Chapter Text
The steady rattle of the train woke me up from my nap. I looked around, once again making sure that no one had gotten a good look at me. But, I was sitting on the back of the train, with no one else around, so as far as I knew, I was safe for now. I stretched and took a look out of the window. Seeing the sight that lay before me, I couldn't help but grin. There it was; Lumiose City, practically glowing in the evening light. The perfect place to disappear. Suddenly, a voice came over the loud speaker. "Attention all passengers! This is the final stop! Lumiose City!" I smiled again, then grabbed my bag. I was so eager to be off this train that I totally missed something jump inside of it as I grabbed the bag and readied to disembark.
The train came to a stop in Gare de Lumiose, and I stepped off pretty quickly. I took in the Lumiose air and couldn't help but smile some more. I had made it at last. I rummaged through my pockets for my wallet to check my funds. I swore to myself when I saw how much money I had left. Only a few thousand Poké Dollars left. Barely enough to find a place to stay, much less anything else. I slipped my wallet back into my pocket and began to make my way out of the train station. As I did, I began to make plans in my head for what I would do about money. Perhaps it was finally time I caught an Arceus damned team of my own and just battled people with them. I heard that was a quick way of getting money.
I continued to think about my issues while I walked out of the station. Then I laid eyes on the city of Lumiose, and immediately forgot about all of them. The buildings around me were huge. Much bigger than most of the other cities around Kalos I'd been to. I saw a flock of Pidgey fly overhead, and some Patrat running through the streets. Big screens all over some of the buildings displayed a company logo I didn't recognise, showing something about holograms. I wasn't really paying attention. I took another deep breath as I looked around the place. I couldn't believe it. I'd done it. I'd finally made it to Lumiose. Now all I had to do was worry about affording a place to stay, as well as food and other essentials. Luckily for me, all of my immediate problems were about to be solved.
"Hey, you there with the massive bag!" called a voice to my right. "Can you give me a hand with something!?" I turned around to see who was talking to me. And immediately froze in place. Though for the first time in my life, not from fear. Standing before me was the cutest girl I had ever seen. She had long strawberry blonde hair in a similar style to mine, except mine is brown. Her eyes were an incredible shade of blue that reminded me of the water. She wore a beige jacket over a red cropped turtle-neck, and some white short-shorts that made it very difficult not to stare at her.
But stare at her I did, until I noticed that she was saying something to me, and I had completely zoned out. "Come on Harmony, pull yourself together!" I mentally chided myself. "I'm sorry," I said to her. "I zoned out for a bit, what were you saying?"
The girl laughed, a very cute laugh that caused Butterfree to dance around in my stomach, to the point that I almost missed what she was saying again. "It's fine," she said. "Don't worry about it. I know long journeys can be tiring." She spoke in a Galarian accent at was doing things to me! I really am far too gay for my safety. "Look, I just need a favour, alright?" As she said this, she pulled out her Rotom Phone and pointed the camera at me. "I'm trying to do an ad for this hotel I work at, Hotel Z," she explained to me. "I just need you to say, 'Hotel Z is the best stay in Lumiose!' ok? I'll even pay you for your trouble!"
Now this had me sold. Helping a cute girl and I got paid for it? Sign me up! "Sure, I can do that," I told her.
The girl smiled at me. "Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!" she told me, setting her phone up. "My name's Taunie by the way."
"Harmony," I replied quickly.
"Nice to meet you," said Taunie, smiling at me.
"Likewise," I replied, blushing slightly.
With that, she turned back to her phone and said, "Ok, I've got it set up now. When I say so, just say, 'Hotel Z is the best stay in Lumiose!'" I nodded. "Ok," she said. "In 3, 2." But before she could finish, one of the nearby screen changed, revealing the face of an older woman in a white dress. "Oh, talk about perfect timing," Taunie muttered to herself.
"Welcome newcomers to Lumiose City!" said the woman on the screen. "My name is Jett, and I am the head of Quasartico Inc. The company responsible for the Lumiose Redevelopment Plan! We are here to make Lumiose a safe space for both people and pokémon! And to do so, we've developed Wild Zones!" At this, the image on the screen changed, showing a number 1 around a green pentagon, with two green sticks on either side. "These Wild Zones allow for pokémon to wander freely in the city, while still maintaining safety for the residence of Lumiose. This, along with the redevelopment of Prism Tower, will allow for us to create a better, brighter Lumiose for all of us!" At this, the image returned to Jett. "I truly hope you all enjoy everything this wonderful city of ours has to offer! Thank you for your time and attention, and enjoy your time here!"
With that, the image flickers and changes to some sort of advertisement, only this time it had no sound. Taunie returned her attention to me. "Sorry about that," she said, turning her phone back on. "They play that message every time a train full of people arrives at Gare de Lumiose. Anyway, let's get back to this ad." I nodded, then returned my attention to Taunie's phone. I was so enamoured with her that I didn't even notice that I was no longer holding my bag. That is, until she said, "Wait, didn't you have a bag with you?"
I looked down and realised that she was right. My bag was gone. I started looking all over the place, fear creeping up inside of me. Then, I spotted it. My bag was being carried away by a Pancham, with a cheeky grin on its face. "Hey, get back here!" I shouted, running after it. It saw me, and started running away even faster. Now I was really mad. That thing had just ended my conversation with Taunie, and I was going to make it pay. But then, as I ran after it, I noticed that I wasn't the only one chasing it. A red pig, a blue crocodile, and a green dinosaur were also running with me. I looked back, and Taunie was at my heels, accompanied by 3 pokémon I never noticed until now. "What are you doing here?" I asked her as we ran.
"Well, I could hardly let you run through an unfamiliar city by yourself," she pointed out. This caused me to blush slightly, but I pushed it down and focused on getting my bag back. We rounded a corner, and there it was, the Pancham that stole my bag, along with two other people, who looked rather stressed out.
"What the Distortion Realm were you thinking Pancham!" The woman shouted. "Whose bag is this?"
"It's mine!" I shouted, appearing before them. "And I'd appreciate it back!" The man and woman turned to face us, looking nervous. They looked even more nervous when they saw who was standing beside me.
"Oh shit, it's Taunie!" said the man, starting to back away.
"You're damn right it is," Taunie responded, stepping forward. "So, why don't you explain why your Pancham has stolen this girl's bag?"
The woman looked nervous. "We have no idea," she replied. "But we'll give it back!" Then, she seemed to have an idea. "But first, battle us."
Both Taunie and I looked at her quizzically. "Why would I do that?" Taunie asked.
"Because I'm still salty from our last battle," the woman replied. "As is my friend here." The man nodded. "So, beat us, and we'll give the bag back."
"And if I lose?" Taunie asked.
"We'll still give the bag back, but we'll feel better about ourselves," the woman replied.
Taunie sighed. "Fine," she replied, before turning to me. "Here give me a hand would you?" she asked. I looked at her quizzically. "I mean you take her and I'll take him," she replied. "Just get your team out and help me!"
"Oh right," I replied, suddenly realising what she meant. "Uh, the thing is, I don't have any pokémon."
All 3 of them looked at me agape. "What?!" Taunie asked. "Wait, how old are you?"
"16," I admitted, feeling my face heat up out of embarrassment.
"Well, that doesn't matter," Taunie replied. "Just pick one of mine for now. You can give them back to me later."
It took a few seconds for what she just said to register in my brain. "Wait, you're letting me borrow one of your pokémon?" I asked.
Taunie nodded. "Just pick one and battle with it."
Smiling at my first chance to ever have a pokémon, even if it was for only a little bit, I approached the 3 pokémon before me. Taunie explained to me who they all were; Chikorita, Totodile, and Tepig. I looked at all 3, then chose the Tepig, since it was the cutest. Tepig seemed pleased I chose it, then ran in front of me. Taunie kept Chikorita out and returned Totodile. Meanwhile, the man threw out a Pidgey. "You take her, I'll take him," Taunie told me. "My Tepig knows Tackle, Ember, and Tail Whip. Use them however you wish." I nodded, then turned my attention to the Pancham. "Ok," Taunie said. "We're ready."
"Good," said the woman, then my first pokémon battle began.
"Pancham, tackle!" the woman shouted.
"Do the same Tepig!" I yelled. Both pokémon attacked each other with the attacks, headbutting each other with these attacks. "Tepig, Tail Whip!" I shouted. Tepig did so, bringing down Pancham's defence. "Now Ember!" I shouted. As the fireball shot at Pancham, the woman tried to get him to dodge, but she wasn't quick enough. The attack hit Pancham in the face, knocking it over.
It got back on its feet, then ran at Tepig as the woman shouted, "Tackle again!" Tepig managed to avoid this attack, then with a final shout from me, used one last tackle, knocking Pancham out. I looked over at Taunie and saw that she was finished with her battle as well. Both the man and woman looked disappointed as the woman handed my bag back. "Sorry about all of that," she said. "I'll make sure to give Pancham a stern talking-to when he recovers."
"It's fine, don't worry about it," I said. Both of then nodded to us, then departed.
Taunie smiled at me, which make my stomach do flips. "Good job," she told me. "I bet you must be a really good battler!"
I shrugged. "I wouldn't know," I replied. "That was my first one."
Her eyes widened. "Ever!?" she asked with amazement.
I nodded awkwardly. "I just... never did it before," I said, not wanting to go into it. Taunie held out her fist at that. Instinctively, I flinched backwards.
"What's up?" she asked. "I was just going for a fist bump." I chuckled a bit, then held out my own fist. We bumped them together. "So, now that that's over with, think we can get back to shooting that ad?" she asked me. I nodded, feeling like I owed her for helping me. Taunie smiled in thanks, then pulled her phone out again. But before she could start filming, it grew dark. All of a sudden, a few metal poles began to rise out of the ground. "Oh no," said Taunie."
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"We should get out of here, now," Taunie told me. "Come with me, you need a place to stay the night, right?" I nodded eagerly, thinking she was about to invite me to stay the night at her place. "Hotel Z isn't far from here," she explained. "Follow me, I'll lead you there."
Feeling slightly disappointed, I followed Taunie through the streets, right as night fell. Suddenly, red barriers erupted all over this street, blocking some of the ways out. Taunie swore at this. "Is this one of those Wild Zones that Jett woman spoke of?" I asked.
Taunie shook her head. "No, no it is not," Taunie replied. "This is a Battle Zone. And it absolutely isn't safe for you." With that, she took my hand and started leading me through the streets. Despite how suddenly nervous I was about this place, I couldn't deny the fact that I was enjoying the sensation of holding Taunie's hand. She guided me through the streets, keeping an eye out for trainers.
"What's happening?" I asked her as we went.
"The Z-A Royale," she replied. "A pokémon battle tournament. I'll explain more when we're not in the middle of a Battle Zone, ok?" I nodded and continued to follow her. Eventually, we came to a stop. "Ok, Hotel Z is just around that corner," Taunie told me. "I'll go on ahead and make sure the coast is clear. Stay here and stay out of sight." I nodded and watched as she disappeared down the alley.
Barely even a minutes passed before I heard someone coming up behind me. "You there!" she declared loudly. "Battle me! Now!"
I turned around and saw a young woman approaching me. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry, but-" I tried to say, but she interrupted me.
"No excuses!" she snapped. "I'm so close to the ticket! One more battle is all I need. So battle me before I lose my patience!"
At that moment, Taunie came running back down the alley. "Ok, the coast is clear!" she was saying. "We should be able to get back to- Oh shit." She saw the woman standing before me, pokéball raised. "Hey, uh, she isn't.." she tried to say, but the woman ignored her too.
"I don't have time for this!" she snapped. "Let's get this over with!"
Taunie sighed. "Sorry Harmony, but I don't she's going to give up." I nodded, then let Tepig out of his ball again. The woman sent out her pokémon, a Cleffa.
Without a second to waste, she immediately started having Cleffa attack Tepig. I had Tepig respond to the best of my ability, with turned to be pretty good. The two of went on an back and forth together, with Cleffa taking more than Tepig was. Soon enough, the Fairy Type was down, and the waitress threw out her next pokémon, a Bunnelby. This one was a bit harder for me, since Bunnelby knew ground type moves, but Tepig was able to hold his own against it. I simply had him use Tail Whip over and over, before throwing 2 tackles its way, and it went down no problem. The woman looked annoyed at this, then even more annoyed when she figured out I wasn't even participating in the Z-A Royale.
"We tried to tell you," Taunie told her.
"What a waste of precious time," she said angrily. She handed me my winning fee, then went on her way.
"Well, I must say that was quite the battle," she told me. "Here, let me heal Tepig." Then she did, before leading me along the route. We came to a section of the red forcefield that was different from the rest of it. Fortunately for us, as Taunie explained, this was our way out. Unfortunately, there were a bunch of trainers standing in front of it. "Oh come on," Taunie complained. "Not now guys, we're just trying to get out of here."
The one in front smirked. "Oh, you can get out of here," he said. "If you battle me." His 2 companions nodded, then stepped forward as well, ready for a battle.
Taunie sighed and pulled out her 2 balls, and I did the same with my 1. But before we could send out our pokémon, another one came down from the sky. Taunie saw this one and grinned. I however couldn't believe my eyes. It was a Floette, however it was unlike any Floette I'd ever seen before. It's bottom half was blue, and it was holding a black flower. The Floette smiled at Taunie, before turning around and facing the trainers in front of us. Then, its flower began to glow. "No, wait!" Taunie called. "Don't do that here!" But the Floette paid her no mind. It pointed its flower above the trainers before us, and let off a powerful beam attack that nearly knocked me off my feet.
The trainers stared at the Floette for a few seconds, before turning and running in the opposite direction. "What was that?" I asked Taunie as she led me through the alley and out of the Battle Zone.
"That was Light of Ruin," she explained. "Something only that particular Floette can do. Now come on, Hotel Z is just down here." She led me down one final alley, and we ended up in front of this old looking building covered in ivy. "Here we are," said Taunie cheerily. "Home sweet home." And with that, she led me inside. The building inside was cosy enough. There were a few seats in one corner, and a reception desk, where the tallest man I've ever seen stood.
"Hello Taunie," said the old man. "Glad to see you've made it back safe. When you hadn't returned from filming your ad, I grew nervous and sent Floette after you." It was only then that he spotted me. "Oh, hello," he said. "And who might you be?"
"Uh, I'm Harmony sir," I said, nervously extending my hand.
The old man just chuckled lightly. "Oh come now, there's no need for that," he said, gesturing for me to lower my hand. "My name is AZ, it is a pleasure to meet you." I nodded in agreement.
"I told her that she was welcome to stay the night here," Taunie explained, before she recounted the evening's events for him.
AZ chuckled at that. "My, that is quite the interesting evening," he said, before turning to me. "We do happen to have a spare room on the 2nd floor. Room 202. I'll give you the key."
Suddenly, I felt rather bad. "Oh, uh, I don't actually have much money," I told him.
"It's quite alright," AZ told me. "After the day you had, I'd say it'll be fine." Deciding not to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth, I took the key gratefully. Then I picked my bag back up, and walked over to the lift, once again not noticing the little stowaway I brought as it jumped out of the bag and slithered away down the hall. I stepped into the lift, then rode it up to the 2nd floor. I stepped out, then walked over to room 202, briefly wondering if anyone else stayed in the other rooms.
I stepped into my room for the night and smiled. Even if it mightn't be for very long, I was happy I found a proper place to stay. Somewhere that wasn't pokémon centres or the sides of roads in a tent that was one strong gust of wind away from disappearing on me. It had been a long 2 years, but I was finally here. I set my bag down on a stool next to the wardrobe, then sat down on my bed. Tomorrow I would definitely need to buy some pyjamas for myself, but I was content with sleeping in my clothes for now. I stretched out, then went to get under the covers, when I heard a knock on the door. "Harmony, it's me," came the voice of Taunie. "Can we talk? I want to show you something."
Curious, I got back out of bed and stepped over to the door. When I opened it, I saw Taunie standing there, no longer wearing her coat. Now she was just in the crop top and short-shorts. I had to fight off the blush very hard as I took in the sight before me. "Hey," she said cheerily. "Before you head to bed, mind if I show you something?" I nodded, finding myself too gay to speak. She smiled again, then led me up to the roof. When we stepped out onto it, I felt my breath taken from me.
The city was beautiful at night. Some of the green patches around the place, as well as the red one right next to us, made it look incredible. "Wow," I said.
Taunie smiled at my reaction. "I know right?" she said, before turning to me. "So, what brings you to Lumiose?" she asked.
At this, I grew tense, not knowing how to respond. Eventually, I settled with, "I'm not sure yet. I just needed a change." I turned to look at Taunie, and saw that the 2 of us were quite close. I had to fight the sudden, very strong urge to kiss her.
She smiled at me, before saying, "Well, tomorrow morning, come down to the reception and meet with me. There's a few things I'd like to explain to you. They might give you a reason to stay here."
I nodded to her. "I'll do that," I told her. We both stared out at the city for a while, before returning to the second floor. I went to bed that night happy, and for the first time in a while, my sleep wasn't plagued by nightmares. Instead, I dreamed of a beautiful girl with strawberry blonde hair.