The Z Adventure
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but we've been down this road before.
Yusei: Hello folks. This is a long overdue chapter. We needed to get this out of the way before the four month hiatus.
Manabu: Hiatus?
Takeshi: The author Ten Commandments is taking a long break from writing stories.
Yusei: Actually, that's kind of a lie; he's really-
Takeshi: *grabs Yusei's mouth* That's none of their business. Infact the only ones who should know are the AF, and our other friends on Fanfiction.
Yusei: Like DancingQueen?
Takeshi: Exactly. Let's move on to this chapter; here, Calem will learn about the mysterious Mega Evolution and he meets a new traveling companion.
Yusei: Let's throw in the ages while we're at it. Of everyone.
Manabu: Damn. Alright, here are their ages for this story.
Calem - 15
Serena - 15
Tierno - 16
Shauna - 14
Trevor - 14
Manabu: The rest at the end.
Journal Entry 3: The Charming Trainer
Last time, Calem manages to earn the Insect Badge and meets a man named Black. He then sets off for Lumiose City alone, where he runs into Sycamore and his friends Serena and Shauna. They then take to battle against him.
Shauna's Pokemon Fennekin appears. Sycamore sends out an orange lizard with a tail light on the end on fire, Charmander. "Let us begin. As a heads up, I'm not that tough."
"That won't matter. Sakuya, Flame Charge!" The fire fox dashes forward to attack, surrounded by flames.
"Charmander, Ember!" His lizard swings its tail, sending a stream of fire to cancel out Sakuya's. This leads to a full on tackle, but Charmander recovers quickly. "Scratch!"
"Scratch right back!" The two Pokemon use their claws to battle, but Sakuya's speed puts her at an advantage. "Flame Charge raises my Pokemon's speed; you won't beat her now! Ember!"
"Ember!" Before Charmander could use it, it gets blown away by a fireball. It faints. "Yay! Good job Sakuya!"
Sycamore retrieves the Pokemon, and sends out another; the water turtle Squirtle. "You're up next Calem!"
Calem takes out his Pokeball. 'Since Charmander's a fire type, and Shauna used fire back, the only right thread to use against this water type is...' "Let's go, Nanami!" Froakie lands out from her Pokemon.
"Oh, having a theme huh? Let's go!" The professor smiles seeing his choice. "Bubble!"
Squirtle inhales before firing a stream of bubbles. "Fight bubbles with bubbles!" Nanami shoots back, and both attacks fail to hit. "Smokescreen!" Nanami then throws a smokeball to the ground, before rushing into the shadows.
"Squirtle, Withdraw!" The turtle enters his shell as the smoke comes closer, unprepared for what may happen. 'What's he planning?'
"Water Pulse!" Nanami throws a ball of water that traps Squirtle, and after it pops the turtle comes out with swirly eyes.
"Confusion?"
"Quick Attack!" Nanami dashes forward and tackles the turtle, knocking it flat on its back. Squirtle struggles to stand, but passes out.
"Wow, that was rough. Nanami is well trained," Sycamore says as he looks at the Pokemon. He retrieves Squirtle and turns to Serena.
"Might as well." Serena takes out her Pokemon Chespin. "Come!"
Sycamore sends out the plant Bulbasaur. "Vine Whip!"
"Roll Out!" Maurice rolls up into a ball and spins, blocking the whips, before striking Bulbasaur. He then curves around and strikes again, but Bulbasaur grips the ground to keep stable.
"Take Down!" Bulbasaur charges and knocks Maurice aside with his head, striking the side. "Now, use Leech Seed!"
"Use your Leech Seed too!" They both fire, the seeds blocking eachother. "Maurice, hit him with your Vine Whip!"
Maurice draws vines out and whips Bulbasaur in the head, though it does little damage. Calem then says, "Bulbasaur's a grass and poison type. That won't work."
"Then... Roll Out!" she shouts, and her Pokemon rolls up to strike.
"Bulbasaur, Take Down!" Bulbasaur charges to attack, but this time Maurice bounces over it. He then unrolls and lands on top of Bulbasaur with a body slam. With that done he rolls off.
"Finish it off with Vine Whip!" Maurice swings two vines entwined together and slams Bulbasaur with it. Bulbasaur hits the ground painfully, fainting. Serena sighs with relief with her victory. "Good move Maurice," she says, gasping when she sees him glow.
"We did pretty well, didn't we Sakuya?" Shauna asks her fox Pokemon. It gives a short howl, before glowing.
"Nice work Nanami." The frog smiles at Calem's praise, and glows the same.
All three trainers look in shock at their Pokemon, realizing they're evolving. The Pokemon transform: Maurice becomes Quilladin, Sakuya into Braixen, and Froakie Frogadier.
Shauna gasps. "All of our Pokemon evolved at once!"
"Cool." Serena takes out her Pokedex along with Calem and scans.
Quilladin, the Spiky Armor Pokemon; Quilladin have sturdy shells to defend against predator attacks. They strengthen their lower bodies by running into eachother.
Braixen, the Fox Pokemon; Braixen have twigs stuck in their tails, which they use to conjure up fire for attacks upon removal. The flames can also be used to send signals to allies.
Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokemon; Frogadier have incredible swiftness that allows their to scale the tallest of towers in a short amount of time. They can create bubble pebbles from their mousse and use them to throw precisely.
"Incredible. They became so much stronger," Serena says as she checks her Pokemon's stats.
"I guess I'll be relying on you more Sakuya!" Shauna hugs her Pokemon, who coos.
While patting her, Calem retrieves Nanami. His Y protagonist friend sighs, wondering when he's going to grow out of this. Sycamore, having retrieved Bulbasaur, says, "Wow, you all have increased your talents. You've done well, and as a reward you each get to pick a Pokemon to keep."
"Wait, really?!" Shauna exclaims excitedly.
"That's so generous Professor!" says Serena.
"I'd like Charmander," Calem says swiftly, though shrinks back when the girls look at him. "What?"
"Honest huh? Then, I will grant your request." The professor walks over to Calem and hands him Charmander's Pokeball. "Make sure you heal it the moment you leave this place. And I'll also hand you this." He places a shiny gemstone in in hands.
"What's that?" Serena asks.
"Mega Stone, Charizardite Y," he tells her. "You can use it though only when you've discover the secret to Mega Evolution however."
"Huh..." Calem looks at his orb.
"Then, I'll pick Squirtle," Serena says as she picks up a Pokeball. Sycamore awards her with another Mega Stone.
"Here you go. This is Blastoisinite, which works with Blastoise," he tells her. "And I guess you want Bulbasaur with the Venusaurite, right Shauna?"
"I guess... I'm not sure what is this Mega Evolution," Shauna speaks as she takes the stone and the Pokeball.
"What do you mean by that?" Serena asks.
"I was expecting that, which is why I had hoped all five of you would show. But I suppose they'll appear soon enough so I can explain," Sycamore says as he fuddles his hair. The elevator opens up past the walls.
"We're here!" As if on time, Trevor and Tierno come out from the elevator. Trevor then complains when he sees Calem and the girls. "Ah, what? We're late?"
"Well, seeing as we're all here, allow me to say a few words." Sycamore goes to his desk and sits in his brown leather seat. He thrusts his arm up in the air pointing. "Be the best trainer you can be! At the same time, remember to have fun traveling with your Pokemon! Also, I'd like to ask for you to help in solving the Kalos region's biggest mystery in Pokemon: the secret and potential of Mega Evolution, a new kind of evolution that occurs in battle!"
"Mega Evolution?" Tierno mutters.
"As you know there are many means of evolving a Pokemon to a stronger form; Calem, Serena, Shauna, before you saw your Pokemon evolve right before your eyes, and that's one of them. But aside from the normal methods there's a secret new evolution. Those Mega Stones I gave you are important clues to discovering the secrets to this evolution."
"What about the Pokedex?" Trevor asks.
"That's fine too; if that's what you think of as the best trainer you can be then go out there and complete that Pokedex Trevor!"
"I'm a little interested in this," Shauna murmurs.
"If it can help them become stronger, I'm up for it!" Serena says, turning to Calem with a nod. He nods back, adjusting his hat. 'Come on, Calem. Open up more. What happened to make you like this?'
"If you're looking into this, go check out Camphrier Town. It holds lots of history; you might find a hint there!" Sycamore says with a smile. "One more thing; if you're going to travel the world searching for new Pokemon, remember that there are many places that are different than you. You have to accept the ways of living and thinking that sometimes conflict with your own. As long as you remember what's really important, this will broaden your horizons."
"That's something everyone should know," Serena states. "Nobody's perfect, so it's fine if everyone's different. I mean, Calem here is a weirdo who can't talk outside of Pokemon Battles, but I'm still his friend." She then hugs his arm, causing him to go red. 'If I master Mega Evolution that'll set me apart from other Trainers!'
'Maybe this can get my mind off of that. They can know me for that, instead of that.' Calem shirks away from Serena's grip. "I'm going to the Pokemon Center, and then I'm heading to the next gym."
"Hey, wait up!" Serena chases after him into the elevator. "Stop running away from me. You're never gonna be friends with these guys if you keep acting like you don't matter."
"It's fine."
The elevator opens up, and both Calem and Serena spot the purple haired girl in white with a man with fiery red-orange hair. He says, "So, I will be able to meet them soon then?"
"Of course."
"I wonder what potential these children hold..." He looks over and sees X and Y leaving the elevator.
"Oh, that's two of them; Calem, Serena, come here!" Called out, they go over to meet with the two.
"Hello?" Serena says.
"You are the ones who received the Pokedex right?" he asks, to which they nod. "Interesting. You are one of the chosen ones who hold the potential to change the world. I am Lysandre; I've tried to learn as much about Pokemon as I can to help build a brighter future. Professor Sycamore has taught me so much in achieving that.
"Do you have Holo Casters?" They show him their models, and he chuckles. "Knowledge is power, after all, so be sure to put it to good use. But remember that it is vital that this world become a better place; the people and Pokemon chosen to make the world better must work tirelessly to achieve this goal." He checks his watch. "Well, I'll be off. Please give the professor my best."
The teens watch as he leaves. Serena holds her side. Calem then asks, "Who was that again?"
"Lysandre," Serena tells him. "He's the head of Lysandre Labs, which created the Holo Caster we have. Still, something about him creeps me out."
"What he says, sounds like the opposite of what you believe," Calem says, shocking her by his sudden deduction.
"X! Y!" They turn around to see Shauna and the others coming out of the elevator. "Just to let you know there's this place I really wanna see. So, I'll see you around!"
"Okay." She leaves first, and Serena turns to Calem. "Calem, before you go I need to talk to you about something. I'll see you at Cafe Soleil." She pats his shoulder and walks by, lingering her hand to touch his cheek as she leaves.
"What's that about?" Trevor asks Tierno in a whispered tone.
"Meh. It's between them, so let's stay out of it," he answers. "Besides, they have history together we don't know about. Could be that."
"Could be what?" Of course with a vague hint like that, even a scholarly individual like Trevor isn't going to know what he means.
Calem walks out the door, heading straight to the Pokemon center. He looks up at the sky as he does, feeling the breeze picking up. But as he makes it across the street, a car comes his way with a loud honk. He turns his head to see the car coming while still screeching with the brakes on, and gets knocked into the ground.
The man exits his car to check the damage, as do Trevor and Tierno when they hear the noise. They gasp seeing their new friend Calem on the ground. As the driver bends down to help him up, the X protagonist opens his eyes and stands up with relative ease. He rubs his head, and after a quick check he sighs seeing no blood. Though when he checks the concrete there's a smudge of crimson. 'I guess there's some benefits.'
"Calem, are you okay?" Tierno asks as he and Trevor come by.
"Yeah. I'm fine." He rubs his head and moves on. A part of him is moved by their concern, despite knowing it's no use.
"How come you're not bleeding?" asks Trevor curiously with some concern.
"It's fine. I must be lucky." Calem continues to the Pokemon Center.
Trevor looks down at the smudge of blood. 'He did bleed, but he's not now. What's going on?'
After handing Nurse Joy his Pokemon he sits down in the lobby and waits. His eyes fancy over his Charizardite. "Blastoisinite and Venusaurite didn't have Y in them. What makes this so different?"
After hearing the familiar jingle, he rushes over to the front to get his Pokemon. "Thank you."
"You're welcome; please come again," she says with a smile, and he turns red. The nurse chuckles as he walks away, thinking how cute he was to be so easily flustered.
Activating his skates, he dashes over to the cafe and enters, seeing Serena staring out at the back of the room. "Serena?"
"Look." She points to Lysandre talking to a dazzling woman in a white dress with wings. "It's that Lysandre man, and Diantha."
"Who?" They take a seat to listen in on them.
"She's one of the most famous movie stars in the world," she tells him.
"Diantha, you played a young girl so wonderfully in your debut on the silver screen," Lysandre says to her. "Wouldn't you rather remain young and beautiful forever to always play those roles?"
"What a strange question..." she replies with a huff. "Why would I want to play the same old roles forever? Youth may be beautiful, but it's not all there is to life. Everything changes, like my sister when she became champion. I wanted to live and change like that too, and that's why I became the way I am. So I look forward to playing different roles as I get older."
"You were chosen to be a movie star, correct? So it's your duty to stay beautiful," he tells her. "Everything beautiful should stay beautiful forever. And if you won't be a part of it, I'll work with others who do. The world should never be ugly; Calem would understand." He turns to walk away. 'I would think someone like her would understand.'
Diantha sighs as he leaves, and prepares to do so herself. As she does her leg knocks into a chair leg, pulling out Calem. "Oh, sorry!"
"Uh, not a problem!" he suddenly says, struck by her dazzling beauty.
"Don't be so shy." Diantha helps him up, causing him to blush even harder. Serena watches from her seat, fuming angrily. "What's your name?"
"Calem."
"Calem? Oh, so you're the one who Lysandre mentioned right?"
"Yes!" Serena interjects into the conversation, pulling Calem away. "I'm Serena."
"How nice. You're both trainers with such lovely names," she says before placing a hand on his shoulder. Serena narrows her eyes on his shoulder. "Calem, what do you know about him?"
"I know he's kind of weird, but he speaks with certain convictions." He answers. "I'm not really interested."
"Interesting..." She stands up and looks to the door. "I'm a trainer, so I would like to face you sometime. I hope you'll be ready Calem."
She leaves, giving Calem an impression to stare. But Serena pulls his ear. "Ow! What the heck?!"
"You're staring two inches south of there." She releases his ear and sighs.
"Anyway, why did you bring me here?"
"Oh right! I was hoping to ask you something. Two things actually." Serena sighs. "What are you planning to do? You became a trainer, but what do you want to accomplish?"
"I need the money to support mom, that's it," he tells her.
"What? What's wrong?"
"It's fine. I'm making enough to cover her, so it won't matter if I have to cut costs for food and clothes. But if I aim for becoming Champion I can put those worries away."
"Calem. You're doing allot you know?"
"What else did you want to talk about?"
She feels guilty about asking him this now. "I was hoping we could compete with eachother to help us both become stronger."
"Actually, I'd like that..." he replies with a smile. Serena gasps lightly, redness flashing her face upon seeing him smile again. A genuine smile. It's been years since she's seen it. "But not now. Let's give some time before we do. Next time?"
"Of course!" Calem nods before taking her hand and shaking it. He then walks away, while Serena watches him leave with a sigh. "Calem..."
Suddenly she twitches, falling to one knee while clutching her left breast above the heart. Serena then coughs, holding a hand to her mouth to prevent spreading it. When she pulls away she finds blood, which turns black and evaporates. 'It still hurts. But it's getting easier to control. Why?'
"Ma'am, are you okay?" asks one of the cafe's waiters.
"N-No, I'm fine! Please don't touch me!" she tells him, moving away quickly. A dark aura explodes from her as she does, one she contains through sheer force of will. It disperses inside of her, and she calms down.
Serena stumbles, holding herself up by a tree. The dark aura spreads onto it as she leaves, and reduces it to a dried up husk.
Elsewhere with Calem, he heads to the southwest gateway. On his way he receives a message on the Holo Caster from Tierno. "Hmm?"
He appears in holographic form. "Hey X! So, check this out; I'm out on Route 5 and it's hopping with wild Pokemon! Hurry up and check it out!"
The Holo Caster turns off, and Calem makes his way over through the gateway, and after passing by pretty girls he enters Route 5. He checks his Town Map. "Route 5, also known as Versant Road. Let's see..."
As he walks he doesn't notice something coming his way until the last second, where a Lucario jumps right in front of him. "Eh?"
"Wait, Lucario!" He looks up to see a familiar girl in a white skirt and roller blades coming to him, accompanied by another Lucario. "Sorry about that. You okay?"
'Wait, she looks familiar...' Calem stares at the blond, feeling like he's seen her before. But when it hits him, he goes completely red. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."
"I was just doing some special training with my Lucario when all of a sudden it dashed off. It might have been drawn in by your aura," she says, as the first Lucario continues to stare at him. "What's up Lucario?"
He turns around to nod at her. "Well, it seems Lucario likes you! You may be special after all. Something in your aura has made him take a liking to a stranger."
"Y-You think so?" He looks away sheepishly.
She looks at him closer, before gasping and blushing. "Oh my god; you're the boy I knocked into before!"
"Geh!" He begins to sweat now.
"No, it's okay. Water under the bridge," she tells him, waving her arms rapidly while blushing. "Still, for Lucario to like you... maybe you're the trainer it's been waiting to meet... Oh! Anyway, before I forget I'm Korrina, the Shalour City Gym Leader."
"I'm Calem." 'Gym Leader... Then, I can't really avoid her anymore. She may be too strong for me now though, so I'll go find her at Shalour City later.' Calem looks down at her arm upon noticing something familiar. 'Wait, that bracelet around her arm... It's just like mine!'
"If you're collecting Gym Badges, I'm sure we'll be battling sooner or later! I look forward to facing you in battle, Calem!" Korrina and her Pokemon duo leave.
Calem looks over the Pokemon he has, a total of six, and begins to think of what to do. 'Maybe increasing the amount of Pokemon I have can work.' "Let's go!" He goes over to the grassy fields to catch more Pokemon.
Soon up pops a Skiddo. Calem takes out the Pokedex and scans.
Skiddo, the Mount Pokemon; thought to be one of the first Pokemon to live in harmony with humans, it has a placid disposition.
"I can do with that. Go, Papillon!" He sends out Spewpa, who lands before Skiddo. "Use Stun Spore!"
Papillon releases spores at Skiddo, causing it to become paralyzed. "Now, hit it with Tackle!" The pupa launches herself over and attacks Skiddo, knocking it aside. "Pokeball go!" He throws his Pokeball, trapping it inside. The ball shakes a few times, but breaks open. The ball shatters to pieces. "Balls."
Skiddo leaps up and uses Vine Whip to strike Papillon in the back. "Papillon, Protect!" Papillon raises her fur to block, allowing the Stun Spore to kick in. "Now, Tackle again!" Papillon rushes forward for another tackle, and Calem throws his last Pokeball. The ball with Skiddo inside shakes a bit, until it clicks shut. He smiles before reaching out to grab the ball.
"Got it." He looks down at Papillon with a smile, only to gasp in shock when it glows brightly. The bug shatters out from its pupa state and hatches, into a beautiful butterfly Vivillon. Calem smiles at his Pokemon's transformation, but he quickly realizes there are differences between his and Viola's. For instance, this one's wings look like a starry night.
He checks his Pokedex, and sees that his has a Polar pattern. "Nice to know..." He retrieves his Pokemon, and notes that Skiddo's ball has disappeared in a spurt of light. "Oh yeah, that's my seventh Pokemon. I can only carry 6 at a time."
He continues through the road until he comes upon Tierno and Trevor. "Now listen," Trevor begins, "Pokemon hordes are seriously intense."
"Yeah, they're just like a dance team made up of Pokemon, aren't they?"
Trevor facepalms himself. "Is that all you think about?!"
"Hey, when I think about Pokemon battles my feet start moving. I can't help it!" he replies before making a twirl. As he does he spots Calem. "Oh, it's X. Do your Pokemon know any sweet moves?"
"Not really," he says, pausing at the end.
"Then let's battle to check it out!" Tierno takes out a Pokeball.
Calem thinks about it for a moment, before nodding. He takes out Flabebe's ball and sends her out. Tierno sends out Corphish. "Corphish, Bubble Beam!"
"Fairy Wind!" Flabebe summons a wind to redirect the bubbles to hitting trees. "Now, Vine Whip!" She then summons vines to strike.
"Vice-Grip!" Corphish cuts them all down. It then kumps in and grips Flabebe in the waist.
"Flabebe!" Callem calls out, before trying to think of a way to escape this. Corphish then throws her away. "Use Wish!" The red rose Pokemon calls out to the skies, and a shooting star goes by.
"Bubble Beam!" Corphish lays on the assault with Bubblebeam, knocking Flabebe to the ground.
"Razor Leaf!" Flabebe then counters with a flurry of sharp leaves that counter the bubbles and cut through them. They then strike and take down Corphish. The shooting star then falls down, hitting Flabebe and restoring her wounds.
"What the? What happened?" asks Tierno in shock.
"Wish heals a Pokemon's wounds when it's used," Trevor says, answering Tierno for Calem.
"Now, Razor Leaf!" Calem shouts, and his Pokemon follows through with an assault.
"Corphish, Harden!" The crab hardens its shell to buckle the leaves.
Calem thinks a bit before saying, "Fairy Wind!" This time the strong wind strikes Corphish, and it ends up falling over unconscious. "Nice work Flabebe." He walks over to his Pokemon and pats her head, to which she coos.
"Keh... That's some nice fighting," Tierno mutters in shock, before retrieving his Pokemon.
"So," Calem begins before pausing, retrieving his Pokemon, "what are you guys up to?"
"I was teaching Tierno about Pokemon Hordes. Probably should have told him about tactics too since you surely know it," Trevor says with a sigh. "Using Wish to restore Flabebe's health and Fairy Wind instead of Razor Leaf to bypass Harden was brilliant."
"Hordes?"
"I was born to dance! I won't ever stop, not with moves like this! Besides, building a Pokemon dance team is my dream goal!" Tierno declares.
Though Trevor looks visibly annoyed, Calem nods. "I think that's fine."
"Eh?"
"Y-Yeah, since it's Tierno's dream so there's no reason we should judge him. Everyone deserves a dream," Calem says to them. "Trevor wants to fill the Pokedex right? That's a dream too."
"A dream..." Trevor smiles hearing what he said.
"So X, do you have a dream?" asks Tierno.
Calem pauses, before saying, "Actually yeah, two. I want to live in a fancy home away from poverty. I'd like my mom to be there too."
"And the other?"
"That's a secret." Calem skates off ahead of them, avoiding the tall grass.
"A secret?" Tierno turns to Trevor. He then asks, "Do you think he seems a little mysterious?"
"We don't know anything about him, so yeah a little." Trevor answers. "Even Serena seems confused about him, and she's the only one who knows him."
Calem continues to skate, until he hears a noise. Looking up he sees someone in the trees. She's a girl that looks his age with a violet, pink and yellow kimono on. Her black lace boots kick back and forth, her long black hair blowing in the soft breeze. Her clear eyes look down at him. "Oh, hello."
"Uh... Are you okay up there?" he asks, holding himself still while holding down a blush. She's so incredibly beautiful, even compared to his friend Serena and the actress Diantha.
"Why wouldn't I be? I'm up in a tree."
"Isn't it dangerous up there?"
"Only if you don't know how to get down," she replies, before frowning and looking down adding, "which I don't. Can you help me?"
Calem looks to the side for anyone else, sighing in defeat. He holds out his hands saying, "Yeah."
"Here I come. These clothes might add some more weight than you'd expect."
"What?" She jumps down and lands on him, taking him to the ground with her. But thanks to him she does so safely.
The girl picks herself up and bends to her knees looking at him. "Thank you so much. What's your name?"
"Uh..." He stutters a bit before picking himself up. "W-W-W-Well, my name is Calem! And you?!"
"A girl grateful for your help." She grabs him and helps the guy up, chuckling.
"As a thank you, I'll buy you dinner. The next town's close by," she says before leading him off. Calem blushes and goes along with it.
Upon reaching the next town, Calem checks the map to see it's Camphier Town. Before moving his Holo Caster beeps, forcing him to turn it on. The Holo Caster projects an image of the base avatar. "Lysandre Labs developed the Holo Caster to make the lives of Pokemon Trainers richer, fuller and more convenient. We hope you'll continue to enjoy the fine services this device provides." It turns off.
"Time to see what this town has..." He then remembers he has a guest with him. "Oh right, sorry. Let's get that dinner ma'am."
"Ma'am?" She tilts her head to the left. "You really don't know who I am, do you?"
"Not really; you're a girl I helped out of a tree." She chuckles. "What?"
"You're cute." She hooks her arms around his left and leads him to the town's nearest restaurant. Unfortunately, there's nothing there but the regular supermarket and the Pokemon Center. "Oh zut. There's no restaurant. I'll treat you in the next town."
"Look, you really don't have to go so far," he tells her.
"And I insist that I do, because one should always repay another person a favor," she tells him. "Since it's getting late, let's turn in."
"I guess..." Calem leads her to the center, where after healing his Pokemon he books a room for him and his new friend. Laying in his bed he looks up at the ceiling. "So, will you tell me your name?"
"Not yet. Stick with me and we'll see," she tells him before leaving for her own room. "Goodnight."
He nods and plops into bed to sleep. Meanwhile, she peers back into the room to check if he's asleep, before going into her room to activate her Holo Caster. The avatar of a faceless person appears. "How is it?"
"Good so far. He doesn't suspect a thing," she replies before smiling.
"Good. Keep at him until it's ready." The hologram fades away, leaving the girl to sigh.
'Calem Xavier... Why are we after you?'
Morning...
The girl wakes up at 8:30 a.m. She immediately freshens up and checks in on Calem, who is gone. She rushes to the lobby to find him eating breakfast.
'Food from the center is terrible, but free is good enough to save money.' He sighs before finishing his croissant and milk.
"Calem!" she says, calling out to him.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you wake me up? Planning on ditching me?"
"I get up early to train my Pokemon, and then I eat cheaply." He answers her quickly, and sighs.
"You need to have better food. It's not right." She orders food from the menu, an omelet with applewood bacon and a latte. Calem drools over her food, which she notes. "You could have what I'm having right now if you weren't so cheap."
"I have to hold on my funds," he replies, watching her eat wordlessly.
After she finishes they leave out the center into the daylight. Calem checks the map for a good place to go, and sees the castle up ahead. "Let's go there." He leads his new companion over to the Shabboneau Castle.
"Eh?! You don't have anything connected to Mega Evolution?!" Shauna whines, falling to one knee at her failure. This is the sight Calem and his companion find when they enter.
"Shauna."
She looks up to see him. "Calem?"
"Ooh! It's been awhile since we've had three visitors!" says the man wearing the dougi. "This place was once a manor house of a noble family. It's a little run down now, but that's because there's history to this place. During the past the owners gave away a lot of their stuff to everyone, so that's why it feels so empty."
"Why were you asking about Mega Evolution?" Calem asks Shauna.
"Because it's an old place, and I thought it would have something," she replies with a shrug.
Another person comes in, a dirty blond male. "Sir, it's back again."
"What, already? Well, there's nothing I can do about it now..." says the owner of the castle. "Guests, I have to go to Route 7. But please, take your time and have a look around."
Shauna watches as the two of them leave, while Calem gets interested. Shauna then notices the new girl, and flinches. "Calem, who's your friend?"
"Her?" Calem turns to her. "She's a girl I met on the way here. She won't give me her name."
"Hello," she says with a wave of her hand.
'Serena's not gonna like this,' are her thoughts, as Shauna can easily tell the situation that will befall Calem should Serena find out he's hanging around an extremely beautiful woman.
"Since this lead's a dead end wanna go find out what's happening over on Route 7?" Calem asks her.
"Might as well," she replies before they leave out the castle. Calem attaches his skates and rush off, with the girls running after him quickly.
The mysterious girl watches him as they run. 'Calem...'
Elsewhere...
Black punches numbers in a phone before answering. "Elesa, are you there? I'm going to be a little later than I thought."
"You still looking for those renegades with your sister?"
"No, me and Hilda split up to track them. But, I think I know their target. Tell Skyla and the kids I said hello." He then hangs up and runs out the Pokemon Center within Lumiose. "I miss them already."
Takeshi: And there you have it. Next chapter, Calem and the girls visit a fancy castle. He meets a man he recognizes, and Team Flare makes their move.
Manabu: Here are more. The Elite Four, Diantha and Lysandre in the next chapter.
Viola - 19
Alexa - 23
Grant - 22
Korrina - 16
Ramos - 87
Clemont - 17
Valerie - 20
Olympia - 27
Wulfric - 45
Calem: Frogadier/Nanami, Fletchling/Yaoki, Vivillon/Papillon, Pikachu, Charmander/Acno, Flabebe
Serena: Quilladin/Maurice, Bunnelby, Fletchling