It was a new day for Poppy and Gage, the sun shining overhead as they walked into Cherrygrove City. The air was fresh and full of hope, as they finally were ready to truly begin their journey through Johto. Gage had suggested they make their first stop at the Pokémon Center, to register for the Johto Leauge, and get their Pokémon checked out just for good measure.
"Good morning, Nurse Joy," Gage greeted, as he and Poppy approached the main desk. "Good morning to you too, Chansey."
"Chansey!" the Pokémon replied joyfully.
"Hi there, kids," Nurse Joy responded with a warm smile of her own. "How can I help you?"
"We're here to register for the Johto League," Gage informed her.
"Great, now if I could just see your PokéDexes," Nurse Joy continued. Gage and Poppy handed over their PokéDexes, and Nurse Joy plugged them into the computer, typing away for a moment. In a minute, she handed them back to the two, and said, "There you go! You're all set for the Johto League, Gage and Poppy."
"Thanks!" Gage and Poppy thanked her in unison.
"Is there anything else for you?" Nurse Joy inquired.
"Would you mind taking a look at our Pokémon?" Gage requested.
"Of course!" Nurse Joy affirmed. She slid two trays for PokéBalls over the desk, and added, "Just put your PokéBalls in here, and I can check all of them out!"
"Thanks!" Gage and Poppy thanked in unison again, after putting their PokéBalls into the trays.
The two waited for Nurse Joy to finish up with their Pokémon, hanging out in the lobby and looking through magazines to fill the time. It didn't take too long, before Gage and Poppy got their PokéBalls back. Poppy noticed then that Gage had three Pokéballs on him, just like she did.
"So, you have two other Pokémon besides Ivysaur, huh?" Poppy observed. Gage nodded, and she added, "Can I see them, if you don't mind?"
"Oh, of course," Gage replied. With that, he tossed out his PokéBalls, and called, "Alright, everyone, c'mon out!"
Three Pokémon materialized before her eyes. Poppy recognized Ivysaur, obviously, but Ivysaur was now accompanied by a Raichu and a Hitmontop. Though Poppy knew what these Pokémon were, she pulled out her PokéDex nonetheless.
About Raichu, the PokéDex said: "Raichu, a Mouse Pokémon of the Electric element. Raichu is the evolved form of Pikachu. It can shock with more than 100,000 volts, enough to render a Dragonite unconscious."
And, about Hitmontop, it said: "Hitmontop, the Handstand Pokémon. Hitmontop's smooth graceful kicks are deceptively powerful. Opponents may be surprised by their force, so beware."
"Wow," Poppy sighed. Smiling at the Pokémon, she praised, "You guys are awesome!"
"Rai, Rai!" replied the Electric-type Pokémon happily, as it approached Poppy. It extended a paw for her to shake, and they did.
"Hitmontop!" chimed in the Fighting-type, as it also shook hands with Poppy.
"Well, they seem to like you," Gage said. "Why don't you let out your Pokémon so everyone can get to know each other?"
"Good idea," Poppy nodded. She pulled her three PokéBalls out, which she had painted to match the colors of the Pokémon inside, and called, "Alright, everyone come on out!"
She tossed out her PokéBalls, releasing Dratini, Chikorita and Chinchou materialized in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. Poppy's three stared at Gage's three. Gage's Pokémon approached Poppy's in a friendly manner, chattering as they did so to introduce themselves. While Chinchou took kindly to the three new Pokémon, 'shaking hands' with them with its antennae, and jumping for joy. On the other hand, Chikorita leapt into Poppy's arms, nuzzling her cheeks, while Dratini wrapped around Poppy's leg and hid behind her.
"Go on, guys," Poppy said, setting Chikorita down on the ground. As she pried Dratini from her leg, she added, "Go say hi to Gage's Pokémon, and go say hi to Chinchou, your new teammate."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a feminine voice shouted, "OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT AN ADORABLE IVYSAUR! AND WHAT A PRECIOUS CHIKORITA!"
To Gage and Poppy's shock, a girl sprinted over to them. She work a purple tank top, gray skirt and a pink jacket, with a necklace with a leaf-shaped pendant hanging from the chord. Her boots were pink, her socks green. Her hair was long and straight and green, bangings tickling the eyelashes of her green eyes. There was a pink headband with a little rose on her head as well. The girl fell to her knees, eyes shut because of her incredible smile, as she squealed with joy. She grabbed Ivysaur and Chikorita before they even had a chance to process the situation, and squeezed the two Grass-types in a choke-hold of a hug.
Upon releasing them, she continued to pat them frantically, she said in a manic kind of voice, "Oh, gosh, your Grass Pokémon are just divine! You clearly take great care of them! Ivysaur's bulb is such a beautiful shade of reddish-pink and its leaves are perfect! And Chikorita - it's leave is so large and shiny, and there's a wonderful twinkle in its eyes! They both look so healthy!"
"Well, thanks," Gage replied humbly and awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, while Poppy stared at the new girl in confusion.
"I'm Rose," the girl introduced herself, still seeming a bit ditzy or manic. She stood and shook Gage's and Poppy's hands, and added, "And I'm going to be the world's best Grass-type Trainer!"
"Cool," Poppy nodded. "I'm Poppy, from Rowan Town. I'm just starting my Pokémon journey."
"And I'm Gage," he piped up. "I just came from Johto to go to the Johto League. I came in the top 8 back home at the Indigo League."
"Awesome!" Rose squealed. "Do you guys want to meet my Pokémon?"
"Sure," Gage and Poppy replied. They seemed apprehensive, but they were just being polite.
"Okay!" Rose replied enthusiastically. She removed a PokéBall from her pocket, which was painted green with little pink flowers all over it, and tossed it out saying, "C'mon out, Lily!"
"Chiko!" screeched the happy little Chikorita that Rose had released from the PokéBall.
Rose's Chikorita, which she had called Lily, was rather large compared to Poppy's. Another distinguishing factor between the two was that Lily wore a pink flower tied around the leaf on her head, like a headband. To Gage and Poppy, Lily the Chikorita seemed well taken care of, and even spoiled, with its little accessory.
"This is Lily, my pride and joy," Rose explained. "I got her a couple of weeks ago from Professor Elm. She's my starter Pokémon."
"What other Pokémon do you have?" Poppy inquired, leaning over to pet Lily, who was now in Rose's arms.
Rose winced, and Poppy sensed she'd struck a nerve with the girl, and blushed out of embarrassment.
"Well, I just started out," Rose retorted defensively. "I don't have any other Pokémon yet, but just wait and see! Soon enough I'll have one of every kind of Grass-type Pokémon!"
"If you're planning on going to the closest Gym, you might want to catch another kind of Pokémon," Gage suggested. "The Gym Leader there specializes in Flying-type Pokémon, so maybe you'd want to catch an Electric-type next."
"Silly!" Rose laughed, as Lily leapt back into her arms. "I'm not going to do any Gym Battles."
"I thought you said that you were a Trainer?" Poppy questioned.
"Oh," Rose sighed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. With awkward chuckles, she added, "Did I say Trainer? I meant Coordinator. I still get them confused."
"What's a Coordinator?" Poppy inquired.
"A Coordinator trains with Pokémon much like a regular trainer, but instead of entering Gym Battles, they enter Pokémon Contests," explained Gage. "They battle in these contests, but they train their Pokémon to use attacks that aren't just effective, but beautiful as well."
Poppy nodded in awe and wonder, and Rose nodded affirmatively.
"That's right," Rose confirmed. "And I'll be Top Coordinator someday, and show everyone just how amazing and beautiful Grass Pokémon can be!"
"Wow, that's an amazing goal, Rose," Poppy grinned. Taking a step forward, she pet Lily again, and told the Pokémon, "And I'm sure you're with your Trainer all the way, huh?"
"Chiko!" Lily replied.
Rose opened her mouth to respond, but her stomach did the speaking when it let out a loud roar that didn't match her young, girlish appearance at all. Again, she blushed sheepishly, and her Pokémon did the same out of second-hand embarrassment.
"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave and go eat lunch," she muttered.
"Mind if we join you?" Poppy asked.
"Not at all!" Rose replied. "We'd love to have you, wouldn't we, Lily?"
"Chiko!" the Pokémon agreed.
Not too much later, the three humans and Lily sat in one of the booths of the Pokémon Center's cafeteria, having lunch. Gage, the only boy among the two girls, was shocked to see just how a couple of tiny, far from intimidating-looking girls could chow down. They were going at it like Pokémon that hadn't been feed in weeks, and to be honest, Gage was a little embarrassed to be with the two girls chowing down in public. Adding to the embarrassment, Lily the Chikorita was eating ravenously just like her Trainer was.
"Y'know, we have all day to eat," Gage informed them sheepishly. "You guys don't have to eat everything in one bite."
Just as Gage finished his sentence, Poppy and Rose and Lily, all sitting on the bench opposite of him and Ivysaur, collapsed with happy sighs. To his real shock, they'd cleaned their plates, when he'd barely made a dent.
As Gage decided he'd eat his own lunch, Poppy asked, "So, Rose, you're just starting on your journey, huh?"
"Mhm," Rose nodded, smiling with Lily in her arms. "Lily and I are going to compete in the next Contest in Violet City."
"That's where we're headed," Gage told her.
"That's awesome," Poppy smiled. "How many Contests have you been in so far?"
"Well," Rose mumbled, looking down as she seemed embarrassed once again. "I haven't been in any...I only got Lily a couple of weeks ago, and we've been training at home, but my mom won't let me go on my Pokémon journey by myself."
"You can come with us, if you want," Poppy piped up. "If that would help your mom out, y'know."
"Yeah, the more the merrier!" Gage piped up with a grin.
"Ok, I'm just going to go call my mom!" Rose exclaimed, leaping from the booth to run to the video phones.
"Ok!" Gage and Poppy smiled.
Gage went back to eating, as Poppy helped herself to his plate, which he didn't seem to mind all that much. Within a minute or so, two strange people in ridiculous waiter outfits came over to the table, huge, phony smiles on their faces. They stood at the end of Gage and Poppy's booth, with their phony smiles and faint phony laughter, waiting to be noticed.
"Um, can we help you two?" Gage inquired hesitantly.
"We're just here to take your dirty dishes!" responded the male waiter in a sing-song voice.
Before Gage or Poppy knew it, the waiter and waitress picked up all their dishes in the blink of an eye, stacking them in their arms. However, Gage and Poppy were so distracted by watching the whacky wait staff that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, that the didn't notice that the waiter and waitress were actually Team Rocket, and that Team Rocket's Rattata was under the table, swiping their PokéBalls right out of their backpacks. Once Rattata smacked them on the legs from under the table, their smiles grew, barely able to contain themselves.
"Well, that'll be it!" chimed in Trixie, disguised as the female waitress.
"Enjoy your day at the Pokémon Center!" they sang in unison, before running off.
"That's weird," Poppy remarked. "I thought only Chansey and Nurse Joy ran Pokémon Centers. I didn't know they had a wait staff."
"Yeah, something seemed kinda weird about those two," Gage replied. Then, he added, "Y'know what, we forgot to let our Pokémon eat."
"Whoops," Poppy mumbled, feeling bad and embarrassed. "Well, better late than never."
"Mhm," Gage nodded with a smile.
Both he and Poppy fumbled around their pockets, and then their bags, growing more and more panicked as they did. When they both realized that the other one couldn't find their PokéBalls, they looked at each other in panic.
Gage, angry, rose to his feet. "I knew those waiters were weird!" he shouted. "It was Team Rocket!"
"No!" Poppy screamed, feeling completely stupid and duped. "We've got to go get them!"
With that, they sprinted out the doors of the Pokémon Center. Rose, on the other hand, just received positive news from her mother, who said that she was free to go on her Pokémon journey now that she had two traveling companions. She hollered for them to stop, so she could tell them the good news, but they just sprinted on out of the Pokémon Center, on some sort of mission.
After looking to each other for validation, Rose and Lily sprinted off after them. Outside, Rose found Gage and Poppy in an angry stare-down with two fools who called themselves Team Rocket members, and a...a talking Rattata! At first, she was mesmerized, but then she snapped back to reality, realizing the situation.
"Who are these creeps?" Rose asked.
"That's Team Rocket," Gage spat. "They're just troublemakers, and they're always trying to steal our Pokémon!"
"Trying?" Trixie chuckled. Gesturing to the bag Rattata swung in its paws, she added, "I think we've succeeded in stealing your Pokémon."
"And right under your noses, too!" Rattata laughed. "You dumb little brats!"
"Give us back our Pokémon!" Poppy demanded fiercely.
"Never!" Thomas screeched with howling laughter.
Glancing down at her Pokémon, Rose asked, "Want to help 'em out, Lily?"
"Chiko!" Lily confirmed, taking a battle stance.
Laughing, Trixie said, "Please, little girl, don't try."
"Yeah, no flower-wearing Chikorita and a little girl trainer are ever going to get anything out of us!" Thomas added.
"We'll show you!" Rose hollered, angry that someone would insult her and her best friend like that. "Go, Lily, use Razor Leaf to cut that bag!"
"Chiko Chiko!" the Pokémon hollered as it sent out the attack.
Team Rocket stopped laughing immediately, seeing that the Razor Leaf actually worked, and the PokéBalls went rolling across the ground to their rightful owners. Now Team Rocket knew that they were in for it. As Poppy and Gage happily scrambled for their PokéBalls, Rose and Lily stared down Team Rocket, who were now shaking in their boots. They were also shocked that such an unassuming girl could've done that, but the fear was far more prominent at the moment.
"Go, Chinchou!" Poppy called, tossing out a PokéBall. Her cute little Chinchou emerged, happily wagging its fins and antennae.
"You too, Raichu!" added Gage, tossing out his PokéBall. Gage's Raichu emerged, looking extremely angry at Team Rocket.
"Now, give Team Rocket a good shock!" called both of the trainers.
Their Pokémon obeyed, giving Team Rocket the shock of a lifetime that caused a small explosion, that subsequently caused Team Rocket to fly off through the air, screaming their heads off. Once they faded into the horizon, Poppy and Gage smiled, tossing the rest of their Pokémon from their PokéBalls to make sure they were okay. Rose smiled, seeing how happy the Pokémon were with their trainers. Dratini and Poppy clearly had a really strong bond, like Gage and his Ivysaur. Chinchou, Raichu, Chikorita and Hitmontop had a strong relationship with them as well.
"Thanks, Rose," Poppy said, giving her new friend a hug. She gave Lily a good scratch on the head and added, "And thank you too, Lily. You're great."
"Yeah, we really owe you one," Gage tagged on.
"Then you'll let me and Lily travel with you?" Rose asked, Lily in her arms.
"Of course!" Gage and Poppy replied in unison.
"Awesome!" Rose yelped in happiness.
The new threesome smiled and laughed with each other, as another day faded on our heroes. Only now, one more hero and her Chikorita were added to the gang.