All of the gatehouses resemble a small lobby with beige, cobblestone brick walls and tiled floors. Arch shaped windows were very hard to see, even if they're lit up. A small handful of people sitting at tables and chairs talking about their day. Some people were sitting on the couch. There was a woman sitting on the reception desk.
Zack unzipped his bag open and pulled out a spiral sketchbook from his bag. He opened the first page of his sketchbook, proudly displaying his work of art.
His art style is soft, vibrant, and cutesy bathed in pastel colored pencils. In some illustrations, everyone looked chibified. Zack drew himself as an unknown humanoid character with cream colored skin, curly light-blonde hair and wore a white sweater. Just like his real-life counterpart, he was in a wheelchair. It was his first and only sona that he created. He finds drawing humans difficult, but he did a decent job.
Daphne didn't care if the drawings were too big for her to see. She made herself comfortable lying down on the table. Her yellow flower acted like a beach umbrella for her to lie under.
The first drawing started out with Zack placing an Electrike on his lap. Zack wore a green Christmas sweater and black pants. The Christmas tree stood in the background, showing off it's colorful ornaments, popcorn and cranberry garland and and other various decorations. The golden star topper was cut off from the drawing.
His drawing and interpretation of Snowbelle was a magical Christmas village. Snow covered had a line of Christmas trees decorated with colorful lights and several hanging decorations.
Almost every building has Christmas LED light displays. Half-timbered, alpine, brick and mortar, wooden cottages, and log cabins fit the Christmas town theme very nicely.
Zack couldn't help but smile at his memory. He remembered on Christmas Day, he got Electrike as his first partner. His birthday didn't come until January 21st. Not only was Electrike his Christmas gift, it was his early birthday gift too.
Five months ago, Christmas had already arrived in Snowbelle. Snowbelle was colder than Anistar and Dendemille.
Everyone in Snowbelle wore big heavy coats with hoodies over their heads, keeping themselves warm. Some people were happy and content. Some people were shivering from the dry cold air.
Piles of white, thick snow covered the pavement, roofs of the buildings, fir trees and the landscape. Snow prints, tire tracks and snow angels were everywhere in the white snow.
Several snowmen dotted all over the entire city with some of them based on pokémon. Some had little snowbabies and snowwomen, creating a snowmen family.
On their way to Snowbelle, Zack and his family decided to stay at one of the log cabin inns. It was their special family tradition that they would stay at Snowbelle on winter break. When winter break is over, Zack and his parents go back home in Santalune City.
On Christmas morning, the entire family sat on the couch. The living room had a basic brown cedar log cabin interior with dark brown wooden panel floors. The rustic themed furniture was made from logs with varying shades of brown. There were a large pile of Christmas presents placed under a brightly lit spruce tree.
Zack's relatives weren't all that big, but they weren't small either. He had two uncles, two aunts, a grandma, a grandpa and three cousins.
A tall, elderly woman looked at an orange gift bag on her lap. She seemed to be very similar to Zack as she was sitting in a black wheelchair. She had a big smile on her face, revealing her pearly white dentures.
She opened the bag, pulling out a glazed terra cotta tea set. It was made from mud and clay, painted in a brown-orange color with black floral trimmings. It was almost perfect, like it should be displayed at an art museum or a ceramic shop.
She pulled out more stuff from the orange bag. Her favorite pink faux magnolia flower wreath, handmade colorful patchwork potholder and some handmade oatmeal soap. She couldn't help but grin at her gift.
"What do you think, grandma?" asked Zack.
"I love it. Thank you so much. You're definitely getting better at handicrafts." Grandma replied, smiling.
"Sometimes, it's fun to make something out of hand." Zack said, happy to see his grandma enjoying the gift.
"It sure is," said Grandma, nodding in agreement. "It costs less money that way, unless you have to buy the materials you need."
On the next pages were drawings of Route 4. Despite taking place in winter, there were daffodils, goldenrods, roses, and bell flowers growing from the ground. There were red flowers such as roses, carnations, peonies and begonias. Flabébé and Combee were attracted to them, like a swarm of nectar collecting honeybees.
The next page is a doodle of Zack and Erik making it to Route 4's halfway point. Zack admired the Perle Fountain in the center square. He couldn't help but grin at the Horseas squirting water from their mouths. It was so breathtaking.
Zack looked at the middle section of the page, staring at a particular drawing. It was Zack and Erik welcoming Daphne in their group. Erik was smiling and Zack was holding Flabébé in his hands. The last drawing on the page showed Daphne and Erik happily playing in the meadow.
For the past five months, Zack thought he and Erik would be friends forever…
Their friendship wasn't perfect. They had their disagreements and squabbles, but it happens every once in a while.
The last few pages showed Zack arriving home in Santalune, Zack would show Erik his latest display of handmade flowerpots, coffee mugs and vases in his house. He would spend the afternoon teaching new pokémon moves and learning about type advantages and weaknesses. Zack and Erik would watch TV in the living room and play whatever games they could think of. Playing fetch with a ball, stick or frisbee was a favorite of theirs. Good times.
Then his smile slowly faded away as he begins to reminisce how he met Erik.
Zack's parents sat on the loveseat together watching him opening a pokéball. Zack was quite nervous to see what he thought of his first pokémon. His mom and dad decided to get this new pokémon for him because his birthday was coming soon.
Zack didn't want to let his family down just because he was disappointed. He's usually grateful for the things he didn't ask for and tries to make the best out of it. However, he had hoped that he and his new pokémon would at least be on good terms.
When the pokéball opened in a flash of light, Zack was suddenly face to face with a green canine with yellow lightning markings.
"I got an Electrike?!" Zack asked, shocked at the sudden reveal of his gift.
"Do you like it?" Dad asked nervously as he noticed Zack's shocked expression.
"I like it," Zack replied, looking at his first pokémon and his parents with a grateful smile. "I really don't care what I get. Thank you."
"You're welcome," said Mom, sighing in relief. "We're just glad you've got a pokémon of your own."
Electrike hopped into Zack's lap and barked excitedly at his face.
"Hello, my name is Zack." he said, politely introducing himself. "Do you want to be named or you're fine with just Electrike?"
Electrike didn't reply.
"I said, do you want to be named or not?" Zack repeated.
Once again, there was a long period of awkward silence. It seemed like it really doesn't care if it gets named or not.
"How about I just give you a name? Is that okay?" Zack asked, coming up with a name. He wasn't good when it came to names, but he wanted to give it a try.
"How about Yves?"
Electrike's dull expression turned into a stone cold scowl.
"Oh, you don't like it?" said Zack, sheepishly. "How about Raymond, but I call you Ray?"
Electrike's face remained frozen, still not liking the name Zack had suggested.
"Emile?"
Zack began listing every name that just popped into his head. Fictional characters, his classmates and some people that he remembers. However, Electrike doesn't like any of them. Zack's family also tried to help him come up with the names, but nothing was working. It lasted about ten minutes and Zack was ready to give up at this point.
"How about Erik? Is that good enough for you?" he asked again, trying not to lose his patience.
Electrike briefly stared at Zack with his usual look before smiling. It took about a minute to respond and he eventually replied with a bark of approval.
Zack let out a sigh of relief, happy that he finally came up with a new name for his first pokémon.
Daphne let out a low sounding cry, touching the photo on her tiny hand. Her realization hits her like a truck, slamming hard into a bumper.
Daphne felt bad for letting her anger fly over her head. How could she just drove him away? She was no better.
All the stuff in her imagination was completely exaggerated, making it look like Erik was a villain and she was the hero. It never happened at all. It was just her blind anger taking over her real memories. The drawings from the sketchbook showed actual proof of what really happened.
Daphne and Erik got along fairly well in Zack's drawings. They weren't close, but they were mostly good terms. Their friendship wasn't perfect. They had their disagreements and squabbles.
Daphne looked through the drawings of herself, her trainer and her former friend, reminiscing on that exact day when she, Zack and Erik went shopping in Lumiose City.
On February 1st, it was a lovely late afternoon. Celebrating Flabébé's capture, Zack decided to do some shopping to get his second partner some supplies.
Lumiose's Essential Shop was sitting next to Lumiose City's Pokémon Center. It was a large, white story building with fancy glass windows and a red pokéball sign on the top.
The interior of Lumiose's Essential Shop was a department store. Escalators and elevators can go up to four levels. The entire shop had warm ivory walls and ceramic tile floors, illuminated by golden ceiling flush mounts. The shop was modern, but it had a vintage and elegant style to it, like other famous retailers in Kalos.
Toys, foods, beds, grooming supplies, accessories and even clothes were displayed on huge store shelves and kiosks. It was a shopping haven for pokémon and pokémon trainers alike.
"You know, I still don't know why you want a dollhouse. It's a human toy, made for humans to play with. I don't think pokémon are allowed to play with human toys." said Erik, shaking his head.
"I think dollhouses are exquisite. I love the white frilly lace on the roof. So many flowers growing inside the box, hearts hung onto the door, more flowers on the window, and those cute fairy lights on the walls." said Daphne.
"It's nice, but it's just a dollhouse. Don't you want a chew toy? Plushie? A rubber ball?" said Erik.
"They're too big for me. These toys you listed are something that you wanted." said Daphne, frowning.
"They have these toys at your size. Did you pay attention?" said Erik.
"Of course I did. They're just not my cup of tea." said Daphne, wandering off to one of the aisles.
Erik glared at Daphne, muttering out a few words. "You're missing out..."
Daphne loved shopping stores for their fancy interiors and fantastic items. The items Erik and Zack scanned over were too basic and didn't suit her fancy. She just wanted a dollhouse.
Daphne's eyes were now glued to a pink canopy tent-like bed. She admired the frilly lace curtains with ribbons tied to it. It was obviously too big for her, as she can easily fit inside. She admired how soft and fluffy it was. She can use the canopy bed as her own personal living space. It may not be a dollhouse, but it's perfect.
"Daphne," said Erik, barking in an angry tone. "What the hell are you doing, wandering off like that?!"
The little Flabébé was so absorbed into the bed that she didn't notice or hear Erik approaching her.
"Hello?! I'm talking to you, why aren't you answering me?!" he repeated. He could hear his trainer scolding him from a feet away.
Still no answer. It was like Daphne's surroundings were completely invisible or nonexistent except for the bed.
"Daphne!" Erik repeated once more.
Daphne continued to stare at the bed, still unaware of the angry Electrike's presence.
She didn't even bother to turn around to see what was going on around her.
"We're right here! Turn around or you're going to be my newest chew toy!"
Daphne finally turned her head around and got out of the canopy bed. She noticed Erik glared directly at her. He let out a low growl, demanding Daphne to speak.
"Uhh...well...It's because...I really like this bed so much." Daphne said, struggling to speak.
She was a little afraid by Electrike's angry barking. "I just wanted this bed to turn into my own personal bedroom."
"Zack already made you a popsicle bed, so what's the point in getting another one?" Erik scoffed in response.
"I love Zack's bed, but I like this bed too," said Daphne, pointing to the pink canopy bed. "I can use my popsicle bed to put inside my new bedroom. If we buy some little dressers, drawers and tea tables, that would definitely be trés chic."
"My god! Are you really that starry-eyed?!" Erik snapped at her. "I don't care if you like this bed and neither does Zack! You have a bed of your own, Daphne! Buy something you truly need."
"You act like I don't like Zack's bed." Daphne said, folding her arms.
"Do you like Zack's bed he made for you?" Erik asked, suspiciously.
"Yes, I do." Daphne replied, getting a little exasperated.
"Good," Erik said smirking, before he got sucked into his pokéball by Zack.
Daphne let out a sad sigh before following Zack behind. Thank goodness.
After an hour of shopping, Zack and Daphne began exploring through the streets of Lumiose City. Erik was finally released from his pokéball, allowing him to walk with the group.
All of the stuff Zack brought was toys inside the bag. He didn't get anything much, but he didn't care. It was what Daphne and Erik wanted since they wanted a small amount of things. He had plenty of potions, pokéballs, repels and other trainer essentials in his bag. He didn't need to buy any more stuff.
Erik was still glaring at Daphne for being distracted at storefront window displays. Daphne had grown to love window shopping and couldn't help but gush about how beautiful the displays looked. There were clothes, accessories, hats, shoes, jewelry and so much more. Even though they were human clothing, Daphne couldn't help being fascinated by all the stores surrounding her.
"Really," he said, glowering at his tiny friend. "You're still looking at some junk only humans could use. It's a waste of time."
"I'm sorry you think this way, but I think they're quite exquisite," Daphne said, her eyes brimming with joy. Her French accent became more noticable. "I love the flowing white dress with a matching giant hat. It's one of my favorites. It's fantastique! Marvelous! Divine and even magnifique. I hope Zack makes me a pretty dress, once I evolve into a beautiful Florges."
Erik forced a smile, trying not to cringe at Daphne's accent.
Daphne let out a sigh in exasperation. She is aware that Erik is a good boy, but he can be harsh, difficult and demanding sometimes.
Despite being friends, Daphne and Erik don't have that much in common. They would go into small or big arguments a bit often.
Daphne recalled one time when she got into a huge fight with Erik and they never spoke to each other for a whole week. Poor Zack had them get his two pokémon to make up. It was dreadful. She even remembered another fight she and Erik had a few days later.
Daphne had to admit that celebrating his absence was completely uncalled for. Daphne was truly angry and hurt that he left Zack without saying goodbye. Daphne was mostly a good person—or pokémon in this case. This was completely out of character for her. Daphne wanted to smack herself with Fairy Wind.
Daphne begins to wonder…
Is this her fault?
She did remember those words that Erik said to her before he left.
"This is all your fault Daphne! Tell Zack I'm leaving! I just can't stand you to be with you anymore! Hopefully, Zack will understand."
Yup. This is really her fault. all along. Daphne felt a pang of guilt filling up her body. She wanted to cry for all the 'horrible things' she has done. In her own mind, Daphne was the true villain all along and Erik was the hero.
Once Zack gets a new partner, Daphne hoped that history won't repeat itself.
When Erik decides to come back, Daphne hopes she will try to get Erik to reconnect with her and improve their friendship.
"Let's head on to Camphrier Town." said Zack, snapping out of Flabébé's reverie. He closed the sketchbook and shoved it in his bag.
Daphne gets inside of Zack's caramel blonde hair, using herself and her yellow flower as a hair accessory. It was a unique way to carry a small pokémon like her.
With that, Zack gripped on the push rim and made his way through to the exit.
Zack and Daphne made it to Route 5. It was a fairly long route that runs up a hill between Lumiose and Camphrier.
Roller skaters and skateboarders would practice their tricks on the small roller rink or grinding down the rails.
A wild Scraggy, Pancham and Minun would imitate one of the skaters' mannerisms. One of them wore backward caps and leaned on the railing. Zack couldn't help but laugh at the scene. He didn't have time to watch because he wanted to get to Camphrier Town.
Zack carefully rode down the hill, encountering into some patches of grass. He didn't notice a few people staring at his hair accessory and kept going. He encountered some wild pokémon, but he managed to get away from them. He wasn't in the mood for capturing or battling them. He just wanted to get to Camphrier and get it over with. Thankfully, it took about twenty minutes to get to Camphrier.
Camphrier Town is known to be very old. Like centuries old. The Pokémon Center was one of the few modern buildings in this town.
The whole town is surrounded by medieval stone walls. Fancy, vintage gas lamps lined through the cobblestone streets. Rickshaws, carriages and wagons miraculously still exist in the modern world, fitting the theme of this town.
There were some people riding on Gogoats, Mamoswines and Rhyhorns. Some people were driving in a mix of old timey and modern cars.
Since there were no traffic lights, people had to be one to lead drivers every time they needed to move or to stop. It was a way to fit the medieval theme of this town, since traffic lights weren't invented in the Middle Ages.
Camphrier had very old medieval themed architecture like Pre-romanesque, Romanesque, Tudor, and Gothic. They had one of the most famous landmarks like churches, museums, clock towers, elaborate stained glass windows and bell towers.
Despite being a small historic town, there are some modern conveniences. They even have old technology such as CTR televisions, old fashioned computers, typewriters, payphones and fax machines.
Camphrier made Zack feel a little calm. He wanted to stay at Camphrier Town for a few days just to find a place to get his creative juices flowing. He heard that they have some amazing craft workshops and very unique art galleries. He also wanted to take his mind off of Erik for a while.
Just as Zack was riding down the street, he heard a soft sound—almost like a cough or sneeze. He looked around the streets, calling out, "Hello?"
When nobody responded, he turned and continued pushing…
...until he heard it again. He sighed and searched through the streets to find the source. As he made his way into a small medieval alleyway, he saw a white candle peering from one of the buildings. It's yellow gold eyes gleamed with delight as it looked up at him.
"I think I've seen this pokémon before, but I forgot what it's name was." Zack replied, scratching his chin.
He pulled out his pokédex out of his bag and pointed directly at the candle.
Litwick, The Candle Pokémon. While shining a light and pretending to be a guide, it leeches off the life force of any who follows it. A pink female sign appearing in the corner of the pokédex.
He knew Litwick is not that common in Kalos since they're usually found in Abandoned Hotel in between Route 15 and Route 16. Zack had recalled that wild pokémon tend to wander off in unexpected places. However, it was only a rare occurrence. He didn't know it would be Litwick.
Then he reads a bunch of information about Litwick. According to his pokédex, Litwick has Flame Body as her main ability and has Ember as the only Fire Type move. It is said that Litwick is Hasty as she acts too eager, a bit impatient and can be aggressive if pushed too far. What makes it even worse is Litwick's characteristic is a little quick tempered.
"Oh no," Zack said, his eyes widened in fear and realization. "Maybe I should just leave right now."
Just as Zack was about to leave, Litwick quickly leaped onto his lap. Zack was lucky not to be burnt into a human charred barbeque if Litwick wasn't careful. He was also lucky Litwick wasn't too hot to touch either.
Litwick looked up at Zack with her innocent, sweet smile spread across her face. It seems Litwick takes a liking to Zack and his wheelchair. To her, it was fascinating, like a fancy new toy or a new discovery. She had rarely seen humans in wheelchairs. She doesn't even know what a wheelchair is.
"Aww, you like my wheelchair?" Zack couldn't help but coo at the sight. He quickly shook his head, realizing what he was saying. "You need to be careful, though. You could've burnt me alive."
Litwick nodded in understanding, touching Zack's wheelchair.
Zack wasn't sure what to think of Litwick. He always told stories but something inside him told him that every pokémon is different no matter what the pokédex says. Besides, once pokémon becomes tame and friendly towards their trainers or other strangers, the pokédex stops being true.
Zack looked down at Litwick, standing mere centimeters close to him. Way too close. Is she really trying to burn him? Zack quickly removed Litwick off of his lap and carefully put her to the ground. He pushed the push rim backwards, backing away.
When he finally gets to a safe distance, Litwick manages to keep up and gets into his lap again. When he tries to get her off of his lap, Litwick's eyes begin to glow.
Zack was forced to stare at the neverending, cold abyss in Litwick's glowing gold eyes. Just seeing Litwick standing so close to him makes him very uncomfortable.
Litwick's tone of voice sounded friendly, but had a hint of malice as if she was threatening him. If that wasn't a sign of Litwick's potential psychopathic behavior, Zack wasn't sure what was. Zack noticed a sign that Litwick would do something horrible to him if he dared to piss her off. Zack tried not to wince and took up the courage to talk.
"Do you want some marshmallows?" Zack asked, as he pulled out a small bag of marshmallows from his bag. He looked down and saw Litwick's sudden change of mood.
Litwick's angry glowing eyes were switched with cute, sparkling eyes. Litwick stretched her arms, begging for the marshmallows.
Zack grabbed a marshmallow for Litwick to eat. Litwick takes it and carefully eats the marshmallows one by one. She tried roasting it with her flame before eating it.
Zack attempted to keep on a brave demeanor, returning a smile of his own. He's still not sure if Litwick is a good partner for him or not. He just met her and he wanted to get to know her first before capturing it.
"Hey Litwick," said Zack. "Daphne, my Flabébé is feeling lonely and wants someone to play with. Is it okay if she plays with you?"
To his surprise, a happy smile came across Litwick's face. She jumped up and down excited to have a playmate. Daphne gets out Zack's caramel-blonde hair and floats down to Litwick's level.
Litwick was very loud, so loud that it almost hurt Daphne's ears. Her tone of voice was high-pitched and sounded like a cute little girl.
Daphne was able to respond back with her soft, demure feminine voice. She sounded very polite and mature, but isn't a fully grown adult yet.
This wasn't too bad at first. Daphne and Litwick seemed to be getting along. Litwick offered a roasted marshmallow, which Daphne politely refused.
Zack's thoughts became swirling around. In his own mind, he believed that Litwick was trying to trick Daphne into being her best friend so she could suck her soul.
In his other mind, he believes that Litwick is a truly innocent young pokémon who may or may not have potential anger problems. He doesn't know anymore and wished Erik was still around. Erik can be a jerk, but at least Erik doesn't flat out murder people by sucking someone's souls.
After giving a lot of thought, Zack decided to give Litwick a chance. He wasn't going to keep Litwick permanently, just until he goes to the next town.
What if Litwick tries to suck someone's soul during his stay?
What if he can't discipline Litwick at all?
What if history repeat itself?
If it happens, he can just ditch Litwick and go for the next pokémon to befriend. Hopefully, a lot friendlier and easier to get along with this time.
What is he saying? It's not easy to befriend pokémon at all. Pokémon can be mean and cruel sometimes. He doesn't have the heart to ditch Litwick. Why would he? Litwick is so cute.
Zack can't keep up with his own thoughts jumbling around him. Zack had no choice but to make his final decision. He wants to keep Litwick for a while until he gets some results.
"Hey Litwick!" Zack blurted out very quickly.
Litwick took a side glance, frowning at Zack. It seemed like she hated being interrupted.
"Do you want to come with us?"
Litwick's angry expression miraculously disappeared. Her expression changed into a happy one, excitedly jumping up and down. Zack took it as a yes.
With happy smiles, Zack, Daphne and Litwick begin their trek through the streets. Camphrier can be a bit bustling, but not nearly as bad as Lumiose. No blaring police cars, no traffic, loud car honking noises and no road rage. It was more quiet and pleasant for the most part.
Zack was amazed at all the sights around him. Some of the citizens would greet him in a friendly manner. Victorian style and other old-fashioned storefronts were selling a bunch of antiques, jewelry and accessories. Several wild pokémon walked, flew, or floated alongside humans.
When Zack stopped for a minute, he saw Daphne staring at a large building. Curious, he and Litwick went after the Fairy Type Pokémon. They found Daphne admiring a large cathedral building. From the looks of it, the cathedral had curved red and pink rose stained glass from arched windows. The cathedral was built from medieval stone and has a rose symbol on the top.
Zack noticed a middle aged couple walking towards the cathedral. Two of them wore golden wedding rings on their fingers.
The woman wore a flowing golden yellow dress with black shrug jacket and matching heels. She had long, curly chestnut brown hair, medium light skin and blue eyes.
The man had a slight tan complexion and had wavy, chocolate brown hair reaching down his neck. He wore a formal brown suit with a red necktie and black loafers.
The married couple glanced down at Litwick who was approaching them. They backed away in fear, but Litwick came closer and closer.
"Litwick, leave them alone," said Zack. "It's rude to get close to people like that."
"Is this your pokémon?"
"Yes," Zack replied, nodding. Litwick wasn't his, but it would be eventually, if things turned out well between them. "This is my pokémon. Not to be rude, but who are you?"
"My name is Charleen Davenport and this is my husband Darrel Davenport." said Charleen.
"Nice to meet you." said Zack.
"You have a ghost type with you." Darrel said, staring at Zack in pure disgust.
"What's wrong with that?" asked Zack, confused.
"They're associated with evilness. Aren't you aware that Litwick is a soul sucking hellspawn? It probably escaped from the underworld." Darrel scoffed.
"You're making it up." said Zack, scoffing in disbelief.
"What we're trying to say is that you're carrying a literal soul sucker. It's bad omen." said Charleen her voice wracked with concern.
"Any type of pokémon can be bad. It's not right to assume all of-"
"Shut your mouth brat," said Charleen, swatting him on the lips. "You do not talk to a woman like me. It's very rude."
"Exactly, learn your manners." said Darrel, agreeing with his wife.
"We should teach this boy a lesson not to carry little demons, mon cherié?" Charleen asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"You mean a double battle?" Darrel asked, seemingly to be really excited at this idea.
"But I don't want a pokémon battle!" Zack snapped.
"Alright! Let's have a battle! Mabelle, come on out!" Charleen shouted, releasing a Azumarill.
"Aloysius, you too!" Darrel shouted, releasing a Ursaring from a pokéball.
"I'm not in the mood for this…" Zack muttered to himself.
"Mabelle! Spray that wretched thing with Scald!" Charleen said, ordering her Azumarill.
Scald? That must be a TM Move. Zack thought. Before he had a chance to look up at his pokédex to look up some movepools for Litwick, he saw Mabelle spraying hot water in Litwick's face.
Zack's face contorted with rage. If they want a pokémon battle, he'll give them one. He quickly looked at his pokédex and quickly scanned at Litwick's movepools. He didn't need to look up Daphne's since he already knew her movepool a few times.
"Daphne, use Razor Leaf on Mabelle! And you Litwick, use Smog on Aloysius!"
Daphne and Litwick nodded, using their retrospective moves.
Litwick breathed out a purplish-black cloud of smoke in Mabelle's face, blocking her vision. Mabelle began coughing uncontrollably and her eyes began to water. It was like she was smoking charcoal.
"What have you been eating? Death?" Darrel asked, waving some smoke off with his hand. He also covered his nose with his other hand. "It doesn't matter anyway. Don't let the smoke bother you and give the Flabébé some slashing!"
The Ursaring grunted in understanding before slashing Daphne with his sharp claws. Daphne couldn't handle being slashed repeatedly. She had to put her yellow flower to protect herself like a shield. Unfortunately, her flower ended up getting slashed with Aloysius' sharp claws. Thankfully, it wasn't a real flower or it would've been easily ripped to shreds.
Darrel smirked while Zack bit his lip, realizing that Razor Leaf isn't going to do much for his Flabébé. He had to come up with a plan and fast.
"Litwick! Use Ember!"
While Mabelle was still coughing from the smoke, she looked up at Litwick in absolute terror. Litwick's eyes begin to glow pure white. She looks up at the Azumarill and unleashes a big fire from her candle flame unleashes fireballs from her flame. Mabelle runs around in the alley to avoid being pelted by fireballs.
Litwick was enraged that Mabelle was able to avoid her fireballs. Her flame grew bigger and her anger was ready to boil like a steaming pot of chili. She tried to shoot more fireballs.
This time Zack gave out an satisfied smirk while Charleen barred her teeth.
"How about you can use Scald, but this time aim for the flame? I'm sure this one will work." said Charleen, lowering her voice so Zack can't hear her.
Mabelle gave her a nod before hitting Litwick into a wall with her ball-like tail. Litwick was hurt by the impact, but managed to get up.
"Scald, but this time, aim for the flames!" Charleen shouted, barking orders.
Those exact words made Mabelle grin. Not just a normal grin. A ugly and sadistic grin. She began spraying a large amount of water at Litwick's flame. Litwick was soaking wet, unable to use her Fire Type move. Not only that, she was starting to become weak from the damage.
"Litwick! Dodge it!" Zack yelled in despair. He was obviously going to lose.
"Just a few more, Mabelle!"
Zack looked like he was going to freak out at any second. His only two unevolved female pokémon are getting defeated by two fully evolved pokémon. He didn't want a pokémon battle and he came off as unprepared.
Marbelle the Azumarill blasted Litwick with hot water. Once Litwick was done, she finishes Daphne with one final spray to her face.
With that, Daphne and Litwick finally fainted. The mean couple and their pokémon cheered with victory. Zack put his hand on his forehead, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Too bad your Flabébé was the only good pokémon you have. I almost felt sorry for her." said Darrel, shrugging.
"Yeah, Flabébé seemed to very sweet, unlike Litwick," Charleen sneered. "That evil candle is going to suck our souls. Now you can catch a nice pokémon like a Pikachu or a Scatterbug. Ghost Type Pokémon are really disgusting creatures. Same with Psychic, Bug, Poison, and Dark. They always come to harm children and they always will. You obviously never do your research at all. Our master doesn't like them and we don't like them either."
I hope Litwick really sucks both of your souls…Zack thought darkly as he watched the couple leave with evil satisfied smiles. He didn't mean it, but hopefully, it will be the last he ever sees them again.
Zack let out a sigh, looking down at his two injured pokémon. Daphne seemed to be still conscious, lying on the ground.
As for Litwick, she started to shiver. It wasn't cold outside but being doused by water type moves made her feel cold. Without her flame, Litwick was rendered cold, weak, and slowly ill.
"You tried your best, Daphne. Have a good rest." said Zack, putting his Flabébé back into her pokéball.
Zack knew that Fire Type Pokémon with flames don't actually die from getting hit by Water Type attacks. They can have their flames reignited by taking them to dry places, Nurse Joy, a Fire Type move from another pokémon or fire substances. He remembered watching on live TV where Charmander's flame goes out and actually passed out. He heard that they could die if the flame goes out for too long. The logic does apply to Litwick as well.
Zack uses his claw reacher tool to grab Litwick and placed her on his lap before heading onto the streets. This time, he felt a little cold.
"I'm sorry you don't have a pokéball, Litwick. I'm not sure if you want to be part of the team."
Litwick weakly pointed at the flower decorated pokéball Zack was holding.
"Oh, you so want to join us?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow.
Litwick couldn't nod much, due to her weak state. She tried pointing at Daphne's pokéball and pointed at herself. Zack understands that Litwick truly wanted to be captured. He doesn't know what to do.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" asked Zack, unsure about the idea.
Litwick gave a happy weak cry, before passing out.
Zack quickly dug through his bag and pulled out an empty pokéball.
"Welcome to the team, Litwick." said Zack, sucking the unconscious candle into the pokéball. Less than a second, a button flashes a red bright light and then slowly disappears.
Zack couldn't believe it. He caught Litwick, thanks to her request. It didn't take long to come up with a nickname for Litwick. Zack wrote down the name "Camille" in black letters. Zack was still not good with names, but he didn't care. He peeled off a flaming sticker from a sticker sheet and put it on top of the pokéball.
"I just hope I make the right choice." said Zack, letting out a heavy sigh.
Camphirer's Pokémon Center had the same modern look as every other Pokémon Center in Kalos. Pokémon retail stores in Camphrier were all old-fashioned storefronts and markets. All of them were right close to the Pokémon Center, similar to how PokéMarts were usually close to the Pokémon Centers in Kanto.
When Zack entered inside, the sliding doors would automatically close behind him. The inside of the Pokémon Center was quite huge and it looked very modern like most Pokémon Centers.
White walls and flush mounted ceiling lights made this room really bright. There were two rooms connecting at the back of the center. The room on the right was a PokéMart with two salesmen clerks dressed in blue aprons. The PokéMart was similar to a pharmacy store as trainers would go to the counter and tell the salesman for their desired item. One of the salesmen would go to the back of the counter and return with their item.
The only difference is that trainers can go to the PokéMart anytime and don't have to call for an appointment to get their medicine. Trainers still have to pay at least five, ten, fifteen, or sometimes twenty euros for their supplies. Trainers can sometimes trade rare items for money, like rare mushrooms and star pieces.
The room on the left was a changing room where trainers could change their clothes or change their eye color contacts.
There is also a big screen TV in the center and with several chairs for sitting in and a large coffee table. Not only did this building contain a counter complete with PC and Transfer Systems, it had five doors lined on the left side of the PokéMart and a few more on the right side of counter. The doors have a bathroom, cafeteria/kitchen, playroom and some mysterious rooms.
Zack moved towards the counter and handed out two pokéballs to Nurse Joy. Nurse Joy gave him a nod before healing Camille and Daphne.
While Zack waited, he decided to check out the playroom. The doors slid open automatically as he entered inside.
The playroom was modern just like the Pokémon Center. The room was mostly white with a mix of warm beige. Playhouses and tents resembled castles. Toys, video games, board games, art supplies and books displayed on the bins or shelves. There was an art room where they had plenty of chairs and tables to read or start drawing.
Zack could see some pokémon trainers playing tag with their pokémon. Some adult trainers were watching their pokémon play with toys. Some pokémon were watching their trainers play video games on the console hooked to the TV. Some were watching videos on the internet from their trainer's phones or other devices.
Not only was it a playroom, it was also a hangout for all pokémon trainers. It was like one of those rooms at the community center where people of all ages come together.
Zack moved his wheelchair to an empty table and pulled out his sketchbook from his bag. He began drawing pictures of him and his Litwick. The Davenports was incredibly hard to draw with sharp teeth, red shading of their skin, and big black horns. It took him about an hour, but he loved to draw.
Not only was it a hobby, it was his passion.
Zack had been taking art classes for a few years. He is still not a professional, but his skills has gotten better over time. He considered his drawings to be his best work. When he's not drawing, he loved to dabble into some DIY crafts.
Someday, he'll finally get enough money to buy a drawing tablet.
Zack left his small glazed tea set to dry and cleaned up his desk. He left the playroom and went back to the lobby.
"Your pokémon are healed." Nurse Joy announced as she handed Zack his two pokéballs.
"Thank you so much." Zack said, smiling.
"You're welcome." Nurse Joy replied back, returning a smile of her own. "Come back anytime."
Zack went back to the playroom and released his two pokémon out of their pokéballs.
"Is it okay if I call you Camille?" said Zack, eyeing down at Litwick to her level. He should've asked first before writing it down on his pokéball.
Litwick was able to nod again in response, liking her new name.
"We can go shopping a little later today. We need a fireproof blanket so you can sit on my lap anytime. The shops aren't that far away from here so it's going to take less than fifteen minutes. After that we can stop by at Lavigne Inn."
Camille looked up at Zack, smiling. She began clinging onto Zack's handrails. Daphne just leaned him on the left shoulder. Zack couldn't help but smile at the heartwarming embrace.
Zack spent about an hour in the Pokémon Center Playroom, playing board games, reading books, drawing pictures, playing with toys and other fun activities with his pokémon. Some of the pokémon trainers and their pokémon joined him on the fun.
Erik may not come back, but Zack was lucky to have Litwick and Flabébé. He still misses Erik, but Zack is now ready to have more pokémon on his team. He has to wait for a while.
Zack wouldn't trade Camille and Daphne for the world.