(8/4/18 edit: Starting from this chapter, I have reference pages available. They're basically there in case you forget who's who on the pokemon teams. You can find them at sta dot sh/0273g92bcjms (in which the dot is a period. Don't be alarmed; it's just deviantArt stash))
Sharp starly jabbers penetrated my room. We had a flock living in our roof, and since I was the deepest sleeper in the family, I got the room right beneath their nest.
Not to say that I was asleep. I was as awake as I'd been before time traveling.
This is unreal, I thought, staring up at the ceiling. Hello, September.
Sitting up, I found myself in a dirty, stinking black tee and similarly ratty shorts. It took a few days to climb Mount Coronet, at least through the cave system, therefore showers… no. My poketch was on my wrist still, with all its battle scars – a dent in the side from falling off the bike route, three slits in the band from the day I met Jirra. I found worn-out sneakers on my feet, under the covers. Yuck.
A sudden shock of realization. Lucas. He's alive.
I'd have been out the door in ten seconds if – whoops – I hadn't remembered what I was wearing. Time to clean up.
I don't think I've ever taken a faster yet more thorough shower, even with all the scrapes and dirt from traversing Mount Coronet. As I came back to my room, drying my hair with a towel, I glimpsed something near my bedroom door.
Shoes.
They were the same sneakers I'd worn throughout my journey, except cleaner and newer. I looked around for everything else – my t-shirt and shorts were stacked in the closet, my backpack hung on the doorknob, my jacket… I'd get my jacket today, actually. The one with so many pockets, I could hold six pokeballs, emergency meds, my trainer ID, money, whatever I needed easy access to. Mom gave it to me. I wasn't wearing it now because… why was it… Oh yeah. I gave it to Dawn at Lake Acuity. Figured she needed it, with her broken leg and all.
My poketch, bright and shiny new, was by my bed. Was it worth taking as a replacement…? Flipping through the apps on my older version, I found it still in good shape after the time jump. I'd probably just keep this one, old and beat up as it was…
My fingers stopped flipping though the apps – I'd landed on the one from Looker. A message replaced the buttons on the screen.
Good luck, Lyn. See you soon.
I smiled – a bit – for the first time in a month. Only Looker called me Lyn.
Stashing my old, dirty clothes and shoes in a trash bag and strapping the device to my wrist, I went back out to find my hairbrush… and ran into Mom.
Mom was halfway through her forties – "halfway to being old," she liked to say. Her face hinted at more wrinkles to come and silvery white hairs were scattered through black wavy ones, but otherwise she seemed pretty young.
"Hey there, Medusa," she laughed, noticing my tangled hair.
I hadn't seen her since after Lake Valor, when she called to check on me.
"Hi Mom. Good morning." I threw my arms around her.
"Well then. Aren't you affectionate this morning." When I released her from my hug, she scrutinized me. "Arceus, I swear you've shot up overnight. I don't remember you being so tall."
Yeah, the extra months might have done that… "Well, I just woke up," I suggested. "Taller in the morning."
"Gah! You're just like your dad… How'd you get all scratched up?"
"Hm? Good question… I think my dream last night was pretty active."
"We should pad your walls," she joked. I made myself laugh. It was an effort, not because she wasn't funny, but because I hadn't made the sound in a while.
"Ready for today?" Mom asked me.
Today… today… "Oh, the ceremony," I realized. "Can I borrow a dress?"
"Sure thing. Come pick one when your hair is brushed."
Ten minutes later, my hair was brushed and I was wearing the sky blue dress I'd worn last year. This year. Today. Whatever. It fit better than I remembered – I guess I'd lost weight over the last few months.
Dad was out on a business trip. For the second time, he couldn't see me off. For the second time, he wouldn't meet Bree–
Uh.
I froze up and dashed back to my room. Oh no, ohno, ohnonono.
Shorts pockets, backpack, shoes even? Not there, not there, not there… My pokemon were gone. Bree, Liana, Owen, Emmy, Quasar, and Jirra's pokeballs were nowhere.
The damned grunts took them – they're stuck in the old future, I realized. I have to find my team again.
At least I knew where the first of them was.
Megan Talbot had saved Tricia and me seats in the amphitos (a combination of ampharos and amphitheater, because of the colored lights overhead. To our dismay, we found out a month after naming it that it was really an auditorium-slash-ballroom.). "Hey," I said, coming up from behind.
She looked up. "Hey." I took the seat beside her. I felt like I should say something, but I hadn't spoken to her in a month of my time.
I cut Megan and Tricia off after Lake Valor… after Lucas. I couldn't face them, didn't want to know what they would say anymore. Didn't want to face the inevitable sympathy. I only ever spoke about it with Looker, and he wasn't one to sympathize.
"Hello–"
Feedback screech. Yeowww…
The professor cleared his throat. "Hello, and welcome to the nineteenth annual Trainer Selection Ceremony…"
Panicking suddenly, I whispered, "Tricia's not here yet!"
"She'll be here soon," Megan whispered back, unconcerned. "It's Tricia. Of course she's late."
Right. Okay. But last year she wasn't late… Things won't be the same this time around, obviously. Wait, what if…?
"… began under the recognition of the increasing injury, death and disappearance rates among ten-year-old trainers…"
Oh, wait, of course not.
"… selection program in which the top scientists, teachers, and leaders of a city or town select two teenagers, ages fourteen to eighteen…"
Yeah. The trainers are predetermined. They picked me and Dawn and Lucas before today. Before the time Looker set on my poketch.
"… not yet extended beyond Sinnoh, but the vast decrease in casualties among new trainers attributes to the success of the selection process…"
And of course Bree is up there… Awww, she's a piplup. That's adorable and weird. She's the first of six. It won't be easy finding Liana on route 202. Hm.
"… without further ado, our first trainer this year is Miss Dawn Berlitz."
A few disappointed swears preceded the applause. Tricia arrived at that point. I waved at her from five feet away. She waved back, grinning widely. No disappointment from her.
Dawn ascended the stage. She looked… younger than the last time I'd seen her. Still filled with life and smiles. Her leg was fine, thank Arceus.
The professor opened the case of pokeballs. I couldn't see from floor level, but inside the pokeballs were color-coordinated based on type. Quick ball for the chimchar. Nest ball for Rhea, Dawn's torte– uh, turtwig. Dive ball for Bree.
Dawn pulled one out and moved to the side of the stage. I could have sworn she was holding a…
No, it must have been green. It only looked blue cause of the amphitos lighting. Quit freaking out, Evelyn.
"Our second trainer is Lucas Tristan."
I think he climbed the stage, and I think there was applause involved, but I missed those because my head started spinning. Because I saw him.
Ohh.
He – this quiet boy, childish at times, serious at others, who looked straight at you when you and him talked – he was alive and well and walking up to the stage with the nearly imperceptible spring in his step –
He's okay.
I–I'm going to save him this time.
I swear, I'm going to save him.
It was a few seconds before I realized the pokeball Lucas had chosen was not red.
So, regardless of whether he had taken the blue or green one – looked green from here, he'd taken Rhea? – neither he nor Dawn had taken red.
He took the chimchar last year.
How didn't I get Bree?
How could I not?
"…break tradition," the professor was saying. "You see, this year the scientists of Sinnoh have collectively made vast inroads in the area of the lake trio and related myths that may very well be true. New trainers typically assist us in research."
Oh, this. But, Bree…
"Naturally, two assistants are not enough to investigate three lakes, at least not thoroughly and fairly. Which is why this year, I am pleased to introduce Twinleaf Town's third new trainer, Evelyn Meyers."
There was a buzzing in my head while my feet moved. It obscured the déjà vu that was so familiar and yet nearly the opposite of last time's joy. In retrospect, my face could have appeared shocked or disbelieving. Which was both a comfort, to know I wasn't giving myself away, and accurate, though the blunt disbelief was unrelated to hearing my name through the sound system.
Scratchy warmth moved my hand, followed by a cool smoothness. A pokeball. A pokemon. Not mine.
It was over in moments. The professor kept us three for a little to mention that he'd be calling on us for research, and to give us our preregistered Trainer Cards. Nothing I needed to hear again. Nothing I needed to do. But nod. And try not to seem too upset.
And get it together, Evelyn. You're stuck in your past already. Lucas is alive and Galactic hasn't destroyed the world and in exchange you've swapped one pokemon. How will you stop Galactic if you get stuck like this?
To be fair, this was the pokemon I'd been friends with longest. My conscience wasn't feeling fair.
"Guys, we made it–" Dawn hugged Lucas, giving my guts a slight pinch before she turned to me and hugged me too. Had she always been this friendly? I couldn't remember. Maybe it was the ecstasy of the moment.
"Congrats," I said to them both, grinning at Lucas over her shoulder. His eyes smiled back.
Nothing as beautiful as a dead boy healed.
"So, Sandgem?" I said when Dawn withdrew. "Let's get on the road."
"We gotta get ready first," Dawn pointed out.
"Ah. Right… race you guys there."
"What's the big hurry?"
Oh, nothing.
"Just for fun."
Dawn checked her watch. "Sandgem's not too far. I'll probably head out around twelve."
I looked at Lucas. He hadn't said much. He glanced over at me and shrugged.
"Okay, well, see you 'round," Dawn said, waving and jumping off the stage. We watched her merge with the lingering crowd and exit the main door.
"Hey, um, Lucas?"
His eyebrows moved up slightly. I'd come to understand it to be his listening face. It was why I'd fallen for him, so long ago.
It occurred to me that I didn't have anything to say.
"Um… don't forget to… you'll want to pick up… parlyz heals, cause of the shinxes between here and Sandgem."
I mentally started cussing myself out.
He gave me a funny look. "Yeah. Okay."
"I… Sorry, I don't have anything to say."
Lucas shrugged lightly. "That's fine."
Slight cough. "See you in Sandgem."
"Unless I get there first." A grin.
I found my face mirroring his. "You're on," I said, jumping off the stage.
An hour of awkward hugs, excited friends, and quick packing later, I left Twinleaf Town. I promised Tricia and Megan I'd conference call them from Sandgem. The black jacket I'd been wearing for the past few months smelled new again, and my deep blue backpack was no longer blue-brown from the road. Packing was quick, since I knew what I needed already. The difficulty was in not buying six pokemon's worth of food and supplies.
I missed them already. I didn't know how I'd get by without six of my closest friends. And with one gone to Dawn already, I only had five left–
I wanted the one back.