Kirby x Pokemon AU: Champion of Popstar

Bonus Chapter 5: Elfilin's Words and a New Frontier Brain?

On a warm summer day, Elfilin woke up in his cabin in the middle of the Battle Frontier's domain. He dressed himself, ate his warm breakfast, readied his bag and headed out for the day.

"Good morning!" Elfilin waved to the couple of permanent residents who stayed in the townhouses, "Wonderful day, isn't it?"

"Sure is! Hope you're getting used to the place!" A young trainer waved back, "Don't forget, the Frontier Brains are gonna give you your first Pokémon in a couple of minutes! Better head to the Battle Maze!"

"Ah! You're right! Off I go!"

Elfilin used his newly found psychic abilities to quicken his walking pace, though this didn't last long. The boy in the mouse hoodie was nowhere near used to exhausting his powers and opted to walk down the street instead.

A couple of minutes later, Elfilin reached the Battle Maze, where Gryll, the infamous Puzzle Witch, waited alongside Adeleine and Magolor. The trio of skilled trainers greeted Elfilin.

"Hey, new kid! Are you ready to get creative!?" Adeleine, Popstar's top Pokémon Coordinator, cheered with optimism.

Elfilin nodded with excitement.

"Great to hear, kiddo!" Gryll chuckled as they held out a Poke Ball, "First, let's give your starter Pokémon a warm welcome!"

The Puzzle Witch tossed the ball with enthusiasm, revealing a cheerful Marill that immediately leapt out at Elfilin. The Aqua Mouse Pokémon embraced his new trainer and squeaked happily.

"I thought this Pokémon would suit you and would be a fair challenge to raise," Magolor stated with pride, "Truly, I am a genius with picking out Pokémon,"

"Yeah, yeah, Mister Big Ego," Gryll teased their coworker, "You do realize that Ado and I here also helped pick out Marill, right?"

"But I am the maestro-"

"And you're also the Frontier's biggest gloater. Anyway, Elfilin here's the plan. You can stay here in the Frontier for as long as you like, since y'know Fecto Elfilis may or may not break out of prison...Uh."

The atmosphere became awkward as Adeleine shook her head at Gryll's remark.

"Gryll, maybe Elfilin doesn't want to talk-"

"No. They're right... Fecto Elfilis is after my psychic abilities and I have nowhere to go..."

"You're willing to talk about the matter?" Gryll asked.

"I haven't told anyone, since I had no one else to talk to. But Fecto Elfilis adopted me at a young age because of my psychic abilities... I was never able to read their mind, but... they would always talk about Popstar being such a scary place and being indoors would help me become stronger..."

The Frontier Brains sat down on the bench beside Elfilin as he coddled his new Marill.

"But I used my psychic abilities to read the minds of everyone outdoors, and they all seemed so optimistic... Talking about going on journeys, wanting to improve as trainers, making friends, sharing embarrassing secrets... I wanted a part of that happy life, but Elfilis always made sure to keep an eye on me and refused to let me go outside,"

"How did you end up at Skyline Carnival in the first place? It's a busy area where anyone can get easily noticed. Trust me, security is top-notch!" Adeleine remarked.

... Almost, Magolor giggled to himself.

"Well, I stayed in the amusement park because I thought it was a good idea at the time since there were a lot of people and I could easily ask for help. But that backfired when everyone who came into contact with Elfilis got hypnotized and forcefully turned against me. I knew Elfilis was a psychic, but I had no idea they had that ability until I got to Skyline Carnival..."