As it turned out, the Pokémon center was just a short walk across the street. It looked like a small hospital form the outside, and Sunset recognized what was becoming a common motif above it. The red roof housed a symbol of a Pokéball, and inside the same symbol was laid out in tiles on the floor. There were a large variety of people here, from uniformed workers of the Center to traveling trainers. “Welcome to the Pokémon Center.” Sycamore said. “Here you can get medical care and supplies for your Pokémon. Oh, and you, of course.”
“This place is a store too?” Sunset asked.
“Yes indeed! Do you see the two people in blue uniforms over there?” He pointed to the corner of the building, where blue tiles separated themselves from the normal red. A counter and various shelves dominated the corner, offering a variety of supplies from backpacks to odd little spray bottles. Sunset nodded, and the professor continued. “That’s where you can buy all sorts of medicines for both you and your Pokémon. Travel supplies can also be found there, but they don’t really focus on that stuff.”
“Hello!” A cheerful voice said. Sunset turned around to spot a cheerful girl in a nurse’s outfit, with shining blue eyes and large amounts of pink hair kept tidy by a ribbon. “Welcome to the Pokémon Center! Oh, Professor Sycamore, what a welcome surprise! What brings you here today?”
“Pinkie…?” Sunset asked under her breath, but Sycamore walked up to the woman. Other than the poofiness of the hair, this person struck a remarkable resemblance to the party girl.
“Hello, Nurse Joy,” Sycamore said, walking up to the counter. “I’m here to get Gible a good rest. He needs it after what happened with Sunset’s Espurr.” He gestured to the flame-haired girl next to him. “In fact, it would probably be a good idea to get Espurr healed up as well. In fact, I’d like to step into the back as they heal, if that’s possible? I’d like to run a few tests…”
“No problem at all, Professor! I’ll just need to see both Pokémon and their Pokéballs!” After a second of persuading, Espurr jumped off of Sunset’s head, only to stare blankly at her as it was carried away by the nurse.
“I’ll be back out here in a little bit, Sunset. In the meantime, why not mingle with other trainers? Get to meet some friends and whatnot?” Sycamore said, before following the nurse into the back of the facility. Sunset sighed, before looking around. Most of the trainers that were here had long since dissolved into tight-knit groups, talking amongst friends that they have been traveling with. Sunset saw a boy about her age sitting at a table by himself, though. He had red hair with blue-dyed streaks in it, and a pair of orange gloves covering his hands to contrast against his grey coat.
“Hello there!” Sunset said as she approached him. She sat in a chair next to him, and he turned to face her. His eyes were a soft hazel, and he smiled.
“Hello to you as well! Traveling trainer, I presume?” He said with a childish mirth to his voice. Sunset nodded. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Klhan, and you are…?”
“Sunset.” The girl replied. “I’m guessing you’re a Pokémon trainer?”
“Yes indeed!” The boy said, grabbing a Pokéball from his belt. He opened it, revealing a small alligator-like creature. It was a seafoam green in color, with cobalt blue spikes running down its spine. “Totodile and I are gonna make a great team. We’re visiting a friend here in the Kalos Region, though. We’re from Johto originally.” Although the names were lost on Sunset, she still valued the fact he’d travel far to see a friend. “Where are you from, might I ask?”
“I’m from… well…” Sunset thought quickly, before unceremoniously spitting out: “I’m from a small village called Canterlot. You’ve… probably never heard of it, we’re not on the map.” She could feel a small amount of nervous sweat form on the back of her neck.
“Ah, a small town girl. I can respect that. It’s probably nothing like the hustle and bustle of Goldenrod City, or even Lumiose here.” Klhan said, smiling. “I was born in a large city, so I’m not that used to the countryside yet.” He paused for a second, before realizing something. “Hey, you’re a trainer too, right? Want to have a Pokémon battle?”
Meanwhile, in the back of the Pokémon Center, Professor Sycamore was staring intently at the screen in front of him. “Remarkable…” He muttered, glancing at the Espurr nearby. It was hooked up by wires to the machine, each one reading its heartbeat, pulse, and ambient energies of the Pokémon. “You’re not a typical Espurr, are you?” He said, but the Pokémon simply continued staring into blank space. The screen depicted the psionic energy of the Pokémon, displaying it as a light purple color. However, another coloration was present on the screen. A cyan aura was pulsing throughout the energy, adding to the Pokémon’s own.
“Is everything alright, Professor?” Nurse Joy asked, holding a small tray with a single Pokéball on it. Sycamore took the ball with a rushed thanks, before gesturing to the screen.
“This Espurr… it’s got an additional psychic energy attached to it. The thing is, I’ve never seen anything like it before.” He thought back to the ‘battle’ he had with Sunset. Now that he thought about it, Espurr’s species can’t use the move slash. The only explanation he has is this strange energy, which must have altered this Pokémon to be different to its peers. “It might change how this little one grows up, maybe even evolves. How fascinating…” He got up, and detached the Pokémon from the computer. “However, I’ll have to just ask Sunset to keep an eye on this little one for me.” He picked up the Espurr, holding it securely in his arms before bidding Nurse Joy a farewell and walking out into the main lobby of the Center.
“Well, I mean, I’ve never actually battle someone before…” He heard Sunset say as he spied the mound of red hair from across the room. Espurr jumped out of his arms and onto her head when the professor got near. “But I’m not unwilling to give it a try.” Sycamore smiled and decided to not worry Sunset about her Pokémon. That news can wait for later.
“Sunset, you’re going to give battling a try?” Sycamore asked. Receiving a nod from the teen, he gestured to the street outside. “Well, in that case I’ll be your referee. We have to make sure there’s nothing too dangerous going on, right?”
“Right.” Sunset said. On the street outside, she stepped out to face Klhan, and a few people stopped by to see the upcoming battle. “Alright, then… what am I supposed to say..?” Sunset said under her breath.
“C’mon, Totodile! Let’s go!” Klhan said, his alligator-esque Pokémon rushing out to midway between the trainers. Sunset stuttered for a moment, as she was sure that wasn’t what Sycamore had said before their battle. Maybe it was up to the trainer to decide how they introduce their Pokémon?
“In that case…” she said, grabbing Espurr off her head and placing it down on the ground. “Espurr, let’s show them what you can do!” She said, as the small catlike Pokémon hopped forward, staring blankly at the Totodile. The enemy Pokémon took one look at its opponent and laughed. Sunset sighed, but then pulled out her Pokédex, scanning her Espurr once more. She looked back at the section that was labeled ‘move list,’ trying to remember what her Pokémon could do.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen of Lumiose!” Sycamore said, grabbing the attention of those that had gathered. “This is going to be a one-on-one match between two young trainers. Not only that, but this is Sunset’s first real battle! Wish her luck!” The crowd cheered, sending a sense of pride into the girl. “If both trainers and their Pokémon are ready…” Sunset and Klhan nodded, before turning their attention back to the field. “Let the battle begin!”
“Totodile, use water gun!” Klhan shouted instantly, and the Pokémon responded by spraying a fountain of water at Espurr.
“Ack! Espurr, look out!” Sunset said, but not soon enough – Espurr was knocked off its feet and impacted the ground not too far away. It got up soon, however, and dusted itself off. “You okay?” She asked, getting a happy ‘purr?’ as a response. “Alright, then. Use Confusion!” Espurr’s blank stare turned a light cyan, flashing multiple other colors as Totodile was struck by a small shard of psychic energy. “Follow that up with Slash!” Espurr’s paw glowed white, and it charged the wobbling Totodile.
“Totodile, use bite to counter!” Klhan responded. Totodile shook its head and its teeth glowed, chomping down on Espurr’s arm. Neither one wanted to end their attack, and so they fought against each other as hard as they could. Sunset smirked, as she saw and easy solution to the problem at hand.
“Espurr, use slash with your other hand!” She called out. Her Pokémon obeyed, smacking the enemy upside its head with its paw. Totodile flew backwards, but righted itself in midair and landed on its feet. Sunset had an odd thought, given the two creatures were fighting each other. She felt a need to push her partner to victory, to see it win.
“Aqua Jet!” Klhan said, and the Totodile shot water at the ground, launching itself with great speed at Espurr. Concerned for her Pokémon’s safety, Sunset looked at the ‘move list’ once more on her Pokédex.
Hoping it did what it sounded like, she called out, “Espurr, put up a Barrier!” Espurr’s eyes glowed slightly, and a shimmering shield of psychic energy covered its form. It didn’t stop the attack from connecting, but it did seem to toughen Espurr, making it feel less of the attack. “Good job, Espurr! Finish this up with another slash!” The Pokémon responded in kind, slapping Totodile across its face with a glowing paw. The alligator went down, and didn’t seem like it could get back up.
After a few tense seconds, Sycamore spoke. “Totodile is unable to battle. The winners of this fight are Espurr and Sunset!” Sunset smiled, as she understood why this world liked Pokémon battling so much. It was a rush of energy, and a drive to do better than you have before. Espurr hopped over and looked up to her, waving its small arms up to her. She laughed, grabbing the Pokémon and placing it on her head, as it liked to do.
“Great job, Espurr!” Sunset said, laughing. “Hey, Klhan,” she said, walking over to him. “No hard feelings, okay?”
“Yeah, it’s all good.” He responded. He returned Totodile to its Pokéball, and looked up to Sunset, offering his hand. “Nice battling skills. If you hadn’t told me otherwise, I’d have thought you were more experienced. I’ll see you around, Sunset.” He walked into the Pokémon Center, seeking to heal his Pokémon.
“So, have any fun?” Sycamore asked, approaching Sunset. “I’d wager you know how much we value Pokémon battles here by now.”
“Yeah, I can’t really explain it…” Sunset replied. “It’s the same kind of rush I feel when I’m playing my guitar back home, or when I’m competing in a sport.”
Sycamore nodded. “Indeed. Well, speaking of your world, have you given any thought to my two options?” He asked, optimistically hoping she had.
“Well, I have, but I’m still not too sure… Both the space technology you have and those myths about time/space travel both intrigue me.” Sunset replied. “However, I think I’ll go with…”