Old friends reunited and new ones made
Dawn and her new friend Piplup, who was in its ball, were racing down route 202 on her pink bike, which had yet to face the same fate as two others. After a while she dismounted from the cycle and jogged down a hill. "Piplup, come on out." She shouted as she threw the ball before her. The penguin shouted its name once summoned. The creatures trainer grabbed it and carried it over to a decent sized imbedded where she rested her back. "Piplup, I am psyched and all, but I'm starting to wander what a new trainer like me does first?" She questioned the creature in her lap which gave a 'huh?' answer in it's natural tongue. "It's a deal: let's go catch us a Pokemon." She answered to the blue one.
"Buneary bun bun?" A creature about four inches above a foot with brown and yellow fur said after popping out a tough of grass, asking: 'Huh, who said that?' When it heard a human's pledge.
"A Buneary?" The girl questioned before digging out her Pokedex which said to her:
"Buneary: The rabbit Pokemon. By quickly extending its rolled up ears it can launch a powerful attack against it's enemies." She then shut her small computer, happy of the new information.
"We have to watch out for those ears." She said and then looked down at her bird creature and said to it, "So, here's the deal: the best way to catch a Pokemon is to battle it with another Pokemon until it gets weak and that's where you come in. You ready?" Her partner listened and understood.
"Piplup." The water class said which was like saying, 'Let's do this.' The trainer of the beast decided to speak next.
"Okay then, Piplup then let's use BubbleBeam." She shouted and the Pokemon, and that's just what happened. "There's nothing like calling an attack. Awesome!" She yelled with her eyes shut, but when she opened them she watched as the bunny jumped out of the way at the last second. "Aah. What a jump?!" She said in surprise and then watched as it landed behind her creature and to the right. "Peck attack, Buneary's behind you." She said and that's what happened.
"Buneary." The rabbit said which at this point meant, "Too slow." As it went left and dodged the move effortlessly. With it's enemies defense down the brown furred one took advantage of that by striking with one of its ears.
"No." Dawn said after the one hit before running over to her Pokemon. "You, alright, Piplup?" She questioned while shaking the guinea a little bit. "That hurt's. How do you feel." The trainer said after the bunny jumped off of her face to get away.
"Piplup pip." The creature said, and it's human partner could tell by how it's head was sunk the penguin asked: 'How do you think I feel?' She saw her blunder of asking that after that defeat and then decided to fix it.
"Hey, don't let it get to ya. Everyone makes mistakes the first time around." She started to say on all fours and then stood up on her feet and added, "You just got to keep on truckin." Feeling a bit better the penguin added to her statement. The two got back on her bike, with her friend in the basket, and headed down the road. "Hey, Piplup, do you know what a Pokemon Contest is?" She questioned and saw that it did not by the look on the white face, so she explained, "It's so cool. My dream is to be a top coordinator like my mom, so the fist place we're going is Jubilife City because they're having a Pokemon Contest there soon, and it's close. Now, let's get as many Pokemon as we can before then so we'll have lots of help. We got to start coming up with our own combinations too, ya know." The creature in the basket understood and pointed to the road ahead.
"Lup." He said which meant this time, "Let's go."
"So, let's get as many as we can." She said and continued to pedal, and for a while neither found anything, but then the female trainer spotted something on a tree branch. "Huh? Wow, it's a Burmy." She said after coming to a stop and saw a black creature covered in green leaves. Again she pulled out her Pokedex for some info.
"Burmy: the bagworm Pokemon. To protect itself from the cold wind Burmy uses leaves and branches to make a cloak around itself." She liked the info and the creature as a whole.
"Catching that little cutie will be a piece of cake." The new trainer said, and before she said anything Piplup went on the attack: thinking it's way would be better then wait for orders. "Couldn't wait, huh? Man." She said when she watched the BubbleBeam blow. The protective leaves were the first to fall from Burmy and then itself. "Wow, that's great I think we just caught ourselves a Pokemon.
"Piplup. Piplup. Piplup." The creature said and was able to get his flippers free from her celebrating grip. She wondered what was up even though her partner said it pretty simple: 'What are you doing? Don't celebrate now Catch him, not me.' She looked to what her friend was poking and saw that the bug Pokemon was gathering its leaves.
"Wow, look at Burmy go." She said in pure awe while standing up. She looked down and saw that Piplup was still raising a discussion, and that was what her pal was trying to say. "Oh, your right. I still have to catch it." She said and was able to find a ball from her bag. "Go, poke ball," She exclaims only to see that the bug bugged out. "Well, it looks like it's my turn to make one of those beginners mistakes, and it sure was a beauty." She said while sitting on her heels.
"Piplup." Piplup said while placing a flipper on her arm. She could tell that the bird was saying, 'Stay mellow.'
"Your right, I won't let myself get bummed out. I'm allowed to make mistakes just like you." She said after feeling a little bit better, but the same could not have said the same for her creature who was a little upset over how she worded that.
'Your not exactly getting the motivational speeches, are you.' The beginner level creature thought before hearing Dawn say:
"Together, let's climb Mount Success until we reach the tip-top." The penguin had to admit he like the sound of that. They both hear a rustle in the bushes, and turned to meet it. "Piplup, is something there?" She questioned the aware Pokemon. The two saw a tall fox creature walk out with a little pain on her face. "Whoa. What's that?" Dawn questioned and then pulled out dexter.
"Creature unknown: no data available data." The machine said back to her.
"An unknown Pokemon? Not exactly the best thing to go up against for a new Pokemon trainer, but…" She stalled to see if her partner was up for it, and after a nod she continued with, "Ok, take it from the top. Piplup use BubbleBeam." The attack went out of the beak, and right to the fox.
'Have to ignore the pain for now.' She thought and powered through the bubbles and gave the small bird a powerful kick going down.
"Oh man. Talk about power…and speed." The newbie said after she saw how effortlessly the canine took down the attack. She however was not so easily deterred. "All right, Piplup. Use Peck of that fox, now." She ordered and the bird followed: flying at Renamon with a glowing beak.
'Don't have time for this.' She thought and had her fists ignite with a powerful white flame. "Power Paw." She shouted and had her paw/fist to meet the beak. The result caused the innocent bike to tumble in a circle: causing some damage.
"Ah, my bike! It's all banged up." Dawn exclaimed after seeing all the dents.
"So much for breaking that tradition." The vixen muttered after seeing what she had done.
"Well, thanks a lot. I'm definitely gonna catch you after that." The girl before the canine said while staring at the ball. "Let's go Pokeball." She said and threw it. The sphere landed on her chest fur, which upset the Digimon, a red aura surrounded her, but nothing happened. "Hold on. If that didn't work then you must already belong to someone, I think." She said after catching her ball.
'I don't have time for this. I have to get to Ash.' Renamon thought and tried to get out of sight, but her body got damaged from the fall. 'Guess those trees must be close to some of the trees back on Earth.' She thought as she recalled that this pain was not equal, but similar when she fell by Mihiramon. The canine tried to flee, but was interrupted by a black snake, strange moth, very small Togemon-like creature.
"What are they?" Dawn questioned as the creatures circled around the canine.
"They're my Poke catching crew." A feline said as he stared at the unknown creature before him.
"Whoa. A talking Meowth." The trainer said in surprise and looked it up.
"Hey, your as smart as the other twerps." The furball said even though he did not see the anger in Renamon's eyes.
"Meowth: The scratch cat Pokemon. It sleeps a lot during the day time, and during the night time becomes active moving around its territory." The device said about the small white creature.
"And what that blabber-box won't tell ya is not only am I the cream of the Pokecrop, but I'm the king of all the cuties." He said to the trainer. Soon a human female came running out as a human male came walking behind her.
"Looks like we struck, Pokemon gold." The red haired one said in happiness when she saw the winded canine before them. She then saw the other female and said, "Little girl, you should play around with Pokeballs like that." The male knew, and could somehow tell that the unknown creature could kick their butts, but he decided to add what Jessie started.
"You might poke some Pokemon's eye out." He warned and the two non fighters agreed with him.
"There's no room in this forest for yet another thief." The red head said with a dull look in her eyes. "We've been after rare, and powerful Pokemon for so long we're trademarks." She added and then waited for the short haired one to add on.
"So thanks you your unwilling, but helpfulness you helped us find it." He said after a mental sigh, and with his eyes shut wondering if she was done glaring at them.
"Diamond Storm!" Renamon shouted at them while shooting off her main attack at them. Normally she would fear that they would not survive, but after what her partner put them through she knew they'd be fine.
"See? Only this creature would use that attack on the closest of friends." Jessie said with a faux smile and added with some determination, "So, let's return the favor." As Dawn was trying to figure out what was going on, Renamon had enough of what they were trying. The canine grabbed both the moth and the plant creature in her paws, and stomped on the snake with both.
"Stay put." She told them in a warning tone, which made all of them, even Jessie and James freeze into a sitting position. The Digi-damsel walked over to the bike and broke the pedal section with Power Paw, and then dragged it to the 'villains' "Together." She said in a warning tone, and just like that they did so. She used Power Pay to bend what was left of Dawn's bike around them.
"Hey, what are you doing to my bike!" The novice demanded as she watched the bending metal. The vixen creature ignored her, and secured them. She then walked a good distance away.
"Piplup, right?" The yellow one questioned the blue, and the blue nodded yes. "Good, shall we?" She offered while putting her arms across her chest.
"Uh…okay. Piplup use BubbleBeam." Dawn shouted to her partner while the canine added:
"Diamond Storm!" The attacks came together an inch before them: sending them flying and the bike pieces fall from the sky.
"That was a quick trip." The red one said with a bike handle in her hair.
"Jessie's right." James said without a bike part on him.
"We had a little look." The cat creature said with a bike tire around his neck.
"And now we're blasting off again." They all said as they flew off for the second time. Back on the surface Dawn and Piplup were dancing out of victory.
"Is there a Pokemon center near by?" The fox questioned the trainer to her left.
"I think there's one…wait you can talk?" Dawn said in surprise, now able to hear the creature that walked like a human.
"All the creatures here can speak, but I speak human because I am not from around here." She answered her and asked again, "Is there a center near." She nodded yes, and the three set off. When they entered the Digimon saw the pink haired white outfitted one that Ash spoke of.
"Yes, may I help you?" She questioned the new arrivals.
"Yes, is it possible for you to give me a check up." The canine questioned and got a gasp out of her. "I know: I can speak human, so can you or not." She asked feeling a little ticked off.
"Oh of course." She said and led the three into a different section of the small building. Renamon prayed that the pink haired nurse kept her hands below her chest fur, and after a little checking the nurse came up with an answer. "It seems that you have a few bruises on your elbows, shoulders, and knees. Other than that, your fine." She told the vixen.
'That's all, but it feels worse.' The Digimon thought and that was when her softer side got a thought in.
'Maybe it is from fear, worried that they went after, Ash.' The softer side thought which caused the logical side to speak out.
'No, Ash can handle them, even with just Aipom.' She was brought out of her debate when she heard Nurse Joy's question.
"How did you two meet?" The digital life form was about to answer, but the eager trainer cut her to the quick.
"We met when a group of bad guys came to get this Pokemon, and they went by…uh…" She stopped there since they did not say who they were.
"Team Rocket, and my partner has taken them on and won on several occasions, or so he told. He gave me a vacation until he started this, and then we were separated." Renamon said to them. "I have to go to him." She said and got off of the doctor table.
"Where are you going? You should stay and rest." The female doctor advised, but the canine was to the door, but was still able to answer her.
"I can't. I have a duty to my partner, and I intent to make good." The nurse understood as did the new girl which gave Dawn an idea.
"Hang on. I know this area pretty well. Mind if I track him with ya?" The blue haired girl questioned, wanting to help this talking fox find her partner. At first the vixen thought of using a Rika moment, and tell her off since she had Jeri's annoying optimism from before Leomon's slaughter, but she really could use the help.
"Very well. Let's go." She said and walked out the door with the human and the bird right behind her. Everything was going alright until Dawn saw the vid phones. "Can you hang on just a minute? I need to call my mom, and tell her how things are going." She questioned to the vixen.
"Make it fast." She answered back since she just wanted to find her partner as soon as possible, so they could start this journey together. The trainer rushed over to the phone and dialed up her mom.
"That's great. You made a good choice with Piplup. Smart and cute too." The mother said and saw that the Pokemon in question approved of those words. "So, have you been able to capture any other Pokemon yet?" The mother questioned, moving onto a new subject.
"I try, but so far, no luck." Her daughter answered back with her head hung in shame. The mother saw this and tried to cheer her up.
"Well, it takes a while dear until you get the hang of it, but once you do your going to have so much fun. Nothing more exciting than making new Pokemon friends." She said to her and saw Piplup puff out his chest - thinking she was referring to the water type.
"Piplup, chill out." Dawn said which got the bird's attention.
"Piplup piplup." The creature said while standing on the key board. She knew that he was bringing up the whole not catching the Burmy thing.
"Yeah, well you had something to do why we didn't catch us any Pokemon." She said back while pointing two accusing fingers at the penguin. Their argument began with the bird going with a basic attack. "Hey. Don't you peck at me or I'll peck right back." She threatened. Hearing the noise caused the family Glameow from the couch and over to the vid screen.
"You know I think those two were made for each other, don't you think?" The mother asked the gray furred cat which meowed an approval. Renamon saw them argue and walked over to them, and pulled them apart by having one of them in each of her hands.
"Will you two knock it off?" She questioned, but the two could tell that there was a hint of anger in the canine's voice so they nodded on instinct. She released them, and said to the two. "Come on. We have to find Ash." She said to them, but Dawn refused again.
"Can I please call Professor Rowin, just for a minute?" She questioned the dog. Renamon just let out a humph, and sat down on a nearby bench. "Thanks." She said and dialed in the right number.
"Just look at you two aren't you getting along?" The professor questioned once he saw the faces on the monitor and saw how banged up they were.
"Nah. We're both fine. We're just getting to know each other, that's all." She answered to the donator, and he got an agreeing statement from the water creature.
"Oh, so your journey's going well then?" He questioned even though he had his doubts over what she said was true. That one questioned caused the girl to speak of meeting the canine and the thieves.
"First, we ran into a lost fox Pokemon, ya know, the poor thing was being chased by bad guys for one reason or another." He listened to what she had to say and the term 'bad guys' caught his ear.
"Bad guys?" He questioned, wanting to know of more information.
"They're called Team Rocket. They were trying to steal Pokemon." She answered him which got him thinking of something a friend of his said to him. "So, I'm going to make sure that fox Pokemon's trainer. You know who ever it is worried sick." She added and all of them were oblivious to a happy smirk on the vixen.
'Yes, that does sound like him.' She thought and then listened to the rest.
"Hmm, I see then you can head to Jubilife City after that." Rowin said to the girl.
"Yeah, but you know what? Even if I don't get there in time for the next contest there'll be lots more I can wait." She said to him showing that she held some maturity, at least when it came to leading a dog back to her partner.
"Hmm, now that sound thinking. A great Pokemon trainer always puts Pokemon first above everything else, and that's just what your doing. Good luck, you two." He answers back to the new trainer and his former Pokemon.
"Thanks." They answer and hang up. With Renamon leading they make they're way back out of the Pokemon center.
"That was a very mature comment you said to Rowin." Renamon said, and the new trainer felt a little honored for hearing that, but then she heard, "Of course what you said earlier made it sound as though I was too weak to put up a fight, but I did: didn't I?" She questioned while looking over her shoulder making the new girl shiver under her gaze, a feeling that she hadn't felt since the first time she met Takato and Henry.
"No. Of course not. I'm sorry for phasing it like that." Dawn said back, not wanting to see when the canine was upset. She heard her answer, but just kept on walking. In another part of the forest they were in was her two friends.
"Hey, Aipom, do you see Team Rocket's balloon anywhere up there?" Ash questioned the chimp who was doing aerial reconnaissance on the tip of what the trainer thought to be the tallest tree in the area. The fellow tree climber gave him, 'Couldn't see anything' in standard monkey while shaking his head for good measure. "Oh man. When you want to find those guys they all disappear." He said and started to walk off. "I sure hope Renamon's safe Aipom." He said his concern to the purple primate who added, 'I'm worried too.' Back to him.
'Yeah, it'll be a real bummer not to stare into her blue eyes again.' A piece of Ash's mind thought to the rest, but for now only received a shake. He and Aipom thought it best to catch a breather before trying again.
"Huh? Hello? Is everything alright over there?" A familiar police woman asked while out for a drive on the country road in full uniform, but stopped when she saw a black haired youth and monkey Pokemon just sitting on the bend of a hill near the road. Ash looked over his shoulder, and saw that the voice matched a face that he had seen in almost every city.
"Huh? Hey, It's Jenny." The trainer said before getting up and Aipom went to his shoulder. "Slight hitch on my journey Officer Jenny. Team Rocket's in the area." He said to her, giving her a brief description of his problem.
"Hop in." She answered back while thumbing to her sidecar. He did so, even though he was reminded of the first time he road in a sidecar, but he got in just the same with Aipom sitting on his lap. "So, Team Rocket's in Sinnoh, huh?" Jenny questioned the boy. She may not have met any of them, but her family and friends sure did, and they spoke of how an Ash Ketchum stops them which made her feel pretty special for driving him to the local Professor.
"Yeah, and I got to find those crooks quick because they took Renamon away from me." He answered her truthfully.
"Ash, Sinnoh's a big place. Instead wandering around trying to find them all by yourself why don't you leave that to me, and I'll take you to Professor Rowin's lab where you can say hello." She said back to him, not even asking who Renamon was, but just kept on driving.
'I hate not to look for her, but I guess I have no choice.' The young Ketchum thought as they made the final stretch to the professor's lab.
"So, your Ash from Pallet Town? Professor Oak said a great deal about you. He sent your Aipom's Pokeball, and it just arrived." The white bearded one said to him while holding the traditional sphere before giving it to him.
"That's great, thanks Professor." The trainer said back while looking at his friend's carrying case. The head researcher of the building decided to fill in the veteran trainer on what has happened to his friend.
"I wouldn't worry too much about Renamon. I heard from one of my new trainers that this morning she protected a lost fox Pokemon from a strange group of thieves calling themselves: Team Rocket." He said and that got the trainer and his monkey's attention.
"Your kidding?" Ash question in surprise while thinking, 'Doubt it. If anything Renamon protected the new girl.' He then felt the pressure of Aipom on his shoulder.
"Aipom!" The monkey shouted, asking: 'Really' in Pokemon lingo. In that instant Ash ran over to where he believed to where the Professor kept his vid-monitor to call the local Pokemon center, which Rowin knew the number to.
"Dawn? I'm sorry, but she left the Pokemon center a just a little bit before you called." The Nurse Joy of the center said back after they asked for simple information.
"Did she say where she was going, Nurse Joy?" He questioned to the pink haired one before him.
"It wasn't her decision. A talking yellow Lucario creature said that she needed to find her partner, and Dawn was going to act as a guide to help find her partner." The nurse answered back to him, hoping that what was said would help him. He and Aipom ran off the nano-second they heard that. They were out the doors of the research facility, but Rowin stopped them.
"Wait. Where are you going?" He questioned since he believed waiting here would be more beneficial.
"To find Dawn. I know that there's a Pokemon center, right? So, that means she's got to be close by, too? Come on, Aipom, let's hit it." Ash responded and got a 'yes' from chimp, and the two were off.
'How is it that the trainers of today, can never stay still.' Rowin thought while watching them run off.
'I'm just glad that this Jenny didn't need for me to be in the room, on her cycle when I need help.' Ash thought while running not knowing that Renamon's captors were getting in touch with his past.
"Hmm, that's my families second summer cottage." James said after he and the others with their problem of the new trainer and of their boss, even though the human knew that the orange clad man had no idea that they existed. "If this is the second one than that means, this really IS the Sinnoh region, and that's why that girl had no idea who we were." He added, realizing what those vibes were when they ran into her.
"Of course she didn't know who we were: that fox booted us away before we could say our motto." Meowth said after looking away from the house and over to his male human friend.
"No, it's not just that. I got a strange vibe from her when we met her. Anyways the reason why we have a second summer home is because when ever the first one needed to be clean." The two ignored his reason why the girl didn't recognize them, and focused on the building before them.
"Great. We need cleaning: what's mine is your and what yours is mine - I always say." Jessie said to her teammate, and the cat also shouted in praise in his own way. They all entered the building and as the two members were saying something like, "Just think of what a headquarters this would make." As their Pokemon agreed with her James opened up the blinds and marveled at the view.
'Still as breath taking as I remember.' He thought as he stared at the forest view. He then walked around and saw a door to a room that he always visited. "Huh? There you are you rascals." He said after going into the room and seeing a box.
"Ooh, what's in there?" Jessie questioned as she and the others saw him sit before something.
"Something a lot older than me." The feline said and then they watched as he opened the container's lid.
"It's my very first bottle cap collection. I've had it ever since I was a toddling tot of two." He said to them and explained what he did with it to his face even though he knew that the others weren't too big on the face rubbing info. "WOW! I can't believe you've been hiding out here all this time." He said when he saw a familiar sphere.
"A Pokeball? Yours as well?" The girl of the team questioned.
"And how? The very Pokemon I used to play with when we came to Sinnoh. Come on out Carnivine!" He said to them before releasing it from its prison. "You see, Victreebel's not the only one who like to take a nip at my noggin." He explained while his old friend chewed on his head. The others wondered if that was a good thing, and after hearing that the others were hungry he decided to help with that.
"That's our Little James." Jessie began as he spoke to a worker friend of his over the phone.
"That guy can pull strings." Meowth added.
"Wobbuffet." The blue one added, saying: 'Yep, that's true.' Soon the spread that he asked for was made. The others watched as James and Cheeves worked on making the table, set up the food and then they ate.
"Your still the best Mr. Cheeves." James complimented as he ate since he thought it proper to compliment his old friend.
"Glad to be of service. By the way I took the liberty of bringing your whole family Master James." The cook said which got a straightened back out of the young master. Said male almost went blue in the face since hasn't forgotten what they pulled earlier, but then the bad news got worse. "Of course they were all thrilled. Your mother and father as well as Jessiebell will be taking the first flight tomorrow to see you here." He added to his friend.
"Bell here soon?" James asked with a shaking head, and didn't like the 'yes' answer he got from the cook. As Meowth and James felt like puking out of hearing the news Jessie was out of the loop: totally forgetting their first encounter with her. A little after enjoying leisure James decided to tell them straight out.
"I can't just stay here." He said to them, interrupting the Pokemon's video game play, and Jessie's magazine reading while laying on the couch. He heard the females complaint, so he went deeper, "If Jessiebell get her hands on me then Team Rocket is history."
"Now there's a nightmare. Oh, well, I guess we could back to our plan and become the super stars of Sinnoh." Jessie said to her friend, which he did feel better over what she said.
"I'll let the boss know we're back in the saddle." Meowth said and pressed a special com link button on the TV remote changing a video game screen to a live feed of their boss.
"Your boss-ness." The three said kneeling before the screen, and then told them how they arrived to Sinnoh just as they did for Hoenn, but was interrupted by James.
"Don't you mean Hoenn conquered us?" He questioned causing him to enter a Jessie headlock with muffled mouth. The talking Pokemon saw this and gave him a lie that they hope would be true.
"Thought your plans wouldn't buy me a cup of coffee, I've wanted to set up shop there. Do your best." Giovanni said to them, and a response from the red causing him to counter with, "That's what I'm afraid of." He then cut the feed allowing them to praise his words, but there was a slight problem. "Remind me who those three buffoons were, won't you?" He asked his old Persian friend which answered with a growling 'meow'. In truth he talked down to all of his workers, but all of his people were in the Kanto, and he forgets anyone that goes past Kanto boarders.
"Dawn, I believe…" The vixen started to say warning her of a ringing phone up ahead, but was interrupted.
"Don't worry Renamon, I know exactly where we're going." The trainer answered her. When they got across the street from the phone she heard the canine put her hand on top of the girls head and turned it, without killing her, in the direction of the ringing. "Oh, that phone's ringing." Dawn said and they crossed the vacant road to answer it.
"Hmm! I've been trying to reach you." Rowin said to her angrily which caught the human female off guard, but he continued, "Renamon's trainer is named Ash, and he was just here, but he just left. He's now on his way to try to catch up with you." The girl understood with a nod, and then they both hung up.
"No problem. All we have to do is retrace our steps and we'll run right into the guy. Come on let's go." Dawn said while walking in place and then walked over to the start of the route with the others right behind her.
'I could always smell where he is, but this girl is still new, she's going to need all the help she can get.' Renamon thought as she and the others stopped.
"I sure wish my bike wasn't a jigsaw puzzle." Dawn said trying to make the creature upset, but it didn't work.
"I needed to get rid of them easily, and the best way was to tie them up before attacking." She answered and then thought, 'Besides, destroying bikes is a tradition of Ash's and I didn't want to stop that tradition.' The two started walking while at the same time the veteran trainer, out of experience, was coming to them in the other direction.
"Ash." The trainer in question's old friend said as he stepped off a big rig that he was riding on which stopped for that purpose.
"Hey, Brock." The black haired youth said before jogging up to him.
"Great minds think alike." He said back when the trainer was about a foot away from him.
"Great to see you, but what are you doing here?" Ash questioned since he thought that the breeder was going back home.
"Either you two know each other, or you're too friendly Brock." A female driver with average street clothes said to the two with a southern twang.
"This is my old buddy Ash. He and I have been traveling together for a long time." He told her, and she decided to be a nice gal to the new guy before her.
"The name's Claudina, and incase you haven't noticed I'm the proud driver of this big rig." She said to him ending with a winked left eye.
"Hi. Nice to meet ya." He said back to her with a smile. Brock saw that smile, but decided to step right then and there.
"Yeah, Claudina and I are on the road. The road to happiness and true love." He said to him while going next to him and wrapped his left arm around his shoulder.
"Yeah, but in a truck?" The trainer questioned, wondering what his old friend was up to.
"Ash, it's a long and complicated journey when you want to become the very best." He started and added while poking his friend's right face cheek, "I was hitchhiking to Pewter City when we hooked up. It was fate!" 'Besides I know your luck, and your not getting this one.' He thought before releasing the trainer with a spin. "It's been great seeing you pal, and best of luck in everything you do." He said and then the three of them heard a ring, and it turned out to be the driver's cell phone: which she answered.
"Hi honey, I've been waiting to hear your sweet voice a`callin." The driver said into her phone, and that was what caused Brock to shift his attention to her.
"Honey?!" He shouted since he thought he really had found the one.
'Oh, great. This can only get worse before it gets better.' Ash thought as he too listened to her.
""Sure. I'll be right there just as soon as these 18 wheels of mine can carry me." She said in her phone then put it back in her pocket, and turned to the passenger that was staring at her. "I'm sorry for the interruption Brock, but that was my boyfriend on the horn, and I'm gonna have to high tail it and meet him quicker then a Volt Tackle." She said with a wink and added, "But I know y`all will be fine after all you got you're bud. I'll let you two mosie on along." She shut the door and started up the engine. "See ya later Brock, and thanks for the great lunch and dinner." She said through the window with a wave before driving off.
'Relatively bounced back Brock in: 3...2...1.' Ash thought since he knew how his friend acted when dumped while not trying to help people.
"All right Ash. A man's got to do what a man's got to do and these two men are gonna do it with or without a beautiful woman at their side." The breeder said with a shaking right fist to the heavens.
"Yeah. That's what I like to hear." The trainer said back to him, and that's when the former Gym Leader saw something amiss.
"But, hey, where's Pikachu, Ash?" He questioned, and that was when the trainer decided to tell him of what happened after they parted ways, or at least the main parts.
"Well, you see…" He began and told his traveling partner of his first encounter of the fox, their reunion, the boat trip, and the separation. He got the idea, and the older, in age, traveler was not surprised.
"That Team Rocket just won't quit will they?" He questioned as the two made their way through a forest area. Ash was looking at a small map that he got from Rowin's lab on his way out, and stuffed in his pocket.
"Here it is. There's a Pokemon Center up ahead where that girl took Renamon, so she can tell which way they went." Ash said after finding the icon he was looking for on the map. The mere mention of the nurse brought Brock into his delusions of grandeur.
"When it comes to Nurse Joy, leave it to me." He said and as the two traveled on land, the monkey stuck to swinging on tree branches and that was when it hit a bird creature, which was minding it's own business.
"Knock it off, Aipom. This is no time for you to be picking a fight." Ash said after seeing those two get into a fight. "Stop." He said, wanting to find Renamon as soon as possible.
"Hey, who's that Pokemon?" Brock questioned to the trainer. He may have seen several creatures on the way over, but his attention was on the driver.
"Starly - the starling Pokemon. Starly normally travels in a flock, but when alone it is hard to notice." Dexter said to them after Ash pulled it out, and after hearing what was said Ash got an idea.
"A normal flying type. All right." He said, and Brock saw that look in his eye, but decided to voice his opinion just the same.
"Maybe you should catch it." He said to the trainer as the Pallet Town person was putting away the Pokedex.
"I think so too. That way we can look for Renamon in the air." He said and got out a fresh Pokeball while jogging up a little. "Aipom, I want to capture that Starly, so I'll need your help." He said to the purple primate which agreed and leapt up. "Aipom, use Swift." He commanded and just like that several stars shot out with a swing of the fist tail, and all of them hit their mark, but it was not over yet.
"STARLEY!" The bird shouted which Ash could guess by the attack meant, 'Take this Banana Brain.' The three felt the attack, and Brock knew which class the attack that was.
"That's Whirlwind, and a powerful one too." He said and the battler took the sentence into consideration before giving the fellow climber a new order.
"Aipom hang in there, and use Focus Punch." Ash said and Aipom obeyed by channeling some power into the fist tail. "Aipom, Starly's coming in with a Quick Attack." He warned when he saw the monkey starting to loose ground because of the wind.
"Starly!" The bird hummed while coming in. 'Here I come.' Is what it translated to. The attack hit it's mark, but as soon as the monkey recovered another attack was struck.
"Now Starly's using Wing Attack." The breeder warned, which gave Ash an idea for another counter move.
"I know you can do it, Aipom." Ash said, and that was all Aipom needed to hear. The monkey leapt up, and hit the target with the Focus Punch.
"Aipom!" She shouted while doing the attack which was meant, 'Try this out.'
"Starly!" The bird answered back which meant the traditional 'Ow.'
"That's more like it." Brock said, realizing how much, even in this short time, watching his friend brawl still made him smile.
"Go, Pokeball!" The trainer announced and threw the ball which hit the bird on the head. Just like all wild creature Starly was pulled in after turning red, and the ball landed on the ground with a blinking red light. After four blinks it stopped moving. "Awesome, we did it Aipom! All right, I caught a Starly." He shouted in praise, but quickly stifled it which drew the breeders attention to the hat wearer.
"What's wrong?" Brock questioned since he knew the trainer celebrated a bit longer than that.
"You know Brock I was hoping that the first Pokemon I caught in the Sinnoh region, Renamon would be here with me." He said in a disappointed tone. He felt bad that she didn't see it not saying his old friend wasn't a good choice, but still he just felt better if his main traveling creature was there with him.
"I know, but don't forget the reason why you caught Starly was to help find Renamon." Brock said to him with a reassuring hand on Ketchum's left shoulder, and that did make him feel better.
"You're right. Starly come on out." He said and threw the new creature into the air. The bird heard through the ball what was going on and flew off in a hurry, and after a few moments of searching the flyer stayed in one spot. "Brock did you hear that?" The hero said after the two of them stopped chasing it.
"It sounds like Starly spotted something." The breeder said and that's when the two looked up and saw lightning.
"Check it out." Ash said in disbelief as his monkey friend climbed onto his head.
"That lightning might be caused by one of Team Rocket's machines going haywire." Brock warned since he knew they usually bought inferior materials.
"Just hang on Renamon, reinforcements are on the way." Ash said after hearing what his friend had to say. The two then followed the blasts to the source.
"Now, go Pokeball." A new player said and threw a sphere at a flyer, but it had no effect, so he caught the falling ball with an emotionless face.
"Starly, over here." Ash said since he wanted to see her first he bolted before them. The bird came to him and landed on his left shoulder. After the flyer landed they both saw a purple haired kid, and Ash was already getting bad vibes off of him, but he remained calm.
"I'll thank you and your Starly to stay out of my way." He said harshly, and being the nice guy Ash decided to explain it to this guy what he was doing here.
"I didn't know anybody, but us was out here, really." Ash said and heard Brock and Aipom coming to them.
"It must have been the Elekid that was giving us that light show." Brock said, disappointed of not meeting the creature yet.
"Anyway, I've got a question for ya. You haven't seen a girl with a fox Pokemon around, have ya?" He asked, for some reason he did not trust this guy, so he didn't give him Renamon's features.
"No. You really think Starly's good enough." The new one said and that got Ash's attention. "I watched you catch it. Don't you think your better off catching the best one you can." He added when he saw their confusion.
"You can tell which one's the strongest?" He questioned back since someone complaining about a Pokemon's strength without giving them a chance got on his nerves.
"Of course. Look." He said to the monkey holder before throwing up three Pokeball, all holding Starly which gave Ash a surprised look on his face. "You must know you can scan the Pokemon you catch with your Pokedex to see what moves they can use, and that's just what I do. I figure if you do that from the beginning it saves you a whole bunch of grief in the long run." He informed while doing just that with his Dex. "K, let's check out: Aerial Ace, and the big winner is…" He said before recalling three of them, putting one away, and stared at the two remaining. "Take a hike I don't need you." He said as he released them.
"That's sure a weird way to treat Pokemon." Ash stated while walking up to the new guy which was more than ready to explain himself.
"Hey. The only attacks those two knew was Tackle attack and Sand Attack, so they wouldn't be much use anyway." He said back to the other trainer, and that got on Ash's nerve even more.
"Know what I think, any Pokemon can be strong if you train `em." Ash said back, knowing that his method was right. The new guy only sported a smirk which got Ash riled up even more, "What are you laughing at?" He questioned while trying to keep his anger in check.
"You'll find out. So, want a battle." The guy said, and those were the best words to say for the other trainer to relieve some of the anger he was feeling.
"Sure, let's do it." Ketchum commented back.
"We'll use three Pokemon." He said calmly which caught Ash off guard. "Three on three is the best way to see what type of Pokemon a trainer's good at working with, and what kind of balance they've got." He explained to the Pallet Town citizen.
"I know that, but I've only got two." Ash said back to him, and the monkey on the ground and the bird on his shoulder sounded off.
"You've got to be kidding! Talk about pathetic! Elekid, let's get going." The guy said and began to walk off.
"Man, I wish Renamon was here." Ash said when he saw that the guy was a safe distance away to say her name. All of a sudden his eyes went solid blue and he saw something different - an opening with a Team Rocket bot and Renamon fighting it.
"Ash, are you alright?" Brock questioned as he watched the young Ketchum stare out into space.
"I'm alright, Renamon is this way." Ash warned, and ran off in the direction his vision gave to him. The 'smart' trainer saw that they were heading off in a different direction.
"Where are they going?" He questioned and followed a good distance after them. 'Probably going after another lame Pokemon.' He thought. While back with Renamon: she, Dawn, and Piplup were having another run-in with Team Rocket only with them sporting an orange bug based robot.
"You let her go now!" Dawn shouted after her Piplup tried to stop one arm, but was unable to stop them, and they caught the canine with a 'little' squeeze. The three were not paying attention to her since they were too wrapped up over their win not knowing that they will soon meet their worse nightmare.