I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry for another long delay. You can blame work (I'm a news journalist, so my free time is always at the mercy of the news cycle). Anyway, enough wasting your time. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Directions to See a Ghost

Hermione waited outside the Pokemon Center. The automatic doors opened and Stephanie came out with Kuro leading the way. She gave Hermione a nervous glance and looked away.

They hadn't spoken to each other since leaving the hotel.

Hermione sighed quietly. She knew why the others had left her and Stephanie alone, and she knew they would have to talk about it eventually.

But that's going to be hard if she's afraid of me. Maybe I settle her down a little and get her to open up.

"So," she began. "Kuro need some alone time?"

Stephanie jumped in surprise.

"Huh?"

"You only have Kuro out with you," Hermione said. "Not going to let Lynx out?"

"Oh, I thought I'd give her a little extra rest," Stephanie answered. "She took a pounding in the Gym battle."

Good start. Now I need to keep it going.

"So, what can we expect to find where we're going?"

"Uh, let's see here."

Stephanie pulled out her Pokedex and scrolled through it.

"Looks like the most common Pokemon on Route 116 are Zigzagoon, Taillow and Whismur," she said. "There have also been Joltik and Eevee sightings there since the Weather Crisis ended a few years ago."

"Anything that could help you with the Gym?" Hermione asked.

"Not really, but this is more about helping you find a Pokemon than anything else, and those are all good ones for beginners."

It worked. She's so much calmer now.

"Alright," Hermione said. "We'll stick to the plan. You lead the way."

"Well," said Stephanie. "This has been a dud so far. No Pokemon or trainers to battle."

"A little early to call it that, don't you think?" Hermione said. "We've only been out here for a couple of hours, and there's still plenty of time left in the day."

"I know, but I really wanted to find something for you quickly."

"Just be patient," Hermione said. "I'm sure we'll find something eventually. And I think…"

She trailed off when she spotted a large shadow moving to a nearby tree behind Stephanie.

Hermione heard Stephanie say something, but she had too much of her attention on the shadow to hear it.

A large bird landed on the tree branch with its back turned.

"Hey, Hermione!" Stephanie almost shouted, breaking her concentration. "You alright?"

Hermione pointed at the tree behind Stephanie, who turned around and gave a startled gasp.

The bird had turned to the side, giving them a better look at it. Stephanie fumbled around with her Pokedex before she was able to get a reading.

Swellow: the Swallow Pokemon. Swellow circle the sky searching for weakened Pokemon on the ground. It dives at its prey at high speeds.

Hermione looked over Stephanie's shoulder at the Pokedex, and then looked back up at the Swellow. Its appearance differed from the image on the Pokedex screen. The Swellow in the tree had bright green feathers on its top side instead of blue, and its throat was a brighter orange color than its Pokedex image.

" I've never seen one before," Stephanie said. "They're so rare in Unova. And it's a shiny too."

"Shiny?"

"It's what people like to call Pokemon that have different colors than normal. So, is this something you think you would want?"

Hermione gave it a thought for a moment. She gave the Swellow another look and noticed it staring intently at a nearby patch of tall grass.

It looks for weak Pokemon on the ground.

"No, I don't think so," Hermione answered. If there's an injured Pokemon in the grass, it might be an easier catch, she thought.

"Okay then. Perfect"

Stephanie then released Arrow from his Poke Ball.

"Listen closely," she said to the Emolga. "Get up there and use Nuzzle. Don't let it get too far away. Be as quiet as you can."

Emol!

Arrow scurried towards the tree. The Swellow paid him no mind; its attention remained locked on to the grass patch.

"I think there's an injured Pokemon in the grass over there," Hermione said. "I'm going to check it out while you handle that."

Stephanie nodded and handed Hermione a pink Poke Ball.

"It's a Heal Ball," she said. "It restores the Pokemon to full health once it's caught. Good luck."

"You too."

Emolga!

There was a buzzing sound, followed by a cry from the Swellow. Arrow's attack was successful.

The Swellow flew awkwardly overhead. Arrow's Nuzzle attack had paralyzed it, limiting its flight capabilities.

"We'll meet back here once I'm done," Stephanie said and took off after the Swellow.

Hermione drew her wand as she made her way to the patch of grass. An injured Pokemon could be more likely to attack out of desperation.

She carefully pushed the tall grass aside. In the middle of the patch lay a ball of gray fur with several scratch marks visible on its back.

Poor thing, she thought. But don't worry. I'm here for you now.

She tossed the Heal Ball at it.

It barely shook at all before it went quiet.

"That was easy enough."

"Keep at it, Arrow! Don't let up for a second!"

Emol!

Arrow fired another Thunder Shock at the Swellow and connected.

"Good job!"

Stephanie wanted Arrow to keep his distance. She could not sense how strong the Swellow was, so she felt attacking directly was too much of a risk. She was more than content to simply chase it into exhaustion.

Suddenly the Swellow landed on the ground facing her.

It knows it can't escape. It wants to make a stand. I think we've almost got it.

"Well, now might be a good time," she said. "Arrow, use Spark!"

Emolga!

Arrow surrounded himself in a ball of blue electricity and charged at the Swellow.

Surprisingly, it allowed Arrow to strike it. It was hurt, but still standing. Then the Swellow started emitting electricity.

Mirror Move.

Oh, that's not good!

"Arrow, get out of there!"

Too late. The Swellow struck Arrow hard and knocked him back near Stephanie.

E…mol…ga!

Arrow briefly tried to get up, only to collapse again.

Stephanie recalled him.

"You did a good job," she said. "You've earned a rest."

Now what?

She stared down the Swellow for a few seconds. It stayed in its spot.

Might as well try it now.

She threw a Great Ball at it. A normal Poke Ball probably would not be enough.

The Great Ball absorbed its target. It landed on the ground and began to shake.

Come on!

The shaking ceased.

Stephanie let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. I don't know what I would have done if it broke out."

She picked up the Great Ball that now held her newest capture.

"Let's see if Hermione found anything."

"How'd it go?" Hermione asked.

Stephanie gave her a thumbs-up sign.

"Got it," she said. "It took down Arrow, but he did enough. How about you?"

"I was right," Hermione said. "There was a Pokemon in there. I'll show you when we get back to hotel."

"I think it's safe to call our girls' day out a success," Stephanie said.

"I think so, too," Hermione replied. "I'm surprised you went after the Swellow. You already have a Normal-type and a Flying-type in your team."

"Oh, I don't plan on hanging on to it," Stephanie said.

Hermione looked confused.

"Then, why catch it?"

"I didn't catch it for me, but I know someone who would love to have it."

"I think he likes you," Ron said teasingly to Harry.

"The feeling's not mutual right now," Harry replied in annoyance.

They had not gotten far on Route 115's beach before the first Pokemon appeared. A group of small blue birds with fluffy wings – Marcus had called them "Swablu" - flew above them. One of them decided Harry's head would make an ideal nesting spot and landed there.

It would not budge no matter what Harry tried to do to shake it off.

"I think you've found your Pokemon," Marcus said. "Or more like your Pokemon found you."

Marcus tossed an Ultra Ball over to Harry.

"You might as well catch it," he said. "Shouldn't be too hard. The Ultra Ball will activate as soon as it makes contact."

Harry hesitated for a moment, and then gently tossed the Ultra Ball above his head. He felt the weight come off, and watched the Ultra Ball fall to his feet. It shook only a few times before the red light in the center went off.

"Looks like it really did like you," Marcus said. "It barely put up a fight."

"That was almost too easy," said Harry.

"Hoping your first capture would be something more exciting?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, it really almost feels like I didn't earn it."

"Well, after everything we've had to deal with, I'd say we were overdue for a break like this. And probably a few more."

"Probably. So, what now?"

"We've still got plenty of time, and our Pokemon are all at full strength," Marcus said. "We might as well get some training in. The sooner you guys get a hang of that, the better."

Harry nodded.

"Sounds good. Let's see what Swablu has to offer."

"It had a strong aura. That's usually a good sign. Here."

Marcus handed his Pokedex to Harry.

"You can see a list of moves Swablu has been known to use. We can't get you, Ron and Hermione registered since you don't exist here. So you'll need to battle to know for sure what moves it has."

Harry looked over it.

"This might take some time to memorize," he said.

"You should get started now," Marcus said in a more serious tone. "Because it looks like we might have company."

"What do you…" Harry began, but a piercing screech cut him off.

"Aaaaah!" he groaned and covered his ears. It did little to help.

Suddenly the shrieking stopped and Harry felt his head jerked backward. Something was pulling on his hair. He took a reflexive swipe behind him, but came up empty.

"What was…"

He did not need to finish his question, as the culprit reappeared for all three of them to see.

"A Misdreavus," Marcus said. "It's a Ghost-type."

"It's annoying," said Harry.

"I won't argue that. You guys want to take it? Get some practice in?"

"Just the two of us?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. Dark-types resist Ghost attacks, and Swablu's part Normal-type, it's completely immune."

"Let's do that," Harry said as he released his newly captured Swablu.

"Okay, go for it, Mia!"

Harry glanced over Swablu's learnset.

Let's try out something simple first.

"Use Disarming voice!"

Swablu took flight and shot a stream of purple, heart-shaped energy at the Misdreavus.

The Misdreavus let out a cry of pain.

"My turn," said Ron. "Mia, Dark Pulse!"

Mia cawed and carried out Ron's order. The Misdreavus cried out again as the Dark Pulse hit.

Then it vanished.

A few seconds passed. The Misdreavus did not return.

"Is…that it?" Harry felt disappointed.

"Looks like it," said Marcus. "Gone after just two hits. I think your Pokemon were probably too much for it."

"Mis!"

Several blue light beams struck Mia from behind. Mia, however, did not give it any notice.

The Misdreavus reappeared in the air above them, laughing as it flew around in circles.

"Back for more?" Harry was a lot more excited now.

"It tried to use Psywave," said Marcus. "Won't do it much good, though."

"Swablu," Harry began, and then paused.

Let's go for something big this time.

"Dragon Rush!"

Swablu chirped and surrounded itself in a dark blue aura. It charged upward at the Misdreavus at high speed, and landed the hit.

"Miiiiiiissss!"

I've got it now!

"Disarming Voice again!" Harry shouted. He was seizing control of the battle now.

Swablu's attack connected again, and the Misdreavus spiraled down toward the ground.

"Marcus!" Harry called.

He did not have to say anything else as he caught a Great Ball thrown his way. He wasted no time in throwing at the Misdreavus.

Unlike Sawblu, Misdreavus was not so willing to give in. The Great Ball shook violently for over a minute, but it eventually surrendered.

"That was exhilarating," Harry said as he picked up the ball.

"Satisfied now?" Ron asked.

"Definitely."

Stephanie was just starting to doze off in the Pokemon Center when her Xtransceiver went off.

"Alright," she said after looking at it. "It's her."

"It's about time," Hermione said. "I was starting to wonder if she would ever call you back."

Hermione peeked over Stephanie's shoulder to see an image of a red-haired girl pop up on the screen.

She'd fit in well with Ron's family.

"Hey, Chloe," Stephanie said to the girl. "How's Alola treating you?"

"It's been…" the red-haired girl paused for a second. "Rough is probably a good way to put it."

"Rough?" Stephanie asked, surprise evident in her face. "For you, really?"

"Yeah, the Totem battles here are insane."

"Totem battles? What do you mean?"

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know," Chloe said. "Alola doesn't have gyms. Instead I have to battle against Totem Pokemon. Those are basically bigger and stronger versions of Pokemon from the area. They also know moves to counter type disadvantages; and if that weren't enough, they can call on wild Pokemon to help them out. It's a pain."

"I don't know if I believe you," Stephanie said.

"Why not? Why would I make that up?"

"So the rest of us mortals don't get jealous."

Chloe groaned.

"Will you please knock it off?" She said. "It's way beyond stale by now!"

"Don't get mad at me," Stephanie said in a playful tone. "It's your fault for being better than all of us."

"Excuse me," Hermione cut in. "But what are you talking about?"

"Oh, what's this? You made a friend and didn't bother to introduce her first?"

"Uh, sorry."

Stephanie removed the Xtransceiver from her wrist and held it at an angle where Chloe could see both of them.

"Chloe, this is Hermione," she said.

"Hermione? Pretty name, I like it." Chloe said. "I'm Chloe Fox. Stephanie and I know each other from trainer school."

"We all chased after Chloe," Stephanie said. "She graduated at the top of our class in everything. She's a lot like you that way."

"You graduated third, Steph. You should give yourself a little credit every now and then."

Chloe turned her attention back to Hermione.

"Nice to meet you. So, tell me about yourself. Stephanie's only been in Hoenn for a couple of weeks, so you couldn't have known each other very long. She usually takes a while to connect with someone. You must have made a strong first impression."

Strong first impression, right.

Hermione hesitated for a second.

"Y-yeah. You could say that."

"Something wrong?" Chloe asked.

"I ran into her boyfriend right before I met her," Stephanie cut in. "That may have given her the wrong idea."

"Stephanie!" Hermione nearly shouted. They would have to discuss the matter eventually, but now hardly seemed like an appropriate time.

"Oh, really?" Chloe suddenly sounded very interested.

"Tell me, Hermione," She began. "When you saw them together, what was Stephanie doing?"

Hermione was surprised. She wasn't expecting the conversation to go this way.

"Well, they were talking when I first saw them," she said. "Before that, I don't…"

"You've got nothing to worry about," Chloe said. "If she really were interested in your boyfriend at all, you would know. You see…"

"Th-that's enough out of you!" Stephanie said loudly, her cycling through different shades of red.

Hermione chuckled.

"I think I can find that out for myself," she said. "Right now, though, it might be a good time for Stephanie to show you why she called in the first place."

"Oh, right!"

Hermione took hold of the Xtransceiver as Stephanie fumbled around in her backpack before pulling out the Great Ball.

"I've got a big surprise for you, Chloe," she said. "Wait until you see this."

She released the Swellow.

Chloe stared at it. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened, and then…

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" she squealed.

"Excited, are we?' Hermione asked.

"How'd you catch it? Actually, never mind, I don't care about that. What do you want for it?"

"You catch on quickly," Stephanie said. "I haven't really thought about what I want."

"You have plenty of options here. Alola is home to all sorts of unique Pokemon."

"Tell you want," said Stephanie. "Just trade me a Pokemon I can't find here in Hoenn. Whatever you think is an equal trade."

"Will do. I'll take care of it as soon as I can."

"There's no need to rush. Swellow's not going anywhere."

"I know, I know, but I don't want to wait too long. Plus, it could help me with my next trial."

"Alright, do what you want. Good luck."

Stephanie hung up and recalled the Swellow back into its Great Ball.

"She really liked that Swellow a lot," Hermione said.

"Yeah, Chloe will take just about anything that can fly. So, are you going to show me your catch?"

"I think I'll wait for the others to get back. I'd like to do it at the same time as Harry and Ron."

"That's fine. I don't mind being kept in suspense a little while longer."

Six chapters now in the books! Hopefully you liked it. I'm going to try to get Chapter 7 out either by the end of the month or early in March, and I have something special planned for it, so stay tuned.

Harry and Hermione now have their own Pokemon. What Pokemon did Hermione catch? Check back next time to find out.

No captive Death Eaters in this chapter, but we'll see them again soon enough.

Until next time, see ya!