Innocent Aims

Part I: Capture and Release

Chapter 1: Flying By

I was sitting out on the private section of the patio at the local restaurant. It was a good day with nice weather, sunshine with only a few scattered white clouds for effect. The perfect breeze blew by, making it into the perfect day to spend outside. That's why even though I'd long since finished my lunch, I'd chosen to stay there. The hotel I'd been staying at had no private outside section, and the day was just so nice. Staying here suited me just fine. I could relax and plan my next gym battle. Alone, with no disturbances from any fans or family.

Right now, the emphasis was on relaxing. I sat back in my chair, ignoring the notes and other paperwork spread out before me on this gym leader. Similarly to me, my pokemon were pretty relaxed. My eevee and arcanine were both curled up by their empty food bowls, napping. They could rest. I was pretty sure I could beat any of his bug types anyway... Even with the best trainer, there's only so much those little bugs can go, huh? Especially against a raging fire type like my arcanine.

I sighed, thinking of my last defeat. It hadn't been a big deal, just some random trainer. It had left my fans wandering away speechless, and me... I wasn't really sure what to feel right then. I'd thought then of how my grandfather might be disappointed, even lecture me. But in actuality, the closest my grandfather had ever come to lecturing me was to when I began this journey. And even then he'd only that I still had a lot to learn, and how much I could learn even in defeat. He wouldn't lecture me at all, he'd just hope I'd have learned a lesson myself from it. Grandpa's the type to leave both human and pokemon to their own free choices, even if they were wallowing in their own mistakes.

So only I could teach myself that I needed to study more, to do anything possible to avoid another humiliation like that, so at least I couldn't obsess that my defeat was from my own laziness. "Yeah, sure," I said to myself as I picked up the notes painstakingly collected by my various informants.

"Excuse me sir, can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked.

"Of course," I said. The servers knew they could count on a pretty big tip on top of the food I'd ordered, not to mention that this particular waitress was a fan of mine. I gave a wink as I ordered, "Make it a lemonade this time."

The girl smiled and dried to hide her gleeful giggle with her notepad before she walked away with my order. My eevee picked up her head and yawned, but I was fully alert and in study mode. I became absorbed in it like I usually did, so much that I barely noticed as the waitress came back until I heard the clink of ice against glass as she places the cup on the table.

"Thanks," I said. Even the slight smile I gave her seemed to have an effect. I get that a lot. It's too bad I'm not interested. I'm always nearly surrounded by female admirers who'd gladly become something more than just a cheerleader to me, but I'm just not interested. I've never been interested in anyone at all, not until-

I raised my glass to my lips, absent-mindedly staring across the way at the Pokemon Center. That's the first time I saw him. Well, heard him before anything. "Wait up, Pikachu!" he called as he ran down the walkway.

I put down the glass slowly and just stared. He was... Well, I wasn't sure exactly what he was right then. It wasn't a love at first sight moment. But there was a definite kind of attraction at first sight. The kid was obviously a pokemon trainer, just like me. It wasn't only the pikachu he'd finally caught up with who hopped happily on his shoulder that told me this. Other than the yellow pokemon companion, there was also his belt, which he'd detached from his waist and now carelessly swung in his hands, five separate pokeballs attached.

I stared at the easy-going trainer as he laughed loudly and ran toward the Pokemon Center. I tried to convince myself that my interest in him was all for the reasons I was usually interested in trainers... Perhaps a good practice battle. But my eyes and mind drifted from evaluating his obviously healthy, perhaps powerful pikachu to the trainer himself, who seemed dirty and scuffed up, possibly from a few days camping along the road, maybe, but still quite healthy, energetic, and well taken care of himself. No, no, I told myself, and looked back at the pikachu. The healthy coat showed a good diet and... Its trainers hair was dark and beautiful, and I felt like running my fingers through it as I held him close and-

The door of the center slammed shut, and he was out of my sight, and the fantasy was momentary shaken from my consciousness. I just shrugged. It didn't matter. He was just some trainer. And like all trainers, he was good for building up my experience. Didn't look like more than I could handle, but at the same time didn't seem like a pushover, either. I'd battle him, I decided.

I gathered up my materials and called for the check. I brought out my pokeball, and began to raise it, but then put it down, and then put it away again. It was absolutely ridiculous to be letting pokemon run around town uncontained, but... Well, maybe it would allow him to notice me as easily as I'd noticed him. And it wasn't as if any of my well-trained pokemon would run around on their own. My eevee seemed confused as I put her Pokeball away. "Sorry pal, you're gonna be walking this time."

"Eevee!" my pokemon said happily, and arcanine also seemed kind of pleased.

I paid the bill and went across the street. People did seem to stare at me for the pokemon walking freely at my side. I blushed a little from all the stares, but then sighed and played it cool. Didn't look that strange when I walked in the center and at least half of the freeloading kids there had their pokemon out.

I took off my sunglasses as my eyes adjusted to the light and looked around. Some of the kids looked at me curiously. I guess they could tell from my aura that I wasn't the average customer, someone above their levels. But I didn't really care much for their reactions, where was-

"AHHHH!" someone shrieked. I glanced toward where the sound came from, and suddenly the source was right in my face.

It was him. The guy I'd been admiring, well, scouting, from the patio. Right up close, staring into my eyes. Any closer and we'd be kissing, really. This thought went through my mind at the time, but I tried to maintain composure. "Hey," I said, sighed and looking to the side to try and seem calm. But then he moved even closer. Could it be that he really wanted to....? Before I could finish that thought I fell backward, now sitting on the ground. Great, way to embarrass myself. It wasn't even that I'd gotten weak-kneed or anything, just that the kid had gotten even closer, and trying to regain an appropriate distance I'd tripped.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" he said, and before I could say anything, let along object, he reached down and helped me to my feet again. "Yeah, you see, it's just I was so excited to see you."

Oh. OH. It was one of my many substitutes for friends, yet another fan. That was good. I'd have an "in" with him then. He'd automatically be prone to liking me, so I had nothing to worry about. I'd almost been... I hated to admit it, even to myself, but yeah, I'd almost been nervous.

"I've been following all of your stories." He took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and shoved it in my face. I barely recognized a black and white photo of me before he took it away. "You've been so successful! Just like everyone expected of you!"

I grinned naturally and got ready to make with the modesty. Of course it's something expected of me, my successes are only natural, I'd say. I'd keep trying hard and keep succeeding, and thanks for his support. Then that would be out of the way and we could get onto other things, like maybe me finding out a little more about him. But just as I opened my mouth he kept talking.

"You haven't disappointed me, Gary."

I closed my mouth again, and my happy expression faltered. If he was calling me by that name, then it was possible that things weren't as I'd thought. It was very possible that he-

"Remember me from back in Pallet Town?" he asked.

Remember him? This was the first time I'd seen him. I was sure I'd remember him if I'd actually seen him before. "No. Not at all, really. Should I?"

My tone had been deadpan, detached. That wasn't the way I'd wanted to sound. Looking back at him, I saw his expression had gone from a friendly enthusiasm to cross. Angry, really. Yeah, it was the first thing I'd said to him and I'd pissed him off already. That's how it usually goes for me. But it had been the truth. If we'd actually met, he hadn't done anything for me to remember, and that wasn't my fault, so it wasn't my fault that he was angry, right? Still didn't change the fact that he was mad at me. I thought about apologizing, but there was really nothing to apologize for, so instead I just stepped past him to let him cool down by himself.

"Don't just ignore me, Gary!"

I turned around. It hadn't been my intention to ignore him. "Sorry... Did you have something you wanted to say to me? Want an autograph, maybe?" Of course I wanted to spend a little more time with him than just another fan who wanted an autograph session, but this was a possible way I could help him forget about his anger.

"Autograph?" he practically spat at me with disgust. Of course, he wasn't just another fan, he was someone that claimed to know me from before. Maybe he already had my autograph, I considered. No, he let me know exactly what he'd been thinking. "As another talented trainer from Pallet Town, you're worthy enough to be my rival."

"Rival?" I repeated curiously.

"Yeah," he said, but seemed a little unsure. "Yeah!" he repeated, shouting loudly this time.

"I don't know you-" I began.

"You do know me!"

I raised a finger to his lips to quiet him. "Somehow it turns out that I don't know you, and not even counting natural talent, you're way too young to even think you're on the same level as me! You must be at least five years younger."

"Two," he said.

"So, I'll trust that you're right and only two years younger than me. But you're still about ten years behind me."

"No way!"

"But it's true. Growing up, I practically lived in grandpa's lab. I even unofficially got my first pokemon a few years before the legal age."

"That's kind of cheating."

"Come on, you'll meet trainers who have been at it since before either of us were born. Is that cheating?"

"No, but-"

"And even before then, I've be observing and studying them all on my own. You probably never even touched one until grandpa gave you your first, isn't that right?" It was usually the case that little kids and pokemon weren't trusted around each other in Pallet Town, after all. Most of the kids my grandpa helped send out on a journey were fans of pokemon battling from TV.

"That's enough!" he declared. "I might not have every advantage that you did, Gary, but I've gotten ahead my own way. And check this out." He opened his jacket, revealing a collection of four badges.

"Four badges, half the amount of a qualified Pokemon League participant." He scowled. Again I'd pissed him off without even trying. I'd only been pointing out the truth.

"You've always been like that, Gary. Well, that's enough talk! I challenge you to a pokemon battle! The outcome will show everyone who's better."

Ug. A battle. Show who's better? Oh, so it's now before a painful truth for this kid that I'm the superior trainer. It's not that I don't have my pokemon battle unknown trainers, but I do avoid outright slaughters. It's not fair for the trainer or the pokemon. But now this kid was insisting on one, despite his limited experience that I now knew about.

It just wasn't fair. Was it too much to ask for a small bit of my existence that didn't revolve around pokemon? Well, maybe I shouldn't have been thinking that while walking into a center flaunting two of my pokemon in plain sight, but... Hey, I just wanted to talk to him like a normal human being. Get to know who he is, even though according to him I already knew. A little refresher, then. Maybe with the two of us going on something like a date. It could include conversation about our mutual occupation and goals, but would mostly just be all about him. But instead-

"Are you scared?" he shouted.

"Of course not. I was just thinking that you might want to reconsider."

"No way. So does that mean that you accept?"

"If you insist upon this happening, I'll accept," I said. I had thought of him as a challenge to begin with, I told myself. What was I thinking, daydreaming about something else, and even being disappointed when it didn't happen? It's not like I'd know where to even begin if I got him into that kind of situation, anyway. A battle was the best I could hope for. Maybe there was even a way to make this fair, I thought.

"Alright!" he shouted. He finally smiled again, and so did I. If this was what it took to get his attention, I'd play along. I got out my cellphone. "What're you doing?" he asked me.

"I'm renting out a stadium," I said.

"A stadium?!"

I briefly looked up from the digital listings of nearby stadiums and nodded. "Right," I said.

"It's expensive, isn't it," he said. This time his voice seemed kind of small.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll cover the whole bill. I wouldn't expect someone of your status to chip in."

Sadly, a scowl replaced his smile again. "We could just battle in back in the forest or something," he said.

"Na. Come on kid, we're already in town, let's just go to a stadium. If we're going to battle, we might as well do it right, 'kay?"

He grinned again, a new kind of fire lighting up his eyes. "Right! This'll be great!" he said, and ran away from me as I was finishing making the reservation.

"Hey! Pikachu!" I heard him calling.

"Pika!" The pikachu ended up knocking over at least one piece of Nurse Joy's equipment as it ran out of the back of the center and into its master's arms.

"There you are! We're going to take on Gary, that'll show how strong we've become. He's even going to rent a stadium, that's awesome, isn't it?"

"Pika, pikapi."

"I know it's something new, but we'll just do our best, okay?"

I put away my cellphone as I observed the scene between pokemon and trainer. He was sure enthusiastic when it came to his pokemon, I thought with a sigh. I'd like for him to look into my eyes during a conversation like that. I mentally replaced the pikachu with myself, me pressed against his chest in an embrace. We'd be just about to-

I shook my head to try and remove the imagery. That was the first time I'd let myself complete a really weird daydream about him. Was that the reason I was really interested in this guy? Was that kind of thing something that I really wanted from anyone, let alone from this over-enthusiastic trainer?

I didn't have time to really ponder over it, because at that moment Nurse Joy began shouting at him. "Your pikachu isn't quite ready yet!"

"It's okay, Nurse Joy! Pikachu and I'll be back in just a little while."

"I'm afraid that's not what I'm concerned about. You put your pikachu in my care, and now I-"

"Sorry, Nurse Joy! When a battle calls, we've gotta be ready!" he said and then quickly ran over to me. "And you're ready, right?" He grabbed onto my arm. "Let's go!" He dragged me out the door and then dragged me even further down the street. "Which way's this stadium, anyway?"

"Other way," I said, and he quickly turned around.

We looked like escapees from the zoo with his pikachu riding on his shoulder and my two pokemon trailing behind. But I felt much more relaxed than when I tried it alone. Something about this kid allowed for breaking of these unwritten rules. He was a free, untamed spirit, and I it was almost like I became that way vicariously by being near him. I liked it. That feeling, as well as the feeling of being so close to him as he pulled me around town, only occasionally bothering to ask me for further direction. Being this close and this personal with him, I realized that this situation could possibly work out well for me after all. I considered that given this opportunity, it'd be good for not only my pokemon training, but my other desires as well.