Chapter 3: New Friends

The four travelers decided to only walk for a few hours during the day and spend the rest of the time training. It would take a lot longer to get to Striaton City that way, but they thought it was best since the contest was not until another couple of weeks. Besides, they all had a lot of work to do.

Gabri found out that her Emolga, which she names Cashew, did not know how to fly - or glide, as it was. She enlisted the help of Shelly's Butterfree in order to teach him. She did not want to be a laughing stock new trainer who had a flying type that did not know how to fly! After several days of intense training, Cashew seemed to have gotten down the basics.

Nine days after they had first set out, they found themselves on a hill overlooking a town. "Is this Striaton City?" Shelly asked excitedly.

Gary shook his head. "This is Accumula Town. Striaton City is beyond it. Let's stop here for awhile."

"Sounds good to me," Dani said as she led the way down the hill. It had been awhile since they had eaten real food and slept in real beds!

Soon, they were at the Pokemon Center handing their Pokemon off to Nurse Joy and her Audino to make sure they were in good connection. "Oh, Gabri and I need to register for the Pokemon League," Dani said after the Pokemon were taken away.

Joy smiled at her. "Alright. I will just need your Pokedexes." Dani and Gabri handed over their Unova Pokedexes. Joy scanned them into her computer and then gave them back. "You're all set. Will you be going to Straiton City for a gym battle?"

Dani nodded. "That's our next stop."

"Why don't you check out the Battle Club here in Accumula City? It would be great practice for both of you."

Dani blinked. "Battle Club?"

"There are battle clubs all throughout Unova. Trainers may go there to challenge others and gain experience as well as tips from the battle master. I can give you directions if you want."

Dani grinned. "Sounds good to me." She glanced behind her. "What do you guys think?"

"I'm in if that's what you guys want," said Gary.

Shelly shrugged. "Sure. I would enjoy watching a battle."

"It seems like a good idea," Gabri said.

"Here you are," Nurse Joy said as she held out a slip of paper to Dani. "I think they are closed for the evening, but you can check it out tomorrow."

Dani smiled as she accepted the paper. "We will. Thank you, Nurse Joy."

The group walked off to the side where they could talk better. "I'm going to call my grandpa, and then we can go get some dinner," Gary said.

Shelly nodded. "Ok."

"Can we say hi?" Gabri asked.

Gary smiled. "Sure. I think he would like that."

They found a video phone booth, and Gary dialed a number. It rang several times before the screen flickered on to reveal an older man wearing a white lab coat. "Hello, Gary," the man said in a pleasant voice. "It's good to see you. Who do you have with you?"

"I met these sisters at Professor Juniper's lab," Gary said. "I'm traveling with them to Striaton City to watch Shelly in a Pokemon contest."

"That's me," Shelly said, smiling shyly.

"I'm Dani," her older sister piped up. "Gabri and I are going to challenge the gym leader in Striaton City."

"Oh, that's right," said Professor Oak. "Professor Juniper told me you had found some traveling partners. It's nice to meet you girls."

"You too," Dani said.

"We're just going to Striaton City," Gary said. "I don't know what I'll do from there."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." His grandpa smiled at him. "It's good for researchers to know the land and Pokemon in every region, and there is no better way to do that than to go on a journey with trainers and coordinators. You'll learn a lot more than you think."

Gary nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. We're going to go find something to eat. Talk to you later, Gramps."

Professor Oak nodded. "Goodbye. Good luck to all of you in your adventures."

"Bye!" the girls said before the screen clicked off.

"He seems nice," Gabri said.

Gary nodded. "He is. Now let's find some dinner!" The three sisters could not agree more.


The next morning, the four kids followed Nurse Joy's instructions and found themselves entering the Accumula Town Battle Club. There were computers inside, but they headed started for the battle area to see if they could watch a battle or find some opponents.

"Welcome to the Battle Club!" a man said at the door. "I'm Don Georges, your battle master. What can I do for you? Wow, is that a Cyndaquil?"

Dani grinned. "Yep. My sisters and I come from Johto."

"My, what a rare Pokemon for Unova."

"I know. Anyway, we came to battle."

"Well, we have two challengers looking for a tag battle if you and one of your friends are up for it."

Dani glanced at Gabri. "What do you say? It would be good practice for our gym battle."

Gabri hesitated. "I don't know," she said, holding Dragon in her arms. "I'm a pretty new trainer..."

"So am I!" said a boy from the battlefield. He wore glasses and had deep blue hair. "Come on, it'll be fun! I'm Max, and this is my sister, May."

"Hello there," said the brown-haired girl next to him.

"Hi!" Dani said cheerfully. "I'm Dani. These are my sisters, Shelly and Gabri, and our friend, Gary."

"Max and May... Why does that sound familiar?" Gary mused.

"Nice to meet you," said Max. "So, are we going to battle?"

"Sure," Gabri said with a slight smile. She headed over to the other side of the battlefield with Dani while Don Georges stood off to the side to officiate.

"This will be a tag battle," said the battle master. "Each trainer will use one Pokemon. The battle will be over when both Pokemon on one side are unable to battle. Please choose your Pokemon."

"Alright," said May, "come on out, Glaceon!" A pretty blue Pokemon appeared before her.

Gabri set her Tepig down on the ground. "I'm choosing you, Dragon."

"You're up, Ralts!" said Max. The Psychic type soon stood before him.

Dani thought for a second before pulling out a Pokemon. "Let's go, Luke!" A second later, the Charmeleon stood beside his new fire type partner. "You guys can go first."

May smiled. "Thanks. Glaceon, use Ice Shard on Dragon!"

"Ralts, use Confusion on Luke!"

"Dodge and use Ember on Glaceon!" Dani said.

"Uh... you too, Dragon," Gabri said quickly.

Glaceon shot out shards of ice. Dragon tried to dodge, but most of them hit him. Ralts sent an odd wave at Luke, but the stronger fire type was unable to jump out of the way. Luke turned and spat out his fire balls at Glaceon. The ice type managed to dodge this attack but was not quick enough to get out of the way of the second Ember coming from Dragon.

"Alright, then, use Dragon Rage on Glaceon!" Dani said.

"Disarming voice!" Max said.

"Dragon, Ember on Ralts!" Gabri said.

"Glaceon, Shadow Ball on Luke!" May said.

While Luke formed a ball of energy in his claws, Ralts let out a shrill cry, causing both him and Dragon to cringe in pain. Still, the Charmeleon managed to fling out the Dragon Rage, and a second later, Dragon started up his fire balls. Both attacks hit their targets, but while he was distracted, Luke was struck by Glaceon's Shadow ball.

"Now, Glaceon, Secret Power on Dragon!"

"Dragon, Ember on Glaceon!"

"Ralts, Confusion on Dragon!"

Dani hesitated as she thought about what she should do. It looked like their opponents were ganging up on the Tepig. She did not like that. "Luke, Smokescreen!"

Right after the three attacks were sent out, dark smoke filled the room. Two Pokemon cried out, so at least two of the attacks had hit. However, now no one could see anything.

Dani glanced at her sister, and they nodded. "Double Ember!" they cried.

Fire balls were sent flying in every direction into the smoke. As the smoke started clear from the attacks, Glaceon and Ralts were seen visibly standing, but they appeared tired from being struck.

Dani looked straight at Ralts and then glanced at Gabri, who nodded in understanding. "Luke, use Fire Fang on Ralts!"

"Dragon, Tackle against Ralts!"

"Dodge!" Max cried.

"Shadow Ball on Dragon!" said May.

Luke raced towards Ralts with his fangs glowing. Ralts managed to dodge, but she was too late to run out of the way of the Tepig. After being knocked to the ground, Luke jumped up and bit down on her with his Fire Fang. At the same time, Glaceon hit Dragon with a Shadow Ball. Ralts and Dragon did not stand up.

"Dragon and Ralts are unable to battle," Don Georges said.

"Looks like it's just you and me," May said to Dani with a small smirk.

Dani smirked right back at her. "Right. Luke, use Dragon Rage!"

"Secret Power!"

The two attacks collided in the middle, causing an explosion that sent both Pokemon flying back.

"Icicle Spear!" May called

"Ember!" Dani watched as the fire melted the ice into water. She needed to do the same thing to that Glaceon. "Now Fire Fang - and don't give up until you hit!"

"Keep using Shadow Ball, Glaceon!"

Luke ran towards Glaceon, but she jumped out of the way and sent a Shadow Ball in his direction, which he barely dodged. As he ran towards her again, the second Shadow Ball hit. The Charmeleon got up quickly and started chasing the ice type around the field. Glaceon turned her head to use Shadow ball again, but this caused her to trip and fall on her face, giving Luke enough time to jump on her and bite down hard. He jumped off to the side, staring down victoriously at the fainted Glaceon.

"Glaceon is unable to battle," said Don Georges. "Luke is the winner, and victory goes to Dani and Gabri!"

Dani turned and grinned at her little sister. "We won!" She then smiled at her Charmeleon. "Great work, Luke." She took out his Pokeball and returned him.

"That was awesome!" Gabri said excitedly.

"It was fun even though we lost," May agreed.

"We'll win next time," Max said.

"Oshawott!" said a Pokemon near the sideline by Gary and Shelly.

The four trainers blinked as they stared at him. "What's that?" May asked.

"That Oshawott likes to watch our battles ere," Don Georges explained. "He comes from Professor Juniper's lab. No one chose him for a long time, so he escaped, and now he challenges everyone he meets. He loves to be at a type disadvantage."

"Hi!" Gabri said to the little Pokemon.

Oshawott stared at her before turning and walked out of the room.

"I guess he doesn't want to talk," Max said.

The four of them made their way over to the sideline. "That was a great battle," Gary said. "And I remember who you two are now. Grandpa said that some kids named May and Max traveled with Ash through Hoenn and the Battle Frontier."

"You know Ash?" May said excitedly.

Gary smirked. "We did grow up together in Pallet Town. We're rivals now. My grandfather is Professor Oak."

"You're Gary Oak?" Max said with wide eyes.

Gary smiled proudly. "The one and only."

May clapped her hands together. "Ash told us about you! It's great to finally meet you."

"I'm confused," Shelly said. "Who's Ash?"

"He's a Pokemon trainer from Kanto we used to travel with before I was a trainer," Max explained.

"That was when I first started out as a coordinator," May added.

Shelly immediately perked up. "You're a coordinator? So am I!"

"That's awesome! Have you been in any Unova contests yet?"

"No. We're headed to Striaton City for the Contest there."

"So are we! I guess we'll see you there."

"Yeah. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

May shook her head. "No. I wanted to go shopping, but Max keeps complaining."

"Do you want to come shopping with me? We can dump Max on Gary and my sisters, who don't like shopping either."

"Hey!" Max exclaimed.

May brushed him away. "She didn't mean it like that. And I would love to. If the rest of you are fine with it, that is."

Dani and Gabri shrugged while Gary, "That's fine. Go have some fun."

May and Shelly grinned. "Great!"

The group made their way outside. Once they were out in the bright sun, Shelly and May dashed away together. The others turned t each other, but before any of them could speak, something said, "Oshawott!"

Dani looked down to see the Oshawott from before standing in front of her, pointing at her. She blinked. "Hi there. Do you want something?"

"Oshawott!"

"Remember what Don Georges said?" Gary said. "Maybe he liked your battle with your Charmeleon and wants to battle you."

Dani smiled down at the Oshawott. "Is that true?"

He nodded his head. "Oshawott."

"Well, Luke is resting now. Do you want to battle Mo?" The Cyndaquil waved from her shoulder.

Oshawott shook his head.

"Don Georges said he likes to be at a type disadvantage," Max said.

Oshawott nodded again.

"Oh, I have someone you might like to meet then!" The oldest girl pulled out a Pokeball and pushed the button, causing her Pikachu to appear before her. "Do you want to battle Cody?"

Oshawott brightened at the sight of the electric type. "Oshawott! Oshawott!"

Cody gave him a slight smile. "Pika."

"Cool, a Pikachu!" Max said excitedly.

"My sisters were recently in Kanto," Gabri explained.

Dani smiled. "Alright. Let's battle!" The group walked off to a grassy area so they were not blocking the Battle Club. Oshawott stood opposite of Cody, a determined look on his face. She liked the little guy's determination and decided she would catch him if she could. "Cody, start off with Slam!"

Cody ran forward on all fours. When he got close to his opponent, he stood up to slam into him, but he darted out of the way. Turning, the sea otter blasted Cody with a Water Gun, causing him to fall on his back.

"You're tough," Dani said. "Cody, use Electro Ball!"

Cody started to form an electric ball on his tail while the Oshawott started to run at him. He threw the ball, but the water type dodged and hit him with a Tackle.

"And fast," Dani added. "Let's see if you can dodge this. Thunderbolt!"

Cody stood up and took a second to gather his electricity. Then he sent a powerful electric bolt straight at the Oshawott, which made a direct hit. When the attack finished, the Oshawott looked like he had taken a lot of damage. Still, his eyes glowed with determination, and he started to blow more water at the electric mouse.

"Double Team!"

Before the water could hit, a whole bunch of Pikachu appeared and surrounded the Oshawott, who looked around in surprise. He seemed uncertain about which one to hit with his Water Gun.

"Now Electro ball!"

All of the Pikachu started to form their balls on their tails. Oshawott started to shoot water at all of them, making them disappear. Before he could get to the real Cody, the ball of electricity hit him in the chest, sending flying onto his back.

"That should have done a lot of damage!" Max exclaimed. "Try to catch him now!"

Dani nodded. She would love to have such a cute and tough Pokemon on her team. She pulled out an empty Pokeball and tossed it at the Oshawott. To her surprise, he struggled to his feet and swatted the Pokeball away with his scalchop. "You still want to battle?" He nodded. "Well, ok... Cody, use Slam!" She worried about how much more damage another electric attack would do.

Cody ran forward on all fours. When he got close, he stood up and slammed into the Oshawott with his body. It looked like Oshawott was crushed, but then he managed to push his opponent off of him with his scalchop. Then he blasted his Water Gun at him.

"I don't think he is going to give up," Gary said. "You need to end this now."

Dani nodded. "Cody, Thunderbolt!"

Cody released another powerful bolt of electricity. Oshawott cried out as he was hit, and he stood panting heavily when the attack finished. However, he still lifted his head and tried another Water Gun.

"You need to knock him out," Max said.

Dani looked around and noticed a rock nearby. "Cody, use Slam near the rock!"

Cody raced towards the Oshawott and the rock. He slammed into him, sending him flying. The water Pokemon hit the rock with his head and immediately fell unconscious. Dani raced forward to where he lay, and then she bent down and scooped him up in her arms.

"We need to take him to a Pokemon Center," Gary said.

Dani nodded. She knew this little one must have sustained a lot of damage. She wished she could have finished the battle sooner... She shook the thoughts away as she ran towards the Pokemon Center with her friends.

Luckily, the Pokemon Center was not far away. Dani barged through the doors with her friends on her tail. "Nurse Joy!" she cried. "This Oshawott is hurt!"

"Oh no!" said Joy. "Not that Oshawott again. Give him to me." She walked over to meet her halfway and took the Pokemon from her arms. She then turned and headed to a back room.

"He'll be fine, right?" Max said.

"I hope so," Dani said grimly.

Meanwhile, Shelly and May were having fun shopping together. After some time passed, they decided to go back to the Pokemon Center to check up on their siblings and friends. "So, is this Ash person you traveled with your boyfriend?" Shelly asked.

"Oh, no!" May said. "We were just friends."

Shelly examined her new friend, noting her relaxed expression, and decided to believe her. "Ok. Then who's your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." She smiled weakly.

"How long have you been traveling?"

May seemed to think about this for a moment before responding. "About three years."

"Then you've had to have come across some guy you like."

May hesitated. "No. I mean - I've been busy with contests." She smiled nervously.

Shelly raised her eyebrows. "Uh huh." Now this she did not believe, though she knew she would not get anywhere by pushing her. "What guys do you know? Any rivals?"

May seemed to relax slightly at this question. "I've met a lot of guys, but the two I keep running into are Harley and Drew. "Harley is really annoying and enjoys making me uncomfortable and causing me distress." She made a face. "Thankfully, he did not come to Unova."

Shelly nodded. She doubted that she had a crush on Harley. "What about Drew?"

"He said he's coming to Unova. I met him at my very first contest all the way back in Hoenn." She smiled softly at the memories. "At first, he would always make fun of me and act like he was better than me, but ever since I beat him in the Kanto Grand Festival, he seems to have a lot more respect for him and is a lot nicer to me, though he still enjoys teasing me."

Shelly smirked. "I see. Are you just rivals?"

"Well, I think we're friends. We've helped each other out in tight situations in the past, and we like talking to each other. At least I do..."

"Is he cute?"

May blushed and glanced down. "He's alright..."

Shelly smirked again. "I want to meet him." From what May was saying, she thought he liked her, but she would have to talk to him for herself.

"You will probably run into him at a contest sometime."

"Good." She could not wait to see if her intuition was right.

"So, do you like anyone? Like Gary?"

Shelly was taken aback by the sudden change in conversation. She bit her lip as she considered the question. "Well... He's definitely cute, and there is an attraction. I have to get to know him a bit more before I can decide if it's something worth pursuing."

May nodded. "That's a good idea. Good luck."

Shelly smiled slightly. "You too."

At this point, they had finally reached the Pokemon Center. As they walked through the doors, they were surprised to see their siblings and friends sitting in chairs looking quite glum. "Max, what did you do?" May said.

Max looked up at her in surprise. "It was Dani!"

Shelly sent her older sister a sharp look. "Dani."

"I didn't mean to!" Dani said quickly. "That Oshawott wanted to battle my Pikachu, and he wouldn't give up..."

"He sustained a lot of injuries," Gary said. "Nurse Joy is taken a look at him right now."

That moment, Joy walked back out into the front and headed to the kids, who all looked up at her expectantly. "Oshawott is going to be just fine," she said with a small smile. "He's resting, and I'm going to keep him here overnight."

Dani let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"Nurse Joy," Max said, "have you seen that Oshawott before?"

Joy smiled sadly and nodded. "I see him about once a week. Trainers say he challenged them to a battle and was easily defeated."

"What do trainers do after they bring him here?"

"They leave, and I release him the next day."

"Well, I'm not going to leave," Dani said. "I want to make sure he's fine in the morning."

Gary nodded. "Good idea. We'll stay."

Joy smiled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate. You can come in and visit him later if you want."

"Ok," said Dani.

"Waiting around here isn't going to help," May said. "I think it's time for lunch. I heard about this great noodle shop we can try out!"

"Yum, noodles," said Gabri. Everyone else agreed.

Soon, everyone was seated at a table enjoying some delicious noodles. No one spoke for the first several minutes while they ate their food. Finally, Max looked across the table at Gabri and said, "Is your Tepig your first Pokemon?"

Gabri gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yep. Who is yours?"

"Ralts," Max replied.

"Ralts isn't a starter," Shelly said, "and isn't it from Hoenn?"

"Yes," Max said. "You see, when May first started out as a coordinator, she let me tag along. One day, I found an injured Ralts and brought her to the Pokemon Center. We became close, and I promised her I would return for her once I was old enough to be a trainer myself. And that's what I did."

Shelly smiled. "Aw. That's nice."

Max nodded. "So far it's just me and my Rufflet that I caught." He glanced at Gabri. "Do you have any other Pokemon?"

"Just an Emolga," Gabri said.

"Aw, Emolga are cute," May said.

"They are."

"So, Gary, what are you doing in Unova?" May asked.

"My goal is to become a Pokemon researcher," Gary replied. "Right now, I have no projects going on, so I decided to travel with these girls to Straiton City to watch my fist Pokemon Contest."

"You'll enjoy it. Pokemon Contests are great."

"What will you do after that?" Max asked.

"I don't know," Gary admitted.

"You're welcome to continue traveling with us," Dani said. "Professors Juniper and Oak both said it would be good experience for you."

"And it's fun to journey with friends," May said.

Gary smiled. "I'll think about it. When are you two heading out?"

"After lunch."

"I think we're leaving tomorrow morning," Gabri said.

"Then we'll see you in Striaton City," said Max.


The next morning, the four remaining trainers stood in the lobby of the Pokemon Center as Nurse Joy walked up to them with Oshawott by her side. "Oshawott is all better," Joy said.

"Oshawott." The Oshawott smiled and waved at Dani.

"I think he's thanking you for visiting him yesterday afternoon.

Dani smiled. "You're welcome." She had gone to visit him in his room and had spoken encouraging words to him. "Take care of yourself. Thanks again, Nurse Joy."

As they all turned to leave, a panicked look crossed Oshawott's face, and he cried out, "Oshawott!"

Dani blinked as she turned back around and looked at him. "What is it?"

"Oshawott." He ran forward to stand right in front of her.

"I think he wants to go with you," Joy said.

"Is that true?" asked Dani.

"Oshawott." He nodded. Then he pointed at Mo, who rested on her shoulder. "Oshawott."

"You want to battle Mo? Will you let me catch you this time?"

"Oshawott." Another nod.

"Awesome," Gabri said with a grin.

"I think you will be a great trainer for him," Joy said.

Dani smiled. "Great. Let's go battle."

The five of them walked out of the Pokemon Center and found a grassy area. Mo jumped down in front of Dani while Oshawott stood a little ways back. Gabri, Shelly, Gary, and Nurse Joy watched from off to the side. "Ok, Mo, use Flame Wheel!"

Mo turned into a wheel of fire and rolled towards Oshawott. The water Pokemon quickly jumped out of the way before blasting him with a Water Gun. The Cyndaquil stood up, dazed.

"Fine. Use Flamethrower."

Mo's powerful fire hit Oshawott and sent him flying back. Oshawott struggled to stand up, but he did manage to hit his opponent with another Water Gun. He seemed to know that sticking with his water attack was the best strategy.

"Now use Swift!"

Oshawott jumped in the air to avoid the sharp stars. Upon coming back to the ground, he wagged his tail to lower Mo's defense. Then he shot out yet another stream of water, which hit its mark.

Dani was impressed with the Oshawott's skills and wondered who no trainer had wanted him. "Inferno!"

Mo lowered his head, and the fire on his back started to grow blue, which he aimed at the Oshawott. This time, the water Pokemon was unable to dodge. He was panting heavily as he struggled to stand up.

"Alright, let's see if this works!" Dani found an empty Pokeball and tossed it at the Oshawott. The Pokemon was sucked inside, and the ball started to move back and forth. After several seconds, it grew still. "Yes!" The girl ran forward and picked up the Pokeball, which immediately became small. "Right. I'm already carrying six Pokemon."

"You can switch out your Pokemon in the Pokemon Center if you want," Nurse Joy offered.

Dani nodded. "Right."

"Congratulations," Gary called to her as she headed back inside.

Dani looked back and flashed him a grin. "Thanks!"

The oldest girl returned ten minutes later. "Ok, let's go!" She tossed a Pokeball in the air, and the Oshawott appeared before her. 'I'm going to name you 'Simon.' How does that sound?"

"Oshawott," Simon said with a smile.

"I think he likes it," Gabri said.

"We better get going," Shelly said. "Goodbye, Nurse Joy."

"Goodbye," said Joy. "Good luck in Straiton City and take care of that Oshawott!"

"I will," Dani said.

Gary led the way with Gogoat by his side. Mo hung onto Dani's shoulder while Dragon walked beside Gabri. Simon ran up ahead so he was the one in front. Dani simply smiled at him as they continued their journey.