It didn't take me a month, y'all! It took me one day LESS than a month :P But here it is, the newest chapter of A New Era! A seemingly popular character makes a reappearance in this one, wonder who it is...keep reading and find out!
LAST TIME: Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon snuck underground Celadon City with Eusine to try and find Team Rocket's secret hideout. They find it, along with a group of Team Rocket's youngest operatives, including Giovanni's "son" Magnus. Aiden and Eusine overhear Giovanni's plan to raid a nearby orphanage, but before they can do anything, the operatives attack and then disappear.
Chapter 29: The Garden of Ledyba! Catch the Leader!
After the underground adventure with Eusine in which they'd tracked down Team Rocket and gotten a small clue as to what their evil plan was, the small travelling group of Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon decided that staying in Celadon for one more day to rest up wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, the city was huge, and there was still plenty for them to do!
Aiden had told Michelle about Celadon Park, where he had sat the day they all separated polishing his poke balls before being swept away by Clarisse. Michelle thought it sounded like the perfect place to train for her next Contest, since she figured she needed a lot more work due to her early exit in the last one. Aiden decided to train as well, wanting to be fully prepared for his next gym battle in Fuchsia City. Brandon, on the other hand, decided that he would simply cook the group a nice lunch while the two siblings trained.
Michelle, who still hadn't decided who she wanted to use in the next Contest, was doing her training with both Pichu and Eevee. Aiden, on the other hand, was busy working out with Riolu, who he wanted to start teaching battle strategies to.
"Alright, Riolu," Aiden gently instructed, "The attacks you know right now are counter, quick attack, and endure. So…how about you show me quick attack first?"
"Ri!" Riolu nodded before running off in a straight line, going so fast that streaks of white appeared behind him.
"Yep, that's quick attack alright!" Aiden chuckled. "It looks great! Well, we can't really practice endure because that's more of a defensive move, and I don't know if I'm ready to have anyone attacking you yet. But so is counter…at least you can defend yourself more easily with it. Hey, Shelly!"
Michelle looked up at her brother and raised a curious eyebrow, not understanding what he wanted from her.
"Could you have either Pichu or Eevee use an attack on Riolu?" Aiden requested. "I want to see how well he can use his counter."
"Uh…sure," Michelle replied uncertainly. "Pichu, use charge beam on Riolu!"
"Pi?!" Pichu gasped, whipping her head around to stare incredulously at her trainer.
"It's okay, Aiden wants you to," Michelle reassured the baby Pokémon.
"Pi…pi-chu!" Pichu squeaked, forming her ball of electricity which fired off a beam at Riolu.
"Okay Riolu, counter!" Aiden called.
The emanation Pokémon threw a paw out in front of himself. Pichu's charge beam ended up bouncing off of an invisible force of energy and rocketing back towards her, causing the young Pokémon to squeak in fear.
"Pichu, dodge it!" Michelle yelped.
The electric type threw herself down into the grass, the beam of electricity flying overhead. It darted towards Michelle who successfully leapt out of the way and avoided being hit.
"Yeah, counter works alright!" Aiden chuckled. "Nice job, Riolu!"
"WAH!"
Aiden and Michelle both gasped and turned towards the forest that stood behind them. Suddenly, a familiar young girl staggered out of the trees, her eyes wide and her brown hair rather disheveled. Aiden raised an eyebrow, recognizing the girl immediately.
"Flora!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going somewhere until some electric attack came out of nowhere!" Flora shrieked.
"You didn't get hit, did you?" Michelle asked worriedly.
"No, I got out of the way just in time," Flora replied. "I have to admit, it was kind of exciting! I felt like a real Pokémon trainer out in the wild!"
"I hate to break it to ya', but electric attacks don't normally come flying at you while you're traveling," Aiden informed the girl.
"That's alright!" Flora giggled. "Anyway, I'm glad I ran into you! Maybe you guys can help me!"
Michelle tilted her head. "Help you? With what?"
"Okay, so around here, there's a colony of Ledyba that live in the trees and the bushes," Flora explained. "Ledyba is my favorite Pokémon ever, and I want to catch one! But…I don't know. I need help from some real trainers!"
"Flora, how can you catch a Pokémon?" Aiden inquired. "You're too young yet to be a trainer yourself."
"Oh, that's easy!" Flora trilled, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a poke ball. "I got this from my mom!"
"You got it?" Michelle asked skeptically.
"Well, I guess it's more like I took it, but yeah," Flora replied sheepishly.
"Flora!" Aiden gasped, his eyes going wide.
"It's fine, I promise!" Flora cried. "Just help me!"
"I don't exactly feel right about helping you out when you plan on using a poke ball that you stole from your mom," Aiden sighed.
"Oh please, Aiden," Michelle scoffed. "You're not going to act like you're all innocent now, are you?"
Aiden seemed visibly offended by this as he raised an eyebrow and pulled his shoulders back. "What're you talking about?"
"You took stuff from Mom and Dad all the time when you were younger!"
"I did not!"
Rolling her eyes, Michelle rebutted, "Aiden, when we were seven, you stole Dad's wallet and tried to buy a swing set."
"…so?"
Michelle sighed and threw her head back. "You're impossible!"
Smirking, Aiden looked towards Flora and continued, "I guess I can help you out. I know I probably shouldn't encourage that, but apparently I was a pretty crazy kid myself."
Flora raised an eyebrow at this. "Aren't you only two years older than me?"
"Details, details," Aiden scoffed. "Come on! You show me where those Ledyba are, and I'll help you catch one!"
Flora's green eyes lit up with excitement as she giggled and grabbed Aiden's hand, shocking the older boy. "Come on! Come on! I'll show you where they all are! It's great!"
As Flora pulled Aiden away, Riolu let out a small squeak and quickly followed after his trainer as any loyal Pokémon would do. Michelle and Brandon, on the other hand, simply exchanged bewildered glances. It was strange to them how rash and tomboyish Flora was nothing at all like her mother, the sensible and overly feminine Erika.
"Strange," Michelle hummed.
"She didn't get much from Erika I guess," Brandon chuckled before returning to cooking lunch.
XXX
"Here they are."
Aiden peered out from over the top of a bush where he and Flora were hiding. They had gone deep into Celadon Park, practically all the way into the forest, in fact. The two were staring at the trees that stood across from them, where the leaves were surrounded by ladybug-like Pokémon. They were gathered in swarms, their clear wings moving so rapidly that they were practically invisible.
"Real Ledyba," Aiden marveled.
"Aren't they cute?" Flora giggled as Aiden pulled out his pokedex. "They're just the coolest Pokémon!"
Ledyba, the five star Pokémon. Ledyba are extremely timid, and when stuck alone, refuse to move. They use aromatic fluids to communicate with other Ledyba.
"So, you want one of these, huh?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah! When I start my Pokémon journey, Ledyba is going to be my partner! Mom will definitely be fine with me borrowing a poke ball when I tell her that!"
"Sure, let's go with that…" Aiden muttered.
"So how do I catch a Pokémon?"
Aiden blinked and turned his eyes onto Flora. She was still gripping the "borrowed" poke ball and beaming at him, obviously excited by the prospect of actually catching a Ledyba. Aiden sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to go back on his word now. Even if it did encourage Flora's bad deed.
"You've got to battle it first," Aiden replied. "Which might be difficult for you since you don't have any Pokémon yet."
Flora sulked at this. "Oh, yeah. Right."
"Hey, no need to get so down about it!" Aiden encouraged. "I think you're forgetting that I'm a trainer! I have Pokémon that we can use to battle the Ledyba!"
Flora cheered up at this. "You're right! Which Pokémon should we use?"
"Ri!"
They both whipped around and found Riolu now standing behind them and positively beaming. His long tail was wagging back and forth, further displaying his obvious excitement.
"Oh, you followed us, didn't you, Riolu?" Aiden chuckled.
Riolu nodded at this. "Ri-o!"
"Maybe we should use Riolu to battle the Ledyba," Aiden suggested. "I haven't used him in a battle yet, but we've been training together. I think it's about time for him to get some real experience!"
"That'd be awesome!" Flora agreed.
"Okay, Riolu, are you ready to try battling some wild Pokémon?" Aiden asked the emanation Pokémon.
"Olu!" Riolu cheered.
"Awesome!" Aiden chuckled. "Now, let's use quick attack on the Ledyba!"
"Ri!"
Riolu darted right out of the bushes, running straight up the tree and causing a clutch of the Ledyba to disperse. Riolu, however, was not deterred. He jumped right off the side of the tree and went flying through the air, straight towards one specific Ledyba. That same Ledyba turned around rapidly and let out a terrified shriek before firing off a silver wind attack.
"Riolu, counter!" Aiden ordered.
Still soaring through the air, Riolu stuck out his palm and bounced the silver wind right back at Ledyba. It hit the five star Pokémon dead on and caused it to wither right down towards the ground. Riolu landed skillfully on his feet, right before Ledyba, and grinned down cheekily at the severely weakened Pokémon.
"Now's your chance, Flora!" Aiden cried.
"Huh?" Flora squeaked.
"Throw the poke ball at Ledyba!" Aiden rectified. "It's weakened, so it'll be easier to catch now!"
"Oh, right!" Flora gasped, getting to her feet and tossing the poke ball right at Ledyba. The red and white sphere bounced off of the dual type Pokémon and opened up, spitting out a bright red light that quickly sucked up it up. With Ledyba now inside, the ball fell back to the ground and rocked back and forth, causing both Aiden and Flora to hold their breaths. After a moment, the ball stopped moving and a soft but still audible click sounded.
"Did I…did I catch it?" Flora asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, you did!" Aiden cheered. "Nice work, Flora!"
"Ri ri!" Riolu added, picking the sphere up with his paws and scurrying back over to his trainer. Once there, he held the ball up to Flora and started wagging his tail again, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Nice work, Riolu!" Aiden complimented.
"Yeah, Riolu, that was awesome!" Flora giggled, taking the ball from him. "And thanks for bringing me Ledyba!"
"Lu-ri!" Riolu yipped.
"Ledyba sure went down easily," Flora commented. "Why's that?"
"I think Ledyba is still young," Aiden replied. "It must be why Riolu was such a good matchup for it! But don't worry. With the right training, your Ledyba will become super powerful!"
"Wow, you really think so?" Flora marveled.
Aiden chuckled and gave the younger girl a wink. "I know so!"
Before Flora could reply, a flash of red flew in between Aiden and Flora and snatched the poke ball right out of the young girl's hands, causing her to gasp.
"My Ledyba!" She cried.
"Hey, who did that?!" Aiden shouted.
The flash stopped right above the two humans, and that's when its full form came into view: a red and tan body with big, blue eyes and long black antennae, and clear wings much like the Ledyba had. In fact, this Pokémon resembled Ledyba quite strongly, save for the longer and more slender body and the alien-like eyes.
"Is that…?" Aiden trailed off as he once again pulled out his pokedex.
Ledian, the five star Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ledyba. The spots on Ledian's back have been said to represent the stars in the night sky, and grow larger or smaller depending on the number of stars in the sky each night.
"So that's a Ledian, huh?" Aiden murmured.
"I don't care what it is, it took my Ledyba!" Flora screamed. "Give it back!"
The dual type Pokémon let out a shrill cry, one loud enough that Flora, Aiden, and Riolu all withered in pain.
"Ri!" Riolu wailed.
"What was that?!" Aiden gasped, looking down at the pokedex.
Ledian possesses the ability to emit ultrasonic cries in order to scare away foes.
"I don't know about scaring me away, but I'm pretty sure it busted an eardrum or something," Flora mumbled as she uncovered the sides of her head. Looking up to glare at Ledian, Flora let out another cry when she realized that the dual type was gone. "Where is that thing?! It still has my Ledyba!"
"I don't understand why Ledian would take your poke ball," Aiden sighed. "That's really strange!"
"Ri-o, ri ri lou-ri!" Riolu fumed, stomping his paws on the ground.
"What's got Riolu all riled up?" Flora asked.
"He's a got a gentle nature, but when someone messes with me or my friends, he gets really upset," Aiden explained. "He may be a gentle little guy, but he's also extremely loyal."
"Oh, I got it," Flora awed.
Kneeling down, Aiden smiled softly at the frustrated baby and patted his head. "Don't get so worked up, Riolu. We're going to get Flora's Ledyba back! And you're going to help!"
"Ri?" Riolu squeaked, pointing at himself.
"Yes, you!" Aiden laughed.
"Lou!" Riolu cheered before narrowing his eyes in determination.
XXX
"Check out the alien bug."
"That's not an alien bug, Jeweley. It's a Ledian!"
"A Ledian?"
"Mmhm. The evolved form of Ledyba."
Jewel lowered her binoculars and smirked at her partner in crime. She, Jason, and Sneasel were all hiding away in a nearby tree, spying on Aiden and Flora. They had assumed Michelle would be nearby with her super powerful Pichu, but apparently, that wasn't the case. She liked what she had seen out of Riolu, however, and was now considering swiping that baby Pokémon.
"Hey, I say we forget the little baby," Sneasel commented, catching Jason and Jewel's attention. "Who needs that Riolu! Let's catch that Ledian!"
"And why would we do that?" Jewel demanded.
"It's obviously got an attitude, which is perfect Team Rocket material!" Sneasel explained. "The boss only wants really powerful Pokémon, and nothing says power like a sense of self-assurance!"
"Sneasel does have a point," Jason agreed. "Besides, did you see how quickly it snatched that poke ball from the little girl hanging out with the brat?! If that Ledian is capable of stealing so stealthily, it'd make for an excellent poaching Pokémon!"
"Ugh, quit it with the alliteration, you're not Mom and Dad," Jewel groaned, covering her ears.
"Sorry…"
"But I suppose you two are making some sense," Jewel sighed. "Ledian does seem like a world class thief. Besides, Mom and Dad told us to stay away from headquarters today. We haven't gone after the brats in quite some time. I think we should pass the time by snatching that Ledian and the poke ball in its grubby little hands while we're at it!"
Nodding, Sneasel poked his head out of the tree and called out to Ledian, who raised an unamused eyebrow but continued to fly over to the sharp claw Pokémon regardless.
"Hey there, bud!" Sneasel prattled on in a false, cheerful tone. "I was just sitting up here watching ya', and I noticed that you swiped that poke ball from the little human girl over there! Quite sneakily, I might add. Not that I'm interrogating you or anything, 'cause I'm on your side, but what's the deal behind all of that?"
"Led, ledian, ledi ledia an-an, ledian!" Ledian replied starkly.
"Translation, please," Jewel grumbled.
"Ledian says that he's the leader of this colony, and he refuses to let any of his followers be captured," Sneasel reiterated, leading to a stoic nod from Ledian.
"That makes sense, I suppose," Jason hummed.
"Hey, you don't have to worry about a thing!" Sneasel assured Ledian. "My buds here and I will help you to protect your colony from those two brats!"
"Led?" Ledian questioned.
"My friends and I know those two are bad news, and we don't want to see any Pokémon out here getting hurt because of them!" Sneasel continued. "So you just let me and my two good humans assist you in your quest to protect the colony. Sound good?"
Ledian smirked and nodded his head. "Dian!"
Sneasel turned his head and smirked at Jason and Jewel, who both wholeheartedly returned the mischievous looks.
XXX
"Aiden, how are we going to get my Ledyba back?!"
"I don't know, I need to think for a minute!"
"Ri."
Aiden cocked an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. That Ledian had obviously been angry about Flora catching Ledyba, but still…taking the poke ball had been rather extreme. Aiden wasn't entirely sure what to do.
"Maybe we should-"
"Not so fast, brat!"
Aiden looked over his shoulder and gasped. Standing on a nearby tree were three familiar figures, all of whom made Aiden scowl and confused Flora to a great extent.
"Who are those weirdos?" Flora asked, nearly causing the trio to tumble down.
"Hey, watch the tone!" Jason cried.
"Little girls like you shouldn't have such a big mouth," Jewel remarked.
"Seriously, who are you?!" Flora yelped, her grassy green eyes narrowed in disbelief. The trio standing in the tree laughed mischievously before turning all of their attention onto the flustered Flora.
"Listen up, and prepare for us!" Jewel began.
"Give up now, or we'll make a fuss!" Jason added.
"We're here to start trouble!"
"And surely burst your bubble!"
"Truth and love, we will defy!"
"Like shooting stars, we're sure to fly!"
"Jewel!"
"Jason!"
"Team Rocket, here to succeed!"
"Our great history you soon will read!"
"Sneasel, agreed!"
"Team Rocket?" Flora repeated, a tone of incredulousness taking over. "I thought they were just a myth! Mom told me they weren't real, and that we were safe!"
"Oh, they're real alright," Aiden sighed. "These three are just not as adept as the others."
"You think you're so funny, don't you brat?" Jewel scoffed. "Well, you won't be laughing after you see this!"
She tossed a poke ball down, which popped open and released her Venonat. Jason followed suit an threw his own poke ball, sending out his Spinarak.
"They've got Pokémon too!" Flora gasped.
"Led!"
Ledian floated down between Venonat and Spinarak, bright blue eyes still narrowed and Flora's poke ball still held in his white hands.
"Is Ledian with them?" Flora muttered, turning towards Aiden.
"Looks that way," Aiden growled.
"Calm down over there, brats!" Sneasel called. "We only got Ledian on our side after it stole your poke ball! You see, little brat, you caught a member of this Ledian's colony, and he's not gonna' accept it!"
"Ledian must be the leader of the colony," Aiden groaned in realization.
"Oh, so that's why he took my poke ball!" Flora gasped.
"Either way, I'm not just gonna' let Team Rocket take advantage of us!" Aiden yelled, plucking a poke ball off of his belt while simultaneously peering down at Riolu. "Ready to go, buddy?"
Riolu confidently saluted his trainer. "Ri!"
"Growlithe, you help us out, too!" Aiden shouted, tossing the red and white sphere. It opened up, and soon enough, the fire puppy appeared beside Riolu, growling at the sight of Team Rocket once again.
"Oh please," Jewel huffed before ordering, "Venonat, tackle that stupid little Riolu!"
The ball of purple fluff went flying forward, colliding straight into the young emanation Pokémon. Aiden and Flora both gasped, while Jewel cackled evilly.
"Aw, what's the matter, the baby can't fight?" Jewel crooned teasingly.
"Of course he can!" Aiden shouted. "Riolu, you use quick attack on Venonat! And Growlithe, you use ember on Spinarak!"
Riolu got back onto his feet and charged towards Venonat, bowling the insect Pokémon over. During that same attack, Growlithe jumped up in the air and fired off his signature fire attack, showering Spinarak in tiny spits of embers.
"Ugh, those brats!" Jason whined.
Realizing that Venonat and Spinarak were at serious disadvantages to Aiden's Pokémon, Ledian narrowed his eyes and began to flap his translucent wings so quickly that silver crescents emerged from them and sent Riolu and Growlithe tumbling backwards towards their trainer.
"Was that silver wind?" Flora gasped.
"Yeah…" Aiden muttered.
"Ledian is so powerful," Flora remarked with a grimace. "How are we ever going to get my Ledyba back?"
Snarling, Growlithe fired off another ember attack, this one from the ground and up towards Ledian. The five star Pokémon didn't seem impressed by Growlithe's attempts, and allowed his eyes to glow an even brighter shade of blue before a glass wall appeared in front of him, deflecting the ember attack and sending it right back towards both Growlithe and Riolu.
"That was reflect," Aiden grunted.
As soon as the reflect disappeared, Ledian swooped back down towards Aiden and Flora, not using an attack but only to scare the both of them. It worked, causing the two to separate. As soon they were drawn apart, however, Ledian pulled back up into the air, and Flora's stolen poke ball slipped out of Ledian's gloved hands.
"Flora, grab it!" Aiden cried, pointing at the fallen sphere.
Flora gasped, and Ledian narrowed his eyes, diving back down to grab the ball. It didn't work, however. Flora managed to get there first and jump up, thus grabbing and reclaiming the poke ball as her own.
"Open it!" Aiden ordered.
"Oh…okay," Flora murmured, pressing the white center button of the ball. It popped open, and a blue light emerged, eventually forming shape into Flora's newly captured Ledyba.
"Ledy!" It cried joyfully.
"Oh, wow, my Ledyba!" Flora marveled.
"Flora, you have to use Ledyba and help me beat Team Rocket," Aiden implored. "I can't do it with just Riolu and Growlithe! It's still three against two! But, if you use Ledyba, it will be an even match!"
Flora sulked at this. "But I don't know which attacks Ledyba can use!"
Aiden whipped out his poke dex and held it up towards Ledyba, allowing his eyes to scan the screen before reading out loud to Flora, "Ledyba can use tackle, comet punch, and light screen."
"Great!" Flora cheered. "Alright, Ledyba, use tackle on Venonat!"
"Le!" Ledyba chirped, flying quickly towards the purple fuzz ball and knocking it right between the eyes, much to Jewel's horror.
"We got this now," Aiden cheered to himself. "Quick, Riolu! Use quick attack on Spinarak! Growlithe, ember one more time at Ledian!"
"Spinarak, use scary face!" Jason commanded.
Riolu was about to attack the spider, but Spinarak narrowed its eyes and glared at the emanation Pokémon, darkening its complexion all the while. Being a more timid baby, Riolu squeaked and back away out of fear, officially flinching and failing to attack.
"No!" Aiden groaned. Flora took note of Aiden's frustration and decided she needed to help him and Riolu out.
"Ledyba, use your comet punch on Spinarak!" She called.
The dual type swooped down towards the spider Pokémon, repeatedly punching it with great force. That one attack sent Spinarak flying backwards, eventually leading the string spit Pokémon to nail Jason right in the face.
"What is this?" Jewel demanded to know from Sneasel. "That stupid Ledian was supposed to be helping us steal all of the Pokémon! I want this dumb Ledyba colony for the boss already!"
"Jewel, be quiet!" Sneasel shouted. But it was too late.
"Ledi?"
Jason, Jewel, and Sneasel all turned around slowly and found Ledian to be floating before them, an angry look on his face.
"Oh, hey there, Ledian!" Sneasel laughed nervously. "Did you get your buddy back? Heh…"
"Ledi! An!" Ledian shouted towards Ledyba, causing the smaller Pokémon to perk up and flutter towards Ledian.
"What's going on?" Flora asked curiously.
"Ledian just asked Ledyba to team up with him, I think!" Aiden chuckled.
Together, the two Pokémon warmed up their little white fists and fired off a dual comet punch attack at the group, banging into each and every member until they were all sent flying high above the trees, shouting and protesting at the top of their lungs.
"Nice job, Ledyba!" Flora giggled, running up to her clearly proud new catch. "You totally kicked Team Rocket's butt!"
"Ledy!" Ledyba trilled, spinning around and beaming at Flora.
"Wow, Flora, it looks like Ledyba really likes you!" Aiden commented.
"Ri!" Riolu added.
"You think so?" Flora asked before glancing up at Ledyba. "Is it true? Are you excited that I caught you, Ledyba?"
"Dy!" Ledyba chirped, flying down low and orbiting around the girl's head. Ledian watched on from up in the air, his sapphire eyes still narrowed in contemplation. They didn't seem as scrutinizing, however, which Aiden quietly took notice of.
"Ledi!" Ledian finally called out to Ledyba, catching the younger bug's attention. "Ledian ledi le ledian?"
"Ledy!" Ledyba replied, rapidly nodding its head.
"Hey, I think Ledian just asked Ledyba if it really wants to go with you!" Aiden informed a shocked Flora.
"Growl!" Growlithe barked in response, confirming Aiden's guess.
"That's so awesome!" Flora shrieked, jumping up as high as she possibly could in order to grab Ledyba's top hands. "We're going to have so much fun, Ledyba! I promise! We're going to play, and go on all sorts of adventures, and once I'm old enough, we'll go out on our very own journey, just like Aiden and his Pokémon!"
Aiden smiled at this. It was great to see Flora so excited about her first Pokémon! Sure, she had still stolen the poke ball from her mother in order to catch Ledyba, but he was sure that Erika couldn't be mad at Flora once she saw just how happy the little girl was with her new friend.
"Ledi!"
Aiden looked forward and gasped, stumbling backwards slightly. While he'd been busy watching Flora and Ledyba, Ledian had apparently flown down into his face, and had been a little too close for Aiden's comfort.
"Ledian," Aiden murmured, "what's up?"
"Ledi ledian," Ledian continued, his tone and expression taking on a determined look. "Ledian!"
"Uh…what are you saying?" Aiden muttered.
"Ri! O!"
Aiden looked down and found Riolu to be jumping up and down, smirking at a rather impressed Ledian. After a few more bounces, Riolu settled down and instead began to punch the air, finally tipping Aiden off as to what the two were discussing.
"Riolu, is Ledian challenging us to a battle?" Aiden asked.
"Ri!" Riolu barked.
Aiden glanced at Ledian and smirked back at the dual type. "You think we're strong, don't you, Ledian?"
"Di!"
"Alright then, we'll battle you!" Aiden decided. Looking over his shoulder, Aiden smirked at the obviously excited Flora and instructed, "You and Ledyba should watch this. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two!"
"For sure!" Flora agreed, backing up towards a tree with Ledyba fluttering next to her the entire time.
Looking down at the young emanation Pokémon, Aiden asked, "Ready to go, Riolu?"
"Ri!" Riolu shouted, jumping up once again so he could once again turn and face Ledian.
"Great, let's go!" Aiden shouted. "Use quick attack!"
Riolu started to run so fast that white streaks appeared behind him. Ledian was still hovering in the air, but Riolu got around it by running up to a nearby tree and pouncing off the side of the trunk, flying through the air towards Ledian. The dual type flew out of the way effortlessly, however, and as Riolu started to fall back down towards the ground, Ledian dove down and threw out a fist, which was now glowing light blue.
"Wow, mach punch!" Flora marveled.
"Riolu, quick, endure!" Aiden ordered.
Riolu reached out with his paws and grabbed Ledian's fist, struggling as he attempted to push it away from him. He finally succeeded, however, and landed safely on his feet while the mach punch ended up affecting Ledian instead.
"Awesome!" Aiden cheered.
Ledian was not deterred, however. He instead sent out another silver wind attack, causing the grass and leaves to all rustle up while Riolu stood in one spot and covered his eyes, trying to keep the dirt out of them.
"Riolu, counter!" Aiden shouted. Riolu finally managed to pull his paws away from his face in order to create the invisible force of energy around himself, which led the silver wind to bounce off of the barrier and instead hit Ledian.
"Wow, another turnaround by Riolu!" Flora remarked.
Ledian panted and struggled to remain in the air. He was trying his hardest, however, and wasn't about to give up. Swooping down once again, Ledian began punching with both of his top fists repeatedly, flying through the air and threatening to hit Riolu just like that.
"Comet punch again," Aiden murmured. "Alright then! Riolu, use counter once more!"
As Ledian drew closer, Riolu threw one paw out in front of himself. Instead of forming the invisible shield of protection, however, a burst of light yellow energy emerged from Riolu's palm, blasting into Ledian and sending the dual type back flying.
"Was that a new move?!" Flora gasped, jumping away from the tree she'd been leaning against.
"Growl!" Growlithe barked happily.
"Yeah, force palm!" Aiden cheered. "Way to go, Riolu!"
"Lou!" Riolu chuckled happily, his ears bobbing up and down.
Ledian, meanwhile, was so weakened by the force palm that he didn't even have the strength to remain in the air. Slowly, his wings stopped fluttering and he landed listlessly in the grass, lying there with no will left to fight.
"Hey, you won, Aiden!" Flora crowed.
"Yeah…" Aiden trailed off before pulling a poke ball off of his belt and tossing it towards Ledian, yelling "go, poke ball!"
Flora watched on in surprise as the red and white sphere hit Ledian, opening up and sucking in the dual type with a bright red light. The ball landed back on the ground and rocked back and forth uncertainly, Aiden, Riolu, and Growlithe all watching on with baited breath. Finally, the ball settled down and an audible click sounded, signifying the official capture. Aiden smiled to himself and walked over to the ball, picking it up and holding it in the air.
"Awesome!" Aiden laughed. "I caught a Ledian!"
"Ri-o!" Riolu cheered.
"Lithe!" Growlithe yipped.
"Wow, now you have a Ledian!" Flora giggled, running up to Aiden. "That's so cool!"
"Ledian is a super strong, determined Pokémon," Aiden explained. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch it!"
"Let's go show our new Pokémon to Michelle and Brandon!" Flora suggested excitedly.
"Sounds good to me," Aiden chuckled. "Come on!"
XXX
Brandon was just finishing making lunch, and Michelle setting the table, when Aiden and Flora finally returned, huge smiles on both of their faces.
"Took you two long enough!" Michelle shouted, putting down the final plate. Pichu and Eevee were running circles around the table, chasing one another in an attempt to distract themselves from their hunger. "Did you guys manage to catch a Ledyba?"
"Yeah!" Flora giggled, holding out her now occupied poke ball. "And it's the best!"
"That's great to hear!" Brandon commented, placing the pot in the center of the table. "Would you like to eat with us, Flora?"
"Yes please!" The younger girl replied.
"Hey, Flora isn't the only one here who caught a new Pokémon!" Aiden called.
"She's not?" Michelle asked curiously.
"No, check it out!" Aiden chuckled, pressing the center button of his newly filled poke ball. It popped open and revealed Ledian, who smiled at Michelle.
"A…a b-bug…" Michelle muttered, taking a small step back.
"Yeah, but come on, it's a cute bug!" Aiden laughed.
"I guess…" Michelle whimpered.
"This Ledian was in charge of a colony of Ledyba, but after it challenged me to a battle, I decided to catch it!" Aiden explained. "He's really strong!"
"Looks like we have an extra mouth to feed now," Brandon commented. "Good thing I made extra Pokémon food!"
"You're the best, Brandon!" Aiden crowed before smiling up at Ledian. "You're going to have lots of fun with us, Ledian. And we'll get even stronger together!"
"Di!" Ledian agreed, looking very happy with his new situation.
So Aiden now has 5 Pokémon! How exciting :P But he still needs one more for a full party! Wonder who it will be...
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next time, the group will be out of Celadon City (at last, haha!) and headed towards their next destination, Jonquil Town. Who will be there? What kind of Pokémon will they see? Find out...NEXT TIME!