Chapter 2 Dinner with the Birch's

"Oh, I don't think that she like's me… Growl! Roar!"

Zack had been playing with his first pokemon, Mudkip, all afternoon, but she had not adjusted yet.

"I'm sure she likes you. Pokemon just take a little while to get used to their trainer's. I mean, look when I first got my pidgey! He is a Pidgeotto now, and he loves us." Marissa said soothingly.

"Grrrah!" went little Mudkip softly, just loud enough to be heard.

"Ohh!" gasped Marissa excitedly. "That was so cute!"

"Good girl, Mud! Well done, here you go…" He put his finger in the pokemon treats box and pulled out a strange looking piece of food. On the container it said 'For young amphibious pokemon.' He gave it to Mudkip. She gave another soft little growl.

"Oh, Zack. You're going to be the best pokemon trainer ever," said Marissa, in an absolute motherly tone.

"Can I take her for a walk before we go to Rachael's place?" asked Zack hopefully.

"Okay, just as long as you're back by 5. We need to get ready," said Marissa, that motherly tone still in her voice.

"Mum, you sound different," said Zack, looking at his mother strangely.

"Oh… yeah… I just can't believe that my only son is already leaving home in their pokemon journey… Oh…" she looked at him, and a sad look crept upon her face.

"Mum, don't worry. I can contact you all the time! Don't forget, we both have phones, said Zack in an unusual comforting tone.

"Yeah, I know, I know," said Marissa, this time with a sad voice. "It's just going to be so lonely with you not around…"

After these words, there was a slight pause.

"Well, I'm off on my walk. See ya soon."

"Be back before 5, okay!" repeated Marissa. "I would put Mudkip on the leash I bought earlier, if I were you."

Zack hooked Mudkip up on the collar.

"Come on Mud, Come on!" said Zack encouragingly.

He walked around the town first and took a quick detour through the park to get home on time.

"We gotta get home, Mud… we'll be late.

All of a sudden Mudkip's ears pricked up and she looked around frantically. She sat there, still looking ahead of her. Then, without warning, A small black object flew out of no where and propelled itself at Mudkip and took a swipe at her.

"Ah! Oh my god! Get off! GET OFF!" screamed Zack, panic had risen very quickly in his voice. Mudkip just sat there, no sign of harm, while the growling animal, which Zack recognized at once as a Poochyena, stood about three metres away. Both pokemon were the same size – around 1 and a half feet tall.

"Graaaahhh…" growled the wild Poochyena.

"Grrrah!" growled back Mudkip, almost as a bark. Suddenly, without warning, Mudkip flung herself at the Poochyena, knocking it over. The Poochyena went dooooowwwwnnnn……

"DAY-EM!" exclaimed Zack loudly.

Mud just looked up and an innocent look came across her face.

"Grrrah," went Mudkip as she bent up and nudged Zack's pocket.

"Good job… wow," said Zack, as he pulled out the pokemon food. He put one in his hand and reached towards Mudkip. She munched it up happily, not making any noise. When she had finished, she licked up the crumbs that were left in Zack's hand.

"Day-em…" repeated Zack, looking at the spot where the Poochyena had disappeared. "Damn…"

"Hello!" said John happily as Zack, Marissa and Mud showed at the door.

"Hey John, how ya going!" Marissa said, stepping foot inside the Birch's magnificent home.

"Holly sh…" Zack said in awe as he looked around him at the house that the Birch's lived in. "Hey Rachael!" He had just spotted Rachael standing behind John. She saw him and grinned.

"How's ya lip, dude?" she said.

"Oh, it's alright. Still hurts, but." Something just hit Zack, and he remembered. "Oh, man! What pokemon did you get?"

"Oh!" said Rachael ecstatically. "Come in the lounge room. I'll show you there."

Zack followed her into the most extravagant room of all.

"This is really something!" said Zack, in awe once again.

"Oh my god! She is so CUTE! Man, I should have chose Mudkip!" Rachael had just noticed Mudkip.

"What did you get?" said Zack eagerly.

"Okay, you are going to die of cute overloadednessesiterialltoh or what ever you call it, but I saw the pictures, and I saw how cute they were, and how powerful, so…" she said, a manic grin on her face. She threw a red and yellow pokeball on the floor, and out jumped a tiny red and orange bird, which looked distinctly like a –

"Torchic! Oh, I was so tempted to get one, too! Oh, dude I didn't realize how tiny they were!" said Zack, with an amazed look on his face. Mud and the Torchic just sat there, when suddenly Torchic gave a low chirp.

"She's a girl Torchic, and I've called her Flame. What's Mudkip's name?" asked Rachael.

"Oh… I just call her Mud. What?" Rachael had started laughing.

"That is (giggle) pretty corny. (Giggle.)"

"Shut up, I think she likes it."

"HA! With a name like that I'm surprised she like you!" shrieked Rachael with laughter.

"Ha ha ha," went Zack sarcastically.

Flame and Mud where just looking at each other strangely. Flame cocked her head sidewards, and kept looking at Mud. Mud kept looking and turned his head the same way that Flame had, without making any noise. Mud started to walk towards Flame, and she sniffed her wing.

"Chragurp ," went Flame quietly.

"I think they like each other!" exclaimed Rachael excitedly.

"Rachael, may you please set the table? The food is about to get here," called John from the oversized kitchen. Rachael got off the ground and zoomed into the kitchen doing the things her father had instructed her to so she could quickly return to the lounge room.

But right then, the doorbell rang.

"Chinese! Yay!" said Rachael in a tone that is a bit to childish for her age. Everybody sat down at the table and set their eyes on the magnificent feast that had been put on the table by John an Marissa.

"John, this is really special… I didn't think that we could have made friends this early!" said Marissa, pure joy in her voice. John and Rachael smiled, and everyone tucked in. There was the soft clatter of metal knives meeting china plates every now and then, and the munch of Flame and Mud – They had just been given some fried rice. John was watching Marissa eating her food.

"Dad's not married… he got divorced two years ago. He's only had me since. They were together for thirteen years…" said Rachael quietly in a sad voice, nearly dramatically, just loud enough so that only Zack and her could hear. "Is your Mum married?" enquired Rachael quietly.

"Huh… oh…" stuttered Zack.

"Oh, sorry dude… you don't have to answer… sorry, man."

"Oh, nah… it's Okay. My Mum is married to Wayne Johnson. I haven't seen him in a year. He lives up the North side of Rustboro. I don't even think he knows that we moved."

"Oh, man. Sorry," said Rachael soothingly.

"Oh, nah it's fine. Sometimes I even wonder why or how I'm related to him. He's done some pretty bad things in his time."

When Zack said these words, he felt a soft nudge on his leg. It was Flame, and Mud was behind her looking at Zack with large puppy dog eyes.

"Hey, Rachael, look at this!" said Zack, watching the both of them. Rachael looked at them with a smile filled with admiration.

"Who wants seconds?" called John.

"ME!" called back Rachael.

"What about you, Zack?" said Marissa.

"Oh, no thank you I haven't finished yet."

Zack put one piece of lemon chicken in each of the pokemon bowls.

"So, how long were you in Rustboro? I've never been there," asked Rachael.

"We were there for about two years, and before that we lived in Celadon City, over on Kanto."

"Wow! I've been to Kanto before, but we would never stay long." she said enviously.

"Where have you lived?" enquired Zack.

"I've lived in Littleroot Town all my life, but dad and I do a lot of traveling. I've been to Veridian, Sootipolis, Mossdeep, Azelia Town," said Rachael. Zack's mouth was hanging open.

"Have you been to Goldenrod City?"

"Yeah, Dad used to work for a factory there. He'd come back all puffed, though. He had to take the train over nearly every day. I was only five then."

After dinner was over and when Marissa and John stopped chatting, and when Zack and Rachael stopped talking, Marissa decided it was time for her to go, so that Zack could get ready to leave in the morning, when Zack and Rachael set off on their pokemon journey.

They left, and headed for home.

"It's good to make friends so early in our life here, isn't it?" asked Marissa, but Zack didn't here. His mind was else where. "Zack? Hello?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, it is. Yeah…"

He was thinking about leaving his Mum after so long he had been with her.

"Mum… I'm gonna miss you when I go."