Chapter Five
Callie and Zoro ran recklessly through the streets of Virbank City, trying to make it back to the Pokémon Center as quickly as possible. She wasn't sure how badly Oshawott and Riolu were injured, but she knew that, the sooner she got them to the Pokémon Center, the better.
The two of them soon made it back to the Pokémon Center and ran through the front doors of the building. Nurse Joy heard the doors slide open and she looked up, smiling when she saw Callie and Zoro.
"Ah, I see you found your Zorua," Nurse Joy said with a smile.
"Y-yeah," Callie panted, coming to a halt in front of the desk.
Nurse Joy sensed the urgency and her smile faltered some. "What's wrong, Callie? You look worried."
"I-I got . . . in a battle," Callie said between breaths. "O-oshawott and R-riolu . . . need help. . . . Please."
She pulled the two pokéballs off her belt and placed them on the counter, her hands trembling from exhaustion — she really wasn't used to running that fast for that long.
Nurse Joy's eyes widened and just grabbed the pokéballs. "Right. I'll take them back straight away!"
And with that Nurse Joy disappeared through the doors behind her desk.
Callie let out a heavy sigh and pressed her back against the counter, sliding down the length of the counter and sitting on the floor. . . . What a night. . . .
Zoro looked at Callie for a moment, obviously worried, and he placed a comforting paw on her shoe.
Callie smiled softly down at him.
"Oh, don't worry about me, Zoro," Callie said quietly. "I'm just thinking. . . . This is our second full day on our adventure, and it was just as crazy as yesterday! I was hoping this would be a bit easier, but I guess when you're on a mission to save the world, everything it just going to be far from easy, huh?"
"Zoro, zor," Zoro said simply.
Callie was about to say something, when suddenly, the doors to the Pokémon Center opened, and a man came running through — it was the project manager from the Virbank Complex. He looked flushed and out of breath, but he looked from side to side, obviously in search of something. Callie slowly stood, about to ask him if he needed help, but the moment he saw her, his eyes widened and he smiled.
"Well there . . . you . . . are," he panted, wiping the sweat that was beading on his forehead.
"You're looking for me?" Callie said curiously.
"I told ya' I'd have somethin' for ya' if you got my men back to work, didn't I?" he said, his words coming a bit easier to him now.
"Oh!"
The man smiled and straightened up, walking over to Callie. "I really do appreciate what you did for me. My men have never worked harder in their lives! Your battle really straightened 'em out."
Callie smiled and blushed sheepishly, while Zoro stood beside her, his chest swelling with pride some as the two of them both thought back to his powerful Night Daze attack.
"I-it was nothing, really," Callie said with a wave of her hand. "Honestly, I was more interested in protecting that Growlithe than anything."
"That's another thing I want to thank you for," said the man. "I watched you talk to that Growlithe — damn thing is always causing trouble. I don't know what you said to it, but once you were gone, the thing took off out of the complex faster than anything I've ever seen! You must've really scared him!"
"Growlithe took off?" Callie nearly shouted. "B-but why?"
"I assumed you said something to it," said the project manager with an unconcerned shrug. "The damn thing is always causing problems; attacking my men, ruining my equipment during the night, stealing lunches. . . . Honestly, I'm just glad it's gone!"
Callie frowned, her heart sinking some. Why would Growlithe run away from his home?
"Well, anyway, that's why I had to just track you down and thank you," said the man. "You went above and beyond what I expected, so here, take this — it's yours!"
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a teal color stone, that glinted like an eye. He held it out to Callie, and she stared at the stone curiously, taking it in her hand.
"What is this?" Callie said, inspecting the odd stone.
"That there is a Dawn Stone!" said the man with a smile. "That stone there helps certain pokémon evolve."
"What kind of pokémon?" Callie said curiously.
The project manager paused for a moment, obviously trying hard to recall that answer, but then he sighed, shaking his head. "Ah, I can't remember. . . . But, it's a rare stone. Found it while digging at the complex a few months back. I was gonna sell it, but then you came along and did such a great job, I figured you could put this to better use than I could."
"Wow, thank you," Callie said with wide eyes, smiling up at him. "Th-this is so nice of you!"
"Well, of course! Keep up the hard work, kid. If you always battle as hard as you did back there, then I don't think anything is going to stop you."
Callie smiled brightly, holding the Dawn Stone tightly in her hand. "That means a lot, thank you!"
"I'd best get going now; take care," said the project manager, waving to Callie he left.
Callie smiled as he went, looking down at the Dawn Stone in her hand — maybe she'd actually catch a pokémon that could use a Dawn Stone to evolve! She went to tuck it into her bag before being reminded that she still didn't have her bag.
"Oh, I should probably go get it," she muttered to herself, turning to go to the cafeteria.
However, it was then that Nurse Joy came out of the back room, Audino behind her. Callie looked to her, anxiously awaiting the news.
"Oshawott and Riolu are going to be just fine," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "With a good night's rest, they'll be back to normal tomorrow morning."
Callie let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad to hear that — thank you, Nurse Joy."
"Of course," she said with a short bow. Then, Nurse Joy's eyes widened slightly. "Ah! I forgot! You left your bag here, didn't you?"
"I did!"
"Great — Audino found it at the table you were sitting at, so we were keeping it for you back here," Nurse Joy said, reaching down behind the counter and pulling out Callie's bag.
Callie took her bag gratefully, smiling. "Well, thank you very much, Nurse Joy, for everything. I think Zoro and I are going to go to bed now, so —"
"Hey! Look at that Growlithe!" someone shouted from behind Callie.
Callie and Zoro both turned around quickly and saw a trainer pointing to the doors of the Pokémon Center. Standing right outside the door with its paws pressed against it was none other than a Growlithe. Callie stared at it for a second, wondering why in the world it was there, but then she realized that the Growlithe was staring at her.
"Is that. . . ?" she trailed off, not finishing her sentence.
"Look, there's something in its mouth, too!" another trainer pointed out.
No one moved, and they all just stared at the Growlithe that was standing there, eyes locked on Callie. Slowly, Callie stepped towards the doors of the Pokémon Center, Growlithe watching her every step. When she got close enough to the doors that the motion sensor picked up on her movement, the doors slid open, and Growlithe stood there on all fours, looking up at her. There was no doubt about it. It was the same Growlithe from the Virbank Complex!
"Growlithe?" Callie said softly, crouching down so she was eye level with him.
Growlithe bent his head down and placed something on the ground — it was the Heal Ball. Callie watched with wide eyes as Growlithe gently nudged the Heal Ball with hos nose, sending it rolling towards her. The ball hit her foot, and Callie picked up the Heal Ball in her hand.
"Growlithe, I wanted you to keep this, remember?" Callie said.
Growlithe nodded and stared at her — if he understood that she wanted him to keep it, then why. . . . Why would he be giving it back?
Unless. . . .
"Growlithe, are you saying. . . . Are you saying you want to come with me?" Callie said, her eyes widening.
Growlithe's face brightened ever so slightly, and she saw a small smile on his face. However, when he realized he was smiling, Growlithe's face quickly hardened and he turned his head away from Callie, giving a stiff nod.
"Growl," he said lowly.
Callie smiled, giggling. "Oh, Growlithe — welcome to the team!"
She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his fur. Growlithe stiffened, obviously not used to this kind of affection.
"Alright, I caught a Growlithe!" Callie cheered.
So, after making sure Growlithe got something to eat, Callie, Zoro, and their newest partner Growlithe all headed off to their room, ready to turn in for the night. As Callie and Zoro got settled into the bed, Callie noticed Growlithe sitting on the ground, looking around the room uncomfortably.
"Growlithe? Are you okay?" Callie said, peering down at him.
Growlithe said nothing, instead just looking away from her.
"Do you want to sleep in the bed? It's more comfortable than the floor."
But still Growlithe sat there, back turned towards Callie. The young trainer frowned and laid down on her bed, watching Growlithe's back. It didn't really seem as if he wanted to be a part of her team, but then again, he came all the way from the complex just to be with her. . . . If only she could understand why he was acting like this. . . .
The next morning, when Callie woke up, she found Growlithe was sitting in the exact same spot as the night before, his back turned toward her, staring out the window at the rising sun. He hadn't moved even an inch. Callie glanced at the end of the bed and saw Zoro was sleeping on his back, completely stretched out, oblivious to the world around him.
"Good morning, Growlithe," Callie said gently.
"Growl," Growlithe grunted, not turning towards her.
Callie sighed softly and got out of bed. She got herself dressed and nudged Zoro awake, and the small fox pokémon rolled over and stretched, yawning before he jumped off the bed. Callie grabbed her bag and looked down at Growlithe.
"Why don't we go see if Oshawott and Riolu are rested up, okay?" Callie suggested.
For the first time since Growlithe officially joined the team, he actually looked at Callie and gave a small nod. So, the three of them made their way to the lobby of the Pokémon Center and immediately went to the front desk, where Nurse Joy sat with Audino.
"Good morning, Nurse Joy," Callie said. "How are Oshawott and Riolu?"
"Ah, Callie, I thought I'd be seeing you soon," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "I've already brought them up — your pokémon are fighting fit!"
Nurse Joy held out two pokéballs to Callie, which she gratefully took.
"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy," Callie said with a smile. She turned around to face Growlithe, who sat behind her, carefully watching each person that walked by. "Growlithe, would you like to officially meet your team mates?"
"Growl."
Once again, all he did was grunt his response and give a vague nod, watching as a trainer walked out the front doors with a Purrloin in her arms. Callie sighed softly and released Oshawott and Riolu, both looking refreshed and well rested.
"Osha!"
"Rio!"
"Looks like you two are feeling better, huh?" Callie said with a smile.
Oshawott and Riolu stared up at the trainer with broad smiles and nodded eagerly. Callie noticed the stitches on Riolu had been redone — Nurse Joy must have decided to change them.
"Now, I want you guys to meet Growlithe — he's now an official part of our team!" Callie said eagerly, pointing towards Growlithe.
Riolu and Oshawott both turned around and to see Growlithe, who was still sitting with his back towards them. The two of them ran around him and stood right in front of him, forcing Growlithe to look at them.
"Osh! Osha! Osh! Oshawott!" Oshawott exclaimed eagerly, waving happily at Growlithe.
Growlithe cracked a small smile at the Water-type pokémon and nodded.
"Ri! Ri! Riolu!" Riolu said, holding his paw out to Growlithe.
However, instead of being welcoming like he was with Oshawott, Growlithe narrowed his eyes at Riolu and spat a small burst of fire in Riolu's face, scorching his fur.
"Ah! Riolu! Are you okay?" Callie gasped.
But Riolu ignored his trainer's call and he narrowed his eyes at Growlithe before thrusting his paw against Growlithe's chest. Callie was about to intercept when a huge yellow light blasted from his paw, sending Growlithe flying back.
"Growlithe, watch out!" Callie exclaimed, quickly diving to grab Growlithe.
The Fire-type pokémon was thrown into Callie's chest and she braced herself, managing to stay on her feet as she caught him. Riolu's eyes widened as he watched his trainer dive after Growlithe, and Growlithe stared up at Callie with wide eyes.
"Growlithe, are you okay?" Callie said through clenched teeth — Growlithe was fairly heavy, so stopping him was no easy feat.
"Growl . . . lithe," Growlithe grunted before getting to his feet.
Growlithe narrowed his eyes at Riolu, readying himself for another attack. Riolu glared at Growlithe with a taunting stare, as if inviting him to attack.
"Growl. . . ."
"Ri. . . ."
"Both of you — enough!"
Callie was standing, looking down at her two pokémon incredulously. Oshawott looked up at Callie, eyes wide with fear; he apparently didn't like it when she raised her voice. Growlithe and Riolu both tore their gazes away from one another and looked up at their trainer in shock — Callie definitely didn't come across as the type of person who could shout like that. Zoro, however, acted as if he wasn't surprised in the slightest; he knew that Callie could be firm when it was called for.
Callie sighed heavily as she between Riolu and Growlithe — what happened?
"What's gotten into you two?" Callie said, shaking her head. "You two just met. . . ."
"There seems to be some competition between the two," Nurse Joy said as she observed from behind her desk.
Callie looked towards her. "Competition? What do you mean?"
Nurse Joy smiled. "Well, it seems to me, those two are very fond of you."
"Fond of me?"
Nurse Joy nodded. "Mhmm. The way that Growlithe stands behind you and watches everyone and everything — he's keeping watch. He's guarding you."
"That's what he's doing?" said Callie. "I thought that meant he didn't like me. . . ."
"Quite the opposite! Growlithe are friendly pokémon, but they're also fiercely loyal, and they'll fearlessly defend their trainers, no matter what," said Nurse Joy. "And Riolu are also very loyal pokémon, and they're protective by nature as well. It seems as though those two have a bit of a rivalry."
"Oh boy," Callie sighed. "Just what I needed — two pokémon that hate each other. . . ."
Nurse Joy giggled. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they'll come to respect each other eventually. Until then, you'll just have to make sure they don't fight too much."
Callie nodded. "Right — thanks, Nurse Joy. I think we're all gonna go get breakfast, and then we'll explore the city!"
So after managing to keep Growlithe and Riolu from trying to kill each other during breakfast, Callie returned the two brawling pokémon to their pokéballs, and she, Oshawott, and Zoro left the Pokémon Center, deciding to find something to do with their day.
"Well, we're supposed to go see Roxie and her band play tonight, but that doesn't start until eight, so we have a lot of time to kill," Callie muttered as they went, Oshawott in her arms and Zoro on her shoulder. "I'm not really sure what we could do — we went to the Virbank Complex yesterday. . . . I suppose we could always go to the movies, right? And then we could all go for ice cream after!"
"Osha!"
"Zor-zor!"
"Well, let's get the other two out and see what they think! Growlithe! Riolu! Come on out!"
So, once again, Callie released the two pokémon, who appeared before her, smiling up at their trainer. However, once the two realized they were standing next to one another, they quickly crouched into defensive positions, ready to attack.
"Growl!"
"Ri-ri!"
"Not so fast!" snapped Callie, staring down at her pokémon. Growlithe and Riolu begrudgingly looked away from one another and back to Callie, who sighed heavily. "I swear, you two, why can't you just get along. . . . Okay, here's the deal! If you two can promise to be on your best behavior — that means no fighting — we're thinking about going to catch a movie and getting ice cream afterwards. What do you think? I hear there's this amazing ice cream stand called Bearticone around here."
Growlithe and Riolu both smiled at the suggestion, nodding eagerly. So, with everyone in agreement, and a momentary truce between Growlithe and Riolu, the party of five headed off towards Pokéstar Studios, which is where they not only showed movies, but they produced them as well! It was a place Callie had always wanted to visit growing up, but not too long after pokémon had been banned by Team Plasma, Pokéstar Studios was forced to close, and all movies with pokémon in them were destroyed. But Callie's mom always told stories about going there with her parents once a month to see a new movie — she always said those were some of her favorite memories as a child.
They all headed north, passing people as they went. Callie, Oshawott, and Zoro led the group, while Riolu and Growlithe brought up the rear, glaring at each other as they went, but neither of them made any attacks. Soon enough they made it to the Pokéstar Studios, and they waited in line for their tickets at the box office outside. As they waited patiently, a loud shout came from behind them.
"Oh! I can't believe it! Today's the day! My movie's big debut!"
Callie and her pokémon all turned and saw the familiar sight of a man in a sailor suit — it was Roxie's dad! He was walking towards Pokéstar Studios, a smile on his face.
"I can't wait to see the movie, and to see what everyone thinks of it!" he said excitedly as he made his way to the door. At the sight of the line at the box office, Roxie's father stopped and observed it, his head seeming to swell. "Why! You must all be here to see my newest movie, aren't you?"
Callie watched as the others in line glanced at him and tried to hide their laughter, rolling their eyes at him.
"Yeah right, old man, no one wants to see that snooze-fest of a movie," laughed one man in line.
"I have friends who work here at Pokéstar Studios, and they all told me your movie was just a waste of film; who in their right mind would see it?" said another girl.
"Yeah, like I'd waste my money on that!"
"Just get out of here!"
The laughter in line was contagious, and soon everyone except for Callie and her pokémon seemed to be laughing at Roxie's father. However, the mockery didn't seem to bother him in the slightest, and Roxie's father brushed it all off, taking their comments with a grain of salt. He then laid his eyes on Callie, who stood there silently, and he smiled triumphantly.
"Why, you there! I recognize you! You were outside the Pokémon Center when I had that dreadful argument with my dear Roxie!" he exclaimed, running over to Callie and taking her hand in his, which caused Growlithe and Riolu to growl lowly at him, but Roxie's father paid no attention to this. "Young girl, what is your name?"
"Erm — I'm Callie."
"Ah, Callie! You can call me Pop Roxie!" he said with a smile. "So, Callie, tell me, did you come here to see my movie after you saw how dreadful my daughter was yesterday?"
"E-excuse me?" Callie said with wide eyes.
"Oh, I know you heard everything," Pop Roxie sighed dramatically. "You saw how rude my daughter had been, and you've come to support me instead, is that right?"
"O-oh, er — y-yes," Callie said hesitantly, not having the heart to tell him she had been planning to watch the Queen Mime Jr. and King Bonsly movie.
"Ah, I just knew it!" said Pop Roxie, clapping his hands together excitedly. "And because you're here to support me, you and all your pokémon can get the best seats in the house, free of charge! You'll be my plus one — or, plus five, I suppose."
He laughed heartily and Callie chuckled nervously alongside him, deciding to just go along with it. Pop Roxie ushered Callie out of the line and led her inside, holding the door open for her and her pokémon.
"So, what movie is yours?" Callie said as she and her pokémon followed Pop Roxie through Pokéstar Studios towards the hall labeled 'Theater'.
"It's called, Midlife Man of Justice. vs Brycen-Man!"
"That's . . . quite the title," Callie said with a sheepish smile.
Pop Roxie, oblivious to her forced compliment, said, "Why, thank you! I came up with it myself! Quite catchy, don't you think? I play Midlife Man of Justice, but I actually go by a different name — oh, I won't spoil it for you!"
"T-thanks," Callie said, laughing nervously.
Pop Roxie brought them to a theater, and they saw it was rather empty, though there were a couple seats already filled.
"It'll start shortly — how about we get a seat right up front? Oh, and look, there are plenty of seats for all your pokémon, perfect!"
Without waiting for any input from Callie, Pop Roxie ushered her and all her pokémon to the front of the theater, all of them sliding into the second row. As they got comfortable, Pop Roxie was chattering excitedly next to Callie, talking about how quickly they were able to film the movie and so on and so forth, but Callie was only partially listening. She was a bit distracted trying to make sure Riolu and Growlithe, who ended up sitting next to each other, didn't try killing each other in the middle of the theater. Oshawott and Zoro were both small enough that they were able to both sit comfortably on her lap.
Then, the lights in the theater suddenly dimmed, and the screen flickered to life.
"Oh!" Pop Roxie said excitedly from beside her. "It looks like the film is just about to start!"
"Uh — excuse me. . . . Is this seat taken?"
Callie and Pop Roxie both turned and saw a person standing there, a hood drawn over their head to conceal their face. They motioned to the seat beside Pop Roxie. Callie thought it was a bit strange, but Pop Roxie didn't seem to think anything odd about it.
"Ah! No! Of course not! Sit, sit!" he said encouragingly, ushering the figure to sit down. As they sat beside him, he began rambling again. "I'm in this movie, y'know — I'm the star, actually. It's my first film. . . ."
He went on for a few more moments before some movie goers a few rows backed yelled at him to be quiet. So, with the theater completely silent, the projector played through a few other movie trailers before finally, the screen went black, and it began to count backwards from three. Then, the screen became a blinding white color and the words Midlife Man of Justice vs Brycen-Man appeared in bold, purple font.
"You weren't kidding about the name," Callie whispered, shaking her head slightly.
The scene shifted, and images of a carnival appeared on the screen as the narrator's voice came over the speakers.
"A place of never-ending smiles, everyone's ideal place to play, the amusement park! But, a threatening shadow lurks over this happy place. . . . The stage is set for trouble. . . ."
The screen shifted to a man wearing a purple and green suit with black gloves and black boots, topped off with a green cape and purple mask, dawning a purple and green staff. He was strapping explosives to the ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and other various rides, laughing maniacally as he did so.
The narrator spoke again.
"However! It's darkest just before the dawn! A hero has appeared on the scene! And that hero's name is . . . Riolu-Man!"
"That's me!" Pop Roxie whispered excitedly to Callie.
"Go, my pokémon! Unleash your power, and destroy everything in this amusement park!" Brycen-Man laughed as he sent forth his Pawniard.
Then, off camera, a small voice piped up. "Can you hold on, please?"
"Wh . . . who are you?" Brycen-Man said.
The narrator spoke again.
"The Messenger of Truths and Ideals, Riolu-Man, enters!"
The camera then panned over to a man in a brightly colored yellow and blue jumpsuit, wearing red gloves, red boots, and a matching red mask — it was Pop Roxie, and he was standing beside a Riolu.
"Look, Riolu, you're on the big screen," Callie said with a small smile to her fighting-type.
Riolu nodded fondly, a small smile on his face, and Growlithe rolled his eyes at Riolu's excitement from seeing a fellow Riolu in the movie.
"Hey there, Brycen-Man! It's not nice to do bad things!"
"An amusement park. . . . A place of idle dreams or, perhaps, ideal dreams. . . . I have no use for either ideals or dreams!"
"Then, I'll have to stop you! Riolu, use Force Palm!" Pop Roxie directed.
Callie had to admit — though Pop Roxie's acting was undoubtedly terrible, Brycen-Man and Riolu's acting helped make up for it. So, the Riolu rushed forward and placed his paw on Pawniard, and a flash of yellow light came forth and sent Pawniard flying backwards. It skidded across the ground and landed at Brycen-Man's feet, fainted.
Brycen-Man scoffed. "A single hit to knockout my pokémon. . . . You're pretty good, Riolu-Man! Despite that though. . . . You will be brought to your knees before me when I end you with my dark, secret arts! Prepare to be finished!"
"I'm scared!" Riolu Man cried, visibly shaking on camera.
"Mwahaha! How pitiful, Riolu-Man! Why would I waste my secret arts on someone like you? This should do it — come forth, my loyal Vullaby!"
Brycen-Man released his Vullaby and laughed darkly. "Mwahaha! I will end you now, Riolu-Man! Vullaby — Air Slash!"
Vullaby used Air Slash, which instantly knocked out Riolu. Growlithe sniggered in the seat beside Callie as he watched the Riolu on screen get defeated so easily, meanwhile Callie's Riolu bowed his head a bit, as if he was embarrassed to watch a Riolu go down so quickly.
"Mwahaha! This is the end for you, Riolu-Man!" Brycen-Man cackled. "I didn't even have to use my secret arts! Now, just stand in the corner, and watch me destroy the amusement park!"
"Yowch! I wasn't hero material after all. . . ."
"Mwahaha!"
The narrator, sounding a bit unsure, spoke.
"Facing Brycen-Man, Riolu-Man lost all his strength to fight. But. . . . No one will ever forget how he timidly fought with all his might! Thank you, Riolu-Man! Good-bye, Riolu-Man!"
As the narrator finished his attempt to put a positive spin on what just happened, the screen went black and the credits began to roll. Callie and her pokémon sat there, staring at the screen, trying to figure out what in the world they had just witnessed. The movie was far from good. It was terrible. The credits ended and the lights in the theater came back on, and Callie looked beside her to see that Pop Roxie was also sitting silently, and she felt the need to say something.
"Well, that was definitely a surprise ending," Callie said with a forced laugh. "I-I mean, I never would have thought Brycen-Man would win!"
Pop Roxie was quiet for a moment before he suddenly burst out in laughter, tears forming in his eyes. He didn't bother trying to say anything, just continued laughing for several minutes. Finally, he took a few gasping breaths, and he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.
"Ha ha ha! I've always dreamed of making my debut on the silver screen. . . . Now, I've fulfilled that dream. . . . Different people have different talents. I knew it all along. But I see my daughter striving to balance the responsibility of being a Gym Leader while pursuing her own dreams of being in a band. Although, I'm a father, I really wanted to pursue my own long-held dream. . . . If you stop pursuing your dreams, your life might as well be over, right?" Pop Roxie said, looking slightly amused. "I should have known. . . . There's no way I could actually be a movie star. . . ."
"I thought your movie was pretty good."
Both Callie and Pop Roxie paused and turned, surprised to see that the comment had come from the figure that had taken the open seat beside Pop Roxie before the movie. With both of their attention, the figure pushed back the hood covering their face, revealing familiar stark white hair and bright blue eyes — it was Roxie!
"Roxie!" Pop Roxie said with wide eyes. "You came?"
Roxie looked from her father to Callie, who smiled softly when the two of them made eye contact. Roxie nodded softly to her and looked back to her father, shrugging her shoulders.
"I realized I came off a bit harsh yesterday, and. . . . I should have been more supportive of your dreams," Roxie sighed, obviously not used to being sincere with her father. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is. . . . I'm sorry."
Her father chuckled heartily, shaking his head. "No, no, you were right — I'm not cut out for the duel life like you lead. I could never make it as a Poké Star. . . . No, it's the captain's life for me. . . . That movie was. . . . No, it wasn't the movie. It was me. I was so excited that I didn't really become Riolu-Man! Acting like that won't thrill or excite anyone. . . ."
"C'mon! Don't get down!" said Roxie, looking suddenly determined. "You can keep trying while you continue on as captain! As long as you don't care anyone trouble, I won't get mad. I don't know how the Pokéstar Studios people feel about that, though!"
"Okay! I guess I'll do my best as captain! I'll excite and thrill everyone by barreling through rough waves!" Pop Roxie seemed to have found a new inspiration, and he stood up, looking at Callie. "Callie! Thank you for accompanying me to my debut! But, I think I'll leave all of the starring in roles to you young people! Now, I've got a ship to sail! Come see me at the docks if you ever want to get to Castelia City!"
With that, Pop Roxie left the theater, and Callie assumed he was heading to the docks. Callie and her pokémon stood, as did Roxie.
"So, you're still coming to my show tonight, right?" said Roxie with a smile.
Callie nodded. "That's the plan! We were all just trying to find something to do to pass the time, and that's when we ran into your dad outside the theater," she said with a small laugh.
Roxie nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, I'm sure — Pops can sure be persuasive."
Roxie then sighed and straightened her shoulders. "Well, I've got to go practice the set list we have for tonight. You still got that flyer I gave you, right?"
"Hm, oh yeah, it's right here," Callie said, pulling it out of her bag.
Roxie smiled. "Great! You'll need that to get in, so bring it with you. Well, anyway, I'll see you there!"
The Virbank City Gym Leader turned to leave, but Callie spoke up.
"Roxie! Wait!"
Roxie paused, glancing over her shoulder, and Callie smiled.
"I just wanted to say. . . . I'm really glad you came here to watch your dad's movie. It may not have been very good, but. . . . Well, it meant a lot to him."
Roxie rolled her eyes, but Callie could see she was trying to suppress a smile. "Yeah, well, I had some free time, so I figured I could at least see it since it was causing so much trouble down at the docks. . . ."
And with that, Roxie left. Callie smiled as she watched her go before looking back at her pokémon.
"Well guys, the movie was a bit of a bust, but there's still ice cream! Let's go!"
Soon, the part of five were sitting at a table just outside the Bearticone ice cream stand, all of them with their own ice cream, and sure enough, it was fantastic.
"I'm so glad this at least turned out how we wanted," Callie said with a smile as they all enjoyed their ice cream.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Callie!"
Callie and her pokémon all looked up from their ice cream. Standing there watching them from a distance was none other than Hugh!
"Wow, hey, Hugh!" Callie said excitedly, waving him over.
Hugh smiled and joined them at the table. He looked around at her pokémon, his eyes wide.
"Is that the Riolu from Floccesy Ranch? And that Growlithe . . . they aren't both yours, are they?" Hugh said, watching the two of them, who were staring back at him.
Callie nodded eagerly, smiling a bit smugly. "They sure are! I caught them both yesterday!"
"Yesterday?" Hugh said incredulously. "No way! How could you catch two pokémon in one day, and I only caught one? Not fair!"
"You caught a pokémon?" Callie said excitedly. "Let me see!"
"Yeah, you better get ready, because it's really strong!" Hugh said proudly. He pulled a pokéball off his belt and tossed it into the air. "Pidove, come on out!"
A small, grey bird-like pokémon appeared. It had golden, oval eyes and a tuft of feathers atop its routed head. Callie smiled, her eyes brightening.
"Oh, wow! It's so cute!" she cooed, pulling out her PokéDex and pointing it at Pidove.
"Pidove, the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. A Pidove flock's cooing can get extremely noisy. Pidove is not attracted to shiny objects."
"So cool," Callie said with wide eyes.
"Yeah, isn't it?" Hugh said. Then he smiled slyly. "Hey, y'know — if you like it all that much, I might be willing to trade it for your Growlithe."
Growlithe's eyes widened and he growled lowly at Hugh, and Callie looked at him with surprise. Then, she laughed loudly, shaking her head, and placed a hand on top of Growlithe's head.
"No, I don't think I'll be trading my Growlithe any time soon," Callie said. "He's one of a kind."
"No fair!" whined Hugh. "I want a super strong fire type! Where'd you catch it?"
"I found him at the Virbank Complex," Callie said.
Hugh stood up, looking eager. "Great! Let's go! I want to go find one, too! You can come with me, and your Growlithe can show me where the others are!"
Growlithe continued to growl, and once again, Callie shook her head in response. "I'm afraid that's a no go, Hugh — Growlithe doesn't like that idea. Besides, we're gonna head back to the Pokémon Center soon and relax for a little while before we go to the show tonight."
"Show? What show?" said Hugh, obviously curious.
"Oh, this show," Callie said, pulling out the flyer that Roxie had given her yesterday.
Hugh took it in his hands and his eyes widened.
"No way! How'd you get this?" Hugh nearly shouted. "These are supposed to be super hard to get!"
"Really? It looks like a normal flyer to me," Callie said, taking the piece of paper back from Hugh.
"There are only one hundred and fifty of those things handed out! This is one of Roxie's special shows, and her shows are always amazing, so they can get pretty rowdy. They use those flyers as tickets — you can only get in if you have one of those," Hugh said. "So, how'd you get one?"
"Oh, well, Roxie gave it to me," Callie said simply.
"What?!" Hugh shouted. "First you met Alder, and now you met Roxie?! And, to top it all off, she gave you a pass to her show?!"
"Er — I-I guess," Callie said, not really sure why he was making such a big deal about it.
"Not fair," he groaned, flopping down in his seat dramatically. "Some people just have all the luck. . . ."
"Why is it such a big deal?" Callie said. "And what did you mean by special shows?"
"Because! Every once in a while, Roxie has a show that's exclusive to pokémon trainers! You see, her gym is always busy with shows, so it can be hard to find the time for a gym battle, so you have to set up an appointment for a battle weeks in advance. Every once in a while though, she'll have a special show, and Roxie will give those flyers out to pokémon trainers! And during her shows, she'll pick one lucky trainer and have a battle with them! If they win, they get the Virbank City Gym badge!" Hugh said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well, if it's that important to you, then how about you come with me? I'm sure they won't mind if I bring a guest," Callie said with a shrug.
Hugh's eyes widened and he leaned forward, taking Callie's hands tightly in his. "You mean it, Callie? Really? You'll let me come along?"
"Er — yeah, sure," Callie said.
"Yahoooooo!" Hugh exclaimed, jumping into the air and jerking Callie out of her seat. Callie stumbled forward, but Hugh caught her, steadying her. "Er — sorry."
"It's fine," Callie muttered. She freed her hands from Hugh's grasp and sighed, shaking her head. "You can only come if you promise to calm down, okay?"
Hugh straightened up and became oddly serious, nodding his head stiffly. "Aye, aye, captain!"
Callie chuckled. "Alright, well, the show starts at eight, so let's meet at the Pokémon Center around seven thirty and leave from there. Sound good?"
"Sounds great to me!" said Hugh. He returned his Pidove and straightened his shoulders. "Alright! I'm gonna go train! That way I'll be ready if Roxie picks me for a battle tonight!"
And, just as usual, Hugh was gone in a flash. Callie smiled softy, laughing to herself before looking at her pokémon.
"Alright, guys, let's head back to the Pokémon Center, sound good?"
Seven thirty came around sooner than Callie was expecting, and she stood outside the Pokémon Center waiting for Hugh. She kept glancing at the time on her Xtransceiver, impatiently waiting for Hugh to show up. All her pokémon were safely in their pokéballs and Zoro was sitting on her shoulder, looking around the sidewalk as they waited.
"Hugh, where are you?" Callie muttered to herself, tapping her foot impatiently.
"I'm here!" a voice shouted from down the sidewalk. "Callie! I'm here! I'm sorry!"
Callie and Zoro turned and saw Hugh running straight towards them, obviously in a panic. As he got closer, Hugh slowed down, coming to a stop right before them.
"Sorry I'm late! Got a bit carried away looking for a Growlithe and training," Hugh said with a laugh, surprisingly not out of breath from running.
"It's fine — let's go!" Callie said eagerly, and they were off.
As they walked though, the two chatted.
"So, did you managed to find a Growlithe?" Callie said curiously.
"No," groaned Hugh. "But I almost caught a Magnemite! It got away though. . . ."
Callie smiled sympathetically. "Well, that's alright, you can't catch every pokémon you run into, right?"
"Yeah, says you," grumbled Hugh. "You caught two pokémon in one day. . . ."
"Hugh," sighed Callie.
"Ah — there it is!"
Hugh pointed to a building just down the street, where a long one was forming. There were lights flashing on the outside of the building and loud rock music could be heard outside every time the door opened to let guests in. So, Hugh and Callie tagged on to the back of the line, waiting patiently to get to the door as the line moved. Slowly but surely the line moved, and soon enough, the two of them were standing in front of the bouncer by the front door.
"Do you guys have your flyers?" the man said, staring down his crocked nose at the two trainers.
"We have one right here," Callie said, holding out the flyer to the bouncer. He took it, looked it over, and nodded approvingly.
"You're good to go — what about you?" he said, eyeing Hugh.
"Oh, he's with me," Callie said with a smile.
The bouncer shook his head. "Not how it works. No flyer, no entrance."
"But that's not fair!" snapped Hugh. "What's one more person in there gonna do?!"
The bouncer narrowed his eyes at Hugh, becoming more intimidating than he already was.
"I said — no flyer, no entrance. Understood?" the bouncer growled.
Hugh's face paled. "Y-yes, sir."
The bouncer smirked and looked to Callie, holding the door open.
"You can go in," he grunted.
Callie frowned, looking back to Hugh. "I'm sorry, Hugh."
Hugh smiled, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it — you go in there and — oh my Arceus."
Hugh stopped mid-sentence and stared at the space behind Callie. She raised an eyebrow curiously and turned around to see what he was gawking at. That's when she saw the familiar face of Roxie. The Gym Leader was standing at the entrance, smiling at her.
"Well, well, well, you made it!" Roxie said with a smile. Then she looked at Hugh. "And it looks like you brought a friend!"
"I-I did, but I didn't realize he couldn't come in if he didn't have a flyer," Callie said.
Roxie laughed. "Nonsense — one more person won't hurt anything! James, let the boy in! A friend of Callie is a friend of mine!"
The bouncer, whose named was apparently James, narrowed his eyes slightly at Hugh but nodded, motioning for him to come in.
"Ha!" Hugh laughed loudly, smugly walking past James and stepping inside.
Callie followed after him, and the two stepped into the underground music club. It was dark and crowded, and the music was deafening. However, despite all that, when Roxie spoke, Callie was able to pick up on what she was saying.
"You two enjoy — we're gonna get the show started real soon," Roxie said with a grin before disappearing.
"I can't believe you know Roxie!" Hugh exclaimed. "Callie, knowing you is about as good as knowing a famous person."
"Erm — thanks," Callie said slowly, not sure if that was really a compliment.
Zoro, who was still sitting on Callie's shoulder, pressed into her neck, apparently not a fan of the loud music. Callie frowned softly and looked around, hoping to find a quiet place to sit. Or, at least, a quieter place.
"Let's go grab something to drink," Hugh said, nodding over to the bar.
The two walked over there and managed to snag two seats. The bartender looked at them with a disapproving glare.
"You two aren't old enough, move it," he said dismissively.
"We're not trying to trick you into anything," Hugh said. "We just want some water, okay?"
The bartender rolled his eyes and sighed, but he fixed them two cups of water. Callie thanked him and she and Hugh looked around, watching all the people around there. It was apparent that they were surrounded by pokémon trainers, all of them hoping to be the lucky one that Roxie chose for a battle.
"So, do you think you could beat Roxie in a battle?" said one trainer loudly to another.
"Yeah, of course! We've been training extra hard just in case she picks us!" said the other.
"Yeah, well, I only brought Steel-type pokémon since she uses poison pokémon!"
"I brought Ground-type pokémon!"
"I can't wait to see who she chooses!"
"I hope it's me!"
"When is she gonna come on?"
"I can't wait anymore!"
Those were the conversation happening all around them. Callie shook her head, chuckling softly — she was glad she didn't have to worry about a pokémon battle tonight. The bar area was surprisingly quiet compared to the rest of the gym and Zoro relaxed some. He jumped onto Callie's lap, smiling brightly.
"Feeling a bit better now?" Callie said.
"Zor, zor!"
"Hey, Callie," said Hugh, eyeing Zoro. "That Zorua isn't yours, right? It's a wild one that just follows you around?"
Callie nodded. "Mhmm, that's right."
"So that means I could catch it?" Hugh said slyly.
Callie narrowed her eyes and shoved Hugh, nearly knocking him out of his seat. "Don't you even think about it, Hugh! If you ever try to catch Zoro, I'll hunt you down!"
Hugh's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry — I was joking!"
"Well, it wasn't funny!"
"Noted," Hugh said with a hefty sigh.
Then, there was a sudden outburst of cheering from the crowd, and the two trainers turned their attention towards the stage where Roxie was standing, accompanied by a man and woman.
"Hey there, trainers!" Roxie shouted. "Are you all ready for a show?"
"YEAAAA!" the crowd roared.
"That's what I like to hear!" Roxie said with a laugh. "Now, as you all probably know, my name is Roxie — I'm the gym leader here at the Virbank Gym! But more importantly, I'm also the leader rocker for our band, Koffing and the Toxics!"
She played a great rift on the guitar, earning more praise from the crowd.
"And of course, these are my band mates! Our drummer, Nicky" — she motioned to the man — "and our guitarist, Billy Jo!"
More cheers from the crowd ensued as they all played a few bars. Then Roxie continued.
"Now, as you all know, these shows are a little different than my normal shows. We like to start things off with a pokémon battle with one of you lucky folks!"
"YEAAAA!"
"PICK ME, ROXIE!"
"OVER HERE, ROXIE!"
"ROXIE, YOU'VE JUST GOT TO BATTLE ME!"
"PLEASE, ROXIE!"
"ROXIE!"
"WOOO! YES!" Hugh screamed from his seat at the bar.
Callie and Zoro looked at him curiously but said nothing, just shook their heads — so much for him promise of being calm.
Roxie laughed, silencing the crowd.
"No worries, guys — I watched all of you as you came in the door. I already know which one of you I'm going to battle," Roxie said with a smirk.
Callie sat there eagerly, wanting to know who Roxie was going to pick — she was looking forward to seeing a real gym battle!
"Are you ready, Zoro?" Callie said, looking down at him. "We get to watch our first gym battle! This is gonna be great!"
"Are you all ready to know who the lucky trainer is?" called Roxie. The crowd roared in response, and Callie could see the joy on Roxie's faced as people cheered.
However, Callie could have only imagined how her own face looked when a spotlight hit her and Zoro as Roxie's voice filled the gym.
"Okay then — Callie, will you join me up on stage?"