[BtTG] Best Wishes!

Another companion to the Cerise-related BtTG stuff, here's a quick little story I whipped up that ties into a few things from Advent of Ruin and explores a bit of Cerise right before he journeys to Kanto to meet Professor Green. Also, I've put together a timeline of BtTG-related stories, if anyone wanted to get the full experience of this!

Timeline of BtTG Events
- The Story of The Ascended
- Jo's Story
- Catia's Story
- Decoda's Story
--- The Lavender Song
- Loka's Story
--- Behind The Eyepatch
- Cerise's Story
--- Best Wishes!
- Chrono, the Kindred Spirit
- Chrono's Resolve
- Pokemon: Beyond the Tall Grass
    - Part 1
    - Part 2
    --- Advent of Ruin


~**~


The sound of Pidove tweets were the first thing that greeted Cerise as he traversed the Route leading back to his hometown of Lacunosa. The young male took a deep breath of the nostalgic air, eyes closed as memories returned to him of his home. He’d only been gone for a few weeks, but he already felt as though he had missed his home dearly.

Playing in the tall grassy brush nearby was his trusted partner Chespin, who batted at passing flowers playfully as he followed Cerise’s footsteps. Cerise looked over at his Pokemon friend with a gaze that could almost be seen as wistful. It wasn’t that long ago that Professor Oak had requested Cerise to undertake journeying the Kanto region and completing the Professor’s work. It had taken some serious consideration for a few weeks, but Cerise was going to take it. He’d be leaving in about two months to arrive in the Kanto region and begin his journey.

Naturally, his family was thrilled for him. The past year had been pretty hard, so maybe Cerise’s work in other regions could help bring in some income for them? That was their hope, anyway. Cerise himself wasn’t too sure about any monetary gains from this venture. But that wasn’t quite his concern.

He had just taken a trip around a good chunk of his home region of Unova alongside his Chespin, mostly sightseeing and “remembering Unova for one last time before leaving” as Cerise had told the Pokemon. In reality… the Professor had sent a Pokemon to his house while he had been down by his family’s old Day Care nearby Floccesy Town, which was now a ranch. This Pokemon from Professor Oak was a gift, and was intended to be a “starter” Pokemon for Cerise when he journeyed to Kanto. In the waiting time between getting this Pokemon and setting off for Kanto, it was assumed that Cerise would bond with this new starter and get comfortable with each other. Initially, he was excited to make a new friend, but upon further reflection…

It would mean he’d have to leave Chespin behind, wouldn’t it?

The possibility of that fear being realized had gripped Cerise ever since he had realized it, and he had felt himself growing more and more… anxious as the duo got closer to Lacunosa. Chespin didn’t know about Cerise’s fears, although the trainer suspected that his partner DID sense something was off. But either way, Chespin hadn’t made any noticeable shifts in its behavior over the journey.

Cerise looked up as he heard the hedgehog’s cry of happiness. They now stood before the giant stone walls that surrounded Lacunosa Town, with only a small measure of distance between Cerise and the beginning of his farewell to Chespin. He clutched his chest as he passed underneath the stone arch that lead to Lacunosa’s main streets, seeing his house in the distance.

“Almost there, buddy.” He said to Chespin, trying to keep his voice as natural as possible as he keeps walking, his hands now wet and clammy. His Chespin cheered in response, taking a running start as it began to run towards the house. Chuckling, Cerise adjusted his bag and began to run as well to keep up with his best friend.

As they passed their local Pokemon Center, they passed a greeting wave to Nurse Joy, who had just finished watering the plants in front of the building. The pink-haired nurse smiled and waved in response, her Chansey peeking its head out of the window. Cerise and Chespin rounded the corner, their laughter echoing through the city streets vibrantly.

It wasn’t long before the duo arrived in front of Cerise’s house, both now out of breath from their race back home. They exchanged looks and simultaneously burst into laughter at seeing how sweaty and exasperated they both were. Trying to catch his breath, Cerise readjusted his glasses before taking a deep breath. This was it.

He lifted his hand to knock on the door.

Before his hand was even near it, the door swung open as several Pokemon burst from the house to greet him, some furry, others not. Cerise and Chespin were instantly bowled over by the resident Pokemon-- including Donphan, Magmortar, Glameow, and Cacturne. As the group collapsed to the ground, Cerise burst into more laughter.

“Alright, alright! I get it, I get it! I missed you all too!!” The juvenile trainer struggled to break free, but only found himself more and more tangled up with these Pokemon which he’d essentially lived his whole life with. To be completely honest, he saw them as integral to his family as his mom or Grams! And speaking of which…

“Alakazam, could you please sort this out, dearie?” Cerise heard the familiar voice of his grandmother only a beat of time before he found himself and the other Pokemon levitating in the air, slowly getting untangled by a mysterious force. Cerise looked up to see Alakazam with an arm raised at the group and his Grams, a warm smile on her face.

“Welcome home, my sweet Cherry.”

-

“But overall, the floating rocks were the weirdest part!” Cerise says, finishing a monologue as he and Grams sat at a table with cups of tea before them. Both were seated not on chairs, but knelt on pillows. The elderly woman chuckled at Cerise’s expression, his story now finished. She reached down to sip some of her tea, then gently placed the cup back onto its saucer.

“Chargestone Cave is quite a strange place, indeed… But overall, your trip was pleasant, yes?” Grams asked, her burgundy shawl covering most of her upper body. Alakazam had taken up a spot nearby, an intense concentration on its spoons inducing a meditative trance on the Psychic-type. Its legs were crossed, and it now levitated about a foot off of the ground, humming to itself softly.

“Yep! I think this was a pretty good test drive for… Kanto.” Cerise almost halts his sentence partway, but continues it regardless. Grams, though not visibly showing any signs, catches his vocal falter nearly immediately. She reaches across the table to gently grasp his hand.

“Are you sure about this, dear? Nobody will be upset if you choose not to go. Ethel and I just want your happiness, and nothing more…” Grams reassured him with a faint smile. Cerise nodded in response, but looked away from Grams’ gaze.

“...Well anyway, that Professor Green fellow said one of his aides would be arriving shortly in a few hours to bring that starter Pokemon over. You’d better get ready to meet them!” Grams said as she motioned for Cerise to run along, and the 15-year-old complied, standing up slowly and jogging upstairs to shower after his journey. Grams watched him, eyes slowly closing as she sighed deeply.

“After that night… he’s never quite been the same…” Grams murmured to herself, eyebrows now knotted in concern. Alakazam’s hums grew slightly louder, almost in agreeance with Grams’ murmurs. The elderly woman slowly stood, her gaze now focused on the window leading to the outside world, where the trees in the backyard swayed in the strong breezes. She sighed, crossing her arms under her shawl.

“In any case... Alakazam, we still need the rest of our supplies for this afternoon. Would you please accompany me to the market?” Grams asked her partner, a faint smile upon her face as she began to make her way to the coat rack. The psychic-type nodded as its humming halted and it ceased levitating. As Grams and her Pokemon partner headed towards the door, the elderly woman made notice of Chespin lying down on the couch with Glameow. She furrowed her brows for a moment.

“Chespin, can you come here for a moment?” The grass-type nodded as it waddled over, looking up at Grams expectantly. Alakazam lifted its spoons as it closed its eyes, and Chespin found itself lifted by psychic energy up to Grams’ height.

“Dear, I know you told me everything that happened that night… with Kyurem and what had happened to Cerise… Can you please be sure to keep watching after him, just in case? I truly worry as to what forces are at work within my grandson, but I can’t always be with him. Be my eyes and ears, Chespin. Can you do that for me?” Chespin saluted at Grams’ request, nodding with a smile. Watching over Cerise had been something that Chespin had been doing fairly well during the duo’s short journey through the Unova region.

“I’ll hold you to it, then.” Grams faintly smiled as Alakazam released Chespin to rejoin Glameow. And with that, Alakazam lifted one hand to gather energy and teleported itself and Grams to their town’s market. Chespin lowered its gaze, deep in thought when it saw Cerise come downstairs. The grass-type immediately jumped up with a smile and ran over to its trainer with a wide smile.

“Hey, buddy! I was thinking of going out to meet Bisharp and the others before we head out to Kanto. Whattya think?” Cerise said as he pulled a bandana out of his pocket and tied it around his head. Chespin nodded excitedly as Cerise made his way to the door, ready to go see his other friends.

Glameow blinked its eyes slowly as Cerise and Chespin left, slinking down from the couch to wander the house. It glanced back at the door briefly before heading to the living room, passing by a family photo of Cerise, Ethel, Grams, and… an older man that Glameow didn’t recognize. The Glameow stared at it, tail waving around lazily for several minutes before its ears twitched. Looking up, it saw the door open and Ethel enter the house with a multitude of bags.

“Hello? Mom, are you home? Is Cerise back?” Ethel asked with a hand cupped over her mouth. When no responses came back, she sighed before setting down her bags by the door to take off her shoes. Relieved to have taken off her heels, she noticed Glameow peering at her from the living room and she smiled as she walked over to pet her Pokemon. She glanced up, seeing the family photo that Glameow had been so intent on a moment before. Her eyes landed on the older man and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease in her stomach.

Ethel quickly stood up and made her way to the kitchen. In any case, Cerise said he’d be back by today, so Ethel needn’t worry about her son too much, right? A sudden tingling sensation rose in the air, and Ethel looked around, finally landing her gaze on the front door, where Grams and Alakazam had teleported back.

“Ethel, dear… any news on your eggs?” Grams asked as she and Alakazam walked over with their groceries. Ethel shook her head as she glanced over at the egg hatchery, where timers were set above each of the incubating eggs. None of them would be hatching any time soon.

“Not yet. But there’s a family in town who may be interested in adopting one of our eggs in reserve. Might be able to help bring in some income that way.” Ethel murmured as she began to rummage through the refrigerator for any leftovers from before. Spotting a bowl of caesar salad that was available, Ethel took it out to eat as she sat down at the nearby table. “Did Cerise get back yet?”

“Yes… he was just here a moment ago, but I suspect he’s gone out to meet his… other friends.” Grams said as she closed her eyes. “...Yes, he’ll be with them in about five minutes time. My Future Sight has never failed me yet.”

Ethel absentmindedly nodded in response as she chewed the salad in earnest. Her chewing slowed for a moment before she swallowed. “...I still worry about him.”

“Chespin’s looking after him. Cerise will be fine… unless you mean…” Grams looked over at the family photo, her eyes focused on the older man in the photo.

“I just don’t get it! He just up and vanishes one day, raving about wanting to make a better world and leaves us all without any kind of explanation? And trying to explain that all to a little boy?” Ethel sighed before taking another bite of her salad.

“Eustace was a fool.” Grams said matter-of-factly as she sat with Ethel, gazing at her daughter with a faint smile. “Any man would be lucky to have you as a wife and Cerise as a son.”

“...They’re really similar. Cerise and Eustace, I mean. That sense of perception and intuition of  even the smallest thing that other people do… that overwhelming connection to their Pokemon… and the willingness to do anything for a Pokemon. Much as I hate to say it, the similarities are uncanny.” Ethel murmured before taking out another chunk of the salad.

“Cerise has more sense. Don’t worry so much about him, he’s got a much better head on his shoulders.” Grams replied. “Now, enough of this talk. Let’s start planning Cerise’s farewell party!”

-

“Almost there, Chespin!” Cerise said as he gazed up the craggy rock path that he and Chespin were climbing. It was only a matter of time until he saw Bisharp and the others now. Resting his hands on his knees for a moment to catch his breath, he glanced back at Chespin, who was about as exhausted as him. The grass-type caught his gaze and immediately straightened up and walking ahead, pretending that it wasn’t tired. Cerise chuckled before reaching down for Chespin and plopping the grass-type on his shoulder.

The sound of falling pebbles up ahead echoed down the rocky slope as Cerise pushed onwards. He furrowed his brows before jogging a bit to reach the top of the rocky slope. Reaching the top, he was greeted by… nothing. A bit surprising, actually. Cerise looked around, confused. Bisharp and the Pawniard were usually around here, right? Maybe they’d gone off somewhere?

It was in that moment that a pair of arms grabbed Cerise from behind, and he let out a shrill shriek, struggling in vain to let go.

“Bish!!” Cerise halted his struggle, and looked over his shoulder, seeing the familiar crimson and black of his Bisharp friend. The bladed pokemon put Cerise down, sheepishly rubbing the back of its head.

“Oh, Bisharp… I’m glad to see you, too, but you know how much I hate being surprised!!” Cerise said as he crossed his arms. “Anyway, I came to see you and the Pawniard… Are they around, too?”

The Bisharp shook its head, pointing out to the forest greenery in the distance. Cerise followed the direction that the Pokemon pointed in, seeing a flock of Pidove in the distance leaving the spot where Bisharp pointed. Cerise nodded to himself, figuring that the smaller Pokemon were on a mission of some kind.

“How about Emolga and Skorupi? Have you been keeping up with those two at all?” Cerise asked, causing Bisharp to glance at him with a look that Cerise couldn’t quite figure out. The bladed Pokemon took Cerise’s hand and led him and Chespin towards a grove of trees nearby. Sleeping under the trees was a large scorpion-like Pokemon, and as Cerise approached, he began to realize what had transpired.

“Skorupi evolved?!” Cerise exclaimed in a hushed whisper. Bisharp nodded and pointed into the treetops, where little Emolga was focused on yanking out a batch of fruit from the treetops. Releasing a small stream of sparks, it zapped the fruit’s off of its branches, catching its meal before it hit the ground. As it was about to dig in, it noticed Bisharp, Chespin and Cerise staring at it not too far away and ran over with a wide smile.

“Em!~” Emolga lifted its arms and flew around Cerise’s head before landing at his feet and hugging the trainer’s leg.

“It’s great to see you too, buddy!! I see you and Skorupi are doing well!” Cerise laughed as he knelt down to pat Emolga on the head. The electric-type nodded and placed the fruit it had harvested into Cerise’s hand before heading over to the evolved Skorupi and nudging it.

“Drapi…?” The scorpion Pokemon drearily awoke, blinking slowly as it took in its surroundings. Realizing it was with friends, the Drapion let out a mighty roar of happiness, and Cerise ran over.

“Let’s all just catch up for old times, alright?”

-

A middle-aged woman in a labcoat hurriedly made her way to through Lacunosa Town, her Magnezone by her side as she briskly glanced at a piece of paper she held. Affirming the address on it, the woman quickened her pace, counting down the house numbers she came across. On that paper was an address that she was on the lookout for, though she feared her timing was much later than originally anticipated. Sweat layered her brow as the thought of losing her job due to tardiness began to cluster her mind.

“Oh, Magnezone… I don’t know what to do if we mess this up… Professor Green will have our heads on a platter, I’m sure!” Magnezone rolled its three eyes as its scientist partner grew increasingly paranoid, knowing that Green was much more forgiving than its partner was thinking. Its eyes drifted over to a house situated near the town’s bridge, realizing that the house’s address matched the address on the paper. It buzzed earnestly towards the scientist, pointing one of its magnet-like appendages towards the house.

“O-oh! Great work, partner!” Upon seeing the house that Magnezone was pointing to, the scientist quickly ran over to it, knocking her hand on the door in earnest. Wiping the sweat from her face with one of her sleeves, the scientist could hear footsteps faintly approaching to answer the door.

An older woman answered the door, gazing at the scientist with eyes full of wisdom. The scientist paused, finally beginning to catch her breath before she attempted to speak.

“Hello, ma’am, my name is Magnolia. I’m one of Professor Green’s aides. Is Cerise here? I’ve been sent to deliver his starting Pokemon for his journey to the Kanto region.” Magnolia said, explaining her reason for coming out to Lacunosa Town. The elderly woman gazed at Magnolia for a moment, not responding right away to what had been said. Magnolia was going to repeat herself when the woman finally spoke.

“Yes, yes, we’ve been expecting you. Cerise isn’t here right now, but please, come in. He should be back soon enough.” The woman said, opening the door wider to let the woman in. Inside, Magnolia could see an Alakazam and a Glameow performing several household duties -- dusting the shelves, washing the dishes, etc. For Alakazam, multitasking was far from being an issue, and it used its psychic powers to accomplish several tasks at once.

“Thank you so much…” Magnolia began to bow out of respect, but Grams halted her and motioned to a chair nearby.

“Make yourself at home.”

-

A few hours later, Cerise and Chespin were making their way back home, having said goodbye to their friends after an afternoon of catching up and good times. The grass-type was strolling ahead of Cerise, its arms resting behind its head as it walked. The little guy looked so relaxed and carefree, without a care in the world… But Cerise couldn’t help thinking about what to do about his dilemma.

The obvious answer was to bring Chespin along, regardless of the rules Professor Green had given… But would doing that take away Cerise’s chance to explore the roads far from his home? His brows knitted together in thought as the duo finally came to the top of a hill that overlooked Lacunosa Town. The sky was beginning to take on shades of pink and orange as the sun began the last leg of its trek across the sky.

“Ches?” Cerise glanced down to see that Chespin had turned around and was staring at him quizzically, almost as though it could sense his worry. But then again, with how close the two were, that may very well have been a possibility. The hedgehog tilted its head to the side, staring intently into Cerise’s eyes.

“It’s… nothing…” Cerise muttered, looking down as he continued to walk forward towards Lacunosa Town. Chespin frowned, knowing for certain that its friend was upset… although it wasn’t entirely sure why. The journey to Kanto was soon, and Cerise had been looking forward to the trip for quite a long time. Figuring it could find out sooner or later, Chespin sighed and chased after Cerise.

A flock of Swellow and Tranquill flew overhead, the sounds of their cries gently flowing through the wind. The sound of crunching leaves was the only thing breaking the silence between Cerise and Chespin, who walked a bit of a distance apart from each other. The Pokemon breeder finally sighed after a moment, deciding it would be best to simply talk out the situation at hand.

“I’ll be honest, buddy… I’m a bit lost as to what I should do. Professor Green is apparently sending someone to bring my starter Pokemon for Kanto… but I want to bring you instead -- We’re best friends, you know? I’m not sure I’d be able to just… leave you here. It’s just… I’m not sure if Professor Green will react kindly to that or not…” Cerise sighs, lowering his hands into his pockets as his walking pace slowed.

“Ches…”

“...” Cerise is quiet again, trying not to make eye contact with Chespin, who is now walking side by side with him. The Pokemon reaches out for Cerise’s hand and holds it firmly in an act of solidarity, prompting Cerise to finally look at Chespin with a weak smile. “...We’ll see what happens, I guess.”

The rest of the journey back to Lacunosa was similarly grasped by silence as the two reflected on their own respective thoughts on the situation at hand. The sun was halfway to setting when they finally returned home, and the skies had added hues of purple to their warm blanket of colors that splayed across the skies. Cerise began to turn the doorknob of his house, just about ready to turn in for the night.

“SURPRISE!!!” Cerise and Chespin couldn’t help but be startled by the multitude of people that had now gathered in his house.Balloons and streamers were hung from the walls, and Cerise could faintly make out the shape of a cake on the table behind the crowd in front of him. Naturally, his mom and Grams were present, but there were also other faces both old and new.

“Uncle Jeriel! Azra!” Cerise smiled upon seeing his uncle and cousin again. Jeriel ruffled Cerise’s hair in greeting as the boy came in, while Azra and her Gardevoir embraced him and Chespin in a tight hug.

“It’s great to see you again, cuz!” Azra laughed. “Make sure you have a fun time in Kanto, alright?”

“So this is… a farewell party?” Cerise asked, to which Grams nodded in confirmation.

“And now that you will be going… we have a few gifts for you!” Grams continued, gesturing with a hand towards the living room table, where several packaged boxes were laid out. Alakazam, using its telekinetic powers, lifted one of the boxes and floated it over to Cerise, who eagerly unwrapped the gift. Taking off the box lid revealed a simple piece of green fabric which, upon taking it out of the box, was revealed to be a small poncho -- long enough for its tips to end roughly at his elbows.

“Wow…! Thanks!” Cerise immediately tried it on, carefully fitting his head through the poncho’s opening.

“And to go along with that…” Cerise’s mother, Ethel, took one of the other boxes and gave it to Cerise, who proceeded to open this box as well. Like the previous one, it held a green garment which upon Cerise unfolding it, revealed itself as a bandana. Wrapping the bandana around his head, Cerise smiled, already enjoying these new clothes he’d been given. Thanking his mom, he could feel the anticipation of his journey now growing in earnest.

“Hello, Cerise.” The boy knitted his eyebrows together, not familiar with the voice that had spoken. A woman in a labcoat stepped forward, a tray with a single Pokeball in her hands and a Magnezone hovering behind her.

“My name is Magnolia -- one of Professor Green’s aides. He wanted me to give this to you -- your starter Pokemon in your journey through Kanto! It’s one of Green’s favorites, an Eevee!” Magnolia presented the Pokeball to Cerise, whose smile slowly faded. Magnolia frowned. “...Is everything alright?”

“Well, yeah, it’s just… “ Cerise trails off, now strongly aware that everyone’s eyes were focused on him. “...Is it possible… I mean, would I be able to… Urgh, why can’t I say it? ...Miss Magnolia, would it be alright if I bring my Chespin as my starter Pokemon instead?”

Magnolia blinked, a bit confused by the request before she looked down to see the hedgehog peeking out from behind Cerise’s leg. She lowered the tray in her hands, looking up for a moment in thought before back at Cerise.

“Alright. I’ll let the Professor know when I get back. It shouldn’t be too much of an issue.” Magnolia finally said, eliciting a gasp of relief from Cerise and Chespin.

“You owe me five.” Azra said as she turned to Jeriel, holding out her hand in earnest towards her father. Jeriel smiled sheepishly as Cerise looked back at him, confused.

“My dad and I made a bet on whether or not you’d bring Chespin with you. And I won.” Azra explained as she returned her attention to her dad, who had finally relinquished the money to her. Cerise simply shook his head in response, a chuckle escaping his mouth in the process.

“Alright! So, there’s cake in the kitchen and I set up Pin-the-tail-on-the-Blitzle in the family room. Make yourselves at home, everyone!” Ethel said as she clapped her hands together. The family all nodded and made their way to their respective destinations of interest. Magnolia, on the other hand, bowed and showed herself out before anyone could ask her to stay. She had a long journey back to Kanto, but she’d stop to send Green a message first regarding Cerise’s decision.

Taking out her Pokegear to type out her message, she and Magnezone stood in the middle of Lacunosa Town as the sun finally set. With nighttime now reigning, travel might be more difficult. Finally finished with the message, she made her way to the closest route with transportation off of Unova. She never noticed that she was being followed.

“Genga…” Three figures shrouded in black approached Magnolia from behind, with two being obviously non-human. One was stout and seemingly was adorned with spikes on its body, while the other was bulky and tall. Flames crackled on the second’s neck for a moment before dying away, enough to draw attention to itself. Hearing the flame, Magnezone beeped, turning around to face them and Magnolia did the same.

“Hello? Who are you? Cerise?” Magnolia began to speak, but the human-like figure lifted a hand towards her.

“Gengar, hypnosis!” Without warning, Magnolia and Magnezone were both suddenly overcome by drowsiness, and both fell to the ground asleep. The human knelt down, reaching into Magnolia’s bag for the Pokeball of Eevee. Stepping back, he examined the sphere for a moment, the symbol of Team Galactic emblazoned on his chest.

“Project Red Braid is nearly at our fingertips, and the universe will be wiped clean of its impurities…” The man spoke softly, his Typhlosion and Gengar at his side. He spoke with a tinge of bitterness in his voice… perhaps hesitation? Either way, the man had done what he needed to, and he was no longer required to stay here. He and his Pokemon stepped backwards into the forests that stood along the route, leaving Magnolia and Magnezone out in the wilderness, unguarded. “Long live Team Galactic!”