"Oshawott. Tackle." Oshawott complied, easily taking out his target with a powerful charge. Well…that was kind of anti-climatic. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. My confidence took a great boost from the easy victory, and I continued walking through Route 19 with a spring in my step and an Oshawott trotting behind me. The sun was beginning to rise and I could feel it's young warmth through the trees. Before I even knew it I could see the welcome sign for Floccessy Town but OUCH! What was that? I was knocked over by a large entity with orange ombre hair. What is it with people and the colour orange? Wait; did he just jump off that cliff? I hope everyone beyond the walls of Aspertia are not crazy or something. If so, I have lived a sheltered life. I was dusting myself off when the jumper approached me.
"My name's Alder." Alder? Like the previous champion Alder? Was he alright, you know, since he just jumped off a cliff? I stared at him in disbelief; heck I probably looked a little crazy myself.
"You know what kid? I like you. You look strong, but you look fresh." He pondered me for a second and his eyes caught on my Pokémon.
"Can I see your Oshawott there?" He gestured to my little Oshawott who was clinging onto my legs. Oshawott happily let the previous champion pick him up but surprisingly Alder stuck his fingers straight into my Pokémon's mouth. He moved Oshawott's cheeks around whilst Oshawott nervously clenched his jaw. Oshawott looked stunned almost, but it was kind of funny at the same time. I pressed a button on my X-transceiver and took a photo of the harassed Oshawott. This is definitely going in a photo album or something. I need to get a cute one to store my memories in. I'll make a mental note of that.
Once Alder had finished playing Pokémon dentist he turned to me and said:
"That Oshawott's going to grow up to be big and strong. His teeth are…wow! Also he's going to get some powerful water type attacks soon. These will serve him well as he has a same…"
"type attack bonus. I've read about those." Oh Arceus, I interrupted him. I hope he doesn't think I'm rude. Instead he looked impressed.
"Come and visit me in town if you get the chance. See you." And just like that he bounced away. Was he some kind of superhuman? He's quite springy for a man who has seen many years. I turned towards the welcome sign and took my first step into Floccesy town. Wow this place is beautiful. It's crowing glory has to be the lovely stone clock tower in the centre of the town. All of the buildings were made of the same material. That is, except for one building with a bright red roof, The Pokémon Centre. It looks a little out of place in the town, but at the same time it kind of looks right, like it's always been there. I have been in a Pokémon Centre before, it's not like there isn't one in Aspertia or anything, and so going through the doors wouldn't be an entirely new experience. It's not scary or anything. The doors yielded as I approached them. There was a peaceful vibe pulsing from the inside. There's always a peaceful vibe at Pokémon Centres. I took a deep breath and stepped in. I walked straight up to the counter where a happy Nurse Joy greeted me. Why are they always so smiley? She took my single Pokéball and put it in a machine that beeped a few times, and just like that Oshawott was brand new again.
"We hope to see you again soon." The Nurse beamed as I picked up my Pokémon. Really? That's kind of an odd thing to say in a medical establishment. Thinking about it kind of gives me the creeps now. Imagine if they slowed down the music in the Pokémon Centre and it was barely lit. A trainer runs in during a thunderstorm and a flash of lightning lights up Nurse Joy's face, which is covered in blood of course.
"We hope to see you again soon…although you're never going to leave…" she'd cackle hysterically. Eh? I shuddered violently. I think I just wrote a horror movie in my head, and I don't think I ever want to go back into a Pokémon Centre again. Oh Arceus. I forgot to get some Pokéballs. I rushed in and out of the Pokémon Centre in a flash, picking up 10 Pokéballs with a Premier Ball thrown in for free. I also picked up some potions for good measure. After all, I wanted to avoid Pokémon Centres for a while!
I walked through the town for a bit after scaring myself to death, trying to calm myself down. I really wanted to drink in the sights. Then I spotted him, the Pokémon dentist/ ex-champion. Well, I think he spotted me first as he was already running towards me with his arms open.
"Miss Oshawott!" He shouted as he embraced me. This is kind of odd. I had just frightened myself to death not 5 minutes before and now some man I barely knew was hugging me like my Grandmamma. I actually needed a hug too. In the scramble of Alder's embrace I dropped my precious cargo.
"Oh no! My babies!" I shouted as my bag hit the floor. Luckily the glass cases were actually quite strong, but I pulled the eggs out to make sure they were alright. My trainer ID fell out onto the floor and Alder was now holding it.
"Rosa, that's your name. I'm going to remember it. You're interesting. Very interesting. I bet you will take great care of whatever's inside of those eggs, although…" he bent over to my height, pulled me into him and put his face right next to mine. Our noses were separated by his index finger.
"I'll pretend I didn't see you drop them, careless." He tutted gently and then winked. He winked! He stood back up straight and laughed heartily.
"Well then careless Rosa. I'll be watching you."
WHAT? Had I picked up a stalker? Feeling a little violated yet strangely comforted I stepped out onto Route 20 and did some training in the grass. Sure enough Oshawott learned the useful Water Gun. I took my new move and made a beeline for the Ranch. I heard it was a great place to get some training in, but you could also catch some cool Pokémon there. There was even quite a rare Sinnoh Pokémon often sighted there.
As I entered the Ranch I knew that something wasn't right. There were two panicked Breeders talking to a boy with spikey hair. A boy with spikey hair…could it be Hugh? The boy turned around and caught sight of me. It was Hugh! He gestured for me to come over so I did.
"These Breeders here claim that their Herdier was taken by a suspicious looking man. He was last seen heading that way." Hugh raised his arm and pointed towards the area of thick bushland behind the Ranch. The Breeders were now crying loudly, just at the mention of the attack. It must have been dramatic. The area looks very safe but I guess you get a few shady guys from Virbank drifting though every once and a while.
"Rosa, I think we should split up and search for it. That way we can cover more ground faster." Oh Hugh, I only just got to see you again. Why do we have to part already? Hugh darted off into the thick bush and I followed him. I guess I had no choice with the two Breeders wailing as they were. If anyone in the surrounding area wanted to get some sleep tonight I had to solve this problem. Although I do wish Hugh would have stayed with me. It's kind of scary here off the main trail. Wait. I heard growling. Something was angry. Could it be the kidnapped Pokémon?
"Ouch you little runt. You just bit me!" A man in completely black clothing shouted at the Herdier. Good on you for biting him. I was kind of impressed by the man's outfit too. If you're going to be a criminal, I guess that dressing right is important! I chuckled a little bit, but it was a little bit too loud. The criminal saw me in the bushes.
"YOU THERE!" I froze. I don't know why, I just froze. The criminal dragged me out of the bush and threw me on the ground.
"Beat me and I'll let you go. Loose and…well. You'll find out." I knew that I didn't want to find out what the bad guy's evil surprise is so I guess I'll have to battle him. I kept a strong composure as I sent out Oshawott. He was about to send out his Pokémon when we were interrupted.
"Hey you, arsehole!" It was Hugh's voice.
"Yikes! I can't take two of you on." The criminal ran off without any of his prizes, and he dropped a disk too. Hugh sprinted up to where I was standing.
"Drat, I missed him. I wanted to give him a good bashing I'll tell you." Hugh was all red in the face. He was getting angry.
"He was Team Plasma SCUM!" Hugh shouted at the top of his lungs. I had to calm him down. He looked on the verge of tears.
"Hugh…" I said his name softly in a gentle voice. "Hugh, please calm down."
Hugh fell down to the floor in a heap. He was genuinely upset; I had never seen him like this. I sat down on the ground next to him and placed my arm over his heaving shoulders.
"Rosa…" he choked through his tears. "Rosa I don't deserve your sympathy. I am weak. I'M WEAK!" He clenched his fists into a ball; they were going white under the pressure. I pulled him closer to my chest. I don't know why but it just felt like the right thing to do. I put my free hand onto one of his clenched fists.
"Rosa, two years ago, I-I was out playing with my sister…and the Purrloin that my Grandfather caught for her…my late Grandfather...they took it!" I felt his body tense with the memory.
"I couldn't do anything Rosa. I was useless. I had to watch them take her Purrloin away. She was so upset and I did nothing." He squeaked the last sentence out and then buried his head into my shoulders. I pulled my other arm around him and held him tightly as he bawled. I could smell him we were that close, and he smells really good. I never noticed that before.
"Hugh…shhhh." I rocked him until the crying died down. It was beginning to get a little cold down her on the ground. The trees blocked out most of the sunlight and a chilly gust of wind was rustling them around. Hugh must have felt me shake as he dried the remaining tears out of his eyes and took his jacket off and put it around me. Then he pulled me in for a firm hug and whispered into my ear.
"S-sorry about that Rosa." I just nodded as if to say 'it's alright Hugh'. Then he said something unexpected.
"Well, that's not the only time I've been hugged today…" I blushed with jealousy at that comment.
"Who knew that Champion Adler lived in Floccesy?" Oh, the overly excitable Alder has sprung on him too.
"Ah, he surprise hugged me too." I said, still blushing.
"Hey, do you think that man has serious muscles? He looks quite strong. I mean, they way his gripped me kind of forced all of the air out of my lungs. It wasn't a nice hug like y…" he trailed off, a tint of red rising to his cheeks. The moment was soon forgotten when the Herdier barked. It was scruffing around on it's back, peaceful and oblivious. He sneezed at Hugh, which made him smile again. He picked his jacket back up.
"Come on, we had better get back to the distraught Breeders. Oh, what's this?" It was the disk that the criminal dropped. I refuse to believe that it was a Team Plasma member. They usually wore grey. The media has sensationalised the 'Ghetsis sighting' and everyone is all terrified of Team Plasma now.
"It says 'TM 21- Frustration'. I don't think anyone should use this TM, it bases its attack power on how much your Pokémon hates you. The more hate the better." Hugh snapped the disk in his hand. He then pulled a dense bush out of the way.
"Follow me and be careful. Stay close." Within no time at all we had returned the stolen Herdier to its rightful owners.
"I'm going to go and train some more on Route 20 Rosa. I'll catch up with you later. If you need anything…call me." Hugh ran off waving behind him. I was going to offer him one of my Pokémon eggs. He could give it to his sister. He ran off before I had the chance to. Oh well, I guess I have better train. And I need to catch some more Pokémon too. I snapped a photo of him as he ran off into the sunlight, and I took one of the playful Herdier too. Today has been a day full of strange happenings, and I don't want to forget a single one.
Catching a Mareep on the Ranch was simple. The wild ones were in abundance. I weakened a Mareep a little bit with a Water Gun (I didn't want to trigger Static with Tackle), and then chucked a Pokéball at it. It shuffled around a few times before clicking triumphantly. ALRIGHT! My first successful capture. I was training up my brand new Mareep when I saw it. It was small and blue, a Riolu! This is what I was looking for.
"Go Mareep!" I shouted as I primed my Pokémon for battle against the elusive Riolu.
"Now Mareep, use Thunder Wave." Status ailments help make Pokémon easier to catch.
"Now hit it with a tackle, and once more Mareep keep up the pressure!" The Riolu was beginning to tire so I called off my attacks and reached into my bag for a Pokéball.
"Pokéball go!" But the ball I threw was mostly white. I threw the Premier Ball instead! The Riolu disappeared inside of the ball in a flash of white light. Then the ball began shaking ferociously.
"Don't pop out, Arceus please don't pop out…" I wished to myself when CLICK! I caught the Riolu! Riolu is going to be useful against Cheren's normal type Pokémon, which reminds me. I haven't challenged him yet! I raced all the way back to Aspertia. It was mid-afternoon now. I hoped he was still taking challengers.
To my surprise he was waiting for me at the door to the gym.
"I've been expecting you." He said strangely as he led me though and out to a battlefield at the back. Does he look a little nervous?
"Is this your first Pokémon battle Rosa?" He asked standing opposite me on the field.
"Yes, it is." I replied, wondering what was in store for me. Cheren straightened his red tie, the one that was next to my face the night before.
"Well, don't think that I'm going easy on you!" He taunted.
"Bring it."
He led the battle with a Patrat. It looked relatively harmless but I knew that Cheren would have something up his sleeve. I sent out my new Mareep.
"Mareep, let's lead this with a Tackle."
"Patrat, Work Up." His Patrat was faster than my Mareep. The Patrat worked up before my Tackle even got close. Mareep hit her Target but didn't do much damage. I have to slow it down, but how?
"Patrat, tackle!" The Patrat hit my little Mareep really hard. Mareep looked tired, but she was not done yet. She charged into the Pokémon with another Tackle. Little bolts of electricity surrounded Patrat. Yes! Static had activated! The Patrat is now 25% slower.
"Now Mareep, Thundershock!" The loud crackling attack finished off the paralysed Patrat.
"You did well Patrat." Cheren recalled his knocked out Pokémon. "But I'm not done yet. Lillipup go!"
This Pokémon has to be stronger than the last. I don't think my little Mareep will pull through an attack from that beast! I recalled Mareep and sent out Riolu. I had a strategy, but it was risky.
"Riolu use Counter" I hoped that he attacked this turn so I could return the damge with a nifty fighting type attack. Normal types are super weak to fighting attacks.
"Work Up." I should have seen that one coming, but if I pull off a Counter attack this turn it will definitely be enough to knock out that pesky Lillipup.
"Work Up." Again? I'm in trouble now. What the heck? I'll risk the Counter.
"Tackle!" Cheren's Lillipup launched at my Riolu. He didn't have a chance. How could I have been so stupid? I've got to slow this thing down like I did the first time. I have to try Mareep.
"You did well Riolu, return." I cradled his Pokéball in my arms. "Mareep let's finish this!"
Cheren looked smug as I sent out my already weakened Mareep. He thought he had this in the bag. I had to pray to Arceus that my plan succeeded.
"Lillipup, put it out of its misery with another Tackle." But this time the Lillipup sailed right past my Mareep. The attack missed!
"Now Mareep use Thunder Wave." I was elated that Lillipup missed. Tackle is a fairly accurate move but once in a while it misses. Luckily for me it missed just at the right time.
"Thundershock!" The Mareep exploded with bolts again, but this time it didn't have enough power to take out the souped up Lillipup. Lillipup's bite hit Mareep and she went down. I only had my Oshawott left. I don't think Lillipup was feeling too grand either.
"Lillipup use bite again." Oh no, here comes a Work Up x2 Bite. Oshawott was hurt badly by the attack, but he was not beat yet. I remembered something above his ability, Torrent. When the Pokémon is in a pinch the power of water moves goes up. Well, it's my last chance
"Lillipup, let's use Tackle one more time." I winced, but the Lillipup could not move, succumbing to the effects of paralysis. Oshawott hit the Pokémon with a Torrent-boosted Water Gun and… down it went. I did it! I actually won! I looked like I was going to fail for sure. I spun my Oshawott around in delight.
"Congratulations" Cheren was walking towards me. "Here's the Basic Badge and the TM for Work Up. It's my gym's signature move." He took my hand and shook it aggressively before placing the badge into my hand. I gave the badge to Oshawott to hold while I snapped a quick picture of it.
Cheren laughed at the sight. "You two deserve that badge. You fought valiantly against me."
"But Cheren…" I interrupted him. "I almost lost with my dodgy tactics. I feel like a failure even though I won." Was it the stress of the day that was making me emotional? I felt a flood of sadness erupt inside of me. He took a step towards me, placing a hand on my back.
"It's alright Rosa. We all make mistakes. We learn from them. But you rectified your mistakes and battled your way through the difficulties." Cheren looked into my eyes. He moved his other hand to go to the small tear that was forming but at that moment my bag begun to glow. My eggs, something's hatching.
"It was probably stimulated by the battle. Take it out of its case and set it down there." Cheren suggested, not even phased by his previous actions. All attentions turned the egg. It was glowing with a white light when all of a sudden it burst sending rays all over the field. The Pokémon began to take shape. From what I could see it had a fluffy head and two sharp claws. It looked like a bird. The light subsided to reveal my Rufflet.
Cheren tickled under the Pokémon's chin, causing it to shrill playfully from its beak. "Oh, Rufflet! It's a normal-flying type. The normal type makes it really useful against ghost type attacks, but normal type attacks don't damage ghosts either. I suggest you teach it a talon-based ghost type attack when you can. I know quite a lot about normal type Pokémon!"
I thanked Cheren for his time and left the gym with my Rufflet in my arms. The sun was beginning its path of descent and I really wanted to get to Virbank City before it got too dark. I needed to heal up my Pokémon too.
"H-hang on Rosa!" A bubbly voice shouted as I left the gym. Bianca was bounding towards me.
"Here's my number. I thought that you could use it for if you get stuck on your travels and need someone to talk to."
The commotion that Bianca caused outside of his gym caused Cheren to emerge. Bianca looked flustered, but to give her credit she did just sprint towards me.
"That's not a bad idea Bianca. Here, register my number too. Call me if you have any issues with Pokémon types or abilities." He ruffled my hair before I left. Bianca seemed a little annoyed by this action.
I sprinted to the Pokémon Centre. Got my Pokémon healed up fast and headed towards Route 20. I was racing against the sun and didn't want to be wandering around at night. I did have some eager trainers to battle but high from my previous victory I was able to pretty much destroy the trainers on the Route. Rufflet even got a little battle experience. When I finally made it to Virbank it was dark. The city was mostly deserted asides from a club with loud purple lights and rock music spilling out of the door. I was too tired to bother to check it out though. Anyway, I don't quite think that clubs are my 'scene'. I went to the Pokémon Centre to get a room for the night, ignoring my earlier terror with the place. I was just happy to finally get some sleep. It's been a long day!
