Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback so far. Please keep it up; it keeps me more motivated.
All Pokémon concepts, and all characters except Rose, Walker, Mr. Edengrian, Mrs. Besson, and Chance copyright Nintendo, Game Freak, and all sorts of people who aren't me. This isn't meant to detract from the show in any way.
Chansey Trainer's Stories
Episode 3: Walker
Mr. Edengrian refused to let his daughter out of the house until she finished her homework, as well as enough extra credit to bring her back to a 3.5 GPA for the semester.
"Dad, it's Saturday!" Rose objected.
"Rose, you'll have all summer to train Chance," Mr. Edengrian replied. "Even the rest of your life. But you've only got one chance to get good grades this semester."
"But studying's boring!"
"I know," Mr. Edengrian said. "Believe it or not, I was a kid once."
Rose glared.
"Teenager, I mean." Rose's father paused. "Well, if you finish your Geometry extra credit, you can go out for a couple hours this afternoon."
Chance shouted "Chansey!" and handed Rose her calculator.
Rose sighed, but she really did want to go to a good college someday, and she figured it probably wasn't worth arguing with her dad. Besides, the semester would be over in a couple weeks, and she could get back to having fun then. So Rose got out her math book and got to work.
She got stumped on one problem, but neither Chansey nor her father could help her with it.
"I really can't do this one," Rose finally said.
"Well, do the rest of them, anyway," Mr. Edengrian said.
"I did!"
"Hm," her father said. "Maybe you could ask one of your classmates for help?"
"They're no good at math," Rose said. "None of them are even as good as I am. Except..." A grin broke out on her face. "Walker knows Geometry okay. Can I go over to his house?"
"Chansey?" Chance asked, sounding a bit frightened.
Rose patted the Pokémon's head to reassure it. "Can I, Dad?"
Mr. Edengrian frowned, suspecting something, but not able to figure out what. "All right," he finally said. "But be back in an hour."
"All right," Rose said, heading towards the door. "Come on, Chance!"
"Chansey!" Chance replied, still a little uncertain itself, but pleased with the prospect of finally getting out of the house.
"Uh, Rose?" Mr. Edengrian asked.
Rose turned back. Her father silently held up her Geometry book and homework.
"Right, I'd better take those," Rose said. "Almost forgot. Thanks." She ran out of the house before her father could ask any more questions, and Chansey followed close behind.
It was easy to find Walker's house; it was the biggest and most beautiful one in the neighborhood. It was two stories, made of gray stone, with huge bay windows, and well-landscaped sunken ground in front, to separate it from the street. Aside from the giant windows (and the lack of a drawbridge), it looked vaguely like a European castle.
Rose approached with just a little hesitation, and Chance faithfully followed behind. Rose lifted the knocker and banged it against the plate a few times. Walker's house was the only house she'd ever been to that had a knocker.
Walker's mother, Mrs. Besson, an attractive and smartly-dressed woman, answered the door with a smile. "Oh, hello! You must be one of Walker's friends," she said sweetly, without waiting for clarification. "Please come in."
Rose hesitantly stepped through the huge doorway, and looked around. The whole entryway was an atrium, and she could see the sun shining through the second-story windows onto the wall behind. Mrs. Besson led Rose and Chance down a long hall lined with paintings and busts of famous people. She took them into a sitting room with a thick green carpet and a velvet couch.
"Please make yourself at home, Rose," Walker's mother said. She moved closer to Rose's ear and whispered, "And please keep your Pokémon off of the couch. They shed, you know."
"Chan-sey!" Chance said, sounding offended. Rose and her father didn't care where Meowth or Chance sat.
"Ssh," Rose said quietly, rubbing one of Chance's ears. She turned to Mrs. Besson. "Thank you."
The woman nodded. "I'll send Walker right down."
Once Mrs. Besson was out of earshot, Chance whined, "Chansey."
"I'm sorry," Rose whispered back. "It is a nice couch, and pink fur might show up pretty badly on it."
"Chansey, chansey, chansey," Chance said, shaking its head.
Rose wasn't sure what her Pokémon meant, although she supposed it was a variation on "I don't shed that much."
"It's all right," Rose replied. She paused, then sat down next to Chance on the carpet. "See? I can sit on the floor, too."
"Chansey?" Chance said. Rose wasn't sure if it appreciated her gesture or not.
"Coddling that Chansey of yours," an irritating voice said.
Rose looked up. "Walker!"
The boy shrugged. "You wanted to see me. I'm here. Why are you surprised?"
"I thought it would've taken you a couple days to get from your end of the house to this room," Rose shot back.
"Not bad," Walker said, running a hand through his dark hair. He smiled. "So, what brings my third-favorite Pokémon nurse here? Wanna help me finish my collection? I'd give you a strong Nidorina for that half-rate Chansey of yours."
"Chan-SEE!" Chance yelled, looking about ready to attack Walker.
Rose put her hand on Chance's head. "It's all right," she said softly. She turned back to Walker. "If my dad asks, I wanted help with Geometry. But really, I wanted to battle you."
Rose expected Walker to laugh, but the young man's demeanor instantly changed. "I'll accept any challenge," he said. "Five on five, I take it?"
Rose looked at him, confused. "I only have one Pokémon. My Chansey."
"Chansey!" Chance said, proudly.
Walker's eyes widened, and then, as Rose had expected all along, he started to laugh. "Chansey? I thought you knew some strategy! The only reason someone would bring a Chansey to a battle with me is to heal the rest of their Pokémon once mine pulverize them!"
"Do you want to battle or not?" Rose asked, her face turning red.
Walker seemed to be considering. "Well," he finally said, "it'll give one of my low-level Pokémon some experience."
"If you win," Rose said quickly.
Walker smirked. "Right. 'If.'" Before Rose could reply, he continued, "Come on into the backyard. We can battle there."
Rose and Chance followed Walker through several halls, through a set of beautiful French doors, and into the backyard. The backyard was as well-landscaped as the front, but it had a few spots of grass which had recently been burnt or frozen, and a couple of the trees were missing quite a few branches.
"Sometimes I battle with my friends back here," Walker said nonchalantly.
"Chansey?" Chance said softly. Rose patted her reassuringly.
Walker pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door to a small shed at one edge of the yard. He left the door open, and Rose looked inside. It seemed to be used mostly for storage--there were several boxes, and some hoops, ropes, Frisbees, and other Pokémon training equipment. But the near corner had a table in it, with a small computer terminal and a piece of machinery she had rarely seen outside of Pokémon Centers.
Walker entered in a series of passwords, and finally entered in the password for his Pokémon box. He navigated for a couple minutes, and finally stepped back from the keyboard. A flash of light came down from something that looked sort of like a vacuum hose attachment, and a Pokéball materialized on the tray below it. Walker picked the Pokéball up and turned to Rose. "You ready?"
"You can access your Pokémon from your house?" Rose asked, shocked.
"This is hooked up to every Pokécenter," Walker noted. "And the PC in my room, too. You need to get a real fighter out of your box?"
"Chan-SEE!" Chance said menacingly.
Rose stroked the Pokémon's fur. "I'll use Chansey," she said shortly.
"Suit yourself," Walker said. He shut the terminal off and left the shed, locking the door again. He walked to the other side of the yard, and Rose followed, staying back about fifteen feet away from him. Walker stopped and faced Rose.
"There's still time to back down and keep your Chansey from getting hurt," Walker said.
"Shut up," Rose replied.
Walker smirked. "Then let's go." He threw his Pokéball. A tiger-striped Pokémon came out. "Grow--l!" it howled.
"All right, Chance, no problem," Rose said. "We'll just--"
"Growlithe, bite attack, now!" Walker shouted.
"Hey!" Rose objected.
Chance tried to dodge, but Growlithe came right at it. The opponent tried to bite the Chansey, but found itself unable to reach its jaws around the round Pokémon's body. "Growlithe," it whined.
"All right, Chance, now! Doubleslap!"
Chance slapped Growlithe's face twice, driving it back.
"Growlithe, Roar!" Walker commanded.
"Grow-ll!" Growlithe yelled at Chance.
Chance stood its ground.
"You thought that'd scare Chance away?" Rose asked.
"Not really," Walker said. "I just hate to injure Pokémon who can't beat me."
"Don't listen to him! Chance, Pound!"
The Chansey took a few quick steps and hurled itself towards Growlithe. Growlithe was knocked to the ground.
"Growlithe, Ember, now!" Walker yelled.
Growlithe breathed out, and a short flame extended from its mouth.
"Chansey!" Chance yelled, rolling back. It stood up, but had a burn on its leg.
"Hang in there, Chance!" Rose yelled. "Pound again!"
Chance worked up some speed as best it could and rammed into Growlithe, but the attack was weaker, and Growlithe remained standing.
"Chansey!" Chance whined, leaning heavily to keep from putting weight on its burnt leg.
Walker watched calmly. "Roar," he finally said.
Growlithe looked a bit puzzled, but gave its all, roaring at Chance again.
Chance didn't run, but it looked disheartened.
"Chance, you can do it! Doubleslap!"
Chance headed towards Growlithe, but the Chansey was limping badly. It went forward a few steps and then fell to the ground.
"Chansey," Chance whimpered, before closing its eyes.
"I told you you couldn't win," Walker said. "Growlithe, return!"
But Rose wasn't paying attention. She ran to Chance. "Chance! Wake up! Are you all right? Come on..." Rose looked up at Walker. "What did you do to her?"
"Growlithe burned her," Walker said. "The more your Chansey tried to fight, the worse the burn hurt it." He paused. "You'd better get it to a Pokémon Center quick; it's hurt pretty bad"
Rose nodded, scared. She quickly took out Chance's Pokéball. "Chance, return!"
Chance dissolved into pink energy and entered the Pokéball, something it hadn't done since Rose had first captured it. Rose put the Pokéball back in her pocket and rushed back into Walker's house, quickly finding her way through the halls, and out the door. Walker watched silently.
"Walker!" Mrs. Besson yelled, tracing the dirty footprints through the house. "I thought I told you to make sure your friends wiped their feet!"
Walker scowled, but there was no arguing with his mother. He got out the carpet steam cleaner.
Rose was out of breath by the time she got to the Pokémon Center. Panting, she handed Chance's Pokéball to Nurse Joy.
"Did you lose a battle?" Nurse Joy asked, sympathetically.
Rose nodded, still breathing hard. "Hurry...Chance...got burned..."
Nurse Joy nodded back, heading towards the offices.
Rose sank down into one of the chairs, catching her breath. She looked at the wall, her eyes unfocused. What if Chance didn't make it? If she had just called the battle once Chance had been burned, Chance wouldn't have fainted, and maybe it wouldn't've fainted.
Rose looked up at the clock. It was already 6:30. Her father would be angry. Rose couldn't work up the energy to call. Besides, if she called, her father would know she was at the Pokémon Center, not Walker's house.
About twenty minutes later, Chance came out, looking its normal, cheerful self.
"Chansey!" Chance said, smiling at Rose.
Rose ran to hug it. "Chance, I'm so sorry," she said, holding it closer. "I never should've let you get hurt so bad..." She looked up at the nurse. "Is Chance all right? I was afraid I wouldn't get here in time."
Nurse Joy shook her head. "Once a Pokémon faints, its body defends itself from burns and poisons. And once it's in its Pokéball, it's safe, except from poison, and even then, if it's unconscious, it will be okay. Chansey would've been fine even if you would've just walked here."
Rose sighed. "I'm glad."
"Chansey! Chansey! Chansey!" Chance replied.
Rose smiled, not understanding.
"Chansey said thanks for hurrying to help it out, though," Nurse Joy said, smiling.
Rose was a little surprised, but realized it was only natural that a Pokémon nurse could understand Chanseys. "Still," the girl said, "I shouldn't have let Chance fight Walker's Growlithe."
"Chan-sey!" Chance objected.
"Chansey won't get strong if you don't fight hard opponents," Nurse Joy noted.
"I guess not," Rose said. "But what if it would've been a Geodude or an Onix? Chance's attacks wouldn't've even touched them!"
"It's all right to have more than one Pokémon, Rose," Nurse Joy said. She paused. "Come here a minute."
Rose and Chance followed Nurse Joy to the computer. Nurse Joy entered in some data, then smiled at Rose. "I've set you up with your own set of Pokémon boxes."
"What?"
"Just enter in a password," Nurse Joy said.
Rose hesitantly entered a few characters on the keyboard, then hit 'return' twice. A screen came up showing 20 empty boxes. Rose looked back at Nurse Joy doubtfully. "But what if I don't want to catch a bunch of Pokémon?"
"That's fine, too," Nurse Joy said. "But I'm sure Chansey wouldn't mind having some company. Would you, Chansey?"
"Chansey!" Chance affirmed.
"Anyway," Nurse Joy continued, "it'll be there if you need it. All right?"
"Thank you," Rose said softly. "You...you really don't think I'm a bad Pokémon trainer?"
Nurse Joy smiled. "You don't have much experience, but I'm sure you'll become a great trainer."
"Chansey!" Chance insisted.
Rose smiled, then looked at the clock. "I'd better get home," Rose said quickly. "Thank you, Nurse Joy! Come on, Chance!"
The run back to Rose's house must have been good exercise for the Pokémon.
Rose got quite a lecture from her father when she got home, both for being late, and for forgetting her Geometry book. Mr. Edengrian grounded Rose for a week, and didn't let her leave the house except to go to school and church. But Rose got most of the way caught up with her schoolwork, and she knew in just another week or two, she'd be off on her own Pokémon journey.
And besides, her father couldn't keep her from quietly training with Chance after he had gone to bed.