The instant I stepped out from behind the building, my dad was right there.
"Ack!" I yelped, nearly walking into him. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you," he said, beaming. "Your mother called and told me you were starting out on a Pokemon journey. I knew you'd come around eventually."
I glowered at him, feeling the presence of my three Pokemon behind me very acutely. "Okay, yeah, I did it. Look at me, dad, I caught some Pokemon and everything," I said, then threw a heavy shrug. "Well gee, that was fun, guess I'm gonna go home now."
"You can't give up before you even reach the first Gym challenge," he said.
"Fine. Your Gym's right there, just give me a beat-down so I can run home crying and pretend this never happened," I said, pointing to his Gym.
"This isn't the first Gym in the League Challenge," he said sternly. "You know that. I can't fight a sanctioned match against you unless you have the prerequisite badges."
I spread my arms wide in frustration. "Then let's have an unsanctioned match! I don't care!"
We stared at each other for a moment, neither of us relenting until my dad looked away. "This isn't a good place to talk. Come to the Gym with me."
I rolled my eyes, but followed him, returning all of my Pokemon to their balls.
When we got to the Gym, it was empty. "It's closed today," my dad said. "I was about to go down to Littleroot to help unpack, but then I heard you were headed up here."
"Yeah, well, I'm here now," I said. "Now what?"
He sighed. "Elize...you're fifteen now. You're old enough to go out in the world by yourself. Professor Elm is trying to give you an opportunity to do that."
"Yeah, by 'volunteering' me to help with his little pet project," I scoffed.
"It's more than that. I heard he gave you a Torchic? That's a rare Pokemon, Elize. Hoenn is a beautiful region—I want you to be able to explore it, as a Trainer."
"I don't want to do the Gym challenge, Dad," I said. "Are you listening to the things I'm saying? Do you care?"
Dad closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't understand it," he muttered, maybe more to himself than me. "When you were younger you couldn't wait to become a Trainer."
"Yeah, that's because I didn't realize what a load of pidgeyshit it all was."
He opened his eyes, fixed me with the most fatherly of his disappointed looks, but before he could say anything the door burst open.
"Sorry I'm late!"
It was a boy about my age, tall and gangly with scruffy greenish hair and weaing a dorky dress shirt/pants combo with the shirt tucked in and everything. He bent double as soon as he got inside, breathing so hard it sounded like he'd just run a marathon. Dad and I watched mutely as he fumbled in his pocket for an inhaler and took a few quick puffs.
"Hello, Wally," my dad said after he was done. He checked his watch. "You realize you're an hour early, right?"
From the look on his face, this appreared to be a stunning relevation to Wally. "What...really?" he gasped. "I'm so sorry, do you want me to come back later?"
Dad sighed. "No, no, it's fine. Maybe this worked out for the best." He gestured at me. "Wally, this is my daughter, Elize. Elize, Wally here lives in town."
I gave a short little wave. "Yo."
"U-um, hi, nice to meet you," Wally stuttered. It was almost cute.
"I offered to show Wally how to catch Pokemon," Dad explained to me. "I'd like you to come along."
I was going to protest, but he gave me a look. The kind of look you don't argue with. "Fine," I said.
We went to a patch of grass just out of town, Wally babbling about how excited he was to get his first Pokemon.
"All right," my dad said, halting just at the edge of the grass. He held out two Pokeballs to Wally, one empty, one with a Pokemon inside. Wally took them almost reverently as Dad continued. "I want you to go into the grass and search for a Pokemon. The grass is their territory; by invading it you are opening yourself to a challenge. Just as we humans have our conditions and rules for battle and capture, so do Pokemon."
I leaned over to Abby, who I'd let out of her Pokeball earlier to let Wally gush over and get his attention off me. "Really?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said. She didn't elaborate.
"Huh," I said.
Dad was still talking. "...Pokemon have their own unique body language and signals that they give at the beginning of a match, which determines whether the opposing Pokemon will submit to capture, or whether it's a fight to the death." He stopped, fixing an awe-stricken Wally with his gaze. "Some Trainers and their Pokemon, as well as wild Pokemon, will challenge you to death matches. Do not enter them lightly."
Wally nodded vigorously.
"Now, today I've brought you here to perform your first capture," Dad went on. "The first and most important thing to keep in mind is that both humans and pokemon send out subconscious signals." He tapped his head. "Each of us has psychic energy, however negligible. The greatest bonds between trainers and their pokemon form when you rely on your subconscious rather than trying to force it."
Wally was practically starry-eyed by now. Dad looked at him sternly and continued.
"This also applies to captures. Pokemon that approach of their own free will may have been attracted to you subconsciously. Learning to trust your instincts and read a pokemon's body language is a skill that takes a long time to master, but it's the most useful skill a trainer can master. Understand?"
Wally nodded. I glanced at Abby again. "Really? Were you 'attracted to my subconscious' or whatever?"
"Maybe. I wasn't picky."
"Great, guess I should consider myself lucky then," I said sarcastically.
Wally said, "Okay, I think I'm ready." He was practically vibrating with nerves, looking simultaniously terrified and excited.
Dad nodded. "Walk into the grass," he instructed. "I'll advise you as you go."
Wally edged into the grass, looking back over his shoulder nervously at my dad, who nodded encouragingly. I folded my arms. "Dogs, kid, c'mon," I muttered.
After a moment of tentively glancing around from his postition five baby-steps into the tall grass, Wally yelped and jumped. "Oh, Deeps! T-there's a Pokemon!" he cried.
"Good!" said my dad. "Send out the one I gave you."
Wally tossed down one of the Pokeballs he was holding, and a Zigzagoon popped out.
"Now attack to lower its health!"
"Um...t-tackle?" said Wally, pointing forward. I couldn't see what kind of Pokemon it was from where I was standing, so I settled for rolling my eyes at Wally's lackluster command.
The sounds of a scuffle came from out of the grass, the other Pokemon presumably returning the 'goon's attack.
"You're doing well," said my dad. "Go ahead, try to capture it."
"N-now?" said Wally, clutching the empty Pokeball.
"Yeah, now," I piped up.
Wally turned and tossed the ball with the girliest limp-wristed throw I'd ever seen. I was actually a little impressed by how unmasculine the boys in Hoenn seemed so far.
Wally's fists were clenched and he bit his bottom lip as he waited to confirm the capture. After a moment, a tiny, barely-audible click sounded from the grass.
"I did it," said Wally in a hushed voice. "I really, really did it." His breath was coming in gasps, presumably out of overexcitement.
"Breathe, son," said my dad, going over to pat him on the back. He also retrieved his Zigzagoon, returning it to its Pokeball. He went further into the grass, bending down to pick up the Pokeball with Wally's capture in it, which he placed in Wally's hands. Wally just stared at it.
"So, what did you catch?" I asked.
"Raltz," Dad answered for him. "Psychic pokemon, fairly uncommon in this area. Good job," he told Wally.
"My very own Pokemon," Wally murmured to himself.
My dad gave me a knowing look. "What?" I said.
"You were smiling," he said.
My hand flew up to my face. "No I wasn't."
"You were."
Damn.
"It was a smirk," I said.
"I'm sure," said Dad, with an insufferable smug look in his eyes.
I stubbornly looked away, and found that there was nothing to do but watch Wally, who was still staring at the Pokeball clutched in his hands like it was a freaking Silver Wing. Like an idiot.
A really happy idiot.