Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love from Pokémon, although I do take ownership over the new characters and Pokémon from the Avalona region
A/N: Reliving the old series with the Pokémon TV App and couldn't resist writing a new story 😊
Chapter 03
Here we go, off on an adventure. Piper thought to herself, wandering along the path with her nose deep in her Pokédex. The voice regaled various details of her first Pokémon, Bunnybush.
Bunnybush ~ The grass type of the starter Pokémon in the Avalona region. Bunnybush's tail is said to absorb energy from direct sunlight.
"Is that true, Bunnybush?" Piper asked, staring at the little rabbit's fluffy tail which reminded her of a dandelion. "Let's hope for a bright and sunny day for our first battle then."
"Bun- bunny!" her partner chimed back cheerfully, eager for a battle too.
A smile crept over the young teen's face. According to her dad, she could head along the main path and reach a tiny village known as Violet Village. Ash also made her promise to stay in the hostel there and check in with home so that he and Leia didn't worry.
The guidebook told Piper that the next village, Violet Village, was small and simple, referred to in a short passage as a 'a town caught in the past'. The concept was intriguing, though Piper wasn't sure how she felt about a ye olde town.
It didn't take long for Piper's feet to ache. Thankfully, a small lake at the side of the road provided the perfect opportunity for her to take a break and have one of the packed sandwiches that her mum had packed for her.
"How about it, Bunnybush? Do you want a piece?" Piper asked, holding out a triangle of bread to the Pokémon. "It's okay, it's a sandwich. You might like it. My mum has a Castform that loves human food."
Bunnybush sat up on her back legs, sniffing at the sandwich with a wiggling nose. She tilted her head to one side, giving Piper a quizzical look before opening her mouth to take a bite.
"No!" someone shouted from nearby and before Piper could look to see who it was, the sandwich was slapped from her hand, sending into a muddy puddle.
"Hey!" she exclaimed loudly. "That was mine and Bunnybush's lunch!"
Piper found herself looking at a boy of a similar age to her. He had reddish brown hair that was poking out from beneath a grey knitted hat with a red Pokéball logo on the side. He was wearing blue shorts and a white football jersey sporting his favourite team.
The Rhicee Rangers.
"Do you mind?" Piper squealed, knowing she couldn't recover the sandwich from the muddy puddle unless she only wanted one piece of bread.
"Not at all," the boy replied, taking off his hat and shaking his head. "You should not feed Bunnybush human food. You just shouldn't."
"My mum had a Castform that loved pigging out on human food, and I can't recall asking for your opinion either."
Bunnybush ignored her partner and hopped over to the side of the lake, inspecting its reflection. It jolted when a jet of water shot out from the surface, slapping it in the face. "Bunny!"
The boy began to laugh, noticing Bunnybush trying to see what had splashed her in the face. "Sorry, that must be Mudkip. That little guy has been a trouble maker recently. Come on out Mudkip – it's time to go!"
The water Pokémon leapt out of the water, seeming to laugh at Bunnybush before shaking its body vigorously to get the water off its rubbery skin. Satisfied and dry, it headed over to the boy and sat obediently in front of it.
"Mudkip. Return," the boy said, opening up a Pokéball for the water type to be absorbed into. "My name's Dale. What's yours?"
"Piper," she mumbled, catching Bunnybush as it leapt onto her lap.
"You must be on your first Pokémon journey. Me too!" Dale smiled broadly, scratching his forehead and ruffling the thick tuft of hair sticking out under the hat. "If you're after Pokémon food, look no further. I've got the perfect option for all your Pokémon." He opened up his bag, pushing spare clothes to one side and retrieving a small bowl and sachet of food.
He emptied the contents into the dish, letting it slop down, ready for Bunnybush to dig in.
"It's okay, Bunnybush," Piper said when the Pokémon sought out confirmation of what to do. "Go on."
Dale sat cross-legged by the bowl, watching Bunnybush tuck into the food. "Do you want to battle? Your bunnybush looks like it could do with some training and I'd be happy to help out. I've got a Pengith that could do with some practice too. How about it?"
"I don't know. I haven't had a chance to train her in battle…" Piper winced, watching her Pokémon devour the dish. "What do you think, Bunnybush? Should we battle?"
Bunnybush agreed they should fight against Dale and his Pengith. She scraped her feet along the ground, kicking up mud and dirt behind her. "Bunny… Bunny…" she said, signalling preparation for the battle.
"Okay," Dale shouted enthusiastically, standing a short distance away from Piper and taking out a Pokéball from his belt. "Go! Pengith!"
"Pengith?" Piper mumbled, holding up the Pokédex to the ice type Pokémon. She held the handles at the side of the device, making sure that the glass detector square focused on the new Pokémon she had encountered.
Pengith ~ The ice type Pokémon. Pengith is believed to be distantly related to Piplup of the Sinnoh region. Pengith is perfectly content being on their own and away from their family.
Pengith was a light blue penguin with dull brown feet. Most likely muddied by the ground. Its wings had darker feathers that blend down to lighter shades in a beautiful ombre effect. The Pokémon's narrow eyes showed it was ready. Before it prepared to attack, it looks at Bunnybush and yawns, implying that this is not a battle it wants to fight. In the ice type's eyes, Bunnybush is not worth the trouble.
"Okay," Piper whispered, sliding her Pokédex back into the side pocket of her rucksack. "Okay Bunnybush. Let's make sure to avoid those attacks. Pengith is an ice type, so has a little bit of an advantage over us." She saw the defeated look in her Pokémon's amber eyes. "But we won't let that get us down."
Dale smirked at the other trainer, seeing her novice naivety. "Okay Pengith- let's kick this off with a simple Tackle attack!"
Pengith scratched at the dirt, preparing to charge at Bunnybush. The penguin raced towards its opponent, making Piper panic.
"Dodge it!" she called out, a little too late.
As Bunnybush went to hop out of the way, Pengith collided with her back legs. Bunnybush spun in the air, hitting the ground with a hard thud. She shakily stood up, trying to continue the fight.
"Bunny!" the little Pokémon exclaimed, taking control of the situation and lashing Pengith with a Vine Whip attack.
Piper didn't know what to do and called out to Bunnybush, "What are you doing? Come back here Bunnybush!"
"Pengith, use Bubblebeam with a downwards angle!" Dale commanded, obeyed by Pengith.
The stream of bubbles burst around its opponent. Pengith made amused little cheeps, checking back at Dale who seems a little awkward to have underestimated Piper's ability. He held up Pengith's Pokéball, about to recall the Pokémon.
"Don't!" Piper shouted brashly. "You can't stop the battle. I need to practice and I won't be able to learn."
Dale agreed with her sentiment, gently throwing the ball up into the air a few inches. "Instead of making this a battle, why don't we turn this into a lesson?" He smiled across the way at her. "Okay Pengith, follow my lead and let Piper practice technique, okay?" He raised an eyebrow at his Pokémon, insinuating this was an order. "Piper, what attacks does Bunnybush know?"
Piper blushed in embarrassment, wracking her brain for the answer. "I got it. Bunnybush knows Tackle, Vine Whip and mostly likely Growl. Two attack and one defence move."
"Good. Your main problem now is to take control with Bunnybush. Remember you're the trainer and she is the Pokémon. She's needs a firmer hand."
"But I don't want be mean…"
"Being firm doesn't mean being mean or nasty. Try it. Give your bunnybush a command." Dale nodded, giving consent for Piper to initiate an attack. "Go on. Stand firm Pengith."
Piper pointed at her opponent's Pokémon. "Bunnybush, use Tackle on Pengith, ready to veer."
Bunnybush wrinkled her nose at the teenager staring down at her. "Bunny!" she exclaimed positively.
Dale waited for the right moment and just as he gave a command for Pengith to dodge it at the last second, Piper countered by shouting at her partner to veer right, colliding with its opponent. Dale clapped his hands, impressed by Piper's ability to take control when she was pushed. He then suggested that they fight 'properly' this time.
The battle between Piper and Dale continued, allowing for the Ketchum to pick out tactics to use in the fight against Pengith. Whilst she may not have won, she certainly enjoyed the fight, learning more about Bunnybush and what it meant to be a trainer.
She dropped to her knees, holding her arms out for Bunnybush to hop up into them. "You did amazingly, Bunnybush. Thanks for listening." Piper laughed as the weak Pokémon nuzzled her cheek. She noticed Dale hold out a potion spray to her. "That's generous of you," she said, taking the potion. "You're not a secret gym leader or anything, are you? My dad told me about a couple of times where his companions ended up being gym leaders?"
The suggestion made Dale laugh. "Afraid not. I'm just a kid from Poppy Town. No gym leaders there. And you called me a companion – is that your way of asking me to come with you and help you out?"
"I think so," Piper whispered, standing up and cradling a sleepy Bunnybush in her arms.