"Why should Seraphina come with me?"
The tall, lanky brunette mulls over this question for a bit before smiling widely. "Well, for one, I'm really nice! ...Or so I've been told. People and Pokemon alike seem to like me, so I guess they're alright with me." He pauses to catch his breath and think for a bit. "Hmmm... Unlike most trainers, I didn't choose a starter," he adds. "...I dunno why. I guess it's because I didn't really feel a connection with any of the starters they had to offer." A quick furrow of his brow explains that he's wondering why this is. He looks back up and replaces the dismayed look with one of cheerfulness. "However," he says, "I did feel a connection with Seraphina."
The Quilava looks up at the sound of her name being said, looking towards the young trainer with curious red eyes. The boy's mismatched eyes meet with that of crimson, and they lock for a minute. Tony smiles towards Seraphina with a small wave; the Quilava nods in acknowledgement and glances away. With that, Tony continues his reasoning.
"I guess it was when we first met," he murmurs, a bit softly. But as he goes on, his voice gradually rises until it is back to its usual excited, loud pitch. "I mean, Sera - is it alright if I call you that?" he interrupts himself, looking towards Seraphina for approval before continuing."Sera didn't trust me at first. In fact, she hated me, which is kinda hard to believe, since I consider myself a pretty likeable guy.
"Anyways, I guess as time wore on, we became a bit closer. Being trapped together in a small area will have that affect. And now, after all that, I'm here, trying to convince Seraphina that I'd be good enough a home to take her in."
The light, airy atmosphere around Tony fades as he gains a serious look on his face. "I know I can't be the best home possible," he says softly. "No one can. It's impossible. I know there are also a lot more people trying to convince Sera to go with them, and I know there's a possibility that they could offer her a better home. But let me tell you something."
Tony leans forward, eyes darting back and forth warily. His tone lowers, and Seraphina looks up with interest as he begins to speak softly.
"While others may promise that she'll never get hurt, I know they're lying. I'm sure Sera knows, too. Everyone gets hurt every once in a while. It's a way of life. While everyone else promises the best home, I'm positive that they're biting off more than they can chew. I mean, giving the best home possible takes a lot of work, and even then, there's at least ten more things you can do to make it better. But," at this, he pauses to chuckle a bit, "there's one thing that I have that's unique. That I'm sure not many trainers can offer."
He glances around slowly before whispering quietly, "I have faced the worst tragedies, the lowest lows. I understand the pain of losing a friend; I've lost my Pokemon before, and that's not fun." He grimaces at the thought before pushing on. "I know how it is to be disowned, to feel that everybody's against you. I know exactly what being alone truly is. Therefore, I know how Sera felt when she was alone." His voice slowly begins to crack, tears welling in his eyes. "Nobody should feel alone. It's a terrible feeling, but at the same time -" A yelp escapes him as a sob racks his body. He pauses to calm himself before going on. "- at the same time... It's a wonderful experience.
"What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. I've been through many hardships, but instead of giving up, I persevered. I'm a little broken from them, I'll admit that. But these scars aren't burdens; they're badges of honour." He begins to smile as he speaks. "You have to remember, that when you feel you have it bad, that there's someone out there who's having it ten times worse than you. From the hardships, you have to find the blessing in disguise. You have to learn to see the light, even in the darkest of times.
"Seraphina helped me see that."
The Quilava gives a small, rare smile at the mention of her name. She pads over and pushes her head into Tony's hand. The trainer squeaks slightly, but grins back and begins to stroke her head. He looks towards the interviewer and nods abruptly. "Right. I think that Sera would be a great addition to my team not only as a first Pokemon, but as my first true friend," he says. "She's the one who understands me more than anyone else. Not to mention the fact that she's very wise and strong. I admire that greatly about her."
Seraphina grins and paws at Tony's leg. The boy gives a squeal of delight, kneeling down to pet her. He looks back towards the interviewer, and for his last words, says this:
"I may not be the best home, but I am most certainly a great one. I'm understanding, as is Seraphina. Everything I lack, she makes up for. It's like we were made for each other. If you can't see that, and you find someone better to care for her, I understand completely. I only want what is best for Sera, and if you believe she'll be happier with someone else, then by Arceus, put her with someone else."
Tony smiles and stands. "Well, if you guys decide to choose me, I'll be waiting outside. I'm not exactly that hard to miss; you'll find me pretty easily, I'm sure. Haha!"
He nods and walks away with a wave. "I hope you find your perfect forever home, Sera!" he tosses over his shoulder, a wide grin on his face.
Seraphina Capture Story wrote:It was an ungodly time of night. Noctowl were out on the hunt, swooping down to catch their prey when a rustling was heard in the brush. Immediately the Flying Pokemon took to the skies, successfully escaping their pursuer.
A young boy of perhaps sixteen wandered through the brush, squealing in surprise when he saw the bird Pokemon fly off. He slumped his shoulders glumly, kicking a stone and grumbling sourly to himself.
“Darn… I was really hoping I could make some friends…” he whined, stamping his foot on the ground.
The boy stepped into the moonlighted area, revealing himself as none other than Antonio “Tony” Collins. His mismatched eyes glowed in the dark as he scanned the small clearing for some new ‘friends’, locking suddenly on a faint glow in the distance. Tony grinned widely, and, with a giggle, darted towards the flickering light. Maybe it was a new friend! You never knew…
---
Meanwhile, a small Quilava was trudging along through the thicket, causing small patches of dried brush to burst into flames. She glanced around lazily, giving a small sigh of distress. It was so painfully boring nowadays… Wasn’t there any adventure anymore?
She paused when she heard a shaking noise in the brush, turning around immediately with a snarl and a flare of her flames. “Who’s there?!” she growled, stepping forward slightly.
A boy popped his head out of the tall grass, a wide, goofy grin on his face. His eyes were two different colours; the left one was blue, while the right was pink, and oddly enough, they were glowing!
The Quilava stared at the boy silently. Boy… This would be interesting…
Tony beamed towards the small Pokemon cheerfully. “Hiya!” he called, stepping out of the brush a little too quickly. The Quilava growled viciously, sending an ember shooting by Tony’s foot. The boy squeaked in fear, hopping back and frowning. “Well that wasn’t very nice…”
“I’M not very nice, kid,” a female voice snarled. It didn’t take long for realization to hit Tony as he stared, dumbfounded, at the Quilava.
“You…You can talk?!”
---
The Quilava rolled her eyes, amazed by the boy’s stupidity. “Yeah,” she snapped sarcastically. “It’s kinda easy once you get the hang of it…”
The boy seemed hurt. “I just wanted to see if you wanted to be friends…” he mumbled, turning and beginning to walk away.
The Quilava, however, was unaffected by this. She'd seen the way Trainers act when they wanted to get a Pokemon, and she knew this was just a ruse to get her to feel pity for him. Though in the back of her mind, she couldn't shake a small twinge of guilt.
---
Tony started through the brush before he heard a heavy sigh and the sound of more bushes being lit ablaze. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Quilava following him.
The boy blinked in confusion. “...Why are you following me?” he asked quietly, tilting his head like a stupefied Growlithe.
The Quilava rolled her eyes again and sat down, looking up at him with stern red eyes. “Isn't it obvious?” she scoffed. “I felt bad for what I said - although I'm not sure how it offended you - so I came over to apologize.”
---
The Quilava herself couldn't believe she was doing this. Her? Apologizing? To a trainer?! This was just unbelievable!
But she sighed and toughened up as the trainer looked down at her cautiously, kneeling down beside her and reaching a hesitant hand towards her. She flinched - admittedly, she wasn't that comfortable around trainers - but allowed him to pet her. She saw a smile tug at the corners of his lips and heard a small, shrill giggle escape his mouth. "You're fluffy!" he squealed, stroking her gently.
By Arceus, this kid was acting like a toddler...
---
Tony beamed, petting the Quilava happily and asking her simple questions.
“Are you wild? Where's your trainer?”
“Don't got one. Yes, I am.”
“Do you have a name?”
“No.”
Tony frowned and pondered this for a moment. “...If you'd like, I could call you Seraphina,” he murmured quietly. “It means 'burning fire.'”
The Quilava looked up to him thoughtfully. “...I'd like that, kid,” she said softly, a small smile dancing on her face. “I'd like that a lot.”
Neither of them knew it yet, but this had begun the start of a beautiful friendship.
-May add more if I win, but for now, this is what I'm handing in. c:-
loosely based on my own hand drawing :3 Please DONT steal
Kurai | Any
