Chapter Text
The sun beat down on Lysandre as he pushed back his thick ginger hair from his forehead. It was an unusually hot summer in Kalos, and the boy wished he didn’t live near the coast. He’d sent Littleo and Mienfoo back into their pokeballs, even the poor fire-type had gotten too hot.
“As soon as I reach the next town,” Lysandre muttered to himself. “I’m getting ice cream. And a glass of water. And-”
“Help!”
Lysandre stopped and looked around. He followed the continued cries for help until he found a kid and his pokemon trapped in a ditch. The boy had dark, wavy hair and shining gray eyes. He sat in an odd position, clutching his bruised and swelling leg. An Eevee sat in his lap, while a Gible tried and failed to scramble up the side of the ditch.
“Umm, hello?” Lysandre called down. The boy finally took notice of him and a glimmer of relief filled his gaze.
“Bonjour! Do you have an escape rope on you? It seems I forgot to get some when I was in Ambrette.”
Lysandre nodded and began digging in his bag. He found the rope quickly and called Mienfoo to help him pull the boy out. With the help of the little fighting-type it was easy. After being pulled out the dark-haired boy and his pokemon lay panting and wiping away sweat. Lysandre hand the boy a fresh water bottle, which he took and drank from gratefully before passing it to his pokemon.
“Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”
“What were you doing in there?” Lysandre asked, taking back the empty water bottle. The boy suddenly blushed, and bit his finger in embarrassment, muffling his reply a little.
“Well, that ditch was made by a Trapinch, I could tell by its shape, and you don’t tend to see Trapinch in the coastal areas of Kalos so I wanted to investigate. The dirt ended up being looser than I thought, and the pit deeper.”
Lysandre raised a judgmental eyebrow, causing the boy to flush and even deeper red.
“I was just curious, okay,” he defended. “I’m not from this part of Kalos so I’m not used to the terrain here!”
That made sense, the boy had a very distinct mountain accent. Lysandre shrugged and turned to pet Mienfoo.
“So, what’s your name?” The boy asked.
“Lysandre De Lis. Yours?”
“I’m Augustine Sycamore, and this is Gibby and Vienna,” The two pokemon chirped in acknowledgment before going back to cleaning themselves. “Thanks again for helping us.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Well, we better get goin-” Augustine tried to stand up, but was immediately brought back down to his knees, hissing in pain. Gibby and Vienna got up in a panic and frantically checked on their trainer.
“Are you okay!?” Lysandre asked.
“Ah, it looks like I twisted my ankle when I fell. I hate to ask more of you, but can you help us get to the closest town? I don’t think we can make it on our own.”
“Of course,” Lysandre nodded. “Gather your things and recall your pokemon, I’ll help you walk.”
[========]
Lysandre stuck his finger into the warm broth, tasting it. It was good. The ginger pulled out a ladle, and served two bowls for himself and Augustine. Night had fallen quickly and the two boys had settled and made camp among the cliffs of Route 8. Augustine laid against his rolled up sleeping bag, his foot propped up on a pillow.
“Dinner's ready.”
Augustine took his bowl carefully, making sure not to spill any on the Littleo in his lap. Lysandre sat beside him as Augustine started eating.
“Yum, it’s so good! You’re an amazing cook Lysandre!”
“...Thank you.”
Augustine giggled at the boy's embarrassed reaction before going back to eating. The two sat in silence by the roaring fire, eating their fill, before Augustine spoke up again.
“Are you from around here? You have a coastal accent, but it’s subtle.”
“Yes. I’m from a little village called Geosenge, it’s between Cyllage and Shalour. It’s got some interesting history, but there's not much to do there so most people haven’t heard of it. Where are you from?”
“I’m from Laverre, it’s near the Pokeball Factory. My older brother works there, and when I was younger, he helped me catch Gibby.”
“Oh, I got my Littleo as a gift for my birthday. Laverre is a couple days away from Lumiose, have you been there?”
“Yep, a couple of times. It’s gigantic, and you can get lost really easily. Is that where you’re heading?”
“Yes, it’s the best way to Santalune.”
“Oh, you’re going to take on the gym challenge?”
Lysandre nodded. “Are you not?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve never been the best battler.”
“Then what are you going to do? Contests?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll figure it out as I travel. That’s what a journey’s for after all.”
Lysandre made a skeptical noise but didn’t comment further. The boys finished their meal and cleaned their bowls, before settling down by their pokemon. They didn’t want to go into their tents to sleep just yet, content to chat and watch the stars.
“So,” Augustine mumbled sleeply. “Why do you want to take on the gym challenge anyway?”
“To become strong.” Lysandre yawned.
“No shit, but why do you want to become strong?” He asked, turning over to see Lysandre’s face.
“It’s simple really, when you’re strong you can go anywhere without having to worry about getting hurt. And once I can do that, I want to see everything.”
“Why?” Augustine whispered.
“Because this world is a beautiful place, full of people and pokemon and wonders big and small. I want to experience all of it, so I can truly appreciate this beautiful world.”
Lysandre spoke with such reverse in his voice, stars reflected in his eyes, that it took Augustine’s breath away. The dark haired boy felt something spark within him, and an idea came to his head, causing him to throw himself across Lysandre in excitement. The ginger boy startled, and gave his new friend a confused glare.
“Let me come with you.”
“What?”
“We’re already going to the next town together, and both heading for Lumiose, so let's just keep traveling together. You can complete your gym challenge, and I can figure out what I want to do on my journey. It’s a win-win!”
“Alright,” Lysandre smiled softly. “People always say a journey’s better with company.”
“Exactly! This is going to be so fun!”
“Shh!” Lysandre whisper-shouted. “You’re going to wake our pokemon.”
“Oh right, sorry.” Augustine quietly giggled before looking over at the four pokemon, who were snuggled together at each other’s sides, snoring cutely. Augustine cooed and watched them sleep, while Lysandre watched Augustine, the boy feeling his heart race at the others soft eyes and tender expression. Lysandre turned his gaze back to the stars, and happiness filled him anew. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow morning, when he and Augustine would embark on their journey together.