So I’m piloting the first chapter of a fic I’ve been playing around with..
It’s a The 100 Pokemon university au, it’ll eventually be Clexa and there may be some Octaven. I’m just posting this to see if it’s good enough to share with the world so I hope that someone enjoys what I have so far (:
This may change as I keep going but for now, here it is!
“Mochof, Heda,” Lexa pats her Riolu on the head, “now that we’re done unpacking we can go and get some food for this week.”
She slides her battered trunk under the bed and stands up, pushing her hair out of her face with a sigh. Heda tugs gently at her jacket with a concerned whine.
“It’s nothing,” she shoots her partner a small smile, “don’t worry, ai laik yuj.”
The young Pokémon nods before stepping towards the door and reaching up to pull down the handle, opening the heavy door with ease and disappearing in the direction of the stairs. Lexa smiles fondly to herself before following Heda into the corridor, closing and locking the door behind her.
“Wait for me at the bottom!” She calls before the stairwell door slams shut, knowing that Heda would do so without being told.
The duo is barely ten metres from the outer stairwell door when Heda turns to look expectantly up at Lexa. She raises an eyebrow knowingly and stops to fish a pokéball from her right jeans pocket, clicking the button to bring it to full size as she holds it out in front of her.
“Gostos, breik op.”
The ball opens and a reddish orange canid beast with a cream mane appears in the resulting flash of light.
“We’re going to pick up some food so I’ll need you to find the nearest store once we’re off campus.”
The large Pokémon gives a short growl of acknowledgement. Slipping the re-miniaturised ball back into her pocket, Lexa leads them around the side of the building and onto a dirt path leading through the lightly wooded end of the university campus. Heda excitedly darts off through the trees while Gustus stays close behind Lexa as they walk. A gentle breeze combined with the sound of the trees rustling above them brings a feeling of peace washing over the young trainer and she lets the comforting familiarity of the woody scent in the air fill her lungs.
“Lu!”
The brunette visibly jolts at the sudden cry before she registers the excited tone to her Pokémon’s voice.
“Lu! Lu!”
Frowning, Lexa expertly weaves through the undergrowth towards the direction of the Riolu’s insistent calls. She spots a pale, yellow ear through a gap in a large but surprisingly sparse bush and opts to clamber straight through it rather than find a way around. Heda hears her approaching and peeks into the bush, holding out a paw to pull her through. On the other side, Lexa picks a stray leaf from her hair as she takes in the scene before her.
“Oh, wow..”
In front of the pair, a sizeable lake glistens in the morning sunlight as it stretches from the tree line to a grassy expanse leading up to a picturesque building opposite them. Lexa can make out a few Buneary on the lawn and the scene brings a small smile to her lips.
“The view of Debnam Mansion is great from here. Nice find, Heda.”
She takes another moment to appreciate the beauty of the area she’ll be living in for the next three years and gets lost in thought. It’s a gruff bark from the footpath that pulls her from her reverie a few minutes later, and she steps back towards the bush.
“We’re coming, Gus!” She calls to the ever patient Arcanine as she takes Heda’s paw. “Come on, we can come back later, I want to get to the shop before it gets busy.”
They help each other back through the maze of bushes and ferns, and continue their walk in a comfortable silence.
When they reach the side entrance to the university, Lexa sends Gustus east to find a store one of the university marshals had given her rough directions to upon her arrival. She heads in the same direction with Heda, knowing that it won’t take long for her childhood guardian to return with an exact route for them to take.
“Are you looking forward to meeting our new flatmates?”
“Ri, rio!”
“Me too, but I’m nervous as well.”
“Luh?”
“Because this won’t be the same as staying with the clans. Everyone will be a similar age to me and we won’t have my m- uh,” Lexa winces and clears her throat, “we won’t have my mother or Anya keeping tabs on us, I think that’ll take some getting used to.”
Heda glances up at her with a worried look but she shakes her head.
“Don’t, I’m fine. Like I said before, ai laik yuj, I have to be in this world.”
Before the Riolu can protest, Gustus rockets towards them, almost sending them flying with his tailwind and Lexa reflexively reaches down to keep Heda from being knocked down by the gust as the Arcanine stops abruptly in front of them.
“Lead the way, Gustus.”
The huge Pokémon turns with a doggish smile and sets a steady pace. As she jogs at his side, Lexa mentally thanks him for ending the conversation before it could take an uncomfortable turn.
It only takes five minutes for them to reach the shop, and most of the trip is an almost straight line bar a shortcut through a small housing estate and an office block’s car park. Lexa reaches up and scratches behind Gus’ ear as a thank you when they reach the door before she pulls a small trolley from one of the stacks.
“Gus, I think it’s best if you return or wait out here, I doubt the people around this area will be accustomed to coming face to face with an Arcanine while they’re shopping.”
He sits immediately, puffing out his chest and casting his gaze across the car park in front of the store. Lexa can’t help but chuckle at his predictability.
“I thought so. We won’t be long!”
She gives him a smile before gesturing for Heda to follow her into the store, and the smaller Pokémon happily bounds after her. They meander down the first aisle, pausing so Lexa can pick up some celery.
“Well, this is probably the only green I’ll be having for a while unless we have a decent foraging trip, I’m not gonna be able to afford much fresh produce on a student budget and I can’t go spending my savings on food.”
She sighs and places the celery in the trolley along with a bag of carrots, frowning at the thought of cutting down her fruit and vegetable intake. She shakes her head as her gaze drifts across the crates of fruit.
“You know what? Sod it, we’re getting blueberries and strawberries.”
She crosses the aisle to get her favourite berries, leaving Heda stood with the trolley.
“O-lu?”
Lexa turns to see Heda holding the sides of the trolley with their head cocked a little to the right.
“Only if you don’t go crashing into anything.”
Big, innocent eyes earn the Pokémon a laugh from the brunette and they continue down the aisle.
“I’m kidding, I know you’re careful when you need to be,” she winks at her partner as they pass the meat aisle, “do you think we should do some pancakes for lunch? I’m sure you and Gus will be able to find some berries to put in yours while I put the shopping away.”
“Lu!”
Heda nods excitedly up at her.
“I’ll get milk and eggs then,” Lexa turns onto the dairy aisle, “you find some plain flour and I’ll meet you by the bread, okay?”
After fifteen minutes of repeatedly going back on herself to get things she hadn’t originally thought to get, Lexa is satisfied that they have enough to get them through the week. She leads Heda to one of the tills and starts to unload the trolley, being careful to leave the eggs until last. The checkout lady greets her and starts to scan things while she finishes moving the shopping onto the conveyor belt.
“Do you need help packing, dear?”
“No, thank you. Could I get two of those big reusable bags please?”
“Of course.”
Lexa pats her left jacket pocket and mentally curses at herself when her phone isn’t there. She quickly fishes her new uni ID card out of her back pocket and crouches down.
“Heda, I need you to really quickly run back and get my phone for me, check my card is in there because that’s what I need, okay?” She hands the lanyard to the Pokémon and points to the key looped around the end, “you’ll need this key to get into my room and you’ll have to scan the card,” she taps the thin piece of plastic, “to get through both of the stairwell doors. Can you do that?”
Her partner gives her a determined look and nods before darting away from her and disappearing through the door a second later. Lexa stands and starts putting the shopping into the bags, shooting an apologetic smile at the woman serving her.
“I’m really sorry; I must’ve forgotten to check I had my card with me before I came. My Pokémon shouldn’t be very long.”
“No need to apologise, love, we’ve all been there. Besides, it’s barely past eight and, as you can see, there aren’t many people here yet.” The woman gives her a genuine smile. “You’ve got a lovely little Pokémon, it clearly adores you.”
Lexa feels her cheeks warm a little at the comment. “Thank you,” she glances at the name tag on the woman’s fleece, “Rose. That’s kind of you to say.”
“Nonsense, it’s always heart-warming to see such strong bonds between people and Pokémon, especially at such a young age. Is yours a Riolu? I was so sure they were blue.”
“Yeah, they usually are. Heda has a gene mutation that affects colouration, it’s rare but it can occur in any species of Pokémon as far as I’m aware.”
“My, fourty seven and I’m still learning!” Rose chuckles.
“Ri!”
Lexa feels a tug on the side of her jacket and looks down to see Heda sporting a proud look, holding up her phone and ID.
“Thank you, Heda, I don’t know what I’d do without you sometimes.” She takes her things from her partner and turns back to Rose. “How much is it?”
“Twenty-seven fifty.”
Lexa nods, slipping her ID back into her back pocket before opening her phone case. She slides her card out and slots it into the card machine, idly tapping the side of the pin pad as she waits for it to ask for her pin. She pokes the numbers and smiles a little awkwardly at Rose while it processes.
“Would you like the receipt, dear?”
“Yes, please.”
Rose hands her the slip of paper as she retrieves her card and slots it back into her phone case.
“Thank you, you’ve been very kind.”
“Any time, you take care of yourselves.”
“We will.”
Lexa drops the receipt into one of the bags and passes it to Heda, taking the other one herself and raising a hand to Rose in a silent goodbye.
Lexa closes the fridge, making a mental note to sharpie her name onto her milk carton before her new flatmates arrive with shopping of their own, and stands to lean on the counter so she can peer out of the window. Although she’s three storeys up, she can’t see very far as the back of her building faces the wooded area. She turns to make her way outside just as the kitchen door opens. A slim girl with sleek brown hair and a dark purple tank top steps in and smiles at her.
“Hei, ai laik Okteivia.”
“Heya, Okteivia, ai laik Leksa,” Lexa responds automatically but frowns a moment later, “wait, that’s Trigedasleng.”
The slightly shorter girl grins. “That it is. Where’d you learn it?”
“I’ve spent a lot of my life staying with clans in Sinnoh and Kanto, a polite guest learns the language of the people who take them in. Where did you learn it?”
“My best friend taught me a few phrases; his family are descendants of one of the clans that used to dominate Kanto.”
Lexa nods, still a little confused. “How come you used it to introduce yourself?”
“Felt like it I guess,” Octavia shrugs with a mischievous smile, “and I like how it sounds. Anyway, looks like we’re flatmates! When did you arrive?”
“First thing this morning. Seven, I think. How about you?”
“Jeez, that’s early. I just got here. I should probably go and unpack, actually.” She opens the door and holds it ajar with her foot. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all, I was just about to check if my Pokémon need letting in.”
A mixture of curiosity and excitement flashes in Octavia’s eyes. “Oooh, what Pokémon do you have? I’ve got a Torchic.”
Lexa tenses a little, knowing that her response would more than likely trigger more questions. “A Riolu and an ..and an Arcanine.” She trails off.
Octavia’s eyebrows jump a centimetre up her forehead. “Woah! How the hell did you get an Arcanine? Growlithe are, like, insanely rare!”
The taller girl shifts uncomfortably where she stands, idly pulling at the bottom of her shirt. “He, uh,” she shifts her gaze to the floor with a sad sigh and runs her fingers through her hair, “he wa-”
“Hey,” Octavia takes two steps towards Lexa and puts a hand gently on her shoulder, cutting the other girl off, “you look like a Deerling caught in the headlights. Forget I asked, seriously, don’t make yourself uncomfortable on my account.” Lexa looks at her and she offers up a small smile, letting her hand fall back to her side. “We all have our demons, if your Arcanine is tied to one of yours that’s okay.”
Lexa twists her mouth to the side before a shy smile graces her lips. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. If you need to talk about anything, my room’s the furthest on the left.” Octavia winks and turns back to the door. “Catch you later, Bambi.”
The girl is gone before Lexa can object to the nickname.
If you made it all the way down here, thank you so much for your time! I’m totally open to feedback but as this is my first time posting my writing I’m not expecting anything, I just hope that someone likes it (:
