Beginnings: Xander

[unknownmercury]

Prologue story involving Xander and Sylph's journey across the Kalos region.

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings

Blood. So much blood. She was surprised that her body could even hold that much blood. Why wasn't she unconscious? The Mightyena had ripped her arm off, she should have passed out by now.

But no. Instead, she witnessed the blood. There was also a noise, a high pitched wail that she only just realized was coming from herself. Well, of course she was screaming. Just look at all the blood!

If she had passed out it would have been a great mercy. Her arm felt like it was on fire, which was nonsensical because she didn't have an arm anymore! Maybe if she kept screaming, the Mightyena would take pity and eat her head next.

Another sound interrupted the screaming that filled her ears, and she stopped. Someone else was shouting now. A small pebble hit the Mightyena on the nose, and the dark-type turned his blood-soaked snout from her to stare down his aggressor.

And the whole time, her arm pumped blood out to soak the grass she had collapsed onto. Her father would find her weakness to be contemptuous. Not only had she been ambushed, but she'd allowed herself to be crippled and done nothing to stop it except scream, fall, and bleed. And now she was being saved by humans.

The shock seemed to have worn off, and now her eyes were growing heavy. She felt almost peaceful, suddenly. Maybe that was just the blood loss. The last thing she saw before she finally slipped into darkness was the Mightyena running off and another human approaching her.

---

She awoke to far less pain than before. She was lying on something soft, and white light was shining on her. Looking around, she realized that she was in a human dwelling. Some device beeped nearby, making her flinch.

As everything came into focus, she squeaked. Sitting in a chair near the bed she was on was that boy. He seemed to be asleep, but as she made noise, he began to stir. He was short for a human, not even topping four feet. His hair was a mess of black, and his slate blue eyes were currently closed, though he seemed to be coming around.

As he began to wake, a door opened, and the tall human from earlier strode into the room. Seeing her, he smiled gently and approached. The child-human was rubbing at sleep-crusted eyes. She shrank back against the wall, watching the humans nervously. As she moved, she brushed her arm against the cloth on the bed.

Pain washed through her again, causing her world to go black. It only lasted a moment, and when she had regained her senses, the adult-human was sitting on the side of the bed. He held his hand out to her, a couple of small berries resting in his palm. “We aren’t going to hurt you, little one. Quite the opposite.”

When she made no move to take the food, he set them on the blanket and moved his hand back into his pocket. The younger human was chewing on his lip as he watched them both. The adult spoke again. “We’re going to get you back to full health, alright? We can’t do anything for your arm, but we can at least help you cope with only having the one.”

What was the point? She’d been weak, and losing her arm just made her even weaker. Her father would have nothing but disdain for someone who’d allowed herself to be crippled. Even if he and her mother would be willing to take her back, she would be a hindrance to the clan.

It would be better for someone so weak to just die.

The boy bit his lip. “Professor, what if she can’t go back? What’ll happen to her?”

The man sighed, putting two fingers to his forehead. “If for whatever reason she doesn’t adapt to life in the wild after this, I would have to keep her in my lab. But that’s for later. For now, we need her to eat.”

As he mentioned the food again, her stomach growled. She carefully reached out to grab one of the berries and bit into it. The man with the white coat clapped once. “Excellent. After you’ve eaten, we can get started on some exercises to get your strength back up.”

The Ralts glanced between the two humans smiling at her and nodded softly. Her father had often mentioned that there was strength in the community. Perhaps she wouldn’t be so weak with these humans.

---

Time passed, and every day she learned more about the humans who had rescued her. The boy was Xander, who wanted to become a trainer and help people. The man was his teacher, Professor Sycamore. The two visited her every day to help her with her rehabilitation.

A month after her accident, she was released to the Professor’s care. Xander carried her ball to the lab while she walked beside him. The boy had shown himself to be kind, talking to her about things like the weather outside, or the classes he’d taken from Sycamore, or the various Pokémon he’d seen that day.

More importantly, he never got upset with her, even when she was especially despondent or pretended to ignore him. Sometimes, she didn’t want to have someone talk to her, and he seemed to know when these moods struck. At those times, he would sit and read, or do some work that Sycamore assigned him. He made it clear to her that he was willing to be her friend, no matter what.

Life at the lab was far different than life in the Center. For one thing, she met lots of other Pokémon that the Professor had captured or befriended. They taught her the relationship between humans and Pokémon. When Sycamore asked her if she would help in demonstrations of battles and attacks, she agreed.

Over the course of a year, she became stronger, more confident in her abilities than she’d ever been with her clan. Part of this was getting out of her parents’ shadows. Part of it was the influence of the young boy who had saved her life. At the end of that year, she was no longer weak.

Xander took every opportunity he could to practice battling with her, and when he asked her to be his first Pokémon, she agreed eagerly. The two had a bond that was unshakable. Once Xander was officially declared a Trainer by Sycamore, the two left Lumiose to take on the Kalos Gym Challenge.

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings, Part 2

The alarm woke Alexander Cruize with a start. Half-falling out of bed, he hit the off-switch for his clock. He stared blearily at the numbers and frowned. Why had he set an alarm for seven? Even if today weren’t a Saturday, the professor’s classes didn’t start until nine, and it only took him half an hour to get to the lab.

There was a knock on his door, and then his mother came in, chuckling. “Alex, get dressed and go eat. You need to hurry if you want to leave with your friends today.”

Realization dawned on him and he bolted to his feet. “That’s today!” He rushed to fling open his armoire.

His mother chuckled. “I’ll have a plate on the table when you get downstairs.”



The other three trainers were already standing outside the lab talking when Xander showed up. Cameron, the oldest of the four, ran a hand through his hair and flipped it back as he smirked. “Cruize! Fashionably late as always!”

Xander had never been late before. Why would he be late when that would mean less time with the professor and the Ralts they’d rescued? He shrugged halfheartedly. “Yep, that’s me, a real Slakoth.” Dealing with Cameron had been tricky at first. The guy thought he was a lot wittier than he actually was. They had almost gotten into a fight before Xander learned to just let it roll off his back.

Blue-haired Octavyn glanced up from her Holo Caster and nodded to Xander. Her lightning-bolt emblazoned headphones were around her neck, blaring a heavily modulated cello. She opened her mouth and the other three turned to look at her. Octavyn’s words came rarely, but always had an impact.

She sighed and shook her head, going back to what she was doing. The fourth member of the group, Isabelle, chuckled softly. She was tall and blonde, wearing only the most expensive items from the Lumiose Boutique. “Well, now that Alex is here, let’s get inside!”

Sycamore was waiting for them in the lab. The young professor smiled as they walked in. “Welcome, junior trainers.” He chuckled, sweeping a stray lock of hair from his eyes. “Or perhaps I should just say ‘trainers.’ As of today, you are no longer students, no longer children. You are officially full-fledged trainers. Once you each select a partner pokémon--”

Cameron stepped up, grinning. “Me first, since I am Kalos’ brightest star!” The professor raised an eyebrow at that, but held his hands up as if to say ‘What can you do?’

“As you can see, there are three pokéballs here. They each contain one of the Kalos starters. Form your left to right we have Fennekin, Chespin, and Froakie. We’ll start with Cameron and go by birthday.”

The brash trainer grinned, grabbing the first ball and spinning it on a finger. “A fire type for the hottest flame in the region! Fennekin, I choose you!”

Isa shook her head and sighed as she stepped up. “Do you always have to be so loud?” She picked up the second ball and pressed the button. “Froakie would be my first choice - it evolves its own scarf - but I lost a coin flip with Octavyn, so I’ll take Chespin.”

Octavyn smiled shyly and took the last ball. “Thanks, Isa,” she said. Xander chuckled softly.

Cameron grinned. “So, Zander, you gonna wait until next year for your starter? That would be a pretty big disadvantage if you ever wanted to compete with me.”

“Actually, Sylph is going to be my partner.” Xander shrugged. “We’ve gotten pretty good at battling together.”

“Ouch. Using a one-armed Ralts? That’s almost worse than being a year behind.” Cameron chuckled, shrugging. “But if that’s how you want to go about it, that’s up to you.”

Xander scowled and headed back to the room where Sycamore kept the pokémon that he didn’t offer to new trainers. He grabbed Sylph’s ball as Sycamore followed him into the room.

“Don’t let him get to you, Xander. You and Sylph are a great team, and she’s gotten strong in the past year.” He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I know you’re going to do great things.”

Xander nodded lightly. “I am, but first I’m gonna make him eat his words. Sylph, you up for a battle?”

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings Part 3

“Huh. The toothless Trainer and the harmless Ralts versus Kalos' shining star and its fiercest Fennekin?" Cameron grinned contemptuously at Xander, for once foregoing his (in-)famous hair flip for a more controllable comb. "I'll allow it," he decreed, his mock magnanimity masking no pity. There would be no holding back on account of the team's weaknesses, despite what his words implied.

He thinks they're weaknesses, Xander reminded himself. His rival would soon find out that he and Sylph were neither toothless, nor harmless.

Cameron flipped his new partner's ball in the air a few times before clicking the button and slinging it to the ground with surprising strength.

The fire-type appeared and barked eagerly. Xander smiled as Sylph stepped up in front of him. Sycamore chuckled. “I’ll moderate, of course. This will be a one-on-one match, ending when one of the combatants is unable to continue battling, as judged by me.”

They were in front of the lab, where they would have more room and were less likely to break something. Sycamore spread his arms and looked between both teams. “This official battle of the Pokémon League between trainers Alexander Cruize and Cameron Morrill will now begin!”

“Light it up Fennekin, Ember!” Cameron pointed dramatically. The fox growled, a series of small flames shooting off of its body. Xander raised an eyebrow.

“Sylph, Teleport, then use Confusion.” He didn’t shout, didn’t gesture, nothing dramatic. He was going to knock Cameron down a couple of pegs, and part of that was not getting excited about it. Sylph vanished with a pop, the Embers missing her by a wide margin. Another pop signalled her appearance behind the Fennekin.

Cameron's Fennekin tried to turn in time, but only succeeded in presenting a better target; if the wave of psychic force hadn't been enough to Confuse her, the sudden uncontrollable continuation of her spin certainly was.

"Cool and calculated, eh?" Cameron quipped. "Looks like someone forgot that ice..." He snapped his fingers. "Is weak to Fire!"

The Fennekin just darted her head back and forth, thoroughly dazed.

"Cameron," Sycamore began worriedly, "you might not have noticed, but your Pokémon is--"

"Wait for it..."

“Sylph, Confusion again please.” Xander shrugged. If Cameron wanted to keep going, then he’d keep going. Sylph raised her hand, wreathing Fennekin in blue energy and raising it into the air. Twirling her hand, she spun Fennekin around before letting it fall a few feet to hit the ground.

It was a mistake, if only a small one. The weakened Fire-type hiccuped pathetically as it hit the ground--a wave of scorching flame bursting forth in an unplanned Heat Wave. Despite the flames' ferocity, however, it was child's play for Sylph to dodge, and despite the clear lack of intention behind the blast, Cameron saw fit to stay smug. "Now now, did you really think I'd let you off that easy? I'm an eternal flame, baby!"

Xander's eyes narrowed slightly, and Cameron was uncharacteristically observant enough to pick up on the gesture.

“Wow, Cruize, you’re really showing your violent nature here. Maybe we’re seeing a darker side of your personality that’s only ever been hinted at before.” Cameron grinned. “But your dark moves are nothing compared to ours. Fennekin, Foul Play!”

"Sylph, Confusion once more if you will."

Cameron's Fennekin flipped into the air...and promptly faceplanted in front of Sylph, leaving it wide open to the Ralts' retribution. Taking care this time to twirl its tail toward her this time, Sylph repeated her earlier maneuver, finally finishing the Fennekin.

"Hmpf. Seriously? Is that all you've got, Cruize? Fennekin--"

“Is unable to battle.” Sycamore stepped forward, gesturing to the fox lying still on the ground. “This match goes to Xander and Sylph.”

Cameron frowned and pressed the button on the Pokéball, before shrugging off his own gesture. “Y’know, Xander, you’ve still got a long way to go before you’re ready to challenge me.” He returned Fennekin and flipped his hair. “Maybe learn some actual strategy before battling people.” So saying, he turned and walked away, leaving everyone else save Octavyn staring after him in shock.

“But . . .” Xander said before thinking better of it. Cameron would be Cameron, he supposed. He would make his own path through Kalos, and Xander sincerely hoped they didn’t cross each other again. “Sylph, come on. If we hurry we can get to Santalune before it gets dark.”

The Ralts nodded, and they walked in the opposite direction of Cameron, heading for Lumiose City’s south gate.

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings, Part 4


Two gym battles later had left Xander feeling pretty good. He had decided that he would try and take on as much of the gym challenge as he could with just Sylph; other Pokémon would require food that he wasn’t sure he could provide, not to mention the cost of Pokéballs for capturing them in the first place.

Sylph had evolved during their battle with Grant’s Amaura, and that had been a huge benefit. With evolution had come the ability for her to communicate with him. She’d always been able to send him images and emotions, but now she was happily chatting with him through her telepathy. Xander grinned as he listened to her go on about their last battle.

The grin was wiped away when he saw a group of trainers up ahead. From this distance, he couldn’t make out details, but his gut sank when the middle figure flipped their hair and threw their head back in a laugh. Cameron, of course. Xander considered ditching the main path and taking a different route to Shalour, but quickly scrapped that plan. He and Sylph had enough supplies to camp for a night, but taking a detour would take them longer.

He sighed and continued walking, slowly gaining on the group. Once he was within earshot, he called out to them. “Isa, Octy, hey!”

“Well, if it isn’t the big Z himself!” Cameron grinned, turning on his heel to observe Xander. “What brings you so far from home, Cruize? Shouldn’t you be working on getting your first badge like I’ve got?”

The younger boy didn’t bother to point out that there was absolutely no Z in his first name, instead opting to open his jacket and show the two badges pinned there. “Actually, I’m going for my third.” He grinned a bit as he saw Cameron’s cocky look fall flat.

“Well, I guess even Cruizes can get lucky from time to time.” Cameron cradled an elbow in his hand, the other rising up to rest its fingers against his forehead for a second. “Tell you what, Cruize, why don’t you see how real trainers do things? What do you say to a double battle?”

Xander frowned. “Well, I’d say yes, but I only have Sylph--”

“Oh man, Cruize, sticking with the one-armed wonder? That’s a sure way to lose, y’know? Fine, alright. We’ll make it teams. How about . . . Me and Octy take on you and Isa? Starters only, so it’s fair. Sound like a plan?”

Xander looked at the other two and shrugged. “I guess, if they’re up for it.”

Isabelle stepped forward and smiled. “Alright, sure. We could all use the practice, I’m sure.”

Sylph stepped up from behind her trainer, looking nervous but determined. Cameron frowned, reaching for his Pokéballs. “Guess there is one benefit to your laziness, Cruize. Already evolved your Ralts into a Kirlia. Not that it’ll matter. Fennekin’s gonna wipe the floor with her! Go!”

The fox appeared, glaring daggers at Sylph. Fennekin, apparently, had remembered the last time they’d met. Xander was surprised when Isa and Octavyn released their own starters, also in their first forms. None of them had evolved yet?

That . . . actually made sense. If they were traveling together and getting the gym badges, they would each have to wait until the others were done with their battles to continue on, which meant less battles in all. Xander, in his solo adventure, had moved much quicker and seen more experience.

Still, that didn’t mean he was going to go easy on them. “Alright then, let’s get things started off right. Sylph, Disarming Voice!” Sylph nodded, letting out a loud cry that bombarded Fennekin and Froakie.

Octavyn cast her gaze over the field with an appraising eye. “Froakie, use--”

“Flame Charge, Fennekin, show that Kirlia who’s boss!” Cameron gave absolutely no care that he had interrupted his partner’s attack, pointing dramatically. Fennekin rushed forward, opening its mouth to surround itself with flame.

“Chespin, help out! Vine Whip!” Isabelle grinned as Chespin grabbed Sylph and lifted her up, causing the fire type to pass harmlessly beneath her. As it skidded to a stop, Xander chuckled

“Sylph, Confusion!” From her heightened vantage point, Sylph mentally grabbed Cameron’s Pokémon and lifted it to eye-level with her.

“Froakie, Smack Down!” Octavyn’s voice cut through the sounds of battle, and the water type rushed forward. With a hop, it landed hard on Chespin’s head, then springboarded to where Sylph was. Suspended by the vines, the KIrlia was helpless to avoid the attack. The Froakie’s hand came down hard, and she plummeted back to the ground.

Her concentration broken, she also dropped Fennekin. The pair landed hard with cries of pain. Octavyn nodded. “Bounce!”

Froakie took an instant to orient itself, then dived down, straight towards Sylph.

Xander grinned. “Alright, Sylph, Teleport!”

The psychic-type focused, grabbing Fennekin to teleport them both a foot to the side. Fennekin was just struggling to its feet when the Froakie’s attack hit, slamming it back down to the ground.

Cameron growled. “Octy, be more careful!”

The blue-haired girl winced. “I’m sorry! Froakie, Water Pulse!”

“Oh no you don’t! Chespin, Seed Bomb!”

The two attacks collided, just inches from Sylph. The Kirlia rolled to her feet quickly, panting. Trainers and Pokémon alike stared each other down for a moment before Xander made his next move.

“Sylph, Confusion again!” His partner extended her hand, grabbing Froakie in her mental grasp. Swiping her arm to the side, she slammed the water Pokémon into Fennekin. The pair tumbled over one another a few times before coming to a halt. Fennekin stood, stumbling as it tried to get over its dizziness.

“Rollout!” Isa called, grinning. Chespin rushed forward and, with a cry, curled into a ball, rolling towards Fennekin. It slammed into the fox, knocking it aside once more, then circled back around, building up more speed to add more power to the attack. Fennekin took another hit and cried out.

Cameron growled. “Fennekin, get up!” he urged, but it lay still.

Octavyn frowned. “Froakie--” She was interrupted as Chespin came around again. As the frog flew through the air, Xander grinned.

“Sylph, finish it off with Magical Leaf!” Sylph focused, summoning leaves from the ground nearby. WIth a shout, she unleashed them at the airborne opponent. Froakie fell to the ground and did not get up.

Xander whooped, pumping a fist into the air. “Way to go, Sylph and Chespin! Good match, guys!”

Cameron snarled, returning his starter, while Octavyn was more subdued in returning hers.

“Whatever, Cruize,” Cameron said. “Guess they’ll give gym badges to any old cheater these days!”

There was the sound of a fist connecting with Cameron’s face.

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings Part 5

Cameron staggered back, hand going to his jaw. “Isa! Why’d you do that?”

“Don’t you dare call him a cheater, Cameron Morrill! We won fair and square!” The blonde girl was as angry as she’d ever been, her blue eyes blazing as they met Cameron’s.

For once, the self-proclaimed star did not have a retort. He just turned and started walking away. With a collective sigh, the others followed.

*****

Shalour City was an incredible sight to behold, and all four of the new trainers found their eyes drawn towards the northern edge of the city. A tower rose high above everything around it, utterly dominating the skyline. Cameron grinned. “That’s where we’ll all get our next gym badge! Oh, and I guess where Xander--”

“Enough!” Isa snapped, shutting Cameron up with a single word.

“Tch, whatever. C’mon, then, let’s hurry inside!” The cocky kid took off running, with Octy in tow. Isa rolled her eyes as she and Xander set a more leisurely pace.

“Honestly, that punch was stress relieving. He’s been ragging on you on and off since we left Lumiose, and I was getting sick of hearing it.”

Xander smiled softly. “Thanks, Isa.”

“Hey, I just did it because I was getting fed up. It was ‘Xander’ this and ‘Xander’ that -- Arceus knows why Octy didn’t say anything to him.”

The boy nodded. “I don’t understand why she started hanging on his every word.”

“That makes two of us.” The two lapsed into silence as they made their way to the Tower of Mastery.

As they entered, Cameron turned to them, arms crossed. “First as usual. But I guess I couldn’t expect any better from you, Cruize.”

Xander just rolled his eyes and stepped past his supposed “rival.” In the large entrance chamber which soared far above any person’s head stood a statue. A bipedal dog-like Pokémon with spikes on its paws and chest loomed over them, an intimidating sight to behold. Winding stairs ran around the edge of the room, leading seemingly all the way to the sky.

Isa groaned. “Oh, this is going to be a lot of walking, isn’t it?”

Xander grinned. “No worries, we can make it! Right, Octy?”

The blue-haired trainer nodded softly. “We’ll be fine.”

Cameron grinned. “I’ll race you guys! First one there gets to challenge Korrina!”

“You’re on,” Xander replied coolly. “Sylph, do you want to return to your ball, or do you think you can keep up?”

I think I will be fine, she replied. Xander had to hide a smile at the shock on the others’ faces.

“Alright then. Let’s go!” Without further delay, the group took off running. The stairs were steep and twisting, but nobody took notice. Xander and Sylph managed to get a quick lead, but they couldn’t keep it. Cameron was taller, and that gave him just enough edge to catch up and eventually pass Xander.

The older boy turned his head to smirk at Xander from ahead and didn’t watch where he was going. Cameron’s foot caught on one of the steps. Before he could stop, he stumbled, staggered . . .

He went over the edge of the stairs. Octy and Isa cried out. Xander had no time to think about what he was doing. He jumped. The lead Cameron had gotten was enough to let Xander grab onto him. The two fell, fell, fell. Xander clenched his eyes tightly. He wanted-- No, he needed to be somewhere else, somewhere safe.

There was a lurching sensation, and both boys hit the ground with a puff of powdery white sand. The two stared up at the sky, stunned. Cameron recovered first. He sat up to sweep sand off his shorts and scowl at Xander. “Hey, how the heck did we get out here?”

“I dunno.” Xander sat up slowly, wincing. “I guess we must have teleported. Sylph managed to grab us and--”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now we have to climb all those stairs again.” Cameron sighed and walked back into the tower.

“You’re welcome . . .” Xander stood, following quietly behind.

“Cameron! Xander!” Isa skipped the bottom three steps to wrap her arms around the boys. “Thank goodness you’re okay! When you fell, we panicked, but then we couldn’t see you and--”

“Sylph teleported us out to the sand,” Xander said, waving to his Kirlia. “Good job! I didn’t know you could teleport someone without moving yourself!”

Sylph shook her head. I didn’t think I managed to, but I’m glad I did! She hugged him, giggling. Xander patted her back.

“How about we walk to the top this time?” he asked, leading the way.

The group made their way up at a more relaxed pace. At the top of the steps was a set of large double doors. Xander placed a hand on either door and pushed. After a brief moment, the doors swung forward, allowing light to pour out onto the companions.

The arena was large, easily twice the size of Grant’s or Viola’s. As the group stepped in, a woman looked up from where she was sparring with her Lucario. She grinned, spinning on her heel to face them. “Welcome to the Shalour City Gym! I’m the gym leader, Korrina!”

Cameron swaggered forward, grinning. “Well, I hope you’re ready to lose! Let’s go, you and me, right now!”

The woman’s face hardened, and she bit the corner of her lip. “I don’t think so.”

“What? Hey, I challenged you--”

“And I said no. Let me tell you, kid, you keep acting like that and you’re gonna have a bad time.”

Cameron scowled. “What--”

She grinned again, pointing a finger. “But you, with the Kirlia! You don’t see such synchronized auras every day!”

“Aura?” Xander raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“Aura is the essence of life, that surrounds all living things! The Tower of Mastery was made to train people in the use of aura, and the most basic of that is seeing it! Seeing your aura, I can tell your emotions, whether you’re sick, whether you have any special abilities, and I can even see how close you are with your Pokémon. You and your Kirlia must be very close.”

Xander chuckled. “We are, yeah.”

“I haven’t had a good challenge in a long time, so I want to battle you two, first!” She grinned. “And if you win, I’ll give you the Rumble Badge.”

The young trainer nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Sylph is my only Pokémon.”

“Perfect! A one-on-one battle gives me and Lucario a chance to really stretch our muscles.” The blue fighting-type nodded, seeming to grin as he stepped forward. Korrina pressed a button on her wrist, and Xander jumped a bit as platforms of various height rose out of the ground. Another press of the button, and the platforms started moving.

Korrina grinned. “What’s your name, again? I got a bit carried away and forgot to ask.”

“My name’s Xander. This is Sylph.”

“Alright, then. Xander, I’m going to ask you to stand well-back from the arena. It’ll get a bit crowded, and I don’t want you to get hurt.” As he did so, she pressed a third button. Large transparent screens rose up around the ring for the safety of the trainers.

A referee stepped up to the side, smiling. “This is an official one-on-one battle between Gym Leader Korrina, and the challenger Xander! The battle will go until one combatant is unable to continue, and there is no time limit! Challenger, do you agree to these terms?”

He nodded, grinning. “Sounds good to me!”

“Then this battle will now begin!”

“Lucario, start off with our strongest attack!” The Pokémon raised both its hands and opened its mouth. Energy built up, then shot forward in a terrifyingly powerful Hyper Beam. Xander could swear that the ground shook with the force of the initial attack.

“Sylph, dodge it!” The psychic type spun gracefully. The edge of the beam clipped her shoulder, and she staggered, but she’d avoided the worst of the damage. Lucario stood there, panting from the effort.

Korrina chuckled. “I guess that’s why people don’t use their strongest attacks straight off.”

[/font]Xander swallowed nervously. “Sylph, you alright?” The Kirlia nodded and her trainer nodded. “Then retaliate. Hit it with Magical Leaf!” The attack flew, straight and true.

Lucario jumped aside. Korrina waggled a finger. “What, did you think we were just gonna stand there and take that? Lucario, Bone Rush!” With a growl, the opponent conjured an aura bone and broke it into two. It flew forward -- Fast! Xander thought -- and swung quickly and repeatedly.

Sylph managed, by some stroke of luck to duck and juke around each bone, except the last one, which hit her into the air. As she was coming down, Lucario jumped, slamming her to the arena floor.

Sylph rolled to her feet, panting. Xander was glowering. Grant had been tough, sure, but this was something else entirely.

“Sylph, Psychic!” The attack launched, and Lucario jumped over it. As he came back down, Korrina shouted.

“Use your special Bone Rush, Lucario!” The two bones slammed into the ground. A wave of bones rose from the ground, right towards Sylph.

It clicked. Xander nodded. “Sylph, the platforms!” Just as the first bone would have hit, Sylph teleported, landing safely on one of the moving platforms.

The Lucario nodded, and Korrina grinned. “Good job! It usually takes at least one hit for people to catch that!”

“I’m a quick study. Sylph, Psychic again!” She launched the attack, not entirely confident in its ability to actually damage this opponent.

Lucario rushed through the attack, barely fazed. “Use another Bone Rush, go!” Korrina called. Lucario jumped up to the platform Sylph was on. As he swung, his opponent teleported to the next platform up. He jumped up and continued the attack. She teleported across the arena, panting.

They hadn’t ever done such rapid battling before. The Lucario was showing them no mercy, giving them very little opportunity to retaliate.

Korrina was having a blast, Xander could tell. “Keep Rushing! She can’t dodge forever!” It was true. Sylph was already getting tired, and Lucario had only launched a handful of attacks. As he jumped to get her, Sylph teleported to the ground.

“Bad idea! Lucario, do it!” He slammed down again, and bones shot up from below the Kirlia, sending her flying once more. She landed hard, rolled. After a tense second, she got to her feet. Fire blazed in her eyes.

Xander grinned. “You just made a mistake, Korrina! You see, Sylph and I are incredibly determined! We don’t lose, we don’t quit!”

Korrina smiled. “Let’s see just how full of determination you are! Lucario, hit her again!”

“Sylph, teleport, then use Magical Leaf!” As the bones erupted across the field, Sylph vanished. She appeared on a platform behind Lucario and unleashed her attack. The grass type attack slammed into its back, hardly even causing it to flinch.

Lucario spun, snarling. Korrina nodded. “Nice hit. Lucario, use Dark Pulse!” With a roar, he brought his hands together. Dark aura blasted forward, directly towards Sylph. The psychic type cried out as she was blasted off of her platform and slammed into the screen.

She landed hard, and Xander flinched. “Sylph! Sylph, are you okay?”

For a moment, it seemed like Sylph had lost.

But she refused. Slowly, she stood, panting. She was battered and bruised, but she had a feel for the battle now. She nodded to Xander. I’ll live. Let’s do this.

“Right. Sylph, Psychic!” She launched the attack with force this time. Lucario took it harder, stumbling back.

Xander and Sylph pressed the advantage. “Future Sight!” The attack was one they used rarely. It gave the opponent ample opportunity to dodge it, but when they were off-balance it could spell victory.

“Lucario, special attack again!” As the opponent raised his aura bones to slam them down, the psychic attack hit. He was swept off his feet and landed hard on his back.

“Teleport, then Psychic!” Sylph jumped, teleporting several feet above the downed opponent. She came down, launching the attack as she did. The two collided hard with Lucario.

It was not enough. Now that she was in melee range, Sylph made a much easier target. “Lucario, attack with Close Combat!” The fighting type grabbed his opponent and started slamming his fist and knees into her over and over. Sylph cried out, and the Lucario finished the attack by slamming her into the ground.

Korrina nodded. “Now, let’s finish this Lucario. Psychic!”

Psychic? The Lucario knew Psychic? It closed its eyes, and Sylph found herself wreathed in blue light. Lucario slung its arm to the side, and she slammed into the wall. It slung her the other way, into the other wall. Then to the ground, and then all the way up to the high ceiling.

It continued pounding her until, finally, it could not continue the attack anymore. Sylph lay flat on the ground, breathing shakily, eyes half-lidded. She could not move. She could not stand. She could only lie there.

Lucario sat, panting. The ref started to raise her hand, but Korrina shook her head. “Hold on a sec, this isn’t over!”

Xander chewed his lip. “Sylph . . .” He swallowed, feeling the burning at the back of his throat. “Sylph! Sylph, are you okay?!”

Slowly, Sylph pushed herself into a kneeling position. She reached out mentally to her trainer. I . . . will live. She looked up, red eyes hard. I can keep going!

She stood, energy swirling around her hand.

Korrina smiled. “I concede!”

“What?!” Xander was shocked. He’d beaten Viola and Grant through knockouts. He’d never heard of gym leaders just forfeiting before.

“Lucario’s special Bone Rush uses up a lot of energy. That Psychic was the last of his strength! I yield. Since Kirlia-- Since Sylph didn’t faint, you guys win!”

The screens lowered, and the ref raised her hands. “This battle is over! The challenger, Xander, wins by forfeit!”

Korrina returned Lucario to his ball and skated across the arena to Xander. “Hey, that was a really good match. Sorry I played hard ball, but I knew you two would be able to take it.”

Xander nodded, supporting Sylph on his shoulder. “That was intense. We definitely learned some things.”

“Hey, maybe some day you can come back and we can have a rematch.”

“I’d like that, yeah.” Xander smiled as he accepted the rumble badge. “For now, I need to get Sylph to a Pokémon Center. Sylph, I need to return you to your ball, alright?” The Kirlia nodded hesitantly, and Xander did so. With a soft smile, he kissed the ball. “You did great.”

He turned to walk out, and Cameron scowled. “See, that’s just what I’m talking about, Cruize! You should have lost, and yet you still somehow got the badge.” He glowered. “I--”

“I’ve heard enough out of you.” Korrina crossed her arms. “Get lost. I don’t accept challenges from people with such terrible attitudes. Come back when you’ve grown up a bit.”

Cameron sputtered, indignant. Isa rolled her eyes. “Just go, Cameron. You and Octy find a place to stay the night, I’ll go with Xander to the Center and catch up.”

With a snarled order for Octavyn to follow, Cameron stormed out of the room. Korrina smiled, looking back to Xander.

“You and your Kirlia have a really strong bond. Your auras are so closely intertwined, I almost thought that you guys were one mind in two bodies. I’ll be keeping an eye on your progress from here on out, I think.”

Xander flushed. “Thank you. And thank you for not going easy on us.” He bowed, then turned and scurried out to go find the center. As he and Isa walked down the steps, the blonde smiled.

“So, Xander, when did you start wearing contacts?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I didn’t notice it earlier, but your eyes are this really cute shade of purple.”

“...Purple?”

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings, Part 6

Xander and Sylph were on the road again. According to Sylph, his eyes were still purple. “Amethyst” as Isa had called it. He honestly had no clue what that was about, and Sylph couldn’t explain it either.

The two had left Shalour City immediately after getting Sylph healed, and had practically sprinted along Route 12 to get to Coumarine City. Nobody had challenged them along the way, which was fine with Xander. More time walking meant less time sleeping outdoors or eating into supplies.

Currently, he was staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Seeing the vibrant purple in place of vibrant blue was unsettling, but he had to admit it was growing on him.

“What if . . .” he started. Sylph looked up from the magazine that had been on the bedside table. She tilted her head, and Xander chuckled.

“Nevermind, it’s dumb.”

No, now I’m curious! You have to tell me!

Xander grinned, turning to face her through the open door. “What if my eyes are purple because I’m psychic? What if I teleported us to the sand?”

Sylph blinked in surprise. Xander laughed, shaking his head. “I’m just kidding! I’m about as psychic as a rock!”

Solrock and Lunatone are psychic types, you know. Sylph retorted.

“I meant a non-Pokémon rock. If I were psychic, wouldn’t I have developed it sooner?”

Not necessarily. I’m sure that some humans only discover they have the ability when it’s a dire situation. Falling to your death seems pretty dire.

Xander frowned. “How would you be able to tell if I were?”

I’m not sure, honestly. Perhaps we can try to untap your psychic potential?

He shook his head, sighing. “No, thanks. Not right now, anyways. We have too much work ahead of us as it is.”

That makes sense. Perhaps later, then.

“Later. For now, let’s talk about how to beat Ramos.” He moved to sit by her, grinning. “So, grass types aren’t particularly weak to any of your attacks, but Ramos uses a Weepinbell . . .”

The two planned long into the night, until finally both fell asleep, sprawled next to each other.

*****

Xander strode into the gym and paused. Grass and trees covered the area, with vines hanging down above small pits and chasms. A winding path made its way up to the top of the gym, where he could see two people battling.

“I’m getting really sick of heights,” he muttered. Sylph nodded her agreement.

You’ve never liked them, have you?

“At the best of times, they make me nervous. At the worst of times . . .”

You’re blending right in with the gym, as green as you’re turning.

Xander chuckled, shaking his head. “Nothing to it but to do it, right?” His companion nodded, and the two started making their way through the gym.

*****

“I gotta say, sprout, I’ve never seen someone freeze up so badly.” Xander’s head hung in shame. Ramos chuckled. “Sure, the vines make some people shake, but the way you hung onto that vine for dear life.” The gardener laughed, shaking his head.

“I had a bad experience with heights yesterday,” Xander explained feebly. “I guess it got to me worse than I thought.”

“Nothing wrong with that, whippersnapper. We all of us have our demons to face.” The old man patted Xander’s shoulder reassuringly. “Now, onto business! I’m assuming you’re here for a battle?”

“That’s right. Sylph and I want to earn the Plant Badge.”

“You and Sylph will have the chance!” Ramos grinned, leading the way to the arena. “Is she your only Pokémon, then?”

“That’s right, but we’re tough. We can handle anything you throw at us.” The old man hummed at this, stroking his mustache.

“Well then, I suppose I don’t need to hold back. How does a three-on-one battle sound?”

Xander nodded as Sylph stepped forward. “That sounds good to us!”

“Excellent!” The leader beckoned, and an official stepped up to give the usual speech.

Ramos pulled a Pokéball from his belt and tossed it high. “Jumpluff, you’re up.” The Cottonweed Pokémon appeared, chirruping softly.

The match began.

“Acrobatics, Jumpluff!” The grass-type somersaulted forward, coming down quickly at Sylph.

“Dodge, then hit it with a Psychic!” Xander ordered. Sylph jumped to the side nimbly and, as the opponent pulled up to avoid hitting the ground, unleashed her attack. Jumpluff tumbled back, and Xander nodded. “Press the advantage! Future Sight, then Psychic again!”

Sylph focused, foreseeing the attack, then opened her eyes to unleash another Psychic at the Jumpluff.

The opponent managed to dodge, nimbly. As it was turning to retaliate, the Future Sight’s energy unleashed, and the Jumpluff fell back. Ramos whistled. “You don’t play easy, sprout. Jumpluff, Grass Knot!”

Tendrils of grass wrapped around the Kirlia’s ankles. As she struggled against them, they yanked, sending her sprawling to her back.

“Acrobatics, go!” The Jumpluff’s attack hit this time, and Sylph winced as she was struck.

But it was the perfect place to be. “Sylph, now!”

Sylph opened her mouth and cried out. The Disarming Voice was enough to end the round, causing her opponent to fall unconscious. Ramos returned the Jumpluff and chortled. “Not bad, not bad. Gogoat, come out!”

The Mount Pokémon appeared with a flash and pawed at the ground, lowering its great horns.

Xander grinned as Sylph rose back to her feet. “Alright, let’s do this then!”

“Gogoat, Bulldoze!” The goat rushed forward bringing its head down further.

“Sylph, use Psychic to stop it!” Xander cast his hand out at the same instant Sylph did the same. The grass type was wreathed in blue light and lifted into the air. It struggled for a second until Sylph’s hold broke and it fell to the ground hard.

As it struggled to its feet, Xander nodded. “Use Draining Kiss!” Sylph jumped forward and planted a kiss on Gogoat’s horns. Energy flowed from it to her, reinvigorating her.

But she was too close. “Take Down, Gogoat!” Sylph didn’t have the chance to react before she was slammed aside. Her opponent growled as both hit a wall, jarring them.

“Teleport away, Sylph, then use Psychic!”

“Grass Knot!”

Sylph managed to teleport, but was instantly entangled by the grass once more. As she struggled, Ramos gave his next order. “Bulldoze!” The goat ran forward. Sylph cried out as she was run over, slammed hard into the ground.

She rose, wincing. “Psychic!” Xander shouted. Sylph nodded, unleashing the attack. The Gogoat took the hit and staggered back. Sylph repeated the attack. And then again. Each one struck harder than the last, until the third managed to score a direct hit. The Gogoat fainted.

Ramos hummed as he returned it. “You two are a good team. I don’t think this will go my way, but I did promise you a three-on-one battle. Weepinbell!”

The Flycatcher appeared, hopping slightly in anticipation. Xander grinned.

“Sylph, Psychic!” She tried, but she had worn herself out with the barrage against Gogoat. She shook her head. I can’t!

Xander wanted to give another order, but Ramos beat him to it. “Acid, Weepinbell.”

The odd-looking Pokémon hopped and sprayed a dark purple liquid from its pitcher-like mouth. Sylph cried out as she was struck and staggered back.

Xander winced. “Can you attack now?” he asked. Sylph nodded. “Then Psychic, go!”

The energy built quickly, and Sylph thrust it forward. The attack hit and, due to Weepinbell’s weakness, earned an instant KO. Ramos nodded, returning his final Pokémon. “Not bad, whippersnapper!” He pulled the badge from his pocket and walked forward. “Good luck with your next battles, both of you. I’ll open a shortcut for you to get back down to the door safely.”

“Thank you, sir.” Xander smiled softly as he followed the gardener.

*****

Sylph wasn’t moving. The opposing trainer raised an eyebrow. “Hey, are you going to--”

“Yes!” Xander snapped. “Sylph, come on! Disarming Voice!”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Standing across from her was a--

Monster, a predator, a killer.

Liepard. The dark type watched her carefully.

The other trainer shrugged. “Liepard, Fury Swipes!” The cat lunged forward.

Sylph vanished. Xander looked around, frowning. “Hey, what? Sylph?!”

I-I’m sorry. He turned to find her peering out from behind a tree. I can’t . . .

Xander frowned. “It’s okay. I guess we lost this one.” He returned Sylph to her ball, unable to keep from feeling a little irritated.

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings, Part 7

Two weeks later.

Xander and Sylph stood across from a blonde woman in a black dress. The two hadn’t won a battle since Ramos, and Xander was starting to get frustrated. Sylph was hardly listening to him anymore, instead opting to follow her own gut.

It needed to stop. Xander sighed. “Let’s just get this over with. You said your name was Astrid?”

The woman nodded. “That’s right! If you two are ready, then . . . Let’s go, Absol!” She lobbed the ball out, the Disaster Pokémon appearing with a soft roar.

Sylph vanished. Xander growled, turning to face the Kirlia now behind him. “It hasn’t even done anything yet! Get back out there!” He pointed, and Sylph begrudgingly stepped back out in front of him.

Astrid raised an eyebrow. “You sure about this?”

“Yes. It’s something we need to overcome, and we’re going to overcome it. Sylph, use Disarming Voice!”

Sylph used Magical Leaf.

The Absol dodged. Astrid chuckled. “Razor Wind, Absol!” The dark type whipped its head around, generating the necessary wind. This left it wide open for an attack.

“Come on! Disarming Voice!” Xander snapped.

Sylph sighed and opened her mouth to cry out. The attack was weak, compared to the power she used to put into it. Xander could tell that Sylph wasn’t all that interested in battling this opponent.

The Absol didn’t even flinch. With a roar, it released the energy around its blade, gales of wind shooting for Sylph.

“Teleport, Sylph!”

She used Psychic to disrupt the wind, then unleashed another Magical Leaf.

The Absol jumped into the air. Astrid pointed. “Night Slash!” The quadruped’s blade glowed, and it slashed hard as it landed. Sylph cried out as she was sent flying.

Astrid tapped a finger against her hip. “Hey, are you guys going to actually do something, or . . .?”

“Sylph, get up! Please, we can--”

No! I’m done, I don’t want to battle it anymore! Just . . . Let me return to my ball. Please.

Xander sighed, feeling his heart sink. Under normal circumstances, Sylph would hate going back into her ball. She enjoyed walking out in the open, talking with her trainer. Normally. Lately, though, the two could hardly stand to look at one another outside of battles.

With a sigh, Xander returned her. “I’m sorry,” he told Astrid. “We’re normally better than this.”

“Hey, don’t apologize to me. You two need to get that figured out, or else your trainer career won’t last long.”

Xander sighed. “I know, you’re right.” He shook his head. “Thanks for the battle, anyways.”

*****

His friends had caught up with him. He was on his way back to Lumiose when he heard someone call his name. Octavyn, Isabella, and Cameron all approached at a trot. Cameron was sulking a bit, but Octy and Isa were grinning proudly as they each showed that they had earned the Plant Badge..

After such a great headstart, Xander had lost his lead. At least Cameron didn’t seem to have won any more badges since Korrina. The self-proclaimed star scowled. “Cruize, how about a battle? You might learn something for your next gym.”

“Oh, uh, no thanks,” Xander said, shaking his head. “Sylph is tired, and--”

“Ha! Just what I thought! Big Z has finally lost his false bravado!” The cocky boy flipped his hair. “I guess it’s no surprise that deep down you’re a coward, Cruize.”

“Cameron!” Isa shouted. “You can’t just--”

Xander snarled. “You know what? Fine! Sylph and I will battle you, and, just like the past two times, we’re going to kick your butt!” He grabbed the ball from his belt. “Sylph!” The Kirlia appeared and nodded to the others before turning away from Xander.

Xander glared. “Sylph, Cameron wants to battle us. Can we at least try and win this one?”

Sylph thought it over. Perhaps another round with the arrogant snot would be what they needed to turn the tides. Slowly, she nodded.

Xander grinned. “Alright, Cameron. You gonna use your Fennekin again, add onto its losses against me?”

“No!” Cameron glared, turning to Octavyn. “Octy, can I borrow Frogadier?”

Isa glared, stepping between the two. “Really? Use your own Pokémon if you want to challenge Xander so badly!”

Octy shook her head. “He can do it. But.” She looked Cameron in the eye, staring seriously. “You would be better without.”

“What? What are you even--?”

With a sigh, Octy unclipped the second ball from her belt. Its occupant, a Whismur, materialized onto the ground in front of her with a curious cry.

Cameron’s eyes widened. “Oh, right!” he exclaimed, fishing his own second ball from a pocket and releasing its occupant. The Loudred wobbled dazedly, as if unused to being out in the open air, but Cameron didn’t care. “Now,” he grinned devilishly, “ready to lose?”

“A Loudred, huh? Don’t see those very often.” Xander nodded as Sylph stepped forward. “Let’s start things off with a Disarming Voice!” Sylph cried out, pouring as much strength as she could into the attack.

The Loudred didn’t even react as the attack struck. Cameron grinned and wagged a finger. “Now, now, Cruize, don’t you know? Loudred is soundproof. Loudred, use Shadow Ball.”

Shadow Ball? Xander thought. So Cameron had sprung for a TM. Interesting. “Sylph, dodge and use Hypnosis!” The Kirlia jumped to the side of the ghost-type attack and focused on putting the opponent to sleep. She had learned the move only shortly after their battle with Ramos, and this was her first opportunity to use it.

Luckily, it succeeded. The Loudred yawned widely before its eyes drifted shut. Despite this, Cameron grinned at Xander. “Not bad, Cruize, but my Loudred has this odd habit.”

“And what would that be?” the younger boy asked.

“See, no matter what I do, I just can’t stop it from talking in its sleep.” Xander’s eyes widened in realization. “Loudred, Sleep Talk!”

Before Xander could give a counter-order, the Loudred grumbled softly and then jumped forward. Sylph cried out as she was struck to the ground by the attack. She lay for a moment, dazed.

It was too long. “Sleep Talk again!” Cameron ordered. As Sylph was struggling to her feet, the Lourdred came at her again, mouth opening wide before Biting down on her. She reeled back, unable to do anything but try and regain her balance.

Which gave Cameron time to give another order. “One last time, Sleep Talk!” Loudred growled, and another Shadow Ball formed between its hands. It launched the attack, and Sylph was struck a third blow in as many seconds. With a soft gasp, she collapsed to her knees. She struggled for a moment, wavering on the edge of consciousness before fainting.

Xander stared, stunned. Of all the losses they had had recently, this was by far the worst. Xander pulled Sylph’s ball from his belt and returned her without a word. Cameron grinned, returning his own Pokémon.

“Guess you need practice, Cruize!” the older boy boasted. Xander swallowed, nodding.

“Guess so . . .” Xander sighed, putting Sylph’s Pokéball in his bag. “I think . . . I think I’m going to go home for a bit.”

Isa reached out for him, but he ignored her as he began the trek back to Lumiose City.

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings, Part 8



Xander had been home for a week, now. His morning routine consisted of eating breakfast, watching a bit of television, and then making his way to Sycamore’s lab to help with research. That was usually the best part of his day, at least until he ran into Sylph, who had been staying with the Professor since they got back.



This day was no different. Xander was taking notes on the habits of Zigzagoon and chatting with Sycamore about the various Pokémon and people he had met in his travels. The door opened, and Xander cringed, knowing that he would see Sylph when he looked up.



The Kirlia met his eyes for a brief second before turning to Sycamore. The younger Pokémon have been fed, Professor. Is there anything else you want done?



“Thank you, Sylph, but no. You go relax for a while, alright?” The psychic-type nodded and turned to walk out quickly. Xander sighed, putting his pen down and rubbing at his eyes.



Sycamore leaned back in his chair, tapping his own pen against his lip. “So, when are you two going to try and make up?”



“I don’t know,” Xander replied. “I mean, we lost so many battles in a row, and then . . .” He bit his lip. “She stopped listening to me most of the time, you know? What am I supposed to do if she won’t obey orders in combat?”



“Did you ask her why she wasn’t listening?”



“No,” the young trainer admitted. “I just got frustrated and sent her to her ball . . .” He glanced up. “But she won’t even look at me, now. There’s nothing I can do.”



“That’s only true if you stop looking for answers, Xander. Tomorrow, instead of coming into the lab to work, I’m going to send you on a bit of a trip. You and Sylph. There’s somebody in Anistar who I think can help you.”



“Really?” Xander’s voice was skeptical. “Who?”



“She calls herself a ‘Memory Girl.’ She has the ability to see the memories of Pokémon. You two will go see her tomorrow and get to the bottom of Sylph’s reluctance to battle.”



Xander sighed, picking up his pen again. “Yes, Professor.”



***



The duo left town while the sun was still rising, the morning mist still clinging around them. As tense and awkward as the silence between them was, Xander had been told by Sycamore to keep Sylph out of her ball except in emergencies.



Even with the silence, though, it almost felt like normal: Xander walking with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets and stifling yawns as they left extremely too early for his tastes, while Sylph matched pace to his right, her head turning so she could see and hear every sight and sound in the area.



At first, Xander had thought that it was because of the wonder and beauty of the world around them, but now he had a different thought on the matter. After a while of walking, he decided to ask.



“Does being outside make you nervous?” The Kirla whipped her head around to stare at him for a second, and he could see that she was considering whether to respond or not.



Finally, she sighed, knowing there was no way to go all the way to Anistar without trading words with her trainer. Perhaps, a little, she said. In my family, everyone was supposed to work together and keep an eye out for predators, trainers, competing families, things like that. She chewed her lip, and he could see the wheels in her head turning as she considered the next part of her sentence.



The last time I let my guard down, I lost an arm. The words were bitter, harsh, and she sent an emotion of finality with them, letting Xander know that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore.



The eleven-year-old trainer sighed as they lapsed back into the silence. He had a feeling it would be a long trip to Anistar City.



***



The duo spent the night in Dendemille Town’s Pokémon Center. As ordered, Sylph remained out of her ball, though she slept in Xander’s sleeping bag on the floor instead of sharing the oversized bed with her trainer.



Xander lay awake, staring at the ceiling for most of the night as he listened to Sylph’s breathing to his left. It wasn’t quite back to normal, but it was a start.



The next day, they started the second half of their journey. Xander had looked at the route and thought ahead enough to pack cold-weather gear. So, still at that unreasonably early hour, Xander and Sylph were bundled up in heavy coats, scarves, hats, and gloves. Even so, Sylph was shivering slightly as they made their way to the Mamoswine Rental Station.



Mamoswine was important for traversing the snow-coated Route 17; they were the only Pokémon large enough and cold-resistant enough to make their way through the snow that could sometimes pile up higher than an adult’s head. Luckily, they were plentiful in the caves north of Dendemille.



They were finally settled atop the mammoth and on the move. Xander was up front, the reins in his hand to give their ride direction, though he mostly was content to let it plow through the route from memory. Sylph sat behind him, her hand holding onto his coat as she pressed against his back. He looked over his shoulder at her, frowning.



“Are you okay?” he asked.



Just very, very cold, she replied with a huff. We should have taken the long way to the south!



Her trainer chuckled, shaking his head. “Wouldn’t have done any good; we would have passed right through Snowbelle that way. You’d have been just as cold, and it would take us three or four days to get there instead of two.”



The Kirlia groaned. Is there any way you can make this thing go faster, then?



He flicked the reins lightly, and the Mamoswine sped up marginally. Xander shrugged. “That’s about as fast as we’ll get, I think. Do we need to turn back and see about another way?”



Sylph sighed. No, no. I will live.



“At least if we ever need to go to Anistar again, we can just teleport there next time,” Xander said with a grin. Sylph just nodded and huddled closer to him for the rest of the ride.



Finally, after hours of riding along in silence, the Mamoswine broke through a wall of snow, and the duo saw the entrance to Anistar City. Sylph’s eyes widened and she gasped as she took in the view of the city. It’s beautiful!



Xander nodded, grinning. “It is,” he agreed. “Let’s hurry up and get there, then.”



The two changed out of their winter gear at the station, then hurried through the wayhouse into the city.



The Memory Girl’s house was uptown, fairly close to the gym. As Xander knocked, he glanced at Sylph. “Are you sure about this?”



The Kirlia nodded. I am sure. I want us to work together again, and this will help.



The door opened, and they were greeted by a woman in a kimono. She smiled at them and stepped aside. “You must be the ones Sycamore called me about. Please, come in.”



The pair followed her inside, where she led them to a small table. She gestured for them to sit as she poured tea from a pot on the table. “I understand you two are having trouble battling together? When did that start?”



“About a month ago,” Xander replied. “We had just beaten Ramos, and then we started losing. Well, more accurately, we started not battling . . .”



The woman hummed, pushing the teacups towards them. “As in . . .?”



Xander took a sip of his tea and made a face. It was sweet, almost cloying, with what tasted like cinnamon and lemon. He glanced at Sylph, who was drinking hers happily. “As in, I sent her out to battle a Liepard, and she teleported away behind me as soon as it moved.”



“I see.” The woman turned to Sylph. “And then you began disobeying him directly?”



Sylph had the decency to look ashamed as she set her cup down and nodded. He grew frustrated with me, and would shout his orders whenever we were in battle. I . . . I did not enjoy it.


“Do you mind if I ask why you ran from the Liepard?” 


It scared me. Terrified me. Sylph flushed, looking away. Then we ran into that woman with the Absol, and that was somehow even worse.



“Finish your tea, both of you.” The Memory Woman sipped at her own. “It will relax you both, so I can more easily read your memories.”



“How does that work, exactly?” Xander asked. “Are you psychic?”



“In a sense, yes. I have always possessed the gifts of telepathy and empathy -- that is, reading thoughts and emotions, respectively. But I’ve never been able to read a person or Pokémon’s thoughts directly. Rather, I can only pick up prominent memories, and the emotions that were felt during such memories. For instance.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You lost a battle recently, and you were crushed by this defeat. Despair, anger, confusion, those are the emotions I pick up from that memory.” She hummed. “You had been so sure of victory.”



Xander swallowed, and not just to clear his throat of the sickly sweet tea. “Yeah, that about sums it up . . .”



Sylph nodded. Impressive. Is this a skill others could learn?



“Perhaps, but I think most people would be better off without. For every happy memory I read, there is a sad one. For every triumph, a tragedy. Most people would much prefer to learn more general psychic abilities than mine, or none at all.” She smiled sadly. “Now then, let me begin the reading. You two just need to relax, let your minds wander. Any thoughts you have are safe, I will only be searching out the memories of your past.”



The two obeyed, and leaned back with their eyes closed. The Memory Woman leaned forward and focused.



“The Absol, the Liepard, and all the battles between them . . . So many disappointing losses, so much frustration at each other and at yourselves . . .” She hummed. “Sylph felt true fear, as well . . . fear of predators. Fear of monsters.” Her eyes slowly opened. “Fear of Dark Pokémon.”



Sylph’s eyes opened a crack and she shuddered as she met the woman’s gaze. “You lost your arm, you nearly lost your life, to a Dark-type. A Mightyena. You felt sad, confused, afraid . . . You were lost, alone, with nobody to defend you.” She gently reached out and took the Kirlia’s hand. “I am sorry for what happened to you. That is an experience nobody should have to go through.”



She looked to Xander. “You were there, too, that day. You were excited, and then you were angry when you heard the scream and saw the Mightyena. You were scared when it looked at you, but you stood your ground. Very interesting.” She hummed, leaning back. “Sylph’s disobedience stemmed from her fear of Dark-types, and that comes from that one instance with a Mightyena.



“Now, I am going to help you learn to work through it. Fear, Sylph, fear is natural. But to succeed, you must be able to push past it. Even when you are scared, you must fight it, do you understand?”



Sylph slowly nodded.



“And Xander, when Sylph is afraid, you must fulfill your obligation as a trainer. You must support her, reaffirm that she will be safe, that nothing bad will happen to her. Can you do that?”



Xander nodded firmly. “Of course. I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.”



“I know you wouldn’t.” The woman stood. “You two, go stand out front. I will be out in a moment.” The duo went to do as instructed. Sylph looked at Xander quietly, considering her words carefully.



Thank you, she said. For saying what you said.



“It was true,” he stated simply. “I’m never going to let you be hurt again, alright? I’m going to keep you safe, that’s my job as a trainer.”



The door opened, and the Memory Woman stepped out. “”Are you two ready for the next step?” There was a Pokéball in her hand.



Xander frowned. “Are we going to battle?”



“In a sense, yes. Mightyena, come out!” She tossed the ball, and the wolf-like Pokémon appeared with a growl. Sylph screamed, started to teleport away--



“Sylph, it’s okay,” the Memory Woman said. “He won’t hurt you. He won’t do anything without an order.” Sylph was still shaking, taking ragged breaths as she stared at the same sort of creature that had harmed her years ago. The woman smiled. “Your instincts are telling you to run, and normally you would want to trust your instincts. However, you’re a trainer’s Pokémon. What if you and Xander get attacked by a Mightyena in the wild? Will you just teleport away and leave him alone?”



The Kirlia’s eyes hardened. No! She said, though her mental voice was shaky. No, you are right. Xander and I are a team.



“Exactly. So, you should listen for Xander’s orders. Xander, Sylph is a Psychic Pokémon, but she can’t even read Dark-types without some serious effort. She does, however, have other moves that would affect something like Absol, Liepard, or Mightyena. Not many, but there are definitely options. For instance, Magical Leaf will affect them normally. She also has access to a couple of Fairy-type moves.”



“Disarming Voice and Draining Kiss,” Xander said. The woman in the kimono nodded.



“Exactly. Now, here’s the harder part. Sylph, you cannot let your fear hold you back at all. You have to commit to attacking, even if you’re scared. So, do you want to try it out? Not a battle, I just want you to use those moves on Mightyena here.”



Xander frowned. “I don’t know about that. It’s one thing to attack in a battle, but as target practice?”



“Don’t worry, he agreed to it. Isn’t that right, Mightyena?” The Dark-type growled and nodded. “We’ve done this before, so it’s nothing new. He gets healed up and a few extra treats to make up for it.”



Xander shrugged. “Alright then. Sylph?” The Kirla stepped forward, still shaking. Xander nodded. “Let’s start with a Disarming Voice, go!” Sylph cried out, and the Mightyena flinched a bit as the attack struck.



“Not bad, but I think it was a little weaker than it should have been. Try it again,” the woman ordered. The duo repeated the attack, with stronger results.



Xander nodded. “Okay, now it gets a bit trickier here, doesn’t it?”



“It does,” she replied. “Now you have to make contact with him, Sylph. Can you do it?”



Sylph swallowed, but nodded. Yes, I can.



“Good, then use Draining Kiss!” Xander called. Sylph jumped forward and placed a quick kiss on the wolf’s cheek. Energy flowed from him to her, and she hopped back again quickly. She was shaking a bit, but nothing bad enough to call that a failure.



The Memory Woman nodded, smiling. “Good. I think you two are done here. Mind a bit of parting advice for your next battles?”



“Go for it,” Xander said with a smile. “We’re all ears.”



“You two should work on your telepathic bond. I know you have one, seeing as Sylph is communicating so easily. If you two can get on the same wavelength while battling, you’ll be a whole lot stronger than you are now. A good practice for this is to try and match your breathing to the other’s, or to perform movements at the same time. Also, Xander, don’t be afraid to send thoughts her way to try and communicate silently.”



The duo nodded, and Xander grinned. “Thank you, ma’am.”



“Not a problem. Have a nice day.” She returned her Mightyena and headed back inside. The trainer and his Kirlia looked to each other, and Xander smiled.



“Let’s go grab a bite to eat before we head home.”



Sylph nodded eagerly. Afterwards, can we go look at the sundial? The Professor said it lights up in the evening!



“Sure, sounds great.” Xander led the way towards the Pokémon Center with a grin.

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings, Part 9

The duo walked through Anistar, discussing silently what they had learned. After getting the Memory Girl's help, they had trained some and begun working as a team again.

All that was left was to prove themselves once more in battle.

"Who are you?" A blonde girl stood nearby as she tilted her head slightly. "Never seen you around before."

The duo stopped and looked at the girl. Xander smiled. "We're not exactly from around here, but you'll be hearing my name everywhere some day. I'm Alexander Cruize, and I'm going to be the next Champion of Kalos! With my partner Sylph at my side, I won't ever lose another match!"

The one-armed Kirlia nodded, smiling shyly. That's right!

"And who, might I ask, are you?" Xander pointed dramatically, his shaggy black hair blowing in the breeze.

"Champion, huh?" The girl smiled in amusement as she crossed her arms at the kid's antics. She was reminded of some of the kids around town who shouted pretty much the same thing. "I'm no-one special. I wander around from place to place, and eradicate all evil-doers who might be there." The girl's smile dramatically faltered. "Maybe... you are an evil-doer!" A look of mock shock appeared on her face.

Xander's smile widened into a full-on grin. "No evil-doer am I! You're looking at a true-born hero!" He glanced at Sylph. Are you ready for this?

She nodded, smiling. I am.

Xander looked back to the blonde. "Seeing as you've besmirched my heroic reputation, I feel like we have to battle!"

The girl grinned as well. "A hero. . . well, I don't think I've fought a hero before. Let's go." The girl reached behind her, and grabbed a Pokeball. She frowned slightly and sent out a Clauncher. The Clauncher dramatically snapped its claws together, as the blonde stared her new opponents down analytically.

Sylph stepped forward, smiling. Xander grinned. "Ladies first," he told his counterpart.

"If you insist." The girl gave a shrug. "Water Pulse, now!"

The water attack could have done some serious damage, but Xander wasn’t about to let it. “Sylph, Magical Leaf!” Sylph focused, and glowing leaves surrounded her. They deflected the water attack before rushing towards the opposing Clauncher.

This was an issue. The girl bit her lip, as she thought over the best plan here. "Endure it, then counter back with another Water Pulse!"

A ball of water shot for Sylph. Xander didn't even have to give the order. For at least this one moment, they were two minds acting as one. The Kirlia took the hit and, as the dust was settling, unleashed a blast of Psychic down the field.

The blonde brought an arm up to shield her eyes as the Clauncher was knocked back by the powerful attack. She frowned uncertainly as her Pokemon had already fainted. "Alright, return. I still have more fight left in me!" The girl held her finger forward, as she grabbed another Pokeball quickly. "Go my pretty! Fake Out!"

The Mienfoo didn't even have a chance to drop from the sky before it began to strike out with a distracting blow.

Sylph took the hit and flinched, bringing her sole arm up to try and protect herself. This, unfortunately gave her new opponent plenty of opportunity to attack again.

The only saving grace for Sylph at that time, in fact, was the Mienfoo's fighting-orientated moveset. "Force Palm! Keep her on the ropes!" The Mienfoo quickly struck out toward the Kirlia over and over with different variations of Force Palm.

Sylph staggered back under the force of the blows. Xander's face was stern, but not angry. "Sylph, don't let it get in another hit! Get some health back with Draining Kiss!" The Kirlia lunged forward, ducking under another Force Palm to come up and try to kiss the Mienfoo on the cheek.

"Detect!" The Mienfoo appeared to disappear for a moment, but simply had dodged to the side. "Aura Sphere, now!"

The Aura Sphere dissipated, mostly harmless against the psychic type. Xander grinned. "Nice moves! Draining Kiss again!" The Kirlia nodded and jumped forward to try again.

This time it worked, and after being drained of its health, the Mienfoo fell to the ground, fainted. The girl seemed uneasy, but recalled the fainted Pokemon, and held her final Pokeball forward. "It's just you and me, now. We can still do this! Go!" The Pokeball was thrown forward, and a Squirtle appeared with a confident look on its face. "Now, use Bubble!"

Three opponents in a row was definitely starting to take its toll on the duo, but Xander and Sylph were both determined to the end. Xander gave the order, and Sylph launched another Magical Leaf to counter the Bubble. The attacks collided, causing a small shockwave to ripple across the battlefield.

The girl felt the wind from the shockwave blow through her hair, and looked forward with a confident grin. "You can do this! Keep it up with another Bubble!"

The attack hit, and Sylph reeled back, gasping. Xander clenched his fist. "Sylph, you can do this! We beat Ramos, we survived Korrina. We can win this!"

The encouraging words were more than just encouraging words. They were a show of trust and compassion by her trainer, after weeks of distrust and anger. The words were enough. A white glow surrounded the Kirlia.

The blonde faltered, but pointed forward dramatically. "It looks like they're preparing their final attack! Come on, let's give it all we've got too!! Let's use our ultimate attack, Dragon Pulse!" The Squirtle nodded with confidence and a look on fun on its face, as it launched off the wave-y, incomplete, version of its Dragon Pulse.

The Kirlia turned. Xander and Sylph, two minds working in unison, cast out their arms. A wave of psychic energy rolled out from Sylph, glowing the same bright white as that surrounding her. The Psychic didn't even slow as it went through the Dragon Pulse and homed in on the Squirtle.


The Squirtle's eyes widened as the Psychic blast hit the tiny turtle and sent it flying back. With a wince, the blonde recalled the Squirtle, and sighed. "Well done!" She said after a moment with a laugh and a smile.

The glow vanished, and the Kirlia and her trainer both breathed a sigh of exhaustion. Xander took a second to blink, purple eyes fading to blue once more. "Thanks! That was a really good battle!"

Soft clapping came from the side, and two pairs of footsteps approached. "That was impressive!" a young man's voice said. "Both of you, incredible battle!"

"Who are you?" The girl turned in surprise at the sound of the man's voice.

Standing there was a young man with an iconic hat and jacket, next to a woman with long blonde hair. Xander's eyes widened. "Calem and Serena!" He turned to his new friend and pointed excitedly. "These two are the Kalos champions! They helped defeat Team Flare in Geosenge and--"

The girl tilted her head slightly confusedly. "Team whazit?" She looked at the two in confusion. "You two dislike fashion?"

The duo couldn't help but chuckle at the younger kids' antics. "No, not at all. We are Kalosian, after all." Serena winked. "Team Flare was a group of bad guys a few years ago. They were pretty scary, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"You've never heard of them?" Xander tilted his head. "They almost ended the world."

"Nothing that dramatic," Calem chimed in. "And all in the past. For now, let's focus on you two!"

"That's right!" Serena smiled. "You both are really strong trainers! We were just coming through on an errand but we noticed you battling and had to stop and watch."

"That Squirtle is going to be an amazing challenge when it perfects that Dragon Pulse." Calem smiled at the girl "And the way you handle your Pokémon shows that you have a knack for battling."

"Thank you." The girl said with a shy smile at the compliments. "I hope to get a lot better one day... but training comes before getting better."

"That's definitely true. No worries though. If you do it right, you'll find out that training is as much fun as battling." Calem grinned, turning to Xander. "As for you two, that was very well done. Three on one is tough, but you two managed it."

"What was that energy you two had at the end there?" Serena asked.

Xander shrugged. "Honestly, I have no clue. We've never had something like that happen before. We were just following some advice from the Memory Lady."

The girl seemed surprised at what was said there, but opted to not comment for the moment. She did, however, think over what Calem mentioned. . .

Serena smiled. "Unfortunately, that ate up all of our extra time here. We have to be going, but we hope to see you two again some time!"

"Definitely." Calem grinned. "Battles, even those you just observe, can forge friendships that withstand the test of time. You two, no matter where you, will always carry the memories of this day in your hearts and minds." The champions waved as they headed off.

Xander smiled, turning back to the blonde girl. "Hey, so, we got so carried away, I forgot my manners. I'm Xander. What's your name?"

“Oh right! My name is . . . “

“That’s a nice name. It suits you.”

[unknownmercury]

Beginnings Part 10

With their losing streak out of the way, the duo continued the gym challenge. Clemont proved to be a fairly minor challenge to the rejuvenated pair, and they swept their way through the Laverre Gym without much trouble. Their battling had become much more intense since their run in with the beige-haired girl and the champions.

They teleported back to Anistar early in the morning on Xander’s twelfth birthday. As they made their way into the gym, Sylph took a deep breath. This battle will be tough, she said. Olympia uses psychic types, and I don’t have any attacks to trump them. We’ll need to rely on my Magical Leaf and fairy-type moves.

Xander nodded, focusing his thoughts and giving them the mental push that he had been practicing to send them out to her. You do have Hypnosis, so that can help us get an edge.

The Kirlia nodded thoughtfully. It’s not very reliable, but I suppose it’s a better strategy than just going full offense.

It certainly is, a new voice interrupted the mental communication. You plan in verbal silence, yet I still hear you.

The two jumped, looking around. “Who’s there?!” Xander shouted. “Show yourself!” The lights at the far end of the gym turned on, revealing an older woman with purple hair. The silver cape she wore swirled around her, revealing a galaxy-like pattern inside.

“I’m Olympia, the master of psychic types. You would challenge me?” she asked, smiling softly as the pair approached.

We would! Sylph replied. Do you realize how rude it is to pry into private conversations?

“You call that private, yet your thoughts rang out clearly. Any who wished could hear, your psychic shields are so weak. Perhaps you lack discipline.” The woman shrugged. “But that matters not. You wish to challenge my gym and so claim a badge. Prepare yourselves then. A double battle, there will be no time limit. Do you two accept?”

Xander scratched the back of his head. “I would, but all I have is Sylph.”

“I know, and I think this will be a good lesson. Fight two foes at once. If you win you'll claim my badge. If you lose, we fight again.”

“What do you think, Sylph?” Xander asked, looking to his companion. The Kirlia considered for a second, then nodded.

It will truly test our abilities, but I’m for it.

“Very well, you two,” Olympia said with a smile. “Take your places and prepare. Your next badge awaits.”

The duo walked over to one end of the field and took their positions. There was a flash of light, and two Meowstic appeared across the field, one male and one female. Xander nodded. He was familiar with the species, though he’d never battled one. “Alright, Sylph, let’s use that strategy then! Hypnosis on the white one!”

“Fake Out, Thunder Wave!” Olympia’s orders rang out. Before Sylph could launch her attack, the Meowstic were springing into action. The blue male shot across the field and clapped its hands together. A shockwave blasted past Sylph, causing her to flinch and her attack to fizzle. Just as quickly, he jumped to the side, allowing a burst of electricity to hit Sylph. The Kirlia gasped, feeling her muscles seize up as she was paralyzed.

“Foolish,” Olympia chided, “to follow that plan, knowing I’d heard it.” She smiled. “Now your test begins. The two of you, use Psyshock. Let’s end this quickly.”

As the two Meowstic formed spheres of purple and blue energy, Xander scowled. “Sylph, Teleport away and use Magical Leaf on the male.”


The attacks launched. Despite her paralysis, Sylph managed to teleport, landing several feet to the side of the male. Her arm came up, and leaves wreathed in purple light shot forward to hit him. As he cried out, Olympia nodded.

“Helping hand. Dark Pulse,” she ordered. The male Meowstic jumped back and clapped his hands as his female counterpart lunged forward. A purple sphere of light appeared in her hand and she thrust it forward. Dark rings shot forward, ripping past Sylph. The Kirlia staggered back from the assault, unable to retaliate.

“Let us finish this. Again, Helping Hand, Dark Pulse.”


“Sylph!” Xander called. “You’ve got this, you just have to teleport away!” As the two Meowstic began to perform their attacks again, Sylph struggled to gather her energy around her. As the Dark Pulse launched, time seemed to slow.

I can’t.

You have to.

I can’t move.

I believe in you.

Instead of teleporting, Sylph raised the psychic energy around her. It didn’t completely block the Dark-type attack, but it dampened the impact. “Alright Sylph, use Hypnosis on the female!” Xander called.

The psychic energy shifted, and Sylph sent it out towards the white Meowstic in pulses of soothing energy. The female Meowstic’s eyes drooped, and she fell back onto her rear as she fell asleep.

Leaving the male alone to fight Sylph. Olympia pursed her lips. “Not a bad tactic. However,don’t get cocky. Meowstic, Psyshock!” The blue creature closed his eyes, and purple lights appeared around him before shooting at Sylph.

“Dodge it!” Xander called. Sylph nodded, teleporting away before the attack could strike her.

This is tough, she said silently to him. He nodded.

It is, but we’ve got this. Hit him with Disarming Voice.

Sylph opened her mouth and cried out, launching the Fairy-type attack at her opponent. It struck, and the Meowstic turned to face her with a fierce glare. Olympia was scowling. “Again, Meowstic. She cannot dodge forever. We can defeat them.”

Another burst of purple lights. These ones struck home, knocking Sylph back towards Xander. The young trainer frowned. “You okay?”

Sylph nodded, taking a deep breath. He is not a strong attacker.

“Alright. Then let’s go in with overwhelming force. Magical Leaf, then Disarming Voice again!” Xander ordered. Sylph nodded. She lunged forward as pink-wreathed leaves appeared around her. As they flew towards the Meowstic, she was also opening her mouth to cry out.

The opponent jumped to the side of the leaves, but was unable to avoid the sound-based attack. It sent him reeling, and Xander called an order to capitalize on its moment of hesitation. “Sylph, finish this with Psychic!”

The Kirlia raised her arm and captured the blue Meowstic in a field of psychic energy. Sweeping her hand aside, she sent him flying to slam into the still-sleeping female Meowstic. As the two collided, Sylph released the psychic hold.

The two cat-like Pokémon umbled along the ground. The male tried to stand weakly, then collapsed, unconscious. The female continued to sleep.

Olympia nodded softly. “Extremely well done. We can no longer battle. You have earned your badge.”

Xander and Sylph cheered. The trainer rushed out onto the field, and hugged the Kirlia tight. She laughed, wrapping her arm around him just as tightly. As they hugged, white light flowed off of her. Her shape changed, becoming taller. As the light dissipated, Xander stepped back with a grin.

His Gardevoir smiled down at him.