Chapter 1 – The Pursuit Begins
"Tepig! Use Flame Charge!" Sam yelled, pointing at the wild Watchog she and her Pokemon were currently battling. A few feet away, her Tepig nodded, then dodged the Crunch attack from the large rodent, leaping sideways and rolling to his feet before turning back to face it with a determined expression. The Watchog scowled at the small fire Pokemon, red and yellow eyes showing nothing but fury at the smaller Pokemon's speed.
"Teee..." Tepig growled, his nostrils flaring as he surrounded himself with hot flames, the heat from them forcing Sam to bring a hand up to protect her eyes. Then her starter charged straight at the Watchog, the latter surprised at the head-on attack, as the Tepig had mostly been on the ropes for most of the fight. With a great leap, the pig flew through the air and crashed directly into the Watchog headfirst, eyes closed and teeth gritted.
"WAAAA!" the rodent cried out in pain, flying back a few feet from the force of the tackle. It skidded along the grass, stopping when it impacted against one of the surrounding forest's trees, knocking it unconscious. Tepig meanwhile, had managed to land on all fours and stood up, looking rather surprised that his attack had worked as well as it did. He smiled happily up at Sam, his tail wagging excitedly. Sam simply nodded and smiled back, then she reached into her vest, pulling out a red and white poke ball.
At the same moment she pulled it out, a bush behind her stirred.
Sam clicked a button on the ball, making it increase in size before gripping it tightly in her hand. "Alright! Poke ball go!" she yelled, hurling the ball at the Watchog. The rodent opened it's eyes just in time to see the ball heading towards it, then it felt it bounce off its head, a red light shooting out and encompassing it before sucking back into the ball and closing tightly. The ball shook along the ground a few moment, the button beeping red and a small alert noise coming from it. Then after a moment, a small click was heard, and Sam's eyes widened along with Tepig's.
"Tepig..." Sam said, letting out a breath she hadn't noticed she had held. "We did it. We got him!"
"Tepig!" the starter responded, running over and grabbing the poke ball with his mouth. He brought it over to Sam, who chuckled at the cute sight of her Pokemon standing there with his tail wagging, still managing to smile despite the ball in his mouth. She grabbed the ball and studied it for a moment before putting it back into her vest.
The bush stirred again.
"Great job Tepig. You did better than I thought you would." Sam said, bending down and scratching her Tepig under his chin. The Pokemon's eyes wet half-lidded as she rubbed that one sensitive spot of his, smiling weakly up at his trainer.
"I bet you're tired aren't you?" Sam asked. Tepig at that same moment let out a sigh of exhaustion, answering her question.
"Here, you should rest for awhile." Sam said, pulling out another pokeball from her vest. "I'll see if I can get you to a pokemon center, that way we can head out again."
Tepid closed his eyes and didn't resist as his trainer gently tapped the ball against his head, disappearing in a flash of red light into the ball. Sam stood back up, placing the ball back into her vest pocket and taking a breath. She pulled out her Pokédex and looked up her digital map, trying to find the nearest center.
Suddenly, a rustling of leaves sounded from behind her, and Sam felt a twinge of fear go through her. She didn't have any Pokemon to defend herself with at the moment. She turned around, looking out at the surrounding forest.
"Is someone there?" she called out, trying not to sound scared. Then she saw it, a pair of eyes staring back at her from inside of a bush. The eyes widened as they met hers, and then they ducked down, the leaves rustling as it moved.
"Hey, wait!" Sam said, sounding more curious than scared now. "Come on out. I won't hurt you."
There was a small pause. Then slowly, the eyes came back up to look at her again, narrowing in suspicion. Sam just smiled back, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible, although she did grip her Pokédex a little tighter.
Then slowly, the eyes began to move closer, and soon, a white skull was pushing its way through the leaves. Sam's heart did a leap at the sight at first, but then she saw the rest of the creature, and she took a breath of relief.
"Cubone. When it thinks of its dead mother, it cries. Its crying makes the skull it wears rattle hollowly. Native to the Kanto region." Sam's Pokédex announced, reading the info about said Pokémon as it stood only a couple of feet away from the trainer, staring unblinkingly. Sam looked down and read the Pokédex entry again, the last part catching her off guard.
"Native to Kanto?" she said with a confused expression. "Then how did it get all the way here to Unova?" she whispered to herself.
"Cubone." a deep gravely voice said. and Sam felt something prod at her foot. She gasped and leapt back in shock, not having noticed the Cubone approach her. She dropped her Pokédex at the same time, here it bounced off the Cubone's head and landed on the ground. The Cubone picked it up and studied it, fascinated by the device.
"Er...may I have that back?" Sam asked, looking slightly embarrassed. The Cubone looked up at her, the mask making it look rather intimidating, and Sam feared that it certainly wouldn't give it back. But the Cubone simply walked up to her and held the Pokédex out, where Sam took it after a moment's hesitation.
"So little guy. Where did you come from?" Sam asked, trying her best to sound friendly. "You have a trainer?"
"Cu...bone." the Pokemon said. Sam hadn't really gotten the hang of understanding Pokemon language yet; as of yet, she could hardly even tell what Tepig was saying sometimes. But from the slump in the Cubone's shoulders, she could tell that it was saying no.
"Oh ok, so um..." she said. "I'd ask where you came from, but I don't really know how to speak your language yet so...yeah." she rubbed the back of her head uneasily, the Cubone blinking once at her.
"Cubone Cu?" it said, pointing it's paw at her. Sam looked at it confusedly, looking around to see what the Pokemon was pointing at. Then the Cubone grabbed its bone and tapped her vest with it, and it became clear.
"This? This is a vest. My mom made it for me." Sam said. The Cubone's head dipped down a little at the mention of her mother, and Sam felt a pang of guilt go through her. She decided to just continue on, and hope that would distract the orphan Pokemon. "It's pretty useful. Let's me carry everything I need without having to buy one of those high quality backpacks."
The Cubone nodded its head at her, looking curiously at the vest. Sam felt a little uncomfortable from its gaze, so she decided to try and and change the subject. "You wanna come with me?" she asked, looking hopeful. "I could use the company."
The Cubone nodded eagerly. Sam clasped her hands together in joy. "Alright, let me just look for the nearest Pokemon center. I have a couple Pokemon that need some attention." she explained, opening her map again and scrolling through the forest she was in.
Suddenly, a loud grumbling noise sounded through the forest, and Sam looked all around before seeing that the Cubone was rubbing its stomach softly. "I take it you're hungry?" Sam said. "No problem. I have some Pokefood." she said, reaching into her vest yet again and pulling out a colorful package. "I was saving it for Tepig, but I think he'll be fine for now."
Cubone grabbed the package from her and nodded thankfully, eating the food by grabbing a small handful and bringing it under it's skull to its mouth, chewing audibly.
"Why don't you take off that skull? It'd probably be easier to eat." Sam suggested. The Cubone looked up at her with wide eyes, clearly surprised at the suggestion. Sam blushed sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot about the whole 'mother' thing. Just forget I said it, I promise I won't mention it anymore." The Cubone seemed to be satisfied with this response, going back to eating. It wasn't long before the package was empty, and the Cubone looked down at it sadly.
"Cubone?" it asked, tapping her vest again with it's bone.
"Sorry, I don't have any more." Sam said. "If we head over to town though-"
"Cu?" the Pokemon said again, tapping her vest again. Sam sighed as she felt the Cubone prod at her again and again, looking for evidence of more food. With resignation, she took off her vest, opening it inside out and showing the pockets inside.
"See? No food." Sam said, shaking the blue vest to emphasize her point. The Cubone's eyes turned to disappointment, but it still reached a paw up, clearly wanting to see for itself. Sam sighed and let the Pokemon take it, watching as the Cubone studied it and felt the soft cloth. Unexpectedly, however, she watched as the Cubone pulled the vest over his shoulders. It was a bit too big for him, as he was only just over a foot tall, and the arm holes were much to wide for his form. This didn't seem to matter to much to him though, as he smiled proudly, his eyes closed in satisfaction.
"Like it huh?" Sam chuckled, thinking the Cubone looked cute wearing it. She raised her Pokédex again, looking down at her map. "Ok, so the center's northwest where we are. Now I just need to see-"
A pitter patter of feet sounded, and Sam looked up to see a surprising sight. The Cubone was running into the forest, still wearing her vest.
"Hey!" she cried. "Get back here!" She ran after him, closing her Pokédex and stuffing it in her pants pocket. The dark blue color of the vest stood out a mile amongst the forest greenery, so it was rather easy for her to keep the Cubone in sight. However, for such a small and pudgy Pokemon, it was hard to keep up with, as it constantly swerved and ducked through under roots, brush, and logs that slowed the larger trainer down. Sam wasn't deterred though, and she managed to gain on the Cubone bit by bit.
Soon, Sam was only a foot away from the pokemon, and she reached a hand out to grab her vest. Her fingers were practically touching the skull he wore, and she prepared to grab the Cubone's helmet and yank it off, knowing he would be desperate to get it back and trade it for her vest. Then, as luck would have it, her foot caught on an upturned root, sending her crashing to the ground. She groaned and looked up from the grass just in time to see the Cubone disappear into the forest. The empty package of Pokefood floated down in front of her, the only evidence of the Cubone she had.
"Tepig..."
...
Cubone couldn't believe his luck as he pushed his way through the forest, panting and sweating with exhaustion. He hadn't had to run that much or that fast in awhile. He leaned against a tree to catch his breath for a moment, then settled into a slow walk.
He had been trailing that girl for two whole days, watching and waiting for the right time to steal that vest. Who would have thought that she would actually give it to him directly? Sure, he felt a little bad that he had stolen it from literally right under her nose, but it was a small price to pay for the plans that he had. He would pay her back...someday...if he could find her...
He entered a forest clearing where there were few branches overhead, letting the sun shine down onto a large area of fresh green grass. Cubone took a deep breath of fresh air, in a much better mood than when he had first arrived in Unova. All that hard work to get here hadn't been for waste...he had a starter now, after all, along with a bonus Watchog!
His paws trembling with excitement, he reached into the vest pocket and pulled out two pokeballs. He clicked each button and tossed them forward, unable to stop himself from grinning with childlike glee. Tepig and Watchog both appeared with a flash of red light, Tepig letting out a tired yawn and Watchog looking rather sour as they appeared on the grass. Then Tepig laid eyes on Cubone, and his expression turned to confusion.
"Sam?" he said, looking around for her. "Where are you?" he said. Then he saw Watchog right next to him, and he leapt back, not expecting to see his earlier opponent out already, especially since he was still a little worn out.
"Don't look at me porky." Watchog snapped, rubbing the back of his bruised head. "I don't know where the hell she is."
Tepig looked back at Cubone, who was practically shaking with excitement
"Have you seen our trainer anywhere?" he asked. Cubone suddenly looked nervous...he hadn't really thought about how he would explain this.
"'Our' trainer?" Watchog scoffed. "More like 'your' owner."
"We beat you fair and square!" Tepig argued, growling a little.
"Quit fighting you two!" Cubone commanded in a sudden show of confidence. Then it quickly evaporated at the looks both Pokemon gave him, and a bead of sweat dropped down his head. "Uh...Sam isn't here right now, because...she gave you two to me!" he said, looking happy with his lie.
Both Watchog and Tepig looked at one another and raised an eyebrow each, looking unconvinced.
"Really?" Tepig said. "And I suppose she just 'gave' you her custom made vest too?" he accused, pointing at the dark blue vest Cubone was still wearing.
"Looks better on him than on her." Watchog snarked.
"Shut up." Tepig growled in response. Watchog's eyes narrowed at the small fire pokemon, but Tepig had already turned back to Cubone. "So, where is she?" he asked again, a bit of smoke coming out of his nostrils.
"Uh...don't worry about her, she's...gone now." Cubone said nervously, trying to find a way to say things.
Watchog and Tepig looked taken aback at his words. "Geez, now I feel bad." Watchog said, looking off to the side with an annoyed expression.
"You killed her?!" Tepid cried, a few embers coming out of his nose in anger.
"No no no no no! She isn't dead!" Cubone said, raising his paws up. "She's just...I'm just...I'm your new trainer!" he spat out, looking desperate.
Both Tepig and Watchog did a double take. "I'm sorry, you're what now?" Tepig asked, looking puzzled.
"Your new trainer!" Cubone said again, glad that the pig was no longer literally breathing fire.
There was a small pause. The Watchog burst out into laughter, rolling on the floor while Cubone became indignant and Tepig looked on in disbelief.
"Bahahaha! Haha, oh man, that was good dude! Oh Arceus, that's rich!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye. He took a breath, still smirking with contained mirth. "But seriously, you have to be joking. Pokemon can't be trainers."
"Who says?" Cubone said defiantly.
"Uh...I do, cause you're not my trainer." Watchog answered in a cruel tone, and Cubone felt like a ton of bricks were crashing down on him.
"Yeah, Sam is." Tepig said. Watchog rolled his eyes at the fire pokemon's words, but otherwise didn't respond.
"Well...I don't need you! Tepig and I are gonna take this all the way to the Elite Four, right Tepig?" Cubone said slightly desperately. When Tepig just pawed at the ground a bit in embarrassment, the Cubone felt his heart sink. "Right?" he repeated.
"Listen." Tepig said, his tone nice, but firm. "That sounds like a cool idea, but...I already have a trainer. Her name's Sam, and she's probably looking for me right now. I just want to find her." Tepig said.
"But...but I-I..." Cubone sputtered, sounding like he was about ready to cry.
"It's stupid to want to be a trainer dude. You're a Pokemon. Only humans can be trainers, simple as that." Watchog said, crossing his arms as he did so.
"SHUT UP!" Cubone suddenly yelled in rage, making both Tepig and Watchog jump. "I'm your trainer, and you're my Pokemon!" He reached into his vest for an empty pokeball. "Now, you two are going to-"
Then his words cut off and his eyes widened as suddenly a red light surrounded him and he disappeared, the blue vest falling to the floor. The pokeball he had touched fell to the ground, blinking a couple times before locking with a click.
Both Tepig and Watchog stared.
"Idiot." Watchog said, then he turned to face the Tepig with his intimidating glare. "So, where were we?"
"Well, we gotta find Sam, she can't be that far, we battled not too long ago." Tepig said.
"Let me rephrase that." Watchog said with a devilish grin. "Where was I in the middle of our battle?"
Tepig eyes widened, and he began to back away slowly from the approaching rodent. "Hey, back off! I...I beat you last time!" he said.
"You don't say?" Watchog asked, his grin becoming wider. "So I guess you'll have no trouble beating me again?"
"Uhhhh..." Tepig wondered for a moment. Then he turned and bolted into the forest, the Watchog hot on his heels.
Meanwhile, the pokeball simply lay on the ground with the vest right beside it in a crumpled heap, alone and forgotten.