Emile
A Simple Dream
I blinked as I stared at the sun. Its warmth kissed my body, and the cool wind and fresh air calmed my nerves.
Fletchling flew and chirped above, and I could hear Bunnelby frolicking and running through the Kalosian plains. There wasn’t much that went on in these old fields, and the only people near were those heading to Shalour City.
How long had it been since I went to these exact fields? A month? Two months?
I couldn’t exactly remember. But these fields were nice; in my opinion, they were the best place in Kalos. Cities like Lumiose were too noisy. They had so many people, and you could always hear the constant, obnoxious sound of traffic. The place was full of tourists who couldn’t speak a lick of Kalosian or would pass out from culture shock, of all things.
Yeah, I don't understand either, I think it's bloody ridiculous, but it is what it is, right?
The fields were different, though. The only people who would ever pass by here were gym challengers, probably going to challenge ol’ Gurkinn, though I heard that he recently passed the position of gym leader to his granddaughter. Either that or they wanted to see The Tower of Mastery and learn about Mega Evolution.
I’m getting off-topic. The point was, these fields were the best place to be when you wanna clear your mind and-
“Hey!”
I took a deep breath and sighed. Once again, I’m pulled from what might as well be the closest thing to my meditation.
“Hey, asshole!”
Slowly, I turned around, managed my best recreation of a “tired retail employee” look, and came face to face with a child who strangely resembled me when I had first started my journey.
He looked to be 11 years old, and his dark hair barely went past his ears. He wore a blue hat with a Pokeball emblem on it, which reminded me of my mom’s old cap. His attire also included a blue jacket over a white shirt, cargo pants, and steel-toed boots.
“Can I help you, kid?”
“What the fuck are you doing?” This brat spat out, his pale blue eyes glaring daggers at me as he spoke.
The fact that this kid was trying to be intimidating was adorable.
“You got quite the mouth for a kid,” I told him, cracking a smile.. “What’s your name shrimpie?”
“My name is Emile Hawthorne,” he said.
Huh. His name was the same as mine. What a small world!
“Now answer the question. What. Are. You. Doing?” Emile asked.
“Relaxing, you should do that, too. If you keep going the way you are, you’ll explode—literally, I might add,” I smirked.
“And where is everyone else?” Emile narrowed his eyes and asked. “Shouldn’t everyone else be here?
I could feel my heart stop and a cold chill creep up my spine. Why was he asking that? My team was with me, weren’t they?
“They’re not here, Emile. They’re not here,” the child told me.
The world around me suddenly changed as the child spoke. The day turned to night, and I no longer heard the sound of chirping Fletchling and roaming Bunnelby. Instead, it was all complete silence.
I looked around, and I saw a small campfire and a tent. Seeing both things lifted the tension from my body, and I realized that I was in Enotria, specifically Route 17.
I faced forward and saw a Garchomp curled up on the ground rather comfortably.
Seeing it made me smile. I knew this Garchomp well. His name was Goyl, and he was my strongest friend and a glutton. He wouldn’t admit it, but despite being a fearsome, mighty dragon, he was also a cuddle bug.
Yet he looked at me as if I were an eyesore. His piercing golden eyes glared daggers that made my blood run cold, and suddenly-
The Wandering Teacher
Emile
Lantana
Pokemon Center
Emile’s body jolted upright with adrenaline. His blood ran hot, and he could feel his heart pounding beneath his chest. He looked around, left and right, and took deep breaths.
In through the nose… out through the mouth.
This process repeated as he looked around his room in the Pokemon Center and sighed with relief as he saw Frère by his side, and Belle who had made herself rather comfortable in a soft velvety recliner.
That’s right. He went to the Center after he snooped around town for some information, along with a couple of drinks… then-
Emile’s thoughts were cut off by the sudden feeling of bile climbing up his throat. He put his hand to his mouth and swallowed as hard as he could in order to push it back down.
The events of last night weighed heavily on his mind, from a rather… interesting conversation with an old farmer to the sight of that “child,” if you could call it that, in the bar. However, he was glad to have gotten some information from Ombretta concerning The Legione.
They would be a problem, but given how the organization’s forces were primarily in Graecia, if he moved fast enough he could avoid The Legione entirely and head back to Kalos from the north.
He sighed as he leaned forward in his bed, looked down to his right, and reached out to pet Frère. A smile crept up his lips as he felt his partner’s cool fur.
He was here, Belle was still here… they were all here.
“Good morning.” Belle greeted.
Emile raised his head up as soon as he heard his Gardevoir’s voice in his mind, a brow raised as he saw her looking at him.
“Morning,” he replied, his voice no higher than a whisper. “How long have you been awake?”
“Not too long. Your panicking woke me up,” Belle replied as she leaned back in her chair.
“Sorry. I… had a dream.” Emile looked down and sighed. “Weird one, a bit of a crappy one, honestly.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Belle questioned.
“No,” the trainer curtly replied, his voice raising an octave as he spoke. “No, I’d… rather not.” He repeated, quieter this time.
Belle lowered her gaze for a brief second before she finally nodded.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to come off rude,” Emile apologized. “Just… I’d rather not think about it, bad enough last night was a little freaky.”
“Did something happen?” Belle leaned forward in her chair.
“The bartender I was happening to see the other night had some ‘child’, if you could call it that. Pretty sure the bastard was a Zoroark, it didn’t do a good job at hiding itself. Bastard was freaky enough that he had Chevalier’s attention,” Emile explained.
He fell back into his bed and rested his hand on the still-sleeping Frère.
“You don’t think it’ll be a problem, do you?” Belle asked as she stood up, her words coming out rather quickly in Emile’s mind.
“Hopefully not, but we can’t get worried over that.” Emile smiled.
What could go wrong? Not like there weren’t enough problems they had to deal with after all, right?
He looked at Belle, who had a frown on her face. It was obvious that she wasn’t buying what Emile was saying, the damn psychic, or maybe she wasn’t buying it because she had known and traveled with her trainer for so long.
“Hey, let’s travel around town,” he suggested. “We haven’t gotten a chance to explore together.”
Emile sat upright again and patted Frère. “Hey, Frère. Wake up, you.”
Glaceon merely rolled over and squirmed. The ice-type let out a quiet groan as he moved, obviously upset from having his sleep disturbed.
“C’moonnn. Don't you wanna go out and do things?” Emile asked as he shook Frère.
“If I must ask, what about Vito?” Belle questioned.
“What about the kid?” Emile raised a brow and left his hand on Frère.
Before a response could be uttered, a heavy weight from behind pushed the trainer onto his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs.
A loud bark emitted from on top of Emile, and Frère stood triumphant over his trainer thanks to his shrewd plan.
“I can’t believe it…” Emile groaned. “I’ve been betrayed, by you no less!”
Yes, this was it. This was the end of Emile Hawthorne… defeated by his best friend and most precious partner, betrayed and doomed to be forever forgotten!
At least, it was until he pushed his Glaceon off of him!
“Sike!” Emile shouted. “Do you really think a weak tackle like that will take me down?” He turned to face his beloved old comrade.
Frère snarled and once again pounced onto his trainer, forcing him onto his back this time. Once again, he stood triumphant over Emile!
Glaceon soon raised his head and dramatically opened his mouth, letting out a high-pitched roar.
Hearing it made Emile smile, and he bit his tongue as he tried not to laugh at Frère’s attempt at being intimidating.
Unfortunately, Frère noticed and the Glaceon glared at his trainer before immediately biting down on his arm.
“Ah, shit!” Emile yelped. “You dare bite me again? Fine, this time, it ends here! Our battle shall be legendary!” he cried as he pulled himself up and bit down on Frère’s ice-cold body!
It was a violent, vicious battle between two superpowers. Both man and Pokemon growled at each other as they held each other with their fangs. It would be a devastating battle,
Emile steeled himself. He knew where Frère was ticklish, and he would take advantage of his friend’s weaknesses. Only then would he win this battle-
That ended with the sound of Belle clearing her throat.
Both superpowers turned their heads towards the Gardevoir and then raised their brows at the sight of Vito Barone standing beside her, scratching the back of his head.
“Vito!” Emile looked at the teen and greeted him. He glanced briefly at his wrist but cursed himself when he realized he wasn’t wearing his PokeGear.
What time was it? Surely he hadn’t slept in that late, right?
“What are you doing, kid? Are we leaving?” he asked as he gently pushed Frère off of him. Then, he reached for the dark button-up shirt he had thrown on the floor the night before and began to put it on.
“Uh, no…” Vito quietly replied, looking down at the floor. “I came here to apologize.”
Apologize?
Emile raised a brow and looked to Frère, only for him to shrug, or at least the best a Glaceon could shrug, and then he looked at Belle, but she merely shrugged as well!
Come on, Belle. You know already, so just say it!
Vito lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. “For last night.” he explained, his voice becoming more irate.
Emile paused…. Then got out of bed, remembering last night’s events in the process.
Goofy brat. Why are you blaming yourself? I was the one who pissed you off.
“What are you on about?” Emile smiled as he immediately pulled the boy into the tightest hug possible.
Vito squirmed and struggled beneath his teacher’s iron-clad embrace.
“Emile, you might be hugging him a bit too tightly…” Belle urged.
Emile looked to Frère, who was laughing at the sight of Vito’s struggling.
“Frère disagrees,” Emile replied. “And I’m inclined to agree with his observations, Doctor Belle.”
“No way on Earth that I’m going to be a doctor,” Belle shot back, covering her hand with her mouth in order to stifle her laughter.
Emile smiled at the sight of Belle for a brief second, then looked down at Vito.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, you goofy brat,” he declared. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing,” Emile continued as he released Vito and clapped him on the back.
“Yeah, no shit!” the teen complained. “You’re a fucking skeleton, how do you have a grip so tight!”
Skeleton? Him?
“Eh? I haven’t lost that much weight over the years, have I?” he murmured.
“You do look more thin than the last time I saw you,” Belle remarked.
Oh come on! It wasn’t that bad, right? Besides, being thin wasn’t a bad thing.
“It is if you’re underweight,” Belle smirked.
“Hey, screw off. I am perfectly healthy,” Emile shot back. “Physically speaking, anyways.”
“Anyways!” Vito exclaimed. “The reason why I came was to apologize.”
Oh no, we’re not doing this. I’m cutting this short.
“And I told you, I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t realize how much it affected you,” Emile shot back.
“So you’re fine with me traveling with you?” Vito timidly asked.
“Kid, I’m sticking to training you like you wanted me to. If anything, I’m following you around until we get to Florentina.” Emile patted Vito’s head, ruffling the boy’s hair. “So unless you don’t want me to travel alongside you…”
“No!” Vito exclaimed, pushing Emile’s hand off of his head. “I want you to travel with me!”
“Then it’s settled.” Emile smiled. “Now! I think we’re gonna do some shopping before we leave, no questions asked.”
“Wait wait wait,” Vito cut Emile off. “I’m catching my first Pokemon here, and I have two choices that I wanted your thoughts on,” he said as he reached into his pocket for his phone.
And that ended the apology.
The topic changed to Vito’s first catch. He intended to catch a grass type to have a decent chance against the rock-type gym in Carbone, which wasn’t too far from Lantana. It made sense as to why he wanted to stay longer, not just because it was his home but because it was the best place to catch another Pokemon.
The choices were Smoliv or Lotad. If it were Emile, he would have gone with Lotad… but he wouldn’t tell Vito that. It was fine to have a Pokemon you wanted to catch in mind, but when it came to catching Pokemon, you had to keep a very open mind about it. The Pokemon you’re looking for could end up being the wrong choice for your team, or another Pokemon might seem more enticing based on their personality.
Trainers like Vito wouldn’t be able to get their carry limit increased anytime soon. Just thinking about it made Emile want to groan from when he got his limit increased.
“Deciding what you want is always a problem, but I think once you go out there, the answer will find you,” Emile said. “If you want, I can come out and help you.”
“No way!” Vito shook his head. “I wanna try and knock this out myself, but uh… can I get your number just in case?”
What a shame. The first catch was a monumental moment worth recording.
“Belle?” Emile called out
“Already on it!” Gardevoir chirped.
At that moment, a small green PokeGear appeared in front of Vito. Its cover flipped up, and the exposed screen displayed a phone number.
“Oh… thanks, Belle!” Vito pulled out his Poryphone and began to copy the number into his contacts. “You let her use your PokeGear?”
“She likes to play Nikke,” Emile shrugged. “Among other gacha games…”
Nikke, along with Pokemon Masters EX and Fate Grand Order…. She had spent hundreds of hours into those games and spent god knows how much money on Masters trying to unlock a trainer with his likeness and Briar Watson of Laurum’s Elite Four, who was now in the game.
“I have no idea what that is and I don’t know what those are,” Vito replied. “But you do know that this isn’t the 90’s anymore right? Who uses a PokeGear? It’s like buying a Poketch.”
“You say that, but PokeGears are just as capable as that rusty Poryphone you have there.” Emile huffed. Damn kid didn’t know any better, who could trash on the PokeGear like this?
“That and Poketchs are just fine. There was this dual-type specialist I briefly met in Sinnoh who had one, and it worked just fine. I was rather impressed with it.” He crossed his arms and looked away.
“Well, you’re both a bunch of boomers,” Vito declared as he finished copying Emile’s number then turned around. “Anyways, I’m headed out! Wish me luck!”
“Luck!” Emile waved Vito off.
Vito left right after that, darting out of the room and down the stairs.
“Did you hear what that brat said?” Emile huffed. “Boomer… I’m not that old!”
“I dunno. I think I saw a couple of gray hairs while you were sleeping,” Belle casually remarked.
“You keep that up and I’m limiting your spending on those gacha games.” Emile pointed at Belle.
Belle gasped, putting her hands up to her mouth in disbelief. How could anyone do such a thing?
Emile smirked as he saw her gasp. That would certainly teach her a lesson!
The trainer looked up at the ceiling as he laid in bed… The idea of Vito catching his first Pokemon was on his mind. A trainer’s first catch was monumental, it was a memory they would carry with them forever.
“He’ll be fine,” Belle declared.
“I know,” Emile replied with a sigh. “I just find myself thinking back again…” He smiled.
“I can see that,” Gardevoir chuckled. “I don’t even need to read your thoughts, you have that goofy smile on you when you’re thinking.”
“I was thinking about my first two catches… There was Epee, and then there was you,” the trainer said as he got up again. “Do you remember how we first met?”
Now Belle was the one who was smiling. It was soft, and her red eyes looked down in thought.
"Je m'appelle Emile, qui es-tu were the first words you said to me." Belle replied. “It was after you pulled me away from the Aguilars when they started their poaching operation.” She giggled at the memory. “I remember a certain someone made fun of you for what you said.”
“Oh, come on!” Emile raised his hands. “I was introducing myself to you in Kalosian. KAL-O-SI-AN!”
Belle laughed, and it didn’t take long for Frère to join in.
“Agh, you both don’t understand,” the trainer grumbled as he shook his head. Then a grin crept up his face as he grabbed his shoes. “Anyways, seeing as how we’re all up, wanna go out for some breakfast? Maybe we can explore Lantana while we’re at it.”
“Do you have anywhere in mind?” Belle asked.
“There’s a bakery set up nearby… foreign one, but well received according to reviews I saw while we were walking here,” Emile replied as he picked up his PokeGear.
Frère let out a bark and gently pawed at his trainer from behind.
“Yes, they have PokePuffs and yes I believe they do have Hot Chocolate, so I will make good on my promise,” Emile said.
That elicited a cheer from Frère, who jumped down onto the floor from the bed with a grin and stood by his trainer’s side as he put on his shoes.
“Frère, can you get Eevee’s Pokeball for me?” Emile requested as he finished putting on his shoes. “I need to get-”
He was cut off by the sight of a black bifold wallet floating in front of him and smiled.
Belle was as helpful as always. He reached for the wallet and put it in his lower right pocket, and soon took Eevee’s Pokeball when Frère approached with it.
“Don’t you think Eevee should be kept in its ball?” Belle asked.
“I think the little guy will be fine. Besides, I’m sure that Professor Poplar would want him in fine condition,” Emile said. “Honestly though, if she wanted him so badly, she should be the one meeting me.”
He released Eevee, and the fluffy normal typed looked around. When he saw Emile, he smiled and let out a high pitched cry that could’ve grabbed anyone by the heart.
“Hey little guy,” Emile greeted him as he lifted the Pokemon up and placed him on his shoulder.. “C’mon, let’s have a good breakfast.”
Eevee awkwardly held on, but managed to shift his weight around until he had comfortably positioned himself on his caretaker’s shoulder.
“I’ve been meaning to ask. Exactly why does Professor Poplar want Eevee of all Pokemon?” Belle asked.
“Because Professor Poplar’s a researcher into regional forms, according to father,” Emile replied. “And well, Eevee’s a Pokemon that mutates based on its surroundings, right? So, the idea is that perhaps there could be some sort of form of Eevee produced in Enotria.”
“But isn’t Eevee research specifically for evolution?” Gardevoir inquired
“Oh yeah. Laventon theorized that Eevee is the key to evolution way back when, but due to the species’ constant mutating, anything could happen. The sky’s the limit.” He opened the door. “But, given that there aren’t any other ‘forms’ of Eevee elsewhere, I don’t see the experiment working out,” Emile continued, this time speaking telepathically.
“And… what will happen if it doesn’t?” Belle turned her head towards Emile.
“A multitude of things, but believe me. She’ll get ripped apart by a good chunk of the scientific community if she sends that little guy off to die or tries to put it down,” Emile said.
That settled Belle’s anxiety, and Emile didn’t blame her for asking. Unfortunately, many researchers tended to “dispose” of their subjects.
It was a sickening practice and Emile hoped the worst things happened to those kinds of “people”, if you could call them that.
The group descended the stairs and soon entered the Pokemon Center’s small lobby.
“Ah, Mr. Hawthorne! Are you leaving us?” the Nurse called from her desk, her vibrant emerald eyes staring at Emile’s blue, before trending downwards. Her features crept upward all the while she stared.
“No ma’am.” Emile smiled. “I’m just going out to get some breakfast, could you please watch over my Pokemon?”
“Of course!” the Nurse said. “Enjoy Lantana, Mr. Hawthorne!”
The town didn’t seem too crowded. Perhaps the workers were off? No, that didn’t sound right… maybe they had just left early?
It wasn’t much of a bother. They had more of Lantana to themselves, and it’d be bad to get a whole lot of attention from strangers with an Eevee on your shoulder.
Emile smiled as he walked down the cobblestone steps and petted Eevee’s little head. This was something that was bringing back plenty of fond memories…not too long ago, he was walking down steps just like these back in Kalos, with Frère on his shoulder and a passion for battling that forever burned.
“What is with you?” Belle asked.
“I can’t help it. This little guy brings back a lot of memories.” Emile motioned towards Eevee with a smile. “Remember when Frère wasn’t a little jerk?”
Frère barked and huffed, turning his head to the side.
“It’s OK, we still love you… or at least Belle does,” Emile said to his partner.
Frere turned his head back towards Emile and spat cold water at his trainer. He sighed as the trainer casually tilted his head out of the way.
The little bastard would try and get the last laugh, as he always would. Not now, but eventually…
Eventually, the three stopped walking, and Emile turned his head left.
“Here it is,” he smiled as he looked up, reading the sign.
“Sakai Bakery.”
Apparently, it had been established in Hoenn sometime before Emile was born, though it hadn’t started expanding until after that mess involving Kyogre and Groudon.
“C’mon.” He opened the door and held it open for his Pokemon to enter.
A chime was heard as the door opened, and Emile eventually stepped inside to be greeted with a woman behind a countertop made from mahogany wood, a cash register in front of her. Underneath it all were dozens of sweets locked away behind glass.
He took a deep breath, the scents of freshly brewed coffee mixed with vanilla and cinnamon making his mouth water with delight, before focusing himself and looking to the right, where there were various booths up beside the large windows as well as four tables further down.
“Buongiorno!” the woman at the register greeted him while smiling.
“Bonjour,” Emile replied as he stepped inside. “I was hoping to get some breakfast for my little group here and myself.”
“Of course!” The woman said. “We have some zeppole ready if you’d like some of that… and do your Pokemon prefer Poffins or PokePuffs?”
“PokePuffs, preferably, and I hate to ask but do you also have flavors for other types? I’d like to get something for the rest of my party, they’re a little too big…”
“Of course!” the baker said, waving for Emile and his group to take a seat. “I’ll get something for everyone, but I do have one question first.”
“Go ahead and ask away.” Emile smiled.
“That’s a Gardevoir, right signore? Our founder’s sister has one. We have a special recipe for them!”
“Is that true?” Belle asked.
“I think so.” Emile turned towards her. “If memory serves me right, the owner’s sister was a well-respected trainer from Hoenn who oddly named her team after video game characters.” He then turned his head back to the baker and nodded. “I think she’d like to try!”
The girl’s eyes widened, but she smiled and immediately turned around. “Very well, give me one second!”
Emile sat down at the nearest booth beside Belle, Frère jumping up and sitting on the other side. His mischievous eyes were focused on Emile, and Glaceon soon spat out cold water, hitting Emile in the face.
He blinked and sighed as he grabbed a nearby napkin to wipe his face. The bastard really did get the last laugh after all…
“Signore! I have that recipe for your Gardevoir!” the girl called out as she approached with a small tray of a dozen cookies. “Introducing The Emilienators!”
“Emilienators?” Emile asked with a chuckle. “Who came up with that?”
“Apparently, the best Ralts on Route 110 did, but some say it was her trainer,” the baker said. “Consider these on the house, Signore, I insist!”
“Oh… thank you!” Emile replied.
Well wasn’t that nice? Who knew the employees liked the Gardevoir line as well, especially enough to make cookies just for them. He reached into the tray and pulled out a cookie, then inspected it briefly.
It was covered with chocolate chips mixed with pecha and oran berry chunks. Safe to say, it was definitely a Fairy type’s favorite, and the oran berries wouldn’t damage the flavor much while simulating good healthy growth.
“Here, have a cookie.” Emile offered a cookie to Belle.
She slowly reached her hand out and took it, then sniffed at it before immediately taking a bite. Then smiled as she chewed on it, and it grew wider and wider as she swiftly devoured it whole.
“This is perfect!” Belle declared. “We have to get more of these on the way!”
Emile raised a brow and took one and slowly he nibbled on it and…
These were obnoxiously sweet. The cookie was still warm, almost like it had come out of the oven only a few minutes ago. The warm pecha juices mixing with the chocolate chips made his taste buds dance and it was intoxicatingly sweet.
“Oh we’re gonna have to get more,” he declared as he offered a cookie to Frère.
The little bastard wouldn’t know what hit him. Like his trainer, Frère had an awful sweet tooth… somehow, trying sweets together made for wonderful bonding moments between the trainer and Pokemon.
Frère sniffed at it just like Belle did, and soon began to eat it and his reaction was the same as the Gardevoir’s. He had a wide smile as he gobbled the confection up.
“Emile,” Belle spoke as she nibbled on a cookie “Do you think Vito has games on his phone?”
A chuckle escaped Emile’s lips as he finished eating a donut and tilted his head. “I don’t think so, but I can ask. Besides, I’ve wanted to check up on him for a bit.”
“You’ve been feeling that way for a little bit now. It isn’t like you to be worried,” Belle teased.
“Shush,” Emile huffed as he pulled out his PokeGear. He had discovered earlier that Vito’s Poryphone had immediately given him his contact information, and was thankful to have it.
The trainer shot Vito two messages, one asking if he was alright and another asking if he had any games on his phone- for Belle’s sake.
A reply swiftly came right after Emile had sent his messages, and he raised a brow as he read it.
“Everything’s going OK I think. Grass mons are mad. Idk why,” the message read.
How peculiar. Normally, most grass types were rather calm. They only got upset if you tried to harm them or violated their territory. In normal circumstances, they welcomed any and all visitors to their lands.
He sent a reply back and put his PokeGear away. He was about to enjoy the last of his donuts until Belle immediately shook his shoulder.
“What?” Emile turned his head towards Gardevoir.
“Look at the TV!” Belle insisted.
Emile did so, and his eyes widened. For a whole second his heart stopped, then violently pounded beneath his chest.
“And so, Amadis Hermosa has officially arrived in Enotria,” A News Reporter confirmed over the television. “According to Hermosa’s sponsors in Lysandre Labs, Hermosa has plans on taking on the Enotrian League!”
A picture soon appeared by the reporter, and Emile’s eyes focused intently on it.
The photo consisted of an individual with tanned skin and long dark hair, smiling with a Butterfree by their side. Their hair was wrapped in a low ponytail, and they were wearing a sleeveless top with a ribbon design that exposed their midriff. They were also wearing shorts with frills mimicking a skirt with leggings underneath. The entire outfit was in different shades of violet that complemented each other quite well.
Emile knew that a Contest Idol’s attire had inspired them, one by the name of Lisia.
“Who would have thought they would come here?” Belle asked. “It’s been forever since we’ve seen them.”
“Yeah… I’m surprised their Butterfree has lasted this long,” Emile replied.
His heart pounded beneath his chest as he looked at the TV. They hadn’t changed a bit, still looked the same as when he saw them two years ago back when he took on the Indigo League.
“Emile?” Belle called out. “Are you alright?” She asked.
“Yes.” Emile responded. The words flew out of his mouth, and he didn’t bother replying telepathically. Thankfully, the only other person with them didn’t seem to mind, and she wasn’t paying attention.
He didn’t say anything else. Instead, he went back to eating his breakfast.
There was no reason to think about Amadis, right? After all, Emile would never see them again. They’d grown too far apart. Besides, what was there to talk about? They hadn’t seen each other in two years, and the last time they traveled together was their first journey.
Breakfast ended without much conversation. Emile paid his bill and collected various PokePuffs that were for Goyl, Roi and Venus. He was certain they would enjoy it, and they would probably need some decent nutrition, something better than sausage sandwiches. It would be rather unpleasant if they didn’t have their proper vitamins.
For example, a Venusaur suffering a deficiency of zinc would have a harder time building muscles and fighting off invasive bacteria, causing it to emit an unpleasant sour smell from the flower on its back. It was a common problem with many grass-types, and could lead to minor issues generating and expelling grass-type energies, causing their attacks to be just a little bit slower than they otherwise would be.
Venus, being a rather large Pokemon, needed plenty of it, and thankfully, PokePuffs were crafted to provide the necessary amounts of nutrition while simultaneously satisfying a Pokemon’s craving for sweets.
Arceus bless them. They were healthier than Poffins and not as dry; in fact, they were more like PokeBlocks from Hoenn.
The group stepped outside. Eevee was in his Pokeball, and so it was just Emile, Belle and Frère walking along the street of Lantana.
“Emile,” Belle said. There’s… been something I’ve wanted to talk to you about.”
Emile turned his head, puzzled. His heart skipped a beat, and he heard the snide voice of his younger self.
“They’re not here.” He heard his younger self say, and the flash of Goyl’s angry gaze.
However, before they could even continue their discussion, Emile felt his phone go off.
“It’s probably Vito,” Belle said. “Go and take it, it might be important given what he said earlier.”
Emile nodded as he pulled the phone right out of his pocket ,swallowing hard as he put him on speakerphone.
“Hey, Vito. What’s up?” He smiled, trying to stow away the dark thoughts that had crept into his mind. “Ya catch anything good?”
“Get over here right now!” Vito screamed.
Emile’s heart stopped as he heard Vito’s panicked cry. Something bad did in fact happen, it was clear just by the way he was hearing the teen breathe.
“Alright, alright,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a dying Pokemon here, and I think its poisoned.” Vito said, the words flying out of his mouth faster than a grass type’s bullet seed. “I don’t know what to do, I told the grass-types I could help it but-”
“Calm down, kid,” Emile said, keeping his voice cool. “You’re already doing a lot by calling me. I’ll get over there and take a look.”
“Then get over here now!” Vito shouted.
“Alright, alright.” Emile reassured him. “I’ll be over there. Give me a second, I’ll have Belle teleport me to you.”
“Do you even know where I’m at?” Vito asked.
“Belle will find out,” Emile replied before he hung up.
“I’m not sure if hanging up on Vito was a great idea,” Belle said.
“It’ll be fine. We’ll be there soon,” Emile replied. “Pokemon Center, now. We need to grab the rest of the team, and we’re taking that nurse with us and hoping to Arceus that she’s good at her job.”
“On it!” Belle replied as she touched Emile’s shoulder.
“Frère.” Emile looked over to his Glaceon and pulled out his Pokeball. “This will be quick, don’t worry.”
Glaceon merely barked and nodded. He stood still as he was returned to his Pokeball.
Then, Emile and Belle disappeared into thin air…
Teleportation was a strange thing. It was an instant action, and when you reappeared, you would feel a strong sense of vertigo and be slightly confused.
Fortunately, Emile had gotten used to teleporting over the years, and while he hadn’t teleported in a while, he didn’t feel any of the side effects.
“Oh, Mr. Hawthorne! You’re back!” The Nurse, Lucrezia, according to her nametag, said.
“I need my Pokemon, and you need to grab your medical kit,” Emile declared as he walked forward. “Now.”
Lucrezia jumped and raised her brow, clearly startled by Emile’s now aggressive tone.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she immediately reached under her desk, pulling out a bulky red square-shaped bag. “Is someone hurt?”
“Vito called, he said there was an ill Pokemon and he can’t do anything about it,” Emile informed as he walked towards the desk. “I’m not sure what I’ll be dealing with, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Lucrezia pressed a button and pulled out a tray containing three Pokeballs, placing them onto the desk for Emile to take.
“A poisoned Pokemon?” the nurse asked. “The grass types should have healed it… Pecha berries are plentiful,” she continued as she placed a small sign on her desk.
“I figured as much,” Emile replied. “I’m taking us to wherever Vito’s at so we can look at it.”
“Has your Gardevoir teleported with more than one person by her side?” Lucrezia asked as she stepped out of her desk and walked towards Emile.
“She hasn’t in a while, but the last time she did it worked out fine. You have nothing to worry about,” the trainer assured her.
Lucrezia nodded as she stood beside Emile.
Belle placed her hands on both the nurse’s and her trainer’s shoulder, and suddenly…
They were greeted by trees and the stares of numerous Pokemon. All of them were grass-types.
Emile could see Sunflora, Sunkern, Arboliva, Dollivs and Smollivs all looking at him and Lucrezia. At first, their eyes were wide with shock, but they soon turned to scorn.
Slowly, the grass-types looked at Vito, then back at the two new intruders.
“Belle, tell them that we’re here to help,” Emile commanded. “Stop them from going crazy, and we’ll take care of…”
As Emile turned around, his eyes widened.
In front of him was a mess of vines, all connected to some sort of tangled central dark mass. The vines twitched, spasmed and squirmed as if they were limbs connected to a body, and it didn’t take long for the trainer to realize that this wasn’t a central “mass” but rather a Tangrowth.
“Emile!” He heard Vito greet. “And… Lucrezia?”
The trainer turned his head and saw Vito run towards him, Pikachu on his shoulder and a Psyduck by his side.
“Hey, kid,” Emile said. “Don’t worry; we have this taken care of.”
“Oh Lupa… what happened?” Lucrezia asked.
“I don’t know! Tangrowth was like this when I saw him and… I can’t do anything,” Vito explained. “He’s not able to communicate or eat pecha berries.”
Lucrezia stepped forward and immediately started walking towards Tangrowth, her medical bag in hand. As soon as she reached the large grass-type, she knelt down and looked at the creature’s face.
“Mr. Hawthorne!” she shrieked. “Get over here, immediately!”
Emile didn’t think twice before he ran over to the two. “What is it?” He knelt down and looked towards Lucrezia.
“Look at Tangrowth’s eyes,” the nurse said. “Do you recognize this?”
Emile turned his head towards the Tangrowth and watched as its eyes darted back and forth briefly. The eye movements were erratic, and the trainer doubted it had any idea what was going on.
“I’ve never seen a Pokemon react to poison like this before, this Tangrowth is acting like its on some sort of drug.” he said.
“I thought so too… I think it’s likely Gainium,” Lucrezia said as she unzipped her medical bag. “Probably on a lot if it too.”
“Gainium?” Emile asked.
“Named after the substance in Meganium flowers. I’m sure you’re aware, but I’ll say it just in case. A Meganium’s flowers have a substance in them used to deter predators and to calm aggression,” Lucrezia explained as she looked at Tangrowth. “When mixed with substances like, say, morphine, it can be used to keep a Pokemon calm and placid.”
Emile raised a brow. “It sounds like traffickers would use it.”
“Because it is.” Lucrezia looked back at Emile. “Mr. Hawthorne, whoever did this attempted to capture and traffic Tangrowth… and they’re probably close by.”
A guttural cry came from Tangrowth, and it started to flail its arms around.
Emile grabbed Lucrezia and pulled her down onto the floor with him, avoiding a swing from Tangrowth’s massive arms.
“Are you OK?” he breathed out.
“Y-Yes. Thank you…” Lucrezia replied as she broke free from his grasp and grabbed onto one of Tangrowth’s arms and held it down. “Please, Mr. Hawthorne! Help me out here! We need to get Tangrowth in the process of recovering.”
Emile looked at Tangrowth. It was going through an overdose of this drug. Without help, he would most certainly die. The trainer’s heart pounded beneath his chest. He had done common first aid practices and sprayed a Pokemon down with an antidote or a potion, but never anything like this.
“Are you going to let another one die this time?” He heard the snide, mocking voice of his younger self ask.
No.
The trainer swiftly moved to the left and grabbed its other flailing arm. The vines were rough to touch and felt a lot like rubber, but he held onto it as tightly as he could and brought it to the ground and looked at the large grass type.
“You’re not dying here, you understand me?” he called out.
He turned his head towards the grass types, watching and communicating with Belle who stood before them.
“Belle! I need you to tell one of them to get over here, I have something in mind.” The trainer ordered.
Belle nodded and Emile saw her point at an Arbolivia.
The grass type immediately approached Emile, its eyes still narrowed, more than likely it was suspicious of Emile’s intentions.
Given how it was willing to listen to him, it at least figured that Emile’s intentions were good.
“I need you to use Sunny Day, but make it light. We need light sunshine up here, something better than all of this shade. Can you do that?” Emile asked.
The grass-type nodded and raised its head. Then, it opened its mouth and began to release a high pitched cry that turned into a sort of song. It was a brief yet beautiful melody that ended as soon as it began.
Above was a false sun and it radiated a heat that did not harm, but comforted, kissing those who stood underneath its warmth.
“What are you doing?” Lucrezia asked as she opened her bag.
“Tangrowth at the end of the day is a grass type, but more importantly its body can be healed thanks to the sun. Its a lot like a plant in this regard,” Emile explained as he reached for Frère’s Pokeball and released the ice type.
Glaceon shook his head and stretched out briefly before turning his head towards Emile and Tangrowth, his eyes widening as he let out a bark.
“People did this,” Emile said, as if he were answering a question that Frère had asked. “I need you to use Chilling Water, but lightly. We don’t wanna hurt him.”
Frère nodded and released a small, calm and constant spray of water onto Tangrowth. He walked around the grass-type, making sure to avoid spraying Lucrezia and Emile.
Cold water was a terrible way to treat someone going through a bad drug reaction. This was primarily because ice or cold temperatures could put someone into shock. However, Tangrowth wasn’t a human—it was a Pokemon, a grass type, to be exact. It would need a mixture of sunlight and water to help it get better.
The grass type’s vines stopped squirming and twitching, but its body heaved up and down.
He was still breathing. Good.
Emile’s heart pounded beneath his chest. He wasn’t going to let this Tangrowth die, and he’d personally pull it back from whatever afterlife it went to to make that happen.
Lucrezia had brought out a set of needles and various drugs, one of which Emile recognized as some sort of anti-venom.
“Are you sure that’s going to work?” Emile asked her.
“Yes. This strain of anti-venom was made from a Toxicroak’s poison, a Hisuian Leek, and a Pep-Up Plant,” Lucrezia explained as she filled a syringe with the liquid. “In a situation where a Pokemon is on a man-made drug, this anti-venom can work perfectly.”
“What about a pecha berry?” Emile asked. “Would that be of any help?”
Lucrezia placed the tip of the needle against Tangrowth’s large arm and shook her head. “Tangrowth won’t be able to eat anything solid…”
“Then we crush the berry,” Emile said. “Tangrowth feed by draining their food of nutrients with their vines. If we crush it up and allow the juices to cover the vines, it should absorb it naturally and help with the recovery.”
Lucrezia looked down as she injected the drug into Tangrowth’s body, then nodded her head.
“Care to get us one?” Emile looked over to his Arbolivia “assistant”
The grass type nodded, moving over to a nearby tree and pulled out a single pecha berry.
Pecha Berries treated numerous types of venom, and while it would be useless against the Gainium that Tangrowth had taken, there was another benefit as well. Pecha berries generated numerous antibodies that stimulated the body’s immune system and helped fight off invasive bacteria. It would be very useful in this regard.
Given that Tangrowth was calm now, Emile decided to let go of the grass type’s arm and took the Pecha and began to squeeze and crunch it up as much as possible, turning it into tiny little chunks. The juices and pieces fell onto Tangrowth’s arm and were slowly being absorbed.
The trainer turned and noticed the Arbolivia’s eyes widen. The other grass types were surprised as well, and their looks of scorn faded. Now they were simply watching. He then looked over to Vito, who was just as surprised as the grass types.
“Vito! Get that Psyduck over here!” Emile called out.
“On it!”
The Psyduck who had been standing beside Vito raised its head and looked around, acting as if someone else had been called out. It took Vito lightly pushing him forward to make him realize that it was him who was needed.
The yellow duckling approached and saluted.
“I need you to use a light water gun. You’re going to work with Frère here.” He pointed at the Glaceon, who was still spraying Tangrowth down. “Tangrowth will need plenty of fresh air, sunlight, and water to recover fast. Can you help out?”
Psyduck quacked, marched forward, and moved alongside Frère, unleashing a small stream of water to assist Frère’s efforts in Tangrowth’s recovery.
Emile let out a sigh of relief as he sat and watched.
Tangrowth was finally getting better.
