"Forty-seven." N counted, pointing his finger at the empty pokeballs in Professor Juniper's office.
"N? Are you sure you want to do this?" She questioned, handing him a pokeball. He gave a nod.
"I need to learn. The only way to learn is hands-on training." He informed the Professor. Juniper gave him a nod them proceeded to watch him. N accepted the pokeball then tossed it in the air.
"Go!" He cried. A white light seeped from the pokeball as it paused, mid-air. A Purrloin landed on the ground, licking its purple fur. N turned to Professor Juniper. She offered him a warm smile, extending her hand to the Pokémon and saying:
"Go on, use the Pokedex." She urged.
N pulled a red Pokedex from his wide jacket pocket and held it up the Purrloin. He typed a couple of things them listened as the device began to speak.
"Purrloin, the devious Pokémon and the pre-evolution of Liepard. They steal from people for fun, but their victims can't help but forgive them. Their deceptively cute act is perfect."
With a nod, N bent down on his knee to face his new Purrloin. "Hi. I'm N." He introduced, extending a hand to his Purrloin.
It cocked its head then wrapped a paw around N's wristwatch. N watched as the clever cat Pokémon slid the watch from his wrist.
It emitted a noise similar to a cat's meow but a bit more joyful. It nudged N's leg with a large smile.
Professor Juniper grinned. "She seems to like you very much." Professor Juniper said. The Purrloin slid the watch back to N and he secured it back on his wrist.
N tucked the pokeball in his bag. "I'll spare her the trouble of going into that thing. It's seems sort of criminal." He explained to Juniper. She nodded as he stroked Purrloin.
As N began to leave with Purrloin tagging along by scampering by his feet, he turned to look at his mentor once more. "Juniper?" he asked, staring at the woman he knew as Professor Juniper. She smiled, staring at him.
"Yes, N?" She replied.
N stared at his Purrloin for a moment, it gave him a cunning smile while emitting the same call from earlier. He looked back at Juniper. "I want to come back and battle you once I am stronger." He said.
Juniper gave a confused look. "My, my! What a request." Was her response.
"Once I treat my Pokémon with a better care and proper partnership. I want to show you that I can be just as well as Hilda and Hilbert." He announced, smiling down at Purrloin. "I will start with this one." He reached down and scooped up his new buddy.
Juniper nodded swiftly. "I will indeed indulge you in a battle when you are ready." She agreed. N stepped towards Professor Juniper and they shook hands.
"I shall return." He called, rushing through the doors of the Professor's Lab.
As N continued down a trail out of Nuvema Town, his Purrloin observed the sights they were now leaving behind. The poor Pokémon hadn't traveled outside of Nuvema before and today was an exciting day for her.
"Stop there!" A voice called. Flashes went off, leaving black dots swarming in the view of N. He blinked, waiting for the annoying visions to disappear.
"What's going on?" He whispered to Purrloin.
A camera man and woman rushed out of the bushes, a hot pursuit to catch up with a girl with short pink hair and brown skin.
"We've got to help her." N looked down at Purrloin who licked her paw lazily.
"C'mon!" He shouted, racing after them. Purrloin rolled her eyes, following her trainer. They followed th crew as it began to build up with fans of the girl. The words: contest winner, star, and Kitty, were thrown around among the rushing crowd.
They reached Route 1, a small clearing with patches of grass scattered around the grounds haphazardly. A Lillipup growled at Purrloin who gave a cunning smile.
N raised an eyebrow. "Oh. You want to battle?" He asked. Purrloin was already in battle mode, her stance perfectly set before her mysterious opponent.
Lillipup made its move first, raising a paw at Purrloin. "Dodge it!" N ordered, swiping his hand across the air. Purrloin did as she was told, jumping out of the way just in time.
"Use Scratch!" N cried as Purrloin pounced. She landed on the Lillipup, swiping its claws against the smaller Pokémon's eyes. The Lillipup cried out in pain and staggered backwards.
"Petilil! Absorb!" A soft cried. A new Pokémon emerged from the bushes as little green bulbs swarmed around Purrloin.
"Hey! I didn't issue a battle." N pointed out. "Out of the way, Purrloin." He said. The Purrloin slowly escaped the Absorb before all her powers were drained.
The bushes shook as the pink-haired girl revealed herself. "That Lillipup is my opponent. Find your own." The girl announced.
N looked at the girl, awestruck. Her short pink hair was curly and her soft eyes were an icy blue. She was dressed in a white halter, a pair of pink overalls, long socks with a thick pink stripe, and a pair of pink mary-janes. Her hands were covered by white fingerless gloves and her hair was decorated with a large white bow.
"Great work, Petilil." She scooped up her Pokémon as N pulled out his Pokedex.
"Petilil, the Bulb Pokémon. Petilil prefer living in rich, fertile soil where all types of plants grow in abundance."
"Are you…Kitty?" N questioned.
Kitty looked around, quite paranoid. "Don't say it so loud! I'm not supposed to be out adventuring right now." She pleaded, placing a hand over N's mouth.
"Why not?" N questioned. Kitty was about to explain when she noticed that Purrloin was panting heavily.
Kitty knelt beside the Purrloin and examined. "we should get her to a Pokémon Centre, quick." Kitty said. She began walking through the bushes. "C'mon. I know a shortcut to Accumula Town."
They arrived in Accumula Town just before the Pokémon Centre closed. "Hi Nurse Joy." Kitty waved her hand to the pink-haired nurse. Nurse Joy smiled. "Hello, Kitty. Nice to see you back in town."
A Wigglytuff pushed a gurney out of the double doors on their left with the aid of a Chansey. "Wiggly! Wigglytuff." It cried, cheerfully. N placed Purrloin on the gurney softly. "She'll be okay. Just a little fainted is all." Nurse Joy announced, sensing N's worry.
"Thank you." He replied, following Kitty to the seating area.
"I'm really sorry I hurt your Purrloin." Kitty apologized, snuggling her Petilil close.
"Oh, it's alright. It was our first wild Pokémon encounter so it was bound to happen." He muttered with a shrug.
"I wish I could battle wild Pokémon." Kitty sighed sadly.
N looked up at her. "So…why were those people chasing you?" N asked.
Kitty giggled nervously. "You see…I'm a contest winner from the Kalos region." She explained. "I worked with trainers from all over the place, like Lisia, Serena, and Miette."
N listened with admiration. "Wow. Is it fun?" He asked.
Kitty grinned. "Well of course! It's amazing. We get to wear pretty dresses and showcase our favorite battle style." She clapped her hands together excitedly.
Then she frowned. "But, there's always a downside. We can't really battle much with other trainers but I try my best to train my Petilil in the fine art of Pokémon battles. Not only do I want more princess keys, but I want to finish a Pokémon League!" Kitty cried. Then, with a blush, she sat back down.