And a week later, Chapter 2 is done. I cannot promise chapters will be weekly, but as soon as they're done and reviewed by myself for any errors, I'll update the story here. Anyways, "Chapter 2: New Partners" is here for you to read and enjoy.
Chapter 2: New Partners
"Professor Cedar, huh?" Seth started.
"That's correct." Cedar replied. "Headmaster Redwood told me to meet you two at the Pokemon Center. I'm to lead you to the campus laboratory so you can pick your starter Pokemon."
"Gotcha." I said, still recovering from my disconnection with Zorua.
"Someone's eager." Cedar teased, flashing his silver eyes my way. "Teasing. Redwood told me you might be a little saddened when I met up with you two. You just had to part ways with that Zorua right?"
"Yeah I did." I said.
"Well, cheer up. Getting a new starter is your next chance to move on." Cedar said.
"He's right you know." Seth said, speaking up. "You gotta re-adjust without Zorua attached at your hip. So let's go get our starters."
"Yeah, you're right." I said.
I gotta knock myself out of this funk, so that I can face Zorua again when I return here!
Cedar had us follow him to his lab, and as he keyed open the door and opened it inwards, we saw his lab was pretty formal. He was the only person working there, but he explained that he had the occasional science club student group come in and help him clean up and feed the starter Pokemon.
"We've got a plethora of starter-quality Pokemon, 'ripe for the picking', so they say." Cedar said as he led us to a table with multiple Pokeballs placed into indents.
"Let's see, what are these choices…" Cedar said, looking at a schedule that was laid on his desk. "Oh right, these Pokemon are the champion wave."
"Champion Wave?" Seth asked before I could.
"Headmaster Redwood specially requested that the six champions of the Pokemon World send Pokemon Eggs of their own leader team member." Cedar explained. "We have Growlithe, from Kanto Champion Blue, Dratini from Johto Champion Lance, Beldum from Hoenn Champion Steven, Gible from Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, Larvesta from Unova Champion Alder, and Ralts from Kalos Champion Diantha."
"Wow, a selection of six starters." I said, rather impressed. "Don't most professors normally gift three?"
"Well, I'm not 'most professors'." Cedar chuckled. "Plus with a growing number of graduates, we have to double, sometimes triple the number of starters given out in session."
"So, when do we get to pick?" Seth asked excitedly, acting like a 10-year-old.
"Someone's hyped." Cedar said. "So just to spite you Connors, I'll let Moore pick first."
Seth groaned and then patted me up on the back. I was thrust forwards to the table by him, and I sighed. I hadn't much time to think. I stared at the six balls, deciding carefully.
"I've chosen." I said after a minute or so.
I threw my hand forward, latching onto the desired ball, and tossing it towards the open ceiling of the lab. The ball opened, the red laser flying and forming a whitened shape that turned a light blue color, forming a rough, jagged body with a single red eye peering forward.
"Beldum." Cedar said. "Very nice choice. Weak starting off, but Metagross is a fan favorite."
Beldum hovered down to me, staring at me, almost seeming to analyze me. I stared forward, a straight look adorning me. Beldum seemed to blink its single eye, and then the eye closed in a happy fashion, giving me a smile. I smiled back and it kept hovered in the area next to me.
"Alright Seth, your turn." I told him as I gently rubbed Beldum's cold, rugged headpiece.
I stepped back and Seth stepped forward without a word, not even taking a moment to choose as he grabbed a ball himself, tossing it towards the ground. The opening started the same like mine before the shape took on a shark-like shape, growing a large bend to its head and turning a darker blue than Beldum, but with stripes of lighter blue stretched on it, with a large, red stomach.
"Gible, good choice Connors." Cedar smiled. "Little feisty, always hungry, and that one's a bit sassy."
Seth bent down to his Gible, the two giving a stare down to each other. Seth then reached his hand out, and shook Gible's paw. Gible shook as well, the two smiling.
"Holy damn." Cedar said. "Gible always bit my hand whenever I tried to shake its paw."
"I guess that means he and I share a good bond already." Seth chuckled, lifting Gible up in his arms and smiling confidently.
"In that case, Seth, do you want a fight? You seemed to admire my skill with Zorua, so why not we test one with our licensed starters?" I asked him.
"You're on!" Seth said. "Let's get back to the field where you fought Mrs. Collins!"
We quickly rushed out without even saying goodbye to Cedar, and raced to the battlefield.
Cedar was left in his lab, and he sighed. "YOU'RE WELCOME BOYS!" He screamed out at the top of his lungs.
He walked back into his lab, and saw beneath papers on his desk, seeing two devices he had laid out.
"Fuck. I forgot to give them to those brats." Cedar sighed. "Screw it, they seemed pretty hype about their battle. I'll just make my way to them and give it to them after their fight."
Cedar put the two devices into his pockets, and pulled a pack of cigarettes out and a lighter, igniting a cigarette and putting it to his mouth.
Seth and I reached the battlefield at the same time, standing on opposite ends and preparing to fight. We looked at our partners, Beldum, who'd kept up beside us the entire time via its levitation, and Gible, who'd been carried in Seth's grasp, but finally released on the field.
"Alright, Beldum, go!" I smiled, as Beldum rushed from my side to the field.
"You too Gible, it's time to fight!" Seth cheered.
Both Pokemon stared the other down with a determined look. Seth and I did the exact same, and then he grinned and I followed.
"Beldum, use Zen Headbutt!" I called out.
"Gible, rush at 'em and use Mud Shot!" Seth returned.
Beldum rushed at Gible, vanishing from sight and reappearing with a flashy pink and white aura compassing its body as it rammed into Gible full force before it could accomplish even charging the Mud Shot attack.
"Whoa, how's he so fast?" Seth said. "The Beldum evolutionary family isn't supposed to be that naturally fast from the get-go!"
"Wait, do you think he has-…awesome!" I realized.
This Beldum wasn't exactly a normal one, it possessed the hidden ability of its species, Light Metal, which halves its weight and doubles its speed capabilities.
"In that case, Gible, use Iron Head!" Seth returned, realizing the same.
Beldum returned to my side before Gible began to rush it, the headpiece of its species beginning to shine with a silver metallic light.
"Beldum, use Iron Defense!" I said.
Beldum braced itself, its body turning as shiny as steel and creating a shield that boosted its defensive capabilities just as Gible rammed into it head on.
"That won't help you! Dragon Rage next!" Seth called out.
Gible used the close range distance to create what seemed almost like a bomb of energy in its stomach, and launch it on Beldum, who was blown away.
"Dammit, good maneuver, but that won't beat us!" I called him out. "Zen Headbutt again!"
Beldum rushed down Gible before it could return to Seth, and beat into him with the same move as earlier, knocking him into the air.
"And that's not going to take us out, but you got me right where I needed to be!" Seth smirked. "Use Body Slam!"
Gible's body glowed white, and it fell with amazing speed from where Beldum knocked it upwards, aiming right for Beldum.
"Counter it with Zen Headbutt!" I retorted.
Beldum rushed at the falling Gible with Zen Headbutt, as Gible fell with Body Slam. The two made head-on contact, creating a fierce blow to double both backwards, falling to the ground and sliding back to the field sides.
Beldum and Gible returned to their battle position, before Gible lurched, falling to its knees and fainting. Seth chuckled, and sighed.
"Good work Gible, return for now. You could use a rest." Seth said, as he brought out Gible's ball and called it back using the bright red laser.
"You did awesome Beldum." I said, walking to my new partner. "You deserve a rest, partner."
I brought out Beldum's ball and called it in, the metallic shape dissolving into a red light as the laser returned it.
I walked over to Seth after that, and shook hands with him. We congratulated each other on doing the best, and began to review as if we were still in classes.
"Where did I go wrong?" Seth asked. "Was it the last move-shit! Normal-type attacks are at all effective against Steel-types like Beldum!"
"I was wondering why you used Take Down. I thought you remembered, but oh well." I said, giving a sly smile.
Seth groaned then, "Bastard, you coulda told me!"
"Nah, I was in the heat of winning." I joked smugly. "Kidding. The battle was pretty heated, considering we both just got our Pokemon."
"Oh definitely. Beldum and Gible are strong. I have a feeling that we'll cause some serious terrain damage if we fight with them when they've fully evolved." Seth agreed.
"Well, that's the fight, we should get to the center and get our partners healed up." I said, looking at Beldum's ball. "Especially Gible, he looked pretty damn tired."
"Yeah, you whupped us pretty bad." Seth said. "Let's get going."
We began to walk away from the battlefield when Cedar walked up from the path we came. He sighed, taking his cigarette and dropping, stomping it beneath his shoe, and then dropping it in a nearby trash can.
"Alright, dimwits." Cedar said. "I neglected to give you these before you rushed out the door like bullets."
Cedar handed us two devices that were significantly red in color, with some deviation of black on the top screen sectional for me, and white in the same area for Seth.
"These two, among many others, are the prized product of the collaboration of the six famed Professors of each region." Cedar explained.
"You're talking Professors Oak, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper, and Sycamore right?" I asked.
"That's correct. These are the so called "ultimate" National Pokedexes." Cedar said. "Containing the data registration ability of all 721 Pokemon, with the ability to scan and register new species upon command."
"That's pretty awesome." Seth said. "I've heard of the National Pokedex, but that second feature sounds amazing."
"Basically, if you find a new species, use the scanning feature to document it and send it to the Professors." Cedar said, showing us how to access scanning.
"Gotcha boss." I chuckled.
Seth and I continued to the Center after that, and healed up our partners, deciding to sit down and have one last lunch together before setting off. We went to the nearby campus restaurant, a place specializing in food for both students and Pokemon.
We sat down and ordered our food via the monitor at our table, and began talking as we waited.
"So Joe." Seth started. "Have you thought about what region you're going to first?"
"No, not yet." I replied.
"Well you gotta decide fast." He said. "We live on a manmade island, going to a private academy that has a boat-line access to each region."
"That's true. Maybe I'll go to Hoenn." I said. "I know my way to Littleroot Town from Slateport City, so I could go see Birch and maybe get an extra lesson or two before really setting off."
"Ol' birth region huh?" Seth chuckled. "In that case I might just give Johto a good ol' visitation. It's next door to Kanto so I won't have to pay anything like a boat fee to travel back and forth. I can just take the metric train between Goldenrod and Saffron."
"In that case, I guess this our last meal together as roommates." I said. "And our first as rivals."
"You're damn right." Seth replied. "Next time we fight, Gible and I will be way stronger. Enough to run your Beldum to the ground."
I laughed, and replied "Beldum and I will prepare ourselves for then."
"You better!" Seth said.
Our food then arrived and we ate, sharing laughs and jokes and letting Gible and Beldum out to eat and pal around for a bit.
After we all finished, Seth smiled at me once more. "Also, how about when we participate in the Pokemon League Tournaments, the other comes and visits to help train?"
"Sound good. Nothing better than testing strategies against each other with Pokemon you'd normally not see in a region." I agreed as we shook hands on it.
We returned our partners to their Pokeballs and set out from the restaurant, smiling and giving one last high five, before we paid for different boat tickets.
Seth would be heading for Olivine City in the Johto Region, and I'd be heading off to Slateport in Hoenn. I boarded my boat with Beldum levitating at my side, allowing it to feel the ocean breeze against its strong metallic coat as it set off.
Within a day and a half, I'll be at Slateport. Thanks to the academy, to Zorua and to Beldum, my adventure is starting.
And that's the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Next chapter we start off the journey for real. We've had two great battles, and now we'll get to travel. I hope you'll enjoy following Joseph Moore's journey.