A/N: Hello, everyone! Here's Chapter 6. It's the longest chapter yet. I could have cut in half but I felt that it would have been better if I kept it like this. To those who are wondering why I use so much Japanese in the story, it's mainly because I like to be as authentic as possible and since the majority of the story happens in the world of Pokémon so since almost everything about the Pokémon world is from Japan... Anyway like always, I own nothing expect for any OCs that may or may not show up. Original plot belongs to WizardsGirl. Remember enjoy and review!
Nozomi looked around the limousine with awe filled eyes. Yesterday had been the first time that she had been even near one and today she was getting to ride in one! Both Persian and Giovanni watched her explore the large compartment, though Giovanni was watching her with tolerant filled eyes while Persian watched her with narrowed eyes that followed her to make sure that didn't get hurt by anything. She talked to Marc, the driver of the limousine, and learned that he had started out with a Bulbasaur when she had asked what his Starter was. Not only that but she had learned since then Ivy (Marc's Bulbasaur) had evolved into an Ivysaur then into a Venusaur and that he had been able to challenge the Pokémon Champion at the time. Nozomi listened with rapt attention to the forty five year old as the much older man explained the battle with such precise detail that Nozomi couldn't believe that the battle had actually occurred so long ago and she was awed as well as spellbound. In the end, however, Marc had lost but still…he had put up an excellent fight before he was forced to give the Champion the win.
"We have arrived," he said a minute or two after he had finished his story and with some reluctance, Nozomi followed Giovanni as well as Persian out of the limousine. She quickly waved goodbye to Marc as she was led into the Pokémart. Once she was through the door, Nozomi was distracted since the store was all but overflowing with items that she knew would help her Pokémon healthy as well as happy. She quickly brought out both Hikari and Haru to help her out in her shopping. Before all three of them could run off to do her shopping, Giovanni called her over with a slight smile.
"Before running all over the store, why don't you go pick out a backpack? After that, we'll get you the things you'll need for your Journey as well as some new clothes…though that'll be later when we get to the clothing store." Giovanni said somewhat absentmindedly as he looked through the various Pokémon food that the store carried. Nozomi nodded her head and pick up Haru before she lead Hikari over to where she could see the backpacks were hanging. Persian, after giving his Trainer a look, followed after his 'cubs', who were now helping his human cub find a backpack that would work well for several months or as long as her Journey lasted. Nozomi, by that time had placed Haru on the ground.
"Ne, Persian-san, anata wa watashi ga shutoku suru hitsuyō ga dono bakku pakkuda to omoimasu ka?" Nozomi asked as she pulled out (Hikari and Haru pointed out the backpack they liked so Nozomi could pull them out) three different backpack from different racks. The one that Haru had pointed out was a Persian plum one with Alice blue swirls and also had Persian rose hibiscuses scattered throughout the backpack for decoration. Hikari had pointed out one that was a soft rose red with wild orchid purple stripes and amaranth purple rose petals scattered throughout the backpack for decoration. The third and final backpack that Nozomi herself had picked out was one that was a deep cerise with baby blue and Paris green swirls for decoration. Persian looked the three bags with a critical eye before turning to the bags still on the rack. Standing up on his hind legs, he looked over the rest of the backpacks before seemingly coming to a decision on one in particular. Carefully, Persian removed it from the rack and dropped it at Nozomi's feet. The one that Persian had placed at her feet was one that was royal purple that was decorated with cherry blossom pink cherry blossoms that were scattered across the backpack and pale plum purple plum blossoms that were also scattered across the backpack. It had been in between a simple grey backpack and a purple backpack. "Sugoi, Persian-san! Watashi wa sono izureka o minogashite iru hitsuyō ga arimasu! Sore wa kanpekidesu!" She kissed Persian on the head in a spur of the moment action and quickly headed back to Giovanni with a small grin on her face. The older man had gotten a basket at some point earlier and it was obvious that he had been doing his own shopping since it was filled up quite a bit.
Nozomi quickly put on her backpack so he hands could be freed. Hikari and Haru quickly followed after their trainer while Persian quickly followed after his human cub. Nozomi followed Giovanni around putting whatever she was told to put in her basket. Soon Nozomi was straining to carry the basket but by that time the group had gotten to the counter and started to get everything paid for. Giovanni also asked for twenty Pokéballs and ten similar balls that were called Great Balls.
"Great Balls are very similar to Pokéballs but have a somewhat better catching rate." Giovanni explained to Nozomi when she asked what Great Balls were. "However, they aren't as good as an Ultra Ball. If you're trying to catch an evolved Pokémon, Great Balls will get the job done if you weaken the Pokémon first. Alright?" Nozomi nodded happily. Soon the group were putting the bags into the trunk along with Nozomi's new backpack before they headed over to the clothing store. Giovanni insisted on picking out some of her cloths but told her that Rei would help her pick out more clothes. Persian, Hikari and Haru picked out some as well. Nozomi thought, privately (of course) that the Pokémon had better taste than Giovanni-san, especially Hikari and Haru. She would never tell anyone, though, since she respected Giovanni-san and Persian too much to even think of insulting him in such a way.
In fact, for some reason, she already viewed him as someone to trust. Almost as soon as she realized that, Nozomi's face paled as she shoved that thought to the back of her mind to think about at a later time. The last time she thought she could trust someone…no one had believed her about her family. The beating for that had left scars and would still give her phantom pains at times.
After buying several different pieces of clothing and an Eevee PokéDoll for Aiko, the group got something for the humans to eat. Giovanni gave the three Pokémon some Pokémon food, which Hikari and Haru gobbled down with a gusto. He looked over the duo with a critical eye and was startled to find that both Hikari and Haru were strong and fit already.
"Have you battled anyone yet?" He asked Nozomi, who just shook her head as she cuddled Hikari close to her chest as Haru nuzzled Nozomi's side. Both were extremely happy to just spend time with their Trainer.
"No, sir. I just got them yesterday. They've been in and out of their Pokéballs since then though." Nozomi now had a look of concern on her face. "Why? Is something wrong?" She was now worried that her new friends were sick, but Giovanni just shook his head. However, before he could continue, a boy who looked to be around Nozomi's age came up to them.
"Ne, kodomo!" the boy grinned as he pointed a finger at Nozomi. "You wanna battle?" Nozomi blinked as Haru narrowed her eyes and cried out a challenge while Hikari jumped out of Nozomi's hold with a loud growl. Hikari kept close to Nozomi's side as Haru stepped forward and took up a battle stance in front of Nozomi.
"Watashi ga inai baai demo, karera ga okonau yō ni, sore wa miemasu." She exclaimed with a laugh before she got to her feet. "Alright, let's do it!" Giovanni sat back to watch, curious as to how the battle would play out.
"Alright! You better be prepared to lose!" The boy exclaimed as he pulled out a Pokéball. "Let's go, Pidgey!" A small plump-bodied avian Pokémon that was primarily brown with a lighter throat and belly while both of its feet and beak are a pinkish-gray color. The Pokémon had black markings around its eyes and a small crest of brown and cream feathers above its eyes. It blinked its black eyes before looking around curiously and shifting into a battle stance.
"Oh, wait! What's your name?" Nozomi asked as she moved her bangs out of her eyes. The boy blinked at her, startled by her question.
"Um…it's Alan. Yours, sweetheart?" Nozomi smiled as Persian, Hikari and Haru growled at him.
"It's Nozomi!" And with that, the battle started.
"Pidgey, use Gust!" The small bird flapped its wings causing a light gust of wind to buff Haru. However, Haru managed to change her stance so that she could remain on the ground.
Before Nozomi told Haru what she wanted the lavender Pokémon to do, she quickly scanned the smaller Pokémon.
Pidgey—the Tiny Bird Pokémon. It is a common sight in forests and woods. It is very docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If attacked, it will chase off enemies by flapping up sand or will ferociously strike back. This Pokémon has an extremely sharp sense of direction. No matter how far it may be removed from its familiar surroundings, it can unerringly return home to its nest.
"Haru, get up close then use Disable and then follow up with Take Down." Nozomi said as Haru got up close and released a series of blue rings from her body that made the small bird Pokémon unable to move. Once Pidgey was unable to move, Haru backed away from the smaller Pokémon until she was once again in front of her Trainer. When Haru was in front of her Trainer, she ran towards the still disabled bird Pokémon with her head lowered. Haru managed to hit the Tiny Bird Pokémon causing the smaller Pokémon to go flying only to land in front of it's Trainer but it got back up on its feet, wincing as it did. As the Tiny Bird Pokémon got back up on its feet, Haru was shaking her head, trying to get rid of the lingering pain that she felt.
"Come on, Pidgey! You can do it! Use Tackle!" The Tiny Bird Pokémon ran towards Haru.
"Haru, dodge and give that Pidgey a taste of your Poison Tail!" Haru easily and gracefully dodged her opponent before her tail started to glow a dark somewhat vibrant purple as Haru allowed her poison to be secreted from her tail. When she felt that there was enough poison on her tail, she hit Pidgey with her tail just as the Pokémon reached her. This time when she hit Pidgey, the Tiny Pokémon stayed down due to it falling unconscious.
"Pidgey!" Alan cried as he recalled it before giving Nozomi a glare that had her take a step back out of fear and pulling out another Pokéball. "You may have beaten Pidgey, but you don't have a chance against my Rattata!" A small purple and cream (on its stomach) furred rodent Pokémon that had large teeth, long whiskers and finally a long slightly curled tail appeared. Nozomi, on the other hand, just called Haru back to her. Hikari lightly tackled her friend playfully before she stepped onto the field.
"Hikari-chan, watashitachi no besuto o tsukushimashou!" Nozomi said to encourage her Starter Pokémon and Haru joined in to show her support of her fellow Pokémon.
Anata wa sono chīsana nezumi o taosu koto ga dekiru, Hikari-chan! Nozomi was quick to give her a slightly disapproving look. Even if she was going up against someone stronger than her, she would not tolerate any name calling from anyone…even if it was get the opponent lose focus.
"Haru-chan. No name calling. It's not sportsman-like. We only taunt people if it's part of a plan." Nozomi said softly causing the Poison Pin Pokémon to look sheepish. As they both turn their attention back to the battle, Nozomi once again quickly scanned the rodent like Pokémon.
Rattata—the Mouse Pokémon. This Pokémon's impressive vitality allows it to live anywhere. It will ceaselessly scavenge for edibles the entire day. Wherever food is available, this Pokémon will settle down and produce offspring almost continuously. This Pokémon is extremely cautious for even while it is asleep, it constantly moves its ears and listens for danger. Its fangs are long and very sharp. They grow continuously so it gnaws on hard things to whittle them down. It is very quick and is a common sight in many places.
"Rattata, use Tackle!" The purple and cream rodent made a crittering sound before running straight towards Hikari who elegantly dodged the attack. The rodent managed to stop before it ran off the field.
"Hikari, keep it up!" Nozomi said as she thought quickly. She knew that if she didn't end the battle soon, Hikari would likely get injured. Slowly an idea was formed and she knew that she had to put it into action before Alan ordered his Pokémon to do anything. "Koibito, watashitachi wa kore o okonau koto ga dekimasu! Use Sunny Day and combine it with Heat Wave!"
"Nani?!" Alan shouted as he started at Nozomi in shock. Hikari's eyes became fiery and she released a white beam of light into the sky from her mouth, causing the sun to shine brighter. Once the sun was shining brighter, Hikari opened her mouth allowing a white flame to be created in it before she released it as a round orange flame swirled around the original white flame and once she felt that the flame had reached a good size, Hikari released it while aiming for the Rattata. The attack hit the Rattata which cried out in pain before it fainted. "Rattata! Chigau!" Alan quickly ran forward and scooped up his fallen Pokémon. "Anata wa daijōbudesuka?" He asked it with a distressed filled voice. Nozomi, meanwhile, scooped up Hikari and gave her a light kiss on the top of her head—laughing as she did so.
"Yoi shigoto, watashi no yūjin!" As she said that, Nozomi carefully rubbed the area around Haru's horn with a warm smile before getting up and heading towards Giovanni to get an Antidote for Alan's Pidgey. Once she had the Antidote in hand, Nozomi headed over to Alan with a worried look on her face.
"Hey, is your Pokémon alright?" She asked with a concerned filled voice as Haru turned her attention back to her Pokéfood while Hikari kept close to Nozomi, trying to keep a close eye on her Trainer. Alan merely nodded somewhat distractedly as he looked over his Rattata with a careful eye before looking at Nozomi with nervous filled eyes.
"She should be alright after I get her to a Pokémon Center." Nozomi nodded with relief filled eyes as she held out the Antidote for Alan to take. When he didn't, she gave the boy a shy smile.
"Here, use this on your Pidgey. Sore wa yoi tatakaidatta to anata wa hijō ni yoku yatta." Nozomi told him, completely meaning it. Alan just stared at her as he slowly took the Antidote.
"Shikashi...watashi wa ushinawa reta." He said as he pulled out his Pidgey's Pokéball and let the Tiny Bird Pokémon out. When the Pokémon was once again out of the Pokéball, he sprayed the Antidote gently over the slightly poisoned Pokémon. Nozomi simply looked at him with a slightly blank look in her eyes. Alan shivered when he looked back up at her. Somehow, he just knew that the blank look in her eyes wasn't meant to be there.
"So what? You did your best. Even though you lost, you've got a reason to train harder. That way, the next time we met you can beat me." Alan blinked before he grinned.
"You're right. We did do pretty good, didn't we? Right, you two?" Nozomi nodded as did Pidgey and Rattata, who had just revived herself. Nozomi shook Alan's hand before the boy ran off, heading for a Pokémon Center. Once the boy was out of sight, Nozomi returned to the table to finish his meal. When she was seated, Giovanni congratulated her as Persian gave Hikari and Haru tongue baths.
"Tsumari, chīsana ichi, hijō ni sōzō-tekidatta. That Disable/Take Down attack and the Sunny Day/Heat Wave attck. " Giovanni said as she sipped his coffee while he watched the girl over the cup. "Plus you were very sportsman-like to the boy. It's obvious that you're not a bad winner and I have no doubt that you would have been a sore loser." As he said that Nozomi blushed softly and ducked her head, feeling both shy and embarrassed.
"Watashi wa kare ga kare ga ushinatta to iu jijitsu no ue ni jibun jishin o uchinomesu koto o nozomanakatta." Nozomi muttered softly, slightly embaressed. Hikari jumped into Nozomi's lap before yawning widely which in turn made Haru copy the Puppy Pokémon. "Sore wa anata no on'nanoko no tame no shūshin jikan gada yō ni miemasu." With that, she called them back into their Pokéballs.
"Come on, little one. Let's get your Pokémon checked out at the Pokémon Center as well. Just to make sure that their alright." Giovanni said as he finished his coffee and Nozomi nodded before she followed him down the street.
After getting Hikari and Haru check out…
"Nozomi, tell me what do you know about Gym Leaders?" Giovanni asked the ten year old girl who merely looked up from the vanilla ice cream cone that the man had just bought her, revealing confused filled eyes.
"Um…they run the gyms…and if…you win a battle against them…they'll give you a badge. After that...if you have eight badges…you can change the League and the Champion." Giovanni nodded each time she got something right.
"Very good, anything else?" Nozomi just shook her head since Akito didn't really go into the Gyms and the Gym Leaders all that much. Giovanni just nodded his head slightly before continuing on. "Each Gym Leader has a special style but more importantly a different kind of Pokémon that they specialize in. Take the Pewter City Gym Leader, for instance." He gestured to the building that they were currently standing in front of. Nozomi stared at the building with curious filled eyes as she ate the rest of her ice cream cone. "This is the Pewter City Gym and the Leader's name is Takeshi. If you challenge Takeshi and win, you'll be ahead of the Trainers who don't have a badge but still be behind those who have more than one badge. Do you understand so far, Nozomi-chan?" Nozomi nodded her head as she turned her head to face the man.
"So, why exactly are we here, Giovanni-san?" Nozomi asked though she thought she knew why but wanted confirmation from the man.
"Why, Nozomi…you're going to challenge Takeshi to a battle." Giovanni answered with a very shark-like smile. Shuddering slightly, Nozomi had a sinking suspicion that she was going to get very familiar with that expression that was on his face.
After finding out that Takeshi wasn't at the Gym since one of his many sisters had gotten sick, Giovanni lead Nozomi to a small house a few streets away from the Gym. Once they were in front of the small building, Nozomi stared at the building in front of her in curious as she self-consciously fiddled with the hem of her shirt while Giovanni knocked on the door. Persian, sensing her uneasiness, pressed against her in gentle reassurance.
After a few minutes, a tall dark tanned man with spiky black hair and serious black eyebrows answered the door. Laughter and yelling could be heard coming from behind the man causing Nozomi to shift closer to Persian at the sudden noise, feeling both startled and nervous. She still wasn't used to people…especially loud people. Giovanni, however, smiled at the man but it was more of one of those indifferent and tight smiles that you gave to people you didn't really like but didn't really hate either.
"Sakaki-san?" The man asked in slight confusion and with a frown on his face. "What are you doing here? Anyway, come in. You can tell me when you're inside." With that, the man stepped aside before letting Giovanni into the house. Nozomi cautiously followed Giovanni in with her head ducked down as she went through the door. As she did so, she slowly dragged her fingers through Persian's fur, trying to calm herself.
"Takeshi-san, how are you?" Giovanni asked calmly as he dodged the tanned man's question. The younger man shrugged before he glanced at Nozomi. He could tell that the young girl didn't really seem to trust him all that much yet and that Giovanni's Persian seemed to be very protective of the girl.
"Dōyō ni watashi ga suru koto ga dekiru node." The younger man answered as he led the trio into the living room. Nozomi was startled by the sheer number of children that were in the room. There had to be at eight in the room. All of them looked up curiously when Takeshi reentered with his three guests. Nozomi quickly ducked behind Giovanni trying to not be a target if the other children decided to gang up on her. Giovanni was a little bit amused at her actions but was slightly more concerned about why she was acting like that.
"Go on, Nozomi. Anata wa hazukashigariyadearu tame ni wa hitsuyō wa arimasen." As Giovanni said that, Nozomi peeked out from behind him cautiously as well as shyly. Some of the older kids smiled at her encouragingly while one of the daring younger ones, a young girl, ran over and beamed up at her.
"Hi!" She cried causing Nozomi to smile softly and shyly at the younger girl. "Anata wa kanari no me o motte iru!" Nozomi blushed brightly before ducking her head down again but the little girl just grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the other kids. "Come play!"
"Alright, who's the kid, Sakaki-san?" Takeshi asked as he watched Nozomi was taken under one of his younger brothers' wing almost immediately despite her obvious reluctance and as she was cooed at by the older girls for having such beautiful jade green eyes. Soon the girl brought out a Growlithe, that she called Hikari, and a female Nidoran, which she called Haru, to show to his siblings. All of the younger kids were all over the Pokémon though they were careful with Haru.
"Kanojo wa watashi no imōto ga saiyō o kentō shite iru kenbō minashigoda." Giovanni murmured softly as he watched Nozomi with soft eyes and a gentle smile. "On'nanoko wa chotto shibaraku suru to, anata ni seichō suru. She's actually why we're here." He turned to Takeshi as his expression shifted back to politeness. "She wants to challenge you to a battle but when we heard that one of your sisters had gotten ill, Nozomi wanted to come by to see if she was alright and if you needed anything from town." Giovanni frowned slightly when he noticed that one of the younger kids were being rough on Nozomi and that pain briefly filled her eyes before she managed to hide it from the other children. "The girl's a bleeding heart but she's a natural when it comes to Pokémon. Persian already considers her a cub." Said Pokémon was watching the children with rapt attention and with narrowed eyes as the other kids pulled Nozomi into a game of tag.
"That's interesting." Takeshi said as he gained a thoughtful look for a minute. "Alright, we'll have the battle out back and the others can watch if they want to. Watashitachiha, karera wa amarini mo ōku no tanoshimi o kakaete iru koto kara mo sukoshinoaida de sore o okonau hitsuyō ga arudeshou." Giovanni nodded as he watched Nozomi dodged and weave her way around the cluttered room, easily and gracefully dodging the other kids as she laughed the entire time with bright eyes that were gleaming with joy somewhat though her eyes were still guarded.
The next hour and a half were some of the best that Nozomi had ever had. She had fun with the eight children and even got to meet the sick one. Her name was Tōko and she was the twin sister to Kurō. They were the youngest at six followed by Yaoki, Nanako, Mutsuko, Gorō, Yomoko, Saburō, and finally Jirō. For the boys, Jirō was the second oldest after Takeshi at thirteen; Saburō was the third oldest at twelve while Gorō and Yaoki were ten and seven respectably. Yomoko was the oldest girl at eleven followed by Mutsuko at nine and Nanako at eight.
Overall, they were the most interesting, entertaining and all together fun people that she had ever met. She even got the chance to Takeshi, who she discovered wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder and was able to ask him questions on what a Pokémon should eat and healthy mixes of Pokémon food that would make sure that the eaters were getting all of the nutrients that they needed. Nozomi couldn't wait to use the information to help make sure Hikari and Haru were healthy.
"Tell me, Nozomi-san. Why do you want to battle me for, Nozomi-san? Why do you want the Boulder Badge?" Takeshi asked her as everyone sat around in the backyard and ate hamburgers. "Do you want it to be the next Pokémon Champion? Or to be a Pokémon Master?" As he asked her those questions, Nozomi gave him a bewildered look. She didn't know what a Pokémon Champion or a Pokémon Master were but she knew instantly that whatever they were, she would never be that. Besides, it sounded like Takeshi was used to Trainers wanting those things if the tone he was using was any indication.
"No. Not at all, Takeshi-san." Nozomi told him after swallowing a mouthful of hamburger. Takeshi looked surprised as Nozomi shrugged before explaining. "Even if I knew what those words mean, I don't think I would be cut out for either of those positions. I just want to get my Pokémon stronger so they can protect themselves as well as them to be healthy and happy." She took another bite of hamburger as she watched a simple rose red butterfly flutter around. After finishing her food, she carefully made her way over to the flowers that the butterfly was flying around. She lunged to try and catch it but unfortunately it managed to get away and she found herself laying on her stomach on the ground, crushing several of the flowers. When she lifted her head up off the ground, she found herself face-to-face with a Pidgey. She blinked at it and it blinked back. It had more of a russet brown feathers than the light brown feathers of the Pidgey that she had fought earlier and it's eyes were more of a steel grey than black.
"Kon'nichiwa, koibito." Nozomi said cautiously as she slowly and carefully got up into a seating position. "My name's Nozomi." She almost immediately noticed that the Pidgey had a wound on its' wing and frowned worriedly. "Mā, nani ga anata no kata ni nani ga okotta?" She slowly moved in to get a better look at it from a better angle and the Pidgey let her, clearly too tired to get away.
Stupid Spearrows she heard it, a girl from the sound of its' voice, muttered. Kore wa, sōgen no chīsana ka nanika no yōde wa arimasen. Karera wa sore o kyōyū suru koto ga dekimasu! It's not my fault that they went after that Rattata. I just stopped them before they could hurt him Nozomi nodded her head in agreement.
"Oh, yes...I've heard that Spearrows can be very territorial." The Pidgey looked up at her with a startled look in her eyes. "Come here and I'll get that fixed up for you in a jiffy." The Pidgey hesitated, unsure of the girl's intentions. "Watashi wa anata ga watashi ga shitai baai o nozoki, anata o kyatchi suru tsumori wanai. I much prefer asking Pokémon to join me than forcing them too but unfortunately they can be so enraged or scared that they've become beyond reason." The Wild Pidgey nodded before letting Nozomi lift her carefully into her arms. The ten year old carefully carried the injured Pokémon over to the rest of the group.
"Giovanni-san? Takeshi-san?" The adults looked up from their conversation and stared at the Pokémon who had buried her head under her uninjured wing. "She's injured. Do you have any potions?" Takeshi nodded as he continued to stare at the Pidgey before getting up and going inside to get the items that he need to help the Pidgey out. "It's alright, sweetie." Nozomi murmured softly as she gently rubbed the top of the Pidgey's head comfortingly. "We'll get you fixed up and on your way in a minute, I promise." She continued to murmur soft soothing words to the Pidgey until Takeshi returned with a small purple spray bottle. "Arigatō, Takeshi-san." Nozomi said softly before she went over to one of the tables and set the bird Pokémon down very carefully. Nanako ran over with curious filled eyes. She gasped slightly with her eyes widening when she saw the Pidgey.
"It's so cute!" She said as she climbed into a nearby chair that was close to the table in order to see the injured Pokémon better. "Can I pet it?" Nozomi hesitated as she carefully moved the Pidgey's wounded wing in a way to help her get to the injury better.
"I'm not sure that she'll let you, little one." Nozomi finally said before she looked at Nanako. "She's a Wild Pokémon after all, sweetie. Plus you have to remember that she's hurt which means she's scared as well." The Pidgey looked up at her with wide eyes, then looked at Nanako who held out a hand slowly—just in case she wanted to peck her. The Pidgey sniffed her hand then gave it a nuzzle. Nanako giggled as she beamed at the Pidgey. The Pokémon let Nanako pet her on the head before Nozomi told her that she had to move slightly so that she could get to the wound better.
"You know what," Nozomi told the Pokémon as she carefully sprayed the potion on the Pidgey's wounds. "I think I'll just call you Zefiryn since you got this from trying to protect someone else from those Spearrows." The Pidgey cooed at her, and gently gave her a peck on the hand as its' wound healed. "There you go, Zefiryn-san! Let's get you on your way." Zefiryn let Nanako give her one more pat before Nozomi picked her up and carried her back towards the garden. The others watched as she set the Pokémon down and waved as she flew back into the trees. Nozomi somehow got the feeling that the Pidgey didn't go too far into the trees and was watching her closely.
"Why didn't you catch it?" Takeshi asked curiously as he watched the girl make her way back to his siblings. Nozomi merely shrugged before she answered.
"I just don't think that she'll be a good match to my team. Besides, I get the feeling that I'll be seeing her again soon enough." Nozomi said as she thought about the Pidgey. Takeshi and Giovanni both accepted this as everyone else finished eating.
"Are you ready to battle?" Takeshi asked her as he got up from the table and grabbed two Pokéballs. Nozomi nodded her head happily before she called both Hikari and Haru back to her. When both of her Pokémon were in front of her, she recalled both of them back into their Pokéballs. Despite how much she respected him, she still wanted her Pokémon to get strong so that way they'd be more safe so they were going to do their best to beat Takeshi. They faced off with about twenty feet or so between them. Even Tōko watched though she was forced to watch from her window. The others found seats and got out potato chips, curious as to the outcome of the battle.
"Alright, this battle is a two-versus-two battle. The first Trainer to have both of their Pokémon knocked out loses. The Gym Leader cannot switch between Pokémon." Giovanni said as Persian settled in next to his Trainer as the two Trainers settled into a position that felt comfortable to them.
"Geodude, go!" Takeshi called out as he threw his Pokéball into the air. A small, round rock-like Pokémon with muscular arms and no legs erupted from it, growling loudly. Curious, Nozomi pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.
Geodude—the Rock Pokémon. This Pokémon is commonly found in fields and mountains. Many mistake them for boulders and often step or trip on them. If stepped on by accident, this Pokémon will get angry. This Pokémon is known to bash against other Geodudes in a contest to prove whose sturdy body is harder. The longer a Geodude lives, the more its edges are chipped and worn away giving this Pokémon a more rounded appearance. When sleeping deeply, Geodude buries itself halfway into the ground and will not awaken even if stepped on unwittingly.
Nozomi nodded her head as she put up her Pokédex and pulled out on of her Pokémon's Pokéballs.
"Watashi no shin'ainaru yūjin wa, ikimashou!" She said as she randomly unleashed one of her Pokémon. The one that she unleashed turned out to be Haru, who had automatically leapt into her arms while cooing at her before nuzzling her chin. Nozomi laughed before she gave Haru a brief hug.
"Alright, Haru. That's enough. Right now, we have a battle to win." Haru nodded before leaping to the ground and taking a battle stance. "Ready, sweetheart?" Nozomi asked before Haru gave what could only be a battle cry.
"Geodude, Tackle." Takeshi said before the Pokémon nodded and rushed forward, aiming to hit Haru.
"Haru, use Iron Tail to stop it from hitting you and bat it away from you before following it up with a Take Down/Beat Up combo!" Nozomi said as Haru nodded her head before she focused on hardening her tail which caused it to glow a silverish color and moved it in front of her, stopping the Rock Pokémon in its tracks before batting Geodude away slightly. Once Haru felt that Geodude was far enough away, she backed up before running forward with her head down at Geodude. As soon as Geodude was in the air, Haru was running after it with her arms out and her claws out. When Geodude landed on the ground, Haru was scratching it as soon as she reached it. It was soon obvious to Nozomi that Geodude had barely felt the Take Down portion. She had to come up with a new plan soon…
"Geodude, Rock Throw." Takeshi said with a frown before Geodude picked up several small pebbles and tossed them at Haru, who managed to dodge most of them but was still hit by a few of the pebbles. Haru growled at the Rock Pokémon with an angry look in her eyes before Nozomi regained Haru's attention. Suddenly Nozomi had an idea. Just maybe…
"Haru, use Poison Tail and combine it with an Iron Tail." Nozomi said before Haru let her tail start to glow a dark somewhat vibrant purple as Haru allowed her poison to be secreted from her tail. When she felt that there was enough poison on her tail, she focused on hardening her tail which combined the silverish coloring with the dark purple coloring on her tail to be a purplish silver. As soon as she felt that her tail was ready, she ran up to Geodude and hit him a few times with her tail. Soon Geodude was unconscious and was sent flying through the air with a single hit of Haru's tail to land at Takeshi's feet. Takeshi recalled it, shocked that a young girl was able to create a combination attack like that, while Haru shook her tail trying to get some feeling back into it before running back to a cheering Nozomi.
"Sore wa subarashikatta! I think we'll call that Poisoned Iron…what do you say about that, Haru-chan?" Nozomi said before Haru jumped onto her causing Nozomi to stumble backwards. When Haru was in Nozomi's arms, she nodded her head to Nozomi's question. "Alright, I think you deserve a break from battling so Hikari-cha can have a chance against Takeshi-san's other Pokémon." Once Nozomi had righted herself, she gave Haru a kiss on her head below her horn before recalling her back into her Pokéball with a soft gentle smile on her face.
"That was very good, Nozomi-san." Takeshi said calmly as he pulled out his other Pokéball and Nozomi blushed at the complement that Takeshi gave her as she also pulled out Hikari's Pokéball. She was still trying to get used to being complements from people. "Now, meet my other Pokémon. Onix, let's go!" A giant chain of gray boulders that became smaller towards the tail with a rocky spine on its head and a pair of black eyes right beneath it erupted from the ball with a mighty roar before it shook its head. The Pokémon reminded Nozomi of a snake with its look.
At least! the Onix growled out as it focused on Nozomi. I've been in that container for far too long. I just love a good battle for it makes the heart pound Nozomi smiled at it nervously as she once again pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.
Onix—the Rock Snake Pokémon. This Pokémon burrows at high speeds in search of food and the tunnels that it leaves behind are used as homes for other Pokémon. As it grows, the stone portions of its body hardens to become similar to a diamond but colored black. Onix absorbs many hard objects as it digs through the ground and this is what makes its body so strong. In its brain is a magnet that prevents it from losing direction while tunneling.
Nozomi nodded her head as she put away her Pokédex before she released Hikari from her Pokéball. The Growlithe strode forward, her stance obviously stiff, but ready for a fight and growling loudly. Nozomi watched her Pokémon somewhat worriedly as she wondered how she was going to win against such a large Pokémon with a much smaller Pokémon. However she knew that if she gave up now, Hikari wouldn't be able to trust her again. She quickly began think of a battle plan.
"Onix, Tackle!" Takeshi yelled before the Rock Snake Pokémon charged forward but Nozomi managed to counter his order with one of her own.
"Hikari! Dodge that Tackle!" Nozomi said as the Puppy Pokémon dodged the attack that Onix was doing with ease. Almost immediately she noticed that despite its size and speed, Onix had a slower attack recovery time. "Hikari, get behind it but keep an eye out for its tail and try to get it mad once you're behind it!" The Puppy Pokémon nodded her head before she ran in a zig-zag to get behind the Rock Snake Pokémon.
Come and get me, you overgrown pebble! Hikari yelled, trying to provoke the larger Pokémon. Follow the little puppy! Though it was smart, Onix obviously had a very short temper which made it even more prone to provocation which in turn meant that it would make even more mistakes.
WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU LITTLE RODENT?! it roared, causing Nozomi to flinch as she remembered what the Walrus would do to her when he roared himself, before it turned it's body and lunged at Hikari, who easily leapt over its back while growling at the larger Pokémon when she noticed Nozomi was shaking before she returned to taunting the Rock Snake Pokémon.
Oh, no. I didn't call you a little rodent, but it'll do just as well Hikari laughed out as she dodged another infuriated lunged from the Onix. Takeshi was frowning once more as he tried to get Onix to use Bind but the Pokémon was just too incensed to obey its Trainer.
I will crush you until you're dust and then blow your remains into the ocean! the Rock Snake hissed out as it was twisting, lunging and curling under itself to try and get to the Puppy Pokémon. Hikari just snickered at it before replying to her opponent's threat.
Then your big head will make it so that you over balance and fall in but I have no doubt that that your hollow skull will allow you to float With that, she finally stopped and sat down panting hard while simply looking at her opponent who lunged at her and just barely stopped a foot away.
What?! It twisted its large head around to find what had stopped it. It had been so focused on attacking the Growlithe, that it had fallen for Nozomi's trap and had tied itself into a large knot. The Rock Snake Pokémon struggled, rolled and roared, trying desperately to get untied.
"Now, Hikari, use that attack from earlier!" Nozomi said before Hikari's eyes became fiery and she released a white beam of light into the sky from her mouth, causing the sun to shine brighter. Once the sun was shining brighter, Hikari opened her mouth allowing a white flame to be created in it before she released it as a round orange flame swirled around the original white flame and once she felt that the flame had reached a good size, Hikari released it (point blank) while aiming for the Onix. The combo attack hit the Onix causing it to faint. Takeshi immediately called it back as Nozomi cheered while jumping up and throwing a fist into the air. Once the Onix had been called back, Hikari ran back to Nozomi and jumped into her arms causing Nozomi to laugh out loud with joy and happiness.
"We did it, Hikari! Good job, sweetie!" Nozomi said as she fell to her knees and gave the Growlithe a firm hug. "I think we should call that attack Sunny Wave. Don't you think so, Hikari?" Hikari just nodded her head in agreement.
"Sore wa yoku Nozomi-chan, okonawa reta." Giovanni announced while he clapped along with the rest of Takeshi's siblings. Takeshi walked over, clapping as he did so and was smiling as he did. Nozomi blushed brightly before she buried her face into Hikari's fur.
"Hijō ni kyōmibukai senryaku, Nozomi-chan. I believe you deserve this more than some Trainers who've beaten me." Takeshi said as he held out something shiny. Nozomi slowly lifted her head and took it shyly. It was a simple gray octagon and Nozomi realized that it was the Boulder Badge. She quickly got up and bowed to the Gym Leader.
"Hijō ni ōku, Takeshi-san, arigatōgozaimashita." Nozomi said as she rose from the bow with a soft smile. She had gotten her first badge and had made quite a few new friends that weren't Pokémon in the process.
A/N2: Alright, translation time. This is one chapter that has a lot of translations...Sorry bout that!
Anata wa watashi ga shutoku suru hitsuyō ga dono bakku pakkuda to omoimasu ka?= Which backpack do you think I should get?
Watashi wa sono izureka o minogashite iru hitsuyō ga arimasu!= I must have missed that one!
Sore wa kanpekidesu!=It's perfect!
Ne, kodomo!=Hey, kid!
Watashi ga inai baai demo, karera ga okonau yō ni, sore wa miemasu=Even if I don't, it looks like they do.
Watashitachi no besuto o tsukushimashou!=Let's do our best!
Koibito, watashitachi wa kore o okonau koto ga dekimasu!=Sweetheart, we can do this!
Chigau!=No!
Anata wa daijōbudesuka?=Are you alright?
Yoi shigoto, watashi no yūjin!=Good job, my friends!
Sore wa yoi tatakaidatta to anata wa hijō ni yoku yatta.=It was a good battle and you did very well.
Shikashi... Watashi wa ushinawa reta.=But…I lost.
Tsumari, chīsana ichi, hijō ni sōzō-tekidatta.=That was very creative, little one.
Sore wa anata no on'nanoko no tame no shūshin jikan gada yō ni miemasu.=Looks like it's bedtime for you girls.
Dōyō ni watashi ga suru koto ga dekiru node=As well as I can be
Anata wa hazukashigariyadearu tame ni wa hitsuyō wa arimasen.=There's no need for you to be shy.
Anata wa kanari no me o motte iru!=You've got pretty eyes!
Kanojo wa watashi no imōto ga saiyō o kentō shite iru kenbō minashigoda.=She's an amnestic orphan that my little sister is considering adopting.
On'nanoko wa chotto shibaraku suru to, anata ni seichō suru.=The girl kind of grows on you after a while.
Watashitachiha, karera wa amarini mo ōku no tanoshimi o kakaete iru koto kara mo sukoshinoaida de sore o okonau hitsuyō ga arudeshou.= We'll have to do it in a little while though since they're having too much fun.
Kon'nichiwa, koibito.=Hello there, sweetheart.
Mā, nani ga anata no kata ni nani ga okotta?=Oh dear, what happened to your shoulder?
Kore wa, sōgen no chīsana ka nanika no yōde wa arimasen. Karera wa sore o kyōyū suru koto ga dekimasu!=It's not like the meadow's small or anything. They can share it!
Watashi wa anata ga watashi ga shitai baai o nozoki, anata o kyatchi suru tsumori wanai.=I'm not going to catch you unless you want me to.
Watashi no shin'ainaru yūjin wa, ikimashou!=Let's go, my dear friend!
Sore wa subarashikatta!=That was wonderful!
Sore wa yoku Nozomi-chan, okonawa reta.=That was well done, Nozomi-chan.
Hijō ni kyōmibukai senryaku, Nozomi-chan.=A very interesting strategy, Nozomi-chan.
Hijō ni ōku, Takeshi-san, arigatōgozaimashita.=Thank you very much, Takeshi-san.