Author's Note: I promise the chapters will get longer eventually. Maybe.

Disclaimer: Same as in first chapter.

After getting a room (and a shower) at the Center, I finally decided it was time to get things in order. The small incident at the reception desk reminded me that, as much as I tried to deny it, I had hardly any experience preparing and going on a journey as an actual trainer. If I were to have any chance at staying alive as one, I might as well start acting like it too.

So the first thing I did was research. More specifically, about my starter Pokemon. I learned that Archen was one of several different kinds of Pokemon being revived from old fossils, and that it was one of the first few bird Pokemon to live on the Earth. Apparently, some wise-guy thought it was a good idea to send prehistoric (and likely savage) creatures to new trainers.

Still, the thought gave me hope that it might've all just been some sort of a mix-up, and that my real starter had somehow been switched with the monstrosity that was now safely secured in my knapsack. Hey, a guy can dream right?

It also turns out my Pokemon has an ability called Defeatist, which lowers my starter's strength by half if he gets hurt enough.

You know how I said that it might be a mix-up? Scratch that. Now I just want to find the guy that did this to me and pummel him for it (like I said, a guy can dream).

I also did some basic research about Pokemon in general. Stuff like type-match-ups and where certain types of Pokemon live, including a beginner's guide to training. I was good at memorizing things, and the familiarity of it made me feel a little bit less awkward about the whole 'training' thing.

Finally, I asked Nurse Joy about where I could stock up on items for travelling. I ended up blowing a third of my money (courtesy of my mom's generousness) simply on potions and getting proper travel attire, along with a map of the region. I'd decided I want to go to Lavaridge Town first, seeing as it had a fire-type gym. At the very least, my Archen would have a type advantage over the gym leader's Pokemon.

Speaking of which, my Archen still didn't have a name yet. It had been the one subject I'd been trying to avoid all day, and I couldn't put it off any longer. So I let my starter out of its ball.

The Pokemon hopped around curiously, taking its (his? Nurse Joy did say it was a male) new surroundings. It gave the small park we were in a cursory glance, before sidling up to my leg and peered up at me with its large eyes.

"Chen!" I winced. It sure was loud, but at least it wasn't trying to bite me again. Or worse, chasing me.

"Looks like you got quite a Pokemon there, huh?" I turned towards the speaker who'd snuck up behind me. It was the girl who'd laughed at me when Nurse Joy had asked if I knew what my Archen's species was. "Hi, name's Libby. Can I pet it?"

"Uh... sure, if you want," I said, unsure of what to say. "B-be careful... he bites."

She smiled and glanced knowingly at my hands, "I know."

She reached out to my starter, palm outstretched. However, instead of biting her fingers off as I'd expected him to, my Archen chirped playfully before nuzzling against her fingers.

Needless to say, my jaw dropped to the floor. "H-how do you do that!?"

She simply shrugged. "Experience mostly. Pokemon can usually tell if a trainer's good or not using their instincts. Badges help, but it's all up to you to keep them in line."

I groaned. Perfect. So not only did I have a savage Pokemon for a starter, I had to be reminded that I was a horrible trainer too.

"Hey no worries, you'll get used to it." And before I knew what was happening, she'd picked up my Archen and dropped him straight into my lap.

Yeah... I was never really good with surprises. Especially if said surprise was a twenty pound prehistoric bird that liked to bite me. Still, it was all I could do to stop blushing as laughter rang throughout the park.

"You... y-you..." Libby clutched her sides as she rolled on the ground.

"S-shut up! It's not funny!" My face only heated up more as her laughter doubled. Below, my Archen squawked derisively. Great, now my own starter was laughing at me too.

"I... I-I'm sorry okay?" She managed to get a hold of herself, even though a large grin remained. "I mean, I've never seen anyone climb a tree just to get away from their own starter."

"Yeah well, it's complicated," I tried not to pout as I unsteadily jumped down from my perch.

"I'll say," Libby crossed her arms, "You look like you need all the help you can get. Haven't you ever taken Pokemon training classes?"

"Yes." I mumbled, not making eye contact as my face heated up again. Libby sighed and gave a resigned smile.

"Tell you what. How about you be my travel buddy till Rustboro, and I'll give you a few pointers on training in exchange."

"R-really? You'd do that? Why?" I looked warily at her.

She grinned cheekily. "Cause if I didn't, I'm pretty sure you'd still be up in that tree, waiting for someone to get you down." I huffed and turned away. That jab was uncalled for!

Still, I mulled it over in my mind. The offer was great and all, except for the fact that I didn't want to go to Rustboro; I was headed for Lavaridge. I looked at my starter, who tilted his head at me curiously.

Then again, it wasn't like I'd be in any shape to battle anybody, much less a Gym Leader. A type advantage was useless if my starter didn't listen to me. Libby was also older and more experienced than me, so it wouldn't be too bad to pick up a few tips from her.

"How many badges do you have?"

"She smirked. "Five more than you do. I'm on my way to Petalburg for my sixth."

"Mmmmm..." I hummed reluctantly, before giving up with a sigh, "Fine. I'll go to Rustboro."

And that's how I ended up with my first (trainer) friend, Libby

-O_O-

"First things first, you gotta figure out a name for your Archen."

I groaned, sinking down into my chair. "Can't we just call him by his species name?"

Libby wagged her spoon at me, "No can do, kiddo. The sooner you give him one, the easier it'll be to bond with him. That's Trainer Rule Number One." She dipped the utensil back into her sundae and resumed eating.

"There are rules?" The training guide had never mentioned specific rules, and I was pretty sure they were being made up.

"Course there's rules," she mumbled through a mouthful, then swallowed. "Everything does. The tricky part is knowing which rules to follow depending on the situation." My Archen squawked in agreement, its beak smeared with my untouched dessert. Formerly untouched. "There's a lot of unspoken rules among trainers that aren't in the guides you know, like how to raise your Pokemon, and what to do in survival situations. Stuff like that. The first one though, is to name your Pokemon."

I looked at my starter, who was still busy digging into my sundae. Its ruffled feathers were getting wet from all the desert, while its claws continued to greedily stuff globs of ice cream into its beak.

"The Devourer."

"Oh yeah, that's a real original name there."

"Fine then. How about the Destroyer? Or Des for short?"

"Trust me, its' been done like, a thousand times already," Libby leaned back on her chair. "Try something more down to Earth, like Sherman."

"Sherman?" I was not going to name my starter Sherman. It sounded stupid, and for a moment, I wondered if Libby had actually named any of her Pokemon that.

"Chomper."

"Seen it."

"Ravage."

"Done."

"Jaws?"

"Are you even trying with these names?"

"Look, I'm not good with naming things, okay?" I wsn't sure I liked Libby's running commentary, but I didn't say that aloud. I was afraid she'd try to give me more suggestions for names. Besides, if I had to call my Archen anything, it'd have to be something that conveyed my starter's tendency to bite things (me especially). I refused to name him anything else. And then it hit me.

"Chewy." I said.

"Hmm?" Libby looked up from her plate.

"Chewy," I said in a louder voice. "His name will be Chewy." My starter turned to me as I mentioned his name.

"Isn't that the name of some movie char-"

"His name's Chewy and that's final!" I cut in before she could shoot it down, followed by a loud squawk of approval from my newly-named starter. At least this was one thing we agreed on.

"Fine, fine, I give," Libby smiled as she held up her hands in surrender, "Chewy the Archen, huh? Guess I got my work cut out for me this time." She stood up from her seat and hoisted her knapsack onto her shoulder.

"Wait... Where are you going?"

"Travelling! You named your Archen right? So let's get a move on! We don't have all day you know."

"B-but we can stay in the Pokemon Center!"

"Can't hear you! See you on Route 114!" And with that, she took off with a light jog.

Chewy and I exchanged glances. "W-wait up!" I rushed off to catch her, Chewy hot on my heels.