CHAPTER FOUR: ANDREW AND NICO'S FIRST BATTLE!

Andrew received his Monferno and Starly from Nurse Joy. About ten minutes later, she gave Nico his Pokemon.

"Ready?" Nico asked.

Andrew nodded in reply, a fierce look was in his eyes.

The two walked out to a battlefield behind the Pokemon Center.

"How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Two."

"Oh," Nico appeared to be sad. "I've got three. Guess I'll have to choose which ones to beat you with carefully."

Andrew glared daggers at Nico.

"Are you guys ready to battle?" Dawn asked.

Andrew and Nico nodded.

"Then let the battle begin!"

"Go Starly!"

"Go Luxio!" Nico sent out his black and blue Pokemon.

It was an electric type…just great for Andrew's flying type Starly to fight.

"Starly, quick attack!" Starly rammed straight into Luxio with his speed.

"Spark!" Luxio's eyes flashed yellow, and its whole body became imbued with electrical energy. It slammed Starly to the ground.

"Starly!" Andrew cried. "Quick attack!"

Starly hit Luxio, weaker than before.

"Finish it with spark!"

Luxio rammed Starly, knocking it out.

"Starly, good job. Return."

"Nice work Luxio. Return."

"Go Monferno!"

"Go Staravia!"

Nico sent out the evolution of Starly.

"Monferno, Flame Wheel!"

Monferno's tail of flames spread around him and he tumbled forward, spinning like a wheel. Monferno hit Staravia head on.

"Staravia, wing attack!"

Staravia hit Monferno with its wings, knocking him to the ground. It was a super effective hit.

"Ember!" Monferno spat out a flame at Staravia.

"Double Team!" Illusions of Staravia formed a circle around Monferno. He looked around, confused at which one to hit.

"Flame Wheel through them all!" Monferno span through all of the illusions, knocking the real Staravia to the ground.

"Endeavor!" Staravia kicked Monferno in the knees with its talons, knocking him down.

Monferno's eyes flashed red, and the flame of his tail glowed strong.

"Blaze…" Andrew muttered.

"Monferno, Flame Wheel!"

Monferno spun straight into Staravia. It could barely stand.

"Staravia, Quick attack!" Staravia managed to fly, and knocked Monferno down and out.

Andrew's eyes widened in shock. He fell to his knees in defeat, but pretended he really got down to pick up Monferno.

"Good job Monferno," he told his starter. "You had a really tough battle."

Andrew returned Monferno to his Poke Ball.

Andrew stood up, his face devoid of any emotion.

"Good job," he told Nico. Andrew reached into his bag for money.

"Thanks," Nico replied, with a sad smile.

Dawn raised her eyebrows. It looked like Nico was upset that Andrew lost to him.

"You don't have to pay me," Nico told Andrew. "The battle was good enough."

Andrew kept on telling himself, Don't cry! Crying is weakness, you're already weak enough.

"I'll see you around Drew. I'm going to have to train harder if I want to beat the other gym leaders."

"Me too…" Andrew muttered as Nico walked away.

"Bye Dawn," Nico walked back into the Pokemon Center.

"Andrew…" Dawn placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Your Pokemon battles really well, considering both of them had a type disadvantage."

"Thanks…" Andrew replied.

"I need to get stronger…" Andrew muttered.

I won't lose to Nico again! Andrew vowed.

Later that night, Nurse Joy returned Monferno and Starly to Andrew.

"I'm sorry," Andrew told Monferno and Starly. They shook their heads in reply.

"Do you guys…want to train?" They nodded adamantly, a fierce look in both their eyes.

Andrew looked at Dawn, asleep in a chair.

"Then let's go!"

Andrew trained alongside Monferno and Starly, so that when they got stronger, so did he. Monferno was now able to defeat Machop, Zubat, and Geodude with ease while using his fire type attacks, not even resorting to Mach Punch against Geodude. Starly had evolved into Staravia in a fierce battle against a Ponyta. Staravia easily defeated Zubat and Geodude with his flying and normal type attacks, despite the fact that the moves were not very effective.

Andrew grinned, hugging his Pokemon that were now tougher, mentally and physically.

Dawn looked on at Andrew's training with a smile.

"I guess there are still good people in the world after all."

Andrew returned to the Pokemon Center in the morning. He quickly took a shower and put on his clean black shirt, jeans, and red hat.

"Are you ready to go?" Dawn asked.

"Yep," Andrew nodded, smiling. "Let's get my second badge!"

The two returned to Jubilife City.

"Professor Rowan, what are you doing here?" Dawn asked as she saw her mentor step out of the Jubilife Condominiums.

"I received a message saying to come to the condominiums for a meeting regarding my research," Professor Rowan explained. "I could have sworn it was from my assistant."

"Professor, guess what, I got my first gym badge!"

"Congratulations," Professor Rowan told him, his voice indifferent.

"Well, I suppose I shall return to Sandgem Town to continue my research."

"Goodbye Professor," Dawn told him. "I'm filling up the pages of my Pokedex!"

Andrew and Dawn walked past the condominiums, not seeing the bloody hand barely grasping for life in the alley.

"I don't think Professor Rowan likes me very much," Andrew said.

"Eh, he's like that with all of the new trainers."

Dawn's Piplup popped out of her Poke Ball and ran to the alley.

"Piplup, what are you-" Dawn stopped in her tracks and covered her mouth in shock.

Andrew ran behind her and his eyes widened.

One of Professor Rowan's assistants was unconscious, beaten to a pulp.

Andrew and Dawn called 911 and the man was lifted on the stretcher.

His eyes shot open when he saw Dawn.

"Professor! In…danger..." He was lifted onto the ambulance to the hospital.

"Whoever beat him up must have called the Professor," Andrew said.

"Which means they're going after him right now!" Dawn exclaimed.

The two raced towards Route 202.

"Professor!"

Professor Rowan was being harassed by two thugs with blue, bowl haircuts wearing space suits.

"Now, now Professor, all you have to do is come with us," one said.

"Your services will greatly benefit the rest of the world, maybe even the entire galaxy," his partner told Rowan.

"I'm sorry, but I am not going anywhere with thugs like you that attack my friends for research!"

Professor Rowan saw Andrew and Dawn running towards them.

"Ah Dawn, Andrew, teach these fools a lesson in battle."

Andrew and Dawn nodded, sending out Monferno and Piplup.

"Very well, if you don't want to play nice, then we'll have to battle."

"Prepare to face the wrath of X and Y!"

X sent out Croagunk while Y sent out Glameow.

"Mach Punch!" Monferno punched Glameow hard, knocking it out quickly.

"Piplup, Bubblebeam!" A shower of bubbles shot out of Piplup's beak at Croagunk.

"Croagunk, poison jab!" Croagunk jabbed Monferno in the back, poisoning him.

"Flame Wheel!" Monferno spun straight into Croagunk, knocking it out.

"Argh, this isn't the last you'll see of us!" X cried in anger. "We will get your research on evolution!"

"Come on," Y tried calming her partner down. "We must return to the Bringer of Wars."

The two Grunts ran off into the busy streets of Jubilife City.

"Thank you," Professor Rowan told Dawn and Andrew.

"Happy to help," Andrew smiled.

"Be careful on your way back to Sandgem Town," Dawn told the Professor.

He nodded, "Yes, I will. I am going to keep my research under lock and key from now on."

Andrew and Dawn healed their Pokemon at the Pokemon Center and set off north through Jubilife City.

"I wonder who those guys were," Andrew said.

"I've heard rumors of there being a villainous group stealing people's Pokemon," Dawn said. "They're said to be called Team Galactic."

"If they're hurting people, then we should put a stop to them."