After a tearful farewell to her family and Professor Birch, Summer and Blaze travel to the Johto Region to help Professor Elm and his Junior Research Assistant. Summer and Blaze meet Samir, the Junior Research Assistant, and his Pokémon, Chikorita. While walking to New Bark Town, they run into a Hoothoot causing trouble for Trainers. Will Summer and Blaze be able to stop him?

Chapter 2: The Thieving Hoothoot

When the ship left Petalburg City, I thought the trip would be similar to the ship that goes to Slateport City. Unfortunately, the ship was a lot smaller and made loud noises every time it hit a wave. Not only that, it was my first time on a boat by myself. I got seasick almost immediately, and it took me a while to recover. Blaze helped me get medicine, dinner, and water from the crewmembers while I lay sick in my bunk. After a couple of hours, the waves became calmer and I felt better. I got up, took the medicine, and ate the cold dinner. Blaze ate some Oran Berries a crewmember left for him.

I put the Pokédex and wallet into my right pockets and my Pokégear into my left pocket. I briefly looked at my Trainer ID Card in my wallet and couldn't believe I was actually a Trainer for one day. I then opened the Trainer starter kit, a handy box filled with essentials for new Trainers. Mine contained a set of 5 Potions, 5 Full Heals, a set of 5 Pokéballs, a blue sleeping bag, basic camping tools, and a portable gardening kit with a Wailmer watering pot and a Berry starter set. I sorted my items and placed them into my backpack. Luckily, my backpack had a special infini-item capacity amount and a function that allowed items to shrink into the pockets and enlarge when I needed it. After that, I attached the Pokéballs on the right side of my belt and then opened the gardening kit. I planted the Pecha, Rawst, Cheri, and Oran Berries from the starter set into the four pots. After watering them, I put the gardening kit into my backpack and walked around on the deck with Blaze.

I looked up and saw the night sky filled with stars. Blaze stared at them for a very long time.

"This must be your first time looking at stars, right?" I asked him.

Blaze looked at me and nodded. I smiled at my young Pokémon's curiosity of the world. I knelt down and picked him up.

"Blaze, are you ready to start our journey?" I asked.

Blaze nodded and had a determined look on his face.

I giggled and said, "I'm ready too. Let's meet lots of friends and battle hard together."

Blaze snuggled my arm, and I hugged him back. I saw it was getting late and went back into my cabin.

After getting ready for bed, I got into my bunk and Blaze jumped onto the pillow. I smiled and whispered, "Good night, Blaze."

Blaze chirped softly, and we both fell fast asleep.

I started to stir when I heard the P.A. system turn on.

"Your attention, please. The S.S. Johto has docked in Cherrygrove City of the Johto Region. You are free to leave the ship whenever you are ready. Those continuing to Kanto can swap their tickets at the dock's ticket booth to board the S.S. Kanto, which will be leaving for Pallet Town of the Kanto Region tomorrow at 10am. Thank you for traveling with us, and we hope to see you again."

I looked my ship ticket and saw it can be exchanged for an S.S. Kanto ticket. Thanks Daddy, for knowing about this, I thought with a small smile. Blaze and I got up and got ready for the day. A crewmember came by and gave us breakfast and more Oran Berries. I thanked him, and Blaze and I quickly ate breakfast. I packed my things, carried Blaze in my arms, and got off the ship, waving goodbye to the crew. Blaze and I breathed in the crisp Johto air and saw the small town of Cherrygrove City.

I immediately went to the ticket booth and exchanged my ticket so I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow. Then I realized I had no idea what do to next. What should I do now? I thought. Professor Birch didn't say where I was supposed to meet Professor Elm. Suddenly, my Pokégear rang and interrupted my thoughts. I took it out of my pocket saw Professor Birch on the Caller ID.

"Hi, Professor Birch!" I answered.

"Hello, Summer! How was your cruise?" Professor Birch said.

"I'm not sure it was a cruise, but it was fine." I said sheepishly. "Blaze and I made it to Cherrygrove City."

"Great! We all miss you, but it seems you're doing just fine. I just got off the phone with Professor Elm. He sent someone to come get you in front of the Cherrygrove City Pokémon Center."
"Thanks for letting me know, Professor."

"No problem. Anything else before I hang up, Summer?"

Thinking that it was too coincidental that he knew I was thinking about, I asked, "Professor, I was just thinking about this before you called me. How did you know that?"

"Oh…just a hunch…" Professor Birch said slowly. "I didn't use the weird mind-reading warning system most Professors use when they feel Trainers shouldn't be using certain items for something."

I was shocked and said, "You guys spy on Trainers?"
"What?! It's not spying," Professor Birch adamantly denied. "It's only for Trainers who really want to test the limits on items, like trying to fish in a hole in the ground. Like I said, I don't really use it as much, anyway. It IS a little creepy."

"Anyway," Professor Birch said, changing the subject, "you should probably get to the Pokémon Center. It is a short distance from New Bark Town where Professor Elm is."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Professor," I said. "I'll call you when I finish helping Professor Elm."

"Great! I can't wait to hear what he needed help with. Bye, Summer!" Professor Birch said.

"Bye, Professor," I replied, then hung up.

I didn't know where the Pokémon Center was, so I was wandering around the buildings. I finally saw the Center and walked happily towards the building. Suddenly, an old man jumped out from an alley between two houses and asked, "Hey you! Want a tour of the city?"

Blaze wanted to attack him for scaring me, but I held him tightly. "Actually, I'm just going to the Pokémon Center, and it's right over there. So, I'm just going to go there now," I said while slowly moving away.

"Nonsense!" the man yelled happily. "Everyone loves a free tour! Come with me!"

He grabbed my arm and dragged me around Cherrygrove City in the opposite direction. As he pointed out some useless buildings, I started to become more annoyed with him and worried about the time. Finally, for what felt like half an hour, we arrived in front of the Pokémon Center.

Thank goodness, I thought.

"And that's the grand circle tour of Cherrygrove City!" The man said with a bow. "So, what do you think?"

"It was great and all, but I really need to meet up with someone. Thanks for the tour," I said in a somewhat happy tone.

"There you are, Dad!" a young woman shouted as she walked towards us. "What did I tell you about scaring Trainers with your crazy tours?!"

The man lowered his head in shame and told us, "I'm sorry..."

The woman bowed to me and said, "I'm sorry about my dad's behavior. He's been addicted to this new coffee brand, Rage Coffee Beans. It makes him so energized that whenever he sees new Trainers, he jumps out of the house, surprises them near the alley, and gives them unnecessary tours of the city."

Understanding what happened, I felt a little bad for misjudging him.

"Oh," the woman said, "do you have a Pokégear?"

"Yes, I do," I said.

The woman handed me a grey microchip and said, "Here, take this Map App as an apology gift. This show places in the Johto and Kanto Regions. It'll come in handy during your travels."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," I said and inserted the chip into my Pokégear. The Map App downloaded successfully.

"Good luck on your journey," the woman said to me. "Now, Dad, let's go back home and get you some water."

The man nodded and the pair walked back to their house.

I was still surprised about what just happened when a lightly tanned-skin boy and his Pokémon walked out of the Center. He had short black hair, blue jeans, and an orange knapsack. I was surprised he wore his lab coat outside the lab. The Pokémon he had was green four-legged creature with a leaf on her head. I then recognized him as Samir, Professor Elm's Junior Research Assistant who specialized in ancient Pokémon and breeding techniques.

I walked over to him and was about to introduce myself when he said in a soft-spoken voice, "You must be Summer."

"Oh. Yes, I am," I said. "You're Samir, Professor Elm's Junior Research Assistant? It's nice to finally meet you. I read your breeding and archaeology articles, and they're really interesting."

"You too, and thanks for the compliment," He said, slightly blushing. "I enjoyed your articles about Pokémon habitats and different ecosystems in the Hoenn Region."

"Sorry I was so late," I apologized. "I got dragged through a tour of the city."

"It's fine, I only got here a few minutes ago anyway. I'm not much of a fast walker," Samir said.

Samir's Pokémon hid behind his, as if she wanted to hide from me. She waved her leaf at me, trying to push me away.

I took out my Pokédex and looked up the Pokémon. The Pokédex said, in a monotone female voice, Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. It waves its leaf around to keep foes at bay. However, a sweet fragrance also wafts from the leaf, creating a friendly atmosphere that becalms the battlers.

Seeing that I have to look like a nice person, I knelt down and whispered, "Hi, there."

Chikorita hid further behind Samir. Blaze saw this and jumped out of my arms. He talked to the Pokémon, and she calmed down immediately.

I slowly got up and told Samir, "Sorry I scared your Chikorita."

"Oh, no you didn't," Samir said with a sigh. "I just got her a few hours ago. She's still a little shy around people. So this is the Fire starter from the Hoenn Region. Did you give him a nickname?"

"Yeah, it's Blaze," I said with a smile. "He's a little energetic, but he's very sweet."

I thought I saw Samir give a small sad sigh, but he looked at me and smiled.

"Chikorita, why don't we take Summer and Blaze to Professor Elm?" Samir asked his Pokémon.

Chikorita slowly nodded, and the four of us walked through the wooded clearing of Route 29 to New Bark Town.

As we walked to New Bark Town, I asked Samir, "Are you thinking about going on a journey, too?"

Samir shook his head and said, "I'm staying here to do research. I don't have any desire to leave Johto."

"Oh," I said, surprised by his response. "How come?"

Samir refused to say, so I left it alone. I quickly checked my Pokégear's time and saw it was 11am. Suddenly, I heard 11 soft hoots coming from the trees. As I tried to pinpoint the origin of the sound, I felt something on my backpack. I turned around and saw a flying small brown Pokémon with black eyebrows pecking my backpack. He was startled to see me and flew into the trees. Blaze saw this and tried to jump at the Pokémon. Unfortunately, the sun temporarily blinded him, and he ran into a tree.

"Blaze, are you all right?" I asked.
Blaze nodded and he ran back to me.

"I was worried about this," Samir cautiously said. "This must be that Hoothoot again."
"The bird Pokémon from Johto? Why would a Hoothoot be active during the day?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Samir said, quickly looking through the trees. "But I do know he does like stealing items from Trainers along the route."

That's really weird, I thought. There has to be a reason for this behavior. I should go look it up in the Pokédex.

I took out my Pokédex and looked up Hoothoot. My Pokédex said, Hoothoot, the Owl Pokémon. It has an internal organ that senses the earth's rotation. Using this special organ, a Hoothoot begins hooting at precisely the same time every day.

This only tells me why it hooted at 11am, not why it's attacking us! I thought with an annoyed voice.
The trees then shook and two red eyes stared at us. Then, the Hoothoot flew at us, and we ducked. "Watch out, Summer!" Samir warned. "He gets really aggressive when he doesn't get anything."

Hoothoot charged towards me, and Blaze ran forward to protect me.

Guess this is our first battle in Johto, I thought.

"Blaze, use Growl!" The harsh sound from Blaze's peak temporarily stopped Hoothoot from charging.

"Good, now use Scratch!" Blaze jumped at Hoothoot feet first, but Hoothoot countered with Tackle.

Blaze fell to the grass, and I asked, "You okay, Blaze? We can't give up now!"

Blaze got up and nodded at me. He looked stronger after hearing my words of encouragement. Hoothoot saw this and charged at a greater speed.

"Blaze, watch out!" I warned. Blaze dodged and quickly gave off small sparkles. He opened his beak showered small flames at Hoothoot. Hoothoot got burned by the flames and fell to the ground. Blaze gave a confident smile, and I realized Blaze just learned Ember, his first Fire-type move.

Samir grabbed my arm and said, "We should go while we have the chance."

I heard Hoothoot cry in pain and saw that he couldn't get up. I felt his pain and told Samir, "We can't leave Hoothoot behind in this condition. I have to help him."

I ran to Hoothoot, took out a Full Heal and a Potion from my backpack, and sprayed the medicine on his wounds. The burn and scrapes instantly healed, and Hoothoot was surprised by my kindness. He quickly flew away into the trees without hooting me a thank you, but I was happy Hoothoot was feeling better. I turned to join Samir when I heard hooting behind me. I turned around and saw Hoothoot laying out several Potions, Pokéballs, and Oran Berries on the grass.

Samir said, "These must be the items Hoothoot stole." Hoothoot bowed to us as sign of apology.

I knelt down and said, "Thank you for returning the items you stole." Hoothoot hooted happily and hugged me. As he touched me, my mind went blank for a second. What's going on? I thought. Then, I saw flashbacks of Hoothoot's past. Hoothoot saw a boy and flew towards him. 'Why would I let YOU join my team?' The boy arrogantly told him. 'Hoothoot is the weakest Flying-type Pokémon for a Trainer like me. You only evolve once, and the awesome Pidgey evolves twice! I'll get a bird savior in no time. Now get out of my face!' The boy pushed Hoothoot aside and walked away, leaving the Pokémon crying and dejected. Later on, Hoothoot saw other Pokémon happy with their Trainers and grew jealous of them. He stole their items, thinking it'll get their attention and he'll join a team. But every time he stole something, the Trainers just accepted their items were stolen and continued on their way.

I snapped out of the flashbacks and looked at the Owl Pokémon. "Now I understand why you took those items," I told Hoothoot. "You really want to travel with a Trainer, don't you?"

Hoothoot sadly nodded.

"Hey, don't be sad. Why don't you come travel with me? I asked. "I'd love to have a cheerful Pokémon on my team."

He hooted happily, and Blaze welcomed him to our team.

"You do need a nickname…" I pondered, "How about Errol?" He liked his new name and nodded. I took out a Pokéball and tossed it at Errol. He touched it and allowed himself to be caught.

"We caught our first Pokémon, Blaze!" I shouted happily. Blaze chirped joyfully, and I put Errol's Pokéball on my belt.

Samir gathered the items and put them into his knapsack.

"I'll give these items to Professor Elm. He'll know what to do with them," he said. "We should get going."
I nodded and took Blaze's Pokéball from my belt. "You deserve a rest, Blaze." He nodded and went back into his Pokéball. I attached Blaze's Pokéball back to my belt and put on my backpack.

Samir then asked me, "How did you know about Errol's past?"

I thought about what happened and said, "I'm not sure myself. When I touched him, I saw flashbacks of his past. I've always understood how Pokémon are feeling, but I've never had flashbacks from one before."

"I see," Samir said.

Our conversation ended, and it seemed Samir was thinking about my words. The walk became silent as the sun start to move towards the horizon.

Pokémon: Blaze (Torchic): Brave Nature, moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember

Errol (Hoothoot): Rash Nature, moves: Tackle

Questions for the Chapter:

What do you think of Errol?

Why did Summer have a vision?