This glaïeul has the color of flames
A large forest protected the small village of Littleroot Town, and its only connection to the outside world was the presence of Highway 101, which was lost in the vegetation. The travelers preferred to avoid this place full of life, because it could reserve some bad surprises for the imprudent.
With the onset of evening, this sea of green gradually lost its brightness and the rays of light struggled to find their way through the dense foliage. A young girl in their midst took great care not to stray from the path. She avoided the mud puddles that littered the path so as not to dirty her brown boots or her pink dress, which was topped by a long red jacket that she kept open, leaving a thin blue ribbon tied at the collar. To complete the ensemble, she wore a felt hat the same color as her jacket, revealing her honey blonde hair, rather short for a young girl, but highlighting her azure blue eyes. She looked around, worried by all the noises coming from the dark and impenetrable corners.
The traveler swallowed hard. Professor Sycamore had told her to see Professor Birch before she left, so she was on her way to Littleroot Town. She was getting more and more scared. After all, it had been a long time since she had traveled alone. Not to mention the fact that she had forgotten to pack a tent, which might make for an uncomfortable night if she didn't get to the professor's house soon.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice a black pokemon tail lying on the path and stepped on it. It did not take long for two mightyenas to emerge from the bushes, their hair bristly and their lips curled. Surprised, the girl fell backwards. The two hyenas' sudden attack left her no time to retrieve one of her pokéballs. All she could do was put her arms in front of her face and close her eyes as a last defense. Still, she did not feel a bite. When she opened her blue eyes again, a large red and yellow Pokémon with flaming wrists was standing in front of her. She quickly realized that this Blaziken had scared off both of her attackers.
"Are you okay?" she heard.
Serena turned her head to see a girl around her age. She was wearing yellow shorts, a red tank top, and a band of alternating red and white around her brown hair.
"Yes, and it's all thanks to you," she said to her rescuer as she stood up and dusted off her clothes. "Thank you very much!" she finished with a slight tilt.
"Stop, you are going to make me blush," the Blaziken trainer replied sheepishly, "you were going to Professor Birch to get your first pokémon?"
"No, in truth, I come from Kalos, it is the professor of that region who advised me to go to the one of Hoenn."
"Hoenn is my home region. But I've traveled to other parts of the world to improve myself, and I've just returned. Actually, I didn't introduce myself, my name is May!"
"And I'm Serena!"
They smiled at each other and then laughed a lot. It ended when they heard a bush move. Blaziken and May got into position, while Serena took out one of her pokéballs and prepared for another attack. But it was a salamander that appeared and quickly fell to the ground. As soon as the element of surprise passed, the two girls ran toward the small pokémon. They soon realized that it was injured and paralyzed.
"Is there a Pokemon Center around here?" Serena asked in panic, knowing that her navi-map was useless in this new region.
"No, but Professor Birch can probably help."
The Kalos trainer gently took the fire pokemon in her arms. Just touching it was enough to make it whimper, and the flame at the end of its tail was so weak that she was afraid she might extinguish it by breathing too hard.
Too engrossed in the little monster's plight, too worried about what would happen if she didn't hurry, Serena took off running toward the professor's lab. But if her mind had left the shapeshifter for a moment, if she had looked up for a few seconds, she would have seen it. That pink pokemon, barely hidden in the trees. That pokemon that closed its eyes in thought before disappearing in a flash of light.
The trainers quickly reached their destination. May knocked hard on the door, which opened to reveal a short, stocky, bearded, relatively young man. His face lit up when he recognized the trainer to whom he had offered his first pokémon, but he became serious again when he saw the worried expressions on the faces of the two young girls who were out of breath. It didn't take long for him to realize what was wrong when he saw that one of them was holding a sick pokémon. The professor did not wait for explanations, but returned to his house and invited them to enter.
The lab was deserted, so Birch took a treatment kit from his cluttered belongings and went to a corner of the room where there was an examination table.
"My assistants have already left, but I should be fine. Put it on this table," the researcher said in a professional manner.
Serena carefully placed the salamander and sat down on the sofa in the back of the room next to May. The young trainer clasped both hands to her chest with a worried look on her face.
"He's in good hands," May tried to reassure her friend.
Serena noticed the position of her hands at that remark. She hurriedly unclasped them, surprised that the gesture she had made in the presence of a certain trainer had been returned so quickly. They waited a long time for the improvised doctor to return to them.
"The worst is over, now all he needs is a good night's sleep."
These words immediately calmed the two trainers.
"Actually, May, you haven't introduced me to this young girl yet," Birch said mischievously, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Yes. Her name is Serena and she is from Kalos."
"Charmander is your pokémon?" the Professor asked the new acquaintance.
She shook her head negatively.
"I had just met May when he appeared."
"Strange..." muttered the scientist.
"Why?" asked Serena.
"Charmanders are quite rare in this region, they are mostly found in Kanto. And yet, they are not the easiest to find in the wild. So I wonder if he doesn't have a trainer," he explained his reasoning.
"It will be enough to ask him the question when he wakes up," May suggested.
"Well, I'm going back to my research," Birch said as he stretched. "And you, what are you going to do?"
Serena glanced at the care table. The little pokemon's flame was still glowing faintly, and he was twitching spastically.
"I'd like to stay with Charmander, at least until he wakes up."
"Me too!" May supported her.
The professor smiled at both girls.
"Of course, stay as long as you want."
They thanked him and stayed by the convalescent's side. To ease the anxiety of waiting, they began to talk. May soon revealed that she, too, was a coordinator. This surprised the Kalosian. When she had seen the power of Blaziken, she had immediately imagined that the trainer had participated in gym fights. Serena's face fell as she listened to her elder's adventures. May had competed not only in Hoenn, but also in many other distant regions, and although she had never won the top title, she had placed as a finalist several times. The newcomer felt much less confident in her project, perhaps she had been a little too presumptuous in believing that she could win against trainers seasoned by years of competition.
"And you, Serena, do you plan to enter the competitions?" asked May.
Serena answered in the affirmative, although she was not very sure. The Blaziken trainer's face immediately lit up, she always liked to meet people who shared her passion, and she was eager to meet this girl from an unknown region.
"I'm sure our fights will be great," the coordinator began to imagine.
Serena's face suddenly paled as her eyes widened. Still unsure of her understanding, she repeated:
"Fighting?"
"Yes, in the second phase," May raised an eyebrow, not understanding the girl's reaction.
Serena suddenly felt panic. She was not aware that there were fights, she thought she just had to perform like in Kalos. She better understood why Blaziken was so hardened, even though he did not fight in gyms.
"What's wrong?" May worried.
"I... I didn't know about the fights. In Kalos we only did performances."
"So you never had official fights," the coordinator realized.
Serena's eyes darkened. It was the sad truth, it wasn't just a matter of experience anymore, it was a matter of skill.
"I won't be able to win," the girl muttered.
"Don't say that! I'm sure you'll get used to it very quickly."
Serena was not as excited as the Hoenn girl, clasping her hands against her pink dress and explaining with a sad smile on her lips:
"When I left Kalos, I thought I had enough experience. But now that I'm here, now that I'm on my own, I keep having doubts and wondering if I'll be able to handle it. Maybe it would be better if I took some time to train with my pokemons before entering the tournament..."
Ash had heard enough and had no interest in pretending to be asleep. He opened his eyes, his vision still a little blurry, but it soon cleared so he could finally see the two faces he knew so well. The girls stopped talking, not hiding their relief at seeing the little creature emerge from the limbo of unconsciousness. Serena, forgetting her dark thoughts, gave a broad smile to the fire pokémon, who immediately felt his heart warm and his pain ease. Birch, alerted by the sudden exclamations of joy, entered the room and calmed himself as soon as he saw the injured pokémon awake.
"You took your time to wake up. I must invite these young girls to eat and sleep here. I can't let them leave in the middle of the night," he scolded the pokemon.
"Thank you!" they happily accepted this indirect invitation.
Serena rose from her seat and asked respectfully:
"May I use your kitchen?"
"No problem," the scientist laughed.
"I can cook, too!" exclaimed May. "And then it will be more fun to prepare the meal together."
The blue-eyed trainer didn't have time to refuse, she was already being dragged into the kitchen by her new friend. Ash was lying on the table, his head spinning and his ears still ringing. He tried to keep his eyes open, concentrating on the sounds of clanging pots and pans and May's voice asking for some details about the cooking time. Dizzy, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the table. Serena's voice was too faint compared to the rest of the cacophony for him to hear. Serena's beautiful voice, he mused amidst the confusion of his thoughts.
The professor was now free to complete his final files. But his plans were quickly interrupted by a ringing from the other side of the lab. He got up with a grunt as he pulled his paunchy belly out from under his desk to answer the call from his videophone. He turned on the device and scratched his beard as the black screen quickly colored to reveal the face of an old man. The annoyance of a few seconds ago faded as he recognized the eminent golden-eyed archaeologist from Hoenn.
"How are you, Professor Edivo?"
"I'm in a bit of trouble... I lost a charmander and was wondering if you could help me find it."
"A charmander... two young girls brought me one a few hours ago."
"Was it injured by an electrical attack?" asked the hopeful professor.
"Indeed, it was paralyzed..."
"It's probably him!" exclaimed the man with the golden eyes.
"Is it your pokemon?"
"No, it's more complicated than that, could you please show me?"
"I mean, he still needs to rest, I don't think he can..."
He was interrupted by a small paw putting pressure on his pants. The pokemon begged him with its large reptilian eyes to help it reach the device, which was much too high for it.
"You shouldn't get up," Birch reprimanded it, carrying him to the height of the videophone.
"Charman," he said with a slight paw bow.
On the other side, an electric mouse appeared with a cry of relief. His ears pricked up, his face grimacing with each new scratch he saw on the orange scales.
"Wait, that Pikachu..." Birch began to recognize it.
"Do you know it? That's Ash Ketchum's pokemon."
"What do you mean? I know Ash well, and he would never leave his Pikachu alone!" the researcher got angry, suddenly suspicious of the archaeologist.
"There's no need to raise your voice, Professor, Ash is in your hands," Edivo calmed him down immediately, understanding that it was easier to explain everything.
"Ash!" Birch shouted louder than before, but was stopped by a paw pressed to his mouth.
"Cha!" the shapeshifter said, his claw signaling silence.
No one understood the reason for the sudden move. Pikachu began to speak to him, and Ash responded. The two professors followed the heated discussion, watching the mouse's face change from astonished to angry to seemingly accepting, though not without a grunt of displeasure. When everything was over, the two scientists looked at the two pokemons in a perplexed way. Ash noticed this and began to mime while pointing to the kitchen. The pokemon researcher managed to decipher the fast movements as best he could:
"I think he wants to stay with those trainers."
Ash quickly confirmed this interpretation, and then Pikachu also began to mime in a way that Professor Edivo could understand. He completed his colleague's version and came up with the following translation:
"He wants to help one of the girls on her journey, but he doesn't want her to know about it. He thinks that if she finds out his true identity, she will try to help him at any cost, even if it means neglecting her journey and her dream. Am I right?"
The two pokemons joined their paws in a circle as a sign that the ingenious archaeologist was right. With that explanation, Professor Birch thought he understood who Ash was talking about and asked him:
"Is it May you wish to escort?"
The salamander immediately denied this version with a nod of his head. Suddenly, a new dizziness hit him and he had to sit down quickly, closing his eyes to reduce the unpleasant sensation.
"So this is about Serena," Birch deduced logically.
"Love is beautiful!" Edivo suddenly laughed, surprising everyone.
Especially Ash, who opened his eyes again and blushed. He tried to answer, but his voice died in a coughing fit.
"Take it easy, you still need to rest! How did he end up in this state?" asked the curious scientist.
"It's a funny story. It's all the fault of an ancient mask," the archaeologist explained.
Professor Birch was surprised, but he preferred to cut the conversation short so as not to tire the injured boy.
"Don't worry, Ash, I'll take care of your Pikachu and continue my research to get you back to your normal form," Edivo reassured him. "However, if you change your mind during the night, we will be waiting for you in Oldale Town tomorrow," the archaeologist added before the screen went black again.
When the call was over, Ash had nothing to do but find the comfort of his temporary bed. As for Birch, he didn't really have the heart to go back to his research. A human turning into a pokemon was enough to unsettle anyone, even a scientist who had seen more than one curiosity of the pokemon world. His complexion still pale, he decided to check that everything was going well for his two guests who were busy preparing the meal.
"You looked upset, Professor. Was the news not good?" asked May.
"Don't worry, everything is fine," he replied. "I went to see if Charmander had a trainer."
"And?" asked Serena, intrigued.
"It's actually a wild Pokémon, so I don't seem to know this forest very well yet. It is always full of surprises," Birch laughed a little tense.
Ash could hear the laughter and lively discussion in the next room. He wanted to join them, but his aching limbs soon made him give up. He heard them quietly leave the kitchen and go upstairs to their room, the stairs creaking as they went. Then he felt the immensity of that dark room. When you were alone, without anyone at your side, you felt an icy chill creep up on you. Bad memories came back to him. It was the first time since his meeting with Pikachu that they came back.
This has been a really bad day, Ash thought.
He heard the stairs creaking again and a presence approaching. He turned, the flame of his tail illuminating azure eyes. The girl seemed surprised and embarrassed that he was awake, but finally gave him a poké puff while whispering:
"I hope you get better soon."
Charmander took the candy and enjoyed it greedily. The young girl could not keep a small laugh from crossing her lips.
"Funny, you remind me of a trainer I used to travel with."
She left when he finished, wishing him a good night. Finally... maybe not so bad.
The awakening was hard for the young performer, her eyes refused to open and she was in no hurry, no one was waiting for her.
"Get up!" she heard suddenly as the light intensified and managed to pass the barrier of her eyelids.
She got up with a yawn and discovered May's smiling face.
"Would you like to come home with me?" the coordinator asked.
"How about it? What? Why?" said the one who had just opened her eyes.
"I live in Petalburg City, it's not very far and it's more fun to make the trip with a friend. So come with me and you have no choice!" the demoness added, making Serena shiver.
Faced with such an order, she hurried to change, eat, update her navi-map thanks to the professor, and say goodbye to the master of the house.
"Have a nice trip!" said the old man, still in the fog of a difficult morning.
He watched them leave until they disappeared into the vegetation. He turned to his house, where Charmander was still sleeping.
"Charmander... Ash!" he shouted suddenly, waking him up.
He had let the girls go, completely forgetting that the shapeshifter wanted to follow them. As soon as the pokemon realized that, and after Birch's apology, he left the lab at full speed, forgetting even his breakfast.
The two new friends walked side by side along the winding path through the forest that would lead them to Petalburg City. Following in their footsteps, a small orange salamander ran as fast as he could, hoping to catch them before he collapsed from exhaustion.
Finally, he saw them in the distance. Relieved, the little monster paused for breath. The sound of his panting soon attracted the attention of the two girls. They turned around at the same time until their eyes fell on... nothing. The path was deserted, no sign of life.
Our little Charmander had hidden in the bushes the moment they had stopped. What was the reason for that? Ash simply did not know how to ask Serena to take him with her. He, who could only make himself understood with big gestures, might have a hard time communicating. And then, for some reason, the thought of those blue eyes on the weak creature he had become made him nervous and a little ashamed.
The former boy could have stayed hidden until the two trainers left, but his tail, which he tended to forget, betrayed him by sticking out of its hiding place. It didn't take them long to notice the small flame coming from the bushes and they approached discreetly. When they were close enough, May said with a broad smile:
"We found you, Charmander."
The person in question was startled and turned around quickly, waving his arms wildly and uttering small cries. He stopped when he saw Serena's hard face, her fists on her hips. This attitude told him nothing. She asked him a little irritated:
"What are you doing here? You were supposed to stay with Professor Birch and rest!"
"Come on Serena... I know you're worried about him, but there's no point in scolding him now," May tried to calm her down.
Then she turned to the fire pokemon and suggested the following:
"Would you like to come with us?"
Charmander's answer was a cry of joy, accompanied by an Ember attack. The two travelers dodged the small flames that landed in the trees. The result was a cloud of slightly burned and particularly angry dustox. Serena, May, and Charmander rushed to flee in the face of this swarm, but the fact that Ash's body was still weak caused him to stumble and fall heavily to the ground, at the mercy of the insect and their Psybeam. Fortunately, two powerful Flamethrower collided with the enemy attacks, neutralizing them in an explosion. Ash could see Serena and May, along with their trusty Braixen and Blaziken.
"We didn't mean to hurt you, but there's no way we're going to let you hurt Charmander!" shouted Serena as the two pokemons used their flames again to scare off their pursuers.
When all danger was over, the girls approached Charmander, who was struggling to get up. Serena crouched down to his level and asked him if he was okay. But Ash was completely stunned and paid no attention to her, too busy staring at the ground.
"Charmander? Are you okay?"
He seemed to come out of his stupor and gave a slight nod of his head.
"Good!" she sighed, relieved, before adding softly: "But you've got to be more careful with your flames."
Even though there was no reproach in her voice, Ash felt bad for getting her into trouble when his primary goal was to help her. He clenched his small fists. In the depths of his soul, a painful question arose: Had he done the right thing by following her?