Hi all! Happy that some people are bothering to read this! Hopefully some are even enjoying it. If you've got this far, thanks for reading! ^.^ As always, let me know what you think, any feedback helps tremendously, both on story and on writing style. I'm aware I've still got a lot to learn and the writing probably reflects that. But hopefully there are some things I'm doing right too.

Chapter 7: Bumbling Bug Buffoon

It had been four days since Nicholas Willow had departed from Oldale Town. Camping came as a wondrous new adventure in itself. His roomy swag had been tedious to erect until he got the hang of it. He had a smile glued to his face as he finished scrubbing the pan he'd used with a small gas burner to cook that morning. After whipping his soapy hands that were almost numb with the morning chill, he packed away his cooking supplies.

Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply and took in the vastness of it all. Nearby, Estella used confusion to roll the swag tightly enough to fit into a tiny bag, something Nick found he could not get right no matter how hard he rolled.

'We should set off,' he said as soon as they were packed. His Pokemon nodded.

As they hiked down the well-traveled path, his Kirlia spoke up. "We're almost at Petalburg City and we haven't done any training. Do you think that one battle with that furry bullet is enough to take on our first Gym?"

Nick looked down at his Pokemon as she walked beside him and smiled. 'Not to worry, training is on the agenda. I didn't want us to get worn out when moving from town to town, at least until we got used to the outdoors more. We'll go hunting for wild Pokemon once we have Petalburg in our sights. Then at least we can spend a day or two training without worrying about running low on supplies, with the city just a short distance away.'

'Kir, Kir-lee!' she said, whilst thinking: "Oh. That makes sense I guess. I thought this was going to be a repeat of your battle shyness from home."

'What? No, we're doing this now, remember? No more hesitation and no regrets. In fact…you think we're near Petalburg?'

Estella's hands glowed and, with the power of her confusion she brought a map of the area out of one of the open side pockets of her trainer's backpack. She unraveled it and looked it over. 'Yep! Well, I think so at least. I mean…there aren't all that many landmarks to go by, but if we don't at least see the city by sunset I'd be surprised.'

'Then how about we go on the prowl now? Find a wild Pokemon and see if we can beat it in a battle!'

Estella giggled, "Sounds kind of mean when you put it like that. Maybe we can even catch something? We've never had another Pokemon with us before, might be nice to meet a new buddy."

'We'll see if something catches our fancy. I'm not really in a rush to catch anything.'

"What? But, if you get lots of different Pokemon then you'll be better prepared for battle."

Nicholas shrugged as they walked, 'I guess I always thought I'd just know when the time came that a Pokemon was going to be one I'd catch. Like, intuition, you know?'

Kirlia stuck her nose up at her trainer, "That's stupid if you ask me."

'I wasn't asking you,' he said as he looked away towards the woodland.

Estella huffed and crossed her arms, becoming silent.

'Anyway, if we're near the city, then let's go off the path for a while and see what we can find. You want a battle? Let's find you one.'

Estella raised her hands as fists and pretended to box with the space in front of her. "Bring on the battle!"

The forest was spacious and seemed almost welcoming in the light of midday, as though the branches parted to allow them access. The day was quiet, and, unfortunately for the upstart adventurers that meant that Pokemon were scarce.

After a few minutes of hiking in a straight line from the path the trees gave way to a spacious glade. A flock of Tailow chattered on the far end of the neat, circular area. 'Those things are supposed to stand their ground right? Sounds like an opportunity.'

The Kirlia shifted uneasily from foot to foot, "A whole flock?"

'Well…not ideally, no,' he said with slight chuckle. 'We'll figure something out…I hope.'

They headed towards the flock, standing tall, heads held high. "Gutsy", he had read once of the little bird Pokemon. If they would hold their ground, then he would not resort to sneaking. Not that he could in a glade with no bushes or tree cover.

'Let's see what they've got,' he declared as they neared the dozens of chirping birds.

He and his Pokemon almost jumped out of their skins as the entire flock took flight and headed right for them, squawking loudly. The pair braced themselves as the flock engulfed them, Nick felt feathers, claws and the occasional wing against him, but the talons weren't cutting or gripping. The chorus of their calls surrounded them like a cloud. But, in an instant, they were gone.

Nick and Estella blinked in surprise, turning around to watch the flock fly away as a single mass. 'That's not what I was expecting…'

He stood in place for a few moments, staring blankly into the forest beyond. He made no attempt to move.

He felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see Estella holding it, nestled against his side. "You ok?" she asked.

'Fine. Yeah, like I said: it was unexpected is all,' he said as he placed a hand on her head and stroked the smooth, rounded form for a moment.

"They didn't attack us. Wonder why they'd just get up and leave like that."

'I thought about that too, I think something might've spooked them. If something did, and they were trying to get distance from whatever it was, it'd be in that direction,' he surmised, indicated the forest in front of them with a nod of his head.

"Want to go check it out?" Estella said, letting go of his hand and stepping towards the trees.

'Umm…hey, if we're right and something scared them, shouldn't we make like the Tailow and head in the other direction?'

"We won't find wild Pokemon by going back the way we came, c'mon," she said, taking his hand again, this time trying to drag him forward. Reluctantly he followed her lead. "We're doing this now, remember? Full steam ahead, no regrets, right?"

'Right…' he mumbled. He shook his head vigorously and his shaken nerves began to settle.

They took another step forward and a loud rustling from beyond made them stop again. They searched through the trees when someone jumped into view, bounding through the brush in a large, white suit.

The person caught sight of them and yelled out, 'Run away!'

'From what!?' Nick replied, slowly backing into the glade with Kirlia.

The person burst through the trees and into the open space, 'Poor life choices!' The boy ran awkwardly in what looked like a sting-proof suit, a large net trailing behind him.

He ran past them, prompting the other two to pursue him. As they ran they became aware of a dull buzzing, like static in the open air. 'What…is that? Is something chasing you?!'

'Somethings is more accurate! Also, is that Kirlia shiny?!' he replied, glancing at Estella as he fumbled along.

Looking back, Nick caught a sight that took his legs into a full sprint. From amongst the trees rose a different cloud to the flock of Tailow. What followed the frantic young man was a swarm of Beedrill. Nicholas quickly caught up to the newcomer, Estella sticking close, 'Questions later, running now!'

The youth in the sting suit seemed to fumble in the bulky garment and tripped. He tumbled through the grass with a loud yelp. Trainer and Pokemon stopped as best they could, their momentum carrying them past the young man.

Their eyes darted between the swiftly approaching swarm of buzzing bees with their extended arm-like needles and the stranded lad in the grass. Nick wasn't sure why he didn't immediately make for the boy and try and get him to his feet, the sharp needles and sharper stingers of the Beedrill kept him rooted on the spot.

Instead Estella ran back to the fallen boy, agile form able to carry her nearly as quickly as any of the humans. She grabbed the youth by the arm and hauled him to his feet with a loud grunt. The swarm sped towards them relentlessly though, in seconds they would be overrun.

With both of them suddenly in harm's way, Nick too was spurred into action. Slinking off his heavy pack, he raced towards the others with a speed he didn't know he possessed. He reached them before the swarm of Beedrill and spread his arms wide, trying to cover as much of them as possible. He screwed his eyes shut as he braced for impact, expecting copious amounts of pain and discomfort.

"You big dummy!" Estella's voice sprang into his head. He felt a gentle touch on his back. He blinked and a sharp ringing sound rang out, piercing his head, echoing back and forth within it. When he opened his eyes he saw green: leaves and twigs. Brush. Still the touch was at his back. The buzzing of the swarm remained, but it was softer, as though muffled or far away.

'Wh-what?'

"You dummy…" The Kirlia's voice said again.

Nick looked back to where the others had been. They were there still, both of them. His breathing was still ragged from his sprint to his Pokemon and the newcomer. Seeing them there, safe, if startled, it began to slow.

"I could've teleported us. I was going to, though I only had hands on this guy, because he was in danger and all. Guess it's better that you came along for the ride, otherwise they would've kept chasing you to the bushes, where we're hidden now."

'Teleport, huh? That's a quick-thinking Pokemon you've got there.' The boy said.

Nicholas looked over the youth for the first time properly. Older than him by a few years, probably fourteen or fifteen.

'So…mind telling us what poor life choice led you to a swarm of Beedrill?'

A sheepish smile spread across his freckled face, 'Umm, well they're actually my Beedrill. That was probably one of my first of a few bad choices. Sorry about that….people know me as a bit of an airhead. But you just dove in front of us! Did you know your Pokemon was going to save us?'

'W-well…not really no. Guess that made my whole "shielding" idea look kind of stupid. But hold on, you actually own that many Beedrill?!' Nick exclaimed, nearby he heard Estella gasp. 'Wait…why?'

'Own isn't the right word. I haven't caught them or anything. I've got a honey farm just beyond that clearing back there. Bit of a hobby of mine, they stay around to keep the Vespiquen and the honey of the whole hive safe. The suit was getting stuffy, and they never gave me any trouble. It seemed like a fine idea at the time to just…take off my helmet. Maybe it's because I didn't normally do that. I don't know, I'm not going to try and get inside their collective heads. Anyway, I'd call that mistake number two. Guess I really screwed up, huh? Sorry about that, I really threw you guys under a bus didn't I?'

'Uh, well yeah, a bit,' Nick admitted. The young man's sorrowful expression worsened so Nick moved on. 'We were looking for a place to train before we got to the town. We're new to the whole "trainer" thing and need some real battle experience. Especially if we hope to take on the Gym Leader at Petalburg.'

The boy raised his eyebrows. 'A new trainer, how cool! Always love meeting rookies, there's such enthusiasm to them. You fit the bill alright, the way your Pokemon and even you yourself threw yourselves on the line to keep me safe when I goofed and fell.'

'But hey,' he continued, 'since you helped me out, I'll clue you in. Best spot to grind out some battles around here for a newbie would be north of here. You'll find glades like this spotted around with tall grass. Just that this one's a bit close to the honey farm, that's your problem. Trek north for a few hours and you'll find plenty of Zigzagoon, Bidoof and the like. They're easier to battle than birds, but if you find a Starly or Pidgey alone, give it a go. Flight gives battles a whole new dimension that'll be great to get the hang of. If you don't familiarize yourself with flying Pokemon, they'll beat you somewhere down the track…trust me.'

'Oh, wow, really? You seem to know your way around this place. I guess you're a local?'

'Born and raised, bud!' The red headed youth said with a beaming smile. 'So, come on, spill it. A Shiny Kirlia? You persistent, or just really lucky?'

'Everyone always asks about her,' Nick said with a slight sigh. 'Doesn't bother me what color she is, she's just my Pokemon. Anyway, it's the later. First Pokemon I ran into when I was looking to catch something. Guess that makes me really lucky?'

'Some people go their whole lives without finding a shiny Pokemon. People come by them sure enough, though that's usually after years of training and traveling. Some people call them the mark of an experienced trainer for that reason.'

The middle Willow child was rocked with laughter, 'Experienced? Guess that makes me the exception then?'

'Like I said,' the boy said with a wink, 'you're lucky all right. You may have training to do, but it never hurts to have luck on your side. What I wouldn't give for a touch of that one of these days…' The boy got up and made for the edge of the bushes. 'Well, they've probably settled down by now. I've still got honey to collect. Thanks for….umm, saving my hide back there. I do tend to get myself in all sorts of messes…'

'No, thank you for giving us a spot to train.'

'So, I'll be seeing you again soon I suspect?'

He and his Pokemon shot the boy a strange look. 'Never been the biggest fan of honey, if that's what you mean…'

The boy's mouth fell open. 'Wow. Don't get out much? First time to Petalburg?'

'Well…yes and yes, but how's that relevant to anything?'

'It's just…most people know me from the get-go. It's the hair I think, you can spot me in a crowd that's for sure! Anyway…' he said, approaching the two, hand outstretched. 'We all have titles, see? Mines kind of silly, but I can't do much about it since it's so…justified,' he explained, adding a disdainful note at the end.

Nick's eyes widened as realization began to dawn on him, thinking through a list of any easily recognizable characters from Petalburg that bore titles. It was a short list. He took the outstretched hand dumbly and shook it, expression stunned.

'Sure, I'm a klutz, an airhead, and not the best with snap decisions, but I'm still Flax, the Bumbling Bug Keeper. And I'm the current Petalburg City Gym Leader.