It was a long while before the black-haired boy came back again, and Rachel was getting impatient. He came back, fussing with his Rattata, trying to calm it so he could get it back in its Pokeball. Rachel smiled softly as she watched how gently he handled the Pokemon, and the Rattata soon relaxed, melting in his arms. The boy smiled broadly and kissed its purple forehead before sending it back in its Pokeball.
"Pretty impressive," Rachel commented. The boy jumped a little, as if he'd forgotten she was there. He looked like he was about 17, and there were leaves stuck in his hair from running in the forest after his beloved Pokemon.
"Oh, that?" he chuckled. "Faroa's been awfully rebellious lately," he admitted. Rachel assumed that was the Rattata's nickname. She smiled at him when he met her eyes. "By the way, name's Storm. Yours?"
There was something so cool about how he worked, like it was easy but cold at the same time. His words were blunt, but they were relaxed. He was a walking contradiction, and Rachel liked that.
"My name's Rachel. Rachel Pendragon," she grinned, extending her hand. Storm blinked at her and laughed, taking her hand.
"Well if we're getting all fancy with last names, the name's Storm Cloud," he said. Rachel stared at him, trying really hard not to laugh. Storm laughed again, almost as if he was doing it for her. "Yeah, I know. My parents are goobers, they couldn't resist poking fun at the last name. Ah well, I like my name. It sounds fierce," he smirked. Rachel nodded in agreement. I like my name, too, she thought. Pendragon…It sounds noble. She vaguely heard Storm's voice asking a question, but didn't quite catch it in her thoughts.
"Sorry, what?"
"I asked: do you have any Pokemon of your own?" Rachel felt her heart thrill. DO I have any Pokemon? she thought frantically. She glanced at her pants, searching for a belt of some sort. A bag, anything would work. She smiled as she saw a small chain hanging out of the pocket of her jeans with six little red-and-white balls.
"Yeah, I do," she responded simply. I must have come here with the Pokemon that were with me on my team, Rachel thought happily. That means I still have that Rhydon! That one rocked! She heard Storm's voice again, but again didn't distinguish the words.
"Wha…?" Storm chuckled.
"You're awfully spacey," he said lightly. Rachel stared at him for a moment, but took it to not be an insult. "I said I only have four, but they're the best buds I could ask for," he smiled. "Umbreon, Houndoom, Absol, and Rattata." She noticed mildly how almost all of his Pokemon bore a resemblance to a dog or cat. Rattata was the oddball, being a mouse.
"I love Absols," Rachel gushed, and it was true. She had always loved the ever-versatile Pokemon, and it was adorable to boot! Storm smirked.
"So do I. I was pretty happy when I caught Norali." Norali? What a weird name, she thought. Kid's got taste, I like the sound of it. Norali, Faroa…where they all females? "I got my Umbreon, Sintha, through a trade. I was kinda sad to see my Electrode go, but it turned out to be a good trade. Sintha can't exactly blow up in my face when it's mad!" he laughed. Rachel laughed right along with him. What an easy-going person! I could get to liking this kid, he's very sincere and open. "And then I caught my Houndour, Roy, and he evolved into Houndoom a few months back. I treated them all to some Poketreats to celebrate," he smiled. "Most recently, though, I caught little Faroa," he said, patting the ball that had the Rattata inside. "She's cute as a button, but she's a little rebel. She's kind of a brat sometimes."
Rachel realized that this boy knew all about his Pokemon, and she didn't know a thing about hers. She hadn't caught them or raised them or anything! Well, I guess I'd better get to know them, then, she decided.
"You wanna see my Pokemon?" Rachel asked Storm, half-hopefully. Storm shrugged.
"Maybe later," he replied. He blinked self-consciously. "I mean, I don't mean to sound rude or anything. I just figured you'd wanna come home and rest for a bit before you went anywhere else. My mom runs an Inn in town," he said. Rachel stared.
"What town?" she asked. Storm glanced back at her over his shoulder, the ever-confident look on his face.
"Cerulean City. If you don't like water, you're gonna hate it."