Chapter 2: The Encounter

Right after this rather eventful row with Riku, Atsushi and Aqua wander around the park they have just reached. The young boy is lost in his thoughts. He is thinking about an efficient way to make people listen to him and his claims. That will not be easy, of course. He sits down on a wooden bench. Some clouds are starting to hide the sun, but there is not any sign of incoming rain (much to Aqua's despair…). Aqua looks at her friend: she feels a bit sad when seeing him that troubled. After all, it does not happen very much.

"Don't worry, Aqua," he says, having just seen the Vaporeon's puzzled face. "I won't give up!"

Suddenly, some footsteps are being heard. Both Atsushi and Aqua turn their heads in the direction of the noise. They can distinguish a human silhouette, coming closer to them. Apparently, he looks like he is slightly older than Atsushi. Now that this mysterious man is close enough to be clearly identified, they can see that he's got spiky blond hair and a white shirt. He's also pretty slender, and pale-looking. Surprisingly, he waves at Atsushi, despite not knowing him at all. Aqua is on her guard, while Atsushi is quite curious about that.

"Excuse me, young man," the unknown man says, "I'd like to talk to you for a moment."

"Oh… Sure…" Atsushi replies, goofily shaking hands with the stranger.

"My name is Yuji, by the way. I'm from Midoriya," the slender man says, sitting next to Atsushi.

"Alright, I'm Atsushi. From Shiromura. You said you wanted to talk to me about something? What is it?"

"In fact, I heard all of your previous conversation with your friend…"

"What? Did you eavesdrop on us?"

Atsushi is suddenly starting to get mistrustful.

"No! Not at all! It's just that you talked so loudly… Anybody could have listened to your conversation from a nearby place only by chance."

"Oh… Sorry…" Atsushi replies, apologetically.

"I can see that you are very passionate. That may be a drawback, but also a benefit if you keep your self-control."

"Hmm… Thank you, I guess…"

Yuji laughs.

"I bet you're the kind of guy who never gives up, am I right? But maybe yelling at your friends is not the best way to make them change their minds…"

"I'm aware of that…"

Yuji takes something that looks like a card out of his pocket.

"Listen up, Atsushi. I share the same ideals as you. In fact, I'm part of a Pokémon association which helps spreading our thoughts about what we believe is right for Pokémon."

"R… Really?"

Atsushi can't believe it: he has finally met someone like him, who wants to make Pokémon really happy! Moreover, there is an association with apparently a bunch of like-minded people (it wouldn't be called an association if Yuji was all alone, Atsushi believes), which he has never heard of! After all, he has never thought about making collective actions, as he felt he was the only one in the village, apart from his parents, to be against Pokémon battles.

"Could you tell me more about your association?" Atsushi asks, taking the visiting card.

"Of course! We are called the 'Pokémon Liberators' and we've been around for almost one year. We're looking for passionate people in order to make bigger actions. The more we are, the more our voice can be heard!"

"Alright… What do you mean by 'actions'?"

"Well, for the moment it's nothing that huge, we're just starting after all! We're making our presence felt and plan on making demonstrations in the near future. And maybe, if that succeeds, we'll make bigger things, but I don't know which ones yet… I'm sure someone like you has lots of interesting ideas!"

"You can count on me, Yuji!"

Atsushi feels his contribution to the association can be valuable. His dream will come true, after all! It may take some time, though, as the association is still at its starting stages. But Atsushi still has a lot of time, since he's only a teenager.

"So, I take it for granted you'll become an official member of the Pokémon Liberators very soon?" Yuji says, smiling.

"Yeah! You can already consider me as a member!" he says enthusiastically.

"That's great… You'll be an awesome addition to the team. Why don't you come to Midoriya to see the rest of the team? The address is on the visiting card. Tomorrow is Sunday, I'm sure you don't go to school on Sundays, do you?"

"That's right! So I'll go see you and the team tomorrow!"

"I'm looking forward to it! See you tomorrow, then!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow! I can't wait!" Atsushi says, fully grinning.

And the two part company. Midoriya is the nearest big city, only ten kilometers separate it from Shiromura. It will not take very long to go there by bicycle. However, for the time being, Atsushi, accompanied by Aqua, has to go back home. He can't wait to break the news to his parents. They will surely be pleased.

Aqua remained silent during the whole conversation. At the beginning, she was quite doubtful about this stranger, but her negative feelings vanished as soon as she saw Atsushi's delighted expression. After all, whenever Atsushi feels happy, she feels the same.

After Atsushi has begun to move away from the wooden bench where he and Yuji were sitting, the spiky-haired man takes his phone from his pocket and dials a number. He puts the phone on his left ear and starts talking:

"Yeah… It's me… The plan went perfectly well… It was easier than we thought… Maybe too easy, ah ah!... His naïveté and determination will play in our hands, without doubt… Typically the type of guy we're searching for… We can finally start our big plan…"


The night has just fallen on Shiromura. Satoshi has finally returned home after a day of hard work. Atsushi has been waiting for hours to tell him the news: he hasn't told his mother yet, because he wanted to tell both his parents at the same time. After Satoshi has put away his suitcase and has removed his jacket, he rejoins Yumiko in the dining room, where a camomile tea is awaiting him. Then, Atsushi appears suddenly, visibly pleased.

"Good evening, son! How was your day?" Satoshi asks, happy to see his son.

"Very well, and far better than yesterday! Something amazing happened to me today!" he declares, having difficulty containing his pride.

"Really? Tell us about it!" his mother asks, pleased as well.

"I'm now part of the Pokémon Liberators, in Midoriya! It's a milestone in my project to ban Pokémon battles!"

"And what are the Pokémon Liberators exactly?" Satoshi asks, a bit concerned.

"It's a Pokémon association which helps defending Pokémon rights!" he explains, summing it up the best way he can.

"It's strange, because I've never heard of these 'liberators'… And I work in Midoriya."

"It's just because it's a newly-formed association," Atsushi explains. "They've been around for less than a year"

"And how exactly were you enlisted?" Yumiko asks, visibly worried.

"Hmm… Yuji came to see me in the park and told me about the association… I'll go see them tomorrow."

"Did you know that Yuji before today? "

"No, but I can feel I can trust him!"

"You should be careful when talking to strangers… He could have told you something totally wrong. Besides, you should never talk to stranger anyway," Satoshi tells.

"But he has the same ideals as me! That's so rare! I really want to be part of the Pokémon Liberators!"

Satoshi and Yumiko look at each other. On the one hand, their son is totally in it, and it seems like he has finally found an ally for his project. On the other hand, that Yuji came from nowhere and they can't say if what he told their son is right: what if he was a kidnapper and planned on capturing him tomorrow? Finally, after a short discussion, they both agree and Satoshi let Atsushi know about their decision:

"Well, Atsushi… We grant you the permission to go see this supposed association tomorrow… However, if anything goes wrong, just run away! Got it?"

"Yes, I promise you!"

"Maybe it will be safer if we go with you!" Yumiko suggests.

"No, that'll be fine, thank you!" Atsushi replies.

"Alright… But be extra careful!" Satoshi adds.

"You can count on me!"

Still, Atsushi's parents agree later in the evening to follow their son in their car, just for safety purposes.