The Anistar Chronicle

Chapter 5: Fossils in the Sand

Ambrette Town. A bit of a treck from Anistar city, yes. But fortunately not too bad with a taxi from Lumiose City. Blossom loved the beach, especially the sea, but being here made her think of her life when she was around seven or eight. Her parents adored her then, she was a little sweetheart. She looked up to her brother a lot at the time, it was thanks to him she was allowed to travel around the region with their older friends, free from their parents' watchful eye.

But then she had to grow up, we all do at some point. And then we start to realise that we can't be good at everything - we all have our weaknesses. Yes, Blossom missed home. She missed her friends and family. But then again, so did Max. He was just another younger sibling who had just wanted to get away, like her. They both knew how conflicted it could feel.

But today was going to be a good day. Blossom looked out at the ocean before her, then at Pumpkaboo, then at Max. The sun was glistening on the sparkling sand. This was a place to be carefree, to forget about what happened during her six work days of the week. What a truly happy Sunday this was, what a marvellous day she knew it was going to be.

The water touched her pale legs and she tugged on her friend's arm. "Hurry up, Max! Get in, the water's warm!"

He followed her into the gently moving waves, "You call this warm? Back in Hoenn, we would call this freezing!"

"Shut up!" She laughed and splashed him.

"Oh, no you don't!" He chuckled and pushed her further into the water, wetting her hair to annoy her but careful not to put her in any sort of danger.

"Fight me!"

They soon called out their Pokémon, all but Rotom, who upon seeing Pumpkaboo and Skiddo leave their Pokéballs, freed himself from his. He saw Skiddo prancing in the currents and immediately tried to do the same thing, not realising what happens when pure electricity meets water. "Rotom, no!" Blossom chased after the mischievous Rotom. But it was too late, he hit the water and Max and all of the pokémon with him (including Skiddo and Pumpkaboo) received a nasty electric shock.

"Are you okay?" Blossom may have worked for a criminal organisation but she still cared dearly about her friend. He sat on the shore, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, I'm okay, just a little sore."

Blossom, who was now feeling awfully guilty, sat beside him and too, focused her eyes on the movements of Ambrette's crystal clear waters. It was so serene. Rotom and Baltoy both hovered over to Max and Blossom. "Rotom! I think you should say sorry to Max." Rotom repeated its name just like any other creature of its kind and showed a remorseful expression.

Max simply smiled, "Hey, it's alright! You didn't know!" Rotom had taken a liking to Max, now, for his typically friendly (albeit sometimes a little bit bossy) manner. That and how him, Alabaster and maybe Pembroke were the first real friends his trainer had had in a long time. And that made him happy. He spun around in the air in glee before returning to the water but opting to float over it rather than in it, this time. "So are you going back into the water, Bo?" Bo. Bo, that was a nickname. It was sweet, and the fact that he had given her such a thing showed that he cared about her. And if there was anything the girl they called Blossom wanted, it was to be cared for.

She played with her wet hair and looked at her friend, lost in thought and not wearing his glasses. Mackenzie Maple. Max. From Petalburg City in Hoenn. Eighteen years of age. She was learning more about him every day, but what else was there to learn? He sure was complex, but admirable none the less. "No, not yet."

"You know, me neither, it's pretty nice here."

Blossom rested her head on his shoulder. She watched her pokémon play in the sea with his Baltoy, Gallade, Surskit and Mawile. She resisted the urge to laugh out loud as she watched him grow slightly flustered at their close contact.

"Blossom."

"Yeah?"

"I should have said this earlier, but your name is really nice."

She scooted away from him, shyly, feeling more guilty than ever. She glanced up at the sky and then back at the sea.

"What's wrong?"

"What..." She couldn't believe she was opening up to him like this, "What if I told you Blossom isn't my name?" She watched him gasp. "Well, not my birth name, anyway."

"What is? And why did you change it?"

"I'm..." she stuttered, not looking him in the eyes. "A runaway." She wanted him to say something, she needed him to. But he didn't. "I haven't said my real name in what seems like an eternity."

"Bo, I understand this is hard for you, but please." He moved her with his hand on her shoulder so he could see her shiny, slightly worried eyes. "Will you tell me?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. A single tear fell from her eye. Ash, Serena, Clemont. Her father. Innocence. Corruption. Good grades turned bad. And now, Team Lumière, theft, Alabaster, Acacia, Pembroke and Max. Hope and wishes turned to crime and most of all, lies. Because Max was there for her, he was her friend. She hated lying to him but it was almost as if it was hurting her, to tell the truth after denying it for so long.

"I can't, I'm sorry." She quickly stood up and tossed on her beach throw-over, "I can't tell you my real name. I'm sorry, I just can't. That's something I just want to forget about. She kicked on her sandals and made a rapid dash to where her beach-bag was. She called her Pokémon back to their Pokéballs.

By this point, Max was up on his feet, chasing after the panicked blonde, "Blossom!"

"That's not my name!" She shouted, far away from him.

"Then what is?"

"I don't know!" She looked at him, the at the floor, then back at him, "I really don't. I'm sorry, Mackenzie." And then she left him, her only true friend, alone on the beach, confused and utterly distressed. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd told him too much already.