Chapter Two

I looked up at the city in awe. I'd been walking for weeks to reach this point, the only safe gateway to the next region over. Officially, under my new identity, I'd caught Fluffy in this region and my lottery Pokemon had perished. Dr. Nova had urged me to catch another Pokemon as quickly as possible. He'd also told me I needed to grow out my beard to obscure my face—we had no idea how many civilians would be able to recognize me as a man on the run.

But I'd never been to a city before. After spending so much time on the road I was sure I looked terrible. I'd tried making myself presentable but there was a limit to what I could do in a stream. As I debated how I should approach the gates, a man came up behind me and clapped me on the back.

"Hello! First time in Hawthorne City?" He was a tall, muscular man with a long blond beard and a bandanna tied over his messy hair. He had a hiking pack as well as four Pokeballs on his belt.

"Yes."

His eyes went to Fluffy. "Just starting out, eh? Normally kids leave in a group to start out with. At least that's how it was in my town."

I shrugged. "It's just me."

"Well that's okay! How about I show you to the Trainer District? I was heading there myself."

"Yeah, thank you." I stuck out my hand. "My name is Drake Brown."

"Nice to meet you Drake! I'm Hoch." His grip was firm. I wondered what kind of Pokemon he had. He was older than me but not by much. Four Pokemon wasn't outlandish if he was a good trainer.

Hoch's hand went to a Pokeball and he released the creature inside. A Chatot burst out and greeted us with a song, landing comfortably on Hoch's shoulder. "Biene, see if you can find Molly or Andrax, will you?"

"Chatot!" It flew off into the city. Hoch turned to look at me.

"I was supposed to meet some friends here but I don't know if they're here yet. But anyways, the Trainer District. Do you have any money?"

"Not much. I'd rather save it in case I need a Potion or something." He started walking and I scrambled to follow, relieved when I crossed the city entrance without setting off any alarms. I realized that Hoch's legs were quite long. I've never thought of myself as short, but I felt a bit like a Diglett standing next to an Onix.

"No worries. You can battle for a bed and a decent meal, you know. There are beginner rounds too, so don't worry about being matched up with a Gyarados or a Haxorus. And they're sanctioned matches, of course."

I glanced down at Fluffy. She had gotten bigger since I'd first gotten her but she was still a little thing. I'd trained her every day, making her practice her moves and sending her after whatever weak Pokemon we came across, but I had no idea how long until I would get a chance to get my hands on a Fire Stone so that she could evolve.

"Thanks for showing me around."

"Of course! You kids have it rough these days. It's almost like they make things deliberately confusing to discourage new trainers. I mean, they don't even have signs leading to the Trainer District. What's up with that?"

I could only shrug as he went off on describing his favorite places to eat in the city. A saw a Mr. Mime washing windows next to a Ribombee carrying an old woman's groceries. There were Pokemon everywhere. Pidgeys and Pidoves flew together in the skies and I spotted a Grimer reaching up from the sewer to grab an apple someone had dropped. We passed a Rapidash racing track as well as a Persian cafe where all the servers dressed like sexy Meowths. A businessmen walked quickly down the street talking on his PokeNav while his Snivy rested on his shoulder. I thought I had finally gotten used to the bustle when we turned onto the street of the Trainer District.

Every lamppost was covered in flyers advertising trades. Banners were hung detailing the upcoming battle tournaments and their prizes. We passed a Daycare with flashing neon signs that read "We'll train your Pokemon so you can rest!" in one window as well as "Our trained professionals are the best at what they do!" in another with a giant smiling Totodile painted on to the building. Two people were openly battling on the street, one commanding their Spiritomb to use Shadow Sneak while the other yelled for their Lycanroc to dodge and use Rock Tomb.

"You okay?" Hoch asked. I realized I was gawking like the country hick I was.

"Sorry. I've never been in a city this big before."

"It's a lot to take in, I know. Just wait until you get to Capital City! Man, I could wander those streets for months and still not take in everything there is to see. It's incredible, really. When you go, I suggest you go see the Snorlax wrestling. It's easily among the top ten most amusing things I've seen in my life."

"I'll have to check it out."

We stopped in front of a plain gray building that stretched up high into the sky. Above the door was a sign that simply read "Trainer Headquarters" in big steel letters.

"Well, this is it. I have an apartment up the street I share with my friends in the area and I'm sure Biene is already waiting for me. Can I register you in my PokeNav?"

"Sure," I said, trying to push down the excitement I felt at his words. Hoch would be the first contact I had in my PokeNav, other than a contact that said Uncle Ross which was actually a secure line I could use to contact Dr. Nova in an emergency.

As Hoch walked off I couldn't help but remember Dr. Nova's words. "You'll need friends to get you through your journey, but remember that you can't ever consider them your real friends. You never know who would turn you in for a reward. You need people you can use, not people you can trust. No one is trustworthy these days."

I hadn't wanted to believe him then and I didn't want to believe him now. Surely someone, somewhere, hated the system as much as I did. I couldn't be the only person whose parent had screwed them over only to be continually screwed over by the system we were told is for our protection. For now, I had Fluffy and she was all I'd need.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the big metal doors to the Trainer Headquarters. The lobby was mostly empty other than a girl and her Clauncher sleeping on a padded bench. I went to the reception desk and waited for the woman to get off the phone. "Hello, first time here?" she asked in a perky voice.

"Yeah. I've actually never been to a city before."

She smiled wide. "Welcome to Hawthorne City! I've lived here my whole life. I always say there's no better place on earth!" She pulled out a scanner. "Can I see your PokeNav and we'll register that you've checked in? You'll need to check in to use any of our services, from the cafeteria to the battle hall."

I hesitated for only a second. Dr. Nova assured me that my fake identity would work no problem. If my dad could hack the system then I was sure the man who made the system knew how to work around it. I held out my wrist and let her scan my PokeNav.

"Excellent. It's a pleasure to meet you, Drake. Let me give you a brief overview of Headquarters, okay? The Battle Hall is sub-floor 2 and 3, the cafeteria is sub-floor 1, the lobby and PokeCenter are on the first floor, the common room and communal showers are on floor 2 along with our clinic should you yourself need to see a doctor, and floor 3 and up are residential areas. Depending on how long you plan to stay we have different housing options available." She passed me a pamphlet detailing the costs associated with different housing plans. "While there is no free housing, the PokeCenter and the clinic are always free and the cafeteria has a free vegetable set you can choose."

I glanced at the girl sleeping on the bench. How long had she been there? Could I sleep there too?

The receptionist followed my gaze and dropped her voice to a whisper. "Normally we don't allow this sort of thing but my supervisor is on vacation so I let it slide for today. She tried winning a bed in the Battle Hall but her poor Clauncher kept getting matched against Electric or Grass types until Nurse Joy forbid her from battling for three days." Her voice returned to normal volume. "But speaking of the Battle Hall, I have the rules here as well as what you can win at each level. I assume you'll be participating in the beginner's rank." Another pamphlet was handed across the desk.

"Thank you. I think I'll go get something to eat and look these over."

"Of course, take your time! You can register for a battle at any time, they run from sunrise to midnight every day. I'll sign you up for your first battle but for every entry after that you'll be able to use your PokeNav. It's the same for the Trainer Headquarters in every city, though prices and prizes vary from place to place."

"Thank you for all your help," I said. I went to the elevator and pressed the button to go down to the cafeteria. Suddenly I felt someone approach me. I glanced behind me and saw that the sleeping girl was now awake standing behind me, her Clauncher cradled in her arms.

"You woke me up," she said. Her hair was a little messy from her nap and I could see a spot of drool in the corner of her mouth.

"I'm sorry?" I said as the elevator arrived. I got in and hit sub-floor 1. She didn't hit any other buttons and the doors closed.

"I'm Merry. What's your name?"

"Drake."

"Do you have money for a room?"

I shook my head. "I just got here."

She looked at Fluffy. "Is that your only Pokemon?"

"For now."

The corner of her mouth curled up. "Isaac could totally beat him."

"Fluffy is tougher than she looks. Isn't that right, girl?" Fluffy barked once and rubbed her head against my hand. I ruffled her fur affectionately.

"You got totally lucky with your lottery Pokemon. Once she's big enough you can totally ride her. Even when Isaac evolves the best he'll be able to do is pull me through the water fast enough to get water up my nose." The elevator dinged and opened. "Would you share your lunch with me? I don't eat much."

"I don't have any money. You can get your own vegetable set."

She pouted. "I'm sick of vegetables." Still, she stood in the short line with me and we gave our order to the chef who in turn ordered his Simisage to begin preparing our plates. "Have you been a Trainer for long?"

"Not really. I only left home a few months ago. It took me forever to get here trying to avoid the dangerous Pokemon." I decided I'd lie about my age and pretend I had just graduated. It would be easier than trying to explain why I had waited a few years to go out into the world.

"My big brother is a strong Trainer and said I could adventure with him but once we got here he told me I was a drag and left with his friends. Now I can't leave the city until I win a Pokeball. I lost my first one trying to catch a Dratini. I seriously almost had it!"

The Simisage handed over our trays along with two bowls of PokeFood. As she was still carrying her Pokemon, I took Merry's tray and picked a table for us then went back for the PokeFood. It was two hours past noon so the cafeteria was mostly empty besides a few groups who were sipping on coffee and chatting. I wondered how busy it would be for the breakfast rush in the morning.

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it! TJ promised my parents he'd take care of me but he totally lied to their faces."

"Can't you go home?"

Merry pouted. "No! My mom was totally against the whole thing to begin with. She said I should stay home and learn to cook and find some rich guy to marry. As if. My parents are nice people but they're so boring. I can't even tell them TJ abandoned me or they'd get an escort here and drag me home."

The vegetables weren't bad. Better than the dry rations I'd been munching on since leaving Dr. Nova's place. Fluffy didn't seem to have any complaints about her food either.

Merry just picked at her plate. I came to the conclusion that her looks couldn't possibly be more plain. She had dull brown eyes and flat, muddy brown hair that went to her chin with a face that would be impossible to pick out of a crowd. She wasn't skinny and she wasn't fat and if I had to bet I'd place money on her being the exact average height for women. She wore the standard trainer wear they sold in PokeMarts across the county and had no accessories like I'd seen other girls wear.

"You know, you should shave your beard. It makes you look like an old man."

I managed to smile. "It grows too fast and I can't be bothered to shave it twice a day."

Merry nodded. "I used to cut my dad's hair all the time. How about this—I'll trim your beard so you don't look like you just crawled out of the woods and if you win a room in the Battle Hall you let me share it with you."

I cocked my head. "Share a room with me? Uh..." I had no intention of taking advantage of this girl but her willingness to be in a room alone with me shook me a little. "Wouldn't you be better off finding a girl to room with?"

"No, I've never gotten along with girls. I don't know why. My dad said it's because I played with boys too much as a kid. I was always tagging along after my brother."

"Well, I doubt I'll be able to win a room with two beds. Are you fine sleeping on the floor?"

Merry grinned. "Better than out in the park! Two nights ago I woke up and some old guy had his hand halfway up my shirt. I had Isaac use Vice Grip on his balls!"

I had no idea how to respond to that other than to make a note never to cross Merry if I wanted my junk to remain unharmed.

"If you're done eating, let's go get you cleaned up and registered!"

My plate was already empty so I weakly consented. This wasn't at all how I'd imagined my day going.

The beginners went to sub-floor 2 for all of their matches. I'd read through the pamphlet when Merry had been busy running around the residential floors trying to find hair clippers to borrow.

Trainers could only battle once a day unless they swapped out their Pokemon. Beginner matches only had one or two Pokemon sets. The trainers were ranked from 1 to 9, and winning three Rank 9 matches elevated you to the Intermediate set. Having an evolved Pokemon automatically granted you a Rank 4 which allowed you to get better prizes right off the bat. Each level had several different prizes to chose from but I was only looking for a room at the moment. The Beginner prizes were mostly meal tickets and room combinations but you could also win a chance at a lottery entry and herbal medicines. No Pokeballs were available until you reached the High Intermediate matches, all of which were battles of two or more Pokemon.

"Merry, you said you can't leave the city until you get a Pokeball?"

"Yep. I love Isaac but he's a complete baby when it comes to Grass types. He tries to hide behind me—it's really pathetic."

"Claw?" Isaac said. He was cuddled up next to Fluffy. I thought Fluffy would be more wary of a Water type but she didn't seem to mind at all.

"Hush, you know it's true! I need something else or I'll be cut up by the first Oddish I see." She had a little more sense than Aurora, at least.

"But you can't win a Pokeball unless you have two Pokemon able to battle."

Merry smiled. "But you can enter as a pair with another trainer! Also, if I enter the lottery enough times I'm bound to win enough money to buy one."

I couldn't help but admire her optimism. I wished Dr. Nova had sent me on my way with more Pokeballs but he'd said it would be too suspicious if someone else happened to find them.

"Well, I guess I'm Beginner Rank 1."

"Me too!" Merry said.

"Have you won a single round?"

She frowned. "Not yet, but Isaac just needs more training. If we get matched against a Ground or Rock type we'll be able to win for sure! Now follow me to the bathroom—it's time to trim your beard."

It took a little less than an hour to let Merry trim my beard, take a shower, register for a match, and clear Fluffy for battle with Nurse Joy. Merry accompanied me to sub-floor 2 but had to wave goodbye when it was time to divide up into spectators and trainers. The Beginner's viewing area wasn't very full. I couldn't imagine that anyone got any enjoyment from watching beginners battle. I'd have to make my way down to sub-floor 3 to see the real action, but first came my very first sanctioned battle. I realized I was incredible nervous.

"You ready for this, Fluffy?" I asked. Her hair was already standing on end from the charged atmosphere. On the pitch two trainers faced off with a Flabébé and a Tropius. What an unfair pairing, I thought. The Tropius was an absolute giant compared to the Fairy Pokemon. However, after a minute I realized the Tropius's trainer was an idiot. The only thing that came out of his mouth was "Tropius, use Gust!" Didn't he realize that Flabébé wasn't a Grass type?

"Daisy, use Toxic!"

The Flabébé was so small the Tropius's trainer could hardly see it. It zipped around the pitch as it became clear that Tropius was heavily affected by the poison.

"Tropius, use Gust!"

"Flabébé, use Vine Whip and Fairy Wind!"

The Flabébé shot out vines to keep Tropius in place then send wave after wave of powerful energy crashing into it. The Tropius was already falling to the ground when the referee declared Flabébé the winner.

I took a deep breath. See, there was no reason to be so nervous about my match up. Even if I got a difficult opponent there was a good chance they would be an actual beginner. I'd studied Pokemon moves, typing, and strategy at a level beyond what any normal student would learn. I just had to be confident in myself and in Fluffy.

The field was cleared and I was called onto the pitch along with my opponent, a boy named Elias Copper. He groaned when he saw me. "Not again," I heard him mutter as we went to the center to shake hands.

The referee waited for us to stand in the center circle. "Mr. Copper, please release your Pokemon for this match."

The boy signed and did as he was told. A Kricketot popped out and landed on the ground, immediately bursting into dance. I tried to hold back a smile.

"Yeah! Go Drake! Crush him!" Merry called from the stands. Elias just looked even more miserable.

"Trainers, let I remind you that fatalities are forbidden. As soon as you hear my whistle, stop battling." I couldn't be sure, but I had the feeling the referee was talking to me alone. At least luck would be on my side. Beginner Rank 1 prizes included a room for a week as well as 7 meal passes. Once I finished this I could finally sleep on a real bed. "Take your positions and be ready for my signal."

Both of us turned to go back to our boxes. I looked down at Fluffy. "We're going to win this, but don't kill him, okay? That kid can't lose his only Pokemon. But don't go easy on him, either." Out of all my studies I'd spent the least time on Bug types. It wasn't that I didn't take them seriously, I just always found them a bit creepy. A teacher in my school had once released her Ariados for a lesson and I'd passed out and had needed to be carried to the nurse's office.

I turned to face my opponent. I felt bad for the kid. How on earth was he supposed to win against anything but a Budew or Sunkern? And why did he look so young? Trainers could start their Pokemon adventure as early as twelve years old but rarely did anyone leave their hometown before they finished school.

The referee called for us to start and I sent Fluffy out to attack with an Ember. The battle lasted less than a minute, with the referee blowing his whistle before the Kricketot could even execute a single attack. Elias was rushed off to take his Pokemon to Nurse Joy and I watched on my PokeNav as my level went from Rank 1 to Rank 3. Well, that was something.

"Congratulations on your first win, Trainer. We hope you'll visit us again soon," said a serious-looking man by the door. He wore a black suit and glasses and I immediately diverted my eyes. He screamed government employee. It made sense that they'd have someone monitoring sanctioned battles.

"Drake! You won!" She rushed me once I left the pitch and crushed me in a hug.

"Claw?!" Isaac called out as he was caught in the action. Merry blushed and took a step back.

"I knew you could do it! Let's go get your room, okay? And then I'll show you the park nearby. It's really pretty at sunset and there's Pokemon Enrichment sets that I bet Fluffy will love!"

I nodded and allowed myself to be pulled along, reminding myself yet again that I couldn't afford to make friends.

A/N: Thanks for reading!