CHAPTER 2 : TIME OF A RIVAL
I stood outside of my brothers house holding the folded up map he'd given me with instruction on where to get the pokedex, just a few miles away from our town was the city of Leefrow. Luckily there was also a gym there. I groaned as I looked at the address, it was one I knew all too well and could get in a few minutes if I ran.
The house belonged to Lacey Frau, a girl who'd always assumed she'd be a better trainer than me because she was related to the Johto champion, even though I explained to her I'm related to the former Hoenn champion she said it doesn't count because I'd never met him.
I knocked cautiously knowing it was dinner time. The door flew open and a smirking blue haired girl glared at me through glasses.
"Well if it isn't baby Hayden Stone! What exactly do you want loser?" I could see a small blue pokemon sitting behind her growling at me, "Down Gibbs , he's not worth it," her smirk turned into a scowl, "Well?"
"Is your brother home? I have business to attend to, " for once I wanted Lacey to feel inferior to me.
"What kind of business? Your loser brother need more help on his homework?"
"Actually no, I'm working for Professor Lucas of Sinnoh, and he's told your brother to give me a pokedex since he's a lead authority on them. " I stuck my nose out in the air and patted my belt "He's given me one of his pokemon for the job,"
"What idiot would entrust a pokemon to you? I'll let you talk to my brother, if you can beat me "
Lacey had always been energetic, but I'm not exactly sure where she gets it from. Both of her parents, her distant relatives, and all of her friends are reserved, she's just an odd card out. "GIBBS! Get out here!"
"Damnit, I don't have time for this, there's a badge waiting for me if I can get there before the gym closes.." I muttered. "Albero, let's show her what we're made of,"
Albero stood parallel to Gibbs and the entire street seemed to grow quiet as people on their porches turned to see us.
"Albero, use.." I stopped dead in my tracks, I had no idea what Sudowoodos were capable of because I'd never heard of them.
"Gibbs, use Sandstorm and then follow up with Dragon Rage," Lacey shouted. I knew Albero wasn't going to feel the pain from Sandstorm, but Lacey didn't.
"Albero dodge Dragon Rage and get to the center of that Sandstorm," Albero obeyed running quickly into the sandy clouds and disappearing from view.
" What're you doing loser, that sand will just cut up your funny tree " Her smirk was turning more into a triumphant grin. I had to think fast, what were standard rock type moves that mom's always breeding into her pokemon..
"Albero, try a rock throw and hit hard!" stones flew from the furry of the storm at Lacey's Gible who was to shocked to notice what was going on. The rocks made direct contact and Albero walked out of the sandstorm calm and collected.
"Albero, what else have you got?" I watched as he picked up speed running at the stunned Gible before sliding into a Low Kick that pushed the wounded pokemon through the air. I was shocked as I saw Gibbs fall onto his side.
"Gibbs, are you alright?" Lacey yelled, the pokemon stood up and shook of its dazed look, it growled menacingly at Albero, who'd yet to show a single sign of weakening.
"Gibbs, one more Dragon Rage, make this one sting!" Lacey yelled to her pokemon, blue flames circled Gibbs and made their way to Albero at an amazing speed. The attack sent him staggering to the side of the blaze, weakened and crouching.
"Albero, " I shouted beginning to run to him. Before I could reach him he stood up and glared at Gibbs, he let out a ferocious roar and began to cover himself in blue flames, the flames built twice as high as they had on Gibbs and traveled twice as fast. Again shocked the Gible stood as it was enveloped and thrown back by the attack unable to hear Lacey's orders to dodge over the crackling flame and Albero's roar.
Smoke that had built up around the tree Gibbs was thrown into cleared and the small pokemon lay unconscious while Albero smirked while he panted.
"NO WAY!" Lacey yelled, "You cheated, no way that lame plant managed to use rock and dragon type moves against my Gibbs," she ran to her pokemon a potion spray ready in hand
"That's what Sudowoodo are best at," an old woman had walked up quietly from a neighboring yard during the battle and now just made herself realized. "They're the mimicry pokemon and they pride on the element of surprise," she walked up to Albero smiling as she looked him up and down.
"You don't know too much about your pokemon, do you lad?" she said sharing her smile and squinting eyes with me. She reached into a satchel that lay on her hip and pulled out a small book.
"This is a catalogue that documents the pokemon indigenous to the Sinnoh region, where Sudowoodo are more common," she ripped out a few pages and handed them to me, "This will tell you all about your pokemon and what it's really capable of. As for you Miss Frau, I have a present both you and your Gible may take advantage of, it's a move called Calm Mind," she handed a small disk to Lacey.
"Pffffffft, yeah right, like I need your loser charity," she said tossing the disk to the ground, " Me and Gibbs were just surprised by Loserboy's weirdo plant, nothing else to it." She gathered up her Gible and walked back toward her house.
"Such a strongwilled young lady…"the woman said as Lacey walked away, "You're free to have this then," she handed me the disk Lacey threw," I must be going now," she crossed her yard and walked into a nearby house.
"Great job Albero, you should probably get back into your pokeball and rest now though," the hum that the ball made as Albero was retracted into it made a shiver run up my spine, we'd just had our first battle and won.
