-000-
"Thomas, it's been days now," Max started as the two leisurely walked down Route 1. "Are you going to tell me what my 'great challenge' is in this region?"
"Let me think about it… Hmmm… Nope!" Thomas replied with a smirk. "I am the master here, I have never had power over you even though I was the older brother! I have to let this last as long as I can."
"Kevin?" Max asked instead, ignoring Thomas. "Do you know what I'm going to do?"
"Wait, hold on! You can't just ignore me like that!" Thomas exclaimed as he held a hand up. Seeing Max continue to look at his starter, Thomas let out a sigh, keeping his arm up as his hand flop over.
"Don't look at me, Thomas never told me either," Kevin replied as he held his hands up. "You know how he gets when he knows he's ahead. It's the one time he's actually smart."
"I resent that!" Thomas exclaimed, pointing at Kevin with a glare.
"Good," Kevin replied with a smirk, folding his arms.
"Your friends are very funny," Kenn told Max with a giggle. "I'm so glad that you picked me instead of the other two! This is going to be very very fun!"
"I can agree to that," Max said with a small smile. "I feel like I made the right decision… Even though I actually never made said decision but it still feels right."
"Thomas, what are we doing?" Kevin asked his partner as they continued to walk in the nice weather. "I'm not complaining as this feels wonderful but Max does need to know what he's gotta do eventually."
"I know, I know," Thomas replied as he waved off Kevin. "Like I said before, we're going to show him how to catch a Pokemon and then he's going to catch a Pokemon. After that, we're off to a place called… Uh… Iki Town! I think…"
"Why are you the one planning this journey…?" Max asked with an exasperated sigh, holding a hand to his forehead.
"Hey! I did get through all of Hoenn, didn't I?" Thomas asked, raising a fist.
"More or less. There were definitely some hiccups," Kevin added, making Thomas stop and turn towards the grass-type.
"Thomas, focus," Max told his brother as he rolled his eyes.
"Right, right. Anyways, there's a Pokemon over… Here!" As Thomas said this, he turned towards some bushes and walked over towards it. He reached into the leaves and pulled out a small, green bug.
"A Caterpie?" Max asked as he set Kenn down. "Seriously?"
"Yep! Kevin, use False Swipe!" Thomas ordered as he set down the bug-type.
"What is going on?" The Caterpie asked, eyes wide as she watched the Sceptile's arm blade glow white. "All I wanted was to take a nap!"
"Sorry but orders are orders," Kevin told the Caterpie before he slashed down, hitting her with a False Swipe.
"As you can see, you have to weaken the wild Pokemon," Thomas told Max, who just rolled his eyes. "Once the Pokemon has been weakened enough, you throw a Pokeball at them." To demonstrate this, Thomas threw the ball at the bug-type. A few seconds later, the Pokeball pinged, letting them know that she was caught.
"That's not the only way and you know it," Max countered as Thomas reached down and picked up the ball, having slight trouble. "Actually, out of all of your Pokemon, Ace was the only one you caught this way. Well, Ace and whoever this one will be named."
"Ace was the first Pokemon I caught, to be fair," Thomas replied as he sent out the Caterpie. "That Swellow sure is… Something."
As the two were talking, Kenn made his way over to the new Pokemon, "Hello new Pokemon! My name is Kenn and I'm a Popplio and I have a really really really nice trainer so far!"
"Uh, yes, hello," The Caterpie replied as she shook her head. "So I guess I'm a caught Pokemon then? I knew I should have listened to my mother! She always said that if I continued to leave the home that I would get caught. Then again, she also said that Miltank fly during New Moon nights so…"
"Wait, they do?" Thomas asked as he looked down at the Caterpie with wide eyes. "See, I told you I saw that Miltank fly, Max!"
"I'm… Not even going to reply to that," Max said with a sigh.
"Wait, hold on. Did you just understand me?" The Caterpie asked Thomas. "I heard that humans just ignore what Pokemon said, and no, my family didn't tell me that."
"We have some awesome devices that I got during my journey through Hoenn," Thomas told the bug as he squatted down so they could talk. He almost fell over doing so but Kevin steadied him. "I can hear what Pokemon say because of these translators and I'm glad I got them!"
"That sounds like something my uncle would say… Guess he was right," Caterpie replied as she looked Thomas over. "So… What's next?"
"First, a name for you so you can be special from other Caterpie," Thomas replied as he hummed in thought. "What about Clover, since you're green and stuff?"
"Better than Caterpie," Clover replied as she shrugged her nonexistent shoulders.
"Clover it is! Welcome to the team!" Thomas exclaimed as he picked up the Caterpie. "Trust me, you'll love it traveling with us. Here, you're actually a somebody. Some-Pokemon?"
"Huh… That's new," Clover replied as she looked at her new team. "I live- lived with a lot of family so I was never somebody. I promise I won't let you down!"
"That's the spirit! And I promise I won't let you down either!" Thomas exclaimed as he set down the bug-type. "Except for when I have to put you down. That's a different story."
"Welcome to the team," Kevin told Clover with a nod of his head. "Sorry for hitting you with, though it could have been a lot more powerful."
"Now! Max, it's time for you to find a Pokemon!" Thomas exclaimed as he threw an arm around his brother.
"Thomas, I hate to burst your bubble but there are Pokemon everywhere," Max said with a deadpan expression. "But, if you insist… Kenn, why don't you pick a Pokemon?"
"Really? I can pick? Yippee!" Kenn exclaimed before a mock serious expression replaced his usual smile. He puffed out his chest and looked around, spotting a Grubbin. "I choose… You!"
"A Grubbin?" Max observed as he held his chin in though. "Grubbin evolves into a Charjabug with requires a specific area to be able to evolve into a Vikavolt… Definitely a Pokemon worth to research!"
"You know the drill Kevin. Time to find a tree," Thomas said as he looked around… And found that he was surrounded by trees.
"Found… at least five of them," Kevin said with a slight chuckle. The two made their way to a tree close to Max with Clover lagging behind.
"Alright Kenn, this is our first battle," Max told his starter. "Let's see what you can do!"
"You got it!" The Popplio replied as he saluted Max, a smile breaking his mock serious face.
"Alright… Let's start with a Water Gun!"
Kenn nodded as he fired a Water Gun at the unsuspecting bug-type. The Grubbin looked up at the sound of rushing water and was hit seconds later by the Water Gun.
"Hey! That was rude, ya know!" The Grubbin yelled out with a growl. "Now ya asking for a beating!"
The Grubbin fired a String Shot at a nearby tree and swung himself forward, right towards Kenn. The water-type moved out of the bug-type's way before he was hit with a Vice Grip. Kenn fired another Water Gun and followed it up with a Disarming Voice.
The Grubbin was smacked backwards by the Water Gun but was able to jump out of the way of the small soundwave. He landed and picked up some mud from made by the Water Gun and threw a Mud-Slap at Kenn.
"Counter the mud with a Water Gun!" Max ordered. The Popplio nodded and fired another Water Gun at the incoming glob of mud. The Mud-Slap exploded in a spray of mud, covering both of the Pokemon in water and mud but dealing no damage whatsoever.
The Grubbin ran forward and hit Kenn with a Vice Grip. Kenn let out a shout and then used Disarming Voice. The point blank range made it so the Grubbin couldn't dodge out of the way and he was forced to let go. He hit the ground once and bounced off, immediately getting smacked by another Water Gun into a nearby tree.
"Looks like you knocked him out," Thomas called over to Max. "Quick, throw a Pokeball while you can!"
"Right!" Max nodded his head and threw a Pokeball at the unconscious wild Pokemon. The ball hit and the Grubbin disappeared inside, making it shake a few times before stopping. "I… Actually did it! I caught my first Pokemon!"
"Yay, we did it!" Kenn cheered as he grabbed the Pokeball and gave it to Max. "I'm kinda sleepy now…"
"You did a great job Kenn, get some rest," Max told the water-type before returning him. He held the two Pokeballs in his hands and let out a happy sigh.
He can do this!
-000-
"So… You can understand Pokemon and you're going to travel through the Alolan islands so you can become a professor?" The Grubbin asked.
"That is correct, and I'll need some help from very powerful Pokemon," Max replied as he gave the Grubbin a nod. "The way you used String Shot was actually very smart. I can definitely use that in the future."
"Really? I thought it was some dumb thing I use to get around easier." The Grubbin replied as he shook his head slightly. "I've actually never been in a battle before. Are you sure that you have the right Pokemon?"
"Trust me, I'm sure," Max replied. "You're a strong Pokemon and I'll make sure you become as powerful as you want to be."
"I'll hold you to it," The Grubbin replied.
"Time for a name and I've had one for awhile now," Max said. "You eventually evolve into an electric-type and I'm thinking of the name Thor. What do you think?"
"Thor… Thor…" The Grubbin repeated as he tried to sound it out. "It has a nice ring to it. I accept!"
"Great! Glad to have you on the team, Thor!"
"Great job Max!" Thomas exclaimed as he and Kevin made their way over to the small group, Clover in Kevin's arms. "And I liked how you allowed Kenn to battle on his own for a bit. Reminds me of me back in my day."
"It's a smart strategy, which is rare for you," Max replied as he returned Thor for now. "I planned on using it in the future but Kenn was able to fight on his own so it worked out."
"Great. Now, let's get going to Iki Town so we can officially start your journey!"
"Lead on then," Max replied with a soft chuckle.
-000-
Looks like we got two new members for our two protagonist. And both bugs! What are the odds? ...Yeah, you're right, pretty high. Next time… Iki Town!
Thomas- Kevin (Sceptile), Clover (Caterpie)
Max- Kenn (Popplio), Thor (Grubbin)