Enjoy! No Steven's POV in this chapter, but there will be in the next. As always, please review!
Zigzagoon, the Tiny Racoon Pokemon. Zigzagoon rubs it's nose against the ground, it's always wanders back and forth in search of something. It is distinguished by the zig zag footprints it leaves on the ground.
I looked up from my Pokedex to the Pokemon that was completely ignoring me looking from side to side before pawing at the ground. Fits it's description well. I pulled Treeko's Pokeball out of my pocket and through it in the air, feeling the familiar rush of satisfaction as my Pokemon appeared on the ground next to me.
It had been almost an hour since I had set off from my house, and since then I had battled, and won, against several creatures that looked vaugly like caterpie- the Pokedex informed after I had registered them that they were in fact called Wurmples. Treeko seemed to have grown again so I could only assume I was doing something right.
I had to admit, Pokemon battles were growing on me. Perhaps thanks were in order for my dad for forcing me to give it a try.
"Use Pound!" I commanded. My Hoenn starter rushed forward, slamming it's girth into the muzzle of the Zigzagoon.
"Zoon," cried the Pokemon as it fell over, not able to keep his balance as Treeko hit it squarlly in the face. The Zigzagoon sprang up and spun, looking seriously angry. It opened his maw and growled fiercely at my Pokemon. I looked uneasily at Treeko, unsure of what had just happened.
"Pound," I commanded once more. Treeko ran forwards and executed the attack again, but this time it seemed to be less effective. Zigzagoon darted forward, side to side, trying attack my Pokemon. "Jump!" I cried uncertainly. Treeko bent it's legs and sprang into the air, landing squarely on it's shoulders, pushing his opponent to the ground.
"Tree," my Pokemon exclaimed cheerfully as the Zigzagoon stopped struggling.
"Good job Treeko," I cooed scratching her head. "Your shaping up just fine!" The green Pokemon nodded in aprietiation. I recalled him and looked at the Pokeball, deep in thought.
After about another thirty minutes in which Treeko and Vaporeon, who took an immediate liking to the Treeko, battled a few more Zigzagoon, and I had gotten a collection of bruises from various mishaps, I heard the sound of civilization.
I looked up in astonishment, had I actually made it to Odale town this quickly, it had seemed like such a short time! This felt like a victory to me, I had made it to the first town relatively unscathed as uncordinated as I was.
Sure enough, I saw a sign to my right proclaiming that the path I was on led directly the the center of the town. I hurried forward and gasped in surprise as I took in my new surroundings. It was certainly larger than Little Root town. There were more large buildings and many intertwining roads and paths throughout the town; civilians were ambling along, chatting, while others were exiting stores, arms laden with bags of all shapes and sizes. In the center of town was a huge building with a red room, the tell tale sign of a Pokemon Center. I entered the building and walked to the desk in the back. Nurse Joy was busy filling out some paper work for a trainer, looking rather stressed.
I cleared my throat awkwardly. She looked up and nodded to me, holding out her hand. "Pokemon please." I complied, relieved that she was being so straightforward. I handed over my Pokeballs, and she put it into a machine next to her. I watched in fascination as the Pokeballs began to glow and the machine started to beep. After a minute or so the machine stopped beeping and she handed me back the Pokeballs. "Good as new," she said tersely before returning to filling out the forms.
I nodded in gratitude and walked out of the center. I walked on the path, realizing that I had no clue what I should be doing. I decided to follow a large crowd curiously, wondering what they were doing. A few minutes later I found myself outside of a Pokemart crawling with bargain hunters.
I walked in and examined the wears with interest. Apparently, a new type of Pokeball, the timer ball was on the market curtsy of Devon Corporation.
Devon Corporation? Must be Hoenn based.
I looked at the Pokeball on display with interest, being jostled by the other shoppers who were all vying for a glimpse of the new product. I backed away from the counter and the mass of bodies. Sure it was an interesting new product, but it wasn't worth getting trampled to death over.
I walked slowly around the store examining their other wears. I probably would have bought a potion or two if I had had more money, but as it was, it probably wasn't the best idea.
On the opposite side of the Pokemart was a stand set up, showing off some strange belts with fastening devices on the end. I walked over and picked one up experimentally, weighing it in my hand.
"Interested darling," a young man with slicked back blonde hair asked me, suddenly appearing at the booth.
"Just looking," I said, examining the belt more closely.
"These are the new Pokebelts, a must have for all trainers. They can hold up to six Pokeballs and your Pokedex and nav easily, making them always within easy reach. But perhaps your not a trainer, or at least a very new one." He added at an after thought, noting my outfit. I shrugged the comment away quickly, how could he tell I was a new trainer just by what I was wearing? Shorts and a T-shirt seemed innocent enough.
"I just began today."
"Today?" The man looked surprised. "You are very new then aren't you. You definitely need to have one of these Pokebelts."
I looked longingly at the Pokebelt, and it took all my self control not to pull out all of my savings and handing it over. Apparently it was quite plain that I was interested; the man smiled. "How about I battle you for it? If you win, then I'll give you a Pokebelt for free. If I win, well, I will have had a good time and it would be a good experience for both of us. What do you say."
"Really?" I managed to squeak out with glee. I felt anticipation course through my body. This would be the first time that I would face an actual Pokemon trainer
The man laughed in amusement "Sure, why not."
I nodded in agreement and followed the man out of the Pokemart to a grass clearing near the center of town.
"We'll use one Pokemon each," he said, picking a Pokeball up; the man threw it in the air a bird type Pokemon was released. It flapped it's wings and hovered, eye-level, above the ground.
I pulled out my Pokedex to register it before calling out my own Pokemon, Vaporeon.
"Ladies first," the man said graciously, inclining his head towards me. I blushed, not sure how to respond to this bit of flattery. Besides my few friends, I wasn't used to men being courteous or kind to me. Vaporeon was already croutched in excitement. "Bite," I commanded. The water type to a huge leep into the air, aiming for one of the Wingull's wings.
"Dodge," the man said easily, flicking his hair with his left hand. The Wingull rose higher into the air, cawing with amusement as Vaporeon was left flailing in the air, her target far out of reach. She fell to the ground and spun, bristling angrily at her attack's failure.
"Watergun," the man commanded. The flying pokemon opened it's beak and a controlled line of water shot out of it's maw and slammed into Vaporeon. I may not now much about battling, but I knew this was a good thing for Vaporeon. Water attacks restored her health, so I held the command to dodge, smirking as Vaporeon began glowing.
This would be an easy battle. Actually, I felt like I was cheating a bit. Vaporeon was, the last time I had checked, around level twenty, quite a few levels above the average Pokemon used by trainers in this area. Oh well. "Bite." Vaporeon was quick to comply, her teeth clamping down on the Wingull's shoulder, dragging it out of the air. It didn't stir.
The man looked staggered, completely in disbelief that he had lost, staring at the Wingull in horror. I rushed forward at the unmoving Pokemon, warding Vaporeon away, who was sniffing the fallen flying type with interest. The man snapped out of his trance and recalled the Pokemon.
The man must have noticed my stricken appearance. "He'll be ok, Nurse Joy will heal him in no time." I nodded. The man handed me a Pokebelt and I accepted it gratefully, snapping it around my waist. I was delighted that it fit perfectly. "Let me see your trainer card," he said.
I didn't know where this was going, but I handed him the green card with my information on it. He inserted it into his Pokedex and started pressing buttons. He looked satisfied with the results of his endeavor, because he handed the card back to me before walking back to the mart.
I slid the card into my own Pokedex and looked at the information that was flicking across the screen. I gasped in surprise as I saw that underneath my name was an amount of money credited to my trainer card. I gasped in surprise, the man had given me a lot of money, more than I had taken with me in the first place.
I took the card out and placed the Pokedex on my waist, along with two Pokeballs once I had recalled Vaporeon.
I handed my Pokeball to Nurse Joy for the second time in an hour, she seemed a lot more calm now. As the machine started to beep, she looked at me with interest. "If your heading out of town dear, let me update your Trainer Card."
"Update?"
"Surly the Nurse who issued you Official Hoenn trainer card told you what you needed to do," she said, sounding shocked. If you took into account her red frizzy, unkempt hair sticking out in random wisps, Nurse Joy looked quite comical.
"Professor Birch issued it to me back at the laboratory in Littleroot Town," I explained quickly, feeling like I was missing something important. "He didn't tell me anything about updating it though."
"Well dear," Nurse Joy said, delicately taking the card out of my hand and slipping it into a computer. "Your trainer card records everything about your Pokemon journey so it is good to update it regularly. It also contains your Bank Balance so you can check it and access it. I see you already have some money in your bank balance," she said, her fingers flying across the key board, "so I assume you realize that trainers give each other money as a prize for winning battles. Is there any more money you would like to transfer to the card?"
I handed her the two hundred and fifty dolors that I had been keeping in my pocket.
She took it and started pressing more keys. She muttered my name as she pressed the enter key and sat back, taking my trainer card out of the computer and handing it to me. My mouth snapped open as I recognized my name engraved on one side of the card.
"Thank you," I stammered as she pressed the Pokeball back into my awaiting hands. "Umm," I stammered as an errant thought crossed my mind. "Does this card like, track my position?"
"It can be used that way," Nurse joy said, utterly nonplussed.
My heart sunk. "And anyone can access this...?"
"Only you usually, but if there is an emergency, any member of the league can as well." Well that's just wonderful. That meant my dad could track my every movemnt. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No thank you,"
"Good luck Miss Shepherd," Nurse Joy called as I exited the vicinity. I glanced back before I closed the door, rather amused to see her flustered expression as she tried to calm down a young child with a feinted Zigzagoon in her arms, assuring the trainer that the Pokemon was only knocked out and not dead.
"But she's not moving!" The young girl wailed desperately. I smiled slightly and then closed the doors.
I walked to the outskirts of town, towards the setting sun in the horizon- according to my watch it was ten past six. A sign declared that I was standing on the town boundary and if I continued walking forward I would be entering route 103.
"Come on out Treeko!" I called, throwing the Pokeball at the ground and letting my Pokemon out so she could walk besides me. I knew it was stupid, but I didn't think that being in a Pokeball was all the comfortable sounding. As if to confirm my thoughts, the tiny gecho like Pokemon gave itself a good shake and spread out his arms as if to stretch. A smile played on my lips as I resumed my walk.
Treeko stopped abruptly, quivering. I stopped as well, looking at my Pokemon in confusion. I remember from one of my dads lectures that Pokemon scenes were much more sensitive than those of humans, so it was definitely a possibility that Torchic could see or hear something that I couldn't.
"What is it Treeko?" I whispered in interest, earning me a sharp look.
"Eeko" the pokemon exclaimed and darted forward, leaving me behind. I followed more slowly, using my various 'alternative curses' as I tripped from time to time. "Treeko," came the impatient call from in front of me.
"I'm c-FUDGE CAKES!" I yelped as I my toe caught a rock and I stumbled forward.
"Samantha?" a surprised voice exclaimed, I recognized it as Brendan's.
"Hey Brendan," I said meekly, trying to rub the dirt off my nose.
"What are you doing out here," he asked utterly bemused. Treeko darted forward and stood in front of me, growling up at the teenager menacingly, or as menacingly as an adorable little creature could be. His fur was all fluffed up, and he was obviously trying to stare down Brendan. "Don't tell me," Brendan began, groaning. "My Uncle gave that Pokemon to you."
"Ye-"
"I thought he said he was going to give you something easy, he knows that Treekos are temperamental, they need to be trained by someone experienced. What could he have been thinking," Brendan muttered, running a hand through his hair.
I did not like the tone of voice, and I bristled with indignation. "Well, I think I've been doing alright with Treeko," I said uncertainly, angry with myself for not being able to sound confident with my skills. Hey, I may not like being a trainer, but that didn't mean I would allow others to look down on me.
"Is that so," Brendan said, glancing at the Treeko, who had given up trying to be fierce and instead was trying to crush a small stone between his paws. "Looks, pretty weak to me. I would have thought that with your father's blood, you would have at least progressed a bit farther in a day."
His drawl pushed my temper to the breaking point. I could deal with surprisingly a lot, but not when people brought up my ability to do things that I set my mind to. "I may not have progressed far," I began, flicking a stray piece of hair out of my face, "but at least I'm strong enough to take down the likes of you."
I watched with satisfaction as as Brendan narrowed his eyes and his hand twitched towards his waist. "You talk a big talk Shepherd, but lets see if you have the stuff to back it up."
"Lets battle then," I retorted. "Treeko, your up."
Brendan deftly through a Pokeball into the air, standing in front of me was a small red Pokemon that was standing on one leg. It's feathers were all puffed out in agrivation, and it was clicking it's sharp, curved beak. I pulled my Pokedex out and registered it. I scrolled down and read information about the attacks and type.
Crap, I thought, trying to think of the best way to gain an advantage. Torchic's moves were fire type, so it's attacks would be super effective against Treeko.
"Scratch," Brendan said, apparently bored. Torchic ran forward cawing its war cry and dug it's talons into the Treeko's chest, causing the Pokemon to cry out in alarm as he tried to shield itself with his tail.
"Circle around Treeko," I said quickly. Sure enough, Treeko was able to untangle himself from the Torchic's claws and started feining left and right. Torchic was getting confused quickly. His eyes darted back and forth, head snapping in whatever direction Treeko darted. "Use Pound," I commanded. My Treeko ran forward, slamming into the Torchic. Brendan's face turned red in fury as he snarled, "Ember." Gone was the cheerful boy who had helped me move hours before, Brendan was not about to lose.
Flames engulfed Treeko, singing his skin. Instinctivly, Treeko leaped backwards, away from the flames, but the damage had already been done. "No!" I held my breath as he unsteadily struggled to his feet. Treeko was still ready to fight, but I on the other hand was helpless. I looked from Brendan's gloating face, to Treeko, to the sky, and then to my surprise, to the small crowd who had materialized out of the ground to watch the battle.
Brendan had stopped issuing attack orders, probably to drag out his victory. I glowered, why couldn't I think of a way to make a spectacular comeback? A young boy in the small crowd was deeply engrossed in a conversation with a friend. I caught part of that conversation.
"There's no way she's going to win, her Treeko's almost done."
"You never know, they look to be the same level."
"Yea, must be around eight. Doesn't that mean that Torchic knows Absorb?"
I could have kissed them both right there and then. "Leer,!" Treeko bared it's teeth and growled fiercly while glaring at his opponant.
"Scratch Torchic!" Brendan commanded. Brendan seemed to be thinking that he had one this battle because he pumped his fist, very immaturely in triumph. I ground my teeth in agitation.
I prayed to the heavens as I said, "Absorb!"
I don't know why the Gods decided to have mercy on me, but my plan worked. Torchic was hit by the tendrils that Treeko sent out and it's energy was quickly sapped. Torchic hit the ground and didn't stir. The crowd of people cheered, and began to disperse.
"I lost," Brendan said in disbelief as he withdrew Pokemon. "To the likes of you." A red light enveloped Treeko as I beamed him back into the ball and attached it to my Pokebelt. That's right Brendan, you lost to me. Don't feel bad, you won't be the only one. Oh yes, I think I was finally starting to enjoy battles.
He shook his head then abruptly met my steady gaze. "I shouldn't be surprised, Torchic was worn down from helping out in the field. He was already weakened while your Treeko looked at full strength." My feeling of elation at the victory fizzled away into disbelief. Was that the only reason that I had won, was I truly that incompetent as a trainer?
I opened my mouth to retort but it hung open as Brendan was ignoring me digging through his pack in search of something. I shifted my wait to my left foot and crossed my arms, feeling very put out. That is until he pressed into my hands five Pokeballs. "Here take them and go catch some more Pokemon. It's the only chance you'll have of beating me again."
And just like that, Brendan was gone. Absolutely mental. Handsome, but insane. I decided as I packed away the Pokeballs, the thrill of winning that had been dispersed gathering inside me again, making me feel all bubbly inside. Just like that time I had chugged three bottles of sparkling water...
He couldn't have been right, I told myself severely as I walked back towards Odale town, concentrating on not tripping. It was pitch dark now, but I felt wide awake. It couldn't be past three back in Kanto, I had the whole day ahead of me.
I eventually made it back to the Pokemon Center and handed my Pokeball to Nurse Joy. The people in the center had disappeared, retreating to the rooms they had been given to stay in for the night, and the room was eerily quiet. I spotted a phone on the wall and uncertainly walked towards it.
Nurse Joy looked up and nodded to me, urging me forward. This would be the first chance I got to contact my mother.
I quickly dialed my mother's cell phone number. It didn't even ring once before it was picked up.
"Samantha! I presume you visited Birch?" So I was right, she did know where I was.
"Mom, I helped the Professor out today and he gave me a Pokemon. Can you believe it?"
"So you going to take after your father now," she gushed warmly. She had also harbored the wish for me to become a trainer.
"I'm calling your father he'll be thrilled!" I sighed, I should have assumed that would come up eventually. "Well I've got to go, I was invited over to the neighbors for dinner, and I can't be late. I love you Samantha, call me soon!" Just like that the line was disconnected. Wow, apperantly my mother didn't miss me that much, neaither did my father for that matter. They missed my brother of course, because he was succesful. But not me, and honestly that didn't bother me all to much.
Slinging my pack over my shoulder, I started off into the night, heading to the closest city, Petalburg.