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After registering our Pokédexes for the Pokémon league and receiving our badge cases from the southernmost Pokémon Centre in Lumiose City, me, Clemont and Bonnie wait outside for Ash to finish his phone call with the Kanto region's professor. "So, [Y/n], is this your first Pokémon journey?" Clemont queries, pushing his glasses slightly further up his nose.
I smile lightly, shaking my head. "I've been a Pokémon trainer for a little over a year now, I journeyed my home region when I turned 15 alongside [Partner Pokémon] and my other Pokémon."
"Other Pokémon?! I wanna see, I wanna see!" Bonnie exclaims, ecstatically.
"Oh I'm sorry, Bonnie, all of my other Pokèmon are at my home. I'll be certain to introduce you, though!" I frown, not wanting to disappoint the young girl.
"Aww, that's okay, I'll just have to meet them some other time. [Partner Pokémon] is great anyway!" She states, grinning up at the Pokémon in my arms.
"Guys! Thanks for waiting!" Ash calls, running out of the Pokémon Centre with his Pikachu and the frog Pokémon from yesterday.
"Hi Ash," Clemont responds, "did you tell us you were going to challenge the Santalune Gym first?"
"Yeah, If [Y/n] is okay with it, I'm pretty sure the gym leader should be back by now."
"Sounds great." I agree with a nod.
"The best way to get the Santalune City is by travelling through Route 4 all the way there." Clemont explains, analysing a digital map.
"Then route four it is!" Ash confirms with enthusiasm practically emanating from his body.
"So why don't we hit the road?" Clemont asks rhetorically, before beginning to walk with Bonnie.
...
A rustling in the trees followed by a berry nearly concussing me stops us all dead in our tacks, as we lift our heads to see what caused the disturbance. Furthermore, as if me getting pelted with a berry wasn't bad enough, whatever caused it seemed to use an electric move on the berry, causing it to fling at Bonnie's forehead.
"Bonnie, are you okay?!" Clemont asks, kneeling down to ensure she wasn't injured.
"Yeah, that just gave me a shock."
"I think I found the culprit, guys." I state, pointing up at a mouse-like creature in the trees.
"Where-?" Ash asks, squinting his eyes in an attempt to see better.
"It was just there, I'm sure of it-!"
I'm proved right when the little Pokémon, and I mean tiny, emerges from the bushes beside the tree trunk.
"Never seen that Pokémon." Ash exclaims, as I nod.
Bonnie squeals in wonder as her cerulean eyes meet the Pokémon's, "It's so cute! It sure doesn't look like it's afraid of us!"
"Dedenne, the antenna Pokémon. It can communicate with other Dedenne's from long distance through it's antenna-like whiskers." My Pokédex sounds.
"I want it so bad! Hey, you'll keep it for me until I'm old enough to become a trainer, won't you?! Pretty please, I promise I'll take care of it!" Bonnie pleads, holding her brother's sleeve in desperation.
"Hm..." Clemont scratches his face with his free hand, debating what to do.
"You should do it!" I encourage, "I'm sure Bonnie will take care of it, she takes care of my [Partner Pokémon] so well, after all."
"Yeah and I'll help you catch it!" Ash offers, causing Bonnie and Clemont to exchange a glance.
"All right then, lets catch Dedenne." Clemont smiles.
After an adorable little celebration, Bonnie crouches in front of the orange mouse and offers it the berry. That is, until an almost equally small bird comes and nips it straight out of Bonnie's hand.
"Hey-!"
"It's a Fletchling." Clemont states, eyebrows furrowed as he looks up at the bird on a tree.
Admittedly, the bird is adorable. Yet also sociopathic, as it pops the berry in it's mouth teasingly and swallows it whole.
"Aren't birds supposed to eat worms?" I ponder, "Why's this one so insistent on eating berries?"
"No idea." Ash entertains my thought process, before equipping his Dex.
"Fletchling, the tiny robin Pokémon. Fletchling's chirp is quite beautiful to hear but it's relentlessly tough to those who enter its territory."
"Makes sense," I mutter, "seems like this one's quite the prankster. Perhaps we can find another berry just as good?"
"Yeah. Dedenne, don't cry, we'll get you a different berry!" Bonnie agrees, encouraging the now crying pokemon.
However, our efforts seemed to be in vain, as the wild mouse runs in a jagged line into the tall grass. Bonnie, holding her clutched hands up to her chest in empathy, calls out for it to return.
"...I don't think it's going to come back." Clemont states, realistically.
Froakie, on the other hand, wasn't having any of it. Jumping up to gain level on the Fletchling, it throws the sticky frubbles from around its neck at the foe; who dodges elegantly.
"Look at that, Fletchling's fast! Alright, I'm gonna catch that Fletchling." Ash states, adjusting his red and white cap with confidence.
...
After settling down on a log for a break in the vast forest, I watch Bonnie groom Pikachu; brushing it's short fur and stroking it's electrifyingly cute tail. "Thank you for taking care of Pikachu, Bonnie." Ash smiles, gratefully, as Bonnie looks up at him from her seat on the floor.
"You don't have to thank me! I love doing this kind of stuff because I love Pokémon!" Bonnie explains, "[Y/n], may I take care of your Pokémon, too?"
The corners of my lips tug upwards as I nod, unclasping the lone Pokéball on my belt and pressing the button in the middle to release my partner. Bonnie bounces up from the floor with Pikachu in her arms and sits beside me on the log, with my Pokémon [on her lap/on the floor in front of her].
"Taking care of Pokémon really makes you happy, doesn't it?" Clemont asks, standing in front of her with his hands on his knees, observing.
...
Whilst Bonnie feeds [Partner Pokémon], Pikachu, Fletchling and Froakie, I took it upon myself to look around the area on my own. However, as I was about to record a Pokémon's data on my Pokédex, I felt a buzzing on my wrist. I raise my arm, taking in the sight of my multipurpose watch. Manufactured in the Sinnoh region, it's an upgraded version of their previous "Poketch", evolving it by adding multiple more features such as phone calls. Accepting the call, a hologram appears in front of me and a familiar face enters my sight. "Brother-?"
"Hey, how's the Kalos region?"
"It's going well. I made some friends and we're travelling together, we left Lumiose City two days ago."
"I'm glad it's going well, be safe or I'll beat you up. You're my favourite sibling." [Brother's Name] threatens, before smiling and hanging up.
The hologram disappears, unlike the joyous expression on my face. That is until some kind of commotion comes from the direction of my friends, causing my head to whip around as my feet carry me quickly back to our resting spot. "Come back!"
"Is everything okay-?" I ask Clemont, who turned back to look for me as everyone else chased the unknown disturbance.
"That Dedenne from yesterday, it took some Pokémon food from Bonnie and ran away. We're chasing it so I can try to catch it for her again, lets go!" Clemont explains, pushing his glasses up before leading me up a small ledge in the direction the others went.
Catching up with the others, Clemont throws his Bunnelby into battle against the Dedenne, now apparently hid underground in a hole. "Bunnelby, get Dedenne out of that hole!"
"You too, Pikachu!"
"Lets help them out, [Partner Pokémon]!"
In frantic attempts to get this damn mouse out of the hole, Clemont lets out an "Ah ha!" thinking he grabbed it, only to be electrocuted by a now very apologetic pikachu.
"Wrong mouse, Clemont." I chuckle, after he confirmed he was okay.
...
"Hm? I think they're gone..." Bonnie frowns, after sicking her head down one of the few holes Dedenne had been hiding in.
"It looks like maybe it got away."
"Pikachu hasn't come back, either." Ash states, staring the hole down.
"Bunnelby, would you mind going back down there and looking for Pikachu?" Clemont requests, causing his loyal bunny Pokémon to hop straight back in.
Unfortunately, in a matter of minutes, Bunnelby had searched every tunnel and not caught sight of Ash's partner. Its ears droop in defeat. We all immediately understand the message.
"I guess you didn't find Pikachu, did you?" Bonnie mutters.
"I'm afraid Pikachu might have gotten lost." I theorise as I look at Clemont, who nods.
"We've gotta find it!"
"Fletchling, look for Pikachu in the air." Ash commands, his face moulded into an anxious expression.
...
"Pikachu! I was so worried about you, buddy!" Ash exclaims as we all approach Pikachu and Fletchling.
However, the reunion wasn't as ideal as we'd wished it to be, as Pikachu frantically cries out to its trusted trainer and points to a familiar Pokémon laying sprawled out on the floor. "Dedenne- Dedenne! Now what are we going to do? I'm scared." Bonnie cries, eyebrows furrowed in sympathy.
"What about the Pokémon Centre?" Ash offers.
"I think we should treat Dedenne right here with some Electricity." Clemont analyses, letting out a low chuckle at everyone's confusion as he announces that 'the future is now thanks to science' and revealing a machine of literally the same height as him.
"I've got the perfect machine for a situation like this! Presenting: the Electricity Generator!"
"How on Earth have you been lugging that around?!" I vocalise, mortified for this poor guy's back.
"Another boring name." Bonnie sasses, as I look away and let out a quiet laugh.
"Now observe. If you put a plastic board under your arm and rub it like this, the resulting friction causes the build up of electricity to make static electricity. See?" Clemont demonstrates, making Bonnie's hair go static as she spins around in amazement.
"This brilliant machine uses the same principle, which allowed it to create an electrical charge. Power on!" Clemont explains, placing Dedenne on the board and pulling a large lever down.
Two balls of glass proceed to rub against the board simultaneously, just as Clemont had demonstrated, creating the electrical charge he had previously explained to us.
"That's awesome!" Ash exclaims, "Science is so amazing!"
"You sure this is gonna work...?" Bonnie questions hesitantly.
"Sure I'm sure, just watch." Clemont smiles, watching his intellectual invention work as Dedenne sparks back up.
Something about that made my chest tighten up. I'll just ignore it.
"That's great, Clemont! I think you can turn it off now." Ash proposes, as Dedenne is now raring to go.
"One problem..." Clemont starts, holding up a snapped lever with two hands, "...I can't."
"Uh oh." I watch in horror as the machine starts to pour smoke out of it's sides, taking the initiative to quickly stand in front of Bonnie and Dedenne as the previously magnificent equipment blows up.
"Woopsie. Back to the drawing board." Clemont mutters, his now enlarged hair matching the rest of ours.
"Thank you for protecting me, [Y/n]." Bonnie beams as I dismissively smile back.
"Well, Dedenne's feeling a lot better!" Ash points out, adjusting his hat on his now fixed hair.
"That's what counts, alls well that ends well!"
"Dedenne, I'm glad you're feeling better now! Bonnie hums, laying on her stomach to greet the rodent on its level.
"I think it's saying 'thanks for the electricity'." Ash explains to the confused scientist, after Dedenne happily cried out its name to him.
"Oh-? C'mon, you don't have to thank me."
Oh Arceus he's so humble.
Bonnie suddenly lets out a shriek, "Clemont, Clemont! Catch it, catch it!"
After Dedenne excitedly runs around our legs and sends an electric signal to Pikachu, it accepts Bonnie's request, holding it's long tail in it's short arms.
"It's time. Go, Pokéball!" Clemont announces, throwing one of his Pokéballs in hopes for catching Bonnie a friend.
The ball wobbles three times, before clicking into place. We all let out a relieved smile and watch as Clemont picks up the ball, letting Dedenne out for Bonnie to take care of from now on. As Bonnie celebrates with the equally as ecstatic Pokémon in her arms, I stand beside Clemont, who takes notice of her presence.
"You're a great brother, you know that?" I smile, evidently catching him by surprise.
Before he can respond, Bonnie spins on her heel and introduces her new friend to us, nuzzling her face into the mouse before it falls asleep in her hands. With a huge grin, Bonnie gently places Dedenne in her perfectly sized yellow bag.