Chapter 17: Forward, as one!

The door to the hotel room opened up and Ceailean made his way inside. “Hey, I’m back from McDuckletts.”

Marie sat up from under the sheets of her bed, “Thank Arceus, I’m so hungry right now.” Cartoons were being played on the TV and the room was a little messy. Snom laid next to Marie on the bed, resting as usual. Ceailean slumped onto his bed, handing over the bag of fast food over to Marie in the meantime. She unwrapped the food and began to indulge. Snom seemed interested and Marie handed it some fries. Ceailean had been watching however. The interaction made him think about Scorbunny.

“What could’ve been.” he thought to himself.

Marie looked over to see Ceailean looking off into space. “What’s on your mind, C?” she asked, licking sauce off her fingers.

“Oh, uh, nothing. Just wondering what will happen once we're ready to start our journey.”

“We should be ready soon. Look, I can already wiggle my toes.” Marie revealed her cast on her foot, showing that indeed, she could wiggle them.

“That’s great. Glad to see you’re feeling better.” Ceailean then started to browse the internet on his pokédex to pass the time. He looked through his old texts in his chat room. He had told Devin everything happened during their first day in Lumiose, to which he posted the general story to his social media immediately after. The masses were pretty confused and angry, saying why weren’t they let known, that they could’ve helped, blah blah blah. It wasn’t anything Ceailean was interested in trying to figure out.

He then looked at all the pictures that Marie had shared. A couple saying she was bored waiting in the hotel, boasting about her new pokédex, showing Snom’s pokédex entry, and some hotspots around Lumiose. They had gone back to the Lumiose gym to watch a few matches, the famous cafes in the area, and even gave Meyer a quick visit. A lot happened when they visited Meyer. First, they saw that Clemont was there. They thought nothing of it until Bonnie referred to Meyer as “Dad”, which led to the conclusion that since Bonnie is Clemont's sister, Clemont's dad was Meyer, but he had called Blaziken Mask Dad. Therefore, Blaziken Mask was Meyer, Clemont’s dad. This came as quite the revelation to Ceailean. He told stories of how he looked up to him when he still lived in Kalos. Then he told the stories of Blaziken Mask and his heroic actions to Marie, who was confused and didn’t even know who Blaziken Mask was.

The “Battle of Tuviere town” as they so called it, happened three days ago. But for Ceailean and Marie, it felt so much longer. While Ceailean scrolled some more, a notification popped up from a username that Ceailean didn’t know. He checked it out and it read out as follows.

“Hey Ceailean, this is Professor Sycamore. I finally got the Pokémon lab back in full operating order, so I thought it would be a great time for you guys to come visit. I also have a couple of surprises for you two. See you then.”

“Hey Marie, you down to visit the Pokémon lab?”

“Huh? What for?”

“Sycamore had invited us to it today, he also said he had a few surprises for us.”

“Ooh, free stuff?” Ceailean gave her a look. “I mean, we should give all those Pokémon a visit. You know, to see if they’re doing okay.”

“That’s better.”

“Well, I’m going to get ready.”

“Okay”

Marie picked herself up with her crutches and went to the bathroom to tidy up.

Ceailean laid back on his bed waiting for Marie to finish. His mind wandered back to the conversation he had with Darke.

“-we all should’ve died five years ago.”

The words bothered him. What kind of person would want to see destruction to such a scale, even at the detriment of their own life. He decided to get some answers. He grabbed his pokedex and typed a series of numbers, letters, and symbols. A chat room popped up. He sent a request, with a subtext saying only, “Cherish Innocence.” In a minute, the request was accepted. A single text was posted.

Cherish: Who is this

Dusker16: It’s me C

Cherish: Oh, why did you join this chat?

Dusker16: I want to ask about this person who goes by Dark

Cherish: no

Dusker16: what about Steel or Dragon

Cherish: how do you know these people

Dusker16: have you heard about the Battle of Tuviere?

Cherish: why is it important

Dusker16: You know the two young trainers the scouted the area, that was me and my friend

Cherish: You have no reason to be messing with me, why are you doing this

Dusker16: He told me you sought him out once before and offered a large sum of money for information on the Battle for Kalos.

A long pause followed

Cherish: you have 3 questions

Dusker16: What is Dark’s motivation

Cherish: A sad sap of a person. Lets just say life hasn’t been fair to him, crime was almost like an escape for him. A way to use his knowledge for something to finally go right for him.

Dusker16: How about steel and dragon

Cherish: Steele is a handful. One of the very few people in the world who takes great pride in hurting people and pokemon. I have no idea how Darke was able to control him. Jragon is a lower tier of criminal. Kind of meat head, but he was good for the price he operates at.

Dusker16: and there was one more, I think his name was bug

Cherish: I don’t know that one. Are we done here?

Dusker16: Wait, lemme ask 1 more

Cherish: These aren’t questions you need the answers to kid, drop it. Do what you said you were going to do, leave it behind you.

Dusker16: I can handle it, please just tell me…

While waiting for a response, Marie popped her head out of the bathroom and asked, “Are you almost ready to go?”

Ceailean got scared, making him throw his pokédex to the side. “Y-Yeah um, ready when you are. Heh heh.” he sputtered quickly.

“K, just gimme another minute.”

Ceailean sat up and felt like his chest was caving in. He found himself instinctively tapping his foot rapidly. He calmed down gradually by trying to think of other things. Visiting the lab, Sycamore, Fennekin, Scorbunny. A heavy sigh left him. He looked at Snom. “Can I have one?” he asked, gesturing to the pile of fries it was eating. It refused, turning its head away. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

“Snom never likes to share food, don’t blame yourself.” said Marie as she walked over. She observed Ceailean. “Hey, you look a bit paler than usual, you alright?”

“Spectacular.” he said with a hint of sarcasm.

Marie squinted her eyes in suspicion, but quickly moved on and said, “Well, I’m ready. I can’t wait! I’m so excited!”

“I’m sure you are.” Ceailean then noticed Snom again and asked, “Oh, do you need help with Snom?”

“No, I don’t think so.” She held out her hand, “Snom, try and use icy wind to get to my hand.” Snom nodded, it blasted the bed with an icy cloud, shooting itself over Marie. Instinctively, she leaned back to try and catch it. She went too far and started to fall over. Ceailean, seeing what was going to happen, gripped both of her shoulders with his hands. Marie still managed to catch Snom with the help of Ceailean, a crutch fell behind her.

“You good?” he asked.

Marie blushed slightly, “Y-Yeah.” She looked directly into his hazel eyes.

“Can you stand with only one?”

“Yeah”

“Okay, give me a sec.” Ceailean unhanded her and bent down to pick up her other crutch, to Marie’s slight disappointment. He propped up the crutch, “Here you go.”

Marie placed Snom under her beanie and grabbed the crutch. “Thanks, you’re a real help, C.”

“No probs. Now, shall we be going.”

Marie nodded, “Yeah, let’s go.” Ceailean held open the door for her, then picked up his duffle as she headed out and followed suit

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After a bit of walking around in the city, they found themselves outside the Pokémon lab. “It feels like it was so long ago already. I wonder if Fennekin is alright.” said Marie.

“Yeah, I feel the same about Scorbunny.”

Marie felt a little bad, “Oh, maybe one day you’ll get to see it again.”

“Yeah, I guess I could give Galar a visit one day. Come on, the professor’s waiting for us.” They walk inside through the big double doors and are greeted by a woman with blue hair in a lab coat.

“Hello you two, what is the visit for today?” she asked.

“We’re here to see professor Sycamore, and all the Pokémon that were saved from the Battle of Tuviere.”

“Alright then, I’ll go fetch him for you.” The assistant walked off. Marie was thinking of how Fennekin would feel to see her again. The thought excited her.

“Hey, you guys! Welcome back!” said Sycamore, coming in with outstretched arms along with the assistant.

“Nice to see you again.” said Marie, waving back.

“Ah, you too. Sophie I’ll take it from here.”

“As you wish.” she said, walking off.

“Now, let’s head upstairs. I have some people I’d like you to meet.”

Marie stopped him, “Wait, it’s not the news right?”

“No, I would never. They’re people very grateful to you two for finding all those Pokémon.”

“It’s no problem, anyone else would’ve done the same.” said Ceailean.

“Nonsense, what you did took true bravery. Not just any person would’ve been able to do what you two did. Now hurry, everyone’s waiting.”

Ceailean and Marie followed Sycamore up the stairs, heading right towards a room. Sycamore opened the door and let the two inside.

“Oh hey you guys! You’re finally here!” proclaimed Bonnie, shooting up from her chair. Clemont and Meyer waved and greeted them.

“Hey everybody!” waved back Marie, “What have you all been up to?”

“This party of course.” answered Clemont. “We wanted to properly thank you guys for what you did!”

“Aww, you didn’t have to.”

“I felt that it was completely necessary, considering you two managed to solve this whole thing faster than me and the professor could in a day.” said Clemont, drooping his head.

“We just got lucky, that’s all.” assured Ceailean.

“No we didn’t.” said Marie, turning to him. She then faced the professor, “It was because of Fennekin. It never stopped looking for its friends, searching even while we were just hanging out by Lumiose tower.”

“Is that so?” asked Sycamore.

“Yeah! I was hoping to see it again while I’m here, do you know where it is?”

Sycamore placed his hand on the side of his lab coat, “Yeah, it’s been eager to meet you ever since it noticed you got here.” He pulled out a pokeball from his pocket, seemingly shaking around in anticipation. Fennekin came out immediately running to Marie’s side. Marie dropped down and hugged it, smooshing its face against hers.

“Aww Fennekin! So good to see you again! Your fur is so clean now! I bet you were so popular amongst your friends!” squealed Marie. After a while, she let go and raised her hand to Ceailean. “Help me up please.”

“What? You’re the one that dropped to the floor, pick yourself up.”

“Um, I’m the one with a bad leg.”

“Sure as heck didn’t bother you.”

“Just pick me up, C!” she said, now outstretching both her hands.

Ceailean sighed, “Fine.” He wrapped his arms around her and set her down on a chair. She was expecting him just to lift her up from her arms with the help of her crutches, but this unexpected approach made her quite flustered.

“T-Thanks C. It wasn’t that hard now was it?”

Ceailean sat across from her, “My laziness knows no bounds.”

Everyone laughed. After a while of talk and gossip, a knock at the door caught their attention. “Hello, am I too late?” asked Officer Jenny.

“Not at all, come on in.” said Sycamore.

“Thank you.” She walked over to Ceailean and Marie. She bowed down saying, “I sincerely thank you two on behalf of the Lumiose Police department. I apologise for any inconveniences I may have caused in your efforts.”

“No, it’s not your fault. You were right to stop us after Marie took Fennekin. For that, I apologize on Marie’s behalf.

“Hey!” she protested. Ceailean smiled as she said this.

“Alright, as long as you apologize. I’ll be off now, gotta get back to patrol.”

“Okay, see you later police lady.” waved Marie.

Officer Jenny winked at Marie and said, “That’s Officer Jenny, thank you.” She then made her leave.

Sycamore smiled as she left. A phone rang on the table. Sycamore picked and asked, “Hello? Yeah this is him. She’s ready? Okay, I’ll get ready on my side as well. Alright, see you then.” He hung up and then turned toward the group, “Sorry, but I have some important business to attend to. I will only be a moment.”

“We’ll be here.” said Marie as Sycamore walked away.

“Hey, do you guys think it would be alright if we visited the enclosure?” asked Ceailean.

“No problem, it’s a good time to see if those Pokémon we saved are doing alright.” said Clemont. Fennekin gave an audible sigh at this decision.

“Hey, what’s up Fennekin? You don’t seem quite that thrilled.” asked Marie.

“You see, Fennekin has gotten really popular with all the Pokémon here due to its involvement in freeing them. I gotta say, it must be tiring to receive endless praise for three days.” answered Clemont. Marie looked to Fennekin for confirmation, to where it tiredly nodded yes.

Bonnie tried encouraging it, “It won’t be that bad Fennekin. Just a few more minutes of fame can’t hurt before you-”

Clemont was quick to cover her mouth, “Ahem, anyway, why don’t I take you guys there.”

Ceailean looked at Clemont suspiciously, “Alrighty, just lead the way then.”

Clemont laughed nervously, then turned to Bonnie and said in a hushed tone, “We’re to keep that a secret for now, okay.”

Bonnie spoke through Clemont's hand, “But that’s the entire reason they came here isn’t it?”

“They don’t know that yet.”

“Really? Okay, I guess I’ll play along.”

As that was going on, Ceailean’s attention was on Marie when she asked, “Hey, can you get my crutches now?”

Ceailean outstretched his arm towards the crutches, “Eh, they’re too far.” Marie was unamused. Fennekin took the opportunity to jump down and slide the crutches over to Marie.

“Well, it looks like some of us know how to treat a lady.” said Marie as she bent down to pick up the crutches. Fennekin nodded approvingly of itself.

“Hey, I would’ve picked them up eventually.” Ceailean said to Fennekin. Fennekin then walked away, mocking his sentence. Marie started chuckling as she brought herself up to walk out. Ceailean couldn’t help but chuckle along with them. “Come on, I don’t sound like that.” They all then filed out of the room.

Upon entering the enclosure, Fennekin made sure to hide close behind Marie’s legs so as to not draw too much attention. This proved to be futile as an Oshawott popped out of a nearby pond and recognized Fennekin. It happily cheered as it made its way down, alerting all the other Pokémon nearby of their presence. Soon a large amount of Pokémon began to swarm the group, Fennekin reluctantly greeting them all.

“Woah, I guess you weren’t kidding.” said Marie.

“It’s not as large as it used to be. I’d say the hype has died down at this point.” explained Clemont. Many Pokémon were surrounding Fennekin asking various questions of its adventure.

Marie was reminded of something, “Hold on, Fennekin had some help also.” She pulled out Snom from her beanie and brought it down. “Snom helped out a ton too.” There all the Pokémon looked at what seemed to be a resting Snom on the ground. A Treecko walked up and gave it a poke, to which it didn’t react. The Treecko turned around to ask Fennekin if it was really that much of a help. Fennekin seemed to answer with the greatest respect for Snom. Treecko then poked it a little harder. This time it made Snom cranky. It launched itself up to the surprise of everyone and landed back into Marie’s arms.

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“I guess it isn’t one for attention.” said Marie.

Ceailean chuckled along with the rest of the group. Just then, he heard the front door open behind them. Alain had come inside along with a girl whom he wasn’t familiar with. Ceailean’s smile faded as soon as he made eye contact with him. Alain hadn’t given him more than a passing glance before walking away, the girl seemingly oblivious to where his attention was as she continued to excitedly talk about something.

“Hey guys, why don’t you all hang out with the Pokémon real quick. I’m gonna head over to the bathroom.” Ceailean told the group.

“Fine with us, don’t take too long.” said Marie.

“Okay.” Ceailean made his way down the hall to where he had seen Alain. Upon entering the main hall, he spotted him halfway up the stairs. The girl was still in mid conversation with him. Ceailean had also noticed a Pokémon in her hands. “Hey...Alain.” he said in an awkward manner. Alain Faced him and sighed.

“Huh, who’s that Alain? A friend of yours?” asked the girl.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that. Why don’t you hang out with the people I saw in the enclosure Marin. I’d like to catch up with my ‘friend’.” said Alain.

“Oh okay,” complied Marin. She walked down the stairs with her fist in the air saying, “Time to make some new friends Chespie!” Chespie waved at Ceailean as they headed off to the enclosure.

As soon as Ceailean walked up to Alain, he asked, “What’re you doing here.”

Ceailean rose his hands defensively, “Hey, I’m just here trying to start my journey like any other up and coming trainer.”

Alain scoffed, “Liar.” Ceailean seemed confused. “Sycamore had already given me the details. You and Marie, you both saved all those Pokémon. For that, you have my greatest thanks.”

“So-”

“That doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind.”

“Alright, I understand. But I thought I should let you know, I’ve been trying to leave it all behind me.”

“Really? Why would you do that, you were probably the most dead set out of all of us.”

“I… had to. I didn’t want my journey to be about it, it had to be something new. Also, my friend wanted to come with me, so I didn't want to drag her into it. Knowing you, I’m sure you’d understand.”

Alain put his hand on Ceailean’s shoulder, “Hey, it’s good you’re moving on. It’s time to find out who you are as a person. So I wish you the best of luck.” Ceailean knew he meant well, but the pain in his shoulder made him wince, making him tug it away. “Oh sorry, it would seem I had forgotten.”

“It’s fine.” said Ceailean, moving around his shoulder.

“Hey Alain!” shouted Marin, who had peeped her head around the corner. “You should come over to the enclosure. There is this really sweet girl named Marie, and Clemont, Bonnie, and Meyer are here too. Plus, there are a load of Pokémon I’ve never seen before! Come on hurry, you just have to see!” She then went back towards the enclosure.

“Who’s that?” asked Ceailean.

“A long time friend of mine. Her name is Marin.”

“Seems friendly, why don’t we follow her lead.” Ceailean started walking back to the enclosure.

“Yes, I suppose we should.” Alain followed suit.

Upon entering the enclosure, they saw Marin hunching over something on her hands. Snom rested peacefully within them, causing Marin to mewl.

“Awwww, it’s so cute! Alain look, this Pokémon is called a Snom. Isn’t it just one of the cutest things in the world!” she said.

“Yes, I suppose it is.” responded Alain, smiling.

“You seem pretty excited.” pointed out Marie.

“Oh yeah, we were doing some research to the south-west once we heard that all the Pokémon that were stolen were all recovered in one day. We couldn’t believe it so we rushed back as fast as we could. They said that it was two mysterious people that helped spot them, then Professor Sycamore and Blaziken Mask came in to finish up. If only I could have met them personally. I’d thank them for everything.”

An awkward silence befell the group. “You know, they’re here right now actually,” said Bonnie.

Marin gasped, “Where? I just gotta meet them.”

Bonnie narrowed her gaze, “Well we’re the only ones here, can’t you guess?”

Marin thought hard, enough for her not to notice Snom crawl off her hand onto the floor. She swiveled around observing each member of the group one by one.

“Oh come on! Obviously it’s those two!” shouted Bonnie, pointing to Ceailean and Marie.

Marin stood shocked, “It was you two?”

Ceailean scratched his head, “You got us.”

“Well I suppose everything I said has already been said huh?”

“It’s alright”

Marie felt something cold crawling up her leg. She noticed it was Snom and picked it up, holding it in a cradle.

“I have sooo many questions like, how did you find them? How many bad guys did you beat up? Where were the Pokémon? Oh, how about-”

“Alright Marin, I think it’s best if we don’t pester them.” said Alain.

“Oh sorry sorry but, do you mind if I ask you at least one question?”

“Is that your one question?” asked Ceailean.

Marie slapped him on the back, “Come on C, let her ask without you playing around her words.”

“Okay okay, go for it.”

“Hmm, let me think. Alright, I got it. What were you guys doing before you went all gung-ho?”

Ceailean and Marie looked at each other, “We were here to pick up a starter Pokémon just like any other trainer would.” answered Marie.

“Oh, but you couldn’t because they weren’t there. True heroes of the common people. But now that it’s all over, what’re you gonna do now?”

“Well… we haven’t really thought that far. The whole situation kept us from thinking about it too much. And also, this happened.” Marie brought attention to her leg.

“Oh my gosh, are you alright?”

“Don’t sweat it. I feel like I can walk in just a couple of days!” Marie did a light kick to showcase her ability, just to immediately regret it as pain flushed through her leg.

Marin laughed, “I can see that you're very eager.”

“Yep, can’t wait.” groaned Marie.

“As for what we’re gonna do as we think about it now, I assume Marie would try to compete for the Kalos league. After all she is into battling more than I am.” said Ceailean.

“I thought you were going to compete with me, C?”

“Yeah, but I don't have any Pokémon. Can’t really do that.”

“Well we can get a starter now, you just have to choose one.”

Ceailean slumped his shoulders, “Yeah, I guess.”

At that moment, Meyer noticed that his watch was beeping. He checked it and said, “Oh dear, is it that late already? Sorry kids, but I had an appointment scheduled today. I’m gonna have to go.”

“Aw, surely you can stay for one more surprise?” Everyone turned toward the hallway to see Professor Sycamore leaning on the wall.

“Oh! Right! I sure can!” replied Meyer.

Sycamore smiled, “Okay then. Ceailean, Marie, could you two come with me to the lobby please.”

“Sure.” said Marie, putting Snom back inside her beanie. The group filed their way towards the lobby. Sycamore stood the first top of the stairs.

“First things first, Ceailean.” He perked up his head at his mention. “I’d like you to know that we all think you and Marie’s actions were brave. But, I hope that you’re more inclined to believe in the strength your friends can give you.”

Ceailean nodded, “I promise to never make that mistake again.” Marie smiled when he said this.

“I’ll hold you to it. With that said, I believe I’ll entrust you with this.” Sycamore pulled out a pokéball and tossed it to Ceailean. As soon as he caught it, it popped open, revealing a very familiar Pokémon.

“Scorbunny?” Scorbunny’s ear twitched. It turned around and it jumped into Ceailean’s arms overcome with joy. “Scorbunny! How are you here?” Then he noticed a piece of paper fall slowly to the floor. He picked it up while still embracing Scorbunny.

“What is it Ceailean?” asked Marie.

“It’s a note.” Scorbunny backed off, curious as to what the note says. “It reads-”

To the person who saved Scorbunny,

Hi, I have to thank you for what you’ve done. I had wanted to become a trainer for as long as I can remember. But as you might know, my condition is less fortunate than others. So after hearing that I would be donated a Pokémon of my very own, I was excited. At first, it seemed that Scorbunny was too. He greeted me happily, we played together, lazed around together. But once in a while, I could tell that it felt wistful. It felt sad about something. I couldn’t help but feel like I was to blame for its sadness, so I asked some questions about that day. No one here really knew about it too well, so I contacted Professor Sycamore. He told me that two new trainers helped find the culprits so that he could take them down with, Blaziken Mask? (Sounds like a lame superhero name but I think that’s what he said) That is when I made up my mind and asked him to deliver back Scorbunny to its rightful trainer. The Professor and nurses asked if I was sure but I assured them. I know what it feels like to be trapped, to be held back from achieving your ambitions. I also knew that Scorbunny must have been feeling the same. I asked it about you and it seemed to tell me that everything is fine, that it was here for me. That made me feel guilty.

I didn’t want it to hold it back due to it feeling indebted to me because of my condition. I assured it that I would be fine all by myself. Still, it seemed hesitant as we said our goodbyes, I can’t really blame it. Scorbunny is such a pure-hearted Pokémon. So I leave him to you mysterious trainer, in hopes that you can make Scorbunny's dreams come true and fulfill mine in my place.

Sincerely,

Carter Anvik.

Ceailean grew tingly and his chest felt light. His hand dropped slowly as he looked around the group.

“C-,” Marie mumbled before being interrupted by the loud sobbing coming from Meyer.

“Whoa, has the letter moved that much dad?” asked Bonnie.

“No,” he answered with his arm covering his face, “It’s something else.”

“What is it?”

“He-He called Blaziken mask lame!” Everyone was floored by this response.

“-Is that all?” asked Bonnie.

Marie chuckled a bit. “So C, Scorbunny is here now. Will you take it with you?”

Ceailean nodded. He crouched down and said, “Scorbunny?” It turned toward him. “Will you come with me on my Journey?” It’s face immediately lit up and it cheerily jumped into Ceailean’s arms. Everyone clapped with joy as Ceailean hugged Scorbunny. They ended their embrace and said, “Thank you professor.”

“Oh don’t thank me, thank Carter for his selflessness. He is the main reason you two are reunited.” said Sycamore.

Ceailean nodded, “Well, if you ever hear from him, would you give him my sincerest thanks?”

“Will do.”

Ceailean smiled and returned his attention back to Scorbunny, who was playing with Fennekin around the group's legs.

Marie was looking as well. “Looks like Fennekin has already made friends with Scorbunny.”

“Yes, it would seem that it has.” replied Sycamore, “I hope that it makes plenty more friends once you take care of it.”

“Mhmm,” hummed Marie, seemingly in a trance. Then a look of realization was instantly plastered on her face. “Wait! Once ‘I’ take care of it?”

“Yes, you heard me correctly.”

Marie squealed with excitement. “You hear that Fennekin!” Fennekin stopped playing and faced her. “You can come with me! Like, you know… if you want…” Fennekin smiled and ran over to Marie, affectionately rubbing along her uninjured leg. Marie was on the brink of tears. “I would hug you too, but I can’t reach down there.”

“Alright then.” said Ceailean. He bent down and picked up Fennekin, handing it into Marie’s arms. She ‘Awwed’ as she rubbed her face into Fennekin, who licked her back.

She smiled and looked at Ceailean. “I thought your laziness knew no bounds.”

Ceailean sarcastically scoffed. “Marie! You think so low of me even in this moment of tenderness. I am blatantly offended at this accusation!”

“What-ever!” chuckled Marie, sticking her tongue out at him. The group laughed along with her. Then, the red light of the sun shone through the windows, getting Clemont's attention.

“Huh, looks like it’s late already.” he said.

“Welp, winter months are like that, they come and go before you know it.” said Meyer. “Anyway, I better get going to that appointment.”

“K, see you dad!” waved Bonnie

“See you later.” said Clemont.

“See you too kids! Marie, Ceailean.” Meyer then left the building, closing the door behind him.

“I suppose we should all get going too.” suggested Clemont.

“Yeah, starting to hurt standing this long.” strained Marie.

“Well before you two go, remember to take your Pokémon's pokéballs.” said Sycamore. He walked up and handed them both a pokéball.

“Thanks professor. But I’d like to spend as much as my time today with Fennekin as I can.”

“I see. Do what you will, I guess.”

“I feel the same Marie. Ready to go guys?” asked Ceailean.

Scorbunny and Fennekin nodded eagerly. Marie let down Fennekin and on their way out, she remembered something and asked, “Wait C, don’t you still have Scorbunny’s original pokéball from the town?”

“Oh yeah, I do.” He reached down into his duffle and pulled it out. It still looked dull, dirty, and scuffed up. Scorbunny observed it curiously from below.

“Don’t you want it to switch to that one?”

“The way I think about it now,” he pulled out the new pokéball, “This is a symbol of us starting new. No circumstance forcing us to come together. We move forward now, as friends.”

Marie caught herself staring at Ceailean. She forced herself to look down at the ground to hide her face.

“That’s um, really nice C.” she said in a really soft voice. She then felt Snom wriggling around in her beanie. It poked its head out and gestured toward Fennekin.

“Oh, do you ride on Fennekin for a while?” It nodded.

“Fennekin, do you mind?” It barked happily. It jumped up upon a nearby chair allowing Marie to place Snom upon its head.

“Aww! You two look so cute!” squealed Bonnie. The group laughed as she vigorously ran her hands around Fennekin’s body.

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The sun's light barely reached over the nearby buildings. An orange hue covered the streets full of people eager to be home. Standing in front of the labs outside gate, the group prepared to go their separate ways.

“It’s weird,” said Clemont, “it still feels like everything that happened was just yesterday.”

“It happened three days ago Clemont! Of course it would feel that way.” said Bonnie sharply.

Clemont scratched the back of his head, “I’m just saying Bonnie.”

Marie chuckled, “Seems like you two get along.”

Bonnie crossed her arms and looked away, “Hmph, I’m always the one who has to take care of him. So obviously there would be some kind of attachment.”

“Bold claims as usual.” said Clemont.

“Well how about you two? Do you guys have brothers or sisters?”

Marie knocked the side of her head, “Nope, I’m the only one.”

“Same here.” answered Ceailean.

“Lucky, you guys get to have everything to yourselves.” pouted Bonnie.

“And you always have someone to talk to.” pointed out Marie.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Clemont stepped up, “Well, albeit from unusual circumstances, I’m glad to have met the two of you.”

“And us the same to you.” said Marie.

“I hope you achieve whatever you think of doing in the future.”

Marie smirked, “You don’t mind if it includes defeating you in a gym battle.”

“Oh, what has brought about this burst of confidence?”

Marie looked back to Ceailean, “I’ve enjoyed battling all my life. Even against June, Steele,” she looked back at the other two, “and you Clemont, I still find my love of battling growing ever more. So that’s why I want to test myself, by competing in the Kalos league!” Despite knowing of Marie’s interest in battling, Ceailean still couldn’t help but feel motivated. “I wouldn’t have thought of all those strategies if I hadn’t had this love for battling. But of course Fennekin and Snom were a big part of those battles too.” The two Pokémon smiled in appreciation.

“If this is something you have been wanting to do for a long while, why did you give the answer you gave to Marin?”

“Well,” Marie looked to Ceailean again, “I saw how indecisive you were back on the train. When you told me you were gonna compete in the Kalos league, you didn’t sound so sure of it. Even at the time, I had different reasons for wanting to come on your journey. But regardless, battling was always in the back of my mind. One day, I want us to look back at this moment and see how much might have changed. To see how much we were capable of. How about you C? What do you dream of?”

Ceailean heard a sudden voice at the mention of the word dream. It said, “Is that…?” It faded as quickly as it came and Ceailean ignored it by shaking his head.

“I suppose I’m still not dead set on anything yet.” he said, scratching his head. “The league still sounds like a good option.”

Marie frowned, “C, are you choosing that for yourself, or are you choosing it because I did?”

Ceailean tried his best to ward off the Battle for Kalos out of his head. “Why? Is it because you don’t want me following the same goal as you?”

“N-No! It’s just, I don’t want you to feel pressured into following my goal for the sake of having something to work towards. What I want is for you to follow a goal that you would truly love to work towards, no matter how long it takes to find it.”

Ceailean smiled, “Oh, is that all? Well, I’m sorry I worried you with such a thing. I will not hurry to find something to do on our journey anymore. Instead, I’ll help you with yours in any way I can.”

Marie smiled softly, “Thanks C. I’ll do the same for you.”

“But something you said had me speculating.” Marie stood confused. Ceailean glanced away, putting his hand to his chin and leaning close. His glance snapped back to Marie and he said with a smug look, “You originally wanted to come with just cause you’d miss me if I was gone, huh?.”

Marie’s face flushed red. “G-Get over yourself C!” She pushed him away, “Like I would come for something so trivial!” Ceailean only bent over laughing.

Bonnie smiled as a wave of nostalgia washed over her. “Man, I’m getting some serious Ash and Serena vibes here.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Clemont.

Bonnie glanced away, “You wouldn’t get it.”

Clemont sighed. He put down the subject and said, “Well you guys, we should be going.”

Marie shifted her attention away from Ceailean, who was still winding down. “Yeah. As you can see, he is making today very tiring.” Ceailean laughed a little bit longer at his mention. Marie was unamused.

“I suppose he is quite the handful. I don’t blame you.” remarked Bonnie.

Marie smiled, “Yeah, he is.”

“Until we see you again then.” waved Clemont.

“Yep, see ya.”

With that, the two groups went their separate ways down the street. Ceailean was still chuckling every so often as they walked. This elicited a response from Marie.

“Shut it C! It wasn’t that funny!” she said sternly with her face still slightly red.

“But it was doh.” he said, still half chuckling. After that he calmed down. He watched as Scorbunny chased around Fennekin and Snom as they walked. They turned the corner and the sun aligned with the street almost perfectly. Seeing it made Ceailean have a feeling so good that it felt like he could start flying.

“You know Marie. Despite everything that has happened, I’m still excited.”

Marie stopped and asked, “For what C?”

“The journey. Anything can happen. I can’t wait to see what new friends we’ll make and the endless adventure waiting for us.”

Marie couldn’t help but chuckle, “Aren’t you thinking too far ahead?”

“You should talk.”

“Hmph, touche.” Marie then yawned, “C, I’m starting to get super tired.”

“That’s alright, we’re almost there.”

“Can you carry me the rest of the way back, like the way you did in that town? These crutches are just killing my arms.”

“Okay, if you really want me too.”

Marie was surprised, “Y-You know I was joking right?”

“Oh, were you? I totally would’ve done it.”

Marie then began to think of the implications of what she asked. Could she really handle herself if he picked her up in a princess carry? Despite that worrying thought, she still felt quite eager.

“O-Okay, if you don’t think it’s a bother.” she said sheepishly. Fennekin observed the situation and was quite puzzled. Snom told it what the situation was in quite the agitated manner. Finally understanding, it seemed quite discontent with the idea, thinking Marie was too good for someone like Ceailean.

“Alright,” sighed Ceailean. Marie closed her eyes tight in anticipation. “Scorbunny?” asked Ceailean in a whisper. It looked at him curiously. “I want you to stay close and follow my lead, okay?” he said with a smirk. Scorbunny put together what was happening and grew a mischievous smile. It marched close behind Ceailean seeming like it had nothing to be concerned about. The two got about 20 feet away before Fennekin pawed at Marie’s leg to get her attention.

She opened her eyes slowly, only to be surprised that Ceailean had moved on without her. “What!? Why are you over there?”

“You actually thought I would carry you? No way I’m doin that, you heavy!” Ceailean started to laugh maniacally and Scorbunny taunted Marie by pulling his eyelid down and sticking its tongue out.

Fennekin and Snom were unamused, but Marie had mentally blown a fuse. She clenched her fist hard and angrily mumbled, “Oh C! You think you can just play with these feelings that you don’t know I have.”

A temporary moment of sadness washed over her, “You left me again…”

She shook off the feeling, took a deep breath and yelled, “I’m gonna kick your butt!”

“Yeah, try it slowpoke. I was trippin’ over myself trying to stay at your pace anyway!”

Marie took this as a challenge. She rocketed forward in her crutches shouting, “Fennekin, use ember on them!” The confused Fennekin hesitated as it was still trying to piece together this sudden change in attitude from its new trainer. Snom however, was unfazed.

Ceailean's expression immediately turned to that of fear, “Oh Arceus, she’s faster than I thought. Run Scorbunny!” He looked back only to see Scorbunny had already started running moments prior, leaving a trail of seared footprints on the sidewalk. “Bruh…”

Marie huffed her way toward Ceailean, who only had just enough time to duck under a swing of her crutch. “You won’t get away with this C!”

Ceailean raised his hands in defense of himself and tried to plead with her, “Come on, I just did a funny.”

“Oh yeah?! All you did was make me angry!” Ceailean jumped back from a crutch slam. He turned tail and tried to keep his distance from Marie. “And to think you got Scorbunny involved too! You’re gonna be a bad role-model for your Pokémon!”

The banter of the two echoed down the street. Scorbunny ran ahead, followed by Ceailean still trying to reason. An angry Marie close behind, accompanied by Fennekin who was truly concerned by the well being of all parties involved. The sun's orange hue began to disappear, replaced with that of the moon with the night sky. Street lamps flickered on and the air grew cold.

They all ran towards an unknown future. One full of adventure, new friends, new rivals, and of a great new peril.