The echos of the crowd fill the stadium, chants of victory as well as jeers of failure fill the champion's ears but they do not phase him. He cooly pulls from his hip his pokeball and throws it above his head a flash of light explodes from the ball blinding all who stare in wonder of what his first pokemon will emerge from the blinding light. A terrifying but radiant Flamethrower shoots out from the bright light as the trainer's Salamence shows itself to the audience and what's more to the challenger and his less impressive Honchkrow stands in front of its trainer ready for battle. The referee of the battle looks at both trainers the Champion Iza and his challenger a no name trainer who got this far just by the skin of his teeth, the ref gives the signal for both men to begin the battle. The challenger starts with his Honchkrow shooting straight into the air attempting a missed Wing Attack, the champion's Salamence retaliating with a vicious Dragon Rage. All of the shouting and screams from the crowd has silenced all caught in a trance watching the battle ensue of Flamethrowers and Dark Pulses. The trance that has fallen on the audience was shared by thousands of different families throughout the Hernah region but one boy was feeling an opposite effect.
"WHOA! Did you see that?!, PHEEEW! that was a close one wasn't it?!" shouted the excited boy. His green eyes flickering with excitement and passion over the match glaring on his family's television screen. His fists clenched tight with the excitement of the dragon type pokemon and the dark/flying pokemon circling one another attacking each other in hopes of landing a critical hit. "Grant, it's time for you to go to bed" says Grant's mother. "But Mom.. Iza hasn't finished winning the match.." groans the 12 year old brown hair boy. "The challenge for the Hernah Champion title doesn't come around that much dear" interrupts Grant's father siding with his son and mostly with his son's passion "let him stay up a little later tonight". The mother gentle smiled in agreement with her spouse "But remember Grant you have your test tomorrow morning with Professor Undiller" "Yes ma'am" replies Grant who along with his father is glued to the television watching the beautiful creatures swirl in a mixture of grace and strength.
"Grant..Graannt..GRANT! YOU'RE LATE!" shouts his mother as she shakes him awake. Grant flies out of his bed throwing on any clothes that his desperate hands can grab. He grabs his backpack and his encyclopedia of Pokemon also known as a Pokedex as he runs through the front door. Racing through his neighborhood with the local professor's laboratory within sight in the distance Grant picks up speed as he nears his destination.
"Ahhh Grant good for you to join us" croaks the aging Professor Undiller, his bright blue eyes shining underneath his bushy gray eyebrows as he looks at the tardee student. "Grant has graciously volunteered to go first with the randomizer battle program, Grant do you remember what that is?" "Uhh.." "The randomizer battle program is where the student trainer will be given a random pokemon to battle another pokemon of your choosing Professor" pipped up a brunette girl in the front of the classroom. Her name was Sereah she has lived next door to Grant for as long as he could remember and she is his best friend. Always cleaning his messes and helping him out in school work Sereah is the best in Grant's opinion. She looked back and smiled at him Grant mouthed the words "thank you" to her as he walked to the front of the classroom. "Are you ready Grant?" asked the Professor. "Yes sir I think so" Grant replied as the machine started making mechanical noises and the lights begin to blink. Out through the circle hole in the machine rolled out a pokeball with a question mark on the top. "Now before we get to see your pokemon Grant lets see what pokemon I choose for you to battle with!" shouted the Professor. He then led Grant along with the rest of his class to the roof of the laboratory to where the battle will commence.
Professor Undiller then released his prized pokemon Crobat in a flash of light the Crobat known for its amazing speed was released from its pokeball and began flying around the battle area. "Now time for us all to learn what sort of pokemon you've been paired up with Grant!" shouted Professor Undiller. "Alright then" whispered Grant to the pokeball with a question mark etched into the top "lets see what you got little guy". Grant then hurled the mystery pokeball into the battle arena a flash of bright blinding light poured from the ball and out emerged a long horned pokemon with yellow eyes and navy blue color for it's skin. "HA! That loser would get the worst possible option for going against a flying type pokemon like Professor Undiller's Crobat!" exclaimed one student in the crowd. "He's right Grant! Heracross isn't exactly ideal for this battle against Crobat but I am sure you can think of some sort of strategy to figure this out!" yelled Sereah a determined smile on her face.
"She's right" thought Grant "I can figure this out". "Heracross! You ready?!" shouted Grant at his new partner. The Heracross turned around finally noticing his trainer his eyes with a look of eagerness for battle. Grant then commanded the Heracross to attack starting with a Horn Attack. The Heracross ran towards the Crobat horn leading the charge, the Crobat quickly dodged the attack with little to no difficulty at all. Crobat then circled to the back of Heracross and quickly attacked with it's sharp wings cutting into the back of Heracross. Heracross groaned in pain as it swings it's elbows back in attempt to hit its nemesis.
Grant fell to his knees wondering how he can win this match against his obviously stronger opponent. His eyes begin to water with the thought of having this poor Heracross to be put through so much pain because of his failures as a leader. Then as Grant thought he was nearly at his breaking point he felt this sense of connection to Heracross. As if he can feel everything his partner can feel. Grant slowly rose to his feet tears dried from his eyes, "COME ON HERACROSS! WE CAN DO THIS!" he roars to his beaten and bruised partner. The connection with Heracross fills the fallen pokemon with energy to rise itself up to its feet. Then Heracross turns itself to Grant, the pokemon's yellow eyes filled with determination met with Grant's green eyes as in some nonverbal understanding the Heracross turns around his eyes now black and emotionless his trainer Grant also has made this transformation his green eyes now the same as his pokemon's eyes. Heracross leaps into the air using his horn to ram into the stomach of the Crobat, the Crobat turns around using its wings to cut into the Heracross's side. The Heracross then turns sideways to dodge the attack with lightning fast speed. Then the Heracross turns towards the Crobat mid-air and punches into the Crobat with electricity surging throughout his fist. "THUNDERPUNCH!?" exclaims Undiller "Heracross can't learn that move!" The Crobat fell straight to the ground knocked completely unconscious, the entire class was speechless along with Professor Undiller who was staring at the team that just took out one of his prized pokemon. Grant ran over to Heracross, both of them returned to normal, and jumped on top of it hugging him shouting "WE DID IT!" "Hera HERACROSS!" boasted the Heracross in pride of its accomplishment.
Professor Undiller walked up to the duo clapping his hands "Very good you two, now Grant if you will hand me back your rental pokemon we will continue today's lesson back in the classroom" as he began motioning the students to the classroom downstairs he turns to Grant and Heracross. "Your time in the limelight is over Grant hand me back the Heracross now" sneered Undiller. "No!" shouted Grant as he covered the Heracross with his body "You can't take him back I won't let you! I choose Heracross as my partner!" "That is absolutely out of the question!" roared the professor his ego obviously very fragile now after his humiliating loss. Sereah intervene between the Professor and Grant "Professor you saw how great of a match these two why not let them be partners?" she pleaded "SHUT YOUR MOUTH GIRL!" screamed Undiller "I AM THE PROFESSOR AND YOU ARE THE STUDENT! DO AS I COMMAND YOU TO DO!" Undiller raises his hand to strike Sereah. Heracross pushes off Grant and plows his horn into the belly of Undiller defending Sereah. "Oof!" moaned the wounded Professor "I'll kill you for that you wretched bug!" Sereah then whips out her pokeball and releases a Ponyta. The Ponyta neighs loudly and spits out a flamethrower to protect its trainer.
"Run Grant" yells Sereah as she forces her pokemon to return to it's pokeball and begins running beside Grant and Heracross. The two trainers fly down the stairs being followed by the bug type pokemon the trio then rush through the classroom being stared down by their confused classmates as they bust through the door escaping. As they run across the field Grant can hear Undiller's shouts from the roof of the laboratory "I WILL HUNT YOU TWO DOWN AND I WILL DESTROY YOU GRANT AND HERACROSS!".
As Grant was running with his best friend and new partner he looked at his hand and clenched inside of it was Heracross' pokeball with the question mark etched in the top. As he looked at it he thought about how he will never see the laboratory ever again or any of his classmates or his parents and strangely he was okay with that. As he looked at his two friends running beside him he knew that everything would be alright.