Chapter Two, A Mischievous Fox Leads To New Friends!
"Oh my, -huff huff- this is one -huff- steep-huff huff- hill!" Dia struggled to push her bike up the hill, her legs threatening to collapse from underneath her. Eevee and Zorua were urging her on with a chant in their from their place in the basket. "Almost… to the… to the top!"
Once she had reached to the top she dropped to her knees, leaning on her bike and panting heavily. Her two Pokemon jumped down and rubbed their heads on her knee, trying to hearten their trainer. "I'll be -huff huff- alright. Just need a bit of rest, that's all, and maybe a drink." She leaned back to a tree and rummaged for a drink bottle from her bag, nearly drenching herself trying to take a sip. "Ahh, much better." Dia closed her eyes and savored the cool breeze and the smell of nature.
"Eevee! Vee!" Eevee's call snapped her out of her moment and she saw Eevee pointing urgently at the retreating form of Zorua. Dia's eyes widened and she hurried upright and snatched her bag.
"Zorua! Come back here, you rascal!" They rushed after the Tricky-Fox Pokemon, completely missing the wild Scolipede that emerged from the bushes and gave the bike a curious sniff before stabbing it with its horns and toss it away.
The three delved deeper in the forest, Dia managed to scoop up the grinning Pokemon, trying to catch her breath. Eevee hopped on her shoulder and started to scold Zorua in their Pokemon language, "Eevee! Vee, vee!"
"You know better than to run off like that, Zorua." She chided, wiggling a finger at the giggling Pokemon. "Now, we best-" An loud explosion erupted from the distance, clouds of smoke reaching to the clear sky. Zorua had jumped from the sudden noise and hid itself inside her bag.
"Oh my, we need to check that out. Someone might be in trouble!" With a nod from Eevee, they hurried to the direction of the explosion.
They arrived at an open field and witnessed a big balloon, with the letter R in the middle, taking flight and two Pokemon held inside a glass cage beneath it.
"Pikachu!"
Dia's eyes snapped to the side, where a young boy and girl where quickly making their way up the tree. Her eyes scanned the scene and she had quickly came to a conclusion that the two people and the Meowth on the balloon had stolen the two kids' Pokemon, their smirking faces only proved her deduction to be correct.
"Pikachu, Axew, I'm coming!" The boy suddenly leaped up from the tree, reaching a hand to the glass cage but, as Dia had expected, it was out of his reach. With quick thinking and lightning speed, she pulled out her Pokeball and tossed it in the air.
"Braviary, catch him before he falls!" The Valiant-Pokemon appeared and quickly fulfilled its trainer's command. With a cry of its name, Braviary swooped down and caught the surprised young trainer by his hood, setting him softly on the ground.
"Now Eevee, use Hyper Voice!" Without hesitation, the Evolution-Pokemon performed the move without flaw. A scalchop suddenly flew from the air and made a hole on the balloon, and at the same time the glass cage shattered from Eevee's Hyper Voice.
"Quick, catch them, Braviary!" Dia pointed to the falling Pokemon, she took notice of the Oshawott that caught its scalchop and place it firmly on its stomach before concentrating on her Pokemon. Braviary hovered above the two trainers and gently dropped their rightful Pokemon in their arms. Dia managed to give a quick smile before a voice shouted.
"Another twerp?!"
"How dare you-"
"No! How dare you!" Dia quickly cut the woman off, "I won't allow thieves to take away trainer's Pokemon, what gives you the right?!" The two trainers, who's Pokemon were tucked safety in their arms, watched their rescuer with awe.
"Let's teach them a lesson, Braviary. Sky Attack, go!"
The trainer snapped out of it and called his Piakchu, "Let's help them out, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
The woman tossed her Pokeball, "Woobat, use Air Slash!" A Woobat appeared and performed the attack, successfully hitting both Pikachu and Axew, but Braviary had dodged swiftly and had managed to graze the foe's Woobat with its attack. "No! Woobat!" The woman's Woobat wavered in its flight, its right wing seemed to hold the most damage. "Grr, Air Slash again!" The woman glared at Dia, who held her gaze defiantly and with determination.
"Braviary, quick-" The Oshawott suddenly stood in front of them with casual bravado and used Water Gun, sending Woobat crashing back to the group in a heap of limbs on the ground. Dia saw her chance and attacked, the young trainer seemed to think so as well as he urged his Pikachu up.
"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!" "Vee!"
"Use Volt Tackle!" "Pika, Pika, Pika, Pika!"
The young trainer's Pikachu charged forward, electricity covering its body, and Eevee opened its mouth charging up a dark ball. The group of criminals suddenly threw a smoke bomb to the ground and made their escape, the two Pokemons' attacks missing completely. Dia clicked her tongue in frustration when the smoke cleared and a worn out Pikachu stood panting and looking around.
"I guess Team Rocket got away..." Dia raised a brow at the familiar name. She turned to the two trainers and her gaze softened.
"Are you two alright?" The two trainers eyes widened once they made eye contact with the older trainer. They stuttered their affirmatives and the male trainer's eyes widened once his eyes caught his Pokemon collapse from behind her, the girl's Axew followed in suit. He quickly made his way to his partner and Dia sent her Braviary back to it's Pokeball with a nod of thanks, Eevee quickly hopping on her shoulder. She made her way quickly beside the distressed trainers.
"We need to get them to the Pokemon Center quickly! I know the nearest place, follow me." Without hesitation the trainers followed the mysterious girl, too worried for their Pokemon's well being to question her.
The Pokemon Center was only five minutes away with the quick pace they set and they had managed to send their Pokemon to Nurse Joy without furthering the damage. Now, they were sent to wait anxiously by the waiting room. Dia had generously bought all three of them a soda and the trainers gratefully accepted it.
"We never really got to thank you back then, so thank you for helping us against Team Rocket," the boy said after taking a sip from his can.
Dia smiled, petting her Eevee, who was curled up on her lap. "It's no problem at all. I just can't stand people who take others Pokemon, especially little kids like you, it just grates my nerves." She missed the pout the bushy haired girl made at her comment of 'little kids like you'.
"I'm Ash Ketchum and I'm from Pallet Town" Dia couldn't help but notice his smile was infectious and found herself smiling back. She looked expectantly at the tanned girl.
"I'm Iris, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine." She focused her attention on Ash, "You're quite a long way from home, aren't you Ash? So what brings you to the Unova Region?" Dia took a sip from her can.
"My goal is to be a Pokemon Master and meet all the Pokemon everywhere! That's why I traveled here." Ash exclaimed.
"A very impressive goal indeed." Dia nodded. Eevee stretched on her lap and jumped on the table, gazing curiously at the two, its head tilted cutely to the side. "Vee?"
"An Eevee! It's so cute!" Iris reached out and petted Eevee. "So soft!"
Ash pulled out his Pokedex to scan the Pokemon in front of him and the familiar robotic voice read out information in it's staccato speech.
"Eevee. The Evolution Pokemon. It is a rare Pokémon that adapts to harsh environments by taking on different evolutionary forms."
"Wow," Ash muttered, staring at the Eevee with sparkling eyes. Zorua chose that moment to pop out of Dia's bag with a 'huff', it hopped to the table and nuzzled Eevee, giving the shocked trainers a wide grin.
"Ehihihi...Hello strangers~"
The two trainers nearly jumped ten feet in the air, their jaws flat on the floor, eyes wide and disbelieving as they stared at the Zorua scratching behind it's ears, its grin still intact.
"I-I-It talks!" Iris exclaimed.
"Of course I talk. I love to talk!"
"Amazing! How does it do that?" Ash asked.
Dia smiled and scratched Zorua behind its ears, "Zorua can speak because of the help of Telepathy, only a handful of Pokemon are known to have achieved this. It's pretty amazing, don't you think?" Zorus puffed its chest out proudly while Eevee rolled its eyes
Both Ash and Iris nodded numbly, still recovering from their shock of a talking Pokemon. "Not only is a Zorua rare in the Unova region, a talking one is too!" Iris said.
"Pokemon Trainer Ash Ketchum and Iris, please head to the counter. Your Pokemon are ready to be discharged." A voice from the speakers spoke. Dia followed the two to the counter, where a Pidove, a Pikachu and an Axew stood waited next to Nurse Joy.
"Thank you for waiting." Nurse Joy's sweet voice said, "I'm happy to say your Pokemon are feeling just fine!" The Pokemon happily returned to their trainers, who embraced them.
"Oh, I'm so relieved!" Iris said, cuddling her Axew.
"That's great Nurse Joy!" Ash exclaimed, "Thank you."
"I must say, seeing a Pikachu is very unusual in this region." Nurse Joy said.
"I would say so too," Dia joined in. "It's because Ash here is all the way from Pallet Town, from the Kanto Region. This might very well be his first Pokemon Centre in the Unova Region. Am I right?" Ash nodded.
"Then welcome!" Nurse Joy said, "And just like Kanto, if your Pokemon ever need help, or anything at all, feel free to stop by anytime."
Ash smiled, "Thank you!"
"I have to say Ash, you're not bad" Iris spoke up. "You're still a kid, but I am impressed. You saved Axew, so thank you."
Dia was about to comment that Iris didn't look much older than Ash, when the said boy spoke up.
"Well you should really be thanking Dia and that Oshawott too." Iris hastily thanked Dia, blushing furiously at forgetting her manners. Dia laughed and waved it off. "Though I'm still wondering why that Oshawott would help us like that."
"You know," Dia said, "Some Pokemon rush to help those in need out of the blue because of instinct or because they're really noble, it just proves how amazing Pokemon are. They're like super heroes, don't you think?" The two trainers voiced their agreements, laughing gleefully and missing the blushing face of the Oshawott peeking from the window.
It was already getting dark and Dia had decided to treat them for dinner. Ash was practically inhaling the food before him, Iris had the decency to eat with better table manners and Dia merely laughed at his antics. Their Pokemon were sharing bowls of Pokemon food on the ground, Pikachu was entertaining them by balancing food on its nose.
"So," Dia said, popping a grape in her mouth, "Are you two headed off to Striaton City by any chance?"
Ash swallowed his food before replying, "Yeah, that's where I'll be getting my first Gym badge! How did you know?"
"That's usually where new trainers start for their first badge," Dia winked. "I just so happen to be going there myself."
"How come?" Iris asked.
"Are you going to battle the Gym leader too?" Ash asked through mouthfuls of food.
Dia shook her head, "No, just visiting some old friends." She smirked, "And besides, I don't really need a gym badge."
"Really? Why's that?"
Dia reached into her bag and pulled out a case, she opened it and Ash nearly choked on his food, while Iris stared with wide-eyes at the contents of the case.
All eight badges twinkled and winked at them. The two trainers awed at the shiny badges.
"Wow! So you've got all eight badges."
"That's right. I've had these for a long time. Like you, Ash, I traveled across Regions to meet new Pokemon and defeat Gym leaders. I guess the next stop for me is the Unova League."
"That's...That's amazing!" Iris exclaimed.
Dia looked at Ash, who was staring at her with fire in his eyes. She nearly smiled at the familiar look. It was a look she knew all to well, she saw it in many of the trainers she had battled, the gym leaders and even in herself. She liked Ash, and she's seen many trainers in her travels, but Ash… Ash, she could feel, was something else.
"Dia, let's have a Pokemon battle. First thing in the morning, before we head off to Striaton City!" Ash declared, his face screamed determination.
"Ash, are you crazy?! She's got eight-"
"I accept."
"What?!"
Dia's grin could almost rival Zorua's as she stared at Ash's burning eyes. "I accept your request, Ash Ketchum. I want to see what you are made of!"
Big thank you for those people who took the time to check this out. This chapter is dedicated to my first reviewer, Guest. I tweaked Cilan's age a bit, he's going to be 17 years old, because the thought of a 15 year old running a cafe, being a waiter and having women wanting his attention doesn't suit right for me (My OC is also 17). Hope you guys liked this chapter, and please Review!
Disclaimer is said in the first chapter.
-Pugs out!