Chapter 2

"So where are we going first?" Alexis asked.

"Well," Clemont answered. "Ash has to register for the Kalos League, so we need to go to a Pokemon Center first."

Bonnie ran ahead of them. "Come on, Ash! You can register for the Kalos League over this way!"

"It's probably not a bad idea to get our Pokemon checked out before we leave town, anyway," Alexis said.

Ash looked at Clemont. "It's really nice of you guys to come along with me, Clemont."

"Please, think nothing of it, Ash. I confess, I'm a little in awe of you."

"Really?"

Clemont nodded. "You were willing to risk anything you could to help Pikachu and Garchomp. Just watching you gave me courage. I know I can get stronger by traveling with you. We both can."

Ash turned red. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"It really was, Ash," Alexis said. "You were incredibly brave. I know Augustine is grateful for everything you did for his Pokemon. And so am I."

"That's right," Clemont agreed. "I can totally understand why Froakie chose you."

"Look, there it is!" Bonnie called from the end of the street. "Come on, you guys!"

Alexis chuckled. "We're coming, Bonnie!"

At the Pokemon Center, Ash touched his Pokedex to a computer, registering him for the regional tournament. Nurse Joy gave him a complimentary badge case, then checked out their Pokemon before declaring them good to go.

"Before we go, I want to call Professor Oak," Ash said.

"He's Kanto's regional Pokemon expert, right?" Alexis asked.

Ash nodded. "That's right. He's the one who gave me Pikachu. I want to let him know I got here safely, then he can tell my mom." Ash headed over to the phones while Alexis and the others headed outside to wait.

They chose a spot next to the fountain in the middle of the square. Alexis sat down on the wall and looked at Clemont. "Ash knows that there are Pokemon Gyms all over the region, right? Does he have any idea where to go first?"

Clemont adjusted his glasses. "I think he said something about the Santalune Gym. If that's the case, Santalune City is our first stop."

"Awesome. I have friends there that I haven't seen for a while. It'd be good to get in touch with them again."

"Here comes Ash!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Alexis waved her hand. "Over here, Ash!"

"Thanks for waiting," he said as he joined them. "What's up?"

"We were just figuring out where to go first," Clemont answered. "Didn't you say you wanted to challenge the Santalune Gym?"

Ash nodded, then looked at Alexis. "The Gym Leader was away yesterday, but I'm pretty sure he'll be back by the time we get there."

Clemont held up a small computer and showed them a map. "I think the best way to get there is by taking Route 4."

Alexis nodded and pushed up her glasses. "If we stay on the road, it's a straight shot to the city."

"Then Route 4 it is!" Ash said. He looked at Pikachu, who was sitting on his shoulder. "Aren't you excited, Pikachu?" Pikachu cried enthusiastically. Froakie was sitting on his other shoulder. "You're going to be great," Ash told him.

Clemont put his computer away. "So why don't we hit the road?"

Bonnie jumped in the air. "Let's go!"

"Hang on a minute!" Alexis said.

The kids stopped in their tracks. "What is is?" Ash asked.

Alexis held up her camera. "I want to take a quick picture to mark the start of our journey."

"That's a great idea!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Can the Pokemon be in it, too?"

"Sure," Alexis said. She brought out Beedrill and Litleo, while Clemont released his Bunnelby. She quickly set up her small tripod and programmed the camera, then joined the kids in front of the fountain. A moment later, the picture was taken.

"There," she said, looking at the photo. "A great reminder of our first day."

"I wanna see! I wanna see!" Bonnie cried.

Alexis showed her the picture, then put everything away. "I'll make copies for all of you when our journey is done." She put her backpack on again. "Now, let's get going!"

"Right!" Ash agreed. "Good friends, together! Kalos, here we come!"

The group headed out. After a couple of hours, they had left Lumiose City far behind and were walking through the Santalune Forest. Bonnie was running ahead with Pikachu, Froakie, and Litleo. Several steps behind, Alexis was chatting with the boys, getting to know them better.

Suddenly, the Pokemon stopped walking. "Hey, what's up, guys?" Ash asked.

All three Pokemon were looking at the trees around them. A moment later, a berry fell from one of the branches and bounced off of Pikachu's head, landing at Litleo's feet. Litleo bent to sniff it, but a small jolt of electricity hit the berry, knocking it into Bonnie's face.

"Ow!" she cried.

"What was that?" Clemont asked.

Alexis knelt next to Bonnie. "Are you okay?"

Bonnie nodded. "Wow, that was a shock."

"What was it?" Clemont asked again.

Alexis picked up the berry. "Whatever it was, I think it wanted this."

The grass nearby rustled, and a Pokemon appeared. Pikachu leapt to confront it. It was a little rodent Pokemon with dark yellow and brown fur.

"Never seen that Pokemon before," Ash said.

Alexis recognized it. "It's a Dedenne."

Bonnie was instantly in love. "It's so cute!" she squealed.

The Dedenne took a step toward Alexis, but Pikachu leapt in the way again. Both of their cheeks were crackling with electricity. Litleo was growling softly at Alexis' side.

"It sure doesn't look like it's afraid of us," Bonnie observed.

"This is a pretty well-traveled road," Alexis pointed out, "so it's probably used to seeing humans."

"What are they doing?" Ash asked, looking at the crackling Pokemon.

"They're both Electric types," Clemont answered, "so they can communicate with electricity."

"Oh, so that's an Electric type?" Ash pulled out his Pokedex to confirm that. "Wow."

Bonnie tugged on Clemont's sleeve. "I want it so bad! Hey, you'll keep it for me, won't you?"

Ash was puzzled. "Keep it?"

"Bonnie is too young to be an official Trainer," Alexis explained. "She's allowed to take care of other people's Pokemon, but she can't actually own one herself until she turns ten."

"Yeah. So Clemont can catch it, then he'll keep it for me until I'm old enough to become a Trainer." Bonnie looked up at her big brother. "Pretty, pretty please? I promise I'll take good care of it."

Clemont considered the idea, then agreed when Ash offered to help. "All right, then. Let's catch Dedenne."

"Yippee!" Bonnie yelled.

Alexis handed the berry to her. "Here. Maybe if you give this to Dedenne, he'll start to trust you."

"Right!" Bonnie knelt in front of Dedenne and held out the berry. "Here, Dedenne. You wanted this, right?"

Dedenne sniffed the air, and when Bonnie didn't make any threatening moves, he tentatively took a step forward. Bonnie held her breath as he slowly moved toward her. Just as he was about to take a bite of the berry, a bird shot out of the trees and snatched it away.

"Hey!" Bonnie cried.

Everyone looked up, where the Pokemon was perched in a tree. "I've never seen that Pokemon, either," Ash said.

"It's a Fletchling," Clemont said.

Bonnie was practically jumping up and down with anger. She shoved Ash aside. "No fair! That berry belongs to Dedenne!"

The Fletchling chirped a few times, then tossed the berry up and swallowed it. "Fletchling!" it said in a taunting voice.

Alexis scoffed. "Well, that was just rude."

"Pika?" Everyone turned around at Pikachu's cry. Dedenne looked like he was about to cry. "Oh, Dedenne, what's the matter?" Bonnie asked. Dedenne cried and ran off into the woods. "Dedenne, wait!"

"I don't think he's going to come back," Clemont told his sister. Bonnie started sobbing and threw her arms around him, crying into his waist.

Froakie looked at the distraught little girl and jumped into the air, tossing his Frubbles at the Fletchling. Fletchling swerved wildly through the air, avoiding every shot.

"Wow," Clemont said. "It dodged all of that."

"That's pretty impressive," Alexis agreed.

"Look at that. Fletchling's fast," Ash said in awe. He adjusted his hat. "All right, I'm going to catch that Fletchling!"

The Fletchling landed on the branch again and glared at Ash in challenge. Alexis pushed up her glasses. "Fletchling's a Flying type, so Pikachu has the advantage as an Electric type."

Bonnie was still trying to control her crying. "Teach that Fletchling some manners, Ash."

"Okay, Pikachu, let's go!" Ash said. He was about to order Pikachu to attack when Froakie jumped in the way. Without waiting for orders, he jumped into action. He tried using his Frubbles again, but like before, Fletchling dodged them all.

"Come on, Froakie!" Ash cried. "We don't even have a plan!" He looked down at Pikachu. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt forward and started to charge his attack, but again, Froakie stopped him. It seemed he was intent on battling Fletchling himself. He tried using Water Pulse, but Fletchling countered with Double Team, creating several images of himself and causing the attack to miss. The real Fletchling used Peck and hit Froakie hard, knocking him into a tree.

Ash caught him as he fell to the ground. "Froakie, are you okay?" Froakie whimpered, but nodded. "Take it easy. Just let Pikachu handle this."

Froakie looked over Ash's shoulder at Bonnie. "Froakie!" He slipped out of Ash's arms and moved to challenge Fletchling again.

"Wait, Froakie!" Ash cried.

"Hold on," Clemont said, looking at Alexis. "Didn't you and Professor Sycamore say that Froakie had a habit of ignoring his Trainer when battling?"

Alexis nodded. "That's right. This Froakie is kind of rebellious. We don't know why, though."

"I think I do," Ash said softly.

"Huh?" The others said.

"I think I'm starting to get why Froakie acts the way he does." Without explaining further, he ran ahead and grabbed Froakie before he could attack again. "Stop, Froakie! Just chill out! You're only going to end up hurting yourself." Froakie struggled to get loose again. "I know how you feel, Froakie, but you've got to listen to me."

"Ash, look out!" Clemont yelled.

Fletchling was diving to attack again, this time with Razor Wind. Ash and his Pokemon leapt to one side, while Alexis pulled Bonnie and Clemont to the other. When the dust settled, they all checked to make sure everyone was okay.

"Why is Froakie so intent on fighting?" Clemont asked as he helped Bonnie to her feet.

"I understand why," Ash said. "He wanted to get even with Fletchling for making Bonnie sad."

Bonnie ran over. "Is that true, Froakie?" Froakie nodded sadly. "Thank you!" She knelt down and hugged him tightly.

Fletchling was still circling overhead. Ash watched it and said, "You can't get even without a plan, Froakie." He thought for a moment. "Okay, Fletchling can fly. So first we need to figure out a way to lure it in."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Alexis asked.

Clemont chuckled. "You just leave it to me!" He adjusted his glasses, allowing the sunlight to glint off them. "You see, the future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, on!" He pressed a button on his backpack and a long arm that resembled an Aipom dropped a device into his hands. He held it up. "Presenting my Flying-Type Pokemon Attractor Machine!"

"Your what?" Alexis asked.

Bonnie sighed. "The name could use a little work."

"How's it work?" Ash asked. He seemed fascinated by the machine.

"You see," Clemont said, "bird Pokemon have a homing instinct. By using sound waves of a certain frequency, this little invention of mine can attract or repel bird Pokemon by affecting their internal compass. Watch this. Power on!"

As he started cranking a lever on the side of the device, Alexis nodded. "That makes sense, but I'd be careful about using something sound-based in a forest like this. Augustine and I have found that a lot of Bug-type Pokemon are attracted by sound. Will that frequency effect only bird Pokemon?"

"I'm sure it'll work," Clemont insisted.

A high frequency tone started coming from the machine. Ash was in awe. "So cool. Man, science is so amazing!"

Alexis heard buzzing start to come from the woods around them. It sounded familiar. "Uh, Clemont? You should probably turn it off now..."

"Huh?" Clemont was frowning at his machine. "I don't understand. Where are the bird Pokemon?"

Bonnie moved closer to Alexis and pointed at several pairs of red eyes that suddenly appeared in the forest. "Something's staring at us."

Dozens of Beedrill appeared at the edge of the woods. Alexis knew from studying her own Beedrill that certain frequencies not only attracted them, but made them angry, as well. "Clemont, turn it off, now."

"Turn off the machine!" Ash echoed.

The Beedrill started diving to attack. Litleo tried to stand up to them, but there were too many. Alexis scooped him up and grabbed Bonnie's hand and started running. Ash and Clemont were right behind them.

"Clemont, turn off the machine!" Bonnie yelled over her shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll work! Let me try a different frequency!" Clemont said, panting. He fiddled with the device, then started cranking again. As the new frequency was broadcast, Alexis heard the buzzing behind them get louder.

Ash ran toward a canyon. "Stop it, Clemont! You're making the Beedrill even angrier!"

Clemont didn't stop. "I'm sure I can attract the bird Pokemon if I just crank it up to full blast. Here goes!"

The buzzing got even louder, then was suddenly drowned out by an explosion. Alexis was thrown off balance by the blast and fell. The Beedrill were scared off by the explosion, leaving the kids in a daze on the ground.

Alexis groaned and looked at Litleo, still in her arms. "You okay, buddy?" Litleo nodded and jumped to the ground to shake the dust from his fur. Alexis looked at the kids. "Everyone okay?"

"Looks like you blew it again," Bonnie told her brother.

Ash pointed at the sky. "The Beedrill are flying away. We'll be okay now."

Clemont was holding the remnants of his invention. "Why didn't my machine work?"

"It did work, Clemont," Ash assured him. "You attracted all those Beedrill!"

Alexis shrugged. "It might not have been what you were looking for, but at least your machine attracted something."

Clemont grinned. "Huh. I guess it did." His grin turned to a frown. "I must have used too low a frequency. A higher one would probably work a lot better on bird Pokemon."

They heard a trilling call come from above them. Fletchling had followed them and was circling over their heads. "Hey, it's laughing at us," Bonnie said.

"That Pokemon really does need a lesson in manners," Alexis agreed.

Ash looked around at the canyon walls. "Hey, I just got an idea. Come on, Froakie!" Ash got up and ran toward the other end of the canyon. Fletchling was waiting for them, chirping merrily. Ash looked around. "This is it. The perfect place to battle. Time to settle the score."

"Settle the score?" Bonnie asked.

Clemont grinned. "He means he's going to catch Fletchling."

Ash knelt in front of Froakie. "That's right. And we're going to do it together. I'm your Trainer, right? That means it's you and me."

Froakie nodded. "Froakie."

"Great." Ash stood up. "This whole area will be the battlefield. It's full of high and low places. And with your awesome jumping skills, you'll rock."

Bonnie scratched her head. "I have no idea what any of that meant."

Alexis nodded in understanding. "I get it. That's why he said this was the perfect place to battle." She looked down at the little girl. "He's going to take advantage of all the different ledges so that Froakie's jumping skills can really come in use."

"Oh."

The battle began. Froakie leapt from ledge to ledge in an attempt to get above Fletchling. When he got close enough, Ash ordered Froakie to use Water Pulse. Fletchling dodged, so Froakie tried using his Frubbles. Fletchling dodged most of the shots, but Froakie adjusted his aim and and hit it in the face as it came around a corner.

While Fletchling struggled to get the sticky Frubbles off, Froakie leapt to a spot high above it. Ash ordered him to use Bubble. Froakie fired a powerful stream of bubbles at his opponent. One of the bubbles hit and Fletchling started falling to the ground.

Ash threw a Poke Ball. The ball hit Fletchling in midair, then pulled it inside and fell to the ground. Everybody watched as the ball wiggled for a moment. But Fletchling still had some fight left. It broke out of the Poke Ball and squawked angrily.

Ash ordered Froakie to get above it again. Froakie jumped up and with each jump, he got more height and power. He used Water Pulse, and this time, his aim was dead on. The attack knocked Fletchling out of the air again.

"This time for sure," Ash said. He threw the Poke Ball again. The ball pulled Fletchling in again, then fell to the ground and wiggled as the Pokemon inside struggled to get out. A moment later, the button flashed, signaling a successful capture.

"Yeah!" Ash ran over and picked up his Poke Ball. "I caught Fletchling!" He looked down at Froakie, who collapsed next to him. "You okay, Froakie? I caught Fletchling 'cause of you."

"Kie, kie," Froakie said tiredly.

Alexis knelt down to look Froakie over. "He's okay, Ash, just worn out. That was a pretty intense battle."

"Wasn't that amazing?" Bonnie asked. She was jumping up and down with excitement.

Clemont nodded. "Sure was. Froakie's jumping kept getting better. Same with your teamwork."

Ash picked up his tired Pokemon. "Thanks. I'm starting to understand a lot about Froakie."

"We should find somewhere to stop and rest for the night," Alexis said, standing up. "Froakie and Fletchling need to rest after that battle, anyway."

"Ash, can I see Fletchling?" Bonnie asked.

"Sure. Come on out, Fletchling!" Ash threw the Poke Ball in the air and released Fletchling. As he fluttered down to land in front of them, Ash said, "From now on, we're going to be good friends. All of us."

Bonnie knelt down next to the tiny bird Pokemon. "And, Fletchling, tell me if you get hungry next time, because stealing other Pokemon's food is bad."

Fletchling hung his head. "Fletchling."

"Okay, you're forgiven," Bonnie assured him.

Clemont dug in his backpack. "How about an oran berry to celebrate our new friendship? You, too, Pikachu, Froakie, and Litleo." He gave a berry to each Pokemon. They all ate them quickly and cried happily.

Ash stood up. "All right! Let's all head to the Santalune Gym!"

"Let's all head for a campsite, first," Alexis corrected.

Bonnie and Clemont, as well as the Pokemon, enthusiastically agreed. The group continued on for about an hour, until Clemont picked out a good-sized clearing with a nearby stream. They started to set up camp for the night. Alexis helped Bonnie set up one tent for the boys and another for the two of them, while Ash and Clemont built a fire and made dinner. The tents were easy to set up, so the girls finished long before the boys. While they waited, Alexis brought out Litleo and Beedrill to feed and care for them.

After the incident in the woods, Bonnie was a little scared of Beedrill at first, but after feeding him one of his favorite treats, she warmed up to him. Alexis had raised her Pokemon to be very gentle and friendly, so he did his best to make Bonnie comfortable. Alexis showed her how to brush both him and Litleo, and the little girl took great delight in grooming the Pokemon.

After dinner, Ash and Clemont trained their Pokemon while Bonnie and Alexis did the dishes and cleaned up. When that was done, Alexis took a lantern and sat down by the stream to update her journal. While she was writing about the battle with Fletchling, an idea came to her. She took out another notebook and scribbled it down while she could, then finished her journal entry. The second notebook was her writing book. It was filled with various ideas for her stories. Alexis spent some time reviewing them, hoping one of them would take root and grow into a story she could work with.

When she was finished, Alexis turned off the lantern and looked up at the stars above her. She could still hardly believe that she was finally going on a Pokemon journey. Just twenty-four hours ago, she'd been in Lumiose City, eating dinner with the man she loved. Now she was camping in the woods, on her way to Santalune City. Life could sure change quickly.

She overheard Clemont tell Bonnie that it was time for bed. Alexis packed up her notebooks and lantern and walked back to the campsite. Ash and Clemont were making sure everything was secure for the night, while Bonnie finished brushing Bunnelby. Alexis and the boys put their Pokemon away, said goodnight to each other, and climbed into their respective tents.

Alexis was digging through her backpack for her clothes when Bonnie held up her pajamas. "Look! Aren't these the cutest?"

Alexis smiled as she looked at the tan footie pajamas decorated with pictures of Tyrannitar. "Yeah, those are cute."

"They even have a hood that looks like Tyrannitar," Bonnie pointed out. "They're so cute! What about you? Are your pajamas cute, too?"

Alexis held up a pair of shorts and her favorite sleeveless Blaziken Mask shirt. "I wouldn't call them cute, but they work for me." Both girls quickly changed into their pajamas. Alexis turned to put her clothes away, allowing the light to fall on her right side.

"What's that?" Bonnie asked.

Alexis looked up and saw that the girl was pointing at her. It took her a minute to realize that Bonnie must have seen her tattoo. "Oh, this?" She turned her right shoulder toward the light so that Bonnie could see it better. The tattoo was picture of a Pikachu dressed in a red and black superhero suit, with two swords strapped to his back. He was standing with his arms crossed in an attitude of defiance. "It's the main character from one of my favorite movies."

"That's so cool!"

"Thanks," Alexis said with a grin. "I'm gonna get another one, a Dragonair, on my wrist sometime soon."

Bonnie spent several minutes peppering Alexis with questions about the tattoo, before Alexis finally insisted that they get some sleep. They climbed into their sleeping bags and Alexis turned off the lantern. It didn't take long for Bonnie to fall asleep, but Alexis lay awake for a while. The first day of her journey was over, and she couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring.