A Platinum Journey
Chapter Two
VS Barry
A cool breeze rustled the grass of the field Dawn and Lucas were currently battling in. The breeze sent a slight chill up Dawn's spine, but she refused to get distracted. "Shii!" The little electric Pokémon known as Shinx mewed. A sound that resembled a xylophone followed the mew, courtesy of a Kricketot.
"Turtwig, use Razor Leaf once more!" Lucas ordered.
The leaf atop Turtwig's head began to glow as he released numerous leaves from the leaf on his head. The leaves battered both Pokémon, Shinx deciding to bail in order to keep from fainting. Kricketot began to tremble. The little fire chimp and grass turtle were beginning to intimidate him greatly. In a split second, he decided to also leave, thinking it was a better option than being knocked out.
Dawn sighed. "Well, we've been outside of Sandgem Town for about an hour, and we've run into about six Pokémon," She grumbled, crossing her arms as Chimchar ran to her side.
Lucas smiled. "We've seen more than that –mostly Bidoof, but still. At least we're making good time," He stated.
Normally, this route would be crowded with Pokémon, but the change in seasons was causing the Pokémon to disperse.
"You know," Dawn began as they resumed walking down the path leading to Jubilife City. "I figured with it changing to spring, Pokémon would be swarming everywhere." She said, with a slight questioning tone.
Lucas nodded. "That's what you would think, but according to Professor Rowan, the small gray area between seasons is when migration occurs, leaving some spots virtually empty of Pokémon for a period of time," He explained.
Dawn contemplated what he had said. It made sense, but still, she had been looking forward to catching some more Pokémon. However, none of the ones she had seen so far had made her want them. None of the Bidoof she had seen were interesting enough. Shinx were in consideration, but her fear of slight Luxray made her hesitant. She already knew that she didn't want a Kricketot or a Starly.
"I want a poison type," Dawn decided, not intending it to be aloud.
Lucas looked over at his traveling companion. "I've probably already asked this, but, why do you like poison types so much?" He asked, looking down real quick to make sure Turtwig was still at his side. The grass turtle looked up at him and smiled before running ahead with Chimchar.
Dawn smiled. "Well, there are a few reasons I guess. The main one is when I went to a double contest with my mom in Hoenn while we were visiting her side of the family. This guy used a Seviper and Toxicroak for his appeal. Then a Skuntank and a male Nidoran for the battle round. I just loved seeing the power of them, and I just kinda fell in love ever since," She replied, continuing to smile at the memory.
Lucas also smiled. "There are a few options to consider. Around here, Zubat, Budew, and possibly a Stunky migrating to Oreburgh," He said, trying to think of any others.
Dawn's eyes lit up at the mentioning of Zubat and Stunky. They were certainly ones for consideration.
While walking in relative silence, undisturbed by any wild Pokémon, the pair happened to come upon two Pokémon playing near a puddle of water. One was a purple skunk, the other a plump little beaver. "Bidoof!" The beaver cheered as the skunk splashed him with some water.
"Stunk, Stunky!" She taunted, trying to get him to fight back.
"I'd say now is your chance." Lucas said, looking back over at Dawn.
"Way ahead of you," She said, with a look of determination. Looking down at her fire Pokémon, she nodded for him to go ahead.
"Chim!" He challenged, making the skunk and beaver look up.
A hiss came from the skunk as she stood in front of her friend. The beaver looked scared, but then decided to help Stunky. After all, that's what friends were for, right? "Biidooo!" He called.
"You think you can handle this by yourself?" Lucas asked.
"I think so, but another double battle wouldn't hurt," She replied, watching as Lucas then released Starly.
"Star!" The little bird chirped, flying over to Chimchar.
The Pokémon seemed to be having a silent glaring match, before Dawn gave the starting order. "Chimchar, use Double Kick on Bidoof!" Chimchar quickly began to run at the beaver, only to be intercepted by a hefty Night Slash from Stunky. The purple skunk began to hiss a laugh.
Chimchar rubbed his cheek where he had been hit, and whimpered a bit. "Bidoof!" The plump beaver called as he then rammed into Chimchar with a strong Tackle.
"Starly, use Aerial Ace on Stunky!" Lucas ordered.
Doing a quick loop in the air, Starly sped at the skunk. Being unable to avoid the attack, Stunky took it head on, but while being hit, she also released a thick Smokescreen.
Starly and Chimchar escaped from the small cloud of smoke, but now they couldn't see where Stunky and Bidoof were.
"Starly, use Defog!" Lucas ordered. The little starling flew higher into the air, and began to flap her wings furiously. The small gust of air forced the Smokescreen to disperse. This confused Stunky and Bidoof, but nevertheless, they resumed the battle.
Bidoof curled himself into a tight ball then hurled himself at Starly. It left the little bird very weak, and hardly able to fly.
Stunky took this opportunity to run at Chimchar with a standard Slash, but Dawn had already thought of a counter. "Show Stunky Double Kick when she gets close!" Dawn ordered.
The chimp nodded, and waited for the right moment. When the skunk was within reach, he jumped up, kicking her glowing claw once, then kicking her face. The attack sent her into Bidoof, who was prepping another Rollout.
Their collision knocked Stunky out, leaving Dawn with the opportunity to catch her. Quickly reaching in her bag, she grabbed the red and white sphere then tossed it at the purple skunk.
The capsule shook three times, before giving a click, signaling that she had been captured. "Alright!" Dawn shouted. Lucas gave her an approving smile, but then looked over at the Bidoof.
The poor beaver looked thoroughly confused. He sniffed at Stunky's poké ball, and wondered if he should bite it in order to free her.
Looking over at Lucas, Dawn made the split decision to attempt to capture Bidoof next. He seemed like a good enough Pokémon. He even knew moves that other Bidoof didn't. "We need to weaken him just a little more. I want to catch him, too," Dawn said, glancing back at Chimchar.
Lucas nodded. "Alright. Starly, use Quick Attack!" He ordered.
Quick as a flash, the starling sped at Bidoof, nearly knocking him out. Chimchar looked back for instruction, but noticed that Dawn had grabbed for another poké ball.
Three shakes followed by a click signaled that Bidoof had been captured.
Chimchar gave a small squeak of delight. "Great job," Lucas commented, making the younger girl smile.
"Thanks," She beamed, gathering her two new team members.
The two Pokémon looked up at the trainer from their translucent capsules. Bidoof smiled a goofy smile, while Stunky remained unsure. Being captured by a trainer was something she never expected to happen. She shook herself. The way fate worked was so strange sometimes.
"I say we head straight for Jubilife so we can get them healed," Lucas suggested, Dawn agreeing silently. She felt herself in a state of awe over her new Pokémon. Then it hit her, had Lucas wanted to catch either of them?
"I guess I should thank you and Starly for helping. Though, I probably should have asked if you had wanted to catch either of them," She said, avoiding his gray gaze.
The boy smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. You said you wanted a poison type right? Stunky seems like a solid choice," He told her.
Dawn nodded, then looked back down at the Pokémon. Holding the capsules in one hand, she slid her backpack off, and placed the two in the pocket that would normally be used to hold a bottle. Figuring it would subdue until she could get a backpack that could better suit carrying poké balls, she smiled.
"And trust me, if I had wanted a Bidoof, I would have caught one of the fifty we've already passed," Lucas added, earning a giggle from Dawn.
After a long walk, the duo finally arrived at the outskirts of Jubilife City. The dirt path slowly began to turn into pavement, and the sidewalks slowly began to get more crowded.
"It's been forever since I've been here," Dawn commented, looking at the city's skyline.
"I was here almost a month ago. I'm pretty sure I remember where everything is," Lucas said, taking a slight lead since he knew where the nearest Pokémon Center was.
"That's good. I haven't been here since I was," she paused to ponder how long it had been. "Maybe sixteen," She concluded.
Lucas looked back at her. "And you're how old?" He asked in a laugh.
Dawn feigned an angry expression. "Don't you know that you're never supposed to as a lady her age?" She asked, batting her eyes at him.
He laughed. "Pardon me. I seem to have forgotten my gentlemen's etiquette at home."
Dawn smiled at him. "Actually, as far as I'm concerned, you've been the perfect gentlemen," She complimented, a blush arising on both of their cheeks. "But I'm seventeen and will be eighteen in a few months," She finally answered.
Lucas gave her a surprised look as she caught up to walk beside him. "Almost two years?" He asked, receiving a nod from her.
"Yeah, and believe it or not, that was my first trip to Sandgem in over six months. I'm so sick of Twinleaf, I can barely see straight," She added, feeling slightly embarrassed to be admitting this.
"Wow. I would have gone crazy a long time ago," He told her.
Dawn sighed, looking around for a second for Chimchar. The little fire chimp was trailing at her heels, looking up at his trainer with big eyes. A few scratches from battles marked his forehead, but his spirits were held high. He had yet to faint, and he was only in need to being healed a few times. All in all, he felt quite proud of himself.
"I went crazy a long time ago," she said, putting stress on 'long'. Lucas chuckled a bit. Looking away from Dawn, he noticed the Pokémon Center ahead of them.
When the two arrived at the center, a pink, egg-shaped Pokémon greeted them. "Chansey!" It called from behind the nurse's desk.
The pink-haired nurse turned around from facing the computer to greet her visitors. "Welcome," She greeted.
Dawn and Lucas gave their Pokémon to Nurse Joy, and decided to kill some time by walking around this section of the city.
While walking, they passed by one of the dress boutiques, catching Dawn's attention. Two dresses on display seemed to hold her attention the most. One was a simple gray, strapless dress, with gray rose designs that gave it layers.
The other dress was mostly white, but the upper torso was black with floral designs, and black gems that patterned the dress.
Dawn smiled. "I wonder how I would look in those," She thought aloud.
Lucas looked at the dresses, back at Dawn, then back at the dresses. "I bet you'd look nice in them," He commented without thinking.
The comment made Dawn blush. "Nah. I never really look good in a dress," She replied, nervously.
Lucas shook his head and laughed a bit. Such a typical response. It made him wonder why nobody ever seemed to take a compliment. "I don't believe that for a second," He told her, making her blush even more.
"Well, you've never seen me in a dress, so you can't say anything," Dawn replied. Shaking his head, Lucas admitted a silent defeat. He knew that some day he'd prove her wrong.
The rest of their walk was mostly silent, both of the trainers too lost in their own thoughts to say much. The conversation they did make was light, and short.
When they returned to the Pokémon Center, Dawn noticed a familiar blonde boy standing at the Nurse's desk. "Thank you for waiting. Your Pokémon are all healed," The nurse said in a calm tone.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," the boy replied, taking three red and white capsules from the desk. Not saying another word, he turned around, taking a few seconds to realize who was in front of him. "Hey, Dawn! Lucas," He greeted, almost forgetting to mention Lucas.
Dawn smiled at her friend, who was now reaching for something in his orange backpack. "While I remember, I got you something!" He told her, pulling out a small, but lengthy white box from his backpack.
Just when he was about to hand it to her, he quickly snatched it back, getting an idea. "Actually, I'm not going to give it to you," He told her, grinning at her confused look.
"Unless," he said, cutting her off from speaking.
"Unless what?" Dawn dared to ask.
"You battle me," He concluded.
Dawn's confusion only grew. So far, she had only battled wild Pokémon. "Uh…sure?" She agreed.
Barry immediately knew what this meant. "Wait, you haven't had a trainer battle yet?" He asked, glancing at Lucas, then back at Dawn. He was positive that they had at least battled one another.
When Dawn shook her head, Barry sighed. "You two haven't even battled?" He asked.
"No," Dawn simply answered. The thought of battling Lucas never really occurred to her.
Barry's eyes widened. "Then I call your first trainer battle!" He yelled, grabbing the girl by her arm, and dragging her out the door.
Lucas blinked a few times, confused, before laughing to himself as he walked over to the counter. His and Dawn's Pokémon were completely healed, so he took all five of them, and began to take his leave.
He figured that he'd run into them considering he had Dawn's Pokémon. Once outside he looked around to see a grumbling Dawn heading back towards him. She was mumbling something about Barry being an idiot when she bumped into Lucas. Her eyes immediately shot up, an embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks.
"Sorry," She apologized with a slight laugh.
Lucas smiled at her. "I figured you'd need these," He said, handing her Pokémon to her. She nervously laughed at she took the capsules from his hand.
"Thanks," she said before turning around to face an impatient Barry.
"Hurry up!" He called, making Dawn sigh angrily.
"I don't even think I'm ready for a trainer battle!" Dawn said, referring to the fact that she hadn't even battled with Stunky or Bidoof yet. For all she knew, they wouldn't even listen to her.
"Well, let's find out," Barry replied enthusiastically, wondering why she was so reluctant to battle him.
Figuring that Barry would argue with her endlessly, Dawn gave in and began to walk with Lucas over to him. "Give me your Pokédex," Lucas said to her.
Pulling her backpack off her shoulders, Dawn began to sift through a few items. Below a few Potions she found the pink device. "Now, either Stunky or Bidoof's poké ball," He said once she handed him her Pokédex.
Once she gave him Stunky he began to explain what he was doing. "I'm sure your wondering about their moves, and level. Well, if you let your Pokédex scan your Pokémon while it's in it ball, it'll tell you all the moves it knows, its ability, level, and stuff like that," He quickly explained, showing her which buttons to hit.
The Pokédex showed a picture of a Stunky, and began to list off all of her information. Dawn's Stunky was currently at level fourteen, had the ability Aftermath, and knew the moves Slash, Night Slash, Smokescreen, Fury Swipes, and Screech.
"Interesting," Lucas commented, reviewing the moves.
"What?" Dawn asked, looking at him.
"Well, Stunky shouldn't know Slash or Night Slash yet. Night Slash doesn't even come in until she's ready to evolve," He told her, them both now looking at the purple skunk's poké ball.
"C'mon! Let's head to the battle park. They just built it on the east side of the city," Barry said once the two had finally caught up to him. Realizing that they were too preoccupied with their conversation he decided to just take the lead, while figuring out a strategy for their battle.
"So, just these three buttons?" Dawn said once she had switched Stunky out with Bidoof.
"Exactly," Lucas said.
Bidoof was at level thirteen, had the ability Simple, and knew Tackle, Defense Curl, Growl, Grass Knot, and Rollout.
Looking up from the Pokédex and poké ball in her hands, Dawn proceeded to ask Barry a question. "How many Pokémon do you have with you?"
"Two right now," He answered, glancing back really quick.
The rest of the walk was in silence, both trainers contemplating over their upcoming battle. Dawn was thinking of which two Pokémon would be best to use, and which strategies would work best.
Barry, however, was thinking of a brute force tactic, and what way would be the best to show off his training.
The battle park was nothing more than a few open fields right next to each other, some paths leading to stretches of smooth dirt, and a community bulletin board in the middle of it all.
The field on the far left was vacant, so once the trio got there, Dawn and Barry walked to opposite ends of the field, leaving Lucas to sit on the bench beside the field.
Being the more impatient of the two, Barry was the first to send out a Pokémon. "I'll start off with Starly!" He said, tossing a poké ball into the air, releasing the gray starling from its capsule.
His Starly did a quick spin mid-air before returning to the ground, twitching its head as it examined Dawn.
"I'll start with Chimchar," Dawn decided, releasing the fire chimp. He pranced around, happily ignoring Starly. When he sensed Dawn's tension, he instantly calmed. Ahead of him, he slightly recognized the boy commanding the Starly, but he was confused as to why he was going to battle his Pokémon. He was positive that he was only battling the wild Pokémon to protect Dawn, and to help capture more friends.
"Quick Attack!" Barry ordered. Starly flew up into the air, then sped at an unsuspecting Chimchar. Shaking a few strands of fur from his beak, Starly waited for another order.
Chimchar rubbed the small mark on his chest, then clenched his tiny fist and shouted something at Starly. "Start off with Leer," Dawn ordered.
Narrowing his grey eyes, Chimchar glared at the bird, making it shudder a bit. "Starly, use Sand-Attack!" Barry ordered, hoping this move would buy him some time.
Starly began to flap his wings vigorously, sending a wave of dust into the air. It was just enough to block Starly from Chimchar's view. "Now use Wing Attack!"
The quick onslaught of moves didn't give Chimchar any reaction time, so the attack completely knocked the wind out of him. "Chaa," he grumbled, rubbing his chest with his hand.
"Wing Attack again!" At this order, Dawn realized his strategy: he didn't have one.
"Hold your ground," Dawn cautiously ordered, waiting for the right moment. Just when the bird was descending into the dust cloud, she gave the order. "Double Kick!" Chimchar jumped up, kicking the bird in the face twice.
Shaking his head, Starly began to feel the effects of Double Kick, resulting in a throbbing pain in his head. "Shake it off and use Quick Attack," Barry countered.
"Ember!" Dawn called.
Chimchar drew in a deep breath, the gasses in his belly igniting when they arose to his mouth. He then spat blobs of fire at the bird as he rammed into him. Both Pokémon sustained injury, the pungent smell of burning feathers filling the air.
Barry ordered for another Quick Attack, while deciding if he should switch Pokémon or not. Piplup was at full health, but if he did switch, he risked Dawn also switching.
Chimchar took the attack head on, resulting in more fur being ripped from his head. He screeched in annoyance, looking back at Dawn for an order. "Use Leer," Dawn decided. For now, she was biding her time. Chimchar still seemed to have decent health, while Starly seemed to be struggling to stay in the air.
This Leer now gave Starly a two-stage drop in his defense, leaving him wide open for a quick knockout. "Sand-Attack!" Barry ordered.
Flapping his burnt wings, Starly sent another wave of dirt at Chimchar. His orange fur grew dull with the layer of dirt, and he began to furiously rub his eyes and cough.
When Barry ordered for a Wing Attack, Dawn tried to counter with Double Kick, but due to his lowered accuracy, Chimchar missed.
The Wing Attack left Chimchar very weak, but now, a red aura seemed to surround him. His flame tail grew twice its normal size, and he felt a newfound sense of strength. Dawn recognized this as his Blaze ability.
Chimchar grinned. This battle was his; he was sure of it.
"Use Ember!" Dawn ordered, taking advantage of his ability. Chimchar spat strong orbs of fire at the bird, knocking him out instantly.
Barry gave a disappointed look as he recalled his Starly. When he looked back to the battlefield he had to remind himself that Piplup would handle this easily. "Piplup, go!" He said, releasing the tiny penguin.
"Quick, use Double Kick before he can do anything!" Dawn said, knowing that Chimchar's time was limited.
Barry smirked. "Use Agility to get away, then follow up with Bubble!" He called. Piplup gave a curt nod, a bright light encasing him as he dashed out of the way from Chimchar's attack.
Once behind the fire Pokémon, Piplup's beak began to glow white, bubbles rushing from there when he exhaled.
The bubbled soaked Chimchar's fur, and doused his flame tail. After teetering back and forth on his feet, he finally fell forward, out for the count.
Dawn gasped before recalling him to his Poke Ball. "You did great," She whispered. Now the decision. Stunky, or Bidoof. Bidoof did know Grass Knot, but something made her want to use the poison Pokémon.
"Let's go, Stunky!" She decided, releasing her new Pokémon.
Stunky looked around. Momentarily, she was confused, wondering where she was. Then it hit her: she had been captured. It made her feel weak, so now she felt she had to make up for that loss in pride. If anything, she would show this trainer that her losing their battle was just a fluke.
"Stun!" She hissed, assessing her opponent.
Lucas smiled at her choice. He figured that she would go with Stunky, even if she didn't have an advantage.
"Piplup, let's start off with another Bubble!" Barry ordered, figuring that her Stunky was low in level.
The choice in move gave Dawn an idea. "Use Screech!"
Stunky separated her front paws a bit, then let out a high-pitched hiss. The sound waves were at just the right pitch to pop the bubbles that Piplup made.
Piplup let out a disgruntled chirp as he placed his flippers on his head. The pitch gave him a very bad headache, and it even lowered his defenses by two stages.
"Now, use Slash!" Dawn decided. Stunky ran at Piplup, her front claws glowing with power.
"Agility!" Barry countered.
Piplup just narrowly avoided the attack, but it still nicked him, leaving a small cut on his belly. Placing his flipper on the wound, he was relieved to see no blood. "Try Bubble again."
Piplup obeyed, but once again, Dawn had already figured a counter. "Use Fury Swipes to pop those bubbles!"
Stunky stood on her hind legs, slashing at the bubbles. A fine mist covered her fur, but no damaged was received. Once the bubbles were gone, she got in one hit at Piplup.
"Peck!" Barry ordered. Lunging forward, Piplup pecked Stunky a few times, but it did minimal damage.
Finally having complete confidence in herself and her Pokémon, Dawn gave her final order. "Night Slash!"
Dark energy cloaked Stunky's claws, and in one hit, Piplup was out. A small gash on his belly began to bleed, but only slightly. Stunky's claws had yet to develop the sharpness needed for completely ripping things apart.
Dawn cringed. She hadn't realized that Pokémon battles could be so brutal. But, somehow, the thought of it all excited her. There was no way she could only compete in contests now.
"Alright, Stunky!" Dawn cheered, running over to her Pokémon, and scooping her up in her arms. "You did so great! I'm so proud of you!" She cooed.
Stunky felt herself swishing her tail at the praise, and a purr even arose in her throat. Maybe this human wasn't so bad at all, and maybe, just maybe, it was a fated fluke that she caught her. "Stehehehe," She giggled, ending with a loud purr.
Once Barry had recalled Piplup, and praised him for his work, he walked over to Dawn, the white box in his hands.
"I told you you'd do just fine," Lucas commented after walking over to Dawn.
"Well, a deal is a deal, here you go," Barry said, giving her the box this time.
Dawn sat Stunky on the ground, and upon opening the box, her eyes lit up. "Barry, you shouldn't have," She commented, pulling the pink watch from its case.
He nervously laughed, placing his hand on the back of his neck. "Well, I kinda needed to make up for getting you in trouble yesterday. Plus, I remember you mentioning something about wanting the new Pokétch," He said.
After managing to get it on, Dawn then hugged and thanked Barry.
Lucas couldn't help but to look away, feeling slightly out of place.
When Dawn pulled away from the hug, a small noise filled the air, and she began to blush. Placing her hands on her stomach, she began to nervously laugh. "I just realized that I haven't eaten all day," She said, looking between the two boys.
Lucas was the first to speak. "I guess we should fix that then. Care to join us, Barry?" Lucas offered. Even though he didn't know Barry, he knew that as Dawn's friend, she would still probably want to see him.
"Nah. I've already eaten, and besides, if I get a head start now, I should make it to Oreburgh City with just enough time to challenge the gym. I don't think there are going to be any contests there though," He said, looking in Dawn's direction.
Dawn shrugged. "I'm not challenging contests, so hopefully we'll be right behind you," She told him.
Barry gave her a confused look, which quickly turned into a smirk. "You're mom isn't going to like that," He stated, crossing his arms.
She smiled. "Yeah, I know. She'll get over it."
After a bit more talking, Dawn and Lucas began to make their way back towards the city, but Barry felt the need to give Dawn a little grief. "Just be careful, Lucas! She eats like a Grumpig!" He yelled, laughing.
Dawn's face heated up with anger, but she wasn't about to give Barry the satisfaction of an argument. "I do not," She grumbled, looking at Stunky, who was being held in her arms. After a few seconds, she meekly added, "okay, maybe just a little."
Lucas only laughed. He already could tell that this was going to be an interesting journey.
AN:
I made Dawn a lot older than she was originally
For some reason I cannot seem to write for younger characters
As I get older, my character's ages get older
I think in PB Dawn was like 15 or something
not a ton older but u kno
also yes the pokemon in this story can know up to five moves
at least it's not like PB where all the pokemon had basically an unlimited movepool /ugh