Ch.9

First Step

Pokemon is the property of its respective owners

Delia, Dmitri, and Maris all stood silent as they heard these words leave Catherine's lips. Neither spoke for a few seconds before Delia decided to voice her opinion on the matter.

"Whoa, hold on for a second Catherine. Dmitri just met you a few hours ago and now you think you can just waltz in on us and expect to travel the Sinnoh Region with us?" Delia asked Catherine incredulously.

"Well, when you word it like that…yes," Catherine stated simply while still looking at Dmitri with pleading eyes.

"(I don't know Dmitri, I don't want dead weight when we're traveling and I especially don't want some cry baby, do nothing rich girl tagging along,)" Maris snorted rudely causing Dmitri to look at her in a disapprovement.

"Maris be nice, Catherine is our guest. Well then Catherine, why do you want to travel with us?" Dmitri asked her curiously while Catherine stared at him blankly.

"Well for one thing I want to get stronger so that way I can beat my other siblings to inherit the family fortune and hotel," Catherine said which caused Delia to glare at her.

It didn't go unnoticed as Catherine put her hands up non-aggressively to placate the suspicious battle ace.

"No it's not anything like that. If you've seen my siblings then you would see that they're irresponsible little buggers who would lead our family into ruin if they were allowed to inherit the family fortune. Ultimately a battle between us when our parents could no longer run the business would determine who inherited it and I won't let them destroy our great family name!" Catherine shouted determinedly which still didn't convince Delia.

"So…what happened to that "strong silent type persona" when we were battling?" Dmitri questioned Catherine who thought the question was irrelevant.

"I get in the zone when I'm in battles so that's probably why I looked so intimidating when we were battling," Catherine responded hurriedly.

"Well…if that's the reason why you're coming with us then I guess we can help you out," Dmitri told her reluctantly.

Catherine hugged Dmitri tightly, earning a furious glare from Maris and Delia.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret this I promise because I'll be able to help out when needed," Catherine said gratefully as tears fell down her face.

"I may approve Catherine, but Delia and Maris are my friends and I would like to hear their opinions on this," Dmitri told Catherine softly which turned her happy mood to desperation.

"(I feel rather indifferent about her, but her Lucario seems nice so let her join. It would give me more time to spar with Lucario anyway,)" Maris stated with a shrug of her shoulders.

Dmitri nodded to Maris who nodded back and they both looked at Delia.

"That just leaves you Delia. What do you have to say…if you don't mind," Dmitri asked Delia who turned her attention to Catherine.

"You, girl, you have a Lucario correct?" Delia questioned Catherine who nodded furiously.

"Send her out so I may see if what you speak is true," Delia ordered.

Without hesitation, Catherine grabbed the pokeball in her purse and sent out Lucario who materialized in a bright, white light, and who seemed to be shivering. Lucario recoiled in fear when she met the gaze of Delia.

"So how are you going to judge me by examining my Lucario?" Catherine asked in a confused tone.

"I'm going to talk to her," Delia answered nonchalantly which caused Catherine to look at her in a mix of shock and bewilderment.

"Wait, you can talk to your pokemon too? I figured Dmitri could by the way he and his Mienshao interacted but you too? That's awesome!" Catherine said as she sprang up from her spot on the bed.

Delia ignored Catherine while she turned her attention towards Lucario, who backed away slightly in fear.

"Lucario, is it true that Catherine seeks to train to inherit her family fortune to lead it into financial stability?" Delia asked Lucario bluntly.

Lucario started to respond in aura, but Delia told her it wouldn't be necessary as she can understand without telepathy. Lucario's eyebrows rose slightly before crossing her arms under her chest spike.

"(Yes of course it is! The entire reason she entered the tournament was to prove to her parents that she was a capable pokemon trainer to her parents! After her pyrrhic victory she talked nonstop about going on a journey with you guys to get stronger, well, that was after she vented with a chocolate milkshake, but the fact still stands that she wants to let her parents know that if they leave their fortune in Catherine's name, their money will be in safe hands!)" Lucario shouted at Delia who now looked at Catherine with a new found respect.

"Very well then, Catherine Wayne, your friend has proven your honesty and your commitment so I also approve of you joining us on our journey," Delia told Catherine who immediately seized her in a bone shattering hug.

"Thank you so much Delia! I won't let you guys down, I promise!" Catherine shouted as she nuzzled Delia who barely managed to breathe out "release me!"

Delia regained her precious oxygen before sizing up Catherine and speaking to her once again.

"If you're going to be traveling with us, then you'd best know the ground rules. While I do refer to my partners as "my pokemon", they're some of my best friends and will only refer to them to that in association. You should do the same or were going to have problems, got it? Secondly, since you're Lucario is a fighting type, I strongly recommend that it walks by your side when we're traveling from place to place," Delia said firmly to Catherine.

"Why should Lucario walk? Not that it would be a bad thing, but I'm just curious," Catherine questioned Delia.

"Why don't you ask Dmitri? He should be able to answer that for you," Delia told Catherine who looked at Dmitri stoically.

Dmitri pointed a finger at himself disbelievingly which Delia nodded at, confirming that she wanted him to answer the question.

"Well…uh…fighting types generally have more endurance and muscle growth than any other pokemon type so having Lucario walk beside you is a great way for her to build up her endurance. Also, based on Lucario's shivering when she was let out of her pokeball means that she is terrified of being in there and wishes to just be able to walk beside you," Dmitri answered to an awestruck Catherine.

"Is this really true?" Catherine asked to no one in particular.

"Yes, both are true. Maris's stamina is phenomenal by just walking with Dmitri at a young age while also going under martial arts training from trainers his mother picked personally. That's why Maris wasn't crumpling in pain during your battle as she still had a lot of gas left in the tank while Lucario looked spent at the end of round two while shivering has been a proven fact that it indicates that the pokemon is deathly afraid of being in their pokeball," Delia answered intellectually.

Catherine looked at Lucario sadly before walking over to her and pulling her into a hug, surprising the Aura pokemon.

"Please forgive me Lucario, if I had known that you were afraid of being in a pokeball, I would have smashed it to tiny pieces a long time ago," Catherine told her friend while tears rolled down her cheeks.

"(All is forgiven Master. Just please, promise me you won't put me in that…thing unless it's absolutely necessary,)" Lucario said to her crying master in an attempt to soothe her.

Once the two broke off their hug, Delia asked her:

"Well, if you're coming with us, then do you have all the supplies you'll need like food, medicine, water, clothes, a tent, sleeping bags, and outdoor shoes?" Delia questioned Catherine who responded with a facepalm.

"Yeah, I got all that stuff back in my family's suite. I'll just leave a note on the door when I leave that I'm hanging out with some friends for a while, which is technically true," Catherine answered casually.

"Your…parents don't care if you leave unannounced or tell them ahead of time?" Dmitri questioned Catherine quizzically.

"They do, but they'll understand everything if I just explain it in my note," Catherine replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

Dmitri seemed astonished at this because his mother usually needed to be informed ahead of time if he wanted to hang out with Delia or go anywhere in particular. Dmitri couldn't contemplate this further as Catherine hastily left the room in a flash and just as quickly as she left, she was standing right next to him wearing jeans, a plain red t-shirt, running shoes, a black baseball cap with a poliwag on it that hid her long, brown hair, and a azure colored backpack with a garchomp roaring on the back. Dmitri stood in shock as he wondered how she could have accomplished such a feat while Delia raised her eyebrows wondering the same thing.

Before they could contemplate this further the captain announced to the passengers that they've arrived at their destination and all passengers should are now free to disembark at their leisure.

Dmitri seemed downcast as he slowly breathed in and out, staring at the door. Delia noticed his nervousness and put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him before saying:

"I know, I have that weird, nervous feeling to. The best way to get rid of it is to confront it and get it over with, quickly," Delia said to Dmitri caringly.

Dmitri took one more breathe in before walking over to the door and reluctantly reached for the door knob. He looked over his shoulder to find Delia staring at him apathetically while Catherine was impatiently tapping her foot on the floor. Dmitri's nervous brown eyes met Maris's determined red ones who stared at him for a few seconds before smirking and giving him an approving thumbs-up. Dmitri smiled and nodded at Maris, his confidence returning.

"C'mon guys, there's an entire region we have to explore and we're not going to see it by just standing here all day!" Dmitri shouted enthusiastically as he flung open the door and ran down the corridor with Maris, Catherine, Lucario, and Delia right behind him.

Delia and Maris smirked a bit at Dmitri's new confidence before picking up their pace to catch up to the excited battle ace. Catherine noticed this and looked on in confusion before turning her attention on Lucario and asked "Do you think they know something we don't?"

Lucario rolled her eyes in annoyance before picking up speed and running right alongside Delia.

"Hey, this is not a race!" Catherine shouted as she struggled to catch up.

Meanwhile

At the same time that the cruiser arrived on the docks, another much smaller ship arrived at nearly the same time carrying a determined young trainer with a red cap, a navy blue vest with a yellow stripe down the middle, and a Pikachu on his shoulders. This trainer was Ash Ketchum, who was staring off into the distance in thought.

"I'm so stupid, how could have I lost yet another pokemon league championship. Is it my pokemon? No, it's not. It's me. I've been so stupid and ignorant to think starting with only Pikachu in a new region would give me that same excitement and thrill the day I started my journey. No more stupidity and ignorance, this time I'm going all the way and woe to those who would try to stop me," Ash thought as he clenched his fists.

Pikachu tilted his head to the side as he looked at his best friend in concern as he watched Ash clench his fists and gave a concerned "chaa" before Ash just petted his best friend.

"It's nothing buddy. Just thinking about all the times we lost and I've come to the realization that it was because of me we lost all those league championships. No more though, this time around it's going to be different," Ash told Pikachu determinedly which caused the electric mouse to pump his fist in the air and gave a loud "chu" to the idea of finally winning a championship.

"Watch out Sinnoh, Ash Ketchum's here and he's here to win," Ash thought to himself confidently as he weaved around the crowd and stepped off the boat.

Meanwhile

When Dmitri, Maris, Delia, Catherine, and Lucario finally stepped off the boat, Catherine relentlessly persisted that they take a picture to forever remember this moment. At first, everyone just wanted to continue onto Sandgem Town so they can be registered as trainers, but after seeing the sad look on Catherine's face, they relented and let her take a picture. Catherine's eyes beamed happily as she gazed at her camera as she nodded approvingly at how the picture turned out. While the trainers were looking at the picture to see how it was, Lucario and Maris tried to get to know each other better

"(So Maris, I've been meaning to ask. How exactly did you earn that name? Doesn't that name mean "of the sea?" Seems kind of weird to me, no offense,)" Lucario asked Maris who narrowed her eyes at Lucario.

"(You realize that even though you say "no offense" that I'm still offended. And if you must know it's because I ripped apart the kiddy pool because I was bored when I was a baby which left me soaked in water. Dmitri joked about how I looked like a water monster and his mom went along with this so she jokingly told Dmitri to name me Maris. Of course, she didn't expect him to take this seriously and eagerly agreed to this. So here I am, improperly named because of some kiddy pool, but I still like my name though,)" Maris told Lucario proudly.

Maris then gazed at Lucario for a bit before opening her mouth to speak.

"(So if you don't mind me asking, why hasn't "rebel without a cause" given you name yet?)" Maris questioned Lucario who gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"(Well, if can't answer that, then how bout' you tell me what was going on through your head when me and Dmitri walked away from the match?)" Maris asked Lucario who perked up at this question.

"(If you honestly want to know what I thought, then you should know that my respect for you grew immensely. It takes courage to know when to give up, but it takes even more to quit when you see that your opponent is pushing themselves too hard,)" Lucario answered respectfully.

Maris smiled in appreciation for this compliment before their trainers called to them that they were about to move on. They both nodded to each other respectfully before returning to their trainer's sides and waited for them to finish whatever they were doing.

"Catherine, we don't need to take anymore pictures. I think three is enough to show that we're happy that we arrived in Sinnoh," Delia told Catherine annoyingly.

"Um, guys, we should probably head out now, before it gets dark," Dmitri told his friends hastily.

"Dmitri, it's only 3:30, we have plenty of time so let's just take it slow and enjoy the walk," Catherine told him dryly.

They all seemed to agree on this and headed off the docks and onto the trail which would lead them to Twinleaf Town first. No one spoke except for Dmitri telling himself that he would call his mom and Hope to tell them that they got to Sinnoh without any problems, but other than that it was completely silent. Catherine decided to try to get better acquainted with Delia and broke the fragile silence.

"So Delia, how are the ranks at the Battle Academy scaled in power?" Catherine asked Delia as they continued walking down the trail.

"Battle rookies are usually equal in power with a trainer who has 3-4 badges; battle aces are just as powerful as trainers with 5-6 badges; while battle masters are the same as trainers who have collected all eight badges," Delia answered without even looking at Catherine.

"Um okay, so how are you so powerful even though you're just a battle ace? When I saw you battling at the tournament, you definitely showed the skill to be a battle master," Catherine told Delia who glared at her, sending chills up her spine.

"Flattery will not make me like you better girl. And it's just common sense for someone of high or low rank to get more power and experience through constant battles at the academy considering it's just battles, class, more battles, lunch, battles, and P.E.," Delia told her simply.

"Oh…okay," Catherine said awkwardly before seeing a buildings in the distance.

"Hey guys…I hope I'm not interrupting your conversation, but I believe we've reached Twinleaf Town," Dmitri told them as he gazed around the small town.

It was…nice to him. There were grass plains as far as the eye could see and there were small, cozy homes around them. He smiled softly at the quaintness of the town and wondered what his life would have been like if he had been raised in a small, cozy home instead of a giant mansion. He sighed before taking out his pokegear and dialed his mom's number to inform her of their progress. The pokegear gave out a few beeps before his mom finally answered and she seemed absolutely ecstatic that he called.

"Hi sweetie pie, how's your journey coming along so far?" Karen asked her son curiously while Catherine, Lucario, and Maris tried to suppress their laughter in the background.

Dmitri blushed heavily before responding with:

"Everything's alright so far, we had a run in with a few unsavory people who didn't like Maris walking around and I entered a tournament, but was eliminated in the first round," Dmitri answered.

"Don't let that loss get you down son, you've just got to find out what you did wrong and improve upon it," Karen told her son encouragingly.

"Actually mom, I forfeited the match so I didn't exactly lose the traditional way," Dmitri replied reluctantly which caused his mother to be silent for a few minutes before finally responding.

"Why did you forfeit Dmitri? Answer me," Karen questioned her son in a low, dangerous tone.

"B-because…the trainer I…I was facing was p-pushing their partner too hard mom, honest," Dmitri fearfully stuttered out.

Karen was once again silent for a few moments before speaking again.

"That's good son, you didn't want to see their pokemon get hurt so you gave up so they wouldn't get hurt anymore. You're showing promise as a trainer and I'm not regretting sending you on a journey," Karen responded proudly.

"Thank you mom, we…uh…also have a new traveling partner too," Dmitri told his mom.

"Oh, is it a girl, is she cute?" Karen asked her son teasingly as Dmitri flushed red.

Maris simply couldn't hold it in any longer and finally burst out into a fit of laughter with Catherine and Lucario following suit. Delia just smiled widely and crossed her arms under her chest while Dmitri continued to blush in embarrassment.

"H-how d-did you know it was a girl mom?" Dmitri asked his mom quietly.

"Oh, just call it mother's instinct sweetie. It's nice to see that you guys are doing well and I wish you good fortune on your journey. Stephanie wishes you and Maris good luck as well-"

"(When you're done yapping I want to talk to Junior before that creepy psychiatrist dude and his weirdo pokemon start gnawing away at my sanity,)" Stephanie rudely interrupted.

"Wait, Hope is there too?" Dmitri asked confusedly.

"Yes hon, he is and he's heard everything so far-"

"(Yo, aren't you forgetting something Karen? Let me speak to Junior!)" Stephanie shouted at her friend on the other line.

"Wait your turn you overgrown shrub! I'm trying to talk to my son and I can't do so when you're glaring at me like that!" Karen retorted as a small struggle seemed to ensue over the pokegear which caused Dmitri to stare at the device awkwardly.

After a few moments passed with the sounds of tussling in the background, Stephanie finally spoke on the other line.

"(Well Junior, your mother has been restrained for now so I have something important to say to you. Can you bring Maris over here too it's important,)" Stephanie asked Dmitri.

Dmitri called over Maris who seemed quite astonished that Stephanie would want to talk to her, of all the pokemon.

"(Yeah Steph, what do you want? If you're going to berate me I swear to Arceus that I'm going to walk away,)" Maris said in a bitter tone, upsetting Stephanie slightly, but they couldn't tell over the pokegear.

"(Look, Dmitri and Maris, you guys, Karen, and Delia are really the only family I've known. And I know I don't say it very often, I really do love you guys and I want you to stay safe on your journey. With the way you guys battled that psycho psychiatrist, I know you'll go far in the Sinnoh League,)" Stephanie stated in a caring tone, one Dmitri and Maris only heard when she was being serious.

"Thanks Stephanie, that means a lot," Dmitri replied gratefully.

"(Yeah…um…thanks I guess,)" Maris replied with a blush on her face.

"By the way Stephanie, what did you do to my mom?" Dmitri asked Stephanie.

"(Don't worry Junior; I just coiled around her-)"

"When I get out of this, you're a dead snake Stephanie!" Karen yelled angrily at Stephanie on the other line.

"(Well Junior and Ragamuffin, good luck,)" Stephanie said to them seriously as she hung up.

Dmitri stared at the pokegear for a bit before returning to Delia and Catherine with Maris close behind him. After a few teasing jokes from Catherine and Lucario, they all headed down route 201 with a few random trainers staring at Maris in particular in a curious manner. Maris just sighed and paid them no mind. Really though, was seeing an exotic pokemon from another region that big of a deal? Dmitri just tried to ignore them and continued walking down the trail until a young boy emerged from the tall grass, pointing at Dmitri.

"Hey kid, how would you care for a battle with that weird pokemon of yours?" the young boy said as more of a command rather than a question.

Maris just glared at the kid, but managed to restrain the urge to yell at him. Dmitri noticed this and tried to resolve the situation peacefully.

"No thank you, we all just want to get to Sandgem Town, get registered as official trainers, and be on our way," Dmitri stated calmly which caused the boy to freak out.

"W-what, but you can't refuse a battle! I looked at you dead in the eye!" the young boy stuttered out.

At this comment, Delia, Dmitri, Maris, Catherine, and Lucario raised their eyebrows and stared at the young boy quizzically. Delia was the first one to speak up after the initial confusion.

"So?" Delia asked the kid who was starting to get on her nerves.

"Sooo…it means that you can't refuse a battle so you have no choice but to fight me!" the boy shouted with pride as he gripped a pokeball in his pocket and threw it were Dmitri was nearly standing.

A small, purple rat like creature materialized from the white light which caused Delia, Dmitri, and Maris to stare at it strangely while Lucario and Catherine just face-palmed at the kid's choice of pokemon. Dmitri shook his head before looking at Maris who scowled and slowly approached the purple rat.

"Alright Rattata, start this off with bite!" the kid commanded as Rattata charged at Maris with its fangs bared while Maris just looked away; disinterested.

When Rattata finally reached Maris, it chomped down as hard as it possibly could on the Martial Arts pokemon, but found to its shock that she gave no shriek in pain as it expected. As gently as she could muster, Maris shook off Rattata from her ankle and with a soft thud, landed near its trainer with swirls in its eyes. The boy started bawling furiously while calling Dmitri "Meanie!", "Creep!", "Bully!"

Dmitri just seemed rather downcast and looked at Maris sadly who frowned in response.

"Did you have to be so rough?" Dmitri scolded his friend who gave an annoyed sigh while throwing her arms up in the air.

The boy quickly picked up his fallen friend and ran off into the tall grass, mumbling something about getting his older brother to beat up Maris later.

"Well…that happened," Catherine said bluntly as she resumed walking down Route 201 with her friends following suit.

As they continued walking through tall grass, gawking trainers, and debris, a small ledge stood in their way of finally making it to their desired destination. Dmitri and Catherine cursed their bad luck while Delia, Lucario, and Maris stared at the ledge mockingly as if it was foolish for standing in their way. Without warning, Lucario and Maris grabbed their trainers by their waist, and with little difficulty, threw them up onto the ledge.

Catherine screamed at the top of her lungs while Dmitri just gave a small shriek in surprise as they were catapulted into the air. Catherine landed unceremoniously on her bottom, gripping it in pain, while Dmitri somehow managed to roll with it and collided with a tree.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! My butt, I need that to walk!" Catherine breathed out as she massaged her bruised bottom.

Dmitri rolled onto his side and got back up slowly as all he felt was a slight stinging sensation from his back colliding with the tree. Catherine and Dmitri were soon joined by their friends as Delia landed like a graceful Swanna while Lucario and Maris just landed hard on one foot. Lucario looked at her master and couldn't help but laugh at her predicament. Reducing her laughter to silent chuckles, she walked over to her master and helped her to her feet with Maris doing the same.

"Lucario, you brute! Don't you ever do something like that again…without telling me first," Catherine shouted at her chuckling pokemon.

"Maris, a warning next time would be nice," Dmitri told Maris plainly.

"(No promises, but I will try next time,)" Maris replied casually as she shouldered Dmitri.

The group then continued on their way to Sandgem Town as planned with Lucario and Maris aiding their friends in walking. Delia just smiled ever so slightly at her childhood friend and her recent friend's little accident before seeing buildings in the distance surrounded by sand. Picking up the pace, Delia speed walked towards the town with Lucario and Maris abandoning shouldering their friends and just carried them bridal style to catch up to Delia.

"Wow, this place is so-"

"Sandy?" Catherine said, cutting off Delia.

"I was going to say dull, but that works too," Delia stated as she looked at a sign next to a bright blue building that said "Professor Rowan's Lab."

Shrugging at the convenience of finding the lab so quickly, she beckoned her friends to follow her as they walked through the door, finding Professor Rowan already talking to a trainer with some sort of yellow rat on his shoulder. They both turned when they heard the door open and were bewildered at the sight of two pokemon carrying two teenager's bridal style while the girl in the middle seemed rather amused at her companion's misfortune. The trainer and his pokemon stared rather curiously at Maris as they've never seen a pokemon like her before; causing her to scowl at them.

"Hello there Delia Shiina and Dmitri Long…and their friend whose name I'm unfamiliar with. You're here to be registered as trainers, yes?" Professor Rowan asked in a gruff tone.

"How did you know our names?" Delia asked suspiciously.

"Well you see I got a phone call earlier this morning by one Karen Long, and let me tell you getting a call from such an accomplished trainer such as herself surprised me. Anyway, she told me to look for her son and her friend and gave me a brief description on what you two looked. Fortunately, she also gave out your names as well so that meant I wouldn't have to question every trainer who came in here if they were you or not," Professor Rowan replied quickly as he took out two red devices from his pocket and six pokeballs and handed it to the two Battle Academy students.

"The red device you see here is a pokedex which not only records data from the pokemon you capture, but it also serves as a trainer's method of identification," Professor Rowan told Dmitri and Delia.

"Hey, what about me Professor Rowan? Don't I get one?" Catherine yelled at the professor.

"Ah yes, of course. Please come right this way miss," Professor Rowan said as Lucario put down her master and allowed her to walk on her own power.

Delia, Dmitri, and Maris were left with the strange trainer and his companion who stared at them curiously while the trainer eyed them with interest. Maris looked at the yellow rat and pondered what pokemon it could be.

"(Perhaps it's the evolved form of that purple rat I fought earlier?)" Maris thought curiously.

The trainer in question walked up to Dmitri with a smile on his face and extended his hand.

"Hi there, my names Ash and this is my buddy Pikachu," Ash said cheerfully as Dmitri grasped his hand and shook it.

"I'm... Dmitri, this is my best friend Delia, and the pokemon you see is my best friend Maris," Dmitri replied while Maris rolled her eyes.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Karen Long by any chance right?" Ash questioned Dmitri.

"Yes, she's my mother and a great one at that," Dmitri told Ash proudly.

"No way! You're lucky to have a strong trainer like her for a mother Dmitri," Ash complimented.

Delia stared at Ash for a while before something lit up in her head like a bright light; reminding her just exactly who she was meeting.

"You would be the same Ash Ketchum who placed in the top 16 in the Indigo Conference, the top 8 in the Silver Conference, and the top 8 in the Ever Grande Conference correct?" Delia asked Ash sternly who turned to her with a childish grin on his face.

"That's right, who's asking?" Ash replied smugly.

Smirking, Delia quickly removed a pokeball from her waist and pointed it at a still smirking Ash.

"My name is Delia Shiina, fourth year student of Unova's Battle Academy and I challenge you to a pokemon battle, Ash Ketchum!"