Chapter 1:

Kyle

Kyle was leaning on the railing of Aspertia City's Outlook, a platform built a top a hill that gives a beautiful view of the Unova region. From there he could see lush trees, a sparkling lake, and a vast mountain range. The rising sun made the view even more beautiful. It was truly a great view that has tourist coming from all around the region, and even some from outside Unova as well. Despite this Kyle and another trainer, Tobias, were the only people there at the moment.

Kyle and Tobias were waiting for Professor Juniper. Kyle and Tobias were two of the three trainers from Aspertia were going to get the chance to help Professor Juniper with her studies by traveling around the Unova region filling up the Pokedex. The Pokedex was a digital encyclopedia of Pokemon. Every time a trainer with a would catch a Pokemon information about it, such as it's stats, size, and habits are stored and sent to Professor Juniper for research. This means she doesn't have to spend time collecting the research and can focus more on her experiments and discoveries.

When Kyle heard about the opportunity to help out he jumped right on it. He wanted more than anything to travel around Unova. This looked like a good opportunity for him. His parents wanted Kyle to finish high school before he could go on his journey, and even then they didn't want him to wander aimlessly throughout the world without guidance. This held Kyle back. But now that he has finished high school and has a Pokemon Professor backing him up he is finally able to go on the journey that he has always wanted. He imagined Tobias was here for the same reasons. Plus, the trainers would also get a free rare Pokemon. Kyle was pretty excited for that.

Kyle and Tobias already knew each other. They went to high school together, but really only met during battle clubs after school. Kyle used to be the best trainer at Aspertia high until Tobias transferred there during his junior year. Tobias joined the battle club and on his first day there he beat Kyle. It wasn't a crushing defeat, it was rather close, but it was still kinda embarrassing. They have had a few battles since then. Kyle has won a couple, but Tobias was usually the victor. Kyle plans to capture more Pokemon than Tobias so he could reclaim his title as the better trainer. Right now however they were just looking at each other awkwardly as they waited for Professor Juniper to arrive.

"What kind of Pokemon do you think Professor Juniper will give us? Maybe it will be a rare Dragon Pokemon like Dratini!" Kyle said to Tobias, trying to break the awkward silence.

"You really don't know?" Tobias said in an almost mocking tone. "Professor Juniper has always given away the same Pokemon to here helpers. She offers trainers the choice between Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott. You really should have done some research about the Professor before you decided to help her out."

Kyle decided to ignore the insult. "Wow! Those Pokemon are neat as well. I don't know what I'm going to choose. You probably already do though don't you?" Kyle asked Tobias.

"Of course. I have already chosen one that fits my battle style," Tobias replied.

Kyle figured. Tobias was always planning ahead. Maybe Kyle should have looked at his options as well. He only knew what type the Pokemon were and what they looked like. This was going to make it difficult to decide. Before Kyle could ask Tobias what Pokemon he wanted, Professor Juniper finally arrived.

"Sorry I was a little late," the Professor said as she finished climbing up the last step to the lookout "I was talking with the other assistant over the phone. She said she would be late, so we'll have to move on without here for now," the Professor said.

She was rather loud. She looked like she was in her thirties and was rather tall with brown hair hair. She was wearing a white lab coat and a green skirt and she had large, round red earrings. Kyle didn't know who the third trainer was, but he was more interested in getting his journey started so he quickly got over her absence.

"It's alright. We weren't waiting long," Kyle said.

"Well, let's move on to business," Professor Juniper said. "I study Pokemon Evolution. If you two went out with these Poxedexes it would help me a lot," she said as she pulled out a couple of Pokedexes and handed them to Kyle and Tobias.

"Thanks!" Kyle said excitedly, grabbing the Pokedex and shoving it in his pocket.

"Thanks," Tobias said, grabbing the Pokedex and checking out some of it's features as Professor Juniper continued to talk.

"No, thank you. This will really save me some time. As a thank you for helping me out I also want to give you both a Pokemon," She said, pulling out a box. She opened the box and inside were three Pokeballs, each labeled.

"Thank you Professor Juniper. I'll take this one," Tobias said as he grabbed the Pokeball labeled "Snivy". He opened the Ball and a green, snake-like Pokemon with short arms and legs popped out. The Snivy had a confident look in his eyes and crossed it's tiny arms across it's chest. Kyle thought the Pokemon's overconfidence and pride fit Tobias perfectly.

"Do you know what you are going to pick Kyle?" Professor Juniper asked.

"Umm… No, not yet. Can I see them?" Kyle asked, a little embarrassed.

"Of course," Juniper said, grabbing the pair of Pokeballs and releasing the Pokemon inside of them. Tepig, a small black and red pig with popped out of it's Pokeball. When it was released it let out a happy cry and a small tuft of smog came out of it's nostrils. The second Pokemon contained an Oshawott, a bipedal blue and white otter Pokemon. It had a bivalve shell on it's chest. It grabbed the shell of it's chest and started waving it around the air excitedly and began to jump up and down. Both Pokemon looked like they were full of energy.

Kyle didn't know what one to choose. He knew that Tobias' Pokemon, Snivy, was weak to Fire attacks. This meant Tepig may be the best option if he were to take him on. However, Oshawott seemed to be full of energy and spirit. Tepig did as well, but it was bubbling over in Oshawott. Both Pokemon were quiet now. They were staring at Kyle, waiting for him to make his decision.

"I'll take the Oshawott. This little guy is just overflowing with personality!" Kyle said, grabbing the otter Pokemon's Pokeball.

Oshawott jumped in the air with excitement after hearing the news. He threw his shell up in the air and caught it as it fell back down. He laid the shell back on his chest then ran up to Kyle and hugged his leg.

"Aww. I couldn't help but pick you little guy!" Kyle said, petting the little Pokemon atop the head. It let out a little cry of joy again.

"Anyways, I want to thank you guys for helping out again," Professor Juniper said. "You guys really are doing me a huge favor. The more trainers I have gathering data on the Pokedex, the more data I'll have to do research with. Be careful on your journeys, I don't want to lecture you like a worried parent, but I do want to advise that you should proceed with some caution. If you need help you guys can always give me a call. I don't see any reason to hold you two here any longer. You guys can leave if you have no more questions."

"Thanks again Professor. It is an honor to work for you and get such a rare Pokemon. I'll be sure to make you proud," Tobias said.

"Yeah! Thanks! I'll work hard to fill that Pokedex!" Kyle said.

"Alright then. I wish you luck! I'll stare here to relax and enjoy the view. I have been walking all morning," Professor Juniper said as she sat down on a bench and looked at the beautiful view that Aspertia City had to offer.

After returning their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, Kyle and Tobias began to head down the stairs of the outlook to reach Aspertia City's street level. As Kyle walked down the stairs he looked at his Pokedex. He saw that almost none of the Pokemon had any data. The only ones that did were Pokemon that Kyle already owned. He saw data for Eevee, Starly, and Oshawott. It had already updated. That was pretty quick! Kyle decided to look at Oshawott's data. He saw that the shell that the little otter Pokemon had on it's chest was called a "Scalchop". Before he would read any further, he wanted to ask Tobias something.

"Hey! Tobias! Want to test our new Pokemon in battle? My Oshawott against your Snivy?" Kyle challenged.

Tobias looked at Kyle. Tobias sighed. "I kinda want to get started. Besides, my Pokemon has type advantage over yours. It would be an easy battle," Tobias said.

"Then it shouldn't waste too much of your time," Kyle said. "C'mon! Just one quick one-on-one battle. We should test out our new Pokemon quickly against other trainers. Then wild Pokemon will seem like a piece of cake!"

"Hmm… For once there is a little logic in what you are saying, and it probably will be a quick battle," Tobias said. "Alright. I'll take you on. Go! Snivy!" Tobias threw his Pokeball and the Grass Snake Pokemon popped out again. It landed on the street, smirking confidently. It was excited to be in battle, but he didn't want to show it. Snivy wanted to keep it's cool.

"Great!" Kyle exclaimed, releasing his Oshawott. Oshawott did a few leaps into the air and then grabbed it's Scalchop off it's chest. It got into a fighting stance, trying to look intimidating but actually looking incredibly cute.

"I'll let you make the first move," Tobias said. Kyle figured he wanted to get a figure on how powerful Oshawott was. Tobias was probably already scheming.

"Alright Oshawott! Use…" Kyle started before he realized he had no idea what kind of attack Oshawott had. Since it was a Water Type, he figured it knew Water Gun. He also could figure on Tackle since many Basic Pokemon like Oshawott start with that move. Other than that though, he didn't have much of an idea. He didn't want to use Water Gun since Snivy could resist the hit.

"Is there a problem?" Tobias asked, getting a little impatient.

"Of course not! I was just taking a moment to picture the humiliation you will have on your face when you lose! Use Tackle Oshawott!" Kyle commanded.

The little Otter Pokemon, who was impatiently tapping it's foot, suddenly grew serious. It lowered it's head and then charged straight at the Snivy. Tobias had a plan however. He commanded Snivy to use Vine Whip. Some of Snivy's scales parted a little, allowing a pair of long, green vines to shoot out of it's body. The vines repeatedly lashed out at Oshawott, causing it to stop dead in it's tracks and take some serious damage. Oshawott took the Scalchop off his chest and attempted to use it to block the blows, but he had limited success.

Kyle was a little worried. This looks like it is gonna be a bit of a problem. At this rate Oshawott will never get close enough to hit Snivy with a Tackle. He decided to try and change tactics. He commanded Oshawott to use Water Gun, hoping the ranged attack will make an opening for a Tackle. Oshawott inhaled deeply, and then fired a forceful jet of water at Snivy. Snivy was hit by the spray, but it took little damage since the attack wasn't very effective. It did cause Snivy to stop using Vine Whip.

"Great! Let's use this opportunity to our advantage Oshawott!" Kyle exclaimed with newfound hope. "Use another Tackle!"

Oshawott lowered it's head again and charged at the Snivy. Snivy however, simply slithered aside rather quickly. This thing was surprisingly fast.

"Umm… Do you even know what Oshawott's attacks are? You seem to be putting an awful lot of effort to make sure your Tackle hits," Tobias commented.

"Of course I know! Who do you think I am?" Kyle yelled back. He knew however that he didn't trick Tobias.

"Alright then. But just for your information, you realize the Pokedex tells you what kind of attacks your Oshawott could use right?" Tobias asked.

"It does?" Kyle said pulling out the little encyclopedia. He flipped it open and looked at Oshawott's data. Sure enough, there was a page with all his attacks. He must have missed it earlier when he abruptly stopped checking his Pokedex to challenge Tobias.

Kyle smiled after looking at the information. Tobias was impatiently waiting for him to make a move. Although he didn't like Tobias all that much, Kyle did respect that Tobias didn't attack while he was investigating his Pokedex. Although he was annoying, he was at least an honorable opponent.

"Alright! Use Tackle again!" Kyle commanded Oshawott.

Oshawott gasped with surprise.

"What are you doing!? Can you read? You know you can't get near me with a Tackle!" Tobias said, getting a little agitated. "I knew this was going to be a quick battle, but I hoped you would have put up more of a fight than this."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Kyle said confidently.

Oshawott, reluctantly this time, lowered his head and charged at Snivy. Kyle did have a plan. He knew Tobias liked to think ahead and guess what moves the opponent would make next. Well, Kyle decided to try and throw a curveball by making a "bad" move which may throw him off guard a little bit.

Snivy reacted the same way he did the first time when Oshawott used Tackle. Snivy used Vine Whip again, lashing out at the little otter Pokemon with the long vines. However, Kyle was ready this time. He ordered Oshawott to use Razor Shell. Oshawott grabbed the Scalchop of his chest, focused some of his energy into the shell, and swung it like a bladed weapon. It cut clean through the pair of vines that Snivy unleashed.

Tobias and Snivy were a little shocked. They didn't expect a retaliation like this. Kyle and Oshawott decided to take advantage of their astonishment. Oshawott charged at Snivy again with another Tackle attack, firmly connecting this time since Snivy couldn't move as fast after immediately using an attack. Snivy went rolling backwards, taking some nice damage. Kyle wasn't in the lead, Snivy's first Vine Whip did a lot of damage, but he was getting there.

"I admit. You caught me off guard there, but that doesn't guarantee you the victory. I fell for the trick once. It won't happen again," Tobias said, still looking confident victory was his.

"Good, I don't want you giving up yet!" Kyle said, glad to see his plan had worked and that Tobias actually looked a little proud of him.

"Alright Snivy! Let's use our ace in the hole. Leaf Tornado!" Tobias commanded.

Snivy focused his energy into the air around him. The wind began to swirl into a large tunnel. Sharpened leaves were sucked into the pillar of wind as well, making this an even more dangerous attack. The tornado moved towards Oshawott with surprising speed. Oshawott let out a gasp of fear then turned around and began to run away. However, his short little legs couldn't carry the Pokemon away from the swirling winds fast enough. The funnel of wind carried the little otter into the air, causing many of the leaves to cut him, then swirling around at high speeds.

"No! Oshawott!" Kyle exclaimed as the little otter Pokemon was flung out of the funnel at high speeds. He hit the hard cobblestone road with enough force to knock the little otter Pokemon unconscious.

"And that's the game. Good try. You even managed to surprise me with your little trick earlier, but it wasn't enough to overcome the type disadvantage you had," Tobias said.

"You did great buddy. Take a well deserved rest. When you wake up I'll give you a special treat," Kyle said as he picked up the unconscious Pokemon.

"Thanks for the battle Tobias" Kyle said, walking towards his opponent and outstretching his arm.

"Yep. It wasn't the huge waste of time I thought it would be. I look forward to battling you in the future. Hopefully we'll both have improved by then," Tobias said, accepting the handshake.

"I look forward to the day. Next time we meet we should compare our Pokedexes as well to see who made the most progress," Kyle suggested.

"Alright, but that just means you'll be losing a battle AND at a Pokedex completion," Tobias said, grinning.

"I'm going to go to the Pokemon Center. I better see you soon Tobias!" Kyle shouted as he walked away.

"Hmmph. Catch you later," Tobias said, walking out of Aspertia City and into the wild.

Kyle jogged towards Aspertia City's Pokemon Center, the whole way he began to imagine what his journey will bring him and the battle he would have with Tobias.