Z
Jamie pointed to a nearby building; the sign indicated that it was a Pokemon Fanclub. Ah yes, I've seen a few of these in my travels, some of the conversations carried out therein about the nature of Pokemon can be enlightening. The girl's Teddiursa looked adorable in her arms as he agreed with her choice with a cute "Ur urrrrr!" I looked to Tesla, "Well, if you were still a Shinx you'd probably get a few more cute points, big guy." My overgrown blue kitten cocked his head at me and gave a low growl, expecting to be put back in his Pokeball…I gave in to his stare and let him continue to roam. "They'll love you as you are though!" Tesla trotted happily with us as we walked to the Fanclub.
We all went through the automatic sliding doors (man, those things are neat) and were greeted by some friendly smiles and a few casual glances. Inside was a handful of trainers, each with their own of an assortment of Kanto's more cutesy Pokemon, such as Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Clefairy, plus a couple oddball Rattata and Pidgey, and even one Sandshrew; most of the Pokemon, and a few of the trainers, seemed a bit intimidated by my strange new behemoth of a Luxray.
Admittedly, I was not the best in social gatherings like this. I usually wait for someone to make the first introductions, or just hang in the back corner. But with my out-of-place Pokemon, I was sure that wouldn't be necessary. Plus, Jamie being there boosted my confidence a bit. But I waited a bit to take in the surroundings.
J
So, maybe that hadn't been my best idea. Sure, let's have someone who's trying to keep a low profile go to a place full of people. Good job Jamie. But as we stepped into through the sliding doors, I couldn't help but give a small gasp. I'd never seen so many trainers in one place! And their Pokemon were adorable, I had to admit. I smiled at a group of people with some Pidgey and Rattata. The little rat Pokemon was so cute to me for some reason, and I wanted to catch one so bad one day. Then again, there'd be time for that. A boy covered in dirt walked by us, a small Sandshrew tottering after him. For the first time that day I really started to relax. My gaze slid over to Zed, and I saw he was taking in everything to. He noticed my look and glanced over. I grinned at him. This was so cool! I started to ask what Zed thought when-
"Hey! You!" I jumped, but the voice wasn't directed at me.
The crowd parted to reveal a girl striding over to Zed and I. At first I couldn't help but notice her beauty. She had deep red hair, the kind that couldn't be achieved by any amount of hair dye. It was pulled up in an elegant bun and held in place with a pair of chopsticks. If I was being honest I was a bit envious of her outfit. Black and white striped gloves covered her hands up to her elbows. A white shirt with a black tie, tight black jeans, and boots all came together to give her an effortlessly gorgeous look.
She came to stand in front of Zed and Tesla. "Hey, that's a huge Luxray." The girl nodded in approval at the blue cat. She took out a Pokeball and from a flash of red a Raichu appeared. "Rai Rai!" Small electrical sparks crackled from its cheeks.
"I'm Rebecca. Y'know, since Surge is an electric master, not many people come through here have electric Pokemon." She sounded so confident and tough. Could I ever sound like that? "How about a battle to see who's got the stronger electric type?"
I glanced over at Zed, feeling a bit miffed that she hadn't even noticed me. But it was his challenge, not mine. I didn't know anything about Raichu, but I knew that Luxray was deadly if you didn't take caution. Teddi and I watched Zed in anticipation.
Z
"Hey! You!" Pikachu! …why did I think that?
An exorbitantly confident-looking red-headed girl made her way over to Jamie and me. She seemed to be quite interested in me, or at least Tesla, but I was not too concerned; I had seen her type before, young, passionate, but a bit naïve. But hey, at least I didn't have to go mingle. Jamie eyed her with some sort of admiration; was she…attracted to her?!
"Hey, that's a huge Luxray," the youngster noted; not to sound like a dick, but I was genuinely surprised of her familiarity with the Sinnoh native. Tesla bowed a little bit, and I expressed my thanks. She then produced a Pokemon of her own; it was a Raichu, yet another surprise! I was expecting a Pikachu, since they're the crowd favorite, but this girl had apparently let hers evolve. "Rai Rai!" the giant mouse cried, and some electricity shot of the yellow circles on its face. It was, admittedly, a little intimidating.
"I'm Rebecca. Y'know, since Surge is an electric master, not many people come through here electric Pokemon. How about a battle to see who's got the stronger electric type?" I looked her and her Raichu over, and decided, why the hell not? "You're on! My name's Zed, and this is my friend Jamie," I gestured to my beautiful companion, "and this is my Luxray, Tesla." Tesla nodded and growled lowly in greeting. "We probably ought to go outside though, Tesla can pack a wallop, don't want to wreck this nice facility!" I chuckled, and led her outside to the park where Jamie and I had just battled. "What do you say, one-on-one, your Raichu versus my Luxray?"
"Sure! You're going down!" She cheered herself on a little bit, then backed up about forty feet; let the battle begin, as they say!
J
BATTLE! Traveler Zed vs. Youngster Rebecca
My arms tightened around Teddi as I watched the start of Zed's battle. His mouth was set in a thin line of determination, but his eyes were almost…shining. I could tell he was pumped for the battle.
"Raichu, go! Use Iron Tail!" Rebecca didn't hesitate in making the first move; sometimes that played a crucial part in the outcome of a battle. I'd have to ask Zed about Quick Claws later. The orange electric mouse's tail lit up with white light, and slammed into Tesla's side. I held my breath, but I needn't have worried; the Luxray looked barely phased.
"It'll take more than that to beat us! Now, Tesla, use Façade!" Zed's face was filled with confidence and Tesla sprang forward. An orange light surrounded the blue lion as it slammed into Raichu.
"Raichu!" Rebecca cried as her Pokemon crumpled to the ground. Tesla winced as well, and I could tell that Raichu's Static effect had taken place. As long as the paralysis didn't kick in…
"Yeah! Go Tesla!" I cheered, and Teddi waved his little arms for support. I coulda swore Zed glanced over and smiled.
After a few moments the electric type finally got to its feet. "Atta boy!" Rebecca's smile was back. "This time let's try Headbutt!"
"Rai Rai!" I watched in worry as the Raichu bashed Luxray's head with its own. Zed's Pokemon took some damage, but wasn't hurt too badly.
"Yeah, hang in there!" I yelled.
"Alright Tesla use Howl!" The blue lion threw its head back and let out a powerful sound. An attack-boosting type move; good choice.
"Okay Raichu let's use Volt Tackle!" Rebecca pointed at Tesla. I wondered what would happen. Volt Tackle was an especially strong move, but since Tesla was an electric type too it wouldn't affect him as much. Crackling electricity engulfed Raichu as it crashed into Luxray. By now both Pokemon were looking worn out, and I wondered if Zed could pull this off. To his advantage, Rebecca's strategy was brute force, and she didn't waste time with enhancing her Pokemon's abilities.
"Tesla, Discharge!" Zed shouted. More electricity flew through the air and crashed into Raichu. Rebecca tried to use Iron Tail again, but Tesla narrowly dodged it. That came at a price though, the blue cat was then paralyzed. Zed was starting to look worried. One more Headbutt, and it looked like Rebecca might take the battle…
"No way! Tesla use Façade one more time!" With visible effort, Tesla summoned the orange light one more time, barreling into an already dazed Raichu. That was all it took. Raichu collapsed in exhaustion, much to Rebecca's dismay.
"Man, that was so close too!" But she was smiling, and I knew she wasn't too upset and she returned Raichu to its Pokeball.
A small crowd of people had followed us from the Fanclub, and they started cheering for Zed, calling his name, as well as Tesla's. I set Teddi down and raced over to my friend. And without a second thought I threw my arms around him and hugged him. "Wow! Congratulations!"
Z
In a flash of red light, Rebecca's defeated Raichu was returned to its Pokeball. Man, that was close. Once again, I felt bad for winning; that's an odd habit of mine, taking pity on those I defeat. But Rebecca smiled, humble in defeat. To my surprise, some folks from the Fanclub had come outside to watch the fight, and some cheered my and Tesla's names upon our victory; I never thought I'd have a fan club! Even more surprising was the sudden hug I received from my companion; "Wow! Congratulations!" she exclaimed.
"Uhh…thanks!" I said, gently returning the hug. Are people supposed to hug so soon after meeting? I hope so, I enjoyed this! Anyhow, I walked over to my opponent and shook her hand. "Hey, great job! I thought Tesla was a goner for a second! You should try to take on Surge," I suggested.
"Yeah, but that use of Façade was smart! If your Luxray wasn't paralyzed, I'd've gotten you!" She grinned a little at the mention of the lieutenant. "I should say so, I'm one of the gym's pre-trainers! I've nearly beaten him a few times, but never won." Oh, so this is what fighting gym leaders is (almost) like? Shoot, I could do that about forty more times; bring it on!
"Well," I concluded, "It's getting a bit late, and Jamie and I haven't eaten since we got on the Anne. I'll probably show up at the Gym to challenge Surge tomorrow though!" We waved goodbye, and Jamie and I headed back to the Pokemon Center one last time before finding a place to retire. "Sooooo…" I began to chide to Jamie, "Judging by that hug you gave me, you think I did pretty good?"
J
As we left the Pokemon Center my stomach was starting to rumble and I hoped Zed hadn't noticed. Turns like his mind was on something else anyway. "Sooooo…. Judging by that hug you gave me, you think I did pretty good?" Against my permission my face flamed crimson. Honestly it'd been so spur of the moment. And really out of character for me. Just…for the first time since I left home I'd had a good day. It was cool to watch another battle, and I guess I got a little carried away.
I nudged Zed's arm with my shoulder. "Oh, shut it. Two victories in one day. Don't let your ego get too big," I teased. After tonight he'd probably be gone tomorrow, so might as well enjoy the company while I could.
More growling came from my midsection, and Teddi reached up and poked it. "Urrr?"
"Haha stop that tickles you," I laughed and scooped up my little buddy. Turning to Zed, I asked, "How about we find a place to eat and crash for the night? I'm really tired after today."
Z
The redness of her face rivaled that of a Charmeleon's. "Oh, shut it. Two victories in one day. Don't let your ego get too big," she said, in vain, with a jab of the elbow; my ego was already quite inflated, but it'd soon deflate, due to my generally humble disposition. Suddenly, her adorable bear companion poked her in the belly, and she scooped her up with a giggle. She suggested to find a place to eat and sleep, so we headed towards the first place that served edibles. Mmm…edibles.
We sat down at one of those bar-and-grills that specialized in Taurus cuts . I released my team into the area outside designated for Pokemon feeding, and Jamie did the same; most places allowed both to eat together, but everyone needed to romp around a bit, we assumed."Soooo…come here often?" I joked. After some waiting around and ordering (I picked out a Taurus t-bone and some merlot, because why the hell not?) I slowly initiated real conversation; "So, Jamie," a long pause whilst I figured out how to word what I wanted to say exactly, "I don't know where you plan to go, and quite frankly, I don't know where I'm going either…do you want to wander Kanto together for a while?" I held my breath.