Good morning everyone! How goes it? Yes, it's that time again! Mango is back! So, how did everyone like the first chapter of this new fic? I hope it sparked enough interest because it's going to be continued. Now, to clear things up, a few of you have said that Rufflet isn't exactly rare it was just hard to find. If you were speaking of the White Version, you would be correct. There is a 30% chance of finding it. However, since this is based off the White 2 storyline, on Route 23 the loveable little guy is about as rare as an Eevee in the Castelia Sewers with only a 5% chance of finding the little bugger at level 52 in the dark grass. So, in White it's somewhat common, in White 2 be prepared to be walking in the grass for a while...unless you decide you're fed up with waiting and just us AR codes...but what's the fun in that? Anywho! Let's get to it shall we? Time to get things rolling!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.
Chapter 2: Alice The 'Great!'
"Any last words before I put you in your place thief?" The girl said with a smirk, twirling a curly lock in her fingers before letting it bounce back into place.
"I told you already...I'm not a thief, but you don't seem to get that do you?" Katsu grumbled.
"Your Purrloin speaks for herself. I can recognize a bond between a trainer and their companion and you two seem quite chummy," she grinned, turning to her Snivy and nodding.
'This is stupid...' Katsu thought as he looked up at Rufflet who hovered above him, awaiting his trainer's commands.
'Let's see here...this doesn't really look too good. That Snivy I'm not worried about, it's that other Pokemon she's got on her belt...she's already got a leg up on me. How do I get myself into these situations? Oh well, let's just see what I can do...' Katsu thought as he turned to give Rufflet a command.
"Snivy, use Vine Whip!"
"Evade and use peck!"
Vines lashed out at the airborne eaglet, aiming to latch onto his ankles to pull him down. Rufflet saw the vines heading towards him and took evasive maneuvers, rolling to the side to avoid both vines as they swiped an arc across the sky. Rufflet then dove straight down towards Snivy who retracted her vines. Rufflet's beak glowed brightly as it accelerated downwards, his trajectory at just the right angle as he dove.
"Aim an Energy Ball at the ground!"
Snivy opened her mouth, absorbing the natural energies of nature around her as they formulated into an emerald sphere. She then shot the blast towards the dirt before her, kicking up dust for a makeshift smokescreen which blinded Rufflet to where she would be. Rufflet dove in and pulled up in alarm, looking around for where Snivy could be.
"Rufflet, use your wings to blow the dust away!"
"Vine Whip now!"
Rufflet began flapping his little wings furiously, pushing the dust away from him. He was soon caught by the vines that Snivy had quickly sent his way, ceasing his actions. Rufflet turned around to see Snivy grinning at him deviously.
"Slam him down!"
"Rufflet, climb!"
Snivy raised Rufflet into the air, aiming to send him plummeting into the ground. However, due to the innate strength that Rufflet's possessed, and also the weight difference between the two, Rufflet was able to spiral, creating a slight up draft which carried Snivy with Rufflet into the air. Surprisingly, the grip of the vines loosened which sent Snivy into a free fall.
"Dive down and use Peck!"
"Energy Ball!"
Taking this chance, Rufflet dove downwards, keeping in line to make a decisive strike. Snivy fired an Energy Ball towards Rufflet who evaded it by rolling slightly to the left. Due to the velocity he was plummeting, he soon reached his target and slammed his beak into Snivy, sending her crashing into the ground with crushing force. The impact from the fall as well as the force of the Peck attack that connected and the speed that Rufflet was diving was more than Snivy could handle. When the dust settled, Snivy was lying on the ground in a heap, unable to continue.
"Snivy, return..." The girl said as she held out her Pokeball, returning her little green companion to its home.
'That was a bit harder than I thought...that Snivy was well trained. How on earth does it already know Energy Ball? That's odd...' Katsu thought as he turned to face the girl.
"Well, I must admit I wasn't expecting that outcome. Snivy and I have trained to handle aerial attacks but it seems that your style threw us for a loop. Then again...I'd expect a thief to be good at what he does..." the girl smirked.
"Are you still going on about that? I already told you, I'm not a thief!" Katsu shot back.
"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the cops when they arrest you!"
Katsu mumbled something unintelligible before regaining his composure.
"Now...let's proceed, Mareep, let's go!" The girl shouted, firing her next Pokemon onto the field.
'I'm in trouble...that's an electric type...and without a doubt it's going to be hard to beat...' Katsu thought as he looked up at Rufflet.
"Mareep, Thundershock!"
"Evade it and use leer!"
Mareep spread her legs and raised her tail. Lightning sparked at its tip and shot down the length of the tail and soon the electrical aura surrounded her entire body. She soon fired off a blast of electricity towards the eaglet, her attack barely missing as Rufflet barrel rolled, the energy she expelled slashing nothing but air. Rufflet's eyes gleamed as he glared down at Mareep. Her stance became a little shaky as her defenses were lowered.
"Move in with peck!"
"Let it hit..." The girl grinned.
Rufflet dove downwards and then rushed forwards, taking advantage of the increased acceleration from the air to provide a more forceful impact. Rufflet drilled his beak into the wool of the sheep, only to feel electricity arcing across his body after the impact was made. Mareep stumbled from the assault but did not falter due to the resistance she held against Flying-types. Rufflet struggled to stay airborne but the paralysis was keeping him from climbing any higher.
"Checkmate...Wild Charge..." The girl said with a smirk.
Katsu's eyes widened at this proclamation. Mareep's body began to light up with powerful electrical energies. Using the static from the wool to conduct a more potent attack, the electric sheep surged forwards covered in an electric aura. Rufflet started panicking as he was struggling to lift off the ground. Before he even made it a foot off the ground he was rammed into by Mareep, electricity searing his body as he was sent flying into a nearby tree. Rufflet was knocked out and unable to continue.
As he watched Rufflet slide down from the tree, he felt something bind his wrists together. He looked up to see Snivy, perfectly well, save for a few scratches, binding him with a Vine Whip.
"Well, that settles that. I think it's about time I took you in and exposed you for the thief you are," the girl smirked.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm NOT a thief!" Katsu denied.
"Oh? Why has your Purrloin not left your side? She seems rather comfortable wearing MY necklace. Now, let's see who you are..." The girl said as she reached into his side pocket to pull out the Pokedex.
"Ah, Katsu Aiko huh? It's a shame, you're kinda cute...but that doesn't get you out of this jam. Now...where is that menu?"
"Hey, what are you doing?! That's my Pokedex, give that back!" Katsu protested.
"Not until I find more convicting evidence. Now keep quiet while I work..." The girl shot back.
A sigh escaped Katsu's lips as he looked down at his Rufflet who was still struggling to stand up. If he could reach his Pokeball he could return him, but due to the vines, he was unable at this point.
"Ah, here we go! Recent data. It says here that you just started out by the looks of things. Yep...today's date. Now...Pokemon under your care..." She continued, looking down the list to the recently sited Pokemon.
"I see...you've seen an Oshawott too...must be that loser I battled on the way from Floccesy Town...now...where is that Purrloin entry?" She mumbled.
As she scrolled through the Pokedex, her eyes widened a bit as she saw that Purrloin had no entry whatsoever in the Pokedex. The only Pokemon that Katsu appeared to own was Rufflet. Her face grew red with embarrassment as she placed the Pokedex back in his pocket. She was ashamed of herself at this point. And on top of that, she'd admitted he was cute. That was supposed to be a parting compliment before he was thrown in the slammer, she'd really messed up.
"Snivy, release him..." She muttered, getting a quizzical look from her companion.
Snivy's vines retracted which enabled Katsu to move freely again. Dusting himself off he glared at the girl, clearly irritated at what she'd done. He returned Rufflet to his ball and began to walk away.
"Wait..." The girl said as he walked off.
"What?" He shot back.
"I'm sorry I falsely accused you...it just looked like that Purrloin was yours..."
"It's fine...oh, yeah...your necklace..." Katsu said as he glanced over at the Purrloin who seemed reluctant to get off his shoulder.
Purrloin looked at him oddly for a moment and then looked back at the girl. She huffed and turned up her nose, not wanting to part with the beautiful diamond necklace she had come into possession of. Katsu sighed softly as he knelt down, causing Purrloin to hop off as he pulled his backpack off his shoulders, setting his bokken down as well. He began to rummage through the pack and soon came across a small container of Pokemon Food. He lifted the lid and slid it over to the Purrloin.
"I'll make you a deal Purrloin...you give her the necklace back, and I'll give you this food, deal?" Katsu inquired.
Purrloin glanced down at the food for a moment. Its scent wafted into her nostrils, causing her mouth to water. It smelled heavenly to her. Katsu's mother made a special blend from her own recipe which she taught to Katsu. Purrloin shook the necklace off and dove into the food. She just couldn't resist it. Katsu picked up the necklace and handed it over to the girl who looked at him in shock.
"I don't get it..." She said as she took the necklace back, placing it around her neck where it belonged.
"Don't worry about it, just don't go around falsely accusing people before they have the chance to explain..." Katsu muttered.
The girl laughed nervously before bowing her head in shame. She felt bad about having tied him up. He had only just started his journey and she'd become his first bump in the road.
"I'm sorry, is there any way I can make it up to you?" The girl inquired, tilting her head curiously as she watched Katsu interact with the Purrloin.
"Hmmm...well, there might be one thing that could do it. You said you saw a trainer with an Oshawott. Did he happen to have spiky blue hair, and was he wearing a red and white zip up jacket?" Katsu inquired.
"Oh! Yes, that's him! Why? Do you know him?"
"Actually, yes...he's my childhood friend. His name is Hugh. He and I are sorta on a journey together. He went off to do some training by himself for a while and I don't exactly know where he went. You see...his sister gave me a map chip to give to him since he ran off without taking one. I'm supposed to deliver it to him but...I don't know where he is," Katsu admitted.
"I actually passed him on the way here, not long before that Purrloin...stole my necklace."
Katsu looked down at the Purrloin who glanced back, sniggering to herself at the mention of the deed she'd done. Katsu rolled his eyes and looked back at the girl.
"Well, if you could take me to him, then we'll forget this whole thing happened," Katsu stated as he picked up his backpack, sliding his bokken onto his back in the process.
The girl looked at him for a moment, and then at the bokken which looked as though it were brand new.
'Judging by his tactical mind in battle...I'd say he's pretty darn good with that thing as well...the way his Rufflet weaved around Snivy was quite impressive...he could actually prove to be a good rival...' The girl thought to herself.
Purrloin finished up her food and stretched, yawning a bit as the meal was rather filling. She then promptly hopped onto Katsu's shoulder again. Katsu blinked at this, wondering why she had done this.
"Purrloin...does this mean you wanna join me?" Katsu inquired.
Purrloin tilted her head curiously as she looked over at him. She glanced back at the girl who was a little baffled by this development. She had been the source of the girl's trouble and now it appeared that Katsu was about to take her in? This wasn't something that was normal.
"P-p-please, don't tell me you plan to have her in your party. She got you into trouble and caused me to frame you!" The girl sputtered, pointing a finger at the devious little cat.
Purrloin simply snickered and looked back at Katsu with the question in her eyes. It was obvious that she liked being around Katsu for some reason. Maybe it was the food...or maybe he had a pleasant feeling to him? She couldn't decide which it was but she knew one thing. Travelling with him seemed like a fun prospect. Spotting a few Pokeballs on his belt, she faded from view and snatched one of them in her mouth. Katsu felt a ball snap off his belt and turned to see Purrloin playing with the ball as if it were a toy. She rolled it over to him and purred softly.
"Well, if you're sure..." Katsu said as he picked up the ball and tapped Purrloin on the head with it.
Purrloin mewed with joy as the red light engulfed her. The ball twitched a few times and then stopped, registering that Purrloin had been caught.
"Well...if you're going to have her around, you'd better keep her away from my possessions. Those Pokemon are known for stealing things and most thieves have them. Hence why I thought you were one..."
Katsu simply waved her off and released Purrloin from her ball so she could hop on his left shoulder. He knew Rufflet would occupy the right. He hoped the two passengers would get along after what occurred. He turned towards the girl and breathed a deep sigh.
"So...since you rummaged through my pockets just to find out who I was, I'd like to know your name as well," Katsu said firmly.
"I suppose it's only fair. My name is Alice Eleanora, or as some call me, 'Alice the Great,'"
"Alice...the Great?" Katsu inquired, tilting his head at this title she had given herself.
"Yes, I'm actually quite well known you know. Being the daughter of someone who works in the film industry has its perks. My father works with the famous Mr. Stu Deeoh, a producer of several major sellout movies. They're currently working on a new blockbuster and they say it's going to be a hit! I was promised a part in the next film you know?" Alice said giddily.
"Really? I actually like some of his productions. I heard the new one coming out deals with a man and a Riolu as partners or something...it sounds intense," Katsu chuckled.
"Oh it will be! My father does all the screen writing, however the actors get to do their own style, it's great!" Alice beamed.
"Er...anyway, we seem to have gotten off track. We need to get you to your friend...Hugh?"
"Yes...it's Hugh, you said you knew where he went," Katsu stated.
"Right, it's a ways back, he headed towards the Floccesy Ranch after stopping at the Pokemon Center. I kinda stomped him flat. He was a bit weak..." Alice said, scratching her head, not really caring that she'd insulted Hugh in front of Katsu.
"He just started out too, give him a break," Katsu grumbled.
"Sorry, but it's the truth. He actually challenged me when he saw me. Naturally I couldn't turn down a challenge, no matter how small...I beat him and left, simple as that," Alice shrugged.
"You really are arrogant aren't you?" Katsu muttered.
"What was that?" Alice said sternly.
"Nothing, let's just get going..."
Katsu and Alice set out towards Floccesy Town, observing battles along the way considering all Katsu had was Purrloin to work with while other trainers had more. Thankfully they were all too preoccupied to battle him.
"Hello down there!" A powerful voice called out, prompting them all to look around for the source.
At that moment, a rather tall man came plummeting down from a cliff top, landing with supreme grace as if the impact didn't affect him at all. The man was tall, with fire-like colored hair that was tied back in a bizarre ponytail. He wore a rather odd looking top with Pokeballs draped around his neck. His pants were ripped and he wore sandals. He had purple eyes as well. The tall man walked around Alice and Katsu, observing them for a moment before making an assessment.
"I can tell that the two of you have just set out on a journey...though one is more experienced than the other."
The man looked pointedly at Alice before turning to Katsu.
"Your Purrloin seems quite happy to be with you...though it looks as though you've just caught her. Remarkable. The two of you seem like excellent trainers...but training is definitely a must...hmmm...follow me..."
"Err...excuse me but...who are you?" Katsu inquired curiously.
"Don't tell me you're this daft...that's Alder, the former Champion of this region! He hangs out here a lot, mainly because this is where he's from...and I'd say you should take his advice," Alice muttered.
Katsu's eyes widened in revelation. It WAS him. How could he have missed it? Then again, it had been a while since he'd heard of him. There was a new Champion in town it seemed.
"Right...sorry, I kinda...forgot..." Katsu mumbled.
"Haha...that's quite alright, I'm not offended. Now, let's head to my house. It's just this way," Alder said with a grin.
"Uh, before we do that...we have something we need to take care of..." Katsu replied.
Alder blinked and turned to look at them, the question clearly on his face.
"We need to get to Floccesy Ranch...but we'll be back afterwards. Maybe then you could train us," Katsu said with a soft smile.
"I see, it seems you have urgent business there, fair enough. Come back as soon as you finish, that way we can get started soon."
Katsu nodded and turned to Alice who simply nodded.
"Lead the way," Katsu said to Alice who simply walked ahead of him.
X-X-X
"Okay there Oshawott?" Hugh asked as his companion sat beside him with a saddened expression.
"Yeah...I know. She beat us pretty badly didn't she? I wasn't expecting her Snivy to be that good. On top of that...she had another Pokemon so she would have won if you got tired out. We have to get stronger...there's no way around it!" Hugh said as he stood up.
"We've got a new partner now, so we'll definitely get stronger. Katsu's not the only one with aerial assistance now..." Hugh grinned.
Oshawott nodded and stood up beside Hugh, a sound catching his ears as he turned towards the entrance of the Floccesy Ranch.
"Huh? Isn't that-it is!" Hugh exclaimed as he saw Katsu walking alongside Alice.
'What's she doing here?' Hugh thought with narrowed eyes, remembering the thorough beating he'd been given by her Snivy. The vision of Oshawott being ensnared in a Vine Whip before getting blasted with an Energy Ball replayed in his head once more.
Katsu and Alice were in mid-conversation when they noticed Hugh running up to them.
"Hugh, there you are!" Katsu said as he saw his friend skid to a stop before them.
"Oi, Katsu, took you long enough to get here. What's up? And...why are you with her?" Hugh asked in annoyance.
"Eh? Alice here owed me a favor after a bit of a mixup. It's a long story, I'll tell you later..." Katsu said with a grimace.
"In short, I accused him of stealing my necklace...or rather him sending his Purrloin to take it, and stomped him in a battle. I had Snivy tie him up but after finding that he was innocent...I released him," Alice said plainly.
"You're not afraid to speak up are you?" Katsu said, sweat-dropping.
"Nope."
"So, she beat you too huh?" Hugh inquired curiously.
"Yep...all I had was Rufflet at the time...then Purrloin decided she wanted to join me after all. I think she mainly joined because I fed her," Katsu grumbled.
Purrloin didn't seem to disagree with that statement and snickered before lightly licking Katsu's face.
"I see...they can be quite tricky. My sister's Purrloin was that way..."
Katsu glanced at his friend as a rather saddened expression dawned on his features. It seemed as though the sight of a Pokemon like the one his sister had was a bit more than he cared to handle.
"It's alright though...it's good to see one. It reminds me of our goal," Hugh said with a smirk.
"Your...goal?" Alice asked curiously.
"Ah, you haven't heard...or rather he didn't tell you. You see, about five years ago, Hugh's little sister had a Purrloin given to her by their grandfather. It was a precious gift to her. Team Plasma stole that from her and Hugh here couldn't do much to stop it. He's on a journey to get back the Purrloin that was stolen and I'm helping him out. Oh...and there's the bit about bringing them down too..."
"Wait...you all plan to take on that psychotic organization? I'm sorry if this comes as rude but you two aren't ready yet."
"We know..." Katsu muttered.
"We just need to get stronger. That's the whole point of this journey is to become stronger so we can prevent things like that from happening again," Hugh sighed.
"Well...if you're going to do that, you're going to need help. So, I...Alice the Great, will join you," Alice smirked.
"You're going to ride that whole 'Great' thing all the time aren't you?" Katsu grumbled.
"Yep, and I'll never tire of reminding you of it. I did win our battle after all. Now...what do you say we get back to Alder? He's a patient man but I don't think it's fitting to keep someone of his caliber waiting," Alice said as she turned to walk off.
"Hang on..." Hugh said as he turned to face Katsu.
"I want a rematch...our first battle got me thinking that I needed to get stronger, so that's exactly what I did while I was here..." Hugh grinned.
Katsu smirked as he turned towards his friend. He'd healed Rufflet at the center and was now in possession of Purrloin which made things even.
"I suppose I'll judge this match. It'll be interesting to see how you two battle," Alice smirked, walking between the two as they stood on opposite sides.
"Are you two ready?"
"Yep!" Katsu and Hugh said in unison.
"Begin!"
"Rufflet, let's go!"
"Pidove, you're up!"
Pidove and Rufflet emerged onto the battle field and took flight, staring at one another with determined expressions. Rufflet was clearly the bigger bird and the stronger of the two. Pidove was the smaller and seemingly more agile of them. This would be a contest of strength against speed.
"Pidove, Quick Attack!"
"Rufflet, avoid it and use Wing Attack!"
Pidove sped forwards, closing his wings in to make himself more aerodynamic as he shot towards Rufflet. Due to the speed advantage, Rufflet was barely able to avoid the oncoming quick attack before retaliating with an attack of his own. Rufflet's wings glowed brightly as he raced towards Pidove, aiming to clip his wings. Pidove, seeing this coming, pulled into a kulbit and got behind Rufflet.
"Gust!" Hugh called out.
Pidove flapped his wings furiously, sending a blast of wind towards Rufflet, hitting him dead on, causing the eaglet to experience a lot of turbulence, the sharp winds cutting at his feathers.
"Close in with Quick Attack!"
Pidove raced down once more, taking advantage of the shakiness of his opponent. Sensing his approaching foe, the small bird of prey righted itself, finally, and barrel rolled out of the way of the attack.
"Close in with Peck!"
Rufflet dove downwards, using the acceleration he'd gained from the height to boost his speed. He drove his beak hard into Pidove's neck, causing the little dove to cry out in pain as the pressure was increased, causing them to plummet.
"Finish up with Wing Attack!"
Rufflet broke off from the descending Pidove and darted down towards the little dove, his wings glowing brightly as he decreased in altitude, trading it for speed to power his attack. His wings connected solidly sending Pidove crashing into the ground, kicking up dust from the impact. The dust soon cleared to reveal a knocked out Pidove.
"Pidove is unable to battle! Rufflet wins!" Alice declared.
"That was good Pidove...you deserve to rest," Hugh said as he returned Pidove.
"Sheesh Katsu, Rufflet was already good before, what did you do? Train him along the way here?" Hugh grunted.
"Something like that..." Katsu chuckled nervously as Hugh pulled out Oshawotts ball.
"Oshawott, let's go!" Hugh called out, sending out Oshawott to battle.
"Rufflet, take a breather...Purrloin, your turn."
Purrloin shrugged and hopped off his shoulder, licking her paw as she looked over at Oshawott.
"Oshawott, use Water Gun!"
"Use Sand Attack!"
Oshawott reared his head back, concentrating on bringing the aquatic element into his mouth before spewing out a thick stream of water at Purrloin. The crafty little cat turned tail and kicked up sand which obscured the accuracy of the water gun, giving her time to avoid being hit. The water pierced through the sand and hit a nearby tree, missing its target.
Purrloin was nowhere to be seen. She, like her evolution, was very stealthy.
"Fury Swipes!"
Oshawott turned around to see Purrloin dash out from the dust cloud, leaping at him with vicious intent. Claws outstretched, Purrloin slashed at Oshawott, landing several successful strikes.
"Water Gun!"
Oshawott managed to dodge the last swipe and fired a stream of water at Purrloin, hitting her square in the face, sending her skidding across the ground.
"End this with Tackle and one more Water Gun!"
Oshawott wasted no time. His opponent was sopping wet and shaking off her fur at this point. He rushed forward and rammed straight into Purrloin, knocking her back before blasting her with another Water Gun.
"Purrloin is unable to battle! Oshawott wins!" Alice declared.
"Looks like we're even...good job," Katsu called out, recalling Purrloin with a faint smile.
"Yep, now for the rematch between our first Pokemon," Hugh grinned.
"You know...it just occurred to me Katsu. You. Have. A. Shiny. Rufflet! How, and when did you get your hands on it?" Alice inquired in a demanding tone.
"Why does everyone ask me that? I hatched it from an egg that I got before my birthday...which, since you read my information, is TODAY," Katsu emphasized, turning back to the fight.
"I see...well, happy birthday then," Alice said, holding off on any further questions for later.
"Rufflet, it's time for another round partner, you ready?"
Rufflet answered by soaring off his shoulders, screeching his challenge to his foe. Oshawott looked back up at Rufflet, remembering their first encounter not ending well for him. Oshawott was in a bit worse shape than Rufflet after the Fury Attack that Purrloin delivered. On top of that, his vision was a bit cloudy. Sand Attack was a dirty tactic to use but it was effective. From high up in one of the trees by the Ranch, a small shadow watched the trio as the last part of the battle began. The shadow's eyes fixated on Katsu as he commanded Rufflet.
"Oshawott, Razor Shell!"
"Rufflet, Wing Attack!"
Oshawott took the shell that was attached to him off and channeled the power of aquatic energies into it before launching it straight at the oncoming bird. Rufflet, seeing this coming, dipped down and to the side a little to avoid the shell entirely. He closed in on Oshawott, aiming his wings at just the right angle, hoping to clip the side of the little otter. The shell looped back around, nearly hitting Rufflet on the return. Oshawott barely avoided getting rammed by Rufflet as he stumbled out of the way.
"Water Gun!"
Oshawott fired a powerful blast of energy towards Rufflet, missing due to his vision being obscured from the earlier Sand Attack. Rufflet circled around and screeched a battle cry, rushing back towards Oshawott swiftly.
"Use Leer!"
Before Oshawott could look away, that familiar disoriented feeling came over him, causing him to stumble a bit. He was already scratched up, his accuracy was off and now he was disoriented. This wasn't going to end well.
"Oshawott, use Water Gun over and over!"
In a desperate attempt to make contact, Oshawott fired a volley of streams into the air, hoping to hit something. Rufflet was getting rather tired out by this point and was now barely avoiding the streams.
"Close in and finish this with Fury Attack!"
Rufflet was nailed in the chest with the last stream, sending him flying back a little, flapping his feathers wildly to get the water off. Another stream came his way and he ducked down quickly to avoid it, folding his feathers in to gain quicker acceleration as he raced towards his target. His course was a little shaky since he'd been damaged earlier in the fight with Pidove and now a Water Gun had connected. Finally closing in he let loose a flurry of scratches and pecks in rapid succession. Not being able to withstand the assault, mainly due to fatigue and the defensive drop, Oshawott fell over.
"Oshawott is unable to battle! Rufflet wins and the match goes to Katsu!" Alice declared.
"Whew...that was close!" Katsu sighed, calling back Rufflet to his shoulder.
"Looks like you beat me again. I almost had you too, if Oshawott didn't take damage during that last fight he would have won."
"It was a good fight though, I enjoyed it, and I think Purrloin and Rufflet liked the challenge too."
"Well, that was a splendid battle you two. Now, shall we get back to town? Alder is waiting still..." Alice reminded.
"Yeah, I know."
"Alder? As in the former Champion Alder? Shoot, if he's offering to make us stronger, I say we do it!" Hugh grinned.
"That was an incredible battle you two!" A new voice called out, prompting Katsu and the others to turn around.
"I agree darlin' those two trainers are remarkable," A man said as he turned to his wife.
"Uh...you were watching?" Hugh blinked in surprise.
"Yep, my wife and I were simply tending to the Pokemon on the Ranch when we heard a racket coming from this way. When we got here, we saw a fantastic battle," The man grinned.
"Here, why don't you give your Pokemon this? We've got a lot of potions here so don't worry about it," the woman smiled, handing Katsu and his friends a few potions.
"Thanks, that's nice of you," Katsu smiled, letting out Purrloin so she could have a drink.
"Now, I don't mean to bother you three but...you wouldn't happen to have seen a Herdier around her would you? We have two but...we sorta lost track of the other one, he's usually with his mate," The woman inquired.
Hugh quirked a brow at this statement. They lost their Pokemon? This did not sit well with Hugh and the aggravated look on his face explained that well enough.
"You lost him?! Don't you know how to keep track of him? He could be gone for good! Katsu, Alice, help me find him!" Hugh spat as he stormed off.
"Errr...what was that all about?" Alice inquired.
"It's like I told you before...his sister lost her Purrloin to Team Plasma. Whenever people say they can't find their Pokemon, he gets upset for that very reason."
"I'm sure Herdier is just playing with some of the Pokemon in the Ranch. There's nothing to worry about I'm sure..." The man said with a grin.
"I don't know dear, he's been gone an awfully long time. He's usually never gone for this long."
X-X-X
Herdier was being backed into a corner at this point. A man wearing an odd blue, black and white uniform with a shield crest in the center with an azure 'P' etched into it. The shield was white on one side and black on the other. Herdier barked continuously, trying to alert anyone nearby that it was under attack. Herdier was weakened at this point and exhausted.
"Just give up ya mangy mutt! You're going to be serving a much better purpose once you're under our leader's care," the man smirked.
"Hey! Stop right there!" Hugh's voice called out.
"Huh?" The man said as he turned to see three teenagers heading his way.
'Great...I was hoping this operation would go off without a hitch...oh well, looks like I'll have to bail for now...' The man thought as he reached for a Pokeball.
"Krookodile, use Sand Attack!"
The man released a large crimson, bipedal crocodile-like Pokemon from its chamber who immediately kicked up dust in the trainers faces. Using that distraction, the man left, leaving the Herdier with them. Katsu coughed and covered his eyes to avoid getting sand in them. The others did the same, waiting for the dust to settle. Katsu opened his eyes to see that the Herdier was still sitting there, looking a little worse for wear at the moment.
"Well -cough- that went well," Alice grimaced, looking over at the other two to make sure they were okay.
"Yeah...no kidding. Well, at least we got the Herdier back safely...though I wonder...that man had a Krookodile. If he wanted to he could have easily defeated us...so why did he flee?" Hugh wondered.
"I don't know...maybe he didn't know what we had. The odds were three against one and he probably was doing that to be safe. Regardless, let's get this Herdier back to his owner. I'm sure they miss him," Katsu said as he walked towards the Herdier.
As he did so, rustling was heard in the tall blades of grass. He turned around to see the owners of the ranch coming their way.
"Herdier! There you are!" The woman said with a bright smile.
Herdier yipped happily as he recognized his owners and his mate.
"I can't thank you kids enough. What happened?" The man inquired, looking down at his injured friend.
"Well, in short, some weirdo was attacking your Herdier and we chased him off. It was rather strange..." Alice said as she tapped her chin.
"I see, well, thank you very much you three. That brings us so much relief. If you three ever stop by here again, come and see us. We'd be happy to have you over for supper some time," The woman said with a smile.
"Thank you, we'll definitely do that. It sounds good," Katsu smiled.
With that out of the way, the three began to head back towards Floccessy Town. Hugh seemed eager to meet Alder and get stronger than he was. Little did the trio realize, that by going along the route they had before, they were already steadily gaining strength. Several trainers along the way challenged them to a battle. Each of them were skilled in their own way, bringing matches down to the wire. However, the trio snagged victory every single time. It wasn't long until they reached their destination, looking a little dirty from all the battles and walking they'd done.
X-X-X
"Teacher? Are we going to train more today?" A little boy named Seymour inquired, leaning back in his chair as Alder stood by the window of his house.
"Very soon Seymour, I'm just waiting on a few more to come so we can get started. They're beginners like you two so it should be fun," Alder smiled.
"That sounds like fun, I can't wait to test what I've learned," a little girl named Cassie said as she bounced on her toes, clearly excited.
Alder stepped out of the house for a bit, the two following him immediately as he walked into town. Having seen the trio from the window, he figured he'd come to greet them. And that's when he saw it. Rufflet was sitting on Katsu's shoulder along with the Purrloin on the opposite. He hadn't seen the Rufflet and assumed correctly that this was the other Pokemon he had on him. Rufflet were known for being aggressive and vicious combatants, especially after evolving into Braviary. Alder observed the three as the came closer. They looked as though they had been through a lot of battles in a short amount of time. This was a little odd considering he'd not sent them off but three hours ago.
Their walk was more confident, and they seemed as though they could handle just about anything that came their way. He had misjudged them at the start, but he was somewhat glad to realize that.
"It looks like you two made it back, and with your friend I see," Alder stated, indicating what he meant by nodding to Hugh.
"Uh, yeah, we did. It was quite a bit of a hassle but we managed," Katsu said with a slight smile.
"Well, good, I'm happy to hear that. And you'll be happy to know that your little journey has made you stronger than when I first saw you. I can tell you all took advantage of the time to train which is good. I'll be needing your help with something, so instead of training you I want you to train these two," Alder smiled, putting his massive hands on Cassie and Seymour's shoulders.
"They look really strong though Teacher, are you sure?" Seymour inquired.
"Don't worry about it, this will be a fun experience. You can learn from defeat as much as victory you know, just give it your best shot and you will do fine," Alder smiled.
For the next few hours, Katsu, Hugh, and Alice spent time training the two school kids, helping them with various strategies the best they knew how. They weren't experts, and Alice seemed to know a bit more than Katsu and Hugh did, which worked out really well.
"Well you three, that was quite a lot of fun," Alder smiled.
"Thank you so much! You three are great!" Cassie chirped.
"Yeah, you guys are really tough! I hope we can be as good as you three one day," Seymour said happily.
"Well, greatness is a burden at times, but someone has to have it. Right?" Alice said proudly, causing the others to face palm.
"I think what Alice here is saying, is that it takes time and effort to get to where you want to be. Train hard and you can achieve anything," Katsu corrected.
"I thought my explanation was fitting,"Alice huffed.
Hugh sighed and shook his head.
"I think you three should challenge the Asperita City Gym. There is a new leader there and I hear he's quite skilled. From the looks of things you three are registered for the Unova League. So go give it a shot," Alder grinned.
"That sounds like a plan," Katsu smirked.
"You two can go on ahead, I'm gonna go ahead and catch another partner...I hear Cheren has at least three Pokemon. I don't wanna be at a disadvantage..." Hugh said as he turned to head back to the Ranch.
"Alright, I suppose I'll do the same at some point...make sure to meet up with us later on!" Katsu called out as Hugh left in a hurry to find a new partner.
"I guess it's just us two for now," Katsu said as he turned to head out of Floccesy Town with Alice.
"Yep...though I must say, I wasn't expecting to be travelling with anyone. However, I still don't quite feel like I've made it up to you for what I did. So, I've decided to grace you with my company as you travel," Alice smirked.
"Still keeping up the ego eh? I suppose I can deal with that...we can train together since I still need to figure out new battle tactics. Purrloin needs to toughen up a bit more..." Katsu chuckled.
"Well, who better to teach you than moi? I will help you whip her into shape," Alice grinned.
'I'm starting to wonder if this is a good idea...' Katsu thought as the two headed off, not knowing whatelse was in store for them.
Unbeknownst to Katsu, there was a shadowy figure watching them from one of the trees. It had followed them after the battle had taken place at the ranch. It darted along the trees as the two continued to walk, almost as if it were waiting for an opportune moment to strike.
And that does it for the second chapter! Alice has been introduced! The egotistic young girl turned out to be a very strong battler, overcoming Katsu with almost little effort. After having wrongly accused him of thievery, she decides to make it up to him by joining him on his journey. After the run-in with a Team Plasma member, they will be sure to be on the lookout for more. Now that they're on their way back to Asperita City, a new threat lurks in the shadows. What could it be? And why is it following them? Find out next time, on Icy Wrath!