Remember when I said the chapters were going to get longer? And that didn't seem to be happening? Well, I'm not a liar, the longer chapters are finally HERE! This one is actually still shorter than most of the ones I've been writing out, but it's still a pretty long one! This is also an important chapter :)
Last time: Aiden and Michelle raced to the Pokemon Center in the hopes of healing Michelle's badly injured Pichu. While there, Aiden registers for the Pokemon League, while Michelle finds out that the first Pokemon Contest will be held in Sunfire Town. After calling their parents (a request made by Misty before the two had left) the Pokemon Center is taken under attack by none other than Team Rocket, a devious trio consisting of a girl named Jewel, a boy named Jason, and their talking Sneasel. Aiden and Michelle battle with the two in an effort to keep them from stealing the Center's Pokemon, and are helped out in the end by Michelle's Pichu, who has fully recovered. Team Rocket sees Pichu's potential, however, and vow to steal the baby Pokemon, whatever it takes!
Chapter 5: Pewter City! A Friendly Reunion!
"Well, well, look where we are."
Michelle spun around to give her twin brother a devious look, but it softened when she realized he was nowhere in sight.
"Aiden?" Michelle blinked.
"Pichu?" Pichu called out.
"Okay, where did that stupid boy go now?" Michelle narrowed her eyes. Smiling, she raised her pointer finger into the air, "I got it!" Reaching into her bag, she retrieved a poke ball and smiled at it, before tossing the sphere above her head, "Butterfree, I choose you!"
"Free!" Butterfree chirped, fluttering her delicate wings.
"Butterfree, help me find my air head of a brother," Michelle requested sweetly. Butterfree nodded once and began to fly forward, Michelle following quickly behind. After only two minutes, Butterfree's antenna snapped up, and her wings flapped very excitedly.
"Free! Free!"
"You found him?" Michelle beamed, "awesome job!" The red head peered into a gaggle of trees, rolling her eyes at the sight of her brother commanding Squirtle.
"Alright, now use tackle!"
"Squirt!" Squirtle leapt forward, smashing his skull against a tree's strong trunk.
"Aiden, what are you doing?" Michelle sighed.
"Training," Aiden responded simply, without turning around, "I need to be ready for my gym match."
"A gym battle? You're kidding right?"
"No, why would I?" Aiden inquired.
"You only have one Pokémon. Don't you think you should catch some more before you challenge a gym?"
"Squirtle and I will do just fine!" Aiden banged his chest heartily, and Squirtle followed suit, "we're unbeatable!"
"Says you," Michelle rolled her eyes, "now come on. I want to get into town so Pichu and Butterfree can get a check up at the Pokémon Center."
"Good idea!" Aiden grinned, "Squirtle can get checked out before his big battling debut."
"You realize what town this is, don't you?" Michelle looked over her shoulder as Aiden followed after her.
"Hmm, not off the top of my head, no."
Michelle giggled quietly to herself.
"Aren't you gonna' tell me?" Aiden scoffed impatiently.
"You'll see," Michelle hushed. She stood at the edge of an overhang, hands on her hips. From behind her, Aiden squeaked, and shuffled until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with his ginger haired sister.
"Pewter City," Aiden murmured.
XXX
Dialing the phone, Jewel scowled as Jason and Sneasel pressed up against her, breathing down the girl's neck.
"Do you MIND?" Jewel snapped, turning around with fury in her eyes. Jason and Sneasel both hopped back, trembling ever so slightly. Jewel let out a disgruntled sigh, and continued to press in the numbers. After hitting the final button, a loud ringing noise filled the room, and the trio waited impatiently for the connection to go through. After about a minute, the screen lit up, although no one could be seen on the other side. Jason and Jewel looked confusedly at each other. Suddenly, some sound came through the receiver.
"Would you hurry up?" A feminine voice snapped.
"But I'm not finished dusting my…"
"Oh, I don't care! This is much more important than your stupid bottle caps!"
"Uh, Mom?" Jewel blinked.
A magenta haired woman jumped up in front of the screen, her blue eyes sparking with ever present mischievousness.
"Sorry darling," her voice trilled, "your father is just being, well…himself."
"I heard that!" A blue haired man appeared now, frowning disapprovingly.
"Good, so you can hear," the woman rolled her eyes.
"Guys, could you…maybe…quit fighting for a moment?" Jason inquired, wincing gently.
"What is it son?" The man turned his attention to the children on the other side of the screen.
"It's about our mission," Jewel continued, her voice strong and serious, "we found the targets."
The man and woman grinned deliriously at each other.
"The girl has quite the powerful Pichu," Jason added, "I've never seen a baby Pokémon with such potential before."
"Excellent," the woman snickered, "you know what to do now, right?"
"Capture the Pichu?" Sneasel guessed, tilting his head.
"That's correct."
"We won't let you or the organization down," Jewel smirked deviously, "don't worry Mom and Dad."
"Oh, you could never let us down dear!" The man waved his hand as he smiled lovingly. Jewel rolled her eyes. So embarrassing.
"The organization is a different story, however," the woman tugged at her husband's ear.
"Don't worry," Jason repeated, "we'll succeed."
"Go on then," the woman nodded.
"Bye-bye you two!" The man was waving cheerily again, and the transmission was ended. Miles away from where their children were, Jessie and James cast each other sneaky glances.
"So they've found the twerps' offspring," James chuckled.
"And they'll swipe that Pichu and make Giovanni proud," Jessie snickered, "just like he wants."
XXX
After getting their Pokémon checked out at the center, Michelle found herself running after Aiden, who was racing towards the Pewter Gym.
"Aiden! Slow down!" Michelle scolded desperately.
"No way Shelly!" Aiden called back, "I gotta' challenge the gym right now!"
"So this is what Mom had to deal with when she was travelling with Dad!" Michelle huffed, "Man, I feel sorry for her."
Aiden finally skidded to a halt in front of a very large building, one that resembled a massive stone. Carved into the top were the words 'Pewter City Gym' and the building was surrounded by smaller rocks and mounds of pebbles.
"Pi," Pichu flicked her ears wistfully.
"I challenge you to a gym battle!" Aiden yelled, strengthening his voice.
"Quit trying to sound like Dad," Michelle scoffed.
"I am not!" Aiden glowered over his shoulder.
"Are too. You made your voice deeper to sound like him!"
"I did not!"
"Did too."
"Did not!"
"Did TOO!"
"DID…"
"You guys still do this?"
The bickering siblings turned their attention to the left, where they caught sight of a very familiar figure.
A boy, who appeared to be their age but was slightly taller, was smirking foolishly at them. His tanned skin and dark brown hair, which hung carelessly over his squinted eyes, gave him a very distinct look; one that was a trademark in his family.
"Brandon!" Aiden cheered, jumping forward. He playfully punched the boy's shoulder, which caused Brandon to chuckle and hit him back.
"What's up, Michelle?" He waved towards the red head.
"What's with you choosing to show up at the most inconvenient times?" Michelle sighed, red layers brushing against her pale cheeks.
"Because someone has to be your mediator," Brandon shook a finger.
"No way dude, you're always on my side!" Aiden cried, clapping a hand on Brandon's very slightly broadened shoulder. At this, Aiden frowned. When am I gonna' start getting built up like Dad?
"Only when you're right," Brandon waved a hand, "which isn't very often." Aiden scowled, and Michelle chuckled quietly to herself.
"Alright, enough with all the teasing," Aiden rolled his eyes, "it's time for my gym match!"
"A gym battle?" Brandon blinked, "already?"
"Thank you," Michelle sighed exasperatedly.
"It's not too soon!" Aiden barked, "Squirtle and I are TOTALLY ready!" To prove his point, Aiden withdrew Squirtle's poke ball and released the proud turtle Pokémon.
"Squirt!" Squirtle stood up tall, banging the front of his shell.
"See? Squirtle's absolutely pumped for this! Right buddy?" Squirtle turned around and whipped Aiden's shin with his tail, huffing unappreciatively.
"He doesn't look too happy," Brandon observed, tapping his chin.
"Brandon would know, Aiden," Michelle nodded slowly, "he is training to become a Pokémon breeder, after all."
"Squirtle and I are plenty close," Aiden mumbled angrily, "you guys just don't understand the nature of our relationship!"
"Big words for you," Michelle retorted.
"Okay, that's it!" Aiden punched the air, "I'm going to challenge the gym, and that's that!"
"Bet you can't beat my Dad," Brandon shrugged.
"Can too," Aiden responded dismissively.
"We'll see about that," Brandon began to laugh again, "follow me then!" Guiding Aiden and Michelle back to the front of the gym, he unlocked the front door with a key that had been hidden away in his back pocket. Pushing back the door, Aiden was quick to run past Brandon, causing his sister to grow even angrier.
"Aiden! Have some respect, will you?"
Planting himself firmly into the challenger's box, Aiden called again, "I challenge you to a gym battle! Come on, show yourself!"
"Ah, I've been waiting for this day."
Michelle raised an eyebrow, and Brandon folded his arms as a smirk formed on his face.
"F…Forrest?" Aiden called, leaning in a bit. Squirtle continued to puff his chest out proudly by Aiden's side.
From the darkness, standing atop a hill of stone, was a grown man who looked quite a bit like Brandon. His strong arms were folded, and a jubilant smile was stretched across his face.
"Aiden!" Forrest greeted merrily, "You've finally come to challenge the Pewter City gym!"
"Of course," Aiden showed off a look of determination that was a mirror image of his father's, "I would've gotten my first badge from my Mom, if she hadn't decided that I had to challenge her last," Aiden frowned at the last part. "So unfair."
"Your mother is so funny," Forrest chuckled as he shook his head.
"Your ideas of funny are way different than mine."
"Oh Aiden, I've known your mother since I first became a gym leader," Forrest jumped down from his perch, "she and I became fast friends. Probably because she knew Brock before we ever met, but she's very sweet. When you and your sister were just babies, I told her I'd give you a good fight for the Boulder Badge."
"Did you ever talk about me challenging for the Cascade Badge?" Brandon asked mischievously.
Forrest shook his head with a little smile, "no son. I think we always knew you'd take more after your Uncle Brock than me."
"Oh, I'll give you a good fight all right," Aiden grinned.
"So, you're really ready to go?"
"Of course!"
"Alright, let's get into battle positions!"
"Hold on a minute!"
The four inhabitants of the gym looked around curiously, wondering where the new voice had come from. Out of a corner door appeared another older man, his coloring darker than Forrest's, and closer to Brandon's. Looking at Aiden and Michelle, he smiled and stepped fully into the light.
"Brock!" Aiden and Michelle gasped simultaneously.
"Hey Uncle Brock!" Brandon waved excitedly, "back from your house call?"
"Yep," Brock nodded in confirmation, "and it looks like I got back just in time!"
"You're gonna watch my battle?" Aiden's eyes were gleaming. He knew very well that Brock was the former gym leader, and was know a very accomplished Pokémon doctor with a background in Pokémon breeding; the field that so interested Brandon.
"Not only that, but I'd like to be the referee for this match; if it's alright with the two battlers."
"It's okay by me," Forrest snorted.
"Yes!" Aiden cheered, "That'd be awesome Brock! Thanks!"
Brock took his place at the side of the battlefield, while Michelle and Brandon took a seat on a bench located behind Aiden.
"Get ready for this," Aiden looked over his shoulder with a smirk. Brandon chuckled, and Michelle rolled her eyes.
"The gym battle between Forrest, the gym leader, and Aiden Ketchum, from Cerulean City, is about to begin!" Brock bellowed, raising both his arms in the air, "each of you will use one Pokémon, and whoever's Pokémon is knocked out first loses the match. Are we good?"
"Yes," Forrest and Aiden called out simultaneously.
"Release your Pokémon!" Brock ordered.
"Squirtle, get out there!" Aiden grinned down at the turtle Pokemon.
"Squirt!" Squirtle dashed out onto the battle field, placing his claws on his hips.
"Alright Steelix, come on out!" Forrest yelled, tossing a poke ball. Onto the field appeared a gigantic, metal snake creature, who growled ferociously at its small opposition.
"Steelix," Aiden mumbled, withdrawing his pokedex.
Steelix, the iron snake Pokémon, and the evolved form of Onix. Steelix are about thirty feet in length, and are harder than any other Pokémon in the world.
"Aiden, you'll have the first move," Brock nodded towards the raven haired boy.
"Uh, sounds good to me," Aiden bit his lip.
"Battle begin!" Brock moved his arms out, signaling the start of the fight. Aiden pulled his cap on tighter, and prepared to make his first command.
"Squirtle, use tackle!"
"Squir!" Squirtle jumped forward, lowering his head as he ran.
"Is Aiden insane?" Michelle gasped. Brandon slapped a hand against his face and groaned. Squirtle's head made contact with Steelix's body, who didn't even bother to move. Shrieking in pain, Squirtle fell backwards, rubbing his now sore head. Steelix, meanwhile, was completely unharmed.
"What?" Aiden cried.
"Didn't you hear the pokedex?" Michelle screamed, "Steelix are the hardest Pokémon known to man!"
"I heard it!" Aiden retorted, anger flashing through his dark brown eyes.
"Just like his father," Brock murmured amusedly.
"Steelix, try iron tail!"
Roaring again, Steelix sent his glowing white tail barreling towards the flustered water type. Hitting the poor turtle Pokémon, Squirtle went flying backwards, crying out in pain.
"Squirtle!" Aiden wailed. Lying helplessly on the ground, Squirtle began to whimper angrily as he pushed himself back up. "There ya' go Squirtle! Come on, get back up!"
"Steelix, quickly, use stone edge!"
Steelix shot himself up dramatically, decent sized rocks flying up around him. Thrusting his body forward, the stones went flying straight for the still struggling Squirtle.
"Squirtle, dodge and use tail whip!"
"Squirtle!" The turtle Pokémon leaped desperately out of the way, falling in the process as fatigue began to take over. Slowly pulling himself back up, Squirtle went racing back towards Steelix, spinning around to whack Steelix with his blue tail.
"Bind!" Forrest ordered.
Steelix wrapped its steel tail around Squirtle, who was still uselessly hitting the iron snake with his floppy tail.. Picking up the squirming turtle Pokémon, Steelix tightened its grip, causing Squirtle to scream out in strong pain.
"Squirtle!" Aiden yelled.
"Squirtle was already pretty weak after Steelix's iron tail," Michelle mused sadly, "I don't think he'll make it out from this attack."
"I think you're right," Brandon nodded, "this could be the end of this match."
"Forrest, call off Steelix," Brock commanded his younger brother, "Squirtle has had enough."
"Hey, who's the gym leader here?" Forrest half teased, "I've been at this for quite some time now. I know what I'm doing!"
"Dad, come on!" Brandon tried, causing Aiden and Michelle to look confusedly at him, "if Steelix doesn't let go of Squirtle now, he's gonna' be seriously hurt!"
Forrest sighed guiltily, "I can't ignore my own son…"
"But you can ignore me?" Brock cried.
Forrest chuckled lightly, "sorry Brock. But Brandon's just got a better hold on me! Steelix, let go of Squirtle! This match is over."
Steelix gave a nod and dropped Squirtle onto the ground, causing the turtle to let out a tiny moan.
"You could've done that more gently," Forrest noted.
"Squirtle!" Aiden ran out to his badly injured Pokémon, looking over him concernedly. Brock walked over and glanced at the water type, smiling gently.
"It's not so bad," Brock commented, taking the defeated creature into his arms, "I'll fix him up good as new." Aiden growled lowly, still looking down.
"I told you challenging the gym wasn't a good idea," Michelle walked over, shaking her head softly.
"You should probably train some more," Brandon added, "how about after Uncle Brock takes care of Squirtle, you and I have a practice battle?"
"Fine," Aiden narrowed his eyes, although he still wasn't looking up.
"Come on Aiden," Brandon jabbed the boy lightly in the ribs, "what would your dad say if he saw you acting this way?"
"He'd make fun of me," Aiden snorted, "then try to fire me up."
"Exactly!" Brandon raised a finger, "I may not be your father, but I am your best friend, so I'm the second best thing you can get!"
"You've got a point," Aiden gave in reluctantly, picking his head up, "fine. I'll battle you once Squirtle feels up to it."
XXX
"Your mother worries about you, you know," Brock commented as he rubbed some lotion onto Squirtle's sore head. The turtle Pokémon grunted unhappily, to which Brock responded by giving the Pokémon a pecca berry.
"I think that's pretty obvious," Michelle giggled, some red hair falling into her bright emerald eyes.
"Did you talk to her recently?" Aiden inquired as he tugged busily at his shoelaces.
"Just yesterday," Brock nodded, "she tries to act all tough on the outside, but I could pretty much tell she's freaking out. Her eyes were dull. I mean, I was used to seeing her act brave when we were younger, but you kids really softened her up."
"She'd kill you if she knew you said that," Aiden snickered.
"Probably," Brock mused, "so don't say a word!"
"No problem."
"Squirt!" Squirtle squeaked, eyes glimmering as he jumped to his feet.
"Hey buddy, you feeling better?" Aiden smiled. Squirtle glared at his trainer and turned around in order to give him a little smack with his tail. "Ow!" Aiden whined and rubbed the spot.
"I guess that's a yes," Michelle snickered.
"Alright Aiden, ready to battle?" Brandon grinned, folding his arms.
"You know it," Aiden flashed his mischievous eyes at his best friend.
"Uncle Brock, will you be the referee?" Brandon asked, heading over to the door.
"You bet!" Brock gave a smile and a nod.
"This should be very interesting," Michelle giggled, "very interesting."
XXX
"Alright Squirtle, get out there!"
"Squirtle!" The blue turtle leapt forward, determination set in his large eyes.
"Alright Cranidos, let's give Squirtle a workout!" Brandon called as he tossed a poke ball. From inside the sphere appeared a dinosaur like Pokémon, red eyes narrowed fiercely.
"Cranidos!" He roared softly, sticking out his sharp claws.
"Cranidos," Aiden showed off his lopsided smile, already knowing of Brandon's partner Pokémon. Either way, he flipped open his pokedex, scanning the Pokémon.
Cranidos, the head butt Pokémon. Cranidos lived in jungles over one hundred million years ago, using its head butt attack to knock down obstructive trees and hunt down its prey.
"Squir," Squirtle growled at the rock type, who in turn tilted his head.
"Cranidos is so docile," Michelle giggled. Brandon overheard Michelle's comment, and turned to smile at the young red head.
"Isn't he awesome?" Brandon chuckled, "that's why he makes such a great buddy!"
"Great buddy or not, he's going down," Aiden chuckled dauntingly.
"Bring it on, Ketchum," Brandon motioned with his hand, "you make the first move!"
"Alright, battle begin!" Brock called, throwing his hands up.
"Squirtle, use tackle!" Aiden called out quickly.
"Squirt!" Squirtle lowered his head and began to dash forward, preparing to run straight into the fossil Pokémon.
"Is that all you got?" Brandon chuckled, "Cranidos, use head butt!"
"Cran!" Cranidos ran forward as well, causing the two Pokémon's heads to smash together. Cranidos, however, was much stronger than Squirtle, and he sent the turtle Pokémon flying backwards.
"Squirtle!" Aiden cried as the water type quaked in the grass. The Pokémon got back up slowly, glaring at Cranidos. "Alright. Let's try tail whip!"
"Squir!" Squirtle jumped up in the air and nailed Cranidos in the face with his tail, sending the fossil Pokémon toppling down.
"Ah, Cranidos!" Brandon called. The head butt Pokémon jumped up rather quickly, eyes blazing with determination. "Use focus energy!"
Cranidos nodded and became surrounded by a faint white light, his skull glowing a bright blue. Michelle blinked curiously, and Pichu watched the scene with pure fascination.
"Cranidos is focusing all of his energy for his next attack," Brock nodded, "a smart move by Brandon."
"We're not gonna let him take advantage of a little power up!" Aiden huffed, "Squirtle, use your tackle attack one more time!"
As Squirtle raced forward once again, Brandon chuckled deviously, moving some hair out of his eyes. "Perfect. Cranidos, use take down!"
Cranidos charged towards Squirtle, his body becoming surrounded by a yellow aura. The two collided at full force, causing a small explosion. Aiden and Brandon shielded their eyes from the rising smoke, and when it cleared and they could finally look, both boys gasped when they found their Pokémon unconscious on the ground.
"Well, what do you know," Brock chuckled, "it's a draw!"
"Man," Aiden huffed, retrieving his injured Pokémon.
"You're not bad buddy," Brandon snickered towards Aiden once he was positive Cranidos was alright, "I think this battle will have done a world of good for you and Squirtle."
"Thanks!" Aiden grinned, "Now, I think Squirtle and I are ready to take on your dad again!"
"Already?" Michelle asked skeptically.
"This time we're ready," Aiden nodded with a grin, "I'm sure of it!"
XXX
"Back so soon?" Forrest snickered.
"We're going to win this time," Aiden smirked, "you can count on it!"
"If you're sure," Forrest chuckled, "let's go, Steelix!" The iron snake Pokémon appeared before his trainer once again, his expression becoming confused at the sight of Aiden.
"Alright," Aiden retrieved Squirtle's poke ball, "let's go Squirtle!" The water type materialized on the battle field, his large brown eyes narrowing when they set themselves on Steelix.
"It looks like the last battle created a nice little rivalry for Squirtle," Brandon commented from the sidelines, "this should be very entertaining!"
"You'll get the first move," Forrest nodded towards Aiden, who simply blinked in response.
"Battle begin!" Brock called, waving his arms up.
"Squirtle, run behind Steelix!" Aiden commanded.
"Huh?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.
"What's he doing?" Brandon wondered.
"Squirt?" Squirtle looked back at Aiden, clearly perplexed by the order.
"Don't just stand there!" Aiden became flustered, "go!" Squirtle's eyes narrowed once again, but he finally obeyed the raven haired boy and dashed behind the giant steel type.
"That's not going to work," Forrest mused, "Steelix, use iron tail!"
Steelix roared and swung his glowing white tail at the turtle esque Pokémon.
"Jump Squirtle!" Aiden called. Squirtle leapt over Steelix's tail, narrowly avoiding being hit.
"What?" Forrest gasped.
"Awesome!" Aiden cheered, "Now Squirtle, use tail whip!"
"Squirtle!" Squirtle slapped his small blue tail against Steelix's back, leaving nothing but a little mark on the powerful Pokémon's back.
"We can get this back, no problem," Forrest noted quietly. After thinking for a moment, he yelled out, "Steelix! DragonBreath!"
"What's DragonBreath?"Michelle sounded alarmed.
"It's a dragon type move," Brandon replied, "and probably Steelix's strongest."
The iron snake Pokémon fired a yellow beam of light at Squirtle, the fireball directly hitting the water type. Squirtle cried out helplessly and skidded backwards, pain evident all over the little Pokémon's face.
"Squirtle!" Aiden cried, "Get up, please!" No response from the water type. "Squirtle, come on! Get up!"
"Squirtle is…" Brock began, but he was quickly stopped by a collection of gentle mutterings.
"Squir…squirtle…" Squirtle was slowly picking himself up, wincing in severe pain. Aiden, meanwhile, was wide eyed in disbelief. His Squirtle was really listening to him! He was so determined! Aiden couldn't have been more proud of the water type. Once Squirtle was back on his hind claws, he opened up his mouth, unleashing several bubbles. Aiden blinked confusedly.
"What's up with Squirtle?" Michelle glanced at Brandon.
"I…I think Squirtle just learned a new move!" Brandon gasped.
"What?" Michelle grew wide eyed. Brandon continued to watch Squirtle blow bubbles for a few more seconds, before suddenly getting an idea.
"Aiden!" Brandon called, causing the raven haired boy to turn his head, "that's bubble! Squirtle just learned bubble!"
"Bubble…" Aiden repeated quietly to himself. His face lighting up, Aiden cheered, "Hey! That's a water type move! Finally!" Pointing ahead, he called strongly, "Squirtle! Use bubble on Steelix!"
"Squir!" Squirtle increased the stream of the bubbles, sending them full blast at Forrest's Pokémon. Steelix cried out in pain as he was pelted with the bubbles, his eyes wincing tightly.
"Don't let it get to you Steelix!" Forrest yelled, "Use iron tail again!"
"Not so fast!" Aiden held out his hand, "Squirtle, aim the bubble at Steelix's face!"
"Squirt!" Squirtle leaned his head up, shooting the bubble attack right into Steelix's eyes. The iron snake Pokémon thrashed around, trying desperately to escape the onslaught. But it was no use. After a few more moments, Steelix let out a ferocious roar and collapsed on the battle field, his eyes shut as he moaned in pain.
"Steelix is unable to battle!" Brock announced, "Which means Squirtle is the winner! And the victory goes to Aiden!"
"We…we won," Aiden blinked. A huge smile suddenly appearing on his face, Aiden punched the air and screamed, "We did it! Our first badge! Yeah Squirtle!"
"Squirtle," the water type smirked and folded his arms.
"Well what do you know," Brock murmured fondly, "Aiden really is like his father."
"Squirtle is too proud for his own good," Michelle giggled to herself.
"Wow, so Aiden really beat my Dad, huh?" Brandon chuckled, "kid's got potential."
"That was an impressive battle, Aiden!" Forrest complimented as he recalled Steelix to his poke ball, "you really know how to work the fight in your favor."
"Thanks!" Aiden grinned, his eyes dancing with happiness.
"Take this as proof of your victory at the Pewter City gym," Forrest insisted as he walked towards the boy and held out an open palm. Aiden stared into the gym leader's hand, and when he caught sight of the glittering boulder badge, his smile widened even further.
"Thank you so much Forrest!" Aiden thanked the man heartily as he took the symbol from the older man. Holding it up victoriously, he yelled, "alright! My very first badge!"
"You're going to do great things Aiden," Brock smiled at the ten year old, "your parents are going to be very proud of you."
"Thanks Brock," Aiden looked rather sheepish.
"And you too, Michelle," Brock added as he looked at the red head.
"I certainly hope so," Michelle blushed slightly.
"Dad?" Brandon suddenly piped up. Brock and Forrest both turned to look at the young boy, their faces a mixture of confusion and amusement.
"Yes son?" Forrest smirked.
"Well, I was wondering, if it was alright with you," Brandon then turned his attention to Aiden and Michelle, "and these two right here," he added with a smirk, "If I went on a journey."
"A journey?" Forrest repeated.
"You mean with us?" Michelle asked.
"If it would be alright with you," Brandon smiled shyly, "I've wanted to go out for a little while, but I didn't really want to go on my own. You two are my best friends, so why not go together?"
"Yeah, that'd be so much fun!" Aiden jumped.
"I'd love to have you along!" Michelle trilled.
"Well, what do you say, Dad?" Brandon's voice was very hopeful.
"Ah, how can I say no to that face?" Forrest smiled sadly, "Not to mention going on a journey will certainly help you on your road to becoming a Pokémon breeder. You can go."
"Thanks Dad!" Brandon raced forward to give him a hug.
"I'm going to miss you though," Forrest frowned now as he hugged the boy back, "your mother as well. You promise to call every now and then?"
"Of course," Brandon nodded, "I'll make it a priority!"
"Well, this might help then!" Brock reached into his pocket and retrieved a blue and black device, holding it out to his young nephew.
"Is…is that a Pokegear?" Brandon gasped.
"It sure is," Brock nodded, "just think of it as an early birthday present. It's already got a map of Kanto downloaded onto it. Not to mention you can call people on it! I've already programmed the home number in. You can register the numbers of trainers you meet along the way as well."
"And by that, he means not just pretty girls!" Forrest added sternly as Brock handed the Pokegear to Brandon. The young boy had the same flirtatious habits as his Uncle Brock.
"I got it; I got it," Brandon chuckled, "thanks Dad."
"Well, you three have a long road ahead of you," Brock smiled at the trio before him, "but I think you'll all be okay as long as you have each other."
"Yeah," Michelle smiled, "it'll be just like you and our parents!"
"All the arguing between the raven haired boy and red headed girl included," Brandon snickered.
"Not funny!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously.
Now you've met Aiden and Michelle's travelling partner: Brandon! Brock's nephew and an aspiring Pokemon Breeder :)
Now that Aiden's obtained his first badge, what will the group do next? Keep on reading to find out! Thanks for all of the reviews so far, they've been awesome! The new chapter (they're long from now on!) should be up next week!