"Gotcha now!" the camper shouted as his Geodude struck their enemy male Nidoran with a Tackle. The foe fainted from the supereffective move, which sent it rolling back to its trainer's feet.
"Gah! Really thought I had ya there!" said the the Nidoran's trainer. He picked his Pokémon up and pet it on his head, trying to avoid the several poisonous spikes on the back of its head. It let out a small "Nido~" before resting in its trainer's arms.
"Come on, Billy, you know how it always is. We spend two minutes on small-time hits and then I end it with a move with actual effort." the Geodude's trainer told him.
"You're too much of a novice to even think you 'have anyone there'."
"...was I even close this time?"
"Well-"
The scoutmaster came back to the camp site and playfully said to the campers, "Come along, you li'l troublemakers! You'll fall behind again!" with a hand motion and a smile.
"We're goin', sir!" replied Billy. He tried his best not to show his bitter feelings towards Nicholas and his Geodude. What was it that he lacked in a battle? Strategy? Tried that. Confidence? He had it, he just didn't put it into where it really mattered when in a battle. What should he do?
Billy was busy thinking about what Nicholas had said. It did always go that way, didn't it?
Night had eventually as they all finished up setting their camps up deeper into the forest. The group of twelve (fourteen, counting the leader and counselor) set up the fire and began passing stories and sharing tips on Pokémon battles. Later, the scoutmaster got up and, as usual, told everyone he was going to scout the place again, leaving them with the counselor by the fire. Billy, as usual, wanted to go along with him to see how a real battle went, if their was any to be seen, and every time he'd be told to sit down, followed by an amused chuckle by the scoutmaster. "It's too dangerous," he would say. "But Mr. Reynoooolds..." Billy'd say.
Sitting by the fire again, next to a tired Nicholas lying on the log, Billy wondered why they'd even need to scout out the area if they aren't too deep in the forests anyway. They'd even come back every time with barely anything to say. After he had healed his little Nidoran, who he had affectionately nicknamed "Ranran", he and his Pokémon , in his arms, laid down on the log as well. Their eyelids fell heavy as they looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, a yell was heard, not too far from the camp.
"GA-A-A-A-A-A-A-AH!"
"That was Reynolds's voice..." the counselor said under his breath.
"What?!" everyone else shouted. Their voices woke up Ranran, who fell on his back and rolled over, dazed and still tired.
"Settle down! I want all of you to stay calm while I look for help. If anything happens, you all yell too!" He went into the forest with a Pokéball, but worried how'd they'd handle themselves. Before he decided how foolish he was for leaving the children back at the campsite, he was struck with a shock. This was not of physical properties, and their wasn't a sign of an attacker.
Billy and Ranran had wandered into the forest, secretly following the counselor until he had seen him suddenly fall over, with some sort of aura going of of him. He gasped, and tried to turn back but tripped, and fell, rolling over and seeing the scoutmaster on his back with his hat over his face. He was out cold, Billy deducted. Only getting scared even more, he had backed away, and felt something behind him, launching back again, facing what it. It was a Hypno, but it seemed too calm to be wild! Then, hooded figure with robes appeared behind the Hypno, muttering something Billy could barely hear.
"...You risk altering fate... ...you must be taken out."
The Hypno tried Psychic on Billy and his Nidoran, who closed his eyes and screamed louder than he ever had.
"Thunder Punch!"
At that point, an Electabuzz struck the Hypno back, paralyzing it and preventing it from doing anything else.
"I don't think so!" exclaimed the Electibuzz's trainer. Billy had looked at him, unable to see his face as it was hidden by his hat's shadow. He glanced at Billy, and gave him a smirk, before making his Pokémon throw the Hypno to the side. The Hypno's trainer then shouted:
"Idiot! You're destroying fate's path doing this!"
"By doing what? Protecting the innocent? I don't think so!"
The Hypno owner could only growl and run into the shadows after returning his Pokémon to its ball.
"Mister... You saved us! What could we do for you?!" Billy said to the man. He laughed a little, and turned to the boy. Billy could see a cup with what appeared to be dice. He's a gambler!
"Just listen to me, sonny."
"...Okay...?"
He looked to the shivering Nidoran next to Billy, then looked back to him. "You're a trainer, right?"
Billy nodded. "When in a battle, never be too scared to take risks. No matter how strong the opponent is or how smart they think they may be, with enough creativity, you can turn the tables." He then tossed a die down to the boy's feet. He picked it up while getting up, having a short glance at Ranran, who seemed to have immediately warmed up to the mysterious stranger. Looking at the strange man and smiling with a gleam in his eyes, Billy listened closely to what the man was going to say next.
"I also need you to do one favor. Just one!"
"Tell me what it is, mister! I'l do it!"
"Never forget me!"
The man had run into the shadows in the opposite direction to the hooded man. Billy looked down at the die in his hands, then turned to see the other campers running up to him and their superiors getting up from their injuries, with tons of questions.
"Mr. Reynolds! Mr. Salem! Are you guys okay?!" Billy asked.
"Billy, what happened?!" Counselor Salem said. Billy couldn't easily explain what had really happened, so he just said they all fell while trying to climb up a steep slope.
"Looks like we'll have to cut the trip short... Tomorrow morning, we're heading back to the city!" Mr. Reynolds said. The campers looked somewhat disappointed, but also relieved after hearing that yell earlier. Billy looked down on his die again, and recalled the words, Never forget me!
He smiled, and put it in his pocket. Take risks...
As all the other campers got proper rest and the superiors healed their wounds, Billy rested with Ranran in his jacket, both smiling contently with their newfound advice and additional confidence. He knew finally where to put their excessive confidence.
