2

"Professor, who were those two?" asked a young man, about the age of Tony. He had silky brown hair, wore a red and white hat with a black bill and Pokéball design, a light blue jacket with black pants, and had a bag slung across his shoulder. He was new to the Trainer adventure, and had his two friends along the way to support him, but they were late per usual. Today they were going to start their journey together, and eventually learn what they were meant to become. Some might be Pokémon masters, others might be researchers.

The professor looked over to the boy before following his gaze to the previous pair that had been here. "Oh! They were from Sinnoh, and they decided to travel all this way for another adventure," she explained. "I don't quite recall their names, though," she apologized. From all the people she met in a day, it was hard for her to remember names.

The boy shook it off, lifting his hand to signal he accepted the fact. "That's alright. I guess I'll just have to try out my new Snivy in a battle," he grinned, looking down at the red and white sphere he held confidently. It was all that had been left, for now, but he didn't mind. With that, he tossed the object into the air, seeing a red beam blast from the opening of the object and onto the ground, forming the shape of a small Pokémon. When the beam disappeared, a small, green lizard like Pokémon was left.

The professor saw this, and smiled. It was always refreshing to see a Pokémon and their trainer meet for the first time. The boy knelt down, a genuine smile on his lips as he looked at his new friend. "Hey Snivy, I'm Hilbert," he spoke confidently, "and I'm sure we'll have lots of fun."

The Snivy looked the trainer up and down, seeing that the boy seemed quite confident in himself. Snivy liked that; it didn't want some inexperienced trainer that would just make it battle for entertainment, it wanted someone who would progress and try hard at whatever they do. Professor Juniper saw the gleam in Snivy's eyes, and saw that it may be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Steph and Tony walked through the grass, their minds on what their Pokémon might be life. Gardevoir walked closely beside Steph, looking down at the pokeball in her hands. Tony saw the gaze, and wondered what gender his Pokémon would be. Then his thoughts went on their own.

"Hey, Steph?" he asked, his hand still grasping his own red and white sphere. Steph's violet eyes looked up to his, and he knew she was listening. A small grin spread on his lips. "When my Gallade mates with your Gardevoir, do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

"Tony!"

"Gard!"

Steph's face grew bright red as Tony literally fell to the ground laughing, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he rolled around, roaring in laughter. "You should have seen your face! Priceless!" he laughed uncontrollably. Steph's hands balled into fists, her teeth gritting as she remained flustered. The laughing seized as his glowing green eyes looked up to Steph's darker violet orbs, seeing her features darken.

"Magic leaf." With that, Gardevoir didn't hesitate to strike him down with her colorful array of leaves. While he cried in pain, mixed with some left over laughter of his accomplishment here and there, Steph didn't notice the boy walking towards her with a grin on his face. When he got up close to her, he suddenly found how attractive she was. She couldn't be much younger then himself, maybe even the same age as him! This caused his smile to broaden.

Gardevoir felt a new presence and detained her attacks on Tony, turning around to see the new face in front of her. Steph followed after, seeing his glowing eyes and the small Pokémon at his feet. "Hey! The name's Hilbert," he spoke to her, tipping his head a bit in a nod. "I see you have a starter as well. Care to battle me?" he asked, his eyes locked with Steph's. He was determined to not only earn Snivy's full trust, but also to possibly catch this girl's eye.

Steph blinked a bit, and then smiled to him. He was pretty confident! Maybe this would be a good bonding time with her new Pokémon. "I accept your challenge," she straightened her back, tossing her pokeball into the air. The red beam shot from the ball, and formed a small, round figure at the ground. The red was gone, and an otter-like Pokémon was left. It turned around and smiled at Steph. "Aw, it's adorable!" she cried, her hands moving to cup her face.

Gardevoir simply rolled her eyes, taking the girl's Pokédex and scanning the new creature. "Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. Oshawott attacks and defends using the scalchop that can be removed from its stomach," the Pokédex spoke.

"Oshawott, huh?" the boy spoke, his hands at his hips. He knew grass was much stronger than water, so this would be an easy battle. Or maybe, her being an experienced trainer, something interesting might happen. The said Pokémon stood proudly; puffing its chest out bravely; it wasn't going to let anything put it down! That was something Steph noticed about water types: they're always keeping their pride.

"Osha!" the little Pokémon cried, chest still puffed up. Steph smiled, finding the Pokémon extremely adorable. "Alright, Oshawott, let's see how good we work as a team!" Steph cheered. Meanwhile, Tony was finally getting up to his feet, seeing the new trainer and his Pokémon. And was he challenging Steph already? He was either very brave, or he didn't know who he was challenging.

"Let's start with tackle!" Steph instructed the Oshawott, who complied and charged towards the Snivy with determination.

"Dodge is Snivy! Then use Leer!" Hilbert ordered his own Pokémon. The Snivy easily jumped out of the way, only to land gracefully. Oshawott looked back, only to be stricken with a sudden fear as the Snivy's ice cold glare landed on the Oshawott, making more vulnerable to attack.

"That's alright Oshawott, we can get back at them. Let's try Tail Whip, followed by another tackle." Oshawott once again did at it was told, determined to win this battle. It cutely wagged its tail, making the Snivy relax a little. With that, the Oshawott charged again, this time effectively hitting the Snivy. Since they weren't too experienced, the Snivy was down for the count.

"No way!" Hilbert stared in disbelief. He then called his Snivy back to his pokeball. "Ah, it was only our first battle, buddy. We'll do better the next time!" he spoke cheerfully, placing the pokeball on his belt at his hip. With that, he saw Steph calling her Oshawott back as well. She congratulated it, and told it to get some rest.

Tony watched from the background, seeing how determined Steph was, even after such a lax trip to Unova. A smile crept on his face, and a soft one at that. She was so entertaining to watch battle, to see the determination in her eyes, as well as her Pokémon. She definitely knew how to earn their trust, and he admired that. He also admired how she never pushed her Pokémon too far, but kept them progressing in the same. Oh, how he wished he had the perfect moment to tell her how he felt, to let his dam of his emotions break and flood her in his affection.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. "Hey! I never did catch your name," the challenger jogged up to Steph. He then spotted Tony and smiled. "Hey, I'm Hilbert," he spoke to Tony before turning back to Steph, awaiting her response.

"Oh," her eyes widened a bit, not even realizing how she wasn't thinking. Her cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment, "Steph," she told him. His smiled widened, and Tony introduced himself as well. She could see Hilbert's eyes gleaming. Most likely from his first ever battle.

"Hey, I hope it isn't any trouble, but are you guys going to Accumula Town?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck a bit. Tony nodded to him. "Do you think I could tag along?" he asked, nervousness evident in his voice, his eyes set on Steph.

"That's fine with me. It's more enjoyable to travel with more than one friend," she smiled.

"Friend?" Hilbert asked, his brows raising. His finger then moved between her and Tony. "So you two aren't together?" he asked. Suddenly they both blushed.

"O-oh no! We're friends," Steph spoke up.

"Actually I-" Tony started.

Steph chuckled a bit. "You're right Tony. Best friends," she smiled to him, and he put on a fake, half smile. His heart stung a bit at her comment. She thought of him as nothing other than a friend? After all these years he's felt so strong about her, and she doesn't even see it. "Well, we should probably get going then," she spoke, turning on her heel and starting down the path into the forest. Tony sighed, letting his shoulders fall limply. As Hilbert walked up to him, he stopped beside Tony.

"You aren't the only one that likes her," Hilbert winked to him, a grin on his face. "No hard feelings, but I see this as a little challenge between you and I, and I intend to win," he spoke with a grin, turning back towards the girl and following after her. Tony's eyes widened, realizing what was at risk. The girl he's loved for so long could be ripped from his reach by someone else. No, he was so close to winning her heart, he couldn't lose her now, after everything they've been through.

Great… Just what I needed to start off the new adventure.