"Just as I said before, not all Pokémon are either good or bad. It is the same with Trainers.
Not all Trainers care for their Pokémon as they are supposed to, and some will even abandon their Pokémon if they feel that their Pokémon is not performing up to their impossible standards.
This is the reason I opened up a new, smaller ranch near the Resort Area; so that all Pokémon who had been abandoned by Trainers could be taken care of and cared for properly, and hopefully—one day—be given to a brand-new Trainer who will love and care for them…"
"Good morning," Alyssandra said. She shifted into the booth beside Sam for breakfast.
"Morning, Lyss," Sam and Jeremy replied in unison.
"Has Nurse Joy finished with our Pokémon?" asked Alyssandra. She reached over and helped herself to some of the toast and eggs.
Sam nodded. "Almost. She's just feeding them and giving them a final examination. They'll be ready by the time we check out today."
Alyssandra's response was halted why the wave of gossip coming from the table next to theirs. The entire group remained quiet as they listened in on the loud trainers.
"Did you hear about that Trainer who battled a wild Ursaring?" asked one of the two boys in the conversation.
The other boy, who had sandy coloured hair, shook his head. "Nuh-uh, what happened?"
The first boy, with black hair, explained further. "It was late last night. This Trainer was coming to the Pokémon Centre, when he walked into an angry Ursaring. It attacked, but he managed to beat it—scared it away with his Chimchar."
"Wow!" exclaimed the other boy. "That Chimchar must be pretty powerful!"
The dark-haired boy nodded. "Yeah, and I hear the Chimchar is still here."
"What about the trainer, Is he staying here?"
The other boy shook his head. "Nope," he said. "He just left the Chimchar passed out in the lobby and walked out."
The group tuned out for the remainder of the conversation. They had heard enough.
"That's despicable," said Alyssandra biting back anger. "To put a new Pokémon like that up against an Ursaring.
"Not to mention this guy just left his Pokémon here," added Sam. "We don't even know if he's coming back."
"Horrible, just horrible," said Jeremy. He shook his head.
Suddenly, a boy with blonde hair burst into the dining hall in frenzy. "Hey guys! It's that trainer who beat off the Ursaring! He's here!"
Sam looked at the others, and they all came to a silent unanimous decision.
All of them got up and joined the other trainers in the entrance hall. The three scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of the fabled trainer that was supposed to be arriving.
Then they saw him, standing in the middle of the Pokémon Centre, with a smug look on his face. His hair was silver, medium length and groomed back neatly. He wore white jeans, and a grey t-shirt beneath his thick grey sweater. He was having a heated discussion with Nurse Joy—who seemed quite flustered—and as far as the group could tell, he wasn't affected by any of it.
"So, where's my Chimchar?" he asked. "Is the thing still passed out?"
"That Chimchar is very hurt from you making it battle that Ursaring!" scolded Nurse Joy. "It's still recovering. What were you thinking putting it up against a high-level Pokémon like that? It could have ended up a lot worse!"
"If Chimchar can't learn to hold its own against other Pokémon, then it's not even worth my time," the trainer replied. Boredom dripped from every word. "Chimchar is weak, and it needs to be toughened up."
"That's a horrible thing to say!" shouted Sam as he burst through the crowd. His rage had been building, and he couldn't contain it any longer.
"And who are you?" asked the trainer. "And why do you even care?"
"I'm Sam Accardi., and I don't' like the way you're treating your Pokémon."
"That's none of your concern, buddy," scoffed the trainer. "Now, Nurse Joy, I'll be back later for the runt. See ya."
The trainer turned on his heels and walked back out the door.
Whispers echoed through the gathered crowd, but a steely look from Nurse Joy sent the other trainers fleeing back to their breakfasts and the excitement died down.
Alyssandra and Jeremy joined Sam and Nurse Joy at the centre of the hall.
"I can't believe you went out there and did that," said Jeremy in amazement. "He must have really ticked you off, huh?"
Sam clenched his fist. "You have no idea."
Few things could make Sam's temper flare like this, but injustice—like the abuse of a person or Pokémon—made his blood absolutely boil.
Alyssandra looked over at the frustrated Nurse Joy. "Who is that boy?"
Nurse Joy sighed. "His name is Richard. He's from Sandgem Town, and he just started his Pokémon journey a few months ago. He's been around this area for a while, training with his Chimchar, ever since he lost to Roark at the Oreburgh Gym."
"So, he comes here often?" asked Jeremy.
Nurse Joy nodded. Her eyes downcast. "Almost every few days, and every time Chimchar's wounds get progressively worse. It's horrible. I know Richard, and the Ursaring didn't ambush him like he says. Ursaring can be aggressive, but only after they've been provoked, otherwise they tend to shy away from most humans. Most likely he went and disturbed the Pokémon himself."
"He's a horrible Trainer," said Sam through gritted teeth. "I don't know how he was ever allowed to have a Pokémon."
"Well, he didn't always used to be like this," said Nurse Joy with a hint of disappointment. "But I think losing to Roark was a big blow to his ego. He's been frustrated with his progress, and he's taking it out on his Pokémon."
"Haven't you tried calling the police?" asked Alyssandra. "I'm sure Officer Jenny would take care of him in no time."
"I've tried," said Nurse Joy. "But I've never had any physical or conclusive proof to back it up. People come in here all the time with injured Pokémon, there's nothing odd about that. The last time I tried to call her she said there was nothing she could do without conclusive proof. She wanted to believe me, and help, but she couldn't. Anyway, I'm sorry you all had to see that, should I go get your Pokémon for you? They're all in top fighting shape again, and I'm sure you're all eager to get to Jubilife City."
"That'd be great," said Alyssandra. "Thank you so much for taking care of them for us, and for judging the match yesterday."
"Oh, it was nothing," said Nurse Joy. "It was my pleasure. In fact, it was quite fun to watch you three battle. You've got bright futures ahead of you."
"Hey, guys, do you think we could hold off on leaving for a bit?" asked Sam. "Maybe head out a little later?"
"Sure, what did you have in mind?" asked Jeremy.
"You're not going to go confront that trainer, are you?" asked Alyssandra. "I don't want you hitting him."
"I do want to confront him, but not in a fight," explained Sam. "Not a fist-fight anyway. I'm going to challenge him to a battle and a wager."
"And what are you going to use as collateral?" asked Jeremy.
Sam smiled. "Chimchar. If Richard wins, I'll let him keep Chimchar, and I'll pay him all the money I have, but if he loses I'm going to liberate his Chimchar."
"Is that even legal?" Alyssandra asked Nurse Joy. "Can he do that?"
Nurse Joy paused for a moment to think. "It's hard to say. If both parties come to an agreement before witnesses and an official league judge assents to referee the match."
Sam looked over at the people in the dining hall, and then to Nurse Joy. "It's a good thing we have both."
Nurse Joy feigned a stern look. "I'll assent, as long as you promise me Chimchar will be properly loved and cared for."
Sam nodded. "I will, I promise."
"Then I will referee your match once you two have to terms," replied Nurse Joy.
Sam turned to his friends. "Make sure you get everyone out into the foyer once Richard arrives. The more witnesses we have, the better. Spread the news around, on the down low, and get everyone riled up beforehand."
Sam's friends agreed and went back off to the dining hall to being their delicate work.
"Here are your Pokémon," said Nurse Joy as she handed everyone back their Poké Balls.
"I'm going out to wait for Richard," said Sam. "He should be back in a few hours."
Richard walked into the Pokémon Centre wearing a smug smirk proudly on his face. He walked right past Sam without even noticing.
Within minutes of his arrival, like clockwork, a crowd had begun to form in the main hall of the Pokémon Centre as everyone anticipated what was about to happen. Richard paid no head to the crowd, blissfully unaware of the wool about to pulled over his eyes.
"I'm here for my Chimchar," declared Richard. "Where is he?"
Sam watched Richard and Nurse Joy from his bench in the corner, waiting for the right moment to step in.
Nurse Joy, fighting back her anger, passed Richard his Poké Ball. "There. Now you had better start taking care of that Chimchar."
"Yeah, yeah," said Richard apathetically. "Whatever you say."
Richard pocketed the Poké Ball and made to leave, but Sam stepped in his path before he could reach the door.
"Richard," said Sam. It was both a question and a challenge.
"You again?" asked Richard "Get out of my way. You're really starting to bug me."
"I'm not moving," said Sam firmly. "I told you, I don't like the way you treat your Pokémon, and I'm going to do something about it."
Richard scoffed. "You're going to 'do something about it'? I'd love to see what you're going to do."
Sam bit back his rage and spoke calmly. "I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle. Just to make it interesting, let's make a wager over the battle. Winner takes all."
Richard raised an eyebrow. "What are the stakes?"
"You win, you keep Chimchar, and I'll pay you one hundred thousand Poké-Yen," said Sam.
Richard smiled, enticed by the sound of the prize dangled before him. "Ho ho, we have a high roller here. And if I lose? Which will never happen by the way."
"You release Chimchar into my care, and leave on your merry way," said Sam. "Do you think you can handle it?"
Richard thought over the wager for a moment, greedily waying his options. Finally, he responded. "Deal. Chimchar may be a weak little runt but I'm sure it'll kick your dumb Pokémon's butt from here to Jubilife, and then I'll be rolling in all your cash."
Richard looked over at Alyssandra in the assembled crow, and winked at her. "Maybe once I've got your money, I'll take your cute little friend over there out on a date, show her a what a real man looks like."
Alyssandra looked like she might vomit.
Sam's teeth nearly cracked from how hard he bit down. His jaw clenched, teeth grinding. He exhaled slowly. He could afford to lose this match because he couldn't keep his cool.
"Come on then," Sam said coolly. "Let's start this match. Nurse Joy will you referee for us?"
"Of course," she replied firmly.
The bait was taken, and the trap was sprung. Now all Sam had to do was win.
The two opponents walked out towards the battlefield in the back and took up positions at opposite ends. As they did, the large crowd of trainers from the Pokémon Centre started to crowd around the field, eager to see how this would go down.
Alyssandra and Jeremy stood beside the judge's position, cheering Sam on with all their Pokémon.
Nurse Joy stood between Sam and Richard at the edge of the field. "The battle between Sam of Twinleaf Town and Richard of Sandgem Town is about to begin! Each Trainer will use one Pokémon! Begin the fight!"
Richard reacted first, and sent his Chimchar out onto the field, while Sam quickly followed by calling out his Prinplup.
"Remember Prinplup," Sam said to his Pokémon. "We don't want to rough up Chimchar too much, we just want to win this so Chimchar can be released."
Prinplup nodded.
Richard pounced first. "Chimchar, use Scratch on Prinplup!"
"Prinplup dodge!" cried Sam. "Retaliate with Peck!"
Prinplup did as commanded and jumped back as Chimchar came in for a swipe, then tipped itself forward and attacked with its empowered beak.
"Chimchar evade!" cried Richard. "Then use Ember!"
But Richard reacted too slow, and Prinplup's peck collided with Chimchar, knocking the Pokémon back and sending it bouncing across the field.
"Get up you little runt!" roared Richard. "Use Ember on Prinplup, now!"
Chimchar reluctantly did as it was told.
Prinplup guarded his face with his fins. The flames had hurt, but it wasn't detrimental.
"Fire type attacks are weak against Water type Pokémon," said Sam with a vengeful smile. "But I'm sure a weak trainer such as myself doesn't need to tell you, a big strong trainer, something like that, do I?"
"Grrr—Chimchar, use Fury Swipes, now!" yelled Richard.
Sam knew then that he was going to be the victor. Richard was letting his anger take over, and once a trainer lost their cool, their failure was assured. A level head was a important part of victory.
"Prinplup, block and use Metal Claw!" said Sam.
Chimchar came in for another swipe, but Sam's Prinplup was prepared. Its claws began to glow, and it blocked Chimchar's swipe with ease. Prinplup then pivoted on its feet, and broke the block, and struck Chimchar in the chest with a Metal Claw.
Chimchar flew back and hit the ground.
Sam looked at the Chimchar, hoping that it would give up soon. Sam didn't want to hurt it anymore, he just wanted to prove a point to Richard.
Chimchar struggled to get up.
Richard yelled. "Get up! Come on, stand up! Keep fighting!"
But Chimchar—fortunately for Sam—remained on the ground, unable to muster the strength to go on. Sam wondered how much truth there was to the Ursaring story he had heard earlier—after an Ursaring, Prinplup should have been no problem.
"Chimchar is unable to battle!" announced Nurse Joy. "The match is over! Sam is the victor!"
The crowd erupted in chatter and gossip. Cheers went up for those who had put their bets on Sam, while jeers came from those who had bet on Richard. But regardless of their feelings, the match had been decided.
Richard gritted his teeth, gnashing them together as he growled with rage. He stormed over to Chimchar. "What's wrong with you?"
Sam ran over to intercede before Richard could reneg on his promise. "I won. Let Chimchar go. We had a deal."
"So what?" spat Richard.
"We made a wager, and there are witnesses." Sam gestured to the whispering crowd. "And Nurse Joy, an official Pokémon League judge, refereed our match. Our agreement is binding, as per the rules."
"Rules are for people who can't win on their own." Richards words were tinged in hurt and venom. He pulled out Chimchar's Poké Ball. Just as he was about to recall the Pokémon, Sam grabbed it from his hands, threw it on the ground and stepped on it, breaking the Poké Ball into pieces. A blue light surrounded Chimchar, and then burst into a rain of sparkles.
There was a dramatic gasp from the crowd. Nurse Joy ran over to ensure things didn't get worse.
Richard glared at Sam. He reached forward, rage in his eyes, trying to put his hands around Sam's neck, but Sam moved first. He pulled back his hand and his fist connected with Richard's nose.
Richard stumbled back and held his fountain of a nose. Blood seeped from between his fingers, tears welled in his eyes. He glared up at Sam through his hands.
Nurse Joy had reached the two boys too late. Regret was clear in her face—but she'd be lying if she said it didn't bring her a little satisfaction to see Richard put ni his place.
"You! How dare you!" he cried.
Sam stood upright, trying to be intimidating. "We had a deal. Now you can step inside quietly and get some medical help, or you can leave."
Richard's mouth flapped like a dying Magikarp, but in the end he couldn't muster up the words or the courage and slinked off back to the Pokémon Centre with Nurse Joy.
Sam turned back to Chimchar. "Hey, Chimchar. I'm sorry you had to see that, and I'm sorry for doing that to you during the fight. I just needed to win so you could be free from your bad trainer."
The Chimchar seemed to understand. It sat up, still exhausted from the fight.
"Don't worry. You won't be alone from now on, and in fact, I'd like you to come travel with us for a bit, if that's all right?"
Chimchar paused for a second. It seemed in thought, before responding with clapping hands and happy cries.
Sam pulled out an empty Poké Ball and captured Chimchar. The Pokémon, both tired and willingly won over, did not resist.
Alyssandra and Jeremy approached the scene.
"I told you not to hit him," scolded Alyssandra. "But I suppose this time it was necessary. I'm proud of you." Alyssandra gave Sam a small hug and a peck on the cheek, while Jeremy patted him on the back.
"You did good buddy," he said. "You gave that Chimchar a good home, and now it's part of our family."
"So, we're family now?" asked Sam.
Alyssandra nodded. "Ever since we started this journey."
To that, Sam could only smile, glad that Chimchar was now part of this "loving family" and happy to know that it was now going to be well taken care of.
