The Adventure Begins!
Brendan paced in front of the new girl trainer impatiently, hands in his pockets, waiting for her to tie her running shoes. What was taking her so long? Did she tie her hands in the bows or something? Well, she did look like an idiot when he first met her, and the fact that she didn't know what a pokémon battle was didn't help her look like a genius either. Girls ... All they know about is shopping and being mad once a month for some strange reason that he did not dare question.
"May! Hurry up! It's bad enough we have to travel together!" Brendan finally shouted, staring impatiently at the bandanna-wearing girl. "It's not like you're slow enough already! Sheesh! By the time we get to be OLDale town, I'll be OLD!"
"Geez, sorry." May rolled her blue eyes. "I just can't tie these stupid running shoes!" She hassled with the black and white laces, her fingers fumbling but was finally able to tie them all the same in the end. "Besides, you already have the hair color for an old person. No need to rush." She stood up, brushing the dirt off her pants. "Let's go, gramps!"
"Finally!" Brendan replied, picking up his faithful mudkip. "Did you just call me gramps?"
May ignored his question, admiring her new shoes by raising her foot up a bit. "So how so you get these things to work anyway?"
Brendan shrugged as he pulled out a crinkled piece of paper from his pocket to read the instructions. "Hmm ..." he said, trailing off, his eyes narrowing a bit as he read. "Well it says to push the 'b' button whatever that –"
May interrupted him as she began to poke him at his shoulder repeatedly, giggling a bit.
Brendan was annoyed by this girl already, and it's only been two hours. How was he suppose to live though this? "Do you mind if I ask why the heck are you poking me?" he shouted, raising his free hand in the air before pushing the girl's arm away, his eye twitching.
May smiled sheepishly and dragged her right foot in a circle, her hands behind her back to look innocent. She looked down, trying to suppress her giggles. "Well, your name starts with a b, and it said to push its buttons –"
"On the shoes!" Brendan yelled, steaming.
"Wow, you're very easy to annoy," May observed, placing a finger on her chin. "It's going to be fun traveling with you!" she remarked happily, jumping around a bit. She then stopped, sighing. "Fun, fun, fun! I think I put too much maple syrup on my pancakes today."
"Yeah, I noticed," Brendan replied in an angry voice as he shook his head. "Latios, how am I suppose to travel with you for almost a year? You're already beginning to piss me off."
"Let's get the show on the road!" May cried cheerfully, ignoring Brendan's last statement, skipping down the road, Torchic happily hopping behind.
The white-haired trainer shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, following the crazy girl and her torchic. At least Mudkip wasn't as stupid as she was ... hopefully anyway.
Brendan and May began to walk up the Route 101, enjoying the gentle breeze that swayed through the path. Thick oak trees bordered the dirt road, their roots bending and twisting in front of them. The sun smiled happily upon them, and the sky deep blue and cloudless. A raccoon-like pokemon ran across the path in front of them, stopping to stare at the bewildered duo, before scurrying away.
"Hey, when do you think we're going to reach a gym?" May asked curiously as the two began to walk again once the raccoon pokemon, known as a zigzagoon as Brendan told her, was out of sight. "Is there one in Oldale Town that I didn't see or something?"
Brendan closed his eyes for a second, a peaceful look sketched on his face as he thought. "I know there's not a gym in Oldale Town – just yet anyway – but Petalburg is nearby. That gym is pretty tough though, so you need at least four badges to battle with the leader there," he answered, remembering the gym leader's test he took a few months ago in pokémon school.
May smiled brightly. "That's my dad's gym! That's why we moved here in the first place!"
"Is that a good thing or bad thing?"
"What is?"
"Moving here."
"Well, it's been cool so far, so yeah, it's a good thing." She then added, "So far," with a slight smirk.
Brendan smiled as they made there way to Oldale Town, an old-fashioned town that lived up to its name with its wooden porches and its thriving elderly community. At least this girl didn't seemed annoyed with him yet.
"We should stop for supplies and things like that," May pointed out as she looked at the blue roof of the Pokémart. "You never know when you're going to need a potion or an extra pokéball!"
"Yeah, good idea," Brendan agreed, opening the Pokémart door for May. "Ladies first."
"Then why aren't you going in before me?" May sneered. "Sorry, I couldn't help it! You totally set yourself up for that one."
"Yeah, whatever," Brendan grumbled and went inside after May went in.
A little while later, they emerged from the store, backpacks and fanny packs bulging from all the needed equipment for their journey.
"Man, I'm already low on cash," Brendan complained, looking at the emptiness of his black leather wallet. He then put it in his back pocket, sighing.
"Yeah, but at least we get money for beating other trainers at battling," May pointed out, patting her stuff bag. "And we can add our money together if we're both too poor or something."
"That's true," Brendan admitted as the two turned east and walked toward another open path. This path was nearly identical to the one that separated Oldale and Littleroot except it was dotted with puddles and there was a small pond with splashing pokémon in it. There were a few rookie trainers, much like Brendan and May, hunched over in the grass, observing footprints to see if they could find a pokemon to catch. "I just hope we get to battle soon. There's a urge in me that's telling me to battle soon or I'll blow up!"
"I never seen a person blow up before ..." May said thoughtfully, perching her peeing Torchic on her shoulder. She then stopped in her tracks, looking at the boy who stopped because she did. "Okay, let's wait for a bit. I want to see."
Brendan rolled his eyes as he turned around to face the girl. "It's a figure of speech. Like 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.'"
"I don't care. Blow up," May replied simply, crossing her arms and smirking.
"No! Make me!" the boy taunted back.
"Don't make this difficult. Just do it."
"I don't even know how to blow up. Demonstrate for me, and then I'll do it."
"If I blew up myself – which I don't know how to by the way – then why would I ask for you to do it and comment that I've never seen a person blow up?"
"I ... don't know?"
Unknown to the two bickering rookie trainers, a young boy, a few years younger than the duo, crept up behind them, his bare legs getting scratched up by the long, itchy grass. He turned his baseball cap around so his bangs poked out from the hole in the back, his white shirt dirty with grass stains. He then raised his arms, his fingers outstretched and his palms flat, before reaching and grabbing the two trainers' shoulders, shaking them while yelling, "I LIKE SHORTS!"
"Holy crap – this person is not my parent!" screeched Brendan, turning his head to see who ambushed him. He then looked down at glared at the laughing eleven year old. "Haha. Funny, you pipsqueak." He brushed the younger trainer's hand off his shoulder. "What's with you and your obsession with shorts?"
"Really? I like shorts too!" May said cheerfully, ignoring the disgruntled Brendan and commenting on the young trainer's statement. "They make my legs feel so free!"
"Yeah!" the young trainer agreed cheerfully, nodding frantically. "They're so comfortable and easy to wear!"
"I totally agree!"
The eleven year old smiled at May then turned toward Brendan. "Who is this girl? I like her."
Brendan sighed and began the introductions. "May, this is Joey, one of my old neighbors. He left a few days ago to start his journey, though I'm not sure why he's still in this area." He smiled sheepishly as Joey glared at him. "Joey, this is May. May is tagging along with me during my journey –"
"Excuse me?" interrupted May, poking Brendan in the arm. "'Tagging along?' No, no, Brendan. You're lucky to even have come with you."
"Me? Lucky? Please, Miss 'I'm afraid of being alone.' You're the lucky one to have someone so strong and brave watch out for you."
"Really? I have someone strong and brave watching out for me?" May looked around mockingly. "I don't see him, Brendan. Where is he?"
"Listen here, girl –"
"For the LAST time, you jerk, my name is May! May Maple! As in the month and in the tree. No, my name isn't 'girl,' and no, my name isn't 'stupid.' So get it right!"
The two continued to argue (again) until Joey, rubbing the back of neck nervously as he watched the verbal tennis match, asked, "You want to battle, Brendan? For old times sake?" he asked, pulling out a pokéball from his pocket and throwing it up in the air, catching it soon after.
"No way, Joey! I saw them first!" A girl around Brendan's and May's age appeared, her ebony-black hair braided into two long strands. A white t-shirt clung tightly to her body, and she placed her hands on her hips where Brendan's eyes trailed, noticing the ridiculously short length of her black miniskirt. Instead of being annoyed with the boy's lingering eyes, she winked at him as she marched up to Joey. "You always get to challenge people! It's my turn!"
Joey rolled his eyes, spinning his pokéball on his index finger. "Please, Sarah. I do not."
"Uh huh!
"Nuh huh!"
Brendan rubbed the back of his head, stopping his argument with May. "It's nice to see you again, Sarah," he remarked in hopes of stopping the fight. "What brings you around these parts again? Didn't you leave a few weeks ago?"
Sarah turned her head to look at Brendan and smiled sweetly. "Oh, you know. Just wanted to make sure widdle Joey here started his journey okay." She took Joey's hat off his head and rubbed his hair annoyingly before recapping him despite the younger boy's complaints. "And maybe, just maybe, I hoped I would see you again. I'm lucky."
May snorted as she looked shiftily to the side, causing both Brendan and Sarah to look at her. "Anyway, who is this Brendan?" she asked, not addressing May.
"May," she answered for Brendan coolly, staring Sarah straight in the eye.
"May ..." Sarah repeated, blinking a few times. "Ah. And are you traveling with Brendan, May?"
She shrugged. "I suppose," May answered. "Unfortunately."
Then there was silence as the two girls glared at each other, one boy scratching his head in confusion and the other coughing to himself.
"Awkwarddd," said Joey in a singsong voice. "Anyway, what about my battle, Brendan?"
Sarah huffed again. "Joey! Let me fight him! I haven't fought in so long."
"How about you let me fight you, Joey, since you've already battled Brendan before, I think," May suggested, looking at the younger boy. "Brendan can fight Sarah 'for old times sake.'"
The two other trainers looked at each other another and nodded. "Fine," they stated in unison.
"Kay, but me and you are first! You two can watch!" Joey said smugly. "Go, Zigzagoon!" Joey threw the Pokéball that was enclosed in his fist. The ball opened, releasing a brown, striped raccoon-like being, looking like the one that Brendan and May encountered on their path to Oldale, who was busy gnawing at his claw.
"Ziggy!" the young raccoon pokémon cried.
May smiled and picked off the twittering chick off her shoulder, placing her on the floor. "Let's go, Torchic!"
"Chic!" Torchic chirped and faced Zigzagoon, clawing at the ground, the same determined look in her eye like when she battled that poochyena.
"Zigzagoon, use your Tackle attack!" Joey commanded, pointing at the torchic. Zigzagoon nodded and ran swiftly at Torchic, tackling her at her left side with his head. Torchic groaned as she skid back a few feet, using her talons to stop herself. She then chirped, ruffling her feathers.
"Hang in there, Torchic!" May said. "Try using Scratch!"
Torchic obeyed and chirped cheerfully again. She ran over, peeping as she did so, and scratched Zigazagoon's face hard with a mighty sweep of her claw. Zigzagoon moaned, trying to touch his face with a short fore paw, the scratch on his face turning a bright red.
"You can do it, Ziggy! Try Tackle again!" Joey encouraged his Pokémon.
"Use your Tackle too, Torchic!" May countered, replying to her opponent's attack.
The two Pokémon ran at each other and collided at the head with a sick and rough thud. Torchic was dazed a little bit, shaking her head to clear her blurred vision but Ziggy stumbled around a little like he had an inner ear infection. He then fell onto his side, exhausted.
Joey gaped, pulling out Ziggy's pokeball. "Zizagoon, return," the young trainer recalled his Pokémon in a beam of red light. "You did great, Ziggy! You deserve a nice rest!" He looked up toward May. "That was a good battle! You're a great trainer!"
May smiled and picked up Torchic at the same time. "Thanks! You're not so bad a trainer yourself!"
Sarah pushed Joey aside so she could stand near the empty clearing where the battle could take place. "Kay, enough of this peace treaty," Sarah exclaimed impatiently. "Let's battle, Brendy-poo; I want to see how we'll you've been raising that adorable little mudkip of yours."
May snorted as Joey held back a laugh. "Brendy-poo?" she murmured between giggles, covering part of her mouth with a gloved hand.
Brendan ignored the giggling girl, smiling cockily. "You got it! Go, Mudkip!" He pointed toward Mudkip who immediately jumped out and onto the battlefield, a smug smile plastered on his face just like his trainer's, slapping his tail against the ground.
"Let's do this! Go, Taillow!" Sarah released a small swallow-looking Pokémon from the ball she had clutched in her hand. The ball spiraled and hit the floor, releasing a small flying type. The bird immediately took flight, ruffling her navy blue feathers and puffing out the white feathers on her chest. She flew circles around Sarah's head, awaiting orders. "Start things off with your Growl attack!"
Taillow let out a small, yet cute, chirp from her small, yellow beak that made Mudkip howl in protest but made all three trainers (besides Joey who gagged) coo simultaneously.
"C'mon, Mudkip!" Brendan cheered, pumping his pokemon up. "Use your Tackle attack!"
Mudkip stopped twitching from the taillow's growl and ran at Taillow at full speed, jumping up. The taillow merely smirked and flew up higher, chirping mockingly at the growling water type.
Sarah smiled tauntingly. "My little Taillow is too fast for your Mudkip!"
Brendan growled in frustration. Hundreds of thoughts from previous battles he have seen began to race through his head. After a few seconds, he began to grin despite the fact that Sarah had the upper-hand in this battle. "Mudkip, use Mudslap!" he commanded while snapping his fingers.
Mudkip dipped his long blue tail into a small patch of dirt and flicked it up, sending it toward Taillow. The taillow merely took the hit, groaning at the sharp rocks that pelted her body, but she seemed unharmed.
Sarah sneered at Brendan's stupidity. "Ground attacks don't have any effect on flying types, silly!"
Brendan only laughed lightly at Sarah's confidence, flicking the white bangs that teased his forehead. "Mudslap not only attacks a foe, but it does much more. Look around."
Sarah looked up at her bird who was also looking around confused, a thick cloud of dust surrounding her. "Oh no! Taillow can't see! Hurry, Taillow! Try and blow the dust away with your wings!"
The boy reacted fast though. "Don't let her, Mudkip! Use Tackle!" Brendan ordered.
Mudkip jumped into the dust cloud and knocked the taillow out of it, sending them both hurtling toward the ground. Mudkip landed on top, pinning down the poor bird's wings. The taillow twitched and tried to get out of the mudkip's grasp but soon found herself too tired to do so.
"All right, Mudkip!" Brendan cheered while Mudkip ran toward his trainer, flipped over, and grinned merrily.
"Return, Taillow!" Sarah returned her fallen pokémon. "You did awesome!" She then turned addressed Brendan, smiling cutely again. "You're only getting better, Brendy-poo. I can't wait to see how you do in the league at the end of the year. I mean, I never expect you to use a Mudslap to your advantage like that."
"Expect the unexpected, as I always say," Brendan stated, getting on his knees, scratching Mudkip's head, making him purr in delight. May stifled a laugh by coughing at the boy's corniness, again rolling her eyes to the side, and Brendan rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Uh ... right."
Sarah pulled Joey next to her much to his dismay. "Well, c'mon, Joey. Let' go heal our pokemon. Hope to see you later, cutie!"
"Ew, you called Brendan cute?" Joey made a face and stuck out a tongue as Sarah dragged her away. "Girls! Bye, Brendan and May!" He waved at them, May waving back and Brendan looking a bit dazed.
Brendan felt woozy. "Heh, bye," he replied two minute too late.
"Bye!" May waved off to them and then smiled smugly at Brendan when they were out of sight, nudging him with her elbow.
"What?" Brendan asked, confused, snapping out of her daze.
"You like her, don'tcha?"
"Heck no! I like someone else!"
"Yeah, whatever. C'mon!" May sneered and walked away toward Petalburg. "We're almost at Petalburg!"
Brendan stared at her back, his mouth wide open. "Hey! Wait up!"
"Hurry up, 'Brendy-poo!'" The girl laughed, skipping down the road, her torchic on her heels.
Brendan sighed and shook his head, laughing. "You think what you want to think, May Maple."
