Chapter Two

Wild Reunion

The Wild Area; a simple name and a simple explanation. It is the area that is wild. Unfortunately, people from other regions seem to find it amusing but Joe had never seen what was so funny.

Nevertheless, it was Joe's favourite place in all of Galar and Hammerlocke just so happened to have one of the entrances to it. A large landmass that goes on for sixty miles and makes up the true epicentre of the region. Galar may be a highly advanced technological country, but it's core… it's heart, would always be in its nature.

Joe glided through the fields of Hammerlocke Hills, rising and falling with the natural hills and slopes.

He hadn't come out here solely to glide through fields though, as much as he enjoyed it. There was one Pokemon that he had never caught in Galar. It wasn't even that rare, but it had somehow always escaped him. Now he was back, with his strongest Pokemon, and he had waited nine long years to get this Pokedex entry filled.

He heard a herd of them before he saw them. Taking this as a warning he was getting close, he collapsed his bike into its most compact form and put it inside his large rucksack. Joe always had to fight a little with the bag to get it in, but he knew it would, as it always did, eventually give in.

Then, he pulled a pokeball from his waist and crouched forward, looking over the crest of the hill and seeing a little down below a herd of Wooloo, some sleeping, some rolling and some grazing. None of them had noticed his presence.

Joe scanned the area for his true target though and moments later he found it. There was only one Dubwool in this group of sheep Pokemon… and it was his.

Joe dropped the bag from his shoulder, leaving it on top of the hill as he broke free, sprinting down the hill. As he did this, he threw his pokeball in the air and Pidgeot burst out flying. Joe slowed enough to mount Pidgeot and they were off!

His hair blew in the wind and his heart tripled in pace as it thumped hard against his chest. They came down on the now widening group of sheep, most of them rolling away startled. Joe jumped off and landed comfortably fifteen feet away from the Dubwool. He then threw his second pokeball, which opened in mid-air and shot out the red light that formed into a three-foot bipedal lizard. It's orange skin turned yellow in parts where it became baggy, making him look like a street thug.

"Roger, you know what to do," Joe told Scrafty.

It chirped a sharp, confident note then surged forward, holding its baggy leg skin as it did so. The Dubwool pawed the ground a few times threateningly, then charged forward. Roger the Scrafty jumped into the air, pulling his skin up to his chest, and hi jump kicked the Dubwool square in the face. At running speed, it seemed to have done all the damage Joe would need to enable the capture. He frowned as he realised he had left his bag, with most of his empty pokeballs, at the top of the hill.

Frowning at his own stupidity, he rummaged into his hoodie pocket and pulled out one pokeball. One measly, regular pokeball. The one he always kept for emergencies; for scenarios like this where his own stupidity hinders his progress.

Joe kissed the ball for luck and launched it towards the Dubwool, who was lying on the ground. The ball shook a couple of times, but Joe knew before it happened that the ball was going to lock, and then… it did.

"Yes!" He celebrated to himself. He rushed over and picked up the pokeball. He was about to send the Dubwool to the PC, given that Pokemon League rules dictate a trainer carry no more than six Pokemon at any one time.

And then he realised, he wasn't following those rules anymore. He didn't need to. He had no intention of competing in the Pokemon League. So he kept Dubwool's pokeball and hooked it to his belt.

Fiona flew down to the ground.

"Shame we didn't need you this time, Fiona. But it was good to have you on backup. And I finally got myself a Dubwool. We'll have to think of a nickname later. Come on, I left my backpack up on top of the hill."

Joe climbed on top of Pidgeot and she rose, climbing the entire hill in mere seconds. Joe saw his bag a few feet away once he had reached the crest of the hill, and then realised there was someone leaning over touching his bag. He couldn't make out much other than it was a girl with long, blond hair. The sun was setting now and the sky had darkened a lot in the past ten minutes.

As he landed, Joe called over to the girl.

"Hey, that's my bag."

He tried not to sound too accusatory when he said it.

The girl jumped backwards in surprise and spun around.

"Oh, sorry - I wasn't - I was just trying to see if it had a name on it or something."

Joe reached his bag. It hadn't been opened.

"It's alright, thanks for that," Joe said, with a smile.

He cupped his hand over his eyes because the low setting sun was directly in his eyes, blinding his sight.

"Josiah?" The girl asked.

In recognition of his full name, rarely used by anyone, Joe frowned as his eyes adjusted. Her features came into view. The long, blond hair he had already noticed. But the green eyes. The small amount of freckles around the nose that were barely visible. The smile… that smile.

"Kyla," Joe breathed.

He had not seen her in ten years, but he knew it was her. He could never forget that smile. She had been the girl for him, before he left on his journey. And he had been the guy for her. But the journeys they had planned sent them to different places and neither of them wanted to change their plans. They split up before they left, ten years ago, amicably. Joe had not spoken to her since.

"What-what are you doing out here?" Joe asked, bewildered.

"Me?" Kyla asked, "I've been living here for three years. What are you doing here?"

They embraced. Joe was still stunned at seeing her. They separated.

"I decided it was time to come home," Joe said.

"Didn't your parents move to Wyndon?" Kyla asked.

"Yeah."

"So what home do you actually have right now?"

"I'm working on that," Joe replied, then tried to change the subject, "So, how are you? It's been… ten years."

"Yeah…" Kyla replied.

"You look great," Joe said, earnestly.

"Thanks, you too."

They looked at each other, silent. Joe knew what he wanted to say but didn't know how to say it. He expected Kyla felt the same. If only eyes could talk.

"Listen, it's crazy that we bumped into each other like this," Joe said, trying his best to break the silence casually, "Do you wanna just go chill somewhere and you know, just catch up?"

Kyla didn't answer immediately. Her expression didn't change, but Joe could tell she was thinking about something before deciding. Then, she nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds nice…"

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Somewhere quiet. There's some benches on top of those hills," Kyla pointed up to some hills higher up.

"Alright, let's go," Joe smiled.

They walked up together in silence. While in truth, it was a couple of minutes walking at most. In Joe's head and again, he imagined in Kyla's head too, he was obsessing on what to say and how to say it when they reached those benches. The benches acted like a deadline and as they got closer, he felt his chest tighten.

He exhaled slowly and quietly, so that Kyla wouldn't notice. She wasn't looking at him. She was walking ahead, so that he could only see one side of her face, half-covered in her blond hair. Joe decided right then this was his favourite side.

The bench stood in front of them.

Joe sat down quickly, in an attempt to avoid awkwardness. Kyla had not yet made it to sit down, so the awkwardness persisted. Nevertheless, she sat down next to him. Again, they looked at each other, not saying anything. Unsure how long he stared at her face before she looked away, Kyla mumbled something;

"So, what are you doing here, really?" Kyla asked.

"Like I said, I was ready to come home… but there's other things too, a new job opportunity. I didn't expect you to be here though, and you said you've been here three years? How did your trip to Unova go?" Joe asked.

"Unova was good. I spent two years there. I enjoyed it so much," Kyla responded.

"Did you ever compete in League Tournaments?" Joe asked.

"I competed in the Unova one once. But it didn't hold my interest. You know me, Joe, I'm a collector."

Joe smiled and wondered how much that was true.

Did I know her? It had been ten years. How much of what Joe knew of her was true and how much was just how he remembered her?

"So I captured virtually every Pokemon in Unova, then went to Kalos and Alola and finally I came back here."

"That's great," Joe said, earnestly, "Sounds like you had a great time."

Kyla shrugged, "It was a good time… for a time."

"I think I know what you mean," Joe said, "So, if you've been here for three years, how has your collection gone?"

"I have a lot. Over seven hundred species seen, over five hundred caught."

"Amazing. Did you ever end up catching a shiny?" Joe grinned.

Kyla frowned, "No, not for the lack of trying. Now I only hunt for shinies on lucky days."

"Well, you found me. Pretty lucky, right?"

Joe had meant it as a joke, but the subconscious weight of what he said dawned on him. He knew Kyla had felt it too, since her smile faltered. Was he upsetting her? He didn't want to. But he didn't know what she wanted and he felt too anxious to bring it up. Ten years is a long time.

"You know what, Joe? That's a damn good point."

Joe frowned.

"Er - what is?"

"Today… it IS a lucky day. So that means, I'm going shiny hunting. And you're coming with me."

"You can't be serious," Joe grinned.

"Joe, when have you ever known me to joke about shiny Pokemon?"

I haven't known you in a decade, Joe thought but he didn't say it.

"We're not… the chances of finding shinies… if it was that simple, everyone would be doing it," Joe said.

"Oh, come on," Kyla sighed dramatically, "It's not like you have any other plans tonight. You don't even have a home."

"Hey, I have a hotel room," Joe said, defensively but Kyla was grinning.

"Come on, Joe. Why not? Don't you want to spend more time with me?"

"Alright, alright… I'll come with you for a bit. But I'm not staying out all night looking for a yellow fish or something, alright?"

Kyla laughed. A genuine, hearty laugh.

"I'd forgotten how funny you were. Come on."

Kyla stood up and pulled a pokeball from her belt. Throwing it, it popped open and the red light formed into a Crobat. Joe stood up too and hopped back on Pidgeot. He couldn't help but grin.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Lake of Outrage," Kyla said, with adventure in her eyes.

"You're joking, right?" Joe half-laughed, "It'll take us at least an hour to get there, it's already getting dark. You won't be able to see the shiny Pokemon."

"I will if it's nocturnal, you Bidoof," Kyla replied, "I know it's there. I've seen it a few times, just never had the opportunity to catch it. And it's only twenty minutes if we fly. Come on."

They both mounted their flying Pokemon and headed off into the skies. It was getting a little chilly now, and Joe was regretful he didn't bring a thick coat. They soared above the hills and Joe could see most of the wild area from this height. Eventually, they came to a series of high mountains, and he knew within one of these they would find the Lake of Outrage.

They landed near the water. In the distance, Gyarados swam in the shadows of the lake.

"I haven't been here in years," Joe commented.

"I come here often," Kyla said, "You won't get lost with me. Come on."

They jogged up the hill a little. A wide berth lay ahead of them and Joe could see the outline of the first of many lakes here.

The Lake of Outrage. A series of lakes, really. Among them was a sloping hill leading to a mountain peak. The biggest lake was of course where they had landed, but the hill went up quite a way, the lakes getting smaller until they were just puddles.

"What kind of Pokemon are we looking for anyway?" Joe asked.

"Beheeyem," Kyla replied.

Joe tried to remember the Pokemon but couldn't picture it.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen a normal Beheeyem. How do you even know what a shiny looks like?"

"Most people don't," Kyla replied, "But I've seen it. Shiny Beheeyem have blue eyes. Normal Beheeyem have green eyes."

They travelled up the hill, the lakes far enough away that the Pokemon didn't find them a distraction or a threat. Joe saw a couple more Gyarados, and a few Araquanid scuttering around the grass near the next lake they passed.

"And you know where to find Beheeyem?" Joe asked.

"They like to gather at the top of the cliff," Kyla nodded, pointing ahead.

She oozed confidence as they strolled forward.

"You're really feeling it, eh? You really think we'll find it?" Joe pondered.

"I've always said you were my lucky charm," Kyla smiled.

Joe's chest fluttered. His throat was suddenly dry.

"So uh -" he cleared his throat, "What do we actually do? Just sit and wait?"

"Pretty much," Kyla nodded. We'll wait up there, on that peak. We can look down on their favourite spot. As soon as I find my shiny, I'm going down there with Crobat and trapping it with Mean Look."

Joe nodded, approvingly, "Not a bad strategy at all."

"I've had my fair share of Pokemon battles," Kyla replied, as if to say she didn't need Joe's approval.

"Probably more than me," Joe conceded, "I don't even have a hundred Pokemon, never mind five hundred."

"Most of them stay at the research centre," Kyla said, "I'm sure you have trouble juggling a team under a hundred so imagine how hard it is for me. But they are treated well there and looked after and I can call on them whenever I need them. I have my favourites though of course, who come with me almost anywhere."

"Of course," Joe agreed, thinking of his own favourite teammates.

"Did you keep that Krabby you had?" Kyla asked.

"Yes, I did. He's my favourite Pokemon. And his name is Morty, thank you."

Kyla giggled.

"I forgot you named your Pokemon with people names."

"It's not that weird," Joe said, defensively.

"I think it's cute," Kyla grinned, "But it will definitely make me laugh if you bust out those names in an intense battle."

"Noted," Joe frowned.

As they walked up the incline, Kyla continued to question him.

"So, what other Pokemon are on your team?"

"Aside from Morty, I have Fiona, my Pidgeot. Roger, my Scrafty. Buster, my Blitzle."

Kyla was grinning at Joe. It stopped him in his tracks.

"What?"

"Nothing," she smirked.

"And I also have Howard the Heracross and Jimmy the Toxapex."

Kyla burst out laughing but quickly suppressed it.

"I'm sorry, Joe. A Pokemon called Jimmy is hilarious," she said, wiping her eyes.

When they finally reached their destination, a jutting cliff overlooking the lower level cliff where the Beheeyem apparently liked to gather. It was a wide open cliff, with trees and large rocks for cover.

"I don't really have much camping gear with me," Joe said, "I left a lot of it at the hotel. But wanna camp out and bring out the Pokemon?"

"Remember when we used to do that? Except we only had three Pokemon between us and one of them was your family Perrserker," Kyla remembered, excitedly.

"Well, let's do it. We've got nothing better to do with our time," Joe said and began throwing his pokeballs out one at a time. First came Pidgeot then Scrafty, followed by Kingler, Heracross, Toxapex and Blitzle. Joe then remembered he had his newly caught Dubwool with him also and threw him out with the rest of the group.

"Everyone, this is Kyla," he said to his Pokemon, "and this is a Dubwool. He's the newest member of our team and we haven't decided on a name yet, have we Dubwool?"

Dubwool grunted, more interested in eating the grass around him.

"Why don't you name him, Kyla?" Joe suggested.

Kyla raised her brow, "You want me to name him?"

"Sure, but it has to be a name you think I'd pick."

"Weird rule, but OK…" Kyla replied, shrugging, "Willis."

Joe laughed, "Willis? OK, Willis it is! You hear that, Willis?"

Dubwool bleated nonchalantly. Joe wasn't sure he was actually listening to him.

"Alright, we're gonna be here for a few hours guys, so you may as well roam."

With his permission, some of his Pokemon began to wander.

Kyla grinned, "That's a pretty awesome team."

"Thanks," Joe replied, "Let's see yours then."

Kyla nodded and began unhooking her pokeballs, opening them two at a time.

The first two were her Crobat and a gigantic Samurott. These were followed by a Tyranitar, who was actually smaller than Samurott, and made Samurott look even more gigantic and Florges. Finally, the last two Pokemon emerged; Dragalge and Gothitelle.

"Wow," Joe gasped, "Now that's a team, Kyla. Samurott is huge."

"He was the biggest Oshawott ever recorded at the Unova Lab," Kyla explained proudly.

Kyla turned to her Pokemon.

"Go explore, guys," Kyla told her team, "But be ready to deploy."

Joe sat down at the trunk of a thick tree behind him and Kyla sat right next to him, resting up against the same trunk.

"You think that Mean Look strategy will be enough to keep Beheeyem trapped?"

"If I can get it locked in, definitely. But I'll have to catch the Beheeyem by surprise. And that's hard, given it's a psychic Pokemon," Kyla grimaced.

"Maybe I could help," Joe said.

"How so?"

"My Blitzle has a hidden ability; Lightning Rod. Does your Tyranitar know Thunder?"

"Of course my Tyranitar knows Thunder. What kind of self-respecting Tyranitar trainer doesn't give it Thunder?"

Joe shrugged. He had a Tyranitar called Frankie. It did not know Thunder. He did not divulge this information.

"So do you see what I'm getting at here? We trap the Beheeyem two ways. Crobat on one side watching from above with Blitzle chasing on the other side. Tyranitar hits Thunder on Blitzle, who drives the lightning through the sky right into Beheeyem. Blitzle is quite fast and Beheeyem will surely be focusing its energy on attacks aimed at them. Then, while Beheeyem is paralysed, Crobat uses Mean Look to keep it trapped."

Kyla considered the plan. She was probably trying to find holes in it. Then, she said:

"That's a hell of a plan, Joe. I'm telling you, we're lucky tonight."

Joe grinned. Sitting here, with Kyla sitting right next to him, he couldn't help but agree he felt lucky tonight. He looked down at his own hand and saw it was inches away from Kyla's. She was looking away into the darkness. The indecision loomed over Joe like a knife hanging by a thread.

Then, he moved his hand over and clasped it into hers.

She didn't protest. She didn't turn to look at him either, but she squeezed his hand ever so slightly, and that was all he needed to know he had made the right decision.

They sat there for a little while in silence, hand in hand. At some point, Kyla's head had ended up leaning on Joe's shoulder and he found himself slipping off to sleep every few moments.

We have to stay awake for the shiny.

But why? The night had warmed quite nicely, and sitting here under this tree, his hand in hers, he didn't feel like he could be more comfortable. Plus, she had fallen asleep first, right?

Joe gave in to the fight and fell asleep.

He'd never felt so lucky.