Chapter 1

Barry sat relaxed on the professor's couch. His eyes were fixed on the actions flashing on the screen. One of the contestants was a familiar face. It was Harry Potter: one of the most experienced Pokémon battlers in the whole region. His opponent was a round man with a moustache. Barry figured since he'd never seen him before he must be a rookie. A very talented rookie, he started to realize. He wished the sound was on; he might learn something about this new trainer. Unfortunately, he didn't know where the remote was. Maybe the professor would show him when he was finished talking to Joe.

Barry had told Joe to ask the professor what to do about the new Pokémon they had found. He didn't need to say anything, as Joe would have done it anyways, but he liked the thought of being the leader.

He moved into a more comfortable position on the couch and watched as Charizard's fire blast ko'ed Ursaring. A close battle, but Harry remained undefeated. Barry wondered how he always seemed to figure out the best plan of action.

Just then, the sliding doors opened and Joe walked through, followed by Professor Oak. "Hey Barry! You caught yourself quite a rare Pokémon!" said Joe gleefully.

"I mean I already thought that but we just had to ask the professor to make sure," Barry turned to the Professor to hear what he had to say, but he was still gathering his thoughts. "Right, hey do you know where the remote is? I wanted to hear the TV."

The Professor looked confused for a second, then acknowledged the question. "It's, uh, on the table."

"Whatcha watchin', Barry?" interrupted Joe.

"Just another tournament. There was a close battle between Harry and some newcomer."

"I bet that was cool to watch!" Joe said enthusiastically.

Finally, the professor spoke up. "Hmmm.. yes Pokémon battles sure have become quite interesting since wizards have become involved. There are so many new things to research now. For example, the Pokémon you just caught. Would you mind if I kept it?"

Barry and Joe shot each other a surprised look. "I'll, uh, think about it" said Barry.

Oak bit his lip and breathed out disappointment "Very well then." He took a Pokéball from inside his white lab coat and handed it to Barry. "If you decide to let me have it, er, hold onto it, just give me a call okay?"

"Yeah," Barry said noncommittally, examining the Pokéball in his hand. He looked up to see Joe frown and the Professor break eye contact. Something seemed off, but Barry didn't think anything of it. "What could be the matter?" he thought that Joe might be worrying too much.

"Hey, Barry, why don't you let it out of its Pokéball for a moment?" suggested Joe.

"Huh? Why would you want me to do that?"

The professor spoke up, his voice a little more terse. "I'd rather you didn't do that here."

"Uh, sure, Joe. How about after I call Michelle?"

"That's fine. I just want to make sure you have the right Pokéball."

Barry hadn't even thought of that. Before he could fully comprehend the situation, the Professor walked up to him. "Haha looks like I got them mixed up. Sorry, I must be getting old. Good thinking, Joe." He swapped the pokeball he was holding for another one of Oak's. Although it didn't look different, it somehow felt more familiar. "Well it was nice seeing you two. I have to get back to my work. I'm sure you can let yourself out." And with that, the Professor left.

Joe relaxed a bit and asked "What would you like for lunch?"

Barry changed the subject. "Did the professor just try to steal my Pokémon?"

"Barry, I'm hungry, can't this wait?"

"Yeah, okay. I'm sure it was just his poor memory. Hmm.. how about beef stew?"

"Sounds good. Let's go find a good place to set up camp."