Mega Love

Chapter Fourteen

    I playfully bump Serena with my shoulder. Serena returns a playful glare and asks, "What?"
    "So what's this professor like exactly?" I ask.
    "Shauna and I have never met him in person, so I have no idea," replies Serena.
A few seconds later, the elevator opens to reveal a gentleman wearing a blue collared shirt and white lab coat waiting across the room.
    "Why hello there! So, we finally meet! You two must be Calem and Serena, correct?" says Professor Sycamore.
    "Right! And you must be the Professor! You're a lot younger than I thought you'd be," I reply, extending out my hand.
    "Calem!" says Serena, pulling on my arm.
    Professor Sycamore lets out a hearty laugh, shakes my hand, and says, "It's okay. I'll take that as a compliment!"
    He then takes Serena's hand and gives it a quick kiss! Who does he think he is?! And why does this make me so angry?! My hand clenches into a fist, but I maintain control over myself.
    "Come this way, won't you?" says the Professor, turning around and walking off.
    Serena doesn't seem to be fazed, but instead leans over to me and whispers, "It's a type of greeting in Kalos. Don't let it get to you." Her soft hands touch mine as she unravels my fist. "You're going to make us look bad."
    "Sorry," I whisper back. We quickly catch up to the professor.
    The Professor leads us over to what appears to be his office. Paintings of Pokémon and nature line the walls. A phonograph sits on a small table on the side of the room, playing soft classical music. This guys seems pretty sophisticated.
    The Professor rests against his desk and says, "Many thanks for coming all the way from Vaniville Town. As you said before, I'm Professor Sycamore. It's a pleasure to finally meet the both of you!
"The pleasure is all ours!" says Serena.
"Now, I'm curious. How is your Pokémon journey going so far? I see that the others aren't with you. Are you two traveling together?" asks the Professor.
    I turn to look at Serena.
    "Why do I have to answer him?" says Serena.
    "Well, you usually do!" I reply.
    "Why can't you answer him?!" says Serena.
    "Cause I'm not really sure! We've been together since we left Vaniville Town, so technically we have been traveling together." Serena grows flustered at the thought.
    "Are you trying to say that we're traveling together now!" says Serena.
    "I don't know! I guess?" I reply.
    The Professor's fit of laughter breaks our focus. We got so caught up in our conversation, that we forgot Professor Sycamore was even there.
    "You two traveling together seems to be for the best," says Sycamore, trying to recompose himself. Serena and I's faces grow extremely red. "You both have a certain je ne sais quoi!"
    "Meaning...?" I ask.
    "Meaning I have a good feeling about the two of you," replies the Professor. "At first, I was thinking of only choosing Serena from Vaniville Town. About then, I learned that the Rhyhorn racer Grace and her son were moving here."
    "Mom would have something to do with this," I say, dragging my palm down my face.
    "Here in the Kalos region, you're far away from everything you used to know... That really hit me right here," says the Professor, tapping his chest. "So I thought that this might be the best thing I could do for you."
    "I appreciate it," I reply. Serena's on the verge of shedding a tear, thinking about it.
    The sound of the elevator doors opening grabs everyone's attention.
    "Hi, Professor! It's Shauna!" sings out Shauna.
    "Over here!" calls out the Professor.
    A moment later, the familiar girl turns the corner and spots us, "Serena! C-Meister!" She runs up to Serena for a hug.
    "It's only been like two days," says Serena, laughing and returning the hug.
    "I don't care!" says Shauna with a smile. Her face is being smothered by Serena's breasts. I turn away to hide my face that's gone red.
    "Fantastic! Now that Shauna is here, I have another present for you all!" says Sycamore, turning around to his desk.
    "Another one? Professor, you've done far too much for us already! We couldn't," says Serena.
    "Nonsense! The three of you are going to make incredible trainers. The fact that you've already beaten the Santalune City Gym only proves that," says the Professor.
    "You guys did it?!" asks Shauna.
    "Of course!" I say, giving Shauna a thumbs up. "But how did you know, Professor?"
    "I have my sources," he replies with a sly smile. He then throws three Pokéballs into the air, releasing the Pokémon inside.
    Before us appears a fire salamander Pokémon, a seed sprouting Pokémon, and a water turtle Pokémon. Originating from the Kanto region, these Pokémon are known respectively as Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle, according to my Pokédex.
    "You can each choose one of these Pokémon to take with you on your journey," says the Professor.
    "Woah! How am I supposed to pick? It's so difficult!" says Shauna.
    "You'll be together for a long time, so just take your time," says Serena.
    After a bit of contemplation, Shauna chooses Charmander, Serena takes Bulbasaur, and I get Squirtle. This way, none of us have the same type as our first Pokémon.
    "I would also like to give you these," says Sycamore, handing us each a stone. These stones are nothing like any stone I've seen or read about. Each one is differently colored, but shares the coloring of the Pokémon we chose. Inside the stone is a wavy symbol that I've never seen before. It reminds me of a newly lit flame, with horizontal lines similar to those of DNA.
    As we're inspecting these weird stones, the elevator opens again, and Trevor and Tierno join us in the professor's office.
    "So now that we're all here, I'd like to say a few words," says Sycamore. "Be the best trainer you can be! At the same time, remember to have fun traveling with your Pokémon! Also, I want to ask for your help in solving the Kalos region's biggest Pokémon mystery: the secret and potential of Mega Evolution, a new kind of evolution that occurs in battle!"
    "Mega... Evolution?" says Serena.
    "I've never heard of such a thing," I say. "And what are these stones?"
    "Those Mega Stones are an important clue to Mega Evolution," says the professor.
    "Mega Evolution? What should we do about the Pokédex?" asks Trevor. You can tell from the sound of his voice that he's scared to hear the response.
    "Trevor, my lad, if that's what "best Trainer" means to you, then I want you to go out there and complete that Pokédex!" replies the professor, wiping away any fears Trevor may of had.
    "Mega Evolution sounds really interesting though!" says Shauna.
    "If you're interested in investigating Mega Evolution, why don't you check out Camphrier Town? That town has a lot of history. You might find a hint there!" says Sycamore.
    "Where's Camphrier Town?" I ask, turning to Serena.
    "It's connected directly to Lumiose City by Route 5," replies Serena.
    "Now listen," says the professor. "If you visit many different places to complete the Pokédex, you will probably see Pokémon with many ways of living and meet many people with different ways of thinking. First, accept the ways of living and thinking that sometimes conflict with your own. And think about what's really important--this will truly broaden your horizons."
    Although the professor's speech is starting to drag on, I understand what he is saying. Not everyone is going to think the way we do.
    Once he finishes, the professor tells us that we're free to go. Reunited, the five of us socialize for a bit. We make our way to the elevator, but notice that it's too small for all of us to ride at once. Immediately, Shauna pushes Serena and I into the elevator.
    "You two go first," she says. "We'll be right behind you." I nod and hit the button for the first floor. As the door closes, Shauna says, "I wouldn't want to break you two up!"
    "Shauna!" yells Serena, but it was too late. The door closes and we travel down to the first floor in an awkward silence. I guess we have sort of grown closer over these past couple days now that I think about it.
    We step out of the elevator to hear an unfamiliar and deep voice ask, "So, I will be able to meet them soon, then." Sina stands in the room, facing a very peculiar man. He's tall and rigid, wearing a black and orange suit. What really sets him apart though, is his hair. His bright orange hair resembles a flaming mane that encloses a very serious face.
    "Yes," answers Sina. She seems reserved and skeptical, and I can understand why.
    "The children chosen by the professor... I wonder what potential they have," says the man. Why does he care about us? Serena and I turn to each other. Serena looks pretty worried as well.
    Sina takes notice of our arrival, and I can swear I see a wave of relief roll over her. "Here's two of them now," says Sina. "This is Calem and Serena. Come here for a sec you two!"
    I'm not so sure about this guy, but I know that I'll be taking over the rest of this conversation.
    "Oh! You've both received a Pokédex from the professor then... How wonderful! That is a wonderful thing, indeed. You are both one of the chosen ones," says the man. This dude is creeping me out.
    "I don't know about being a chosen one, but I'm truly grateful to be given such an opportunity," I say.
    "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lysandre. I've tried to learn as much about Pokémon as I can to help build a brighter future. Professor Sycamore has taught me so much. Knowledge is power, after all," says Lysandre. He then seems to scan Serena and I up and down. "Oh, I see you have a Holo Caster! Put it to good use." He pauses before continuing, "Now listen! It is vital that this world become a better place. And the people and Pokémon chosen to make the world better must work tirelessly to achieve this goal. Well, I'll be off. Please give Professor Sycamore my best. My desire...it is for a more beautiful world!"
    Lysandre walks out of the lab, and when the doors close behind him, the three of us release sighs of relief. What is he, some kind of poet?
    "What is it about him that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up? And still... I wonder what kind of beautiful world Lysandre desires," says Sina. "Sorry for throwing you under the bus there Calem."
    "Don't worry about it! I'd rather it be me than you or Serena," I say.
    "Thanks," she replies.
    I turn and notice Serena just staring at me. "You okay?" I ask.
    Serena comes to her senses and blushes. "Uh- ye- Yeah! I'm fine! What's taking the others so long?" says Serena,
    Before I can ask Sina more about that guy, the elevator opens with a ding. Out steps Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno.
    "Serena! C-Meister!" says Shauna, running up to us.
    "Are you going to be this excited every time you see us now?" I ask with a laugh.
    "Maybe," says Shauna, puffing out her cheeks. "But right now it's because I'm super excited to check out this place down the street!"
    "I'm pretty excited too!" says Serena. "I want to go to Café Soleil as soon as possible! It's always been my favorite!"
    "Then let's go!" says Shauna, grabbing Serena's arm and dragging her out the door.
    "Wait!" says Serena, stopping at the door. She turns to me and says, "There's something I want to talk to you about. I'll be waiting for you at Café Soleil, okay?"
    "Okay," I reply with a nod. The girls then run off in excitement. Something she wants to talk about? I wonder what it is. Could she actually have a thing for me and is going to confess?! The thought alone brings a redness to my face.
    "I wonder what Serena wants to talk about," whispers Trevor to Tierno. "Why couldn't she just say it here or use the Holo Caster?"
    "No clue, but it seems hush-hush," whispers back Tierno. "I AM curious about what's going on, but we should probably stay out of it."
    They do realize I can hear them right? Tierno then turns to me and says, "Hey C-Meister! If you take a left just outside the lab, you should be able to find both the Café and the building Shauna was talking about!"
    "Cool! Thanks! I totally forgot to ask," I reply.
    The three of us exit the building together.
    "This city may be big, but keep on the main streets and you shouldn't get too lost," says Tierno.
    With their own agendas, Tierno and Trevor head out into the city. For the first time in a while, I'm actually by myself. There sure are a lot of things to do here, but they'll have to wait. I have to find this Café Soleil place and find out what Serena wants to tell me!