Chapter 9: I Choose You!
"Now that there's enough time to ask questions for a bit before we get into the main topic, would you three like to introduce yourselves, please?" With an accommodating smile, I offer the three newcomers to sit down and relax a bit, as I predict our conversation will take a bit of time and I do not wish to cause any undue stress.
"Yeah, take a seat and get to know everyone! I promise we won't bite." Iris backs me up on my offer while Trevor and Tierno nod along. 'Could you two perhaps be a bit more proactive in the conversation? Why are you leaving it up to the two of us?'
Mentally sighing for the umpteenth time in the last three days, I motioned to the waitress that we'd like a refill on our current orders, along with some for the three anxious patrons.
"Um, thank you! My name's Shauna, and it's nice to meet all of you!" The now-identified brunette, at first glance, seems very friendly and eager to meet new people.
"The name Calem Nice to meet you guys." The sole boy in their group introduces himself in a somewhat muted way. He seems to be rather keen on holding that calm image for some reason, or maybe it's something else that is making him keep to himself?
"Uh, my name's Serana, and I just moved here recently, so I'm not very familiar with the area yet, but it's nice to meet you guys." The taller of the two girls identifies herself while giving an awkward smile.
With their introductions out of the way, I decide it's time to give our own, along with the reason we've come here and called for them.
"Alright, then allow me to introduce everyone, shall I?" After gaining a nod of confirmation, I begin the introductions on our side. "Okay, so from left to right, we have Trevor. Forgive him if he's a bit shy around new people. Next to him, we have Tierno, quite the friendly one, and don't let his physique fool you; he's quite nimble on his feet when he starts dancing. Next to him at the head of the table is Iris. She, like Serana, just arrived a few days ago and doesn't know the area too well, but she's already a trainer with her own pokemon. Lastly, there is me. My name is Saya, and I actually share a home region with Iris, but I've been here for a few years already."
Now that everyone is acquainted, I give a silent nod to Tierno to bring out the parcel that he's been carrying for the duration of the trip.
"As for why we are here and why we called for you, it actually has to do with a request from Professor Sycamore in Lumiose. He asked for us to deliver some starter pokemon to the three new trainers in Vaniville to begin their journey, along with the offer to help him in his research to complete the pokedex. " I am waiting for the three to give a sign of understanding before I continue. "Now without further ado, I shall introduce you to three Pokemon, and you can take your pick of which one you would like as a partner."
Taking the three pokeballs in hand, I release their occupants, who look around at the party in front of them, giving what I can only assume is their own form of introduction.
"First off, we have Chespin, the grass-type starter. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in droves with strength and endurance. In the middle here, we have Fenniken, the fire-type starter. Though she doesn't have the bulk of Chespin, don't let that make you underestimate her; she can play the distance game with her fire attacks and wear you down quickly. And lastly, we've got Froakie, the water-type starter. This little one is capable of fast maneuvers and can whittle you down with rapid assaults, leaving little room for retaliation." With their introductions, they finished all three Pokemon and gave glowing evaluations.
Looking at the three tentative trainers i see them with surprised expressions although for some reason they're directed at me rather than the three pokemon. Glancing at both Tierno and Trevor, I also see the same awestuck expression for some reason, while Iris looks a bit exasperated.
"D-did i say something wrong?" Not understanding the reason for everyone's surprise, I ask while glancing at the five deer in headlights with growing unease.
"No, it's just surprising how concisely and accurately you introduced the three; it's like you're used to doing this type of work." Trevor is finally coming out of his stupor.
"what are you even talking about?" Yet again eliciting a sigh from me, 'I'm doing this a lot more lately,' I clap to get everyone's attention back to the topic at hand. " Anyway, if you three are done, you may make your choices if you'd like."
"Well, if it's okay with you two, I'd like to take Froakie." Calem makes his choice of having the water-type starter get a happy cheer from the little frog, who jumps onto his shoulder, where he purches himself.
"If it's not a problem, I'd like to take Chespin." Serana picks up the grass-type starter before giving it a hug and spinning on the spot, getting a happy laugh out of the pokemon.
"Very well, I suppose that leaves little Fenniken to Shauna then." i state only soon after noticing an awkward expression from the brunette. "Is there a problem with this arrangement? You seem a bit vexed."
Perhaps sensing her unease, the tiny fox also grows worried about her potential partner, but for some reason she also seems to be scared. Why would she be afraid in this situation if she's experienced a scenario like this before?
"umm i know you came here with these pokemon but i already have a starter from Kanto." Shauna states as she pulls out a pokeball from her bag and in a flash of light reveals that she owns....a Bulbasaur! "Last summer I went to a pokemon camp hosted by Professor Oak, and at the end of it he gave the attendees each a pokemon to keep, so technically I've already received a pokemon."
'This is definitely what I had expected to happen.' I find my thoughts rushing to and fro on whether the professor was aware of this situation before he sent us on this errand. "Um, Shauna, if you've completed a camp and received a starter, that means that you should be listed as a trainer in the Pokemon League's database, but the professor stated that there would be THREE new trainers, not TWO."
Due to the amount of supply and demand that there is normally once you gain a starter in one region you wont be eligible to obtain a starter from another region as that could be considered favortism. While you can find those same starters in the wild or possibly trade another trainer for theirs, it is strictly forbidden for a trainer that's obtained a starter from a professor in one region to gain a starter from another region via its professor, so if it is as she said, she should have been unlisted from this town's batch of new trainers. What's happening here?
"I have to have my license updated, but since my birthday isn't until three days, I had to wait, so I couldn't get an official trainer license yet." she embarassedly admits. So that's what went wrong.' realizing what had happened.
While you CAN obtain a pokemon before turning 18, you won't be able to register as an official trainer until then, so if her birthday is in 3 days, she would be eligible just BEFORE the new circuit term began, so she would have had the time to get her license then, but due to her not being officially recognized, she popped up under the 'prospective trainer' list; in other words, she's technically still listed as a civillian.
Sensing the Fire-type's distress, I quickly look to Iris, and she gives me an understanding nod before I move off to pull out my Roto-phone in order to call the professor. He needs to be made aware of this; there's been a very big mistake on this trip. After a while of waiting, he finally picks up, and an image of him displays on the screen.
"Hello Saya, how's the tri-"
"There's been a mistake. One of the three you listed to give a pokemon to already received a starter from Professor Oak last summer and hadn't had the opportunity to update her status in the league database. Fenniken has been left without a trainer. You should have been made aware of this beforehand." Though it may be rude, I interrupt the professor's greeting and immediately inform him of the situation.
"That is definitely not good. there were supposed to be enough trainers for pokemon there but if she already recieved a pokemon from one professor then without an accomodation from the league she wont be eligible to recieve a starter from me. furthermore this is the last batch of new trainers for the year and that Fenniken has actually been trainerless for the last three groups. either a canidate has rejected partnering with her or she's been brought back." he states grimly
'That's why she was so terrified; she's been rejected and abandoned by people already, and this was going to be her last shot this year in order to travel and get stronger.' Normally, any leftover starters from the registration period end up staying in the lab due to being too old for new trainers to reasonably take care of.
"SAYA!" Hearing my name called so suddenly, I turned to see Iris running up to me with a panicked expression. I wait for her to catch her breath before she explains what happened while I was away. "Fenniken ran away! Shortly after you went off to talk to the professor, she took off somewhere in town. We have to find her!"
My heart drops at the news. She's already been rejected twice by people, and now she has been met with only more disappointment when she finally gets her hopes up again. That's far too cruel for someone so young. Grabbing Iris's hand, we start running back to the others.
"Iris already told me what happened with Fenniken, and we have to move fast to find her. Trevor and Tierno, you'll take the east side of the town; Calem and Iris, can you take the west side? Shauna and Serana will take the north road back towards Vaniville since she knows the area there better. Check any alleys where she might be able to hide out. That Fenniken, this was her last chance at having a trainer for the term, and she's been let down twice already, so she more than likely will lash out at anyone thanks to the amount of pain she's going through. Split up, and we'll meet back up in an hour; if you find her, have your Pokemon launch a signal in the air!"
After giving out orders, we all split up and went to our assigned areas. I began searching the plaza and its respective alleys before moving on to another section of the town. Going from shop to shop and alley to alley, I found various pokemon lurking in them, from Meowth to Granbull to even a Herdier, but still no sight of the fox that I'm looking for. After repeated searches, an hour has passed without any signal from the others.
"You guys didn't have any luck either." i ask hoping that they at least caught some sight of the missing pokemon. However, it seems my silent prayers will go unanswered as the next words out of everyone are nothing more than negatives.
"She couldn't have gone too far; we have to find her before it gets dark or we'll have to wait until morning." Calem notes while looking at the darkening sky with stars threatening to spill out.
'Where could she of possibly gone off to? If we keep blindly searching the town, we'll just waste our time, and she's not in the good emotional state to be left on her own for so long!' Wait a moment. Before I went to talk to the professor, I FELT her emotions. 'Can I really sense her from just that alone, though? i haven't tried sensing them since back then what if i-' quickly catching my train of thought i shake those negative thoughs away. 'No, it's not IF I can sense her. I will, and this time I won't fail to help them.'
"Iris" calling out to her i look into her eyes she gives me a questioning glance trying to figure out what it is i want to convey. "i need you to trust me on this okay? Remember what you did back in the valley? I'm going to try and find her, but I need you to distract the others while I try to figure it out, okay?"
At first shocked at my sudden declaration, Iris shows a brief moment of uncertainty at having me use that ability again and so soon, but eventually acquiesces to my plea and gets the others attention so that I can concentrate. I moved to the center of the plaza by the fountain, letting the sound of the running water calm my fraying nerves at the prospect of what I was about to do.
"Okay deep breaths. I just need to isolate her emotions and follow them. easy enough. probably." Attempting, and to varying degrees of success, to motivate myself, I close my eyes and begin trying to sense the emotions around me. At first, there's no luck, but gradually, I begin to 'feel' something around me. At first, it's dull and muted, but it gradually grows more pronounced with time, from a silent whisper at the back of my mind to eventually a rackus cocophony of sound that disorients and brings about a slight headache, but I can't let them stop me.
Focusing more and more i try to distinguish the tones and emotions that accompanies them from happiness to contentment to even drowsiness before finally feeling it. It's a bit low, but I can sense fear, disappointment, and even loneliness. 'Its her!' By focusing even more, I try to catch her location or at least a general trail before seeing a thin wisp. Without understanding how or why I think of mentally grasping it and following it, after doing so, I feel like I'm floating. along it, twisting and turning from passage to passage, with the feeling of Fenniken's emotions growing ever stronger as the distance closes, before stopping at a river bank, where I see her curled up while whimpering to herself. no doubt having spent the time crying.
"i've got her!" I quickly yelled out, earning confused glances from the others, excluding Iris, whose hopeful eyes suddenly widen into shock before full-on becoming ecstatic. Not wanting to waste this moment, I quickly grabbed Fenniken's pokeball before sprinting off, leaving the others to call after me.
'You're hurt. you're disappointed. you can even be angry as you've every right to be. You can even be lonely, I think to myself while still tracking her emotions. But you can heal. You can still be happy. your anger can fade. Your lonely heart can slowly be filled.'
"Fenniken." i gently call out. there a short distance away i find her still curled up and grieving. Not wanting to scare her away, I slowly make my way towards her. finally garnering a reaction out of her with a twitch of her ear and a low growl she finally faces me and assumes a stance to intimidate me. I stop approaching and kneel down to her eye level before continuing to speak.
"This was your last opportunity, wasn't it?" i tentatively begin earning another snarl from the tiny fox. "I heard about it already. how everyone that was suppose to partner with you either rejected or returned you without even giving you a chance. How you've been constantly let down time and time again by the ones you should have been able to rely on."
"Yet you still held onto hope that perhaps someone would accept you. that you'll finally be able to explore past the walls of that lab and see all the wonders this world has to offer, right?" gradually her eyes show less anger and reveal what truly lies within her heart all the negativity that has taken root within her heart and mind. "you don't need to be so sad. You can still make happy memories. you don't have to be disappointed you can still hold your dream near and dear. You don't have to give up. You can still accomplish them, that is. If you can find it in yourself to trust one last person,"
Chuckling a bit at the rather cute tilt of the tiny fox's head as I make my last statement, I pull out her pokeball. "you already know that this is your pokeball right? Though Shauna may of been ineligible to take you as a partner but by that same technicality. I AM eligible to receive a Pokemon from Professor Sycamore. even though I already have two pokemon of my own."
Letting the weight of my words sink in, I catch the briefest glimpse of hope beginning to flicker within her eyes once more. Putting her pokeball down and holding out my hand, I get to the point of the conversation and finally ask her.
"Fenniken, would you like to come with me and explore all the wonders this world has to offer?" Moments go by with my words finally registering within her mind, and she gives a look of wanting to accept but still needs one final push. "I know you're weary and have been let down so this time i'm not just choosing you but i'm asking you to choose me in return too. Let's make each other's dearest wishes come true, shall we?"
With tears welling in her eyes the tiny fox leaps into my arms letting out all the grief and anguish that she's kept pent up out staining my top but also showing the joy and boundless happiness that has begun to reappear with it at finally gaining something no someone to call family and friend. letting her cry as much as she needs, I gently stroke her golden fur while soothingly humming. Before long, her ragged breaths begin to steady and slow before gradually falling asleep, but right before she fully falls asleep, I hear a voice filled with such relief and happiness that it even affects me.
'Thank...you'
My hand stills, and my eyes widen. Looking at the now sound asleep fox in my lap, I see my own vision blur before tears spill out before kissing her crown and donning my most radiant smile that day.
'No, thank you for saving me, Fenniken.'
