What's Wrong with Charmander?

I could see the strong bond of admiration and friendship that Trevor had managed to build between himself and Professor Augustine Sycamore – it was almost like a tangible, dense fiber connecting one brain to the other, all perceived through the long explanation of what the latter believed to be mega evolutions.

Charmander was still too scared, too sickly looking for me to return him to his Pokeball; and though shielding him from all the strange faces that seemed to scare him should prove effective in diminishing his fear, I decided that hugging him and holding him close to my heart should do it in a most warming way – he would hopefully feel protected by me. But was that really the reason why I involved the soft Pokémon so tightly between my arms, or was it because I needed his heat against what seemed like an empty chest?

"That right there is a bond, you silly brain!!" My inner voice was harsh with my decision-making organ, hoping it would stop secreting the happy hormones whenever Professor Sycamore moved, making his long strand of black hair brush across his face like a gentle caress.

Trevor was clearly the professor's friend – they talked smart, discussed theories together, Trevor helped him like a devoted little assistant, and had been doing so for a long while.

...And I... What was I? Oh yeah, I remembered now with sarcasm... "The Rhyhorn racer's daughter" – it was his voice in my head that I heard pronouncing such words, which made the thought even grimmer.

I smiled at my own silliness and dropped my head so that my cap would hide my eyes in its shadow – which one was deeper, I did not know.

The awaited farewell came, and it proved as disappointing as the entire reunion with my friends and the Professor – among them I was, indeed, only another one of those 'children', the special treatment resumed to nothing but a wild dream.

...I don't recall him even looking my way during that general goodbye in front of the elevator as the doors slowly closed, cutting off my view to him.

Back on the busy street of Luminose, new instructions guided our collective journey, now that we had finally met our tutor: we were to set out and see as many Pokémon as we could, sure, that was the original plan... But, while exploring Kalos, we were to keep an eye out for those mysterious 'mega evolutions'.

Trevor was, in his own right, overly excited with a new scientific breakthrough. Looking at him in his sudden concentration, I could almost picture him years from now wearing a white coat like Sycamore, sitting behind a table and searching nonstop... Would he look just as handsome?

"Mega evolutions..." – Trevor mused, his eyes dug into the sidewalk as if his life depended on that thought – "What do you think it takes to achieve it?"

"You mean other than this rock?!" I picked it from my pocket. They were part of the key to unlock those fourth evolutions, Sycamore said as he handed them out to us.

"I'm sure there is more to it..." – he mused on.

"Don't you guys think the Professor's onto something?!" – Calem's voice sounded grim.

All eyes met him, wide with surprise – except for Trevs, he was still secluded inside his own fascinating thoughts.

"What do you mean 'Onto something'?" Shauna demanded in a mix of curiosity and irritability.

Calem looked ahead, towards the orange light of the sun setting between those tall buildings, choosing carefully his words:

"He knows more than he revealed us, that's what I felt."

"Nonsense." – Trevor's tone was so monotonous, and his eyes were still so distant, that we could barely tell if he was talking to us or to himself.

"Ohh!! And did you guys take a look at that guy waiting to talk to Professor Sycamore??!" – Shauna added "He looked... veeeery suspicious!"

"Who, the holocaust guy?!" – Tierno picked up his pace, reaching us.

He was received with a playful slap to the back of the head that Shauna had to jump in order to deliver.

"It's HoloCaster!!"

"Yeah, whatever..."

"He went on about making the world beautiful and stuff..." – Calem added with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing wrong with that... Maybe the guy just likes... I don't know, beautiful things?!" – I wondered.

"Yes, but... he said it in a very weird, creepy way."

For a minute or two, we were all caught in that mysterious air, looking ahead and thinking the facts over our heads. I could feel a chill going down my spine.

"Only one way to find out, I guess!" – I sighed "We have to investigate those mega evolutions..."

"Smartest thing you guys said all day..." Again in a most monotonous tone, Trevor added, proving he was paying attention after all.

The subject died as we kept walking in silence.

"Heeeeey!" - Shauna screamed to life eventually, and protested with fresh excitement "What was that all about, accusing us of being late???!"

"What? Oh, that... You guys were totally late!"

The distant feel of the heat returning to my cheeks could be felt as a trail of what it was like to be alone with Professor Sycamore.

"We were perfectly on time, each and every one of us! I made sure no one would be late..." – Trevor added, and he was just too serious to be lying.

"But the note said..." My voice died, now unsure.

"4pm..." Calem confirmed, hesitantly – as if he didn't want to prove me wrong.

"Yes, 4pm!" Both Shauna and Tierno agreed.

"Hum... was that it? I could swear I read 3pm!"

Though I was not sure at first, and casually assumed I had just misread it, under further thought there was no mistaking: I was too nervous, too naturally embarrassed to get it wrong and risk getting there earlier than everyone else! It definitely said 3 pm!

"What were you two doing all that time, anyway?" Calem asked, a hint of passion lurking behind his voice.

"Huh? Uh... he just went on about Pokémon. And he updated my Pokédex." – I quickly removed it from my pocket, remembering to check if there were any visible changes on the software layout.

"He did what?!" – Trevor leapt to my side, looking curiously – and nervously, too, as if he had missed something extremely important.

"Oooh!! I think he forgot to update mine!!!" – Shauna gave voice to Trevor's frustration with a doleful cry.

"He didn't touch mine either..." – Calem replied.

I casually slid the thing back into my pocket, feeling the heaviness of all their glares on top of me now.

"I'm... sorry?" – it was all I could think of saying.

Apparently, getting there earlier than everyone else didn't only just harm me and my silly teenage heart.

...Special treatment! – I couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

"Okay, where are we going now?!" – Eventually Calem took the lead and stopped, standing in front of us.

"We should check out one of these cafés... There must be something great about them, otherwise there wouldn't be so many!" – Tierno pointed out.

"As for tradition, Anne and I will go shopping! Won't we, Anne?!"

"I say we should follow gate 5 and head out to Camphrier town. There is a long way ahead of us until the second gym badge, and we should start following it now if we want to find anything new on mega evolutions..." Trevor suggested before I could answer her.

The group's face showed a collective dismay over the idea, though.

"Okay" Calem sighed at last "I think we should do as Trevor says!"

All were surprised: Trevor's rush could be blamed on how enthusiastic he was about chasing Sycamore's research... But what was Calem's motive?

"But... but... shouldn't we stay and visit the cafes and the boutiques and hair salons and..." – Her list went on.

Calem looked behind his shoulder – Sycamore's lab was far behind now, and he shrugged:

"Somehow, I can't wait to get out of his city!"

I looked behind, hoping I could see the trail of what inspired such aversion on him. I heard him moan as the group resumed the march: "Feels like I'm being watched..."

***

As we crossed the fifth gate, the group eventually disbanded – Calem and I 'raced' our way uphill to Camphrier town battling all the trainers we could find. Tierno stayed behind, mesmerized by the roller-skaters at the skate park just outside of Lumiose; Shauna went straight to town and Trevor took his time collecting Pokémon data.

Halfway through to Camphrier I caught up with Calem. Night had already fallen, and we both agreed, cold and tired, that it wasn't such a good idea to rush ahead as Trevor had suggested, instead of spending the night in Lumiose city – It was hardly the warmth and comfort that the city's many luxuries promised, but the sole meaning of the name that was so alluring as to give us the idea of a solace: The night was proving itself such a dark one, we could hardly see our way through the high bushes.

I was forced, as the only means to our salvation, to abuse my already tired from battle, already naturally feeble Charmander as a source of light, and the three of us managed to cross the darkness and get into small Camphrier in one piece, though the same couldn't be said about our nerves. Shauna awaited at the Pokémon center, worried sick about our well-being. Tierno and Trevor had decided to return to Lumiose as soon as darkness descended, she said, and Calem and I were the only ones to stay out so late!

In my separate hotel room, I washed myself from the cold drops of drizzle and then sat at the window, with the lights off, staring off into that pitch-black sky where a few brave stars dared to shine. My chest was still cold, still slightly frenzied after getting lost with Calem – that mixed with the humiliating embarrassment I felt from meeting Sycamore and from giving in to his charms as much as I did... The whole formed a much too bitter taste in my mouth and a lump in my throat that I awkwardly tried to swallow.

"I thought this was all about growing mature..." I let myself think loudly, and I could almost see Sycamore's disdainful smile – the one that gracefully said I was too young a child to worry like that about grown-up feelings. "...then why do I feel so small?!"

Looking over my shoulder, Azure, Chasm and Fletchinder all slept curled up on the fuzzy rug beside my bed, a peaceful slumber rocked them. But Charmander... he was nowhere to be seen!

I jumped from the window and across the room, calling his name – to no avail, though: the creature still refused to answer me, though not in a stubborn way: It looked as if he was always too sad, too broken hearted to care about me!

I found him squatted on the corner of the bathroom, shaking silently. His eyes twitched as if he was in pain and a quiet puppy cry escaped through his little bared teeth. It was painful to watch!

I should have proved myself a mature trainer then... It was my one chance to assume responsibility and take care of those little lives I had compromised myself with. After all, it was my fault: If I had been a strong, decided, confident trainer as Calem was, I'm sure Charmander wouldn't be letting himself sink so low. I wrapped him in my arms, pulled him to my chest, but he wouldn't stop shaking – he wouldn't stop fretting! What did I do, then? What did Charmander's trainer do to comfort him? I broke into a sob myself, that day proving itself a long and humiliating one, much more than I could support on my untrained shoulders! I now hated Kalos. I wanted to go back home... I wish I had never set out for that stupid journey to begin with!