Sokka breathed deeply, the scent of nature invading his nostrils. He surveyed the leafy woods and tall grasses at the edge of the town. Beside him Hawky chirped excitedly, flitting from place to place in small bounds.
"All right buddy, you can go on up," he told the Pidgeotto.
With a single flap of his red-brown wings, the pokémon took to the sky, circling overhead. Sokka chuckled to himself.
"Not too far though! I'll need you if I get attacked or something," he called out.
It was, in truth, unlikely. Twinleaf was a quiet, peaceful town and wild pokémon attacks were rare indeed. But still, it wouldn't do to be complacent.
Standing before the road to Sandgem, Sokka contemplated his next move. He didn't have to go out there into the wide, open world after all. He could just stay at home and live a normal, simple life.
But did he want to? Katara was out there making a name for herself as a Trainer with her water/ice pokémon. Did he really want to be known as the brother who never amounted to anything?
No, he didn't. Which is why he'd gone and purchased Hawky from a breeder. At the very least, no one could say he'd never given it a go.
He'd show up Hahn and his Sneasel, prove to the world that he could be a great trainer. Maybe even a Gym Leader like his dad.
Resolve strengthened, he stepped out into the world. The small pebbles strewn about the sandy road crunched under his footsteps, but nothing deterred him from his path.
Up in the air Hawky whirled around, calling out occasionally. The pair travelled slowly and steadily, their provisions light. Sokka had brought five extra pokéballs alongside some food for both Hawky and himself.
For quite some time the Trainer and his pokémon walked along the road, occasionally stopping for small breaks. Sometimes Sokka would direct Hawky to attack things, but had to stop after they disturbed a wasp nest. Sokka spent quite a while running after that.
Beyond that unfortunate occurrence, the journey was a relatively pleasant one. The track to Sandgem seemed surprisingly deserted, with neither people nor pokémon in sight. Every now and then a sound would emerge from the wilderness, but cursory investigation revealed nothing at all.
After two hours of travel, just as they were nearing the entrance to Sandgem, Sokka heard a woman's voice close by. He turned his head, seeking out the source of the noise.
"Hello?" He called out.
Sokka waited for a moment, but nothing seemed to be there. Scratching his head in puzzlement, Sokka whistled to Hawky. The Pidgeotto flew down to him, landing on his shoulder.
"Get off, you're too big," Sokka cried, shoving at his pokémon. He succeeded in dislodging the creature, who took wing again, alighting on a nearby boulder.
And then suddenly shot straight up into the sky with an angry screech as something barrelled into it, smashing the stone to pieces.
Sokka stared in disbelief at the shattered rock, fragments were scattered all around him. Where the boulder had once been now stood a Lucario, its eyes tracking Hawky.
A figure emerged from the trees behind it, a young woman not much older than himself. She wore green kimono and had short red hair.
"Kyoshi!" She cried out upon spotting the destroyed terrain. "How many times do I have to tell you not to break everything?"
She continued to admonish her pokémon for a few moments, before catching sight of Sokka, who was attempting to lure Hawky back down with a few treats.
"Sorry, did Kyoshi startle your Pidgeotto? She can be bit volatile sometimes. Though not nearly as much as my other pokémon."
Sokka stared at her, admiring her beauty before realising he was being rude. He coughed, straightening himself up.
"Nah, no harm no foul, eh? It was just a bit unexpected, that's all," he replied, smiling.
The girl mirrored his grin, nodding.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay then."
A thought struck Sokka.
"Say, are you a Trainer?" He asked.
The redhead frowned just a touch.
"Yes, as it happens I am," her tone was a shade guarded. "My name's Suki."
"Great!" Sokka exclaimed. "I'm Sokka. We should have a battle - your pokemon seems raring to go, after all."
Suki continued to frown, but softened slightly nonetheless.
"I don't know… Your flying type is strong against Kyoshi," she hesitated.
"No worries, we'll not put any money up for it. And Sandgem's just around the corner, so we can take our pokémon to the Center afterwards," Sokka tried to persuade her.
Suki looked to her Lucario, who gazed back at her interestedly.
"Alright. I could use the experience anyway," Suki agreed.
The road was empty of people, so it served as a suitable battleground for the fight. Sokka crouched before his Pidgeotto, gazing into the birdlike pokémon's eyes.
"Okay, Hawky, this is our first real battle. Now, it's just a friendly one, so no pressure if we lose. But let's win anyway, hey?" He told the creature.
Hawky chirped in reply, flapping his wings and swooping through the air. Sokka could see the kimono-wearing girl on the other side prepare her own fighter. After a moment she nodded to him, and he stood up, giving her a thumbs up.
"Ready? Let's go!" He cried. "Hawky, let's start out with Tackle."
The Pidgeotto squawked in acknowledgement, shooting towards his foe at high speed.
Suki watched the pokémon about to collide with her own, and called out.
"Kyoshi, use Extreme Speed."
The Lucario zoomed into action, impacting on the swooping Pidgeotto as he swooped into range. Hawky was thrown through the air by the strike, smashing against the ground.
Thankfully it didn't seem to hurt him a great deal. Hawky shook himself off, rising back into the sky without much difficulty.
"Okay, so he got you once. No big deal. Smack him with a Gust, that oughta do the trick," Sokka commanded.
Hawky hovered in the air, his wings flapping harder than ever. A small whirlwind began to form between his wingtips, before it coursed forwards. Kyoshi attempted to outrun the hurricane, but was sucked into the raging wind.
Over and over she tumbled inside the airstream, until it finally spit her out and dissipated. The Lucario tumbled to the ground, bouncing as she hit it.
Suki's eyes narrowed, and she clenched a fist in worry as she looked at the injured Lucario.
"Kyoshi. Use Detect," she told her pokémon.
The Lucario rose from the ground weakly, struggling a bit.
"Oh no you don't. Hawky, take him down with a Quick Attack!" Sokka ordered.
Hawky plummeted down again, but it was too late. The Lucario, though still injured, was speedy enough to avoid the blow. The two pokemon grappled for a moment, neither quite able to gain ground on the other.
"Okay, well he can't do that again, I bet. Finish him off with a Twister," Sokka said.
Hawky managed to break free from the Lucario, screeching loudly as he flew in a tight circle. Another whirlwind began to form, but this one was bigger and meaner looking.
The whirlwind began to envelope the Lucario, who didn't even try to fight it. Kyoshi closed her eyes as she rose into the air with the power of the wind. In a blink, she was hurled back down to land, causing a small groove as she skidded next to her trainer.
It was clear she was out for the count. Sokka pumped his fist in celebration, stroking Hawky's feathery head.
"Good job there, buddy. I knew you had it in you!" He cried jubilantly.
Suki frowned at his overzealous revelry. Reaching into her kimono, she produced a ball and pointed it at her fallen pokémon. A red beam emanated from the sphere, and the Lucario vanished.
"I wouldn't be so happy if I was you. It's not over," she declared.
Sokka froze mid-dance, creasing his brow in puzzlement.
"It's not? But I beat your pokémon. That makes me the winner," he insisted.
Suki reached back into her kimono, retrieving a nigh-identical pokéball.
"You haven't beaten all my pokémon yet. Unagi, I choose you!" She called.
She threw the ball hard, and it landed on the path, before the top split open and a bright white light began to shine. And then something appeared.
Sokka was still as he stared up at the massive blue head. Gleaming white fangs jutted from a monstrous mouth, and it roared. The sound was near-deafening, sending primal fear through him.
He'd never seen a Gyarados up close before. He hoped he'd never face another, because it was terrifying.
Suki was smirking widely, enjoying his panic. Hawky was nothing compared to her leviathan.
"Unagi, use Hydro Pump," she said with all the finality of an execution order.
The beast opened it's gigantic mouth, and water poured from it. Hawky barely had a moment to shriek in fear before the wave struck him, washing over his feathers like an ocean. In just a few seconds, the ground was soaked and the Pidgeotto lay in the grass, incapable of movement.
Sokka stared at his unconscious pet in disbelieving horror. Suki casually recalled her Gyarados, before striding up to her and holding out her hand.
"Good match. Maybe next time you'll make sure it's over before you celebrate," she teased him.
Sokka shook her hand, numbly noting her strong grip. He nodded once.
"Yeah. Where the hell did you get that thing?" He asked.
Suki smiled, shrugging slightly.
"I caught him. He was terrorising a coastal village in another land, but I managed to capture him. It wasn't easy," she reminisced.
Sokka shook his head in disbelief, and then recalled his knocked-out Pidgeotto.
"I'll bet. Alright, guess we'd better get on to Sandgem."
The two trainers began to walk to the next town together.