Chapter Two
Callie woke up the next morning, feeling far from rested. Try as she might, she could barely sleep that night, spending most of the evening tossing and turning, or staring up at her ceiling, or perhaps out the window when she wanted a different view. It didn't matter what she did, she simply couldn't sleep, and all she could do was think about the journey she was about to depart on. As the sun filtered in through the blinds covering the windows, Callie sat up, stealing a glance at the clock that hung on the wall — it was seven o'clock in the morning, a good a time as any to get ready. She got out of her bed, and to her surprise, sitting on the floor next to the door, were all her clothes, cleaned and neatly folded.
"I wonder when Nurse Joy came in," Callie muttered thoughtfully to herself — she hadn't recalled Nurse Joy opening the door at any point during the night, so it must have happened during the few short moments she had been asleep.
Shrugging it off, Callie got dressed, tucking the pajamas Nurse Joy gave her in her bag. As she put on her shoes and slipped her book bag over her shoulders, Callie gave herself a once over in the floor length mirror that was positioned on the back of the door. This was the day. The day Callie dreamed of as a kid, but knew she would never experience. It had always been nothing more than a pipe dream. But here she was in Aspertia City, twenty-one years in the past, about to set out on her very own pokémon journey.
"You can do this, Callie," she muttered to her reflection. "You've just got to set out on this journey and get strong — really strong — and take down Team Plasma. . . . And save the world. . . . And the legendary pokémon Celebi is counting on you. . . . And so is the future. . . . Yeah. . . . No pressure."
Callie groaned loudly, pressing her face into her hands — these were the thoughts that had kept her up all night. The thoughts of the daunting task that awaited her, the mission she was sent here to fulfill. How in the world was she, a girl who had never owned a pokémon in her life, supposed to save the world from Team Plasma?
A sudden knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Hello?" called a familiar voice from the other side of the door.
"Er — come in," Callie groaned.
The door opened and Bianca stepped through the doorway, her face bright and bubbly as she beamed at Callie.
"Well, good morning, sunshi— oh my, Callie, you look dreadful!" Bianca gasped.
"Jeez, thanks," Callie said sarcastically. However, she did have to agree with Bianca — her hair was disheveled, and she had dark purple circles under her eyes, so large that not even her glasses could help conceal them.
"You didn't sleep well, did you?" Bianca said softly. Callie shook her head and Bianca gave a soft smile. "Too excited?"
"Something like that," Callie said, stifling a yawn.
"Well, I know how to fix that!" Bianca said. "We'll go get Zorua and Oshawott, and then we'll go shopping! We'll get you supplies, and pokémon food, and it looks like you may need a new bag — something cute that we can put a sleeping bag in."
"That'd be great, Bianca, but I don't have enough money for all that," said Callie quietly, looking down at the floor.
"Didn't your parents send you off with any money?" Bianca said, obviously confused.
Callie frowned and said nothing. Bianca interpreted this as a bad sign, and she smiled sympathetically. "Not a problem, Callie! I'll get you everything you need, and I'll even give you some money to get you started!"
Callie's eyes widened. "Bianca! You can't do that!"
"Of course I can," Bianca said, smiling brightly.
However, there was something different about this smile — it wasn't the same smile Bianca was always wearing. Even though she had only met her the day before, Callie had assumed that Bianca was what most people would consider a bit ditsy. She seemed to always be smiling and happy, without a care in the world. But this smile was different — it wasn't a ditsy smile, or an ignorant grin — no, this smile was the same kind of smile her mother would always give her whenever she did something for Callie when she needed it, whether she was young and skinned her knee after taking a bad fall, or when she was so sick she couldn't leave her bed.
"Bianca, you don't need to do this," Callie said gently.
"It's my pleasure, Callie," Bianca said, smiling more sincerely. "You're doing us a great favor by taking that PokéDex and going out on this pokémon journey! It's a shame your parents don't seem to be as supportive as you said yesterday."
Callie opened her mouth to say something, but Bianca continued speaking.
"You know, Callie, my dad didn't approve whenever I went on my journey," said Bianca softly. "He followed me on my journey, always tried to persuade me to come back home, telling me I wasn't ready for it. . . . Finally one of my friends talked some sense into him, and he didn't bother me as much, and even started to support my choice to take my journey! But I remember how it felt when I first started, with him telling me to come home, to give up on my journey. . . . It made me feel like he didn't believe in me, that he was right and I couldn't do it. . . . I felt like no one believed in me. . . . My friends. . . . They believed in me, and kept pushing me to do my best and get stronger every day!" Bianca laughed lightly, reflecting on those memories. Then she looked back at Callie, a fire burning in her eyes. "If it weren't for them, I would have given up, and I would have never completed my journey, and I probably wouldn't be standing here today as Professor Juniper's assistant! And, I would have never gotten the chance to meet you," said Bianca, smiling softly.
"We're a lot alike, you and I," Bianca continued quietly. "Your parents aren't supportive of your journey, and my parents weren't either. . . . But I had my friends there to support me and cheer me on, and, well, you have me! So I'll do whatever it takes to keep you going on your journey."
Callie stood there, wide eyed, unsure of what to say — she had never met someone so sincere and so kind as Bianca before, and it left her speechless. Finally, after several moments of silence, Callie smiled softly and nodded, only able to offer Bianca a simple, "Thank you."
Bianca grinned again, her usual wide, careless grin, and began heading out the door, motioning for Callie to follow.
"Come on, Callie! Let's go get your pokémon!"
And so they were off. Callie and Bianca went to the lobby of the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy was sitting behind the desk, Audino by her side.
"Hello, Nurse Joy," Callie said cheerfully — her talk with Bianca had her spirits high.
"Good morning, Callie!" said Nurse Joy, looking up from her computer screen. "Are you ready for Zorua and Oshawott?"
"I sure am!"
Nurse Joy smiled and stood, walking through the doors behind the desk, Audino following behind her. Bianca and Callie waited patiently for a few moments, and Nurse Joy soon returned, carrying Oshawott and Zorua, both looking very well rested.
"Thanks for waiting while we looked at them overnight," Nurse Joy said with a smile.
"Oshawott! Zoro!" Callie said happily.
"Osha!" Oshawott called, jumping into Callie's arms.
She caught him with ease and looked to Zoro, who smiled softly and jumped onto her shoulder, nuzzling into Callie's neck.
Nurse Joy watched the three of them, smiling softly as she said, "We've restored both your Pokémon to full health! Remember, if you ever need to heal your pokémon, never hesitate to come to a Pokémon Center."
Callie nodded. "Right! Thanks again!"
Bianca looked on at Callie and her pokémon, grinning to herself.
"Alright, you three, let's go get some breakfast, do some shopping, and let's get you on the road!"
So, after breakfast, Bianca held up her promise to get Callie prepared for her journey. First Bianca showed Callie Aspertia City's local PokéMart, where she bought Callie pokéballs, potions, antidotes, pokéfood — things Callie would have never thought to buy! Then she took her to an outdoor store and bought Callie a messenger bag for her travel, a small sleeping bag, a canister, and a few other small items. As they finished their buying, walking out of the store with a few different bags, Bianca paused.
"Oh, I should use the bathroom," she muttered quietly. "Er — why don't you go ahead and start moving everything over to your new bag? I'll be right back, okay?"
And with that, Bianca disappeared back into the store. Callie looked at Zoro and Oshawott, who seemed to enjoy being outside of his pokéball, and shrugged, and the three of them sat on the bench positioned outside the store and began transferring everything over to her new bag. Callie tucked her pokéballs into a small pocket on the side, and her potions and antidotes went into one of the large pockets. She moved her history textbook and pokémon encyclopedia into her bag, taking a moment to chuckle softly at the encyclopedia — with her PokéDex at her disposal, the encyclopedia seemed nearly useless at this point, but all the same and placed it in her bag. She rolled up her sleeping bag tightly and put it in there, and soon enough, Callie's new bag was all set, and she felt even more prepared for her journey.
"Oh, Callie!" Bianca sang from behind her.
Callie smiled and stood up, holding her bag in her hands, relieved to find that it was surprisingly light. "Bianca," she started as she turned, "look at my bag, it's all — what is that?"
Callie was staring at Bianca, who was coming out of the store pushing a violet bicycle with a dark wicker basket on the front of it. Bianca began giggling wildly as she saw Callie's expression.
"Well," Bianca said in a sing-song voice. "Bicycles always made traveling way easier, and I want you to start off your journey right!"
"But, Bianca, you've already done more than enough," said Callie, feeling a twinge of guilt — she couldn't let Bianca do all this. "Really, the bike would just be too much."
"Nonsense!" Bianca said. "Now, you're taking this bike! Oh, and I want to see your Xtransceiver!"
"Xtransceiver?" Callie echoed. She thought back to the day before when Wes also mistook her Holo Caster for an Xtransceiver. "O-oh, well, this one is, erm. . . . Broken."
"Broken?" said Bianca. "What happened to it? It looks to be in perfect condition!"
She began to closely inspect the Holo Caster on Callie's wrist, so Callie quickly tucked her arm behind her back, chuckling nervously.
"I-it's something wrong with the wiring," Callie said quickly. "Yeah, some faulty part or something like that. I-I've got to send it in."
"So you don't have an Xtransceiver?" said Bianca, raising an eyebrow.
Callie's eyes widened as she watched Bianca smile knowingly.
"Bianca, no, no, no, no! You cannot seriously be thinking what I think you're thinking," Callie said. "You just bought me a bike, there is no way you're going to by me an Xtransceiver!"
"But, Callie, how else am I going to keep in touch with you?" Bianca said, trying to be as dramatic as she possibly could. "If I don't get you one, I'll just have to sit around all day and hope you're doing okay, while I worry myself sick about you, Oshawott, and Zorua!"
Callie sighed heavily. "I'm not going to be to stop you, will I?"
Bianca grinned devilishly. "Nope!"
Defeated, Callie hung her head and gave a reluctant nod, followed by an exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine — let's go."
"Perfect!" Bianca said, clapping her hands together. "Let's see if we can find one that matches your bike!"
So, an hour later, Callie was sporting a brand new dark purple Xtransceiver. She and Bianca were sitting outside a small café, Callie's bike parked out front, and Zoro and Oshawott sitting by Callie's feet under the shade of the table. Callie sipped her cappuccino quietly, listening to Bianca tell wild stories of her journey she took several years before as she drank some coffee-milkshake concoction that Callie had a suspicion was nothing more than just sugar.
Callie couldn't help but be a bit distracted, though, thinking about what was in store for her and her pokémon, and Bianca seemed to realize that she didn't have her full attention.
"Someone looks like she's ready to hit the road," Bianca said with a laugh.
Callie blinked and shook her head, focusing back on Bianca. "Oh, I-I'm sorry, I'm just a bit anxious, that's all."
Bianca smiled. "Well, I won't keep you too much longer then. I just wanted to make sure you had breakfast and relaxed a little before you set off. But, it looks like you're ready, so how about we head over to Route 19, and I can show you how to capture a pokémon before you go?"
"That'd be great," Callie said eagerly, standing up and looking down at Oshawott and Zoro. "Come on, you two, let's get going!"
Soon Bianca, Callie, Oshawott and Zoro were standing at the gates of Aspertia City, which lead straight to Route 19. Oshawott and Zoro were sitting happily in the basket of the bicycle, and Callie simply pushed it along as she walked with Bianca. They were just about to step foot officially outside of the city when they heard someone calling behind them.
"Wait! Hold on!" called a small voice.
They paused and turned, and Bianca and Callie saw a young girl running towards them, obviously in a hurry.
"Slow down there," Bianca said with a laugh as the little girl came to a screeching halt in front of them. "What's the hurry?"
"M-my brother . . . Hugh . . . left yesterday . . . without his . . . town map," she said, breathing heavily.
"Hugh?" Callie said. She thought back to the boy she battled with yesterday after he received his Snivy and she got her Oshawott. "Oh, I know Hugh."
"You must be one of his friends then," said his little sister hopefully.
"I don't know if we're friends, but I know him," Callie said sheepishly.
The little girl's face fell slightly. "Oh, I've been waiting nearby so I could catch one of the new trainers leaving on their journey. Are you one of them?"
Callie nodded. "I sure am. I'm just about to leave!"
"Great! Can you take these?" she said, holding out two small compact devices. "Please bring one to my brother!"
Callie took them without question and, out of curiosity, opened one of them. As she opened it, it revealed two blank screens, which immediately lit up — the top screen displayed all of Unova, and the bottom screen showed a close up of Aspertia City, with a flashing red dot right where Callie was standing.
"Wow, is this really a town map?" said Callie with wide eyes. "This thing is pretty cool."
"Wait, why are there two town maps?" said Bianca, looking at the two devices Callie was holding.
"Well, one of Hugh's friends was supposed to go on a journey too, so my mom bought for him too, but he backed out last week," Hugh's sister said. "But, why don't you keep it? As payment for bringing one to Hugh!"
Callie smiled brightly and nodded. "I will, I promise! Thanks for this map! It'll help a lot!"
"Of course it will!" Hugh's little sister said. "But, I have to go now! I promised my mom I wouldn't stay out long! Remember, bring this to Hugh! You promised!"
And with that, Hugh's little sister took off, and Bianca smiled.
"Awe, you guys! Just watching that made me happy! C'mon, we're headed for Route 19! I'll teach you how to catch a Pokémon!"
"Right," Callie said, following after Bianca, pushing her bike as she went, Oshawott and Zoro cheering happily in the basket.
"So, the first step to catching a pokémon is finding a pokémon," said Bianca as they made their way through a small patch of woods by the beginning of Route 19.
"Naturally," Callie said quietly.
"Now, it's not always easy — sometimes wild pokémon are really skittish! Other times they'll jump out you, ready to battle, which can be scary — but with Oshawott, you never have to worry about not being prepared," said Bianca happily.
"Okay, now, where's a pokémon?" Bianca stood on her tiptoes, glancing from side to side in search of a pokémon. She had just adjusted her glasses some, squinting against the sunlight that was coming through the branches of the trees all around them, when she gasped, "Oh — there!"
Callie looked and saw a small purple, feline-like pokémon laying out in the sun. Its head had tufted fur on its ears and cheeks, and it had emerald green eyes. Immediately, Callie pulled her out her PokéDex and aimed it towards the pokémon.
"Who's that pokémon?" she muttered in awe.
"Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Purloin fools people into letting their guard down so it can steal their possessions. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back," Dexter said.
"It's so cute," Callie said with a smile.
"Now, watch how I catch it!" Bianca said with a smile.
She reached into purse she was carrying and pulled out a pokéball, but it was small, about the size of a golfball. Callie watched as she pressed the button on the capsule, and instantly the pokéball grew to the size of a baseball. Bianca took a couple steps forward towards the relaxed Purrloin, which looked up from its sunbathing. Immediately the Purrloin jumped to its feet, glaring sharply at Bianca.
"Loooinnnn. . . ," the Purrloin growled lowly.
"Pokéball — go!" Bianca said suddenly, throwing the pokéball at the Purrloin.
The pokémon looked stunned, and before it could react, the pokéball hit the Purrloin on the top of the head. The capsule opened and a red light appeared, consuming Purrloin, and it suddenly vanished into the pokéball. The ball hit the ground, and Callie and Bianca watched as the pokéball wiggled back and forth, the button on the capsule blinking red. Then, suddenly, the blinking stopped and the ball became quite still, making Bianca smiled.
"Ah ha! And that's how you use a pokéball to catch a pokémon!" Bianca said excitedly, running forward and picking up her newly caught Purrloin.
"So, you don't battle it?" Callie said curiously.
Bianca turned around, blushing slightly, a sheepish smile on her face. "Well, erm, you really should weaken it first — it makes it a lot easier to catch the pokémon. But I was just so excited to show you that I sorta skipped that step."
Callie smiled softly and nodded. "Alright, well, good to know — I guess I know how to catch pokémon now."
"Mhmm!" Bianca said proudly. "And when you catch a pokémon, your PokéDex actually registers that you caught the pokémon, and it can give you more data!"
They made their way out of the woods and back to the gates of Aspertia City. Zoro and Oshawott could sense that they were about to set off, and the two of them were sitting anxiously in the basket, ready for them to depart. Callie and Bianca stood at the gate, smiling at each other.
"Okay, this is it," Bianca said. "This is going to be the start of your journey! You have such an adventure ahead of you — the opportunities are endless! Are you ready?"
Callie took a deep breath, shaking her head lightly. "No, not really, but it's now or never, right?"
Bianca laughed. "You'll be just fine! If you need anything at all, I'm just a call away. Now, I've got a few more things to wrap up here in Aspertia City — take care, Callie! And good luck!"
And just as quickly as Bianca had appeared in Callie's life, she was gone in a flash, leaving Callie standing there with her bike, along with Oshawott and Zoro. The young girl looked back to the two pokémon in the basket of her bike, who were looking back at her with wide eyes, eager to get started.
"Well, you two, this is it — the start of our journey," Callie said to herself. "Oshawott, you may not realize it, but we have a bigger task ahead of us than most people could ever imagine."
"Osha?" Oshawott looked curiously from Callie to Zoro.
"Zor," Zoro said, shaking his head.
Callie took a deep breath and looked around at the trees around her before mounting her bike.
"Alright, Oshawott and Zoro, here we go," Callie muttered quietly. "Our journey begins now."
And they were off. Route 19 was a rather short road that connected Aspertia City and Floccesy Town. Callie was sure it would have taken several hours to walk, but with her bike, she knew they would be there within two hours at most. So the three of them enjoyed the ride, the road lined with trees on one side and cliffs on the other. They didn't see many pokémon as they went, which disappointed Callie — she had been hoping to find a Purrloin at least.
They were nearly to Floccesy City without much incident, when, finally, Callie spotted something — a pokémon, but it was one she didn't recognize. Zoro and Oshawott had dozed off in the basket, so Callie slowed her bike to a stop, careful not to alert the pokémon, and pulled out her PokéDex. The pokémon was rodent-like and resembled a chipmunk, and it was happily eating some Oran berries, completely unaware that Callie was watching it.
Callie aimed the PokéDex at the pokémon.
"Patrat, the Scout Pokémon. Patrat are extremely cautious and will take shifts to maintain a constant watch of their nest. They feel insecure without a lookout."
Callie looked up from her PokéDex, frowning — this one didn't seem to cautious, and there also didn't seem to be a nest near by.
"Well then," Callie muttered to herself. "Maybe this one is different — perfect! It'll be my first catch!"
Carefully, she nudged Oshawott awake. The otter-like pokémon rubbed his eyes, blinking slowly, and looked at Callie.
"Oshawott," Callie whispered. "You ready for a battle?"
That woke Oshawott up. Immediately, Oshawott hopped to his feet and out of the basket, looking ready for battle. Zoro was woken up by his movement, and he looked expectantly at Callie.
"Perfect!" Callie exclaimed, a bit louder. "We're gonna try to capture that Patrat over there, okay? So, get ready. Oshawott, quick — use Water Gun!"
"Osha!" Oshawott ran towards the Patrat.
"Zor?" Zoro said, looking cautiously at the Patrat.
The chipmunk pokémon immediately froze, no longer looking worry free, and turned towards Oshawott, allowing Callie to get a glimpse of its red and yellow eyes. Before it could do anything, Oshawott unleashed a powerful Water Gun attack, hitting it right in the face and sending it flying backwards, its collection of Oran berries scattering. Patrat skidded across the ground and Oshawott swelled with pride.
"Great job, Oshawott!" Callie cheered. "Now, let's give it a Tackle attack!"
"Osha!"
"Zor!" Zoro seemed to protest Callie's actions, but it was too late.
Oshawott charged forward as Patrat struggled to its feet. However, before it could make a full recovery, Oshawott went full speed ahead, slamming into Patrat, and sending it crashing into the wall of a towering cliff.
Callie couldn't believe it — they were doing it! They were winning!
"Amazing, Oshawott!" Callie called. Despite Zoro's constant protests, she fumbled around with her bag and pulled out a pokéball, clicking the button and causing it to grow.
"Alright, this is it," she said to herself, getting ready to throw the pokéball. "My first catch —"
"Patraaaaaaaaat!"
An ear-splitting screech erupted from the Patrat, stopping Callie and Oshawott in their tracks. Zoro covered his ear but didn't seemed surprised.
"What's happening?" Callie shouted over the sound of Patrat's call.
Then, suddenly, the call ended, and Dexter spoke.
"Screech. An earsplitting cry that harshly reduces the target's Defense stat. It can also be used to call for help."
"Call for help?" Callie echoed, staring at the PokéDex. "Was Patrat calling for help?"
"Zor!" Zoro suddenly growled, startling Callie.
Callie looked up from the PokéDex and to Zoro, who was glaring at her. Zoro then made a panicked motion towards Oshawott, and Callie followed his direction. She saw Oshawott standing there, staring at the Patrat he had been battling, which was lying against the wall, panting heavily. Then, suddenly, she saw glowing eyes appear in the trees and bushes around them, all of them staring directly at them. Callie's stomach dropped, and she looked from the glowing eyes to Oshawott, who still seemed oblivious to their new guests.
"Oshawott!" Callie called. "Oshawott, come back — this battle is over!"
"Osh?" Oshawott looked back at Callie, obviously upset. However, then he caught a glimpse at the eyes around him and froze in fear.
"Oshawott, hurry back!" Callie said, panic rising.
"Zor. . . ," Zoro growled lowly.
Oshawott turned on his heel and took a step towards Callie, when suddenly, something that looked like a berry seed shot out of the bushes and hit him right in the side of the head.
"Osha!" Oshawott cried out in surprise, falling over.
"Ah, no, Oshawott!" Callie called out, running forward. "Are you okay — ah!"
Before she could even take five strides, Callie herself was pelted with several seeds. She kept her footing as the seeds pierced the skin on her cheeks and arms, blood immediately beginning to trickle out of the wounds.
"Ouch," she muttered, biting her lip. She looked around to the glowing eyes that surrounded them. "Alright! Come on out if you're going to attack us!"
The moment she said it, Callie regretted every single word. One by one, dozens of pokémon stepped forward. Half of them were Patrat, but the other half was a pokémon she didn't recognize. It looked similar to Patrat, but it was taller, and was a reddish brown color. She took out her PokéDex.
"Watchog, the Lookout Pokémon, and the evolved form of Patrat. The markings on Watchog's body can glow to intimidate its foes. When they see an emery, their tails stand high, and they spit the seeds of berries stored in their cheek pouches."
"So, Watchog, eh?" Callie said, looking around at all of them — there was at least three dozen of them. She looked to Oshawott, who was pushing himself to his feet. "You okay, Oshawott?"
"Osha," said Oshawott with a steady nod.
She smiled softly and looked back to the Patrat and Watchog, who were all glaring at the two of them. Callie was very aware that she and Oshawott wouldn't stand a chance against all of them. She had no other choice but to retreat.
"Look, Patrat, Watchog, I-I'm really sorry we attacked your friend," Callie said, taking a slow step towards Oshawott. "I-it won't happen again. In fact, if you let us, Oshawott, Zoro, and I will get on that bike and we'll never come back."
"Watchog. . . ," the largest Watchog growled, his glowing eyes piercing Callie's gaze.
Callie swallowed hard and took another slow step towards her starter pokémon.
"Look, see this? I'm just gonna grab Oshawott, and we'll be on our —"
"Watchog!"
Suddenly, the large Watchog that had been watching Callie closely lunged towards her, opening his mouth. Suddenly, a white aura shared like a pair of fangs appeared, and Callie realized it was using Hyper Fang.
"No, stop!" Callie cried, bracing herself for Watchog's Hyper Fang.
However, instead of feeling the blow of a Hyper Fang, she felt herself being tackled. Her eyes shot opened and she watched as Oshawott tackled Callie out of Watchog's way and took the full force of its Hyper Fang.
"Osha!"
"Oshawott, no!" Callie cried, watching the white fangs clamp themselves around Oshawott.
Oshawott fell to the ground hard and skidded several feet backwards. Callie sprung to her feet and ran towards him, quickly taking Oshawott in her arms.
"Oshawott!" Callie said, her eyes wide with worry. "Oshawott, are you okay?"
"Osh . . . awott," Oshawott said weakly, his eyes looking dull.
This wasn't good. She had to get help. She had to save Oshawott. Callie stood to her feet, ready to run back to her bike, but the Patrat and Watchog closed in around her and surrounded her and Oshawott, keeping her from her bike. Callie froze, holding her Oshawott close to her chest.
"P-please," Callie stammered, her eyes watering. "I-I need to get my Oshawott to the Pokémon Center! I-I said I was sorry! P-please, let me go!"
"Watch. . . ," the large Watchog stepped forward again, obviously not accepting Callie's apology.
Trembling, Callie held Oshawott close, tears streaming down her face.
"P-please," she said weakly, swallowing her tears. "I'm begging you. . . ."
"Watchog!" Watchog wasn't listening, and he raised his paws, a small ball of light forming — Callie wasn't familiar with pokémon, but she did know a few moves, and that one was unmistakable.
Hyper Beam.
Completely surrounded, Callie knew she had no way out. Either way she looked, Patrat and Watchog had her closed in, keeping her planted. She and Oshawott were sitting ducks.
Callie looked down at the small otter pokémon in her arms and saw he was looking back up at her, the light quickly fading from his eyes. This couldn't be the end of their journey. She was the chosen one. She had to stop Team Plasma. But it looked like this was the end of the line for her.
She looked up at Watchog and saw his Hyper Beam was fullly charged.
"Watch . . . og!" the Watchog grunted, thrusting the Hyper Beam attack towards her and Oshawott.
"Oshawott, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Callie whispered, hiding Oshawott's head in the crook on her neck.
Callie clenched her eyes, ready to accept her fate — there was no escaping it this time — when she heard a sudden cry.
"Zoro!"
Callie's eyes opened wide and she watched a Zoro leapt over the circle of Patrat and Watchog, landing in front of her and Oshawott. Zoro braced himself, growling lowly, and suddenly, a brilliant green energy shield appeared before him, big enough to shield Zoro, Oshawott, and Callie. Watchog's Hyper Beam attack met Zoro's shield, but it couldn't get past the green barrier. Zoro was pushed back a few inches, but he dug his feet into the dirt, determined to stand his ground.
The Hyper Beam subsided, leaving a shocked Watchog glaring at Zoro.
"Zoro," Callie whispered. "Was that Protect?"
"Zor," Zorua huffed. He looked back at Callie and Oshawott, taking in their state — Callie was still bleeding from her face and arms, while Oshawott laid there, unmoving. He narrowed his eyes and slowly turned back towards Watchog, a look of disdain on his face that Callie had never seen before.
Then, without any warning, Zorua's eyes began glowing light blue, and he raised his front two paws in the air. His body became surrounded in a crimson aura as he reared backwards. Zoro then brought his paws down to the ground and a pink and crimson forcefield of energy appeared around Zorua's body and expanded outwards throughout the battlefield, throwing the three dozen Patrat and Watchog backwards in all directions. Callie watched in awe as the crimson aura around Zorua disappeared, and his eyes returned to his normal green-blue color.
"Zoro. . . ?" Callie said softly, her eyes wide. "Are you okay?"
Zorua stood there, trembling, obviously drained from the attack. He looked over his shoulder and gave Callie and shaky smile before letting out a cry and falling to the ground.
"Zoro!" Callie exclaimed, quickly gathering him in her arms beside Oshawott.
Zoro looked up at Callie, smiling softly, and Callie shook her head as more tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Zoro," Callie whispered, "why would you do something like that?"
Zorua stared at her for a moment before straining his neck forward and pressing his nose against hers. It lasted for only mere seconds before he shut his eyes and his body went limp as he fell unconscious.
"This is no good," Callie muttered. "I have to get them to the Pokémon Center!"
Standing to her feet, Callie began to run back towards her bike. However, much to her surprise, several Watchog were able to withstand Zoro's attack, and were now standing between her and her bike. Among them was the head Watchog, looking more livid than before. Callie clenched her jaw, holding her pokémon close.
"Now, you listen here, just get out of my way!" Callie shouted. "I'm done with you! My friends need help — they protected me, and now it's my turn to protect them!"
"Watchog!" growled the leader.
Callie opened her mouth to say something, when a sudden shadow passed over head. She and the Watchog froze and watched as a man appeared before her with a strange pokémon beside him. The man had long orange hair that was held back in a ponytail, with seven tufts of red hair in the front. He had a large, strong build and wore a beige poncho type garment, and had six pokéballs hanging around his neck. The pokémon accompanying him was a buffalo like pokémon with a large, dark afro on its head. Two large, curving horns, each with two golden growths resembling rings, protruded from the afro, and it had a shaggy brown hide that ended at it knees.
"What pokémon is that?" Callie muttered to herself.
"Bouffalant," said the man, keeping his back to her, "use Wild Charge."
"Bouuu!" called his pokémon — Bouffalant.
The buffalo-like pokémon reared back on its hind legs, and Callie could here the popping and snapping of electricity, and suddenly, Bouffalant brought his hooves crashing down to the ground, shaking the dirt under her feet, and sending an electric wave towards the Watchog. All eight Watchog were consumed with electricity and let out a cry before falling over, fainted.
Callie stared at the Watchog and the to the Bouffalant, and finally, to its trainer — something about him seemed familiar. Why was this man familiar to her? There is no way she could have known him.
"Th-thank you," Callie said in slight disbelief. "I-I got myself into a bit of a mess."
"Oh, I know," said the man, looking down at Callie. "Bouffalant and I saw everything."
Callie's eyes widened. "What do you —"
The man said nothing and simply pointed at the cliff that Oshawott and thrown the Patrat against. Her eyes trailed upwards and saw that it plateaued about thirty feet up. He and his Bouffalant must have been standing at the ledge, watching their battle.
She sighed heavily. "So then I guess you know how terrible of a trainer I am."
That man shook his head. "Now is no time to worry about that — right now we need to get your pokémon taken care of," he said while picking up her bike with ease.
Callie watched him picking up her bike. "Er — I-I need that to get to the Pokémon Center. . . ."
"I'll take you to my house," said the man. "Get on Bouffalant, he'll get you there quickly. In the meantime, put your pokémon in their pokéballs, it's better for them."
"Okay, but Zorua isn't —"
"Come on, we haven't got much time," said the man quickly.
Callie sighed and nodded, taking Oshawott's pokéball off her belt and returning the water-type pokémon to its pokéball. She held Zorua in one arm and looked to the man.
"I'm ready," Callie said.
"Your Zorua isn't —"
"He's not mine," Callie said quickly. "He's technically a wild pokémon — but he's my friend."
The man fell silent and nodded. "Okay. Well, get on Bouffalant. I'll ride over on my Braviary."
Callie nodded and climbed onto Bouffalant's back, holding on to Zorua tightly. She watched as the man, still holding her bike, pulled a pokéball from around his neck and released a large flying-type pokémon with navy blue and maroon feathers. The man mounted the bird, and it dawned on Callie that she didn't even know his name.
"Wait!" Callie called to him before he could take flight. The man looked at her expectantly.
"What's you name?"
The man cracked a small smile. "Me? Well, little lady, my name is Alder."
And with that, his Braviary took off into the sky, and Bouffalant also set off down the road. As they went, Zorua still laying unconscious in her arms, Callie thought about the man — Alder — who had just come to her rescue. He looked familiar, and that name. . . . Why did she recognize that name?
Soon they came into Floccesy Town, which was made known to Callie by the sign that said, 'Welcome to Floccesy Town'. They ran past a Pokémon Center, a PokéMart, and an old clock tower. People all stopped and watched Callie ride by on Bouffalant, all of them looking surprised to see her. Perhaps they were expecting Alder to be riding Bouffalant, not Callie.
Before Callie realized it, Bouffalant came to a stop before a log cabin with a training field out front. Callie carefully slid off Bouffalant's back and patted its nose gently as she slowly stepped towards the cabin — was this Alder's house? Callie saw her bike resting against the front of the house, and she figured this must be the place. She neared the door, glancing over her shoulder every once in a while to make sure Bouffalant was still standing there, which it was. Finally, once she was standing before the front door, Callie rose a hesitant fist to knock, but before she could, the door swung open, and on the other side of the door was Alder.
"There you are," he said with a small smile, stepping aside and ushering her inside. "I trust Bouffalant didn't cause any trouble?"
"No, he was fine — should he have caused trouble?" Callie said doubtfully.
Alder laughed, shaking his head. "No, I was just making sure. He can be a bit temperamental sometimes."
Callie stepped inside, cradling Zoro in her arms, and glanced around the house. It had a very cozy feeling, with a large plush couch and arm chair, each with a wooly looking blanket draped over the back of them. Callie took off her shoes and stood there rather awkwardly, not sure what to do.
"Follow me," Alder said, motioning Callie towards the kitchen. She did as she was instructed, and Alder led her to his kitchen, which had the same sort of homey feel as his living room. He walked over to the cabinets and began rummaging through them.
"Lay Zorua and Oshawott on the table," he said over his shoulder as he continued searching.
Callie placed Zoro on the table and watched as he continued to lie there motionlessly. She frowned softly and pulled Oshawott's pokéball off her belt and released Oshawott, who appeared on the table, eyes closed and breathing faint. Taking in the current state of both pokémon, her eyes began watering — how could she have let this happen?
She looked back to Alder and saw that he had found whatever he was looking for, several different items strewn across his counter top, and he was adding different ingredients to a small bowl — herbs, berries, leaves — and began muddling them all together.
"What are you doing?" Callie said quietly, watching Alder curiously.
"Once I get these all ground up, these should create a liquid that will revive your pokémon with ease," Alder said, not taking his eyes off the bowl.
Callie nodded and said nothing, looking back to Zoro and Oshawott — this was all her fault. . . .
Tear began streaming down her cheeks again, and Callie hastily began wiping her eyes, not wanting to cry in front of Alder. However, he heard her sniffles and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Your pokémon will be just fine," he said suddenly. "Your Oshawott took a great deal of damage, saving you from that Hyper Fang attack, and Zorua — well, its just exhausted after that move."
Callie thought back to the move Alder mentioned — she had never seen Zoro preform any attacks ever, but that particular attack. . . . It was so powerful! He was able to attack and defeat nearly three dozen pokémon with one attack.
"Alder," Callie said quietly. "Do you know what attack that was?"
Alder raised an eyebrow, glancing at Callie. "You don't?" Callie shook her head and he nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that was Zorua's Night Daze attack, and it's a unique move that only Zorua and Zoroark are able to use."
"Zoroark?" Callie echoed.
"Zorua's evolved form," Alder said. Callie nodded and Alder watched as she continued to watch her unconscious pokémon. "So, trainer, what's your name?"
"Me? I'm Callie," she said.
Alder smiled and nodded. "Well, Callie, I know you may feel like you failed your pokémon today, but I will say, you've raised them well — for a pokémon to protect their trainer like that. . . . I never expected Oshawott to take a Hyper Fang attack from such a high level Watchog," said Alder. "And your Zorua is incredibly strong — Night Daze can only be learned by very high level Zorua.
Callie blushed lightly, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I've only had Oshawott since yesterday, a-and like I said, Zorua's not mine. He's wild, but he's my best friend."
Alder raised an eyebrow, nodding thoughtfully. "Well then, I'm even more impressed — the bond you have with your Oshawott. . . . It takes most trainers months to form that kind of trust with their pokémon."
"R-really?" Callie said with wide eyes, looking back to her Oshawott, who laid there on the table taking short, shallow breaths.
"Mhmm — ah, I think this is ready," Alder said suddenly, looking down at the bowl of ingredients he had been muddling together. Callie looked down and saw it was a deep violet color now, and watched as Alder dipped the tip of her finger in the bowl and tasted it, nodding to himself.
"It's perfect," he muttered.
He grabbed a spoon and walked over to the table.
"Hold Zorua and Oshawott up," he instructed.
Callie did as she was told and held up Zoro, allowing Alder to give it some medicine. After Zoro was taken care of, she held Oshawott up, and Alder gave him some of the medicine as well. Callie held her breath, watching and waiting, hoping to see either pokémon show any signs of consciousness.
"It may take some time for them to recover," Alder said quietly. "They were both very exhausted."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Callie muttered quietly.
However, just as she was about to return Oshawott to his pokéball, the small otter-like pokémon groaned softly.
"Osha . . . wott. . . ," he muttered, opening his eyes slowly.
Callie looked down, her eyes widening. "Oshawott, you're awake!"
Oshawott looked up at Callie, smiling weakly. "Osha!"
Callie smiled brightly, pulling Oshawott into a hug. "Oh, Oshawott, I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried about you," Callie said softly.
"Osh, oshawott," Oshawott laughed, nuzzling into Callie neck.
"Zor. . . ."
Callie and Oshawott both paused and looked down and saw Zorua beginning to stand up, looking a bit unsteady.
"Zoro, you're awake too!" Callie said excitedly.
Oshawott jumped out of Callie's arms and landed next to Zoro, looking fondly at his friend. Zoro smiled at Oshawott and the two high-fived, obviously glad to see one another feeling better. Callie and Alder watched the two of them, obviously a bit amused. Then, Zoro looked back to Callie, smiling softly.
"Zoro," Callie said quietly, feeling a twinge a guilt. "I-I'm sorry. . . . You were trying to warn me that attacking Patrat was a bad idea, but I didn't listen. . . . I got so caught up in trying to catch it, that I put you and Oshawott in a lot of danger. . . . I'm so sorry you two had to protect me."
"Zor, Zorua!" Zoro said, jumping on to Callie's shoulder, her apology obviously accepted.
Oshawott let out a yell and jumped onto Callie's other shoulder, the the three of them laughed happily.
Alder smirked. "So, do you still feel like a terrible trainer?"
Callie paused and looked at Alder. "I'm sorry?"
"Earlier you said that I must have seen how terrible of a trainer you are," he said, "but from what I can tell, you're an excellent trainer who made a bad call. But your pokémon care about you a great deal, and they trust you immensely — it shows you have great potential as a trainer. I think we can expect great things from you."
"From me?" Callie said. Callie paused, thinking about why she was sent here in the first place — to stop Team Plasma from taking over. . . . Was Celebi right in choosing her? Could she really stop Team Plasma?
Alder nodded. "Now, how about we get you back to the Pokémon Center, and you can check in there — I know it's only a little after noon, but you probably want some rest."
Callie was just about to agree when she thought about her promise she had made to Hugh's little sister — to deliver the Town Map. She had to try to track him down. . . .
"Actually, I'm looking for someone," Callie said with a frown. "You see, my friend's little sister asked me to bring him a Town Map, because he left his at home, but I'm not sure where he is."
"Oh, is that so?" said Alder. "What's his name?"
"Hugh," Callie said. "He's sorta loud, a-and really. . . . Bold, I suppose."
Alder thought for a moment before a look of realization crossed his face. "Oh, your friend is the one with the Snivy, isn't he?" Callie nodded and Alder smiled. "It just so happens, he was training his Pokémon on Route 20. . . . Well, if that's the case, you should go give him the Town Map! Just follow the road outside my house, it leads straight to Route 20!"
"Perfect," Callie said smiling. Then she caught a glimpse of her arms and saw there were streaks of dried blood all down her arms and paused. "Erm — do you think I could use your bathroom first so I could freshen up?"
"Hm — oh, yes, down the hall, second door on your left," Alder instructed.
So, once she had cleaned up and Oshawott and Zoro had taken a bit more medicine that Alder had made, Callie gathered her things and began to head towards the front door.
"Thank you again, Alder," Callie said as she slipped on her shoes. "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't intervened."
"It was no problem — just promise to be more careful from here on out," Alder said. Callie nodded and he smiled before handing her a small bottle. "Here, take this."
"Hm?" Callie took the bottle carefully, Zoro and Oshawott joining her in inspecting it.
"It's the same medicine I just made," Alder said. "I figure you may want to hold on to it, in case your pokémon get themselves into any more trouble."
Callie smiled and nodded, tucking the bottle into her bag. "Thank you very much, Alder. Well, I guess I'd best get going then —"
She made a move for the door when a picture hanging on the wall caught her eye — it was Alder, surrounded by six pokémon, two of them being Bouffalant and Braviary. Alder was holding a trophy and waving towards he camera, bright pieces of confetti and glistening streamers all around them. It then dawned on Callie why Alder looked so familiar — he had been in her history book.
"You're Alder," Callie muttered, her eyes growing wide. "You're the Unova Pokémon Champion!"
Alder's eyes widened and he laughed softly, shaking his head. "No one's called me that in a long time. . . ."
"What?" Callie said. "But, you are! You're the champion!"
"I was the Champion," Alder corrected her. Callie paused and Alder continued. "I lost that title to a young, very powerful trainer named Iris about two years ago."
"Oh," Callie said softly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Alder laughed, shaking his head. "No, it's fine — it's good to know people still remember my name. Now, you best get going!"
Callie nodded and opened the door, heading to her bike. As she mounted her bike, Oshawott and Zorua made themselves comfortable in the basket.
"Thank you again, Alder!" Callie said over her shoulder, waving wildly before she pushed off, heading off once again.
"Take care, Callie!" Alder said, waving back.
Bouffalant, who had been grazing in the front yard, trotted slowly over to Alder, grunting heavily at his trainer. Alder smiled and watched Callie ride off, getting smaller and smaller on the horizon, before looking down at Bouffalant.
"That girl. . . . She's on a mission," Alder said to his Bouffalant. "I know you saw what I saw, Bouffalant. I know it's crazy to say it, but for a moment, I could have sworn I saw it. . . ."
He thought back to the battle.
It was the moment Callie was trying to make it back to her bike with her fainted companions, but found her path blocked by the Watchog. Alder and his Bouffalant were watching from their ledge, ready to intervene at any moment, when out of the corner of his eye, Alder saw a small, green fairy like creature fluttering out of the woods — he looked over and saw it, clear as day.
Celebi. It looked weak and weary, but it was flying towards Callie, as if it was going to protect her.
"Bouffalant," Alder whispered, motioning to the pokémon. Bouffalant turned and his eyes widened, confirming Alder that he did indeed see Celebi there.
"It's trying to protect that girl," Alder muttered, "but it's in no condition to fight. We have to intervene."
"Bouuuu. . . ."
Alder shook his head, smiling to himself and looked up just in time to watch Callie disappear out of sight.
"Yes, that girl is something else," he said quietly. "To have Celebi watching over her, of all pokémon. . . . Yes, she is destined for greatness."
"Bouuuuu!"
Bouffalant nudged his trainer's hand impatiently and thrusted his head towards his empty trough. Alder looked and laughed, smiling sheepishly.
"Oh, right, I guess I forgot to fill your trough this morning, didn't I?" Alder said with a chuckle.
Bouffalant huffed impatiently, and Alder went off to get him some food, his mind still on Callie and Celebi.
What in the world was that girl up to?