Chapter Text
Tiny robins chirped up to their parents as they tried to copy their flapping. One little bird managed to rise from the nest but fell over the edge. Another just barely caught it. Once the smaller bird returned to its nest, he swooped into the open window below. He dodged a waving petal from the heavy grass-type sitting on the balcony, tweeting a chuckle at its pout. Below him, a young brunette was sleeping peacefully. Lucario sat resting with his back to the wall by her headboard. With a bright chirp, the robin dove in to peck the sleeping girl.
Andría jumped from the sound, turning just in time for the Fletchling to get stuck in her pillow. The young Trainer glared at him, ignoring his frantic flaps to get free. Antoine growled a rough greeting, relaxing from his stance and letting the Bone Rush fade away. He scolded the robin for being a troublemaker, but Andría shook her head. It was about time she woke up anyway.
Trainer and Pokémon shooed the bird out so they could get ready. Standing in the middle of the room, they slowly began to stretch. Gentle movements done to wake their body and mind for the day. Then it was on to a spar, just as slow as their stretching, Aura passing between them like lapping waves. Punch for punch, and kick for kick. Contentment washed through them from both ends.
Andría let her Aura fade with a sigh, Antoine mirroring her. They smiled at each other. Mornings were always brighter after they stretched. He grabbed the Sprinklotad on the dresser for Cradily, who waved a petal from her seat on the balcony.
The two spoke in soft tones as their Trainer settled on a flaring skirt with a plain top. Leggings were a must for traveling, and her shoes were downstairs. Quick glance in the mirror said something was missing. Hm… Oh! Andría pulled the necklace looped over her mirror’s frame and clasped it in place. Now, she was set.
Heading downstairs, she could hear Shauna babbling away as Calem hummed every few sentences. Fletchling had resettled on Calem’s shoulder while little Lune mewed with an enthusiasm to match his Trainer. The Skitty was careful to keep his tail away from any human legs, though. One broken leg was enough.
“Good morning, everyone.” Andría hugged her mom before waving. A blur of pink and looping hair tumbled into the older Trainer. Strong arms wrapped around her as she laughed.
Shauna pulled back and gave her a dazzling smile. “You can’t tell me you’re not excited, Día! We’re getting Elemental Starters today!”
“I’m eager to meet them, too.” Calem placed a hand on their bouncing friend’s shoulder. Fletchling chirped from atop his Trainer’s head and jumped down to nuzzle Shauna. “But we should leave if we want to be on time.”
Shauna glanced at the oven clock and gasped. “You’re right.” She returned Skitty, then grabbed Andría’s hand. “We gotta hurry!” Anotine shared a look with Calem, the two chuckling as the one girl pulled the other out of the house, before walking out.
She didn’t make it very far before she slowed down to a jog, a bounce in her step keeping her ahead of Andría’s sedate pace. The latter just hummed and smiled as the former kept babbling about how cute the starters would be. Andría felt heavy eyes on her and tensed. Gold rippled out in her mind’s eye, but didn’t find anything malicious. She frowned but brushed it off.
The girls slowed a bit more, letting the boys catch up, then the four just existed. Early September’s bright morning sunshine and crisp fresh air had them all content. It had been a long few weeks since they simply enjoyed each other’s company. Unpacking finally settled down. All their Pokémon in the house with their own spaces.
Moving to Kalos felt strangely like coming home.
The warm, bright stone of Aquacorde’s buildings snapped the group from their haze. A few passingly familiar faces were poking around the small shops. The vendors all had kind smiles as they offered advice and suggestions. But the trio of Trainers were looking for someone else.
Sure enough, sitting at one of the tables by the local pâtisserie was a smiling Tierno and fretting Trevor. Croissants and eggs were almost gone, another three covered plates off to the side. Shauna cheered and waved as the trio made their way over.
She was the first one to sit with a bright “Good morning!” Lune jumped up to curl on her lap.
Tierno laughed. “Mornin’, Shauna. You’re energetic this morning.”
“Of course she is.” Andría settled in next to her with a knowing smile, Calem on her other side. Antoine grumbled under his breath and sat across from his Trainer. “We all are. Today’s a big day.”
“Well, better start it off with breakfast!” Tierno passed the covered plates around. He waved off their thanks and told them to eat. “I remember how excited I was last year. Left the house without even a slice of toast!” He shook his head with an exasperated smile. “If it weren’t for maman sneaking a lunch into my bag, I’d have collapsed before the first day was over.”
Trevor sweatdropped at his laughing friend. “W-well, I wasn’t quite that energetic. I a-almost didn’t make it out the door.”
Calem raised a brow at him. “Really?”
“Yeah…” Trevor wrung his hands and looked away, cheeks burning. “I was so anxious about if I packed everything, my sister had to drag me out.”
The rest of the group sweatdropped. Poor Trevor. Astrid must have been irritated with his indecision. The Ace Trainer was a startling, bold opposite to her younger brother’s quiet, shyness. At least it was easy to know they cared. Even now, he was fretting over the trio about to start their journey.
Once their meal was gone, Trevor dug into his equipment case. He placed a foot-long case onto the table. The glass lid did nothing to hide the trio of Pokéballs inside. Each cushioned with a pillow under it. The left ball had a leaf sewn onto its pillow; the middle one had a flame; and the right one had a teardrop. A gentle brush of Aura sent a wave of eager anticipation across her senses.
Andría looked up to see Antoine’s eyes alight with a familiar glow. “They are just as excited as Shauna,” she snickered under her breath and leaned back.
“Alright, who’s picking first?”
Calem, Andría, and Shauna shared a look. The girls smiled and Calem rolled his eyes. He spoke up before they did. “I think Andría should pick first. She’s the only one who doesn’t know what they look like, after all.”
The brunette whipped around to face him. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Shauna chirped, hand gently combing through Lune’s fur. “Besides, you said Ameline is staying behind, right?”
Andría nodded. During the craziness in Hoenn, her precious Pokémon gave it her all and more. Poor thing worked herself into a coma and barely woke up before they moved. Ameline deserved a break.
“Okay.”
She turned back to the eager trio awaiting their new Trainer. Deep breath in. Let your senses expand. Slowly let it out. Green leaves hid a spark of red determination. Orange embers sparked around a bubble of pink mindfulness. Blue droplets swirled with smoky red caution. While the blue of the third starter resonated with her, it was the orange of the second that intertwined with her aura seamlessly.
The brunette reached out with a small smile and grabbed the middle ball. With a soft click, it popped open to let a yellow and red fox onto her lap. “Hello, little one.” The fox chuffed at her and her smile softened. “Welcome to the team.”
“Oooh, you’re so cute!” Shauna squealed and lunged forward. Lune yowled at being launched from his spot but went ignored. She gently combed her fingers through Fennekin’s fur. “So soft…”
Andría patted her friend’s hand. “Alright, alright. Your turn, Shauna.”
“Hmm…” the Trainer hummed and turned to the last two Pokéballs, tapping her chin. Her eyes jumped from one to the other. Then she shrugged. “I’ll take Chespin then.”
She grabbed the left ball and sat back down, releasing her new little one to introduce himself. He gave a bright hello! He sounded just as energetic as his new Trainer. Doesn’t it usually take longer before that happens? Andría shook her head with a huff.
That left the water type for Calem. He took the ball and opened it to meet his new teammate. The blue frog just stared at him for a minute. His new Trainer stared back unfazed. Finally, he nodded. “You’ll do.”
Andría gave Calem a sly smile. “Looks like you’ve got to earn his respect.”
“I will.” There was a fire in his eyes as he promised, no, vowed to earn his starter’s respect. The girls brightened at his determination. Their eyes met and Shauna’s smile turned into a smirk. Andría just huffed and gave her a knowing look. Both valiantly ignored the warmth in their cheeks.
Tierno clapped. The trio jumped. “So! Who’s up for a battle?”
Calem looked at his Froakie and shook his head. “Not yet. I want to train with him first.” The frog nodded.
The girls shared a look, then glanced down at their starters. Fennekin’s eyes glittered. Chespin nodded. “Let’s do it!”
Tierno guided them over to an open space in the square. Calem and Trevor moved to a closer table. Pointed Andría one way and Shauna another, their teams tucked away. Excited tension bubbled in the air as the girls turned to face each other.
“Trainer Andría versus Trainer Shauna.” He glanced at both sides. They presented one ball each. With a nod, he continued, “This is a one-on-one battle. First to knock out the other team wins. Trainers, are you ready?”
They nodded. Tierno grinned and threw a hand out, dividing their makeshift field. “Begin!”
Fennekin made it on the field first and huffed a cloud of sparks. Chespin came out with vines at the ready. Andría called first. “Fennekin, use Ember!”
Chespin tried to block it with his vines. He yelped at the fire and staggered back. Then he winced at a spark of flame on his head.
A burn on his first try? The Trainer looked at her new fox with wide eyes. Lucky little one.
Their opponent shivered under the heat but gritted his teeth. Shauna smiled at him. “You can do it! Let’s hit back with Vine Whip!”
Fennekin dodged the first vine but not the next one. He winced when it connected but shook it off. His opponent yelped at another flare of heat.
“Finish it, Fennekin!” He charged up another Ember and let it loose.
Chespin was too hurt to dodge it. He took the attack head-on, and smoke billowed over the field. When it faded, the poor grass type was on his back and not moving.
Tierno walked over to check on him. With a nod, he stood and called the match. “Chespin is unable to battle. Andría wins!”
Said Trainer crouched in front of her cheering fox with open arms. “You did great, little one.” Fennekin jumped into her arms with a chirp. She spun them around before turning to Antione. The Lucario nodded at their new teammate.
Shauna knelt by her Chespin with a potion, spraying until he woke. The little quill Pokémon blinked. He jumped up, shaking dust off. Shauna placed a hand on his head. “It’s okay, Chespin. You did good.”
“Oh, before I forget!” Trevor reached into his bag and pulled out three thin tablets.
Glass was covered in red-tinted metal on the top and bottom. The metal had rounded grooves carved around the corners. What looked like two black halves of a ball separated the two parts. They were just open enough to show a holographic Pokéball in the center.
He handed each new Trainer a tablet. “These are your Pokédexes. They’ll record any Pokémon you run into, your battles, and even keep track of your team’s growth!” His eyes sparkled. “And, they get updated with new information all the time! We never stop learning things about Pokémon, and the Dexes reflect that.”
Everyone just smiled at Trevor’s enthusiasm. When he noticed their expressions, his cheeks flushed. He cleared his throat and gestured to their new devices.
“To get them marked as yours, scan your Trainer ID. Then, scan any Pokémon currently on your team. It'll use the network to connect to your storage.”
The trio did as told and lit up as their Dexes opened. Watching them load their Trainer information was interesting. Especially for Andría, who had three connected to her number. Not even the Hoenn Dex could connect her Sinnoh ID! It went through every Pokémon ever registered as hers. Antoine, Fennekin… It even had Ameline's records!
[Species: CRADILY (♀)
Ameline | Lv 72
Restored in Rustboro City
Status: BOXED …]
That reminded her. Fennekin needed a nickname… Andría hummed and looked at her new addition. He was quite pleased with himself for the win. As for a nickname... Maybe a Sinnohan name? Antoine was a Kalosian name, after all. Andría hummed as she racked her brain for ideas. For some reason, she kept thinking of a firefly. Oh! The Trainer called her new friend over.
“Hey, little one!” Fennekin trotted over as she knelt in front of him. “I like to give all my teammates nicknames as soon as I can. Antoine even helped pick out his own.” The trainer glanced back at her first partner. He nodded and she looked back down, asking, “So? How about it?”
Fennekin tilted his head. He chuffed, “Okay.”
The firefly flashed across her mind again. “How about Hotaru*? It’s just as bright as you are.”
His face lit up, and he jumped into her arms. “I love it!”
Andría, Shauna, and Calem agreed to split up for the day. For now though, their budding teams needed attention. Andría cuddled Hotaru closer, glancing over her shoulder to see Antoine looking around. He saw her staring and nodded, looking around again. Her heart clenched as she remembered what ingrained the habit but shook it off. Brighter things, Andría. Focus on brighter things.
They spent the rest of the day on Avance Trail, getting used to one another. Antoine even helped Hotaru train, though they focused on his speed. When asked why, the older Pokémon crossed his arms. “Trouble will always find our Trainer. Sometimes, there will be no other choice than to run.”
Hotaru tilted his head. “Trouble?”
Antoine’s grim look stopped the little fox from asking more. If it made an older, evolved Pokémon react like that… It made him wonder how bad things could get.