Chapter 3: Route of Encounter

Tyson, Rika, and their newly acquired companion, Derek, walked along the path on Route 102. After arguing for quite some time, Rika finally gave in and stayed quiet about Derek joining the group. Unlike Route 101, sounds of Pokémon could be heard in the air.

"Rapid's pretty energetic." Tyson commented.

Derek's Taillow flew above them gracefully. He didn't seem tired even though its been flying for quite some time. In fact, the bird was chirping cheerfully.

"Yep! It needs to be if we want to win Pokémon Races!" Derek replied in his usual shouting voice.

"Pokémon Races? I thought you were a trainer." Tyson replied.

"What gave you that idea? Nope! I'm a Pokémon Racer! Training's still required but only quick and speedy attacks need developing! Yep! I'm going to win all five races and get the medals. My dream is to enter the Pokémon Dash Grand Prix and win it like my father did!"

"That's awesome! That means all three of us are doing something different!"

"Really? So, Rika, what are you? Besides a pretty face of course."

The comment would normally make her blush but she knew that almost every complement Derek spews out means the opposite.

"I said stop doing that! And for your information, I'm a coordinator!" Rika shouted.

"Calm down, I thought we were done with the whole yelling at each other thing!"

"Practically every time you talk, you yell!"

Surprisingly, Derek didn't answer to that. Rika remained annoyed while Tyson just smiled.

The three of them continued walking until stopping to eat lunch. Rapid landed and dug right into his Pokémon Food. Rika released Mudkip, who still seemed a little scared after being attacked by Torchic. She wouldn't go anywhere near Rapid, fearing that he might attack her.

"Look what your Torchic did. Mudkip's still scared of Pokémon," Rika complained while picking Mudkip up, "Don't be scared, Mudkip. Here, have some Pokémon Food."

Tyson grabbed his Pokémon's Pokéball and released Torchic with caution. The fire type materialized and not surprisingly, ran towards Rapid, hoping to have the first attack.

"Torchic! Stop!" Tyson commanded.

"Torch!" He continued running anyway, ignoring the order.

"Taillow!"

"Yo! Get control of that Pokémon!" Derek cried.

Mudkip jumped into Rika's arms while Tyson dashed towards his Pokémon. He picked him up just before it reached Rapid.

"Chic, torch!" The Pokémon struggled to free himself but his trainer's grip was too strong.

"Sorry Torchic, but you have to learn to stop attacking others when it's not a battle!"

Tyson took Torchic away from the group to give him a private lesson in proper behavior. They went into a forested area near their stop.

"Okay, Torchic. I know you must have learned from someone that all you do is eat, sleep, and battle. Am I right?" Tyson asked.

"Torch." The chick nodded in understanding.

"Right. So, that's not the case. Pokémon do more than that. They make friends and get along with others. Battling is like a sport that a trainer and his Pokémon participate in."

Torchic stared at his trainer with confused eyes.

"You only battle when I tell you to, otherwise others won't like you very much or scared, like Rika's Mudkip. Of course, you can have your own say sometimes too. You need to judge when it's time for battling or time for just hanging out. Understand?"

Torchic nodded, although he still didn't fully grasp the concept.

The two prepared to go back to the others but something fell on Tyson's head with a loud thump! Torchic jumped in surprise while Tyson rubbed his head in pain.

"Ouch! What was that?"

He looked at the ground and saw what appeared to be a moving acorn. Tyson blinked for a minute, trying to decide if the bump was making him seeing things or not. He soon realized that it was a wild Pokémon!

Torchic stared at it. He was about to attack but remembered what his trainer taught him earlier and hesitated. Tyson was surprised that he got through to Torchic.

"Good job Torchic! I guess I got through to you after all."

The acorn was still a little dazed after falling. However, it got right back up and started hopping up and down. Tyson recognized the Pokémon but took out his Pokédex anyway.

"Seedot. The Acorn Pokémon. Seedot attaches itself to tree branches using the top of its head. It sucks moisture from the tree while hanging off the branch. The more water it drinks, the glossier this Pokémon's body becomes." The Pokédex stated the information with a feminine voice.

"Let's catch it, Torchic! This is a time where you can battle!"

"Torchic!" the chick shouted happily.

Seedot continued hopping but stopped at the sound of battle.

"Dot, seed!"

"Torchic, use your Scratch!"

He obeyed and ran towards Seedot with his claws ready for attack. Torchic hopped into midair and began scratching the small acorn. It looked like it was working until Seedot started glowing!

"What attack is that?" Tyson wondered.

Seedot's white glow brightened and he jumped towards Torchic. It looked like a Tackle attack but it was stronger than a normal one. Torchic fell backwards when a collision occurred between the two Pokémon. Tyson looked up Seedot's list of attacks to identify it.

"That was Bide! Ok, then, Torchic, try using Growl!"

"Torchic, torch!" the growling made Seedot stop and wince.

"Now! Scratch!"

Torchic jumped and used his claws again. However, this time Seedot wasn't storing energy. The acorn Pokémon fell back with small visible scars.

"Ok, it's now or never! Pokéball, go!" Tyson threw the red and white sphere at Seedot.

Upon impact, the Pokémon turned into red energy and went inside the ball. The Pokéball shook, with a red light flickering on the button.

"Come on..." Tyson murmured, while Torchic stared in suspense.

The shaking slowed down and eventually came to a complete stop. A loud ping signaled that the capture was a success.

Tyson picked it up and smiled at Torchic.

"We did it! Our first capture!"

"Torch!"

The two decided to go back and finally eat lunch. Tyson wondered how Rika was doing, being left alone with Derek. She was probably getting more annoyed by the minute.

Tyson was right. Rika was holding Mudkip and yelling at Derek, whom had Rapid perched on his shoulder.

"I don't care if it was an accident! Who trains right after eating?!" Rika screamed.

"Hey! Rapid can fly whenever he wants! Your Mudkip should have been watching what was happening!" Derek shouted back.

"STOP IT!" Tyson's command worked, "Look! You two need to get along if we're going to travel together!"

"I never even asked for him to join up with us! He - " Rika tried to talk but Tyson cut her off.

"I don't want to hear it! We need to travel in a group or else we won't ever make it through this journey! So, just try to get along. Alright?"

Rika hesitated but agreed. Derek nodded.

"By the way, I caught a new Pokémon." Tyson released his newly captured Seedot.

"Seedot!" the acorn Pokémon hopped up and down.

"That's pretty cool. Good job." Rika congratulated him.

"Awesome! He's pretty jumpy, isn't he?" Derek was right, Seedot didn't stop hopping until Tyson brought out some Pokémon food.

Not near from the travelers were another group. They had been following them in secret ever since Oldale. Hidden in the bushes, they engaged in a conversation.

"Why must we follow these ignorant children?" the query came from a sixteen-year-old boy. He had short green hair and wore a black uniform with an "E" insignia on the front of his shirt.

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask the guy that organizes these things." A female of the same age replied, sounding annoyed. Her long pink hair was tied into a ponytail and she wore a skirt instead of pants like her partner.

The two of them turned to a circular object. It had the magnets attached to it on both sides and one emotionless eye. It carried a small television screen below it, which were attached with antennas. The magnets were holding it up.

"Magnemite, let us talk to Earl." The boy said.

Magnemite sparked a little and turned the TV on. It took a few moments but eventually, a male, a little older than the two, appeared on the screen.

"What is it? Oh, it's only Theo and Tara. You need tacos or something? Cause I ain't got any." said Earl.

Earl wore glasses and wasn't exactly the most fit person in the world. He was sitting in a chair that could rotate, while biting into a taco. On his ears were headphones, which were used for communicating. He too, was wearing a uniform.

"We wish to know the reason for chasing after beginning trainers." Theo stated.

"What he said." said Tara.

Earl finished eating his taco and grabbed a clipboard. He flipped a few pages and read it.

"Says here that Agent 302 and 303 are to steal beginning trainer's Pokémon on Route 102."

"You told us that last time! We're not stupid!" Tara shouted.

"No reasons are given! In fact, reasons are usually not given!" Earl shouted back.

"No matter. We shall follow orders and take their creatures away from them," said Theo.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have burritos waiting in the microwave."

After finishing lunch, the three travelers continued on their way to Petalburg City. They all decided to leave their Pokémon out so they could enjoy the nice day as well. Torchic walked along side Tyson while Seedot hopped instead of walking. Rapid flew overhead and chirped every now and then. Mudkip, however, was still afraid of other Pokémon. She didn't feel safe walking so Rika had to carry her.

Everyone was pretty much silent. Rika was still annoyed with Derek, and Tyson as well because he was the one who said Derek could come with them. She knew Tyson was right though. There were many Pokémon out there that could be dangerous and traveling with more people was a good idea.

Rika looked down at Mudkip, who was viewing the scenery. Rika knew she had to do something about Mudkip's fear of other Pokémon. She could try what Tyson did. After all, Torchic seemed to be behaving a lot more.

"You there!" a voice cried out.

The group turned around to see a Magnemite and two teenagers.

"Hey! What's up?" Derek asked, like they were old friends.

Theo and Tara was confused by the question.

"Um...Not much?" Tara answered.

"Cool!" Derek exclaimed.

"Yes, it is quite cool indeed," said Theo. He grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and threw it.

Materializing from the ball was a small purple creature that spun around like he was dancing ballet. His eyes were quite large and diamond like. On his chest was a red oval.

"Meet Sableye." Theo introduced his Pokémon.

Tara reached for her Pokéball but it opened automatically and another Pokémon materialized. The creature immediately latched onto Tara's arm with her big jaws.

"Ouch! Mawile! Stop it!" Tara screamed, "I told you to stop doing this!"

"So, is there any reason why you're showing us your Pokémon?" Rika asked.

"Especially ones that are so stupid looking..." Derek whispered to Tyson.

Tara swung her arm and Mawile released her hold. The yellow Pokémon joined Sableye, who was now performing yoga of some sort.

"We are here to take your precious Pokémon away," Theo stated, "Sableye, initiate with Night Shade upon yonder Torchic."

"Mawile, show that Taillow your Bite attack!" Tara commanded.

Sableye stopped his yoga and held his hands on his head like he was concentrating. The ghost glowed in dark aura before releasing a surge of dark energy towards Torchic. Mawile on the other hand dashed towards Rapid.

Surprised by the incoming attacks, Rika jumped off to the side, still clutching onto Mudkip. The water Pokémon now had her eyes closed and shivered with fear. Seedot also jumped to the side with them.

Torchic was hit with the Night Shade and fell back. The chick got up immediately and was now angry. He started running towards Sableye while Rapid dodged the Bite by flying.

"Yo! What do you think you're doing?" Derek demanded.

"Stealing your Pokémon. Do you not have ears?" Theo replied.

Torchic jumped into Sableye but the ghost disappeared.

"Torchic! Physical attacks won't work very well against a ghost!" Tyson cried.

"Chic, torch!"

"Rapid! Use Peck on Sableye!" Derek ordered.

"Taillow!" The bird swooped down towards the ghost and knocked him back with his beak. Sableye just stood back up in a fighting stance.

"Utilize Scratch!" Theo countered.

Sableye jumped into a flying sidekick towards Rapid. The bird Pokémon was stricken by the swooping claws from the ghost.

"Torchic! We have to try an Ember on Mawile!" Tyson knew fire attacks would work well against the steel type but Torchic might not have learned Ember yet.

The chick focused on Mawile and opened his mouth, only to fire nothing out.

"Nice attack, loser! Mawile, Bite!" Tara commanded.

Mawile dashed towards Torchic and clamped him in her mutated steel horn. Torchic tried to get escape but he was trapped!

"Torchic, you have to try Ember again! Think about fire and focus on it!" Tyson encouraged.

The chick closed his eyes and focused. He thought about fire and how it burned. With the images of flames in his mind, he unleashed it and performed Ember! Small pellets of fire began to fill up in Mawile's horn-jaw and eventually had to let go.

"Wile! Ma!" She ran back towards her trainer with a slight burn.

"Good job, Torchic!" said Tyson.

"No way! Cheater! That's not fair!" Tara argued.

"Give that ghost a barrage of Pecks!" Derek cried out. They were still battling against Theo and his Sableye fiercely.

Rapid flew towards Sableye and did as his trainer instructed. Using his beak, he pecked his opponent rapidly until Sableye retreated.

"Inconceivable!" Theo shouted.

"Torchic, Ember!" Tyson instructed.

The chick opened his mouth once again and fired the embers towards Mawile, which knocked her back onto Sableye. The two of them then went flying back at their trainers.

"Ouch! Get off! Get off! Get Off!" Tara's arm was bitten again.

Sableye went down slowly and dramatically as he held his hands in the air.

"We must retreat and regroup." Theo returned Sableye to his Pokéball. He grabbed Tara's other arm and dragged her out of there into the wooded area.

"They were strange." Rika commented.

"Yeah," Tyson agreed.

"Yo! We just won our first Pokémon battle!" Derek shouted in happiness.

"Even if it didn't really count since they just attacked us," said Rika

"True, but we still won," said Tyson, "You guys want to just stop here and set up camp?"

"Sure." They agreed.

Curses...

The dark figure was in a foul mood.

Creature of Darkness...

A hound kneeled before the figure. It had large horns that arched back and was almost completely black in color.

"Doom..." it growled.

You bring...bad...news...

The hound worried about what its master would do but kept a confident face.

No matter...I will get revenge...