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No one had beaten Lio to Route 29. The day was still young and the sun had not risen too high. Lio saw some joggers running slowly through the meadows and the tall grass but hadn't seen any Pokemon. To say the least, Lio was disappointed. He sighed and looked at the Pokegear to check the time. 10:43.
Grumble.
"Whew, I'm hungry" Lio remarked and rummaged his back in hope of finding food. But all the food he had packed, three days worth of it, was gone. "What the Helllllllll! " Lio screamed. "I'll catch that thief and beat the brains out of him! Come on, Ace, let's go!"
No answer. "Ace, where are you!?" Lio yelled, finding Ace's Pokeball empty.
"Quil Quil", Lio heard from behind him. Ace was sitting on a rock behind Lio ,licking his lips which were surrounded with bread crumbs and jam. "Ace… you ate the food?" Lio asked. "Quil Quil!" It nodded happily. "That - was for me!" Ace started running from Lio infright, with Lio right on his heels. "You'll pay for that!"
"Hey." A deep voice said, and Lio turned around with surprise. The teen who spoke had light brown hair and wore blue sweats. He carried a Raticate on his shoulder. He looked a much more experienced trainer than Lio, who was running after his Pokemon, hungry and ragged-looking. "Is that your Pokemon?" The trainer asked.
"Yes." Lio replied.
"It ate your food, didn't it?" The trainer started laughing deeply.
"Hey! Wh-what's so funny!" Lio shouted, embarrassed.
"You're a new trainer, right? I'm assuming you battled using that Cyndaquil. After receiving severe injuries, it can't just stay all curled up in its Pokeball. It ate all that food in order to heal."
"Oh", Lio said dumbfoundedly. "I guess I'm not as good as I thought."
"Nah, it's fine. But just remember that your Pokemon's comfort and well-being is as important as yours, that is, if you want to achieve full bonding with it. If there isn't a Pokemon Center nearby, use a Potion to heal your Pokemon or if you don't have that give them a bit of food for you. Your Pokemon has to feel like its your equal."
"Raticate!" The trainer's Raticate hopped down from his shoulder to greet Ace. "Raticate! Raticate!" The Raticate smiled as best as it could with it's huge teeth. "Quil Quil!" Cyndaquil answered. "It seems they're having fun." The trainer said. "Say, what's your name?"
"Lio," Lio answered.
"Nice to meet you." The trainer answered. "The name's Castor. I live in Cherrygrove, right next to this route. Where do you come from?"
"New Bark." Lio replied. "Professor Elm just gave me this Cyndaquil today."
"Professor Elm!" Castor exclaimed. "Wow, I wish I could meet him."
Lio smiled. "Professor Oak came to visit him and gave me this". Lio pulled out his Pokedex and scanned Raticate. "Raticate, the Mouse Pokemon. Gnaws on anything with its tough fangs. It can even topple concrete buildings by gnawing on them."
"Totally cool!" Castor said. "So, you said you ran out of food? I can help you with that."
"Really?" Lio replied.
"Yeah, sure. Raticate, come over here!" The brown mouse scampered towards his trainer, unreluctantly leaving his new friend. "Use Headbutt on that tree!"
"Raticate!" Raticate agreed and leaped onto the tree, striking his head onto the tough bark. Several fruits fell down onto the surrounding grass.
"Awesome!" Lio said, "Thanks so much, Castor!"
Castor smiled. "No problem. Say, do you have any Pokemon except for your starter?"
"No." Lio mumbled. "I'm actually a bit afraid that I won't be able to catch one."
"Ha!" Castor laughed. "You'll be able to catch how many Pokemon you want just fine. I can teach you how. Toss me a Pokeball!" Lio threw Castor the red ball. "Raticate. Use Headbutt on that tree over there!" Castor pointed to a tree which had a bird's nest resting on top of it.
Raticate used Headbutt and shook the tree. A startled Pokemon flew out of the tree. Lio pulled out his Pokedex and scanned it. "Pidgey, The Tiny Bird Pokemon. It usually hides in tall grass. Because it dislikes fighting, it protects itself by kicking up sand." "A Pidgey, huh? They're not rare."
"Raticate, use Quick attack!" Castor commanded, and the Pokemon speedily jumped up to Pidgey's and struck it, quickly jumping back down. The Pidgey's wing was injured and it fell, causing dust to fly up in the air. Castor cast the Pokeball and flashing red light engulfed the Pidgey, after which it was devoured by the small machine. "Beep! Beep! Beep!" The ball flashed red and finally settled down.
"You see. You caught a Pidgey!" Castor smiled.
"I didn't catch it!" Lio answered. "Anyway, I want to catch a Pokemon by myself. You can keep the Pidgey".
"No, I think I'll release it" Castor replied dreamily. "I'm looking for a specific Pokemon." His eyes had a far-away look in them. "Anyway, Pidgey, you're free!" Instead of the red light of capture, the small Pidgey came out of his ball with a shining blue light, flying away with great difficulty because of its injured wing.
Castor looked at his Pokegear. "Oh! It's already afternoon! I should probably head back now if I want to get to Cherrygrove when there's still light. Nice meeting you, Lio!" Castor gestured for his Raticate to come and ran off toward Cherrygrove.
"Ace, you ready?" Lio grinned. "We're gonna get our first catch. But we can't just catch any Pokemon. It has to be a really good one."
"Quil Quil!" Ace squeaked excitedly.
"Even if we don't manage to catch one it'll be good to battle a bit. I'm itching to challenge a Gym already, but I don't know how far the closest one is. So, how should we lure our Pokemon?"
After some thinking, Lio decided to place a trail of fruits from a tree that rested in the meadow to a rock where he and Ace would hide. When the Pokemon came close, Ace would attack.
Minutes passed by, an hour or two and the sun was beginning to fall back down under the trees when Lio heard a subtle noise. "Swish! Pip! Pip! Hoppip! Munch Munch!" Lio didn't know what Pokemon it was, and that was a good sign. "This is an awesome opportunity!" Lio thought. "Alright. I'll wait until it comes a bit closer and then-" "Ace, use tackle!" Lio stood up, glancing shortly at the round pink Pokemon before Ace tackled it to the ground. "Pip!" The Pokemon screamed , and then fired a small splash of water at Ace.
"Oh shit!" Lio yelled. "Ace is weak against water! This isn't gonna be good!" Fortunately for Lio, the attack didn't do anything. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ATTACK!" Lio yelled, then scanned the Pink Pokemon in his Pokedex. "Hoppip, The Cottonweed Pokemon. To keep from being blown away by the wind, they gather in clusters. They do enjoy gentle breezes, though." "So it really is that light, huh?" Lio thought. "Ace, use Tackle once more!" The Fire Mouse jumped at Hoppip a second time, leaving Hoppip strewn on the floor, full of bruises. "Sorry, Hoppip. I'll get you to a Pokemon Center soon." Just as Lio was about to throw the Pokeball, he heard a sound. Wind. The fluffy and lightweight Hoppip started floating up, using its green 'leaves' like wings. "We can't let it escape!" Lio yelled. The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and Ace couldn't hear Lio's command. "Okay, I'll have to do this alone. If I miss this throw, I probably won't catch a Hoppip again. Let's think of the worst scenario." Lio moved his arm back, flexing his muscle. He gripped the Pokeball firmly and stepped forward speedily, setting his foot strongly on the ground. He swung his hand and released the ball. "Please!" Lio thought. "Beep! Beep!" The Pokeball fell to the ground and shimmered for a while, then settled down. "Yes! I caught my first Pokemon!"
"Quil! Quil!" Ace squealed and Lio smiled at him.
"You happy, Ace? You've got a new buddy now!" Ace shook his head. He squealed not of joy but of worry. He nodded toward the sky and Lio looked up after him. Dark clouds were starting to gather. The wind was becoming stronger. A storm was coming. "Shit! This is not good, Ace! We should get to shelter! If your flame goes out…" Lio paused.
"Quil…" Ace replied, knowing what Lio meant to say.
"Let's go. We need to find a big tree or a cave or something so the rain won't hit us. Come back, Ace!" Lio yelled. "Hang in there, guys" Lio grunted, trudging forward slowly in the high grass.
It started raining. First it was light rain and Lio was was refreshed, getting sprinkled by the heavenly water but as it became stronger and harsher, Lio was having trouble walking in the mud. His vision was becoming blurry and he felt the water leaking into his thick leather bag. "I hope the Pokeballs are as waterproof as they are supposed to be" Lio thought, caring for Ace's safety. Then the wind strengthened. Instead of falling vertically, the rain whipped at Lio's body empowered by the stormy and powerful wind. He couldn't see almost anything, and the mud had come to his knees. He felt his body submerge into the brown liquid. "No! I have to get up!" Lio thought. He couldn't leave his Pokemon like this. But he didn't have the power to get up. "Shit! What am I going to d-"
"Hey" A far away voice said.
"Castor?" Lio thought. "Has he come back to help me?" He looked up and quickly realized that it was not Castor. From the silver bird who was watching him, the pale skin and the blond hair, he realized that it was Sylvester.
A/N: Next Up - The Magical Mystery Egg?
Sylvester Returns! Next chapter, the story will start heating up with Lio meeting Mr. Pokemon and a strange, mysterious egg (which is obviously the Togepi duh) or is it?
