it gently in his pocket. He turns his attention back to his opponent, who rejoices with Tsunami.
"Hah, you showed him who's boss, didn't you, buddy?" Kaminari smiles and holds her hand out to the victorious Oshawott, who obliges and high-fives her with a toothy grin. Her humiliation blown away by pride, the teen begins swinging her Pokémon around joyously, both of them cheering proudly.
That's strange. N tilts his head in wonder as he observes the foreign sight. All she had to do was punish him with a battle to lift her spirits. I'd expect that from a human. But why is he happy as well? The young man explores his own mind in search of an explanation for this unjustified display of affection. He must be putting on a show... he concludes, insecure and unsure. There's no way a creature forced into agonizing battle against his own kind could possibly by happy.
After placing the Oshawott in his Poké Ball, Kaminari strides up to N with new confidence. "That was a great battle," she extends an open palm, "but I think you owe me some money, N." Snapping out of his trance of confusion, N sets a few Pokémon Dollars in her hand and narrows his eyes at her, striking Kaminari with an uncomfortable stare. "Um… I don't really need the money…" she utters, backing away from him.
N doesn't quit staring. He can't. Never has he heard a Pokémon praise its trainer in such a way, nor has he ever met a creature who enjoyed the company of a human so much. On top of that, her eyes have some familiar quality to him that demands all of his attention. While his are solid and defined, hers are glassy and constantly glistening, as if she's trapped in a never-ending dream of a better world than what she exists in. Those eyes… those electric-blue eyes… Who are you?
The young man shakes those conflicting thoughts from his mind and looks at her with a sudden coldness as he speaks. "As long as Pokémon are confined to Poké Balls, forced to suffer for the gain of a selfish master, they will never achieve the equality and perfection they deserve.," he maintains in a tone lacking all of the warmth it had before. "I have to change the world- I will change the world- because Pokémon are my friends." With that, N strides past Kaminari and Cheren, excusing himself to be alone with his thoughts in the darkness.
"How weird…" Cheren trails off, unable to describe the events of the past few moments. Kaminari, intrigued by this weird display, watches in silent interest as N disappears into the night.
Author's Note: Hey, readers! This chapter took longer than expected to publish since it's very extensive compared to the others. But the more support this story gets, the faster I'll publish! So please remember to leave a review with constructive criticism and thank you for reading!