Amitié
(noun)
—French for "amity", "fellowship", and "friendship"
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Calem had tried to warn her, but Celestine hadn't believed him and now she was sorely regretting it.
They came to the middle of town and were greeted by a very angry ginger and a rather laidback dancer. At least, that summed up the encounter.
Celestine hadn't found Trevor to be an intimidating figure when they'd met two days ago. He was an inch taller than Shauna, maybe, with a red of coppery hair that hugged his face like a helmet and a pair of wide grey eyes that were always curious, and weedy frame that left him pretty much overlooked. Plus, his fashion sense consisted of tweed, collared shirts, and sweat vests, everything that screamed shy, nerdy overachiever—bully bait. He'd been quiet when they'd met, a little disengaged but polite all the same. He had never once struck her as the violent type.
Which was why it was so jarring to see be greeted by a version of the same boy, red in the face, arms crossed, his foot tapping wildly and his eyebrow twitching. It was like seeing one of those tiny dogs who you knew couldn't hurt you, but that didn't make their blaring barks any less daunting.
"Forty-five minutes," he said when they were in earshot, his teeth bared in a scowl, the words enunciated in such a way that the syllables sounded particularly deadly, like stabbing icepicks. "Forty-five minutes. You guys made us wait for forty-five minutes passed the agreed time. You set us back forty-five minutes."
Shauna somehow found the balls to laugh jauntily in the face of his rage. "Geez, someone's eager to get a move on."
"You guys did take a while," said the boy next to Trevor—Tierno. At least, that's what everyone called him. It was a stage name, according to him, because all great dancers had those, apparently. Celestine had attempted to ask his real name and just received a collective laugh of amusement in response.
But, anyway, Tierno was Trevor's opposite in almost every way imaginable. Where Trevor was scrawny and pale, Tierno was tall and tanned and... well, wide was the best way to put it. His black hair was undercut and pulled back into a hipster-type ponytail, yet his dark eyes had a cheery twinkle in them that bellied that. For some reason, he was decked in myriad pastel shopping bags like a Christmas tree with ornaments, and Celestine began to understand why Shauna and Calem had reacted so strongly to news of their friend going shopping. It seemed like Tierno had an addiction in need of curing.
"On the bright side," Tierno was saying, rooting through his bags (Celestine began to wonder if this entire Journey was just going to be people rooting through bags, first Serena with her purse and now Tierno with his shopping bags), "I got you the cutest scarf ever. Oh, and Serie! I bought you some really nice berets. And I got Calem this cool jacket, but I'll give it to him later, he was kinda in a rush-and I even got some stuff for you, Celie! You might have to get them fitted, though, 'cause I had to guess at your sizes, but it's the thought that counts, y'know?"
Right. Celestine had forgotten that his demeanor was almost an echo of Shauna's.
"That's... arigato," she muttered as he held out some bags for her. She took them reluctantly, wondering what fresh hell was waiting in them. The thought did count, sure, but she doubted he understood her clothing preferences.
"Do you know far away the nearest rest stop is from here!?" Trevor was shouting, and Shauna sighed, massaging her forehead. "Do you know how long it takes to get there!? Do you not realize that, with this delay, we might not even make it there by nightfall!?"
"Then we get great view of the stars," Shauna answered, stubbornly optimistic.
"Where's my cousin?" Serena asked pointedly. Celestine could understand, if not sympathize, with her frustration a little. Calem bitched about them holding up the line, then disappeared to do who-knows-what. Little hypocrite.
"Oh, ah." Tierno scratched the back of his head. "He went to the healing center to pick up Alistair."
Celestine frowned. "He had to wait two days to pick up his bird?"
"Yeah..."
"Were the healing machines glitching or...?" Healing machines were the most vital component in a Trainer's livelihood, and when they broke down, Trainer activity ground to a halt. Especially if that town was a Gym town. God, that was a nightmare.
But Tierno shook his head. "They only use those in big cities. They use Potion therapy here."
Celestine blinked in bewilderment. Potion therapy? That... That doesn't make sense. Potion therapy just heals the physical presence of the wound, but then you have to wait another few days for the aura-circuits to repair themselves. Healing machines target aura, and aura therapy speeds up physical healing as well. Why use an out-dated method that only targets one when you could use a modern method that targets both?
"Yeah, healing machines are expensive," Serena explained, "so..."
"You only have to buy them once," Celestine retorted. "And maybe pay for repairs every once in a blue moon. Every center in Kanto, official or otherwise, could afford one."
Serena sighed in exasperation. "Well, it's different in Kalos."
Like everything else, Celestine thought, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. But still... if they really don't have healing machines down here... I guess I can understand why Calem was so mad. Potion therapy can't treat everything like a healing machine can. If he hadn't gotten there in time and there had been internal bleeding... A stab of guilt went through her gut. Ugh, dammit, I really do owe him an apology, don't I? Still, I don't get why he didn't put his bird in stasis... Or, wait, is that different here to?
Before she could ask, Shauna came and tugged Serena on the arm. "Serie, can you please give him the thing so he'll shut up about our lateness?"
"The word is 'tardiness'," Trevor said, frowning, "and what are you two talking about?"
Serena yanked her arm free (which was astonishing to Celestine because she hadn't been able to fend off Shauna's iron grip so how was Serena able to do that or was everyone in Kalos just super strong, did they put steroids in the food or what). "Dammit, Shauna, I specifically told you not to ruin it."
"Special circumstances. Just make him stop ranting about punctuality."
"Fine." Serena pulled the Dexes out from her purse. "The Professeur asked me to give you guys these. Be sure thank him when you get to Lumiose."
Tierno's eyes widened, and some of his shopping bags slipped out of his hands to plop onto the ground. "Are those—?"
"Dexes? Oui. They're all yours, boys."
While Tierno continued to stare at the devices with undisguised awe, Trevor snatched up his with a fanboy-esque gasp and some rapid-fire Kalosian rambling that sounded a hell of a lot like a fan rant.
"What is he saying?" Celestine whispered to Shauna.
"I don't speak Kalosian so..." Shauna shrugged. "But I think it's something along the lines of 'oh my god Sycomore is the best I can't believe it'. That sorta thing. Trevs is a huge Dex nut."
Celestine had heard that there were some people who worshiped the Dex as a harbinger to a new era, but she had never met one. There was something uncomfortable about the way Trevor was oogling over the Dex, like the way gamers glued themselves to their consoles, and it made her wonder what he'd thought when he'd found out she was from Kanto, the place from which the Dex had been unleashed into the world.
Maybe I'd better not mention Shigeru-san and Midori-sensei then...
"This is amazing," Trevor gasped, just as Tierno was starting to inspect his own Dex. "I might just hug you."
Serena frowned. "Please don't."
"Why not?
"Because you'll end up with a face-full of my cleavage and no one wants to see that."
"How is this even possible?" Tierno asked, still thoroughly perplexed.
"The Professeur was going to give Mlle Celestine a Dex," Serena explained, "but then he decided to get the rest of you guys Dexes, because he's generous." A pause. "He insisted I emphasize on the 'generous' part, but, yeah. You can thank him and Mlle."
Trevor let out a noise that was somewhere between a squeak and a squeal and, before Celestine knew it, she had a very emotional ginger clinging to her front like a wet towel.
"What the—" Celestine seized up, eyes widening. She was highly uncomfortable with the whole touchy-feely thing in general, but this was waaay too close. Because he was five-foot-four and she was six foot, his arms reached her stomach and his face was currently buried in her ribcage, so her breasts were just above his head, and he was mumbling what sounded like a thousand gratitudes into the fabric of her shirt and his breath was hot and oh god get him off. "Shauna, what do I do? How I get him off me?"
Tierno and Shauna shared a laugh while Serena arched a brow, puzzled by Celestine's reaction.
"Seriously! What do I do?" Celestine held her arms out awkwardly and made some wild, incoherent gestures with her hands (though she had to mind Delphi, and he was becoming stimulated by her agitated state). She had to tamp down a sudden surge of panic—when was the last time someone had hugged her, anyway? Must've been ages. She was so unused to it now that the simple act of touch, even laced with gratitude, was foreign and, well, invasive. "Like, non-stick spray? Crowbar? What?"
"Not a fan of hugs, are you, Celie?" Tierno teased.
"Not when he can look up and see underboob!"
At this, Trevor flew off her and rambled incoherently about how he was definitely not a perv, his face so red Celestine honestly thought he was going to have an aneurism.
"You're not even wearing a shirt that's revealing enough," Shauna said, arching a brow.
"That's not the point."
"What's underboob?" Delphi asked, totally oblivious. Bless the poor, sweet, innocent angel that he was.
"I'll tell you when you're older," Mint said cheekily.
"No you won't," Celestine butted in, feeling an odd surge of protectiveness towards the little fox. But Mint smirked and she decided that, from that point on, she was keeping her starter far away from that Chespin.
Unfortunately, Calem showed up around then, jogging over to them with a look on his face that looked almost apologetic, but Celestine had known Calem all of two days and had already determined that he wasn't exactly the apologetic type. Hayami wasn't on his shoulder anymore. Probably back in her Ball.
"Sorry that took so long," he said once he was close enough. Then turned to the girls and blinked. "Oh, you guys are done with your flower thing."
"Flower thing?" Serena drawled. "You mean the five-hundred-year-old tradition you chose not to participate in?"
Trevor was still babbling about how he meant no offence whatsoever and he was really sorry and please don't hold it against him, he didn't mean anything by it.
Calem took noticed of the ginger's flustered state and arched a brow. "Trevs, what's wrong with your face?"
"What's wrong with yours?" Trevor fired back, bristling.
"That's not... I wasn't teasing you. I was honestly wondering why your face was so red."
"Well, you can't blame him," Tierno said. "I mean, Cel's got a pretty nice rack."
Celestine balked, her face flooding with heat, and Calem's brows rose in shock.
"Agreed," Serena said, narrowing her eyes at Celestine's chest. The Kantonian suddenly had the urge to cross her arms over her bust and cover up—not that she was shy, she just did not like where this was going. "Like, what size are you? C? D? You're bigger than I am, at least, and I'm a size B, so."
Celestine's face was probably the same temperature of the sun right now, could probably fry eggs and boil water. She could feel the heat radiating off her face and it was probably the color of a ruby, like full-on bright red like a poppy or a rose and oh my god, how did they even get on this topic of conversation!? "Why are we talking about my breasts!?"
Calem turned to Shauna, completely at a loss. "What happened while I was gone?"
"It's... Just pretend it never happened," Shauna answered with a nervous laugh.
Trevor seemed to have composed himself again, taking in deep breaths to ease the redness of his blush—in and out, in and out, almost gasping but not quite. "I still can't believe the Professeur gave us Dexes."
Celestine wondered how the hell he could so easily pretend they hadn't just been talking about her cup size. Like, seriously, how the hell was she supposed to interpret that? Offended or grateful, she couldn't decide which.
Calem opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, blinked twice, seemingly to realize it was probably best to just ignore that particular topic of conversation altogether. She could see it in his eyes—the exact moment he decided to let it go, and it strangely relieving, knowing he could do that, let things go, and Celestine wasn't exactly sure why.
Whatever. At the very least, she was grateful he wasn't going to pursue it.
"Yeah," Calem said with a slight, awkward laugh, "Me neither. But it is pretty cool, huh?"
"Well, like I said," Serena said warily, "the Professeur's gifts are never as generous as they seem. There's always strings attached and these are no exception."
"Oh, it can't be that bad," Tierno said with a dismissive wave. "I mean, the Professeur said the same thing about giving Mint to Shauna and all he did was have Celestine stay with her."
Celestine wondered what the hell it was with everyone always bringing the topic back to her. Yes, she was glaring anomaly in the normalcy of their everyday lives, and maybe she was taking it a little personally, but c'mon. She hadn't been asking for this sort of attention. When Hakase had said she would be staying in a small town, she'd been expecting her arrival to be quiet and seamless and for her to go completely unnoticed, for her to slip in discreetly without too much attention, hoped to stay out of everyone's way, to be in and out before anyone noticed. What she hadn't been expecting was to be thrust into a tightknit group, having disrupted the ties that bound this town-complex and interwoven like an Ariados's web, somehow beautiful but also something that was best left untouched, lest one found themselves hopelessly tangled in myriad sticky threads. As someone who had grown up in a large city like Viridian, where the labyrinth was one of streets and alleys and buildings rather than personal connections, she had underestimated the way lives overlapped and intersected so deeply in small towns like Vaniville, to the point where everyone knew everything about everyone and a city slicker like herself stood out like a teacup in a room of clay pots.
Still, that didn't mean everyone had to constantly point to the teacup and remind her that she did not belong here, it was only temporary, and whatever place she'd had in the world was probably filled in by somebody else by now.
Okay, wow, Celestine, that was cynical and you need to focus on what's going on right now. You're almost out of here. Just bear with it for a little longer.
"Well, these strings are a little more... tangled," Serena said.
"Doesn't matter," Trevor responded fiercely. "I am going to repay the Professeur back in any way I can for this."
"Hold that thought," Serena muttered doubtfully, under her breath and Celestine was sure she was the only one that heard it, and didn't that just bode well? The blond breathed in deeply, then announced, clear and strong, "Some restrictions have been added to your licences."
Her announcement was met with stunned silence.
Celestine didn't know what the others were thinking, but her own thoughts raced with fury. Restrictions? Was Hakase being serious? She was an experienced Trainer, sure, and she was flexible enough to deal with a few added rules, but the word "restrictions" sent dread stirring in her gut. He had already screwed her over by giving her such an inexperienced starter, expecting her to start from scratch and climb her way back up to the top. But the way Serena said "restrictions", Celestine could only think that this climb might be hindered by some rather cumbersome ankle weights.
"The restrictions are different for everyone," Serena went on, "because the Professeur knows you all have different goals for your Journeys, so he's tried to accommodate that. So, yeah..." She cleared her throat. "First off, y'know how you can only catch one Pokemon per Route?"
"To prevent poaching," Calem said with an undercurrent of suspicion. "Of course."
"Well, now it's just the first Pokemon you encounter."
Needless to say, the reactions were various degrees of shock and outrage.
"So we don't even get to choose what we get to catch!?" Calem shouted and Celestine was, for once, in total agreement. While she did have a certain fondness for Hakase, respected him as an intellectual and as an old family friend, she couldn't help but feel slighted. First he gives her a starter he knew she was going to struggle with, then he limited her options for captures? He really wasn't going to make this easy for her, was he?
"Unbelievable!" Shauna gasped, and she sounded a little hurt. Mint muttered something about Hakase's quirkiness and how it could often come back to bite you in the ass. Delphi hummed in what sounded like agreement.
Serena started massaging her left temple. "Oh, that's not even the half of it. You also can't use stat-boosting vitamins, battle items, or an Exp Share."
Okay, Celestine could live with that. The new-and-improved Exp Share seemed to take the gruel out of training and it felt too much like cheating to her, at least from her no-guts-no-glory Kantonian perspective. Same with vitamins. Only highly competitive Trainers enhanced their team through vitamins and steroids, and battle items were usually restricted to tournaments—unless that was different in Kalos, too.
The others, however, reacted a bit more negatively.
Serena bit her lip. "Guys, those are just the general restrictions. Like I said, you've all got separate, specialized restrictions."
"Like?" Trevor asked warily. He seemed significantly less eager about this now that he knew the potential price.
"Well, for starters... Tierno?"
Tierno straightened, like a private being addressed by his lieutenant.
"So, um, you know how Phillipe is a Water Type?"
Tierno made the connection instantly. "I'm only going to be allowed to catch Water Types, aren't I?"
"Water-Types and Dark-Types, yeah." Serena shot him an apologetic look. "At the very least, you get this thing called a token clause, so..."
Tierno sighed, but made no protests.
"And Trevor? Your restriction is that you can't use items."
Trevor balked. "At all?"
Serena shook her head, and Trevor muttered about how he was going to have to be more conservative with his battle style and completely revamp his strategy.
"Okay, next is Shauna—"
"Just tell me quickly," Shauna said, eyes closed and bracing herself like someone was going to punch her in the face. Physically rather than theoretically. "Just rip it off, like a bandaid."
"Do you know what the WonderTrade network is?"
Shauna cracked an eye open and waited expectantly. Celestine could feel the air getting tenser as Serena went down the list and she wondered if the tension was going to be suffocating by the time Serena got to her restrictions.
"All your captures from now on have to be WonderTraded," Serena announced with all the weight of a guilty verdict. "And no retrades."
Shauna visibly deflated. Mint started cursing Hakase.
Finally, Serena turned to Celestine and Calem, and the tension in the air was literally palpable, so thick it could be cut with knife, bleed all the ground. It could clog airways and asphyxiate and Celestine held her breath, determined not to choke.
"Your guys' restrictions are pretty similar. You both have to catch the first thing you find on each Route, and 'gift encounters' count. You both get a 'Shiny Clause', which means that if you find a color variant, you can catch it, but it immediately gets sent to the Profeseur. Research purposes and all." Serena paused, letting that sink in, and to Celestine, that seemed pretty fair, but she had a feeling that Serena was not done, and boy was she right. "But that's where the similarities end. Calem has a dupes clause, which means if he encounters something he's already caught or an evolution of something he's already caught, he loses his catch for that area. And if you faint your encounter, Cal, you lose it. Sorry.
"Celestine, you don't have a dupes clause, but you do have a second chance if you accidentally faint it. And before you ask, no, you cannot intentionally faint or run from your encounter. The Dex will know. Running is a forfeit of any encounter. Got it?"
Celestine crossed her arms and decided she might be able to accept that. But only grudgingly.
"And Cal, since the Professeur knows you're taking the Gym Challenge"—And here Calem tensed, expectant, waiting. Celestine suddenly got the feeling of waiting for a storm to hit, and even though this wasn't her restriction, she found herself empathetically anxious for him. Serena's nervous fidgeting wasn't exactly helping, either.—"after every Gym Battle, you have to WonderTrade off a member of your team."
"What!?"
"And it's got to be a member of the team you had on you when you beat the Leader," Serena went on, her voice so thick was apology that her Kalosian accent responded in turn, going from light and wispy to mildly unintelligible. "Not a boxed Pokemon or anything."
Calem groaned.
Serena turned to Celestine and opened her mouth, poised deliver the latest way Hakase had screwed her, Celestine, over, but the Kantonian beat her to the punch. "Just tell me I'm not using the WonderTrade net."
"Um, no. You're kinda barred."
"Okay..." Celestine had no idea how to access the Wonder net anyway, and she'd rather not make an account she wasn't going to use one way or another.
"But you can't use TMs."
And just like that, the world stopped.
Celestine could process the information, she really could, it just got struck, somehow, between hearing and comprehending. TMs were vital to Trainers, a technological innovation courtesy of Unova's Cedric Juniper-Hakase, who had discovered a way to compress move auras into thin little disks almost fifty years ago when he was still a young man just out of college with a freshly-printed diploma. It had revolutionized the training scene, had allowed Trainers to diversify movesets and had become a precious resource in the strategy game, as well as eventually leading to the useful tool of HMs, moves that allowed Trainers to overcome obstacles that would have otherwise required mechanical assistance or would just have to be avoided altogether. HMs had been made sturdier because of their value outside of battle, but TMs were much more volatile, for some reason, and wore out quickly. The common misconception was that it was a marketing scheme until Alola's Kukui-Hakase found a way to successfully synthesize stable TMs six years ago.
But, stable or non, TMs were a rather large cornerstone in a Trainer's livelihood and had been for a long time. To suddenly be denied that, and get thrown back into the dark ages of Trainer history-
Comprehension complete. Reaction: outrage.
"Is he out of his fucking mind!?" Celestine screeched. She knew it! She knew Hakase was going to screw her over, but this was uncalled for. This was like placing her in a desert and telling her she had to build a skyscraper, but could only use the natural resources—no stone or steel, just the endless sand, beaten and dry and flimsy, to construct an architectural masterpiece. Except she couldn't work with sand. She needed stone and steel. How was he expecting her to pull this off, when the blueprints he gave her were incomplete?
Serena held her hands up in an attempt to pacify her. "Look, I don't know the man's thought process. I just work for him. I can't tell you what he was thinking when he thought this up."
"Was he high?" the Kantonian demanded.
"No," Serena sighed.
"Drunk?"
A pause, then a more tentative, slightly unsure, "no".
"Then he has no excuse!" Celestine exploded. She nearly threw her hands up in the air, were it not for Delphi's whimper, her screaming probably hurting his sensitive ears, reminding her that she had to balance a plucky little fox on her shoulder. Another "gift" from Hakase, a burden disguised as a blessing.
"You're allowed to use HMs at least," Serena said, trying to sound optimistic and largely failing. "I mean, you can't use the move tutors, either, you can still use the move reminder! Anything that's within the natural learnset counts."
"That doesn't exactly make it better," Celestine snapped back. Birds help her if she ever got stuck with a Wynaut.
"The Professeur wants to see how Trainers react to different scenarios," the blond explained, like that somehow justified this.
"Rena," Calem said in an eerily flat voice that bellied the furious twitching of his left eye, "I am not going to be someone's guinea pig. I am not putting up with Sycomore's madness."
"...the Professeur actually prefers the term 'whimsy'."
"And I prefer the term 'bullshit'."
"Look, I really am sorry guys," Serena said softly, and it did sound genuine, "but if you want to keep the Dexes, these are the conditions."
Celestine could except that—if she was a Kalos native, like the others. They exchanged looks with each other, silently debating, but she didn't have that option. Like Serena had said earlier, this Dex was Celestine's instruction manual, something she desperately needed if a Kantonian like herself was going to make a foothold in Kalos. It was like giving air to breathe but stealing water to quench her thirst. Have one but not the other. Have your cake, but just sit there and stare at it until it goes stale—no touching, no eating.
Air or water. PokeDex or TMs. If it were Kanto, she could make do, but this was Kalos, and it was different in Kalos. She had to choose the Dex or she was going to sink like a rock.
"I mean, it could be worse," Shauna piped up, but her optimism was much shakier, not quite so solid. "It'll make my team more diverse, y'know? More interesting."
"Right," Tierno agreed. "Water-Types are common, but they are pretty diverse! And Dark-Types are rare, so that's a plus. Promotes out-of-the-box thinking."
Trevor painted a determined look on his countenance. "I can live without items in exchange for a Dex. It's a good deal and I'm not turning it down."
Calem, though, was much less receptive to the idea of chaining himself to Hakase's idle game in exchange for a Dex, no matter how highly prized the device was. But he was considering it. Celestine could see it in his eyes, the internal struggle, stay on Hakase's good side or keep his independence as a Trainer? She had a feeling that he was one of those hotshots who thought they could make it big, if his ego was any indication, but the question was why he wanted to make it big. If it was a question of fame or a challenge, then the Dex and restrictions were easy solutions. But he was hesitating, so that meant it was probably a little more... personal. And Celestine was curious, despite herself.
He must have noticed her staring—she hadn't meant to, honest—and shot her a sidelong glance that nearly made her jump. "...remember how you said earlier that you wanted to kill Sycomore?"
"Yeah?"
"I officially give you my blessing." In other words: "I accept, but only if I get to watch him squirm".
Celestine managed a wry smile. "Are we agreeing on something?"
"Don't make a big deal out of it."
Celestine almost snorted. She wasn't the type to make a big deal out of something so trivial anyway. Shauna, on the other hand—
The brunette was currently exchanging a frantic, incredulous look between the two. "Okay, what is happening right now?"
Celestine ignored her and started walking. She felt like she had stalled enough. "Let's head to Route Two, shall we?"
"Wait up!" Shauna called out, and the others started off after her.
Fucking finally.
Route Two was just across a bridge, one that arced overtop one of the myriad pristine canals that zigzagged across Aquacorde and gave the town its name. Serena, in a rather tour guide-like fashion, informed the group that the canals at first only circled the town to ward off wildlife, having been built around the time Aquacorde was being settled, and the water all came from the nearby unnamed river that flowed alongside the Route (the only one these small towners ever knew, and thus appropriately named The River). The rest of the canals were merely aesthetic, and thus smaller than the border canals.
Aquacorde was aged, beige-gold buildings and cobblestone, cafes and shops lining the streets, but beyond the bridge the change from civilization to wilderness was shockingly abrupt. Route Two was not like its cousin, the connecting Route of flowers and walls that had been tamed by human hands. No, this Route, the "Avance Trail", was green and bursting at the seams with wildness. A beaten, dirt trail wound through a glade of thigh-high grasses, all long and swaying and vibrant emerald, rustling with critters moving around—so tall and thick that the trail itself was barely discernible. There was no sweet smell of freshly cut lawns with these grasses, for they had never been cut with a mower, and heaven help the person that tried.
To the west, The River ran clear and blue and strong, filling the Route with the soft sound of running water. To the east, trees enclosed it like an embrace, a wilderness that was vast and dark, lovely but not welcoming, bringing in the smell of loam and tree sap. The woods encircled the Route, and over the hills, Celestine could see the old dirt path, worn down by the footsteps of many Trainers marching on it up and down over decades and decades, winding into the mouth of the trees far beyond. According to Serena, that particular patch of the Santalune Forest was a bit tamer and more suited for beginner Trainers. It was probably why, even though the path branched off into the woods several times, that one trail was much more pronounced than the others, more Trainers defining it with their footsteps, going in and then coming back out again.
They all stood on the end of the bridge, on the threshold of the wilderness, drinking it in. Celestine herself couldn't see the importance of this. She was an experienced Trainer with dreams to travel that had never been realized, but she had accepted that and moved on, never looked back in favor of something far more pressing. To her, this was like revisiting some old childhood memorabilia-the nostalgic wanderlust that had guided her as a starry-eyed twelve-year-old. It hit her hard, for just a moment, a sharp, overwhelming pang, but it passed quickly when she reminded herself that she still had a whole Journey ahead of her and she couldn't afford to slow down before she begun.
But to the others, it was far more momentous. Maybe not so much for Serena, who had taken civilian routes to get here and was not a Trainer by any stretch of the imagination, but the others were viewing with as a stepping stone to a long and wondrous adventure. Celestine could see the wanderlust that had gripped her as a child sparkling in their eyes, excited and eager. And even Calem, who seemed less prone to sentimentality, surveyed the landscape with enthusiasm.
The moment was broken when Calem nudged Trevor lightly with his elbow. "Bet my capture will be better than yours."
Trevor immediately straightened and his face blazed with competitive ferocity. "Bitch, you are on."
Calem flashed a taunting smirk before taking off into the grass. Trevor screeched about how Calem's long legs gave him an unfair advantage and followed after him feverishly, shouting something about he would not be outdone by a human skyscraper.
Celestine blinked. "Okay, what the hell was that?"
"Just guys being guys," Tierno answered in that lax manner of his. "They kinda have a friendly competition going on. 'Specially about this whole Journey thing. They had a bet on whether Trevor would catch a hundred Pokemon before Calem completed the Gym circuit." A pause. "Which they're probably gonna have to change now, but it's still the same idea."
"Are they always this competitive?"
"Sorta." It was Shauna that answered that, channeling all her nervous energy into swinging her arms back and forth while bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I mean, Cal kinda likes being challenged and Trevs is one of those smart guys who likes being right so, they butt heads every now and then but it's always friendly. They're really close, like me and Tierny are really close."
"Not that we're not close to them," Tierno added hastily, like Celestine might get the wrong idea, never mind that she wasn't personally invested whatsoever. "Just that they kinda bonded after Calem moved here—"
"He's not from here?" Delphi gasped, making it sound like some big revelation when it really wasn't.
"Calem and I grew up in Snowbelle," Serena explained. As she spoke, she stepped off the bridge, crossing that sacred threshold like it was nothing. To her, it probably was. "Like, next-door-neighbors-close-as-siblings type, but we were actually related. Then he moved when I was seven and he was eight. We still kept in touch, though, through video chat and stuff."
"But anyway," Shauna went on, and she too stepped off the bridge, though she was a little more reticent about it, "the first person he met here was Trevs. And Trevs was kinda a fish out of water, too, 'cause he lives in Lumiose but he goes to school here, 'cause it's cheaper and his folks aren't too well off. Trevs'd kinda got into some trouble with a bully or something, and Cali, being a nice a guy, got involved, but, um, he doesn't fight unless he can help it—"
"He ended up with a black eye," Serena interrupted. She traced a circle around her left eye as a visual. "I remember that. Nasty. Took a week to heal."
"All three of them got in trouble," Tierno sighed, a little nostalgic. "Which was really stupid, because Trevs was a victim and Cal was just trying to do the right thing, but the teachers didn't really want to hear their side of it. To them, a fight was a fight. Shauna met them in detention and introduced them to me, and me and Shauna were already friends for a year after she'd moved. I mean, she was pretty sullen back then. I felt the need to talk to her and..."
"I've tried to be extra cheerful ever since, though!" Shauna piped up, pouting a little but otherwise undeterred. "And I really felt for the guys, 'cause I could sympathize. And the rest is history!"
"That's pretty cool," Delphi said. "I mean, you guys have been friends longer than I've been alive!"
Celestine frowned at Shauna. "How did you end up in detention, though?"
"Oh! A guy called Tierny fat, so I kicked him in the shin."
"...that was your default reaction?"
"I'm deceptively violent," Shauna chirped sunnily.
Okay then.
"Can I go with one of you?" Serena interrupted. "It's just, I'm not a Trainer and I don't really wanna be alone..."
"Sure, Serie," Tierno said with good-natured laugh. "You can stick with me."
"Merci," the blond said. With that, a small wave, and a promise to meet up later, the two headed off into the glade.
"I assume you're gonna split off from us, huh?" Shauna said once they'd gone. She sounded oddly subdued, and Celestine wondered if it was the trip down memory lane that had mellowed her peppiness out, or the sight of all her friends splitting up to pursue separate paths.
Celestine nodded wordlessly.
"Okay, well, there's a rest stop a few miles from here that we were all gonna meet up at. Like Trevs said, we'll probably get there around nightfall, so, meet us there, maybe?"
"Maybe," she said.
Shauna smiled a little sadly, probably realizing that, from this point out, Celestine was planning to do this alone. Then headed off, waving in what felt like a goodbye.
And Celestine was left alone, still standing at the threshold, no the verge but not yet having crossed.
Which was exactly what she wanted. So why was she hesitating?
I've never been on a Journey before, thought the twelve-year-old Trainer in her, miraculously still alive after five long years. It may not be the best circumstances, but...
She took a step forward. And nothing happened.
She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was stupidly holding and moved onward.
Nostalgia hit her like a tidal wave as she picked her way down the path, the rustling of the grass and the whispers in the trees bringing back a flood of memories of when she was eleven and a Trainer without a traveling permit, standing at the edge of Route One and wondering at the sleepy town of Pallet that lay on the other side. She remembered how she'd go there everyday to train, reveling in the green wildness of the trees and the thick grass and the sky being unobstructed by skyscrapers, how she'd challenged beginner Trainers fresh out of Pallet, tested to see if they could make it in the big, bad Viridian City. Well, "big, bad" was a bit of an exaggeration, she supposed. Unlike other cities that blared with bright lights that dimmed the stars and streets cluttered with honking cars, Viridian was the "evergreen city", the amalgamated child of human civilization and Mother Nature, with ivy crawling up buildings and gardens flourishing in vacant lots and large, emerald parks and plants growing on the sills of every apartment complex. So perhaps Celestine's fascination with the wild as a young girl had stemmed from there, having grown up with the taste of nature on her tongue.
The Routes had a different flavor to them, though, bristling with creatures and free of cement and steel, somehow beautiful in their hostility towards humans but tolerance of Trainers, who chose the hard road and never looked back. As a child, Celestine had always found the double standard fascinating, and had escaped from the city whenever she could to breathe in the sweet air. And the three Routes that fed into Viridian themselves were each different. Route Twenty-Two housed a grand gate of stone and jewels, steep cliff-faces that added a sense of adversity, reminding everyone that the Route was carved into the face of the mountains where the Elite and Champion awaited challengers. Route One, on the other hand, had always been more pastoral, farmers having made their livelihoods on either end of the Route, white picket fences lining the fields like a friendly embrace. And Route Two was somewhere in between the ferocity and docility of the two, the trees always restless and the path winding into the Viridian Forest, deep and dark and lovely.
Kalosian Route Two was a mimicry of its Kantonian cousin, different only in the fact that The River shadowed its path, and beyond that Celestine could make out the grey asphalt of civilian routes that dodged the wilderness altogether. But if she closed her eyes, she could almost ignore it, and the sounds of the forest breathing nearby was so nostalgic that she had to find a rock and sit down, not trusting her legs to hold her up anymore.
And just as the nostalgia left, she was greeted by a strong pang of homesickness and grief—mourning for those lost years, for a Journey that could have been but never was, for a childhood that was long gone, that had been stolen from her—
"Trainer?"
Celestine blinked. Delphi was peering at her with concerned amber eyes, the sunshine making his pelt glow a brilliant shade of yellow and his ear tufts orange like flames. If she closed her eyes, she might just imagine another shape—orange, reptilian, eyes blue-grey instead of amber.
"Gomen, Delphi," she said. His name sounded a little strange to her, dissonant with the memory of her childhood. But this was the present and the past was long dead. Wishing and dreaming wouldn't bring it back to life. Or anything—anyone—else, for that matter. "I was just... thinking, that's all."
Delphi blinked at her, still concerned and a little nervous. Then, quietly, cautiously, "Are... you still upset because the others made fun of your breasts?"
Celestine straightened, flushing and her face twisting into a vicious glare. "Delphi!"
He shrank back, ears flattening, but he still muttered, "I'm just confused as to why you're embarrassed when you wear shirts with a low neckline..."
Her face blazing now. "I happen to dislike shirts with a high neckline— Wait, I don't have to explain anything to you!"
"I was just—"
"No, you were not 'just' anything!" she snapped, standing up sharply. He yelped, fighting to cling on. And she thought, good, because he had no right to harass her. "My clothing preference is none of your busine—"
"Be quiet."
Her brow twitched. The fox had balls, that was for sure, but he was messing with the wrong person. "You did not just tell me to be quiet."
Delphi's ears were erect and twitching, but it wasn't her he was listening to. "Shhh. Listen."
She did so, grudgingly, and immediately understood what he meant. Flapping wings sounded overhead, painfully close, and she tensed, remembering that her first encounter was now vital. Picking and choosing was no longer an option with Hakase's ridiculous ruleset. Whatever it was—and she hadn't had the chance to check her Dex for what lived around here, which was probably stupid of her—could end up being a member of her team.
Her hand slipped into her bag, into small pocket of shrunken Balls that Serena had given her on the way here, all registered to her licence. She took one of them, marble sized, into her fingers and enlarged it to the size of a tennis ball as she pulled her hand back out.
The flapping came closer, closer, closer, it was in her ears now, just above her head—
A weight settled on her scalp and it felt a lot like it had claws.
"Um, Trainer?" Delphi squeaked.
"...there's a bird on my head, isn't there?"
As if to answer her question, a beige-brown feathered head, upside-down, appeared from above, staring down at her with coal-colored eyes set in dark stripes, with a pale beak making the majority of its face. It was definitely a bird, and one Celestine recognized with surprising ease. She hadn't realized Pidgey were native to Kalos.
Nostalgia hit her again, whisking her away and then she was twelve again, back on the Kantonian Route Two, her and her partner Pokemon startling small groups of Pidgey for fun and laughing as they scrambled about with frazzled wingbeats and deafening squawks, and a few colorful human curses she would rather not repeat. But Pidgey were docile, for the most part, and never fought them back as would, say, and Spearow flock. God, that would've been a nightmare.
"You're a Trainer, non?" the Pidgey on her head demanded. The Kalosian accent coupled with the image of the Kantonian bird was so jarring that it shattered Celestine from her reverie.
"N-Nani?"
The Pidgey scowled. Celestine didn't think she'd ever seen such a fierce-looking Pidgey in all her life, especially since this thing was, like, two feet tall. "What the hell kind of response was that? I asked if you were a Trainer—yes or no, girl."
A surge of indignation went through her. "Okay, I've heard rumors that Kalosians were rude, but wow, I was almost starting to think otherwise."
The Pidgey frowned. "What's wrong with your voice?"
Her voice? "Excuse me?"
"Your voice. Why are you talking funny?"
Oh dear god.
"Actually, Monsieur," Delphi interrupted, "it's just her accent. She's from Kanto, you see. Where she comes from, everyone talks weird."
Was this seriously happening right now? A bird lands on her head, makes fun of her for the way she speaks, and her starter backs him up? Because if so, then that was really sucky way to begin a Journey. "I don't talk weird. Everyone in this goddamn region has an accent. I'm the only one that doesn't."
"You roll your l's and they sound a little like r's," Delphi said.
Because there's no "l" sound in Kantonese, she wanted to scream, but frustration closed her throat up and she couldn't choke the words out. She was just so done.
The bird looked a bit more intrigued, now, though. "Kanto? Really, you're from the Old Continent?"
"That's your business how?" Celestine asked, and she really shouldn't be making a bad first impression, but, to be fair, he started it.
"I've always wanted to go. Apparently our ancestors came from the ol' OC." The Pidgey's head disappeared from view, but she could hear him prattling up above, like, go ahead, make yourself comfortable, not like I need my scalp or anything. "They migrated here after some other regional breeds showed up and displaced the old populations. Humans fixed it, but then we were all quite happy here and the rest is history. But I've heard tales, about sacred birds—'Winged Mirages', my pepe used to call them—and, Goddess, they were really something! Makes you real proud to be a bird, I tell you.
"Your people know how to treat us over there! And I've always wanted to go and see the shrines for myself, pay my respects, y'know? Is it true that they're really the ancestors of all birds, because that would be awesome. I mean, boasting that you came from gods? Well, I guess every other bird family would boast the same thing, which kinda makes it less special. Huh. I wonder which one I'm related too..." A paused, then the Pidgey's head reappeared, looking down with an upside-down frown. "Wait, why am I telling you all this? What are you doing here?"
Words could not describe how done Celestine was at that moment.
"You came to us," Delphi said with a frown. "And then you started talking about Kanto and... Honestly, you lost me at 'wing mirages' and I zoned out."
The Pidgey snorted. "Not even paying attention. The manners of some 'mons, I tell you."
"Why are you here!?" Celestine exploded.
"Er..." The Pidgey's head disappeared again. "Oh, that's a good question... ... ...Damn! I don't remember!"
"Wonderful," she said sarcastically. Her first encounter was a loony bird.
"Just give me a second... It's on the tip of my tongue..."
Celestine looked down at the Ball in her hand and considered just chucking at the grass, let luck take the wheel. Hell, she didn't care if she ended up with Bidoof. It was more tolerable than this birdbrain.
"Now I remember!" the bird exclaimed suddenly. "Quick, follow me!"
Before she could get a word in edgewise, the weight on her scalp suddenly vanished, replaced by the sound of flapping wings. And then the sound was retreating, going, going, going—
"O-Oi!" She snapped out of her stupor and turned to see his beige form vanishing into the treeline. Dammit. "Well, shit, there he goes."
Delphi craned his neck in an attempt to follow the bird's path, but that wasn't going to happen unless he had Luxray vision. "Should we follow him?"
"Hell no. We don't need him on our team."
"But he was out first encounter, and Oncle's rules say—"
"Also says I get a second chance."
Delphi frowned at her. "It also says you lose your encounter if you run."
"I didn't run though," Celestine replied. "He ran from me."
"That's stupid."
"No, Delphi, it's a loophole. And loopholes are meant to be exploited."
"So what happens now, then?"
"...good question." Serena had said she would lose her encounter if she ran—from this, Celestine assumed that meant her Balls would lock, the way they would after a capture was made per area—but she'd never specified what happened if it was the other way around. Would her Balls still lock or did she have a second chance?
"What are you just standing there for!?" Celestine jumped and turned. She could just make the Pidgey's head poking out of the treeline, glaring as he squawked at her from across the glade.
"Get your asses over here!"
She and her starter exchanged a bewildered glance. "Um," Delphi began tentatively, "should we...?"
"C'mon, c'mon! Hurry up you Slowpokes!"
Only because Hakase really hasn't left me much of a choice, she thought as she stomped along the closest trail, this was incredibly faint and cutting straight through the grass. Though, it was more likely the grass had sprung up around it, taking full advantage of how unused it was. That alone was enough to make Celestine wary, but so long as she stuck to the Route and didn't try her luck with the woods, it should be fine, right? After all, weaker, human-friendly Pokemon tended to populate Routes, while the wary and hostile ones chose to isolate themselves in forests and caves and places only the plucky dared to enter.
She stopped at the foot of a great hornbeam tree, its leaves thick and dark, branches long and heavy, roots stretching out in gnarled tangles like a twisted web. It was an impressive specimen, chipping bark hidden by a thick blanket of ivy, with brambles and bracken and ferns embracing it on either side. This was old growth, the gateway to an unforgiving place that was taboo to man. This was the part of the wild that did not yield to human hands and rejected the yoke of civilization. The creatures waiting beyond would be the same way.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Celestine glared up at the unfurling branches, just managing to make out the Pidgey's mottled head from the canopy of foliage. He was glaring back, radiating impatience. "Don't just stand there staring like a dumbass. Get up here!"
She blinked. "Wait, what?"
"C'mon! We're burning daylight!"
She held up her hand, blinking as she tried to process. "You... called me over here... so I could climb a tree?"
"Ugh, humans!" The Pidgey rolled his eyes, which only served to piss Celestine off further. "Look, I'd waste my breath explaining. Just get up here!"
And with that, his feathered bird head disappeared into the blanket of leaves.
Delphi turned to her. "...can you climb a tree?"
"Not in these boots," she muttered. Really picked a bad day to wear heels. I know they're not practical, but they're comfortable... Damn. "Okay, get off."
"Wuh?" He bristled, panic and hurt flashing across his face. "Why? What'd I do?"
She frowned at him. "I don't want you falling off while I take my shoes off."
Instantly, he relaxed, his ears lying flat. "O-Oh. Right, yeah. I... For a second I thought..."
"That I suddenly stopped liking you?" she asked, point blank.
Delphi averted his eyes and said nothing.
Celestine sighed. Oh boy, she was going to have to work on these self-esteem issues, wasn't she? Brilliant choice for a starter, Hakase, she thought as Delphi hopped off and landed to the ground, still meekly avoiding eye contact. Really, you picked a real winner. Everything I ever wanted.
Once her boots were stripped and the grass was crunching and pricking beneath the soles of her feet, her bag at the foot of the trunk and the Ball in her hand now tucked away safely in her pocket, Celestine examined the tree a little more closely. The nearest branch was a fair ways from the ground, and even with her impressive-for-a-girl height of six feet, it still hung tauntingly far above her head. While she could grab the tips of the drooping foliage if she stood on the balls of her feet, that part of the branch was far from strong enough to support her weight.
Damn you Hakase, she thought, glaring up at the arcing branch, a little twisted and drooping low enough for her to snatch at if she jumped. This is all because of you and your damn rules and the damn lack of clarity. If you'd just been more clear, I wouldn't have to chase after this fucking bird.
She leaped, her hands managing to grasp hold of the rough, firm wood. But gravity seemed determined to thwart her, the weight of her body straining her grip, and she hissed as the bark bit deep into her delicate, un-calloused fingers which were so not used to tree climbing and, dammit, she really needed to work on her upper body strength. She swung her legs, allowing them momentum to bring her lower body close enough for her to wrap her legs around the base of the branch.
Thank god for lower body strength, which she had in spare thanks to her jogging habits.
She heard giggles from below and looked down to see her starter with his snout buried in his paws, muffling laughter. She glared at him, upside down, which only made him laugh harder. "And what is so damn funny?"
Delphi looked up at her, fighting back snickers. "Y-You l-look so silly!"
"Do I," she said flatly.
"Like a monkey!" he laughed.
"Will you get up here!?" the Pidgey squawked.
At this point, Celestine was only climbing up this damn tree to strangle that bird.
"Delphi, stay down here and make sure nothing attacks."
"U-Um." He placed his paw over his mouth again to keep his laughter at bay. "O-Okay..."
With that, she turned away and began to pick her way up the hornbeam, her palms and feet turning raw from the continual scraping of rough bark, and she gritted her teeth each time she slipped. Once upon a time, she had been good at this, could dart up trees with speed that would make a Pachirisu envious, but it had been a long time since she had dug her nails into rough bark and strained her muscles in this fashion. She didn't think a few years would leave her so out of practice, but, shit, this was harder than she remembered.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity and a half, she finally managed to reach the top. The Pidgey was waiting for her, wings twitching with impatience.
"What the hell took you so long?"
"Oh, blow it out your feathered ass," she snapped back. "Now, you listen here—"
"In a minute," the bird interrupted. "Up here, up here." And with that, he disappeared into the foliage.
Oh, yeah, I am definitely strangling him, she thought as she managed to haul herself up onto the branch he had been perched on. It was sturdy enough to support her weight, so she sat down on it, panting and wincing at the ache in her hands and feet. This was the last time she was ever climbing up a tree. Ever.
"There you are." The Pidgey poked his head out from the foliage—thankfully, on the same branch, so no more climbing.
"Okay," she panted, "you had better explain or I swear to those 'Winged Mirages' you idolized so much—"
"Che, che, che, che. Keep your voice down."
"Are you serious," Celestine muttered.
"Better," the Pidgey chirped. He motioned with his wing and she scooted over, actively fighting the near-overwhelming urge to wring the bird's scrawny out in her hands.
"What—"
"Shhh." Before Celestine could scream out in frustration, the Pidgey brushed away a mass of leaves away with his wing, revealing, to her surprise, a nest of twigs and dying leaves, home to a miniature version of the bird—the underside of the wings still a little fluffy with down, eyes huge and filled to the brim with guileless curiosity.
"Oh," was all she could manage. The Pidgey chick chirped, hopping onto the rim of the rim of the nest and stick its neck out to get a better look at this foreigner, this guest in its birthplace. It lost its balance though, teetering, and peeped in alarm—Celestine held her hands out to catch it without thinking, and marveled at the fact that it was small enough to fit in both her cupped hands, its feathers still downy and soft and new, its body warm and its heartbeat strong in her palms. "Is it yours?"
The elder Pidgey squawked, as if offended. "He is not mine. How old do you think I am?"
"How old are you?" Celestine asked dryly.
"Two years."
"How old is the chick?"
"Six months."
"So it's a reasonable assumption."
"Not in the least."
Literally, the only thing that was keeping her from strangling him was the little chick in her hands.
"No, look. The kid's folks? They were the strongest Pidgeotto on the Route," the elder bird explained. "Self-proclaimed protectors of us birds. They were often the ones leading the Bug hunts-and lemme just say that those stereotypes about birds always besting Bugs? Untrue. A hell lot of those suckers have poison and they're about the same size as us, so us little birds can't really handle them too easily. Only the evolved of us can really take care of them. Anyway, the kid's folks were pretty damn altruistic. Made sure everyone got their fair share, even the old timers like my ol' pepe, 'till he died last winter. Tragic, that. He was a good bird, loved to tell stories—"
"The chick's parents?" Celestine pressed, sensing the Pidgey was starting to wander off topic.
He blinked. "Right. Yes. Greatest birds on the Route, they were. 'Bout a month ago, though, poachers took 'em, made off with a hell of a lot of our evolved stock. Not just ours, either. Almost all the evolved 'mons on the Route vanished almost overnight. Dammed poachers and their stupid orange suits. Anyway, found the kid on the verge of starving a few days after the Sweep. I've... been looking after him since."
She looked down at the chick with newfound sympathy. She could see it in his eyes now, if she looked hard enough for it—the sadness, that of a child who had lost something dear, had been stripped of everything they knew but didn't yet understand it. But he would, one day, and it would hurt like nothing else ever did or ever would ever again.
It must have been hard, she thought, to suddenly lose your family, to get thrown into a situation you didn't ask for, strangers, your life turning upside-down on its head, a new region—
"There's no one else who can look after him?" she asked, pulling the chick closer to her chest. He chirped, nuzzling against her hand. Probably wasn't old enough to understand Common yet, just the wild tongue.
"Nope. Which is why I called you up here." The elder bird hopped a little closer, eyes fiery with a resolve of shocking depth. "I'd like you to catch us both."
She looked up. "Nani?"
"For the love of the Goddess, yes or no, girl!"
"I..." She shook her head to clear it. "I can't catch you both."
"Why not?" the bird demanded, seething with impatience.
"My Balls, those things that Trainers use to capture you? They'll only let me catch one 'mon per Route or area. I catch one of you, they'll lock and I won't be able to catch the other."
The Pidgey scowled. "What kinda crap is that?"
Celestine sighed. She had to agree, it was crap. "It wasn't my idea." She paused, eyed him suspiciously. Requests like this didn't usually come out of nowhere. "Why do you thinking coming with me is a good idea?"
"Humans can provide for him better than I can," the Pidgey answered, his tone lightly tinged with sadness. "Simple fact. He'd have a better life as a pet or something than out here in the wild. It's brutal out here."
"Is that why you want to come?" she asked.
"Partially, I wanna look after the kid 'till I know he's safe, but I'd be lying if I said that was my only reason." He shrugged an avian shrug. "Like I said, I always wanted to see the world, visit places. And having a good Trainer only adds to the fun. Gym battles, Championship? Hell, yeah, sign me up. I don't want to spend the rest of my life here, just surviving. Wanna make an impact, y'know? Do something. Leave a legacy. Like the Winged Mirages!"
To Celestine, that seemed somewhere between naive and hopeful and she probably was the last person to help achieve that dream. She was not pursuing Championship, or the League challenge, or anything of that kind. Plus, his rambling tendencies would probably drive her mad, but it was better than adding a baby onto her team. She already couldn't stomach the idea of dragging immature little Delphi on this Journey, there was no way she was stealing away a mere toddler from this Route. Neither option was favorable.
"Like I said," she said softly, "I can only take one of you."
"You didn't say that."
She frowned. God, this bird was inattentive. "Yes I did."
"No," the Pidgey protested, "you said you could only catch one 'mon per area. So, what if you caught us in two different areas?"
She hadn't thought of that. That could work. She couldn't believe he'd caught that and not her, and maybe he wasn't totally stupid after all. "Okay, so I catch one of you now, the other in, say... Santalune Forest, and then give the chick away to a rescue center in the next town?"
"Did you not hear what I said about Bugs? Hell no am I going in there." He ruffled his feathers, shuddering, as if envisioning death by millions of bugs. "The rest of the plan I agree with, though. Good plan. Very good plan. Minus the woods part. I don't want to die before I get captured, thank you."
Even if you do get captured, Celestine thought but did not say, there's no guarantee you'll live. "So what do you suggest?"
The Pidgey hummed thoughtfully, and the chick in her hands chirped. He chirped back, sounding reassuring. They went back and forth like that for a few minutes before he seemed to remember she was there and jumped. "Sorry, what was the question?"
For the Genesis's sake. "We'll figure it out later," she sighed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the Ball from before. "So, which one of you am I-"
"Catch the kid first," the elder Pidgey said, spreading his wings out. "I'll meet you on the ground."
And with that, he took off and ditched her.
"Wow." She glared down at the bird as he vanished into the foliage, like a fish diving into a sea of greens and browns, then sent the chick a pitying look. "Your caretaker is kind of a dick."
The chick peeped.
She sighed, held the Ball up. "I don't know if you can even understand me. Pokemon usually don't learn to speak Common until after they turn one year old, so probably not. But, look, what I'm going to do is put you in here"—she waved the Ball lightly—"and as soon as we get to the next town, I'm going to get you a good home. It'll be tough to adjust to, but it's for the better, okay?"
The little chick peered up at her with guileless eyes and chirped twice. All of what she'd said had probably gone right over his little head.
"For pity's sake," she muttered.
She tapped the Ball on his forehead—was it her imagination, or did he lean in a little? The Ball split open and the little bird vanished in a flash of crimson light, as the tech connected his aura circuits to the anchor. A little red light in the center flickered, and the Ball quivered in her hand—almost all Pokemon panicked upon first interacting with the confines of a Ball, according to Sensei—and then went still. The metal warmed instantly with the pulse of life. She turned it over in her hands, admiring it.
"Welcome to temporarily aboard..." She paused, thoughtful, but she couldn't think of anything creative. It had never been her strong suit, anyway, so she just went with the first name she could think of. "Max."
Celestine pulled up the status screen and keyed the name in. Once she had, a message gleefully informed her that Max was now a fully-registered member of her party.
Her work done, she looked down, saw the length of the tree extend out beneath her, twisted branches and the grassy ground, so, so far below her.
She slid off the branch, and she fell.
When Calem found Celestine at the base of a hornbeam tree, one leg held out straight and the other curled up close to her chest, her boots and bag at her side like soldiers guarding a princess, a Pidgey on her head and her ankle twisted in an unnatural angle, he wasn't sure what to think.
He'd been drawn by the sound of Kantonese curses, something only she could have been responsible for, and had been content to ignore them—except, there was a note of something more than anger this time around. It had sounded like a pain, and as much as he disliked her, Shauna would kill him if he'd found her bleeding or something, and it would be pretty crappy of him too. He wasn't that type of person. So he sent Alistair, his Fletchinder, ahead to warn Trevor he might be a little late ("C'mon, I just got out of the hospital," the bird had complained. "You're the only one with wings," Calem had retorted) and went to investigate.
But, goddamn, he hadn't been expecting her to be actually injured.
"Oh God," he breathed, stumbling a little. She looked up at him as he approached, but he was met with a glare from her, as if he were some unforeseen nuisance of some kind. Her eyes were wet with tears and spoke of silent agony. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Girl jumped out of a tree," the Pidgey responded just as she opened her mouth to speak, and she scowled as he kept going. "Like, from high enough to break something. She's lucky she didn't. Y'know, break anything."
A twinge of relief went through Calem, and he released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "You didn't?"
"No," she snapped. "I landed on my feet, possibly cracked something, and dislocated my ankle, but no breaks. Nothing that bad."
"Nothing that—" Calem decided that if all Kantonians were this intense, he was better off avoiding the region altogether. Good Goddess. "You need to go to a hospital."
"No, I don't."
"Cel—"
"Calem, as flattered as I am that you're actually worried about me, I'm in pain and your voice is really starting to grate on my patience, so please, by all means, shut up."
Calem clenched his jaw, caught between remembering why he didn't like her and worried for her well-being. Geez, what did someone do when someone they hated ended up hurt? "...can I ask where Delphi is?"
"In his Ball because he was driving me crazy by freaking out."
Yeah, he was definitely avoiding Kanto if he could help it.
"You really should go to a hospital," he pressed, ignoring her livid glare when he broached the subject again. "I don't care what you say, this is serious."
"It's not that bad." As if to prove to prove it, she flexed her injured leg, only to immediately pale and bang the back of her head against the tree, startling the Pidgey into the air. "SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!"
"Yeah, it's not serious at all," he said, but his sarcasm was heavily laced with concern and it ruined the comeback. He really didn't know what do in this situation. Helping her seemed like the right thing, but how was he supposed to help when someone was so opposed to the idea?
"I'm fine. I just..." She winced, sniffing and drawing leg back up to her chest. "Underestimated how much it was going to fucking hurt. Ow. Shit."
The Pidgey landed next to her, perplexed. "Is it normal for humans to do this? Jump out of trees and such?"
"No," Calem answered, shooting Celestine a meaningful look. "It's extremely reckless behavior."
He knew he probably shouldn't have pushed her buttons—the flash of rage, turning her eyes to sapphire flames, was exactly what he'd expected—but she was just being stubborn and he just wanted help, goddammit. But he wasn't expecting her to snarl at him, like an animal backed into a corner.
"Look," she spat, "I'm fine, okay?" And, to Calem's horror, she forced herself to stand, balancing herself with one hand on the hornbeam trunk and favoring her good leg, the other hovering over the ground and shaking at even the simple exertion. Like, this was not something you could just walk off, not like a sprained ankle or something. "Just grab my bag and shoes before I bash your face in."
Calem did so, but not because she asked him to. He was taking her to a hospital, no matter what she said. When he turned back to her, however, he found that she was now standing a few feet away. The Pidgey, probably hers, stared at her in amazement.
"See?" She kicked her injured leg. He winced at the click of bone meeting bone, but her supposedly dislocated ankle looked miraculously straighter-not perfect, just straighter-and when she lowered her leg again, it was able to support her weight. Some of the pain had gone from her face. Her eyes seemed to glow with blue light through the wetness of tears. "Totally fine. Hand me my stuff."
He approached her tentatively, handed her her bag. She threw it over her shoulder, wincing only slightly from her leg. When he hesitated to do the same with her boots, she snatched them impatiently from his hands, scowling at him as if he was totally out of line.
It was then that Alistair returned, swooping down to settle down on Calem's shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the presence of anyone else besides his Trainer. The sensation of the Fletchinder's sharp talons digging into the fabric of his jacket, just shy of his skin, made Calem jolt.
"Your ginger friend is really pissed," Alistair reported. "You'd better get to rest stop before nightfall, or he might explode."
"Oh yeah," Celestine said, wiping her eyes dry. The pain that once colored her voice so brightly was now pale, barely there. "Which way is that again?"
"North," Calem answered automatically. "Just follow the Route. B-But you shouldn't—"
He stopped. She was putting on her boots—she'd slipped the left one on easily, and was now having trouble with the right. It must have caught or something. She bounced on her left leg, her injured leg, in an attempt to stay balanced as she struggled. Celestine was bouncing on her injured leg. No trace of pain, of breaks or fractures or dislocated ankles.
She was perfectly fine.
A numbness swept over Calem, following the realization. It settled in his skull and his chest and every cavity in his body, dissolved his thought process like acid, and all he could do was stare.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh Goddess.
"Calem," Celestine said, snapping him back to the present. She stood firmly on both legs, whatever tears of pain had been present now wiped away, gone. There was almost no trace of the agonized girl from five minutes ago. Almost. Her eyes still danced with blue light, not as strong as before, mere embers after the fire had died out, but there, residual, fading but not done yet.
Her voice was calm and steady, painless. She met his eyes, her own intense, firm, but almost pleading. "I'm fine, okay?"
"Okay," he breathed.
"I'm going to head to head to the rest stop, okay? Meet you there?"
Eyes wide, he nodded wordlessly.
She hesitated for a moment, looking like she wanted to say more. To offer an explanation. But then she turned and gestured to the Pidgey. The small bird scowled as it took to the air and landed on her head, muttering something unintelligible as she walked away.
"What the hell was that about?" Alistair muttered. Then he noticed his Trainer's blank expression and concern flitted across the bird's face. "Hey, Calem? Seriously, what was that?"
Calem didn't trust himself to answer. He just shook his head, helpless, and wondered what to do.
Current Team:
Delphi, Male Fennekin (Lv 6)
Docile, Takes plenty of siestas
Ability: Blaze
Moves: Scratch, Tail Whip, Ember
Met: Vaniville (Aquacorde) Town
Max, Male Pidgey (Lv 3)
Naïve, Very finicky
Ability: Tangled Feet
Moves: Tackle
Met: Route Two
Author's Note:
I guess you can tell I'm taking some creative liberties with all the characters here. Gen VI didn't do a great job with developing the characters and, honestly, Tierno and Trevor were pretty weak. Once I revamped them, though, I found them a lot more likable, so I hope you do too.
Sycomore is kind of known in the science community as being a bit... shall we say mischievous? But there is a method to his madness, as you will see soon enough.
First teammate get! Only took forever. And yes, the other Pidgey does join the team later, because I played without a dupes clause and thought I wouldn't have to worry about that. I was wrong.
I'm also kind of excited to introduce the backstory as to how the Kalos crew met. I really wanted to deepen their dynamic, and in experimenting with that, I ended up with this dynamic, and I really like it. I also liked delving into Cel's memories. I think that's my favorite part of this.
(There's also no "l" sound in Japanese, FWI. They merge the "l" and "r" sounds, so that's why Delphi says what he says about the way Celestine talks. Also, "pepe" is French for "grandfather")
As for Celestine and the thing with her foot healing... it's a mystery, which I hope you'll enjoy for the time being.
That's all,
Luna