Chapter Eight: Trouble on Route 3
Touko grinned as she continued through Route 3. The Pidoves were singing, the breeze was soft, and the sun was shining with no cloud in sight. Her Egg Container was held, the blue and white egg still. "An awesome way to start the second day." Touko breathed out, spotting two buildings up a hill. "I wonder what those buildings are." Heading that way, Touko was surprised to see what appeared to be many small children running around and, on the other side of the hill, many Pokemon running around as well.
"Hi there!" Touko looked up, noticing a woman waving at her from the area where the children were playing.
"Hello." Touko greeted the woman as she approached. "What is this place?"
"This here is a kindergarten, and that is a Pokemon Daycare." She smiled, using her hand as a visor to look over at the Daycare. "The two are close together so the children have a chance to interact with Pokemon."
"How cool, I'm sure they love it." Touko smiled, now noticing some younger, baby Pokemon amongst the children.
"Yes they do, it warms my heart to see the interaction between people and Pokemon. There's nothing better." Touko's face softened, remembering Ghetsis' speech.
"Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?"
"Anywho, are you looking to put any Pokemon in the Daycare?" Touko looked up and shook her head.
"No, I only have my Snivy with me." She laughed, looking at the Pokemon Egg. "Of course this Egg too, but it can't battle." The lady laughed along with her.
"Do you know what Pokemon it's going to be?"
"No, I'm just hoping it'll make a great addition to my family." She smiled and thought of Touya. "I'm sure it will too."
"Well that's always a good thing." She smiled and paused. "You know, I bet someone in the Daycare could tell you what it is." Touko shook her head once more, remembering how Touya had winked and told her it was a surprise.
"No thanks, I want it to be a surprise." The lady nodded with a smile.
"Makes sense, I can see it must mean a lot to you."
"Yeah, I do love it. Thanks for the offer though, take care." Touko waved and began to walk back down the hill but she stopped. She turned back around to face the woman. "And keep giving those children all the opportunities to be with Pokemon. It really, really is a great relationship."
...
As Touko continued down the route, she was stopped as a voice caught up to her.
"Touko, stop!" Stopping, Touko turned around to see Cheren waving her down. "We both have a Trio Badge, so let's see which of us is stronger!" He grinned as he stopped a few feet from her, Pokeball in hand. Touko grinned smugly and nodded.
"You're on! Snivy, hit the stage!"
...
"We have the same number of badges... why do you keep winning?" Cheren called back his swirly-eyed Pokemon, sighing under his breath. "I see now how you battle."
"Oh? How's that?" Touko smiled, stepping over to her friend to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Good." Touko laughed and even Cheren cracked a smile, not able to resist his friend's laughter. It was cut short though as two Team Plasma members came barreling down the path.
"Out of the way!" Stepping to the sides quickly, the two were able to nearly avoid being run over.
"Plasma." Touko growled out under her breath, clenching her fists.
"What was that about?" Cheren asked, looking towards the way the grunts ran. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Bianca and a little girl running towards them. "Bianca? Why are you running?"
"Hey!" Bianca was breathing heavy, bending over and placing her hands on her knees. She was breathing heavy and panting. "Where, were, those people, headed?" She panted between breaths, the little girl gently tugging on her dress. Cheren looked at both of them as if they were crazy.
"That way, but... why are you running now?"
"Oh, seriously! They run so fast!" Bianca ignored Cheren's question again, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"Miss... my Pokemon?" The little girl tugged on Bianca's dress, her eyes puffy like she had cried.
"It'll be okay. It'll be okay. Don't cry." Bianca knelt to her level, giving her a hug.
"Bianca!" Cheren shouted at her, impatient. "Really, why were you running?" Finally Bianca seemed to listen.
"You have to hear this! Those people stole this girl's Pokemon!" Bianca jumped to her feet, pointing at the little girl.
"You should have spoken up sooner!" Cheren scolded her, turning to Touko. "Touko, we're going to get that Pokemon back."
"I wouldn't want it any other way!" Touko nodded her head at Cheren who turned back to Bianca.
"Bianca, stay by the girl's side." With his final words, he ran off in pursuit of the Team Plasma grunts.
"Miss, please find my Pokemon. I love my Pokemon." The little girl looked up at Touko with teary eyes.
"I will, don't you worry." Touko turned, sprinting up towards where she saw Cheren disappear. "Team Plasma is wrong, evil, mean. They don't know anything about Pokemon and humans! They don't know the truth!"
Heading further through the route and off the path, Touko caught sight of Cheren.
"They ran inside here!" Cheren yelled over at her, pointing to the cave he stood by. "Are you ready for this?" He asked as Touko approached in which she nodded with determination. "Good, let's go." Heading inside, two Team Plasma grunts were waiting for them right at the entrance. "Give us back the Pokemon!"
"No way, kid!" The Team Plasma Grunt spat on the ground in front of him while the other laughed.
"What you're doing is wrong and evil! You're stealing someone's Pokemon who loves them very much! That Pokemon loves them too!" Touko yelled at them, her voice bouncing off the walls and sounding louder.
"Please! That child cannot use a Pokemon to its full potential!" The second grunt shot back scornfully. "Doesn't that make the Pokemon sad?"
"It's the same thing for all your Pokemon, so hand them over to us now!" The first grunt added in with a grin.
"Never! I will go to all ends to stop you from tearing apart Pokemon and people!" Touko shot back, clutching her Pokemon Egg while one hand held onto Snivy's Pokeball.
"It's no use, they won't listen to reason." Cheren growled, pulling out a Pokeball.
"Fine! What's even better is that we'll just take them!" The Grunt laughed, pulling out his Pokeball to face off Cheren. The second grunt turned to Touko, rolling his Pokeball between his fingers.
"Let's dance, princess."
...
"Wha...?! How can we lose when we have right on our side?!" The grunts stepped back, both defeated by Cheren and Touko. Cheren grinned, turning to Touko and handing her the stolen Pokeball he had grabbed.
"Not bad, Touko. Go return the Pokemon to that girl."
"You don't need to return it!" Looking up sharply, the voice boomed from behind the two defeated grunts. Behind them, two other grunts pushed them aside and took their place. "How troublesome." The third grunt eyed over Touko and Cheren. "Not only do you fail to understand, but you actually got in our way, to boot."
"There's two of you and two of us." The fourth Plasma Grunt grinned as he and his comrade both pulled out their Pokeballs. "We'll show you our combined power and teach you that we are right!"
"So there were more of them..." Cheren growled, digging his Pokeball out once more. "Still, why are Pokemon robbers acting so self-righteous?" He shrugged his shoulders before turning abruptly towards Touko. "Touko! We've been friends our whole lives. We've got each other's back when it counts! Let's show them how it's done!" Touko grinned, fishing out Snivy's Pokeball.
"Always!"
...
"Double Trouble! Go, Patrat!" Both the grunts yelled at the same time, their Pokeballs each releasing a Patrat. Snivy and Tepig stood side by side, ready for action. The Grass-type and Fire-type looked at each other, exchanging respectful nods of the head.
"Snivy, use Tackle on the left Patrat!" Touko pointed at the Patrat but then the two grunts laughed.
"Switch!" The Patrats suddenly began to jumped from side to side and Snivy stopped her tackle, trying to distinguish between them.
"Sniv-Sniv." Snivy scratched her head, stepping back in confusion.
"Patrat, Bite!" The grunts shouting in unison, the two Patrat charging Snivy and chomping down on her arms. Snivy cried out in pain and she stumbled back as the Patrats released and she fell down.
"Snivy!" Touko called to her Pokemon which was holding her arms and wincing.
"Tepig, you use Tackle on either one!" Cheren called to his Pokemon which charged but went straight through them as they jumped up and parted.
"Patrats, Tackle!" The grunts just laughed as the first Patrat pushed Tepig up and the second one jumped and slammed him down onto the ground.
"Tepig!" Cheren called out to the Fire Pig Pokemon which snorted and pushed himself up. Glaring at the Patrats who were jumping around and dancing, he growled. "We've got to stop that." Touko nodded, looking at Snivy who had just stood up.
"Snivy!" The Grass Pokemon looked back at her Trainer with fire in her eyes. "You've got to stop them.
"Sniv." Snivy nodded to her Trainer, focusing on the Patrats. Suddenly leaves began to circle her and she closed her eyes concentrating. Opening up her eyes and narrowing them immediately, she shot a cyclone of leaves straight at the Patrats, stopping their clowning and knocking them back.
"Nice! Leaf Tornado!" Cheren called to Touko, using it to his advantage. "Tepig, Ember while they're still dazed" Tepig snorted before blowing embers straight at the two, hitting them square.
"No! Patrats!" The grunts called to their Pokemon which struggled to get up after the succession of attacks.
"Let's finish this Touko." Cheren looked over at Touko and the two exchanged a nod.
"Growth and Leaf Tornado!" Touko called to Snivy who let the green light empower her before she released the tornado of leaves.
"Ember Tepig!" Cheren called immediately to his Pokemon, the two attacks combining to form and ember and leaf tornado. The Patrats just stood there in fear as the attacks hit them, knocking them out. The grunts just growled and called back their Pokemon, glaring at the two Trainers.
"In order to liberate Pokemon from foolish people, we will take their Pokemon." The third grunt growled out, and Touko hugged her egg close. Snivy lashed her tail and stood in front of her trainer protectively.
"Whatever..." He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "What a waste of time. I mean, come on, what reason could possibly justify stealing Pokemon from people?"
"Pokemon Trainers like you are making Pokemon suffer..." The fourth grunt spoke, pointing a finger at Cheren and Touko.
"What do you mean, Trainers are making Pokemon suffer?" Cheren snorted and crossed his arms, his Tepig mimicking his snort of disgust. "I don't get that at all!" The first grunt stepped up from the sidelines.
"We gave you back the Pokemon... but be aware of how this Pokemon suffers from being used by people." He glared at Cheren intensely. "Someday, open your eyes to your own complicity." The four quickly ran off through the entrance to the cave, although the second stopped and looked Touko dead in the eyes.
"You. You don't know what you're really dealing with."
...
Cheren and Touko headed back towards Bianca and the little girl, Cheren kicking stones along the way. "Trainers bring out their Pokemon's strength. Pokemon believe in their trainers and respond to that. I don't understand what about that makes Pokemon suffer!" Cheren threw up his arms, spilling his thoughts. He sighed and rubbed his temples, looking over at Touko. "I'll return the Pokemon, it might ease me a bit." Touko nodded, handing Cheren the Pokeball as he jogged ahead, leaving Touko time to think about the Team Plasma Grunt's words.
...
When Touko caught sight of Bianca and the little girl guarding the Southern exit of the route, she called over to them. "Hey, Bianca!"
"Touko, thank you so much! The two of you got her Pokemon back! I'm lucky to have friends like you two!" Bianca grinned, giving Touko a squeezing hug as she approached.
"Thank you so very much, miss! Please, take this as a thank-you present." The little girl handed Touko a few Pokeballs.
"Oh, you don't need to do this sweetie." Touko smiled, kneeling down to the little girl.
"No, I do! Without you, my Pokemon and I would've never been reunited." She gave Touko a big hug, careful of the Pokemon Egg. "You're a hero." Touko smiled softly, returning the hug.
"I'm going to see this girl on her way, so see you later, Touko!" Bianca took the little girl's hand, heading back the way she had come from. Touko stretched and smiled, she felt all warm and fuzzy inside now.