Chapter 3: Kenta's decision

Reaching his apartment building, Kenta climbed the stairs, heading up to the fifth floor and walked down the corridor. As he reached his apartment, he entered it and was immediately greeted by his mother's Pokémon.

Delcatty purred as soon as she spotted him and rubbed her body against his leg, which made him smile as he knelt down to pat the Delcatty's forehead. "I'm home, Delcatty. Could you go tell mom?"

"There's no need for that!" Annie called out from the kitchen. "The apartment's smaller than our old house, Kenta. I heard you open the door. Why don't you get some rest? Dinner's going to be ready soon!"

"Okay, mom!" Kenta gave Delcatty another pat on the head and he quickly made his way to his room. There, he place his box down and unlocked it, taking out the three Pokéballs and releasing the Pokémon within them.

Semira, Aedus and Bulbasaur emerged from their capsules, with the two Hoenn Pokémon falling on their sides as they leapt onto Kenta's bed while Bulbasaur looked around curiously at the room, which Kenta found amusing.

"Welcome to my room, Bulbasaur," Kenta replied. "Since you're going to be my Pokémon from now on, why don't we decide on a name for you? What do you think?" The Seed Pokémon nodded as it sat down, with its eyes glued on Kenta as he ran his mind through a suitable name for it.

"How do you like Saur?" Bulbasaur shook its head.

"Hmm…how about Root?" Again, it shook its head.

"Then what about Argus?" This time, Bulbasaur was deep in thought for a moment. Then, it smiled, giving its Trainer a nod as it jumped into his arms. Kenta smiled back. "Then from today onwards, you're now Argus. Nice to have you with us."

"Bulba!" Argus cried as its vines emerged from its back, wrapping around Kenta as it gave him a hug, which he returned with his own.

"Take a rest, Argus. Once mom's done with dinner, I'll get you and the others to wake up," Kenta said. The Seed Pokémon nodded, leaping onto the boy's bed as it sat down beside Aedus and laid its head on the pillow while Kenta place the box on his desk and sat down.

"I was thinking of taking you under my wing…"

Giovanni's words ran through his mind as he rested his head on the table, his eyes moving towards where he had placed his Stone Badge. Coupled with Giovanni's words, the memories of his Gym battle at Dewford City from five years ago flooded back to him.

"Well, well, well, looks like I've got a new challenger."

A younger version of Kenta smiled as he raised Aedus's Pokéball. "My name's Kenta! I'm here to challenge the Dewford City's Gym Leader for the Knuckle Badge!"

A muscular man stepped forward, who wore nothing but his pants with a black belt around his waist, and smirked as he looked at Kenta from head to toe. "So you're just another kid who thinks he can beat me, huh? Well let me tell you something before I accept your challenge. I don't hold back, so don't expect me to pamper you with predictable attacks."

"You don't have to," Kenta replied. "I've already done my research on you, William. You usually use a Hitmonlee as your first Pokémon, since you want to catch your opponents off guard using a Pokémon not native to the Hoenn region. Your other Pokémon is a Machoke, and it's your ace as well."

The Dewford Gym Leader, William, smiled. "You're not like the other bratty kids I've faced during this month. You're actually smart enough to do some research before challenging me."

"It pays off to learn in a class taught by the Gym Leader of Rustboro City's Gym."

"Ah," William chuckled. "So you're one of Alex's brats. That makes more sense now since he's all about strategies. That makes this challenge all the more interesting. I accept your challenge, Kenta. Show me what you've learnt from Alex."

Kenta nodded, making his way towards the battlefield as another man, a referee, appeared, raising his hand up. "This will be an official Gym battle between the challenger, Kenta, and the Gym Leader, William! Two Pokémon shall be allowed for both sides and only the challenger is able to substitute his Pokémon. There will be no time limit as well. Let the battle begin!"

William picked up his first Pokéball and tossed it into the field, which released his first Pokémon. As Kenta had expected, it was a Hitmonlee. Kenta smirked, knowing that the battle plans he had ran through in his mind should work. He winded his arm back and flung Aedus's Pokéball onto the field, releasing the Fire Type Starter Pokémon.

Seeing Aedus, William blinked. "A Fire Type? I was expecting a Flying Type Pokémon from you. After all, you said you've researched me and my Pokémon. But I'm sure you have something up your sleeves. I'll go first. Hitmonlee, begin with Double Kick."

The Kicking Fiend complied, lunging forward as it leapt into the air with its left foot outstretched.

"As expected, I should focus on plans 4, 10 and 15," Kenta muttered as he turned his attention to his Torchic. "Aedus, we'll go with plan 4 for now. Evade the first kick and use Growl before it can do its second kick."

Aedus nodded, keeping his eyes on Hitmonlee as it came closer to him. Then, as its foot was nearing him, the Torchic pushed himself to the front, avoiding the first kick as he quickly turned around. Hitmonlee landed and flinched for a moment as it tried to balance itself before swinging its body around for the second blow. However, Aedus had let out a loud cry which caused the Kicking Fiend to halt.

"Now that it's distracted, use Peck!"

William narrowed his eyes. "Not so fast, Hitmonlee, deflect that attack with Rolling Kick!"

Though it was distracted, Hitmonlee was able to recover thanks to its Trainer's command as it swung around, executing a roundhouse kick which prevented an effective Peck attack from landing a blow as Aedus was knocked back onto the ground.

"Aedus!"

"A good attempt to injure my Pokémon, Kenta," William said. "It's rare to see a Trainer use Growl like this. Most Pokémon would have forgotten the move as soon as they learnt a new one. And to combine it with Peck, a combination worth keeping an eye out for. I guess Alex's bragging of the academy wasn't just for his ego. Now show me what else you've got!"

"You want me to make the next move? All right then," Kenta replied. "We'll stick to plan 4, Aedus. Use Ember!"

"Hitmonlee, dodge and attack with Rolling Kick once more!"

Blasts of fire bolts were released from Aedus's beak and Hitmonlee did as it was told, gracefully leaping over the bolts of fire as it advanced closer to the Chick Pokémon. Then, it lifted its foot and swung it, slamming it into Aedus's side as the Torchic was sent crashing against one of the many rocks on the field.

Seeing this, Kenta's eyes widened slightly. "What? How is Hitmonlee that agile? My research didn't mention anything about it!"

William noticed the anxiety from Kenta's voice and smirked. "Did I catch you off-guard, little boy? That's a good sign, for me anyway. Hitmonlee, use Focus Energy!" The Kicking Fiend nodded, inhaling a deep breath as a red aura emitted from its body, giving it more strength.

"Focus Energy wasn't supposed to be used until three more moves…" Kenta muttered, panicking as he realized that his plan was not working out. "Plan 10 won't help anymore, now that Aedus is weakened and plan 15 is out now that I know Hitmonlee is quite agile. I need a new plan…"

Instantly, his mind flooded with new battle plans on how he should proceed from his current situation.

William folded his arms and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Kenta, who seemed to be standing still with his head lowered and hands clenched. "If you're not going to make a move, Kenta, then I shall. Hitmonlee, strike with Hi Jump Kick!"

At that moment, Kenta smiled. "High Jump Kick, huh? Aedus, use Growl again and dodge the attack!"

The Chick Pokémon struggled to his feet as he watched Hitmonlee leap into the air. As the Kicking Fiend raised its knee, Aedus let out another cry which caused Hitmonlee to lose its focus as Aedus took a few steps to the right.

Hitmonlee crashed onto the ground and it flinched in pain as it struggled to stand back up.

"Looks like it worked," Kenta smirked. "Aedus, use Peck before it does anything else!" The Torchic's beak glowed once more as he lunged at Hitmonlee, landing a blow on its waist. The Kicking Fiend groaned painfully as it fell onto its side from the attack, clutching the spot which Aedus had hit.

William grinned. "This is getting interesting. And here I thought I had already ruined your plan."

Kenta smiled back. "You did, William. I had to think of many more plans on how to counter your Hitmonlee when I realized that it was more agile than I thought. I just got lucky when you told it to use Hi Jump Kick since I've already thought of a plan that time."

The Dewford Gym Leader blinked. "Incredible. To think that you were able to come up with a battle plan on the spot that fits the situation…that is far greater than just impressive. Alex must be proud to have a student like you. But enough of this small chat. Our battle still continues! Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick!"

In an instant, Hitmonlee spun around as it raised its legs. Before Aedus could react, the Kicking Fiend had landed a kick on his face, sending the Chick Pokémon flying towards Kenta.

"Aedus, use Peck to stabilize yourself!" The Torchic complied with his Trainer, slamming his glowing beak into the ground as he slowed down, placing his feet on the ground. Kenta grinned. "Great job, Aedus. Now let's win ourselves a battle!"

"Don't let them get ahead of us, Hitmonlee! Double Kick!"

"Focus Energy! Then use Peck!"

Hitmonlee charged forward, its eyes filled with determination as it watched an orange aura emit from Aedus's body. Hitmonlee leapt up, stretching out its left foot as it neared Aedus, whose beak was glowing brightly. The first kick missed, hitting the ground as Hitmonlee swung its right foot, only to realize that Aedus was already next to it. Before it could do anything, Aedus landed an effective Peck attack on Hitmonlee's face.

The Kicking Fiend cried out in pain as it fell back, but it wasn't done just yet. With its right foot still up, it slammed its foot onto Aedus's back, sending the Chick Pokémon crashing into the ground next to Hitmonlee as a dust cloud began to form around the two.

When the cloud had cleared, Kenta and William both had their jaws dropped. Their Pokémon were both unconscious.

"Outstanding!" William said, returning Hitmonlee to its Pokéball. "Never have I seen a Torchic defeat a Hitmonlee in my entire life! You have a wonderful talent, Kenta. That I cannot deny! However…" As he brought out his second Pokéball, he continued. "Will you be able to handle my partner? Machoke, let's go!"

His Machoke emerged, arms folded with a confident smirk. It looked at Kenta and narrowed its eyes at him, awaiting the next Pokémon he was going to send out.

Kenta returned Aedus to his Pokéball and smiled. "You've done a good job, Aedus. Take a good rest." Then, he reached for his belt, where he removed Semira's Pokéball and brought it close to him and whispered. "You can do it, Semira. We'll go against its Type advantage with our plans. I know you can do it." He winded his arm back and flung the device forward, watching it split open as the young Absol emerged from it.

Upon seeing the Absol, William was filled with mixed feelings. Disappointment and Intrigued. "A Dark Type? Perhaps my praises to you were too much that it made you overconfident, Kenta. Dark Types are weak against Fighting Types, not to mention that Absol is still young.."

"I know," Aaron replied. "That's why I already have a plan. Like I said, I've already done my research on you and your Pokémon. I know all of your Machoke's Moves, so I'm sure I can manage myself. "

"Then let's us begin our second match!" William announced. "Machoke, use Brick Break!" His Machoke nodded, raising its right hand as it glowed while it charged towards Semira.

Kenta grinned. "Semira, plan 3." The Absol nodded as she turned back face Machoke, who was getting closer every passing second. "Double Team! Then use Quick Attack!"

Machoke swung its hand down as it neared Semira. Its hand slammed into the Absol and it gave a smug look when it saw its opponent fall. However, the Absol instantly vanished the next moment, surprising Machoke as it looked up, only to find out that it was surrounded by multiple copies of Semira.

Semira and her copies then lunged forward, leaving a trail of white energy as they tackled Machoke, though only Semira was the one who could damage it.

"How's that, William?" Kenta asked.

William smirked. "It was good. But Machoke won't lose. Revenge!"

With its fists clenched, Machoke shifted its body and lunged forward, slamming its body onto Semira, who let out a cry of pain as she skidded across the ground from the attack.

Kenta's face paled, filled with panic and fear as he looked at Machoke. "W-what? Revenge? I thought your Machoke didn't know that Move!"

"I taught the Move to it," William said. "The only reason you didn't know if it was because I had recently got it to master the Move. In fact, you should do a little more research next time before you challenge me with outdated information. Machoke, grab that Absol and use Seismic Toss!"

"Semira, get away before it catches you! Double Team!" Kenta cried. This was no longer a battle of strategies for him. How could he go on? He couldn't win this Gym battle, not when he doesn't have accurate information. This was his lost. Now all he had to do is get Semira out of harm's way.

Semira leapt into the air, creating copies of herself. As soon as she landed, she and her copies ran around, hoping to confuse Machoke. However, Fighting Type was far more experienced than her. Its eyes looked towards the ground, where it saw a shadow from one of the many Absol and it lunged forward with its arms stretched out.

It grabbed her, catching her by surprise as her copies instantly vanished.

Machoke smirked as it brought the young Absol close to it and leapt into the air. Seeing the look of fear from her, Machoke could only scoff as it flung her towards the ground, causing a crater to form from the impact.

"You've made it much further than most young Trainers such as yourself, Kenta. But this is where it ends," William sighed as he looked up at Machoke. "Finish it with Brick Break!"

Kenta fell to his knees, looking over to Semira's weakened body as tears began to develop in his eyes. "I'm sorry…Semira. I've couldn't win again…" Then, Machoke slammed its hand onto Semira's body, ending the match with its Brick Break.

William shook his head, slightly disappointed that the boy had lost. "You fought well, Kenta. I applaud you for trying your best, but it wasn't enough. Come back next time when you've train your Pokémon to be stronger, or at least get a new Pokémon."

Machoke grabbed Semira's unconscious body by the horn and it tossed her towards Kenta, who picked up the young Absol and embraced her tightly as his tears fell, soaking his face and Semira's fur as William returned Machoke to its Pokéball. "Your Absol is in really bad condition. That Brick Break was too much for it to handle. You'd better get it to the Pokémon Center fast. It won't last much longer if you're just going to cry."

Kenta hung his head low, his hair shadowing his eyes as he got up and ran off, making his way to the Pokémon Center with Semira in his arms.

Though the Stone Badge was from Rustboro City, it also carried his memories of Dewford, which he despised the most.

His eyes went over to his bed, where all three of his Pokémon were sound asleep, exhausted from their battle with Fearow and the Spearow flock. He got off his chair and made his way towards his bed, where he sat down beside Semira.

The wounds she had received from the Gym battle were no longer there, but he had a feeling that she still feels the pain from them every time she thought about it and that made him furious. Not because that he lost the battle, but because he got his best friend, the Pokémon who's been with him even before the start of his short-lived Pokémon journey, seriously injured and she would have died if he hadn't been fast enough to reach the Center.

Kenta ran his fingers down her back, making her purr. He smiled. This was one of Semira's favorite way of having her partner show his affection to her and he enjoyed doing it himself. "To think that I got you hurt so badly that time…" He thought to himself. "Should I take Giovanni's offer?"

But he didn't want to wake her up, so he stopped after a few seconds, getting back up and heading out of the room where he proceeded to head to the kitchen.

His mother and Shuppet were still in the middle of making dinner while Delcatty and Taillow were resting in the living room, as usual. As he entered the kitchen, his mother smiled in his direction. "Kenta! Glad you're here, can you pass me the milk?"

Kenta nodded, grabbing the milk from the table and handing her the carton as she poured the content into the mixing bowl. "What're you planning to make, mom?"

"I'm making cake for dessert, Kenta," Annie replied. "It's been so long since I've made some. Also, it's to welcome our newest family member, your Bulbasaur!"

"How did you know about Argus?"

Annie grinned. "I received a call from Professor Oak before you came back. He told me that the Bulbasaur he had was attached to you so he gave it to you. And since it's your Pokémon, it's part of the family too. So we're celebrating with cake! Not to mention that it's the first Pokémon you've gotten in Kanto as well!"

"I'm sure Argus will be grateful for the cake."

"That's a nice name you've given him," Annie said. "It's too bad my Pokémon don't like to have names." Shuppet giggled, nudging Annie playfully as she hovered over her, using her Psychic to help speed up the mixing process.

"Well, at least you and Taillow won't be the only guys in the house anymore," Annie said, making Kenta laugh as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Make sure to raise Argus well, Kenta. After all, he did choose you to be his Trainer."

"I know, mom," Kenta replied. "You and dad said that before already. Dad said it on my birthday when I got Semira and then when I got Aedus, you told me that. It's what I'm doing, mom. There's no need to remind me all the time."

Annie giggled. "Can't blame a mother for trying."

"Shu, Shuppet," said the Ghost Type as it poured the mixture into a cake tin.

Smiling, Annie picked up the tin and opened the oven, placing the tin in and closing it as she turned the oven on before looking back at Kenta. "Well, now that the cake's in the oven, we'll have time for dinner. Why don't you help set the table?"

"Sure," Kenta replied as he and Shuppet brought the utensils out.

Once the table was prepared, Annie emerged from the kitchen with their dinner, placing two plates on the table while placing the bowls on the ground for the Pokémon. "Kenta, go get your Pokémon. We can't start dinner without them."

Kenta nodded, making his way to his room where he woke the three sleeping Pokémon. "Come on, guys. Dinner's ready." The three stirred from their sleep, waking up with yawns as they followed the boy out, where Argus was instantly showered with warm welcomes from Annie and her Pokémon.

As dinner was cleared, Annie went back to the kitchen, bringing the cake out as she placed it on the table while Shuppet coated it with icing. Once the icing was done, Annie sliced the cake up, handing each slice to the Pokémon, leaving a two slices left for Kenta and herself.

"Enjoy the cake, Argus," Annie smiled. "It's a family recipe, so I hope you'll like it." The Pokémon nodded, using his vines to pick the cake up as he began eating it while Annie turned to Kenta. "So, care to tell me about your journey to Professor Oak?"

Kenta swallowed a small piece of his cake and shrugged. "There wasn't much happening, mom. Professor Oak just wanted to see Semira and Aedus. Then he upgraded my Pokédex so that I have the data of the Kanto Pokémon."

"That's nice," Annie replied. "It'll be good for you to know what kind of Pokémon we'll see whenever we're out of the apartment."

The boy remained silent. He was still thinking of Giovanni's offer. Kenta didn't know what he should do. Should he go with Giovanni and train with him, become stronger so that he would be the Trainer that he should have been, like what Giovanni had said, or remain at home, where his Pokémon will be safe from harm?

"Mom," Kenta spoke. As his mother turned her attention to him, he took a deep breath. "Mom, when I was coming back from Pallet Town, I met the Viridian Gym Leader."

Hearing this, Annie almost choked on her cake. She coughed. "Are you serious, Kenta? You've already met the Gym Leader? I was expecting it to happen at least a few more weeks from now since you have to adjust to the city! How was it?"

"I only met him because I was attacked by a Fearow and Spearow," he replied, catching his mother's full attention as he continued. "The Gym Leader was only there because he wanted to bring those Pokémon back to their original habitat. When we were heading back here, he…offered me a chance to train under him."

"That's great news!" Annie cried, clapping her hands together. "I can't believe it! After all these years, all it took was a trip to Kanto and an encounter with Kanto's strongest Gym Leader! I'm so happy that you're going to be a Pokémon Trainer again!"

"I haven't decided yet, mom," Kenta sighed. "I'm still thinking about it."

Annie smiled. "If you ask me, I think you should take it. You've been at home with me for the past five years, Kenta. You'd hardly go out to explore anymore. This could be your chance to go out and explore the world once more! Not to mention, this would also help you outgrow from your fear of battling. It's time you take a step forward in your life and make up for the five years you've missed."

"But won't you miss having me around?" Kenta asked.

"Of course I would," Annie replied. "Any parent would miss their child when they go out to the world on their own. But you are your father's son and that means you can take care of yourself. Besides, my Pokémon will keep me occupied. I'm sure your father would agree with me if he was with us in Kanto right now. Too bad his job keeps him busy in Hoenn."

Kenta turned towards his Pokémon, who all smiled at him. "Do you think we should do it, guys? Should we go back to battling?" The Pokémon nodded enthusiastically. "But won't you guys be afraid of getting hurt again?"

"Kenta," Annie sighed. "Your Pokémon have been wanting to battle for so long. Just look at them…" She pointed towards his Pokémon, who were all up on their feet with their smiles still on their faces. "They've been waiting for this to happen. I'm sure Semira has grown out of her old wounds as well."

Semira nodded, puffing her chest out confidently as Annie continued. "Go on, sweetie. Go back to being a Pokémon Trainer. Your potential as a strong Trainer still resides in you and you know it. Show the world who you are, Kenta. Because I believe you will be able to achieve it."

"Thanks, mom," Kenta smiled, embracing his mother. "I'll head over to the Gym tomorrow and tell him about it."

Annie hugged her son tightly. "Get some rest, Kenta. You'll need it for tomorrow, after all."

"Fear~!" Fearow screeched, slamming its body onto the cell bars. Countless times it had done so, all but to no avail. The bars were strong, strong enough to withstand a Hyper Beam. Its chance of escaping its cage was zero.

Fearow slammed its head onto the bars once more. This time, a beep was heard and after a moment had gone by, Fearow let out a cry of pain as electricity shocked its body. The Flying Type collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily as a shadow appeared before it. It was Giovanni.

"Dr. Namba, has the specimen been proven to be useful?" Giovanni asked, turning his head to face an elderly man who had donned a lab coat.

Dr. Namba sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "As much as I hate to say it, Giovanni, this Fearow is worthless to us. The rumors we've hears about this Fearow being stronger than normal Fearow have been proven to be false. The fact that it even lost to your Rhydon supports my claim. My suggestion is to give it to any of the Grunts."

Giovanni narrowed his eyes at the Fearow, who glared back at him with hatred. He grinned. "I've heard that Fearow beaks are extremely valuable since they can be used for crafting." Hearing this, Fearow's hatred vanished instantly from its eyes widened, replaced with fear as it watched Giovanni turn away. "Dr. Namba, cut out its beak and sell it to the black market. I'm sure there'll be people wanting such a prize."

"What about its body?" The scientist asked.

"The Arcanine and Growlithe have been getting hungrier lately, haven't they? Let them have the carcass," Giovanni replied.

Dr. Namba smiled. "As expected of you, sir."

Giovanni then stopped and turned around. "Make sure to make it quick. I don't need to hear its screams when I'm sleeping. Besides, I have an important appointment tomorrow at the Gym."

"Oh? What kind?" The scientist asked.

"We might be getting an interesting recruit, doctor. Why don't you come over to the Gym and observe us tomorrow as well?" Giovanni said. "I'm sure you'll be impressed with the result."

"In that case, I won't mind," Dr. Namba replied. "It'll be a nice change of pace around here if you think this potential recruit has the talent to become a great member of Team Rocket. But since it's you who sought him out, I'm guessing that I'll be pleased with the results."

"Of course you will, my friend," Giovanni smiled as he left the room, leaving Dr. Namba with a frightened Fearow.

A/N: Here's the latest chapter, folks! Hope it was alright!