Apology...well, no one has really read the story much anyway. To those of you who have and have been waiting, I sincerely apologize for the 10 month inconvenience. It will surely not happen again...unless I'm completely shut up with no computer time.
Chapter 2: Low tide Lotad
Kyosuke sighed and took in a deep breath of air. He looked at the long road that laid ahead of him, knowing that many adventures and trials soon awaited him.
"Alright! Let's get this show on the road!" He called and sprinted forward. As soon as he made two steps, he collided into someone else, and they both toppled to the ground.
"Ow! Hey, you okay?" The person asked, holding his head. It was a boy with emerald eyes and white spiky cap with a green pokeball symbol on it. He had a backpack with emerald linen and straps and a long sleeved black shirt.
"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" Kyosuke replied, standing up virtually unphased from the collision. His mom was right. He had a thick head.
"Cool. I'm Brendan. Nice to meet you." The boy held his hand out to Kyosuke. Kyosuke shook it and returned the greeting. Brendan was ten years old, and had just moved to Littleroot that same day. Ironically, he said that Prof. Birch had gotten attacked by a wild pokemon and he had saved him. In return, Prof. Birch had asked him to come to the lab for some reason, promply leaving the ten year old with no pokemon in the middle of tall grass.
"So where are you headed?" Brendan asked setting his backpack aside.
"According to my Pokenav, Oldale is the closes town to here, and then Petalburg is after that. Sweet! It says the first gym is there. I'm so totally gonna kick ass!" Kyosuke started drooling, a dark aura surrounding him as he pictured himself sitting on a throne with Torchic at his side and Petalburg gym burning to the ground.
"Petalburg gym...that's my stepdad's gym." Brendan said solemnly.
"Stepdad? Is he cool?" Kyosuke asked, a little dread entering his voice.
"...Most of the time, I guess. I haven't seen him in a while. He moved here with my step sister May a few years back. He's always busy at the gym when we call too. The last I checked, my big sister is traveling Hoenn, collecting contest ribbons."
Kyosuke put a hand on Brendan's shoulder. "Hey, I don't really know my dad either."
"Hey, Kyo. You wouldn't mind waiting out here would you? I still need to see the Prof."
"Well...I really want to start my Pokemon Journey...and the readers have already been waiting 10 months..."
"PLLLEEEEEAAAASSSSSSEEEE?" Brendan asked with his eyes watering and looking up at Kyosuke. Kyosuke turned away with tears in his own eyes.
"Oh no...not the ten-year-old-puppy-dog-eyes-of-blackmail! It's...too...cute...!...GAH, fine I'll wait!"
Brendan cheered and ran into the Prof.'s lab. Kyosuke sighed and leaned against the side of the building. His journey wasn't exactly turning out how he thought it was. A few minutes later, Brendan returned with a gleam in his eyes.
"How'd it go?" Kyosuke asked.
"Well...I'M AN OFFICIAL POKEMON TRAINER TOO!" Brendan held up a pokedex and pokeball.
"Wow! Congrats! What pokemon did you get?"
"I'll show you, if you battle me!"
"You're on! Come on!" The two prepare to run towards the town exit.
"HOLD ON!" Prof. Birch called from behind. "You two are about to have your first real matches. Let me be ref."
"Whatever old man. But if you get attacked by another pokemon, I'm not helping." Kyosuke grumbled. They walked to route 101, the outskirts of Littleroot. Kyosuke and Brendan stood a few feet from each other, both smirking confidently. Prof. Birch faced them in the middle with his hand raised.
"Brendan, are you ready?"
"Go Mudkip!" The small blue pokemon was released onto the grass, giving a happy yip.
"Kyosuke, are you ready?"
"Riot, Torchic!" The small red chick looked around confused, before glaring at Kyo.
"Riot?" Brendan asked.
"Just trying to change up the usual calls I've seen on t.v and stuff."
"BEGIN!" Prof. Birch cried out.
"All right! Mudkip, tackle!" Mudkip ran forward, intent on knocking Torchic of his feet.
"Dodge and use scratch Torchic!" The small bird just ruffled its feathers. "What the? Didn't you just hear me? DODGE. AND. USE. SCRATCH!"
"Chic..." Torchic sighed and hopped up as Mudkip came close. It landed on Mudkips back and began to scratch with its talons, as if it were wiping its feet on a rug.
"KIIIIIP!" Mudkip bucked and began to run in circles as Torchic continued to viciously attack its back.
"Hey, Torchic! Stop that! Your seriously hurting Mudkip!" Kyosuke called in a panicked tone.
"Mudkip! Kyo, do something!" Brendan yelled just as urgently.
"Oh no, that was the wrong Torchic! That one was given to me due to it having a severally vicious nature-"
"Don't talk, just do it! We have to stop it!" Kyosuke ran towards the two pokemon. Torchic turned its glare on Kyosuke. A glow from Torchic's beak told him that he should move. NOW! Torchic fired dozens of small balls of fire at Kyosuke, making him twist and dodge in odd ways to avoid being burned. Prof. Birch approached slowly just to have the same happen to him.
"Mudkip, roll over to get it off of you!" Brendan yelled. Just as Mudkip was about to roll, Torchic jumped from its back and faced Brendan. Mudkip rolled onto its back, however, it had already fainted. "Mudkip..."
"Torchic, stop this instant!" Prof. Birch yelled.
"Yeah, if it didn't work the first three times, why-" Torchic seemed to groan and then settle down. "...Screw you."
Kyosuke made Torchic return, promptly apologizing to Brendan for its behavior. Then he faced Prof. Birch with a tick mark on his head.
"How do you accidently give someone a vicious Torchic? Don't you think you should've kept it SEPERATE from the non-vicious Torchic's?"
Prof. Birch chuckled, thinking about what Kyo had said. Then with only one explanation, he said. "Oops."
"Kyosuke, I'm going to get my mom to heal my Mudkip. You can go on to Oldale if you want." Brendan said solemnly.
"Hey, I'm sorry Brendan. There's no need to feel down. Just take your anger off on Prof. Birch next time you see him."
Brendan nodded and then ran back towards his home.
"Sorry about this whole mess Kyosuke. I'll take that Torchic back and-"
"No. If I can't handle a little violent Torchic, then I don't even deserve to be called a trainer. I'll take it with me and make it better. Besides, I've wasted enough time. I need to get going. See ya later, Prof. I'll call you once I get to Oldale."
Kyosuke sighed, looking down at Torchic's pokeball on his belt. 'This is going to be one hell of a journey.'
Finally, Kyosuke looked towards the path ahead of him, route 101. Confidence renewed, he smirked and dashed off into the distance. Prof. Birch wiped his forehead.
"Why do I have the feeling that someone's going to get hurt before the day is over?"
Route 101
Kyosuke had made it to 101 in good time and hadn't stopped running. He knew the faster he went, the closer he'd get to the Pokemon League with each step. Running through the tall grass without hesitation, he skipped most of the battling that rookie trainers usually do while starting their journey. That is, until one pokemon stood right in his path.
"And just what are you?" Kyosuke said, drawing his pokedex.
Lotad. The Water Weed Pokemon. Current Lv. 4.
These Pokémon are usually quite placid and easygoing. On rare occasions, Lotad travels on land in search of clean water. If it does not drink water for too long, the leaf on its head wilts.
"Huh? Holy crap, its leaf is wilting!" Kyosuke's jaw dropped as he saw the lilypad on Lotad's head starting to brown. "Oh come on, it just so happens I find the one Lotad that is far from water!"
"Lo..." The Lotad whined weakly.
"It's dehydrated." Kyosuke groaned and ran to quickly scoop up the Lotad. Before he could, a Poochyena and Zigzagoon jumped in front of it. "Hey! What are you doing?"
The two pokemon just growled at Kyosuke. They slowly backed up. Kyosuke's eyes widened in realization.
"Okay, I get it. You're trying to protect Lotad. Hey, I'm not going to hurt it okay? I just want to take it to the Pokemon Center in Oldale to get it healed alright?"
The Poochyena lowered its head, never stopping its snarl. They didn't believe Kyosuke. Now he was getting upset, holding his head in frustration. He was never one with a lot of patience.
"Look. What do you expect to do to help Lotad? You have no choice but to trust me!" The outburst only seemed to anger Poochyena and Zigzagoon even more. As the two prepared to attack, Kyosuke's pokeball opened on its own. Torchic came from its ball, glaring at Poochyena and Zigzagoon. "Uh...Torchic, how'd you get out of your ball?"
Torchic ignored Kyosuke and began to build fire in its beak.
"No! Torchic, we don't want to hurt them!"
He was once again ignored as Torchic fired ember at the three pokemon. Lotad hopped forward and began to shoot a water gun from its mouth, though it was visibly weak and didn't last long against the ember. Some of the embers still hit Lotad, weakening it even more.
"Torchic, cut that out! Return!" Kyosuke yelled and brought Torchic back to its ball. The Lotad was breathing heavily and seemed on the verge of losing consciousness. The Poochyena and Zigzagoon began to growl heavily, and then they both lunged in for an attack.
"TAD!" Lotad's called stopped the two in their tracks. The tree pokemon conversated for several seconds, leaving Kyosuke completely confused. Afterwards, Lotad slowly crawled forward.
"Lotad...do you trust me now?" Kyosuke asked. Lotad instantly shook its head, making Kyosuke face plant into the ground. However, Lotad indicated that it was willing to go to the Pokemon center with him. "Okay. I'll get you there in no time. You ready?" Kyosuke asked, holding up an empty pokeball. Lotad weakly nodded and let Kyosuke capture it.
"Cool. I'll have your buddy better in no time guys. Come on." Kyosuke called and began to run the rest of the way to Oldale, Poochyena and Zigzagoon on his heels.
