Chapter 4
Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Pokémon, or any of their titles therein. This is a nonprofit fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.
Moi-Moi: Thanks for the reviews guys! I was in a good mood-no amazing mood- and had free time so I decided to type this chapter up for you guys. I want to thank Applejax XD and I.C.2014 for their reviews. They made my day. Also, something new I want to put in the chapters for added fun… Pokémon Riddles!
Brother and sister,
Hand in hand,
We're red and blue,
We roam the land.
Who are we?
Leave your guess in a review. ^.^
"So, you feed Bonsly out of a bottle because it's a baby?" I ask Brock the next day after breakfast. The Pokémon were all playing while Dawn worked on her hair inside her tent. Ash relaxed with his hat pulled over his eyes. Sometimes, I swore I heard snoring from him.
"That and Bonsly can't eat solid Pokémon food just yet," Brock clarifies.
"Oh. That makes sense," I say. Bonsly is a baby Pokémon.
"There! All done!" Dawn declares and leaves her tent. I look over to her to see her hair and clothing put together and in order. She looked exactly as she did yesterday. It took her that long to do the same thing over?
"What'd you do?" Ash asks with a raised eyebrow and curious look.
"I had to get ready for the day. Doesn't my hair look great?" Dawn asks and flips her hair. I know Dawn is the definition of a "girly girl", but that didn't stop me from shaking my head at her with a smile. The Pokémon stopped running around momentarily to see what was going on with us.
"Why don't you just wear a hat?" Ash asks and tips his cap with a smile. "Like me. It'll save time."
"The "just-woke-up" look may work for you Ash, but I care about how I look," Dawn declares. Ash looks to her with a puzzled look before shrugging.
"Gabi took less than half the time you took and she looks just fine," Ash says. I hold back my laughter at that. I didn't know whether to feel embarrassed at Ash's probably unintentional compliment, sympathetic to Dawn unintentional insult, or just laugh at the two of them altogether. Dawn gave Ash an annoyed look while gripping her brush. I'm getting the feeling that Ash will never get Dawn…or girls in general.
"Whatever, Ash. It doesn't matter because today's the day that I catch my first Pokémon," Dawn finishes with a grin. I can tell Ash was going to question what he had said wrong, but as soon as Dawn mentioned Pokémon, the thought was out the window. "I'm going to need to catch a Pokémon so I can get ready for the Jubilife Contest."
"Well good luck Dawn," I say with a smile.
"Yeah. I know you can do it," Ash said with a determined look and clenched fist. I could see a fire in his eyes. He got that way whenever he spoke about Pokémon. There's one thing no one can deny: Ash is passionate about Pokémon.
Just then, out of some nearby bushes, a Buneary showed itself. Seeing her chance, Dawn urgently called to Piplup. The penguin stopped what he was doing and hurried over to his trainer. Standing in front of her, Piplup faced the Buneary as it hopped out of the bush. I stood along with Ash to watch Dawn's battle. Chimchar came over to me to watch from my shoulder. Dawn seemed to be doing well…until she got out her Pokéball.
"You have to make your ball bigger first," Ash calls out to her. She scrambles to enlarge the ball before throwing it. I watched as it somehow slipped and ended up colliding with Ash's forehead and knock him to the ground. I give him a confused look. Dawn must have a pretty strong arm… "Watch where you throw that thing!"
"It was an accident! If you weren't yelling at me, my hand wouldn't have slipped!" Dawn yells back. I can already see that this is heading downhill fast. Piplup then alerts us to the escaping Pokémon. Dawn cries out in panic before picking up her Pokéball and chasing after the Pokémon. "Wait! Come back!"
"Dawn! Wait!" I yelled after her. I run after her then, hearing more footsteps follow after me. Ash and Brock were calling to her as well. I could barely see Buneary, it was so far away. Chimchar eeped softly from my shoulder. "Let's be patient. I'm sure she'll corner it and catch it."
We must have walked through the forest forever. I had quickly realized the Buneary was long gone. I still followed Dawn, however, as she claimed that this was the way Buneary had disappeared to. Chimchar gave me a dry eep from my shoulder. "I know. I know. But, you're not exactly doing all the walking here," I say to her and she smiles at me before rubbing her cheek against mine.
"This is just great. I could have a Buneary by now if it weren't for someone's big mouth," Dawn says with her fists on her hips. She looked away from Ash as he walked next to her.
"I could catch a Buneary despite your big mouth," Ash declares exhibiting the same attitude. Brock and I watch on as the two went from refusing to look at each other to right in the other's face. I frowned at the sight. What kind of friendship was this?
"Are you calling me stupid!?"
"You tell jokes as bad as you catch Pokémon!"
"You're both getting on my nerves!" Brock yells, startling all of us.
Just then, I felt the sun get warmer as well as brighter. Some sort of glitter was falling slowly all around us. I don't know why, but it left me feeling refreshed and calm. Even the headache brought on by Dawn and Ash had dissipated.
"It's called Sunny Day. It's a fire-type move that fire-types use to power up their moves temporarily," Brock informs. I smile before letting some of the "glitter" fall on my hand.
"It's so cute!" Dawn calls out. I look down to see a pokemon walk towards us. It wasn't that cute…
"It's a Budew," Brock says. In front of us, there was a small, green Pokémon with a sort of bud at the top of its head. It walked on two small nubs for feet. "This must be where that Sunny Day came from."
Behind it, a man with a sort of stringed instrument came out from behind a tree. He wore a forest green outfit, complete with hat and coat. He had long, black hair that looked extremely well kept. He spoke with a thick accent and in odd riddles that threw me for a loop. I raised an eyebrow at him then. Was he a nut? We learned that his name was Nando and that he travelled with his Budew.
"Nando, will you have a battle with me?" Dawn asks. I give her a curious look. What's she up to? "This will give me a chance to show you guys how strong I've gotten," she said, mainly to Ash.
We all watched Dawn battle at a disadvantage. Nando's Budew was incredibly strong. Seeing it battle made me want to get a crack at it. Chimchar nudged me with a fiery gaze. I could instantly tell her feelings were mutual.
His Budew seemed to be strong enough for gym battles, yet perfectly poised for those contests I've seen on TV. That made me think. Maybe contests can give your Pokémon some sort of special training? Could I use that training to improve my battling style? It seemed as if Budew commanded the whole field and all my attention. I stroked Chimchar's fur as she sat on my lap. Would she like contests?
At the end of Dawn's battle, I went over to Nando. I gave him a smile and said, "Nando, will you have a battle with me now?"
"I do not see why not? Tell me. Are you planning to enter the Grand Festival as well?" Nando questions with a patient face. I bit my lower lip. I wasn't sure.
"Not really. Just come at me with everything you've got," I say with a smile. Nando smiled as well with a nod. Chimchar looked down at Budew with an eep while Budew smiled in return.
"You may have the first move," Nando says. He gave me a chance to take control of the match early. I'm not going to waste it. His Budew shouldn't be underestimated.
"Thanks. Chimchar, use Scratch," I say. Chimchar began to move in for an attack, but as she got close, Nando commanded Budew to dodge as I thought he would. "Ember!"
Chimchar stopped mid-charge to turn and fire her attack. Budew seemed caught off guard as the attack hit it, causing it to fall to the field. It must not have expected such a quick recovery. "Now, use Scratch!"
"Bullet Seed. Please," Nando says. If Chimchar were slightly faster, Scratch would have hit before the grass-type could recover. Chimchar was pushed back, but quickly shook herself out. "Solar beam, if you please."
Solar Beam would be quick. "Jump and dodge it and use Ember at full power, Chimchar," I say. The Solar Beam launches and Chimchar jumps high, momentarily casting a shadow over Budew. She fired Ember from mid-air before landing with an eep. The smoke cleared to show Budew was unable to battle. I smiled and opened my arms for Chimchar. She quickly made her way onto my head and eeped happily.
"That was quite a battle, Gabrielle. I look forward to seeing you all again. As for now, I bid you farewell," Nando says with a bow. We all bid Nando farewell as I smile at the sun. I would have lost if it weren't for Budew's Sunny Day…
Dawn was upset about her loss to Nando and failure to catch a Pokémon. I placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile while Ash offered some comforting words.
"Hey look. It looks like there's a Pokémon Center up ahead," Brock says. His words sounded even more comforting to Dawn.
"A Pokémon Center? Alright! A real bed with real food! I can rejoin civilization again!" Dawn cheers. I laugh at her behavior before letting Brock lead the way. I happened to like Brock's cooking.
Once we got to the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy greeted us at the door. Dawn claimed to recognize her from Sandgem Town. Brock immediately proves her and my guess wrong by showing us a picture of a group of Nurse Joys. I was shocked to see so many of them. Family reunions must be a mess.
Brock then gets on his knees and begins to hold the nurse's hand. "Wait a minute, Brock was acting the same way around Officer Jenny. What's up with that?" Dawn asks.
"There's a question…with no answer," Ash shrugs. I shook my head.
"He isn't going to do this every time we go to a Pokémon Center. Right?" I ask.
"I wish I could say so," Ash says with a sigh. Dawn suggests to me that we call home. I nod to her and follow her over to the phones. I was able to contact home first, my mom picking up on the first ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi, mom," I say with a smile.
"Hi, Dear! Hello, Chimchar," she says with a smile. "Well, who's this? Have you made new friends?"
"You never miss a beat, mom. This is Dawn, Brock, Ash, and his Pikachu," I say and move to the side so she can see them. They all wave hello and she waves in return. "Dawn wants to be a Top Coordinator and Ash wants to challenge the Sinnoh League. Brock wants to become a professional Pokémon breeder."
"A Pokémon Coordinator, huh? I must have done something right with you then. Maybe you might follow in my footsteps and become a Coordinator after all," mom says. I shake my head with a nervous laugh. I don't know about all that…
"You're a Coordinator?" Dawn asks.
"Yes. I am a Top Coordinator. I've travelled all over with my Maganium. But that was a long time ago. Gabrielle, before I forget, have you already registered for the Sinnoh League?" mom asks. My eyes widen as I gasp. She gives me a dry look, already interpreting my response. She shakes her head. "Chimchar, I leave her in your hands. Goodbye everyone. It was nice meeting you all."
"Bye, mom," I say and hang up. I get up and head over to the counter then. Ash follows after me as well. "I'd like to register for the Sinnoh league."
"Me too," Ash says while scratching behind his neck.
"I'm new at this. It's only natural that I'd forget. But, you've done this before. You have no excuse," I say and playfully bump Ash's side.
"Everyone can forget sometime. Right?" Ash says and smiles goofily. I shake my head and hand over my Pokèdex.
Nando showed up just then and looked surprised to see us. Apparently, he had left his Budew in Nurse Joy's care. He reclaimed his Pokémon before leaving the Pokémon Center once again after a short meet up. He spends a lot of time in the forest alone. Didn't he like staying in the Pokémon Center? What was he pondering?
My question didn't stay long unanswered. "Nando is trying to decide whether to focus on winning badges or Contests," Nurse Joy says. This prompts Ash and Dawn to argue about what Nando should choose, leading to them running off after him. I sigh and hang my head. Here we go again.
Because of Nando's lack of decisiveness and Ash and Dawn's eagerness to argue, we ended up in the middle of the forest at night. I was really starting to get annoyed with Ash and Dawn. How could two people argue this much?
"What? We're not going back to the Pokémon Center?" Dawn asked, surprised. I gave her an incredulous look.
"You always do this. You rush off without once thinking of the consequences," Brock said, taking the words right out of my mouth.
Just then, a man and woman appeared with smiles. A building I had never noticed before stood behind them. They claimed it was an inn and would happily offer us a room for the night. I gave them a suspicious look, my natural paranoia rising. "Free? There's gotta be a catch," I say and fold my arms.
"It's a free room in an inn. Don't be so ungrateful," Dawn says with a smile. I give her a dry look.
Just then, the wind blows and the building, which was really a large, propped board, falls over. The man and woman are revealed to be that Team Rocket group in disguise. I give Dawn a look. She only stares back. They then recite their "motto" which I had never heard before. Is this what they made such a fuss about?
The man, James, brought out a Carnavine then. Noting the new Pokémon, Ash checks his Pokèdex. Dawn brings out Piplup and fires Bubblebeam, but Carnavine literally eats it and charges forward with Bite. Just then, a Budew intercepts, pushing Carnavine back and fires Bullet Seed, sending Team Rocket flying. That was extremely convenient.
Nando shows up as Ash and Dawn try to persuade him to focus specifically on either Contests or Gym battles. I sigh again and roll my eyes, contemplating ordering Chimchar to use Ember on them. Ash and Dawn continue to argue as Nando stops them, "Keep that up and we won't hear the forest singing."
I give him a peculiar look as I glance around. Just then, I hear the sounds of various Pokémon calling out into the night. I didn't know there were so many nocturnal Pokémon. Then, Dawn and Ash went about apologizing to each other, causing Brock and I to smile. It was about time.
The next day, Ash asked Nando to battle. He chose to use Pikachu against Budew. I wondered if Nando had any other Pokémon or if Budew was his only partner. Pikachu starts with a Quick Attack on Budew to get in close. Budew fires off a Bullet Seed in response. A good ways into the battle, Pikachu gets up and uses Thunderbolt, shocking Budew. Just then, Budew gets up and glows brightly. My jaw drops.
"Budew's evolving," Brock says. Evolving? I take out my Pokèdex to scan the new Pokémon.
Roselia, the thorn Pokémon. The beautiful flowers on its arms have toxic thorns. Its scent deeply relaxes people.
Roselia uses Sunny Day to amplify the rays and proceeds to complete the combo with a Solar Beam. Pikachu darts forward as the beam launches. I could see that Pikachu was strong, fast, and well-raised. I should battle with Ash more often. It would definitely improve my Pokémon's strength. No experience is bad experience.
At the end of the battle, Nando picks up his fainted Roselia and recalls it. He turns to Ash, Dawn, and I then with a resolved look. He announces his decision to do both Contests and Gym battles. My jaw drops. You can do both? I looked at Chimchar as she stood next to me. She gave me a curious look. "I'm happy we were able to help you, Nando," I say with a smile. Maybe these Contests are worth a try.
Moi-Moi: Hey guys! I just want to let you know that all my Pokémon are based off the ones I caught in my Pearl game. I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. Laziness should be a crime. But, then I would be serving two life sentences in prison. ^.^'
Edited: 12/12/12 (My mommy's birthday!)