The patch of plain grass was roughly a third the size an official battlefield should be, which was perfect for training, Heron reported.
"But your pokemon must be more powerful than Grim," Mirus pointed out.
"Nope. I only caught Ekans yesterday, and haven't actually trained him yet. Onix is a little tougher though- she's the one I recieved in the egg."
"How can an Onix hatch?" Mirus wondered out loud.
"The same as any other pokemon, but it really scared me. Good thing I was in the park, or my dad would have killed me. He doesn't actually know about my pokemon, but, then again, he doesn't know a lot about me." She sighed and stuffed her hands in her jeans.
"Even though you're his daughter?"
"Yeah," Heron said. There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Anyway, how about that battle?"
"Great," Mirus said. "But I know nothing about battling."
"Well, I won't go easy on you," Heron grinned. "Anyway, you want to concentrate on experience, not winning. Even if you loose Grim will still grow stronger."
"Are you saying that so that you can win?"
She laughed. "Maybe."
Mirus sighed in responce. "OK then. Let's get going." He stepped several spaces back and Heron did the same, so that they were quite far apart from each other.
"Right. One-on-one match, no items. Ekans, go!"
Ekans slithered into the field and reared up, like a cobra. He hissed, but Mirus wisely chose to ignore it. All pokemon had to make a terrifying impression for the opponent.
"Grim, let's go," he called, pressing the pokeball's button and throwing it. It was a motion he'd practiced with empty pokeballs, but never actually used.
Grim materialised in front of him, shaking off light. The pokeball gave a low hum as it bounced backwards into Mirus's hand, and he awkwadly caught it, shrunk it, and placed it in his jacket pocket.
He suddenly realised, in a blind panic, that he had no idea what moves poochyenas used. Think, Mirus, think. Eight years of pokemon study must mean something. He kneaded his mind breifly with his knuckles, and, thankfully, it came to him in a flash. When he next looked up, however, the battle had already started.
"Ekans, Wrap attack!"
Ekans reared up again, and gave a leap towards Grim, coiling on the ground around him. Clearly this was a distraction before the coils tightened and Grim was attacked.
"OK Grim, jump out of the ring, and use Tackle!"
"Ekans, now!"
To Mirus's relief, Grim jumped high out of Ekan's coils and flung his form at Ekans's head, causing the snake to pause, confused and temporarily blinded.
"Great, now Bite the tail end!"
"Oh no you don't." Heron clearly had a plan. "Ekans, show him what a Bite really is."
Ekans shook his head, as if to clear the pressure in his head and eyes, and flicked his tail out of the way. Grim, who had been about to Bite it, stopped, obviously confused.
"Grim, move!" Mirus shouted, as Ekan's head end sped towards the poochyena, premature fangs emerging from their hidden sockets. Grim turned round in a half-panic, before being struck hard by the head. Fangs closed round his hind leg, lifting him high into the air.
"Grim, Howl!" Mirus told his pokemon, aware that Grim could not do much else in this position. Grim twisted his head so he was more or less facing upwards, and Howled mournfully. It didn't seem to effect Ekans that much, and Mirus remembered, unhappily, that it wasn't even supposed to harm the opponent.
Heron seemed to have the same thought as she shook her head. "Throw it, Ekans," she said.
"Grim, try and land properly," Mirus started, but the poochyena was too terrified to move, and crashed into the ground before Mirus could do anything.
"Grim! Are you alright? Can you get up?"
The dog made no sound, and Mirus ran forward to scoop him up in his arms. Grim half-opened his eyes and gave his trainer a tiny lick, before closing them again.
"You did brilliantly," Mirus assured him. "Thank you." He reached for Grim's pokeball, and called him back in a beam of red light.
Heron's footfalls alerted him, and he looked up at her, running towards him, Ekans's pokeball in hand. "Is he alright?" she asked.
"Fine," Mirus grinned. "Thanks for the battle, but I need to get him healed."
"I don't think there's any healing machines around here," she replied, looking around. "Anyway, you battled well. Not bad for your first time."
He smiled. "Thanks. Hey, I know. Why don't you come back to my house now? I can get Grim healed there, and you can... you know, meet my parents and stuff."
She laughed. "OK, but I'll have to walk. I haven't got a bike."
They talked along the way, Mirus wheeling his bicycle along while they both walked. It wasn't far, so after five minutes Mirus turned off into a small house on a terrace, with a tiny sign saying "The Wetlands".
"And belive me, our house can be wet, with my younger sister around... watch where you put your feet," he warned Heron as he tied his bike outside. She laughed.
"I'm not joking," he said, and put the key in the front door, twisting it around.
"I'm home," he called weakly, stepping into the kitchen.
"Hug," Michelle said, running up to him, with another toy under her arm, thumb in mouth. She'd taken it out to speak and now jammed it back in. Mirus gave her a quick hug.
"This is Michelle," he told Heron. "She's four."
"Five!" his sister corrected him.
"Almost five. Sorry, Mish."
Michelle had already run off. "She's so sweet," Heron cooed.
"When she's in that mood, yes, I could call her sweet." Mirus sighed. Raising his voice, he called. "Mum! Dad! I'm back!"
"Hi honey," his mum said, emerging from the living room. "Catch a pokemon? Oh, and you must be Heron. Mirus told us all about you."
"I told them your name," he whispered to her. To his mum, he held out Grim's pokeball. "Yup. I caught a pokemon. But he needs healing."
"Well, sort him out, then come and let me see him," his mum said. Turning to Heron, she smiled. "You are Heron, aren't you?"
Heron smiled back. "Yes, Heron Stevens. Thanks for inviting me, Mrs... er..."
"Metcalf, but don't bother with that. Call me Rachel. And you're welcome, really. Did you help Mirus catch his pokemon?"
Heron nodded slowly, as Mirus himself reappeared.
"Here he is, the amazing Grim," he said, clicking open the pokeball. The puppy emerged and yapped happily as he saw where he was.
"Well done," his mother said, bending down to scratch Grim by the ears, then reaching over and hugging her son. "And thank you, Heron, for helping."
She grinned weakly. "My pleasure."
"Will you stay for lunch?" was the next question.
"If it's not to much trouble."
Mirus's mother started to sort things out in the kitchen happily, as the trio ran upstairs, Grim in the lead though he had no idea where he was going.
"You have a wonderful family," Heron remarked as they sat on Mirus's bed. "What's your dad like?"
"More or less the same. As mum, I mean, not Michelle." Heron grinned at that remark. "So, what's your family like?"
The grin slowly faded. "My family? There's just me and Dad."
Mirus nodded, and asked nothing more about that. "What's your dad like?"
"Oh, you know. The usual. Can get a little mad at times. Anyway, which league were you thinking about?"
They discussed things a while longer, until Mirus's mother was calling for them to eat, and only Grim's barking alerted them.
"But your pokemon must be more powerful than Grim," Mirus pointed out.
"Nope. I only caught Ekans yesterday, and haven't actually trained him yet. Onix is a little tougher though- she's the one I recieved in the egg."
"How can an Onix hatch?" Mirus wondered out loud.
"The same as any other pokemon, but it really scared me. Good thing I was in the park, or my dad would have killed me. He doesn't actually know about my pokemon, but, then again, he doesn't know a lot about me." She sighed and stuffed her hands in her jeans.
"Even though you're his daughter?"
"Yeah," Heron said. There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Anyway, how about that battle?"
"Great," Mirus said. "But I know nothing about battling."
"Well, I won't go easy on you," Heron grinned. "Anyway, you want to concentrate on experience, not winning. Even if you loose Grim will still grow stronger."
"Are you saying that so that you can win?"
She laughed. "Maybe."
Mirus sighed in responce. "OK then. Let's get going." He stepped several spaces back and Heron did the same, so that they were quite far apart from each other.
"Right. One-on-one match, no items. Ekans, go!"
Ekans slithered into the field and reared up, like a cobra. He hissed, but Mirus wisely chose to ignore it. All pokemon had to make a terrifying impression for the opponent.
"Grim, let's go," he called, pressing the pokeball's button and throwing it. It was a motion he'd practiced with empty pokeballs, but never actually used.
Grim materialised in front of him, shaking off light. The pokeball gave a low hum as it bounced backwards into Mirus's hand, and he awkwadly caught it, shrunk it, and placed it in his jacket pocket.
He suddenly realised, in a blind panic, that he had no idea what moves poochyenas used. Think, Mirus, think. Eight years of pokemon study must mean something. He kneaded his mind breifly with his knuckles, and, thankfully, it came to him in a flash. When he next looked up, however, the battle had already started.
"Ekans, Wrap attack!"
Ekans reared up again, and gave a leap towards Grim, coiling on the ground around him. Clearly this was a distraction before the coils tightened and Grim was attacked.
"OK Grim, jump out of the ring, and use Tackle!"
"Ekans, now!"
To Mirus's relief, Grim jumped high out of Ekan's coils and flung his form at Ekans's head, causing the snake to pause, confused and temporarily blinded.
"Great, now Bite the tail end!"
"Oh no you don't." Heron clearly had a plan. "Ekans, show him what a Bite really is."
Ekans shook his head, as if to clear the pressure in his head and eyes, and flicked his tail out of the way. Grim, who had been about to Bite it, stopped, obviously confused.
"Grim, move!" Mirus shouted, as Ekan's head end sped towards the poochyena, premature fangs emerging from their hidden sockets. Grim turned round in a half-panic, before being struck hard by the head. Fangs closed round his hind leg, lifting him high into the air.
"Grim, Howl!" Mirus told his pokemon, aware that Grim could not do much else in this position. Grim twisted his head so he was more or less facing upwards, and Howled mournfully. It didn't seem to effect Ekans that much, and Mirus remembered, unhappily, that it wasn't even supposed to harm the opponent.
Heron seemed to have the same thought as she shook her head. "Throw it, Ekans," she said.
"Grim, try and land properly," Mirus started, but the poochyena was too terrified to move, and crashed into the ground before Mirus could do anything.
"Grim! Are you alright? Can you get up?"
The dog made no sound, and Mirus ran forward to scoop him up in his arms. Grim half-opened his eyes and gave his trainer a tiny lick, before closing them again.
"You did brilliantly," Mirus assured him. "Thank you." He reached for Grim's pokeball, and called him back in a beam of red light.
Heron's footfalls alerted him, and he looked up at her, running towards him, Ekans's pokeball in hand. "Is he alright?" she asked.
"Fine," Mirus grinned. "Thanks for the battle, but I need to get him healed."
"I don't think there's any healing machines around here," she replied, looking around. "Anyway, you battled well. Not bad for your first time."
He smiled. "Thanks. Hey, I know. Why don't you come back to my house now? I can get Grim healed there, and you can... you know, meet my parents and stuff."
She laughed. "OK, but I'll have to walk. I haven't got a bike."
They talked along the way, Mirus wheeling his bicycle along while they both walked. It wasn't far, so after five minutes Mirus turned off into a small house on a terrace, with a tiny sign saying "The Wetlands".
"And belive me, our house can be wet, with my younger sister around... watch where you put your feet," he warned Heron as he tied his bike outside. She laughed.
"I'm not joking," he said, and put the key in the front door, twisting it around.
"I'm home," he called weakly, stepping into the kitchen.
"Hug," Michelle said, running up to him, with another toy under her arm, thumb in mouth. She'd taken it out to speak and now jammed it back in. Mirus gave her a quick hug.
"This is Michelle," he told Heron. "She's four."
"Five!" his sister corrected him.
"Almost five. Sorry, Mish."
Michelle had already run off. "She's so sweet," Heron cooed.
"When she's in that mood, yes, I could call her sweet." Mirus sighed. Raising his voice, he called. "Mum! Dad! I'm back!"
"Hi honey," his mum said, emerging from the living room. "Catch a pokemon? Oh, and you must be Heron. Mirus told us all about you."
"I told them your name," he whispered to her. To his mum, he held out Grim's pokeball. "Yup. I caught a pokemon. But he needs healing."
"Well, sort him out, then come and let me see him," his mum said. Turning to Heron, she smiled. "You are Heron, aren't you?"
Heron smiled back. "Yes, Heron Stevens. Thanks for inviting me, Mrs... er..."
"Metcalf, but don't bother with that. Call me Rachel. And you're welcome, really. Did you help Mirus catch his pokemon?"
Heron nodded slowly, as Mirus himself reappeared.
"Here he is, the amazing Grim," he said, clicking open the pokeball. The puppy emerged and yapped happily as he saw where he was.
"Well done," his mother said, bending down to scratch Grim by the ears, then reaching over and hugging her son. "And thank you, Heron, for helping."
She grinned weakly. "My pleasure."
"Will you stay for lunch?" was the next question.
"If it's not to much trouble."
Mirus's mother started to sort things out in the kitchen happily, as the trio ran upstairs, Grim in the lead though he had no idea where he was going.
"You have a wonderful family," Heron remarked as they sat on Mirus's bed. "What's your dad like?"
"More or less the same. As mum, I mean, not Michelle." Heron grinned at that remark. "So, what's your family like?"
The grin slowly faded. "My family? There's just me and Dad."
Mirus nodded, and asked nothing more about that. "What's your dad like?"
"Oh, you know. The usual. Can get a little mad at times. Anyway, which league were you thinking about?"
They discussed things a while longer, until Mirus's mother was calling for them to eat, and only Grim's barking alerted them.