Pokemon: Origin of Shadows

One would have expected a journey to start on a bright early morning. In time, that would have been the time to start a journey, especially a Pokemon journey. But at the moment, when every trainer–if they could even be called that at this point–was still so unsure, things were different. It was a less planned time. A time that carefree and left much to the individual who could march along at whatever pace they wished. The time of day planned for the adventure into unknown ended up being shortly after noon, and what an afternoon it was. Warmed by the several weeks of Spring–it seemed Summer would be around the corner before anyone knew it–the heat was just bearable, leaving the typical take-your-own pace to a slower crawl than usual. It was in these conditions that the journey would start, and one of the youths was more than ready to have it begin.

"G'bye Mom! G'bye Dad!" Wil remarked with a cheery grin, his tone making it seem like he would be traveling for days to reach his first destination. In reality, he only had to walk about twenty feet (if that) to reach the current-house-future-lab of the Professor Elm, the Pokemon expert. If that was the end of his venture, it would have made his statement increasingly ironic, but the fact that shortly after his first stop he would be leaving for an undetermined amount of time made the carefree nature of the statement harsher. More permanent. His mother and father stood in the door, pained looks hidden behind smiling faces as they waved him off to the lab. Indeed, it was a terrible feeling that clung to them as he passed by one of the only other houses in New Bark town to reach the Professor's dwelling. He would be gone a long time, that was certain, and if he would come back was uncertain. A child growing up and moving out was one thing, but knowing they could be walking to certain death was another entirely.

However, there was nothing they could do. As reluctantly as they had agreed, they certainly had. To take back their word when the Professor assured their child's safety in greater numbers would have caused a very negative response. He might have just snuck off if they had said "No," he had attempted to do so countless times in the past. Now that he was older, he probably would be able to pull it off. At least in this case he would have company and a guardian. And so, the couple disappeared back into their house which had lost a piece of what made it a home–perhaps once they got a letter from their son they would feel better.

But writing home was the last thing on the teen's mind at the moment. No, nothing but the adventure at hand consumed his thoughts. After all, when one had been cooped up in a small town with nothing going on for so long, who wouldn't be entirely focused on leaving? Simple answer: No one. And it was with a very bright grin–brighter than his usual one, even–that he entered the Professor's home. "Hello, Professor Elm! It's Wil! I'm here to get my Pokemon!" he exclaimed, finding the professor nowhere in sight in his rather large home. Taking a couple steps forward, he found two seats pulled out at a small wooden table which held three strange spheres. "Hmm... I wonder..."

Today was the day. The warm air from outside did not help with the poor child's nerves, her bones too chilled from anxiety. Her and her parents knew that she wouldn't be traveling alone. The professor explained at least that much, but neglected to mention who her companion would be. Hopefully it was someone whom she could get along with easily. That is what her parents hoped for the most, that she would be safe with a friend. And having a pokemon alongside her would help her as well.

It was a little past afternoon when Selena Autumn Rose began to prepare to depart the sanctuary of her parent's home. Her mother fussed over her hair as her father made sure she was ready for the trip ahead. The backpack they were giving her would be a bit heavy, but with time she would get used to it. Selena's normal one-piece dresses were not suited for travel, so her parents went out to get her some proper travel gear. A normal shirt with a fleecy jacket combined with a short skirt for the hot summer days. She wore long white socks up to her knees with sneakers. They gave her a one-piece swimsuit in case she ever came across the ocean. A heavy jacket, scarf, mittens, and long jeans were also packed away in her bag to prepare for the coming winter season.

One last thing her parents fussed over. The length of her hair. The silky smooth green locks were far too long for an adventure into the wilderness, so her mother chopped most of it off. It now only fell just below her shoulders, where it originally touched the back of her knees. The loss of weight from her hair was almost matched by the weight of the pack her father gave her. When time came to say goodbye to her parents, Selena already looked ready to go. How she felt, though, was quite the opposite.

"Mama, Daddy, I guess I'll be heading off then," Selena was saying as the family grouped near the door. Her brothers were also there, two of them clinging to her shirt from either side, as if trying to prevent her from leaving.

"Please don't go, big sis," the littlest one pleaded, looking up at Selena with bright blue eyes.

"Everything you need will be in your pack, darling," her mother replied, unable to even force a reassuring smile. She was not partial to watching her only daughter walk out the door, though it must be done if Selena was ever to be cured of her fear towards new experiences. "Remember to dress for the weather, don't forget to eat all of your meals. We left you a bit of money in case you run into trouble. It's in the first pocket on the front."

"Big sis, don't leave!" Selena's youngest brother tugged even harder on her shirt. He really didn't want her to go. The other brother holding onto her was the second-youngest, and the quietest out of the four of them, but the look on his face was readable enough. Selena knelt down and hugged her brothers tightly.

"I'm going to miss you," she said quietly, looking up at her parents as the smallest child began to cry. "All of you."

"We're going to miss you too, dear," her father replied. The last brother stood next to his father, watching Selena with careful eyes. He was the closest to her in age, but he only came up to her stomach in size, and Selena was a very short girl.

"Get going, big sis," the eldest brother said, almost uncertainly, "long goodbyes were never your thing anyway."

"I love you too, Taro," Selena replied, this time able to pull out a smile, a real one. She stood up, much to the dismay of the youngest brothers, and left the house without another wasted moment. Her brother's words were what she needed to motivate her to leave, he was always good at sensing that about her. If anything, Selena had a motivation issue.

The trek over to the building where the professor said to meet him was not far from her home, but it still took some time getting there. Selena would often stop moving and glance back at her house, as if wishing to turn back. Once she went through the doors and could no longer see her house, Selena kept moving without stopping, until she met another person. A boy. He looked to be about her age, and a little taller than her. She brushed some of the vibrant green hair away from her eyes and took a single step closer.

"Hello," she said, announcing her presence to the boy. She was nervous, very much so. What if he wasn't a nice person? What if he turned out to be a bad guy? What if he didn't like her? So many uncertain thoughts like these ran through her head, but life is nothing without adventure. And she's here to be on an adventure, not to sit around and mope. That one thought motivated her to speak.

Wil had just about laid the tip of his right pointer finger on the first strange sphere when the sound of someone entering the house stopped him. He whirled around, his hands planting themselves in his pockets as he attempted to appear totally nonchalant. However, when he noticed it was a girl, and a rather cute one at that, he relaxed. She said, "hello," sounding just a tad shy, and he smiled, getting up and offering her his hand. "Hello!" he returned her greeting cheerily, looking at her more closely for the first time. "You live around here?" He asked, finding himself unable to recognize her–a fact which surprised him. In a small town like New Bark there weren't THAT many people, and to not recognize someone perfectly typically meant they were newly moved in. But... that didn't seem to be the case with her. "You look kinda familiar..."

Her heart jumped just a little bit when the boy greeted her. She knew him. Or rather, knew of him. They never had a personal relationship, this boy and her. It was one of her watching him from afar, wondering if he was a nice person. She knew he was popular, it was obvious why. He was the cool and collected type, the popular guy in town. Selena doubted that he even knew her name, or even her face. Hearing that he might recognize her brought her hopes up, but she was too nervous to say anything about it. She was the quiet girl that always shied away from interaction. They were complete opposites.

"Y-yeah. I live a few houses down," Selena said, looking down as she took his hand, her other moving back to touch her newly cut hair. At least his introduction wasn't mean, but if he found out where he recognized her from, would that change? She hoped not.

Wil's look became increasingly pensive when she mentioned where she lived. She definitely wasn't new-to-town then, and he had the greatest feeling that he knew her. And how couldn't he? If she hadn't just moved in she likely lived here her entire life, just as he had. "A few houses down..." he murmured again, glancing her up and down once more. She probably lived right near him, maybe a house or two over from his. Who lived in those houses? An older man and his estranged niece, a family of eight (all girls; three sets of twins no less), and... a somewhat smaller family of six. The Rose's. He remembered seeing the family's younger children plenty, but did they have a daughter around his age? . . . Yeah. Her name...

"Selena, right?" Wil asked after a moment, his thought plagued face melted into a once again cheery expression. He had never really talked to her, but now that he had her (*cough*possible*cough*) name, he remembered a little bit about her. She was his complete opposite in terms of social activity–shy, almost anxious (an attribute her understood better now that he was talking to her.) He, on the other hand, was a total social butterfly; it made sense that they had little to no interaction, but that would change if... "Wait a sec, are you the one coming with me?" he asked suddenly, his visage still rather bright. "If you are, that's great! We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other." he continued just as quickly, a mega-watt smile shining to hopefully set her more at ease.

He guessed her name. He knew her. Or at least knew her face and could tie a name to it, but that was something, right? That had to be worth something. Wil's attitude didn't change, he was being consistently cheerful and friendly. Selena was still incredibly nervous, but this realization helped her relax enough to not be overwhelmed by her insecurity. She could only nod to confirm that he guessed her name correctly before he continued on. He was definitely a talkative person, Selena knew that already, but how he was able to continue on with hardly any feedback from her was astonishing. In the end, she was glad she wasn't quite the social butterfly that Wil was.

"I think so," Selena responded quietly, unable to completely contain herself from replying. It was hard to just stay quiet when someone was talking to you and expecting an answer. But in the end, Selena realized this was what she wanted. What she needed. A companion who wasn't afraid to talk to her, or be the main holder of a conversation. Not necessarily a blabber-mouth, but a polite and cheerful guy who could still be considerate of her. Selena only hopes she didn't offend him by her silence.

Feeling a bit less anxious, Selena glanced around her at the room they were in, her eyes eventually resting upon a strange set of spheres. They were curious little things that she didn't quite recall ever seeing before. "Um," she started, almost stammering as the next part came out, "what are those?"

Wil whirled back around to face the three spheres on the table with a frown. "Oh yeah... those..." he began, moving back over to where he had been seated without taking his seat. They certainly were strange; three in total: one the color of the nearby forests, another similar to the color of red clay, and the last one colored like the sky. But the color wasn't the strangest attribute, in fact, they almost looked porous–like skin in a way. And they all had a strange circle in the middle–almost like a button. There was the urge to touch one again and see just what it did, but for some reason, with Selena right there, he felt it'd be safer not to. "I don't really know what they are. They're pretty strange though, I wonder..." he added, eyes locked on the reddish sphere. It seemed to call to him in a way, almost like... "Maybe if I–" Wil reached out to the red sphere, but just as he was about to lay his fingertip a voice rang out.

"Don't." Wil immediately retracted his hand, his eyes flying to the stairwell where none other than Professor Elm stood with a rather large box in his hand. "In due time, I assure you, but not now, Wil." the professor added in a more gentle tone as he descended the stairs.

"O-of course, sir." Wil replied quickly, stuttering only slightly at the older man's presence in the room. Professor Elm certainly did have a powerful aura around him–something that directly paralleled his appearance. He was a large gentleman, fit rather than thick in his old age, with strong shoulders and a powerful, kingly visage. But with the domineering air he exuded, there was also something else–a certain calm understanding akin to that of a father of many years, a kindness that only someone with a loving soul and years of happiness could display. And if there were any nerves in the room (at least for Wil), they were calmed as he motioned for both children to sit down, coming to stand on the other side of the table.

"I am glad that you two appear eager to embark on your journey, and I apologize for the delay. There was one last-minute detail I had to take care of before you got here and I failed to finish on time." the professor explained, a certain cheer in his hazel eyes as he motioned to the box in his hands. On closer inspection, it was more than just some box, rather like a present, with a small bow and a little card that held his name, Gregory Elm, in elegant script.

"However, everything is in place now, and when I have run everything by you, you will be able to set out. Here before you, as you have noticed, I have three Pokemon Containment Devices, informally known in the scientific community as Pokeballs. In these balls are three Pokemon, creatures similar to the ones that live in the route just outside of town. One of them will be your partner from here on out." he continued, a smile resting on his face as he motioned to the first sphere, the forest green one. "This one contains the Pokemon Chikorita, a grass-type. Kind of a defiant little critter, doesn't respond well to taking orders and prefers lazying about over doing battle if it's a nice day." he stated, glancing at Selena in particular before he continued, "But don't let that scare you, all of these pokemon will make great first partners." he reassured, moving over to the red ball.

"This one contains the Pokemon Cyndaquil, a fire-type. Very eager to please, a little clumsy however. You'll need to keep an eye out–doesn't exactly know his limitations." His gesture finally landed on the blue-colored sphere. "And the last one contains the Pokemon Totodile, a water-type. Surprisingly low energy and easily bored. Keep him entertained and you won't have a problem." He then stepped back and opened his gesture to the three balls, looking at both of the teens intently before nodding. "Please, take your time and choose who you think will be the best partner for you."

Selena kept her mouth shut and watched the professor carefully. He was absorbing almost everything he said, some part of her looked up to the professor, as a sort of authority figure. He always seemed to be in control, even when he met with her parents and herself. Her parents were very vocally against her leaving, but after Elm calmly talked them down and explained what an opportunity this was, they relented and thought about it. Eventually, her parents agreed. But it was the professor who looked at her and asked her directly if she wanted to go.

Selena didn't have to respond immediately, he gave her until today. If she showed up, that meant she would agree to go on this journey. If not, she could sleep in and spend the rest of her life without going outside New Bark. Well, she showed up. The look the professor gave her was enough to solidify her resolve, shaky as it may have been. Selena was ready for this, and finally, her head perked up.

"I, um," Selena started, slowly finding the words she wanted to use, "I think I know which one I want." Selena glanced at Wil for a moment, as if unsure whether she was crossing a line here, "if you don't mind, I'd like Chikorita."

He only smiled in his own reassuring way, once again to (hopefully) put her at ease. "Go ahead." Wil chirped in response, "I want Cyndaquil, so it all works out!" Quite a fortunate case too. He had been worried she might want Cyndaquil–it definitely seemed like the kind of partner that would gel with her from what Professor Elm had described. But in the end, it all worked out and so, he turned his attention to the professor who nodded in response, taking the unclaimed Pokeball away. Without waiting another second, Wil grabbed at the remaining of the two balls that he had chosen. "This is awesome, thanks professor!"

What a relief, she could have the one she wanted. As soon as she heard that Chikorita didn't take kindly to taking orders, she felt that this was the pokemon she could handle. Selena wasn't the type to give out orders in a strict sort of fashion, she wanted to have a friendly relationship with the pokemon of her choosing. Maybe the Cyndaquil would have been a better choice, but Selena wanted to learn something rather than take the easy way out.

Selena stepped forward hesitantly and took the green pokeball into her hands. She rolled the ball over in her hands, feeling the surface of the thing to familiarize herself with its grip. She felt an abnormality on the surface, something protruding from it. When she turned it over to look at it, she found it was the button-like stub that she saw earlier. Curious, she pushed the button.

Almost like a latch being unlocked, the pokeball split in half and opened up, revealing a flash of white light that seemed to have a consciousness. The light spun around in the air for a second before taking shape. The light slowly faded, revealing a small creature of many different shades of green. It stood on four tiny hooves and had a large green leaf sitting atop its head, and a circle of green buds ran around its neck. It had these large red eyes that slowly opened and turned upwards towards Selena.

"Oh," Selena said, unable to contain her surprise. "What just...did I do something wrong, professor? Or is this...Chikorita?"

The professor just smiled.

"Nothing's wrong, my dear, you are correct. Selena, this is Chikorita." He then motioned for Wil to do the same, and the teen complied without the slightest hesitation. The red ball acted similarly to Selena's, splitting in half and opening up revealing a flash of light identical to the first. What came next, however, was different. Instead of a green quadruped, a rather short mouse-like pokemon with closed eyes and a brilliant flame surrounding it's abdomen appeared. It stretched happily, letting out a tiny cry before bouncing in place as it took in its new trainer.

"Woah!" Wil exclaimed, bending down and reaching his hand out to the small Pokemon. The little tyke immediately took to the hand, pressing up against it with its own cheery glee that was akin to Wil's own. "Well hey there~" he chuckled, allowing the fire mouse to continue snuggling up to him. His eyes briefly flew up to Selena and then landed on the professor who sat with an even wider smile on his face. "This is great, professor!"

"Chikorita..." Selena murmured, looking down at the tiny green creature. It stared back up at her almost defiantly. Selena knelt down on the ground, bringing herself as close to eye level with the creature as she could. Pausing only slightly, she offered the creature her hand. The Chikorita looked at the hand, then back to Selena. Minutes seemed to pass before it walked closer, slowly on those four tiny legs. It got just close enough for it to sniff Selena's hand and relent.

Selena took this as a good sign, and touched the top of the Chikorita's head, avoiding touching the leaf on its head. She figured it wasn't a good place to mess with, especially now. It looked like the leaf could just pop off with the slightest touch. Surely it was attached well enough, but Selena didn't want to risk it. The Chikorita's skin was smooth and fuzzy, brushing against it tickled her hand.

The Chikorita didn't seem to mind the touch, it actually seemed to enjoy it. Selena relaxed, she managed to pass the first interaction well enough. She looked up at the professor. "So, um...what do we do now?"

All smiles. "Now is when you begin your journey." he responded, once again taking the present-box and opening it. Inside was a eleven slots, ten of which were occupied by orangish variants of the pokeballs they had just received. What lied in the final slot, however, was much different. A leather bound book with a gold embroidering that read Pokemon Encyclopedia, clearly hand crafted and perfect to the finest detail. "No doubt your parents provided you with materials to keep yourselves going, but I have also taken it upon myself to give you these. The balls you see are exact copies of your current Pokeballs, except they hold no Pokemon; use these in order to capture and raise other Pokemon you come across in your travels." he explained, grabbing five of the Pokeballs and offering them first to Wil and then Selena.

"I've also provided a copy of my research. While not complete, it is fitted with many entries about the Pokemon you are most likely to come across during your travels. Should you come across a species of Pokemon that is without an entry, I ask that you please catalog it and mail a copy back home to me." he continued, "I trust you can manage that." He then handed the book over to Selena with the utmost care, after which he resettled himself by the doorway. "And now, I suggest you two head out. It's not a strenuous journey to the next town over, but I'm sure everyone would feel better knowing you left before sunset."

"You're probably right." Wil answered, pocketing the empty Pokeballs and claiming Cyndaquil in his arms. The little mouse snuggled closer to him, obviously enjoying the embrace greatly. "I'm ready when you are, Selena!"

Selena took the small, intricately designed book with care, surprised that the professor was giving it to her. Her mother did say that a lady's hands were gentler tools than a man's, so that might have been why. Selena would make sure that no harm ever came to the book. She pressed it up against her chest, as if protecting it from the world. She would find a place to put it in her bag soon, she hoped. Walking around in the wilderness with a book in her hand seemed like a bad idea.

"Thank you professor," Selena said politely, bowing her head to him just a little bit. The pokeballs he gave them, as well as Chikorita's own, were stored away safely into a side pocket she could easily reach on her bag. Selena looked at Wil, giving him a small smile, one she could manage without bringing back her insecurity. "I think I'm ready to go."

Selena didn't necessarily want to take the lead, but it looked like Wil wanted her to. A small bit of hesitation followed from her, and something brushed up against her leg. It was Chikorita. The little creature looked up at Selena with those blank red eyes, then moved forward, as if taking the lead itself. Glad that someone else was there to do her current job, but a little regretful for not finding the courage herself, Selena followed the small pokemon, stopping next to it and walking alongside it. She would exit the building, wait for Wil, and then they'd be off on their adventure.

"Thanks again, professor!" Wil called back as he followed Selena out the door. There was the brief registration of the older man telling them it was no problem and to be safe, but all thoughts in the teen's head immediately flew to the journey at hand. The sun still shone with a brightness that only accompanied a new beginning–the kind perfect for the task at hand. Settling into a comfortable pace next to Selena, Wil smiled and bounced Cyndaquil in his arms. "This is gonna be great! Finally a chance to explore Route 29 without having to worry about being caught!" he exclaimed, talking to Selena despite his eyes being locked on the fire-type who seemed to enjoy the treatment even more than just being held.

"I wonder what kind of Pokemon we'll see..." he added after a moment, bringing a hand to his chin in an attempt to recollect his memory of Route 29. It had been a long time since he last snuck into the Route–almost two years. There was some sort of ferret Pokemon... a couple rats... and a couple birds..." he murmured aloud, having stopped bouncing his Cyndaquil to think focus more on his foggy memory. There wasn't all that much detail, the few choice words he used to describe them so far was all. But what if those Pokemon weren't there anymore? Could things really change that much? "I guess we'll just have to wait and see..." he said after a bit, resigning to the fact that he had no way of knowing and he internally doubted Selena had a clue either.

Wil definitely seemed to know more about the outdoors than Selena did. She was still nervous about leaving her home, but unlike Wil, she never dared to venture outside to Route 29. She had to keep reminding herself that it was okay, she was allowed to leave. Expected to really, despite how much she would be missed by her parents and brothers. She mostly stayed silent, letting Wil talked, but occasionally there was a silence between the two. During one of the periods of silence, Selena felt like she could have said something. But that moment passed, making her feel somewhat guilty. She decided the next chance she got, she would say something too, just so Wil didn't get discouraged by her constant silence.

Another period of silence came, and Chikorita brushed up against her leg, as if urging her on. Selena noticed this act of kindness and motivated herself just enough. "I'd like to see some pokemon too, but I...I'm not sure. What are they like? I mean...in the wild?" Selena asked, her sentences stammered and taking nearly an eternity to come out. She was still nervous, unsure what to think of Wil or this adventure.

What were Pokemon like? It was an odd question to hear, given he had told everybody his age what they were like, but Wil realized Selena probably didn't talk with people much. She likely had never heard anything about his sneaking out or what he encountered on his short ventures. "Well, they're not evil or anything. Most people in town make them out to be some sort of monster species, but they're really cool!" he began thoughtfully, motioning to Cyndaquil first and then Chikorita as he continued. "I mean, a lot of them are like these guys. They're almost like humans in a way, unique and aware." he paused at this, remembering that that last trait did make them a little dangerous if they got mad. "They can get a little scary sometimes, but if you're careful there shouldn't be any issues with them whatsoever! . . . And hey, we've got Pokemon of our own to protect us if we do run into trouble, so no worries!" He offered her another reassuring smile, hopefully she would be able to relax–he didn't like her being so anxious, after all. Wasn't good for her.

"Okay, if you say so," Selena murmured, looking away and down at her feet. It was still hard the believe she was walking on the grass. Her! The girl who shied away from any kind of adventure or new experience. Out here, she was completely in the open, vulnerable to whatever might happen to her. And yet, with ever step she took, she became a little more sure of herself. Her insecurity wouldn't be back for a while, and it was a great feeling knowing that.


A sign on the edge of the road was erected to warn the townsfolk of the dangers of crossing through the entrance to the town. A chain link hung across the opening, the ends attached to trees on opposite sides. It was here that Selena stopped moving. If she took one more step further, she would be crossing the boundary of New Bark Town. She would be going where no one had gone before, into the great, wild unknown.

The steps ahead of her were uncharted, unmapped. No one could tell her what to expect. But surely, something great lied at the end of this journey. Somewhere, something called for her. Selena believed in fate, in destiny. But there are multiple paths one could take. You could avoid your destiny, or charge forward to face it. Leaving the town would mean going out to face whatever it was the world prepared for her. Staying behind meant she would be safe from harm, but never able to get over her insecurities, her anxieties.

And what man in their rightful mind would ever want someone like that?

Selena took a deep breath, exhaling steadily and focusing forward, keeping her chin held high and her eyes locked. She could feel the very unfamiliar feeling of confidence well up within her. She liked it. For once, an anxiety that she could enjoy, a thrill that shouted in the face of cowardice. Selena took the chain link in one hand and lifted it up, quickly darting beneath it and forward, past the gate, Chikorita at her heels.

Wil chuckled as Selena darted past the gate with Chikorita in tow, happy to see that she was being brave... or rather willing herself to set out on their journey. He couldn't fully understand why she was so anxious, but he did understand that leaving home was hard. Although he wanted nothing more than to see the world, even he had to admit he would miss home. Getting past the fence, himself, he jogged on after her in an attempt to keep up with her, Cyndaquil still bouncing in his arms as he ran.

After several minutes of jogging he finally caught up to her and maintained an average pace, settling himself next to her with another smile. "It shouldn't be long now till we see some new Pokemon!" he exclaimed, offering a smile down at his starter with a bright energy. He was definitely eager to catch another pokemon, but after a moment he supposed that they had better be careful about what they attempt to capture. The professor had only given them five other Pokeballs each–they probably would not be able to get more anywhere. But the negative thoughts could wait till later, Wil was certain that they would have plenty of Pokeballs left to catch whatever they wanted later in their journey!

But, of course, their (moreso Wil's specifically) bright spirits had to be dampened slightly. After ten minutes of walking through the rather long route, having to find ways around the various rocky ledges which were impassable, there were no Pokemon to be found. Not even a rustle in the bushes or trees. Nothing. It seemed the only living creatures around was them and their Pokemon. "How... I mean... this place is so different..." he muttered, "last time I was here there were Pokemon everywhere! I was almost surrounded by them last time! Where could they all be?"

Selena's insecurities stayed away, but she regained some forms of her nervousness. The fact she was going to be traveling with a boy, a popular one, for quite some time made her feel a little self-conscious. Selana kept touching her cut hair, not used to it being so short. What kind of girl did he like, anyway? He may prefer the outspoken ones over the quieter type. Selena had no way of knowing.

A light blush arose to her cheeks. This was not the time to be thinking such things! She hardly knew him in the first place. Besides, there were plenty of girls back home that he could fawn over. They were 16 or 17 years old. The chances of him finding a girl to like are high, considering how popular he is. Or was, now that they are in the wild now, away from home.

Selena was finally snapped out of her reverie when Wil began talking about the lack of Pokemon. Surrounded by Pokemon? They were hardly being swarmed by them now. What could have changed then? The only thing Selena could think of...was herself. She was the abnormality in the equation here. By his words, Selena could tell that Wil often sneaked out into the wild. Maybe the Pokemon got used to him, but now that there is a new person, Selena, they become nervous.

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm here? And they don't know me." Selena proposed her idea to Wil, her voice quiet and guilty. If that was the case, then Selena was keeping Wil away from having a good time with Pokemon. She didn't want that.