Not Another Pokefic-Xander's First Catch and First Match
The nighttime hours began to end. The blue sky began to be lit with shades of oranges and yellows given off by the sun. The stars began to fade and the moon slid under the horizon. Morning had arrived. Unfortunately, the sun shone directly in the window at Angie. She scrunched her face up, trying to block out the light, but to no avail. She was awake now. Angie sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around the room to see everything was like she remembered. She looked over at her friends. Xander was soundly sleeping, looking peaceful as ever. Roku had obviously had an odd dream of sorts because he had rolled out of bed and was sleeping on the floor, however he was still covered up and somehow had managed to drag his pillow with him. Angie chuckled a little. The trainer slept so heavily that he didn't even wake up from falling onto the floor.
Angie pulled the covers off herself and slid out of bed. Quietly, she opened her bag and extracted a set of clean clothes and some bathroom supplies. Then she crept out the door and soundlessly shut it behind her. Once out, the trainer tiptoed down the hall and went into the bathroom to shower.
Meanwhile, Xander slowly began to wake too. He cracked an eye open and noticed the light pouring into the small room. The trainer sighed and got up. He couldn't go back to sleep now. Xander sat on his bed blinking for a few moments. He looked around and smiled at the egg on Angie's bed. It seemed fine. Maybe it would hatch soon, Xander thought. He looked over at Roku and chuckled softly at the trainer. He had rolled out of bed and onto the floor in the middle of the night. That explained the thud he had heard in the middle of the night. Having showered last night, Xander pulled out a comb, toothpaste, and a toothbrush from his bag. He removed a set of his own clothes and wandered off to the bathroom.
Angie showered quickly, ready to get going again. Hopefully Xander and Roku were already awake. She hastily finished getting ready and pulled on her clothes. She gathered her belongings and ran back to the room. If one or both of them hadn't gotten up yet, they were going to get a rude awakening.
Xander had also finished around the same time Angie had. He exited the bathroom and watched her dash back to the room. He thought she was being rather loud for a morning. Xander watched as Angie pulled the door open. She noticed the unmoving mass that was Roku. She then walked into the room and slammed the door shut. A lot of clanging soon followed, then shouting was heard, mostly from Roku. Xander chuckled a little and walked back to the room himself. He opened the door and walked into a possible disaster zone.
Apparently, after Angie had slammed the door shut, she shuffled through her bag for a set of pans. Once she found them, she started clanging them together and marching around the room to wake Roku up. It worked. However, Roku was not a morning person. The clanging and rude awakening had made him grumpy and now he was in a foul mood, which was why he had yelled. He apologized afterwards, but he still seemed pretty grumpy. Angie, however, sent him from the room to shower and get dressed for the day.
While Roku was showering, Xander and Angie picked up the room a little. They made Roku's bed while he was away, picked up their own stuff and slung their bags over their shoulders. Angie reached into her bed and picked up the egg that she was now taking care of. Then they sat on their beds and waited for Roku to come back. The trainer eventually did. He put his own stuff away and then picked up his own bag. Roku still looked rather grumpy, though.
Angie, Roku, and Xander all went to breakfast once they deemed their room clean. This too was being provided by the nurse of the Pokemon Center. Despite their creepiness and how similar they looked, these nurses did make good meals for trainers passing through. The group dined on a light breakfast, before leaving the Pokemon Center again.
Morning had indeed broken. Although it was a small seaside town, Sandgem was already beginning to stir. Its residents had already awoken and were taking part in the community as a part of their daily lives. People were heading off to work. Children were waking up and studying or playing with their Pokemon. This small town was indeed a quaint place, and Xander liked it here. It was quiet, peaceful, and yet unique and lively. People lived happily here and they seemed to know one another. The sort of town Xander liked. However, he could not remain. His friends were already leaving him behind. Xander easily caught up, with a little help from his shoes. Xander turned around at the entrance to the town and took one long last look. He wasn't sure if he'd see this place again. Then he turned around and walked away, heading out onto the road again.
Route 202 was even shorter than Route 201, surprisingly. Xander was partially happy for this. They could reach Jubilife by midday. Xander had heard it was one of the biggest cities of Sinnoh if not the biggest. He couldn't wait to check it out a little. Roku was still pretty grumpy from his special wake up call. However, for the most part, he was over it. He should enjoy it out, it was a somewhat nice day and he could very well catch a Pokemon along the way to Route 202. Angie was humming to herself to break the silence. She hummed a catchy tune that Xander somehow got stuck in his head, despite his daydreaming. She skipped along happily, clutching the blue egg in her arms and kept a slightly fast pace. Xander and Roku were nearly jogging to keep up with her.
"Jubilife City...I wonder what it's like?" Xander said, trying to press them for some information about the town they were coming up on.
"It's a really big city, probably the biggest in Sinnoh!" Angie said. "It's really fun too. It's positioned perfectly between the cities of Floaroma, Oreburgh, Canalave, and Sandgem, so it's got a lot of people passing through everyday. It's also the site of the Global Trading Center, where many people gather to trade Pokemon. There's also the Pokemon School, which gathers a lot of people and the T.V. Station and Poketch Company! A lot of people come there for all sorts of things!"
"Hmm...sounds like fun!" Xander said, grinning at Angie. Angie smiled at him too.
Now Xander was excited, sort of like a new kid getting candy. However, it was also vastly different, as Xander's 'candy' was the opportunity to explore a new city and possibly pick up some new Pokemon. The Global Trading Center sounded like a great opportunity to get a Pokemon.
Just then a blue streak passed in front of them. The streak kept going until stopping and resting in front of a tree. Angie and Roku both recognized the Pokemon, but to Xander it was a new sight. He instantly scanned it with his earpiece and sent the information to the PokeDex. Both Angie and Roku immediately knew what it was by the star-shaped fur at the end of its tail. The Shinx licked its paw and settled down for a nap. Unfortunately for the Shinx, it wasn't going to get its rest just yet.
"Go, Riddle."
Xander tossed the Pokeball into the air. It opened and its inhabitant came out in a bright light. The light settled on the ground and the Ralts appeared. It looked around, trying to figure out its target. It looked over at Xander for a command. Xander pointed over at the Shinx and the Ralts nodded. The Shinx opened an eye lazily, noticing that it was being targeted. The Ralts launched a Hypnosis blast at it to try and put it to sleep, but the Pokemon lazily dodged it. Xander frowned slightly. He could've easily caught the Shinx if it hadn't dodged the Hypnosis blast. He had been careless, assuming that the Shinx didn't realize it was being targeted. Riddle looked to Xander and Xander nodded. Riddle turned to the Shinx again, who seemed to be mocking them. It flicked its tail lazily, trying to get them to attack again. Riddle teleported over to the Shinx and launched another Hypnosis blast at point blank. The Shinx didn't have a chance. Even if it tried to dodge, it wouldn't have enough time to get away. It was immediately put to sleep. Xander readied a Pokeball and tossed it at the Shinx. It hit the Pokemon on the head and sucked it in. The ball started wriggling around rapidly.
"3...2...1..." Xander counted off. The ball ceased to wriggle and a familiar click confirmed its capture.
"Click," Xander said, walking over and picking up the Pokeball.
"Congrats on your first catch, Xander!" Angie exclaimed, running over to him.
"Th-thanks," Xander replied, smiling nervously and yet happily at Angie. Angie giggled at him. "What are you gonna name it?"
"Hmm...I dunno. It's a female, so I have to think about it..." Xander said.
"Wha? It's a female? How can you tell?" Angie said, looking shocked. Xander pointed to the earpiece he was wearing.
"This thing allows you to see a Pokemon's stamina, statistics such as its strength and speed, the attacks it knows, and also its gender. You just gotta know how to work it...I should probably teach you..." Xander said.
While Xander and Angie were talking, Roku's jealousy flared again. His grumpiness brought it on a little too. He was happy for Xander's catch, but in truth, he couldn't help be a little jealous of his friends. Xander had already managed to catch a Shinx and Angie had found an egg. What had he caught? Nothing, at the moment. Everything that came along that hadn't been a Starly or Bidoof, one of them had caught. Roku sighed. He was working himself up over nothing. He had to remain calm. They were his friends after all. He would eventually manage to find and catch a Pokemon he liked.
"I got it. I'll call her X-Ray," Xander said.
"That's a...good name," Angie said, smiling. X-Ray seemed odd to her, but in a sense, it sort of fit. The Shinx did have an X in its name, so it worked a little.
With that, the group set off again, determined to reach Jubilife by midday. They were keeping a good pace too. The sun rose higher and higher over their heads and the large city gradually kept getting bigger and bigger on the horizon. However, the sun was beating them. Midday arrived before them to Jubilife City. They were still a few miles from the city too. Xander estimated it'd take another hour or so to get there. He suggested that maybe they should stop and have a picnic. Angie agreed, saying she did have some food on hand in case they had to stop. Roku didn't have any complaints. So they stopped and set up a small spot under a tree to eat their lunch.
Angie sent Xander and Roku to go and wash up in the close by stream to wash their hands. She then took some food from her bag and began to make lunch. It wasn't anything special, not in her opinion. Just a few sandwiches, fruits, and some water bottles. But, it would last them to Jubilife, and the quiet picnic would be enjoyable. It would probably be the last time they'd get a peaceful moment until they left Jubilife. Angie sat down and waited for Xander and Roku to return.
"Go Deep Azure," Xander commanded, tossing the Pokeball into the air.
"Let's go Sparks!" Roku yelled, throwing his own Pokeball into the air and releasing the yellow-furred inhabitant. Riddle and Sparks faced off with the a Starly and a Bidoof, both owned by a pair of trainers in front of them. They were supposed to be getting back to have their lunch. However, just as they finished washing up, these two trainers approached them and challenged them. Xander wanted to refuse them, but Roku beat him to the punch. He accepted their challenge. Xander didn't approve, so he had to make this quick. He stood calmly, waiting for his opponents to make a move. However, the word 'patience' was not a part of Roku's dictionary.
"Sparks, Thundershock the Starly!" Roku yelled. Xander let off a groan. Double battles were supposed to be about teamwork. Rushing in without any clue how good their opponents were was asking for the very defeat Roku loathed. However, Xander decided he'd cover for his partner.
"Deep Azure, Bubble," Xander commanded, calmly.
The Piplup responded accurately. It launched off a swarm of bubbles in front of the Starly, clouding its vision. Before the Starly could respond, high voltage was coursing through its body from the Thundershock. However, the Bidoof had other plans. It tackled Sparks, knocking him to the ground. The Starly flew away from the Bubble attack, then switched direction and came at Sparks with a Quick Attack.
"Deep Azure, Peck that Bidoof," Xander commanded. "Roku! Once the Bidoof's off Sparks, launch an attack at the Starly." Roku nodded in agreement. Xander took a breath as Deep Azure's beak met the Bidoof's body. It was launched off Sparks, who had received a little damage from the Tackle.
"Sparks, Volt Tackle the Starly!" Roku commanded, smiling. Sparks grinned and let electricity surrounded its body. Then, it launched itself into the air straight at the Starly. The Starly panicked, veering off course to dodge. It narrowly dodge the airborne Pikachu, straightening out its path. However, Sparks' Volt Tackle had distracted it long enough for the Starly to be caught in a Bubble storm. The tiny bubbles popped against the Starly, severely damaging it. The Bidoof had recovered and was launching at Deep Azure, but Sparks hit it with a Thundershock. Their opponents stared in shock. They had been beaten, and beaten badly. But the battle wasn't over yet. The trainers recalled their Pokemon and prepared two more Pokeballs. They weren't going to lose yet. They tossed them into the air, releasing two Pokemon, the first being a Wormadam and the second being a Mothim. Xander nodded to himself. He checked their stats with his earpiece, determining their moves and types.
"The Wormadam is a Grass-Bug duel-type, while the Mothim is a Bug-Flying dual type...ah, I got it," Xander mumbled to himself. He then turned to Roku and raised his voice. "Switch to your Chimchar." Roku stared at him for a minute, then nodded. Xander recalled his Piplup. This was a gamble, as he had never trained with this Pokemon before, nor did he give it time to fully recover. But Riddle was at a major disadvantage against two Bug-types, and Deep Azure would have problems with the Wormadam, along with Sparks. There wasn't any other choice but to switch.
"Go, X-Ray," Riddle calmly said.
"Go Inferno!" Roku yelled.
Both of the Pokeballs flew into the air and opened. Their inhabitants poured out in the form of white light. The Chimchar danced around, happy to see the sunlight. The Shinx merely yawned and stared at its opponents. Xander scanned his own Shinx to see what it could or could not do.
"Perfect...it knows Spark," Xander muttered to himself. "Let's get started then. Roku, don't rush them. They're a dangerous pair and it might be r-"
Roku completely ignored what he said.
"Inferno, Ember!" Roku yelled. Inferno dashed towards the Wormadam, grinning. Xander sighed again.
"We don't have a choice, X-Ray. Let's see how well you take commands," Xander said. "Tackle the Mothim before it has a chance to attack the Chimchar." The Shinx looked back at him, nodded to show it understood, then launched off in a tackle. However, just before it hit, the Mothim flew higher and evaded X-Ray's Tackle. However, it gave Inferno the opportunity to hit the Wormadam with an Ember before it could use an attack. The Wormadam didn't look too great after that. Its trainer snarled, trying to get it to attack, but before it could recover, Inferno was on top of it, scratching it. Before it could react, it fainted.
"Three down, one to go!" Roku yelled. Xander nodded, then turned to X-Ray. X-Ray desperately tried to hit the Mothim, but could not seem to land a hit.
"Inferno, try Ember again!" Roku commanded. The Chimchar responded, loosing a small jet of flame upon the Mothim. It dodged the Ember attack, along with a Spark attack that X-Ray had launched. Xander frowned. That Mothim was fast and evasive, easily dodging their attacks. However, if they could get it to hold still long enough, they might stand a chance.
"X-Ray, Spark," Xander said coolly, coming up with a quick strategy. His Shinx covered its body in a weak electric current, then sprung in the air after the Mothim. The Mothim moved to dodge, keeping its attention entirely on X-Ray. Roku noticed this and got Xander's idea.
"Inferno, Ember!" Roku yelled. The Chimchar nodded in response and shot off another jet of flame. The Mothim moved to dodge again. The flame not only missed the Mothim but also hit X-Ray. X-Ray took damage, but it was nothing fatal. He could still fight. Xander stopped to think again. The Mothim was fast and their Pokemon were getting tired. Constantly using Spark and Ember wasn't working, and also was now dangerous. Suddenly, he got an idea.
"Roku, go in for a scratch attack," Xander said. Roku nodded to Xander and commanded his Pokemon to do so. Inferno charged at the Mothim and launched in the air at it. The Mothim quickly evaded the attack easily. However, as it did so, X-Ray ran up behind Inferno and jumped on it as a boost to get higher. The sneak attack had worked.
"X-Ray, Spark," Xander said.
X-Ray's body became covered in electricity seconds away from hitting the Mothim. Its reaction time wasn't fast enough to evade the incoming attack. X-Ray's Spark attack hit the Mothim, knocking it to the ground and knocking it out. The match was over. Xander and Roku had won.
"Yaha! We did it!" Roku yelled, hugging his Chimchar. Xander merely smiled and stroked X-Ray as a reward. The opposing trainers looked devastated at their lost, but smiled anyway and thanked Roku and Xander for the battle.
"You're welcome," Xander replied, returning their smiles. The trainers then waved good-bye and went on their way. However, the victory was about to be cut short. Coming up behind them was a fuming Angie.
"Where have you two been?!" she asked.
"We got in-" Roku started, but didn't have the opportunity to finish.
"A fight, I saw," Angie said. "Why didn't you decline? You knew I had lunch ready."
"I wanted to, but-" Xander started.
"But what?" Angie said, glaring at the both of them.
"R-Roku accepted b-before I could say n-no..." Xander replied nervously, his stutter returning.
"What? Why are you trying to pin this on me?!" Roku yelled, turning on Xander.
"C-cause you're the one who accepted!" Xander replied.
"You still could've said no!" Angie said. "Or at least have told me! I've been waiting for nearly half an hour for you two to wash your hands!"
"I-I'm sorry Angie..." Xander said guilty. His head drooped. They had abandoned their friend, and Xander did feel guilty for that, but the battle beforehand had helped Roku and Xander's teamwork and their friendship seemed to have improved too. Also, he had an opportunity to work with X-Ray as well. But, he knew he still should've warned Angie at least. Now he felt sorry.
"I'm sorry, too," Roku said as well.
"You're forgiven," Angie said, turning away in a huff. Roku and Xander followed her. They arrived at the picnic site and ate lunch quickly. They then packed up and left for Jubilife. All the way there, Angie didn't speak to Roku or Xander.
