The Theory of Grey | Pokémon X

Two | Playing Friends

"No way!" Shauna interjected. I flinched at the high pitch of her voice. "We should call her Li'l E!"

I sat back and rolled my eyes, shaking my head at this nonsense. Even back in Sinnoh, neither Lucas or Reese, who were fellow lab assistants, egged me about having a nickname. What were these people thinking?!

Both Tierno and Shauna immediately snapped their heads toward Trevor, who looked as though he'd been caught in a bloody crossfire. The boy looked as though he was going to pass out from pressure.

"U-Um... I like E-kins..." he spoke in a shy and quiet voice, his face flushing afterward. Tierno and Shauna face-palmed at the plain and boring nickname.

I felt myself getting annoyed. Why were they going through the trouble of giving me a nickname for goodness sake?! I wasn't even close to any of these people to begin with! This was very ridiculous.

"Well, Emilia? Which is it?" Calem asked. I heard Trevor sigh in relief when Shauna and Tierno looked over at me in anticipation.

"Just call me by my actual name," I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest in a stern manner. "I didn't move from one region to another to make friends. I came here for an internship or whatever it is Professor Sycamore has set up with me and I would really appreciate it if we could get straight to the point."

As I ended my complaint, I was welcomed with incredulous pairs of eyes from everyone. Tierno and Trevor were left with their jaws hanging, which only meant they have never dealt with a person like me. Shauna was more hurt than surprised, but Calem regarded me with wide grey eyes that flashed with the same hurt his younger sister felt. The whole ordeal left an awkward air to linger about.

I wasn't sure what the whole deal was. Lucas and Reese were the closest people I had as friends, at least until I started pushing them away. While it broke my heart to leave them without saying goodbye, they were also part of the past that almost drowned me. Even after what happened with my dad and younger brother, I couldn't keep pretending that everything was okay when things weren't. They wanted to help me, but there was no way they could.

I was beyond saving.

Coming to Kalos might have been a mistake after all. If these people were insisting on being friends, then this opportunity might not have been best for me in the end.

"A-Alright!" Tierno clapped his hands together as an attempt to break the ice. "Now that that's out of the way, let's get to why you're really here." He picked up a glass case that was on the floor next to him. "It's time to pick your first Pokémon."

"But before that," Trevor interrupted. "You'll need these."

The ginger boy handed each of us a small device with a strange design on it. I rose a curious eyebrow as I took my time inspecting it. If I was correct, then this must be a Kalos version of a PokéDex. It's a different model than the one I was accustomed to seeing in Sinnoh.

"It's called a PokéDex. It records data of any Pokémon you encounter and it also gives you additional information if you catch the Pokémon." Trevor explained.

Shauna and Calem might've found that information useful, but I already knew what a PokéDex was. I proceeded to put the device away into my messenger bag. Tierno pressed a button that was on the side of the glass case, opening it to reveal three PokéBalls that contained our starter Pokémon. Tierno explained what was inside each one. There was Froakie, the Water-type, Chespin, the Grass-type, and Fennekin, the Fire-type. I knew nothing about these Pokémon, but I already had my heart set on the Water-type.

If he was here right now, that little dork would've begged me to choose it.

A tap on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. I tore my gaze from the glass case and turned to see Calem and Shauna grinning at me. This made me wonder why they were still being friendly with me even after my rude comment earlier. I had basically said I wasn't interested in being friends.