Floaroma's Champion

by LowePlays

While out on a walk a boy from Floaroma finds a menacing beast. Using modern technology, he captures the monster. After it comes to accept the boy, both travel to become the best. For fame and fortune! Both strive to become the best, the Champion. But the path is not as easy as they might think... This story was inspired after MetalDargon's work in Sacrifice and Subjugation.

3. Fame for Two

Guys, school is great. I get to learn two whole languages... at the same time. True, I can already speak basic German. But try taking a second year French course without knowing French. Yeah...

Anyways, I found time in between classes and at home to write this. Remember, if you enjoy, it really does help to review the story. It means a lot to me.

---

Two weeks had passed since that day. My mother was shocked at the blood on my clothes, but I had at least hide my scars with it. Most was from Bidoof and the Pidove, but some was human blood. The man I'd saved made a healthy recovery and was even in the news. It also gave several warnings to be careful out in the wild, as anything could happen.

If anything, the warnings were a worry for new trainers. Of course, nothing would stop me. Not even my parents. Well, my father still didn't care what I did. He just wanted me to be gone in two months. And I think I was making good progress, if I do say so myself.

Akuma listened to the call I gave when it was time to eat. She still attacked me, but she'd eat first because she knew she wouldn't be able to afterwards.

Her diet mainly consisted of Pidgey, Pidove, Pachirisu, and the occasional Bidoof that wandered near. Most of them were the results of my skills.

When I was out, I spent three to four hours with Akuma. She quickly learned about the surroundings, bumping into the tree and the ground. I didn't let her get too far from me, but I never got too close.

Though she ate regularly, she would always eat more if she could. She was such a greedy Deino. There were some days I let her be, but others I tried to talk to her. Nothing really in particular. But it helped pass the time while I was in the birch tree.

Being a Deino, she relied heavily on her remaining senses. It would be impossible for her not to listen to me with hearing like hers. It's not like she had anything to do, other than try to ambush me. Which was why I was in my tree most of the time.

The traps held together quite well for their quality, but I quickly found out Pokemon learned quickly where death would wait. I had to move the traps every time I caught a Pachirisu, as they began to mess with my traps rather than be strung up by their necks. Still, they were stupid enough to get caught in it the first time. By the end of the weak, I had three bird traps and two ground snares.

Not every trap triggered was a Pokemon captured. Sometimes they outsmarted the design and still ate the bait. Jams were useful as it was hard to steal as Pachirisu do, but Bidoof or Buizel will lick it up without triggering the trap. Most of the time. Buizel, with their inflatable collar, were able to survive the trap, but were still strung up all the same.

Bidoof, on the other hand, were stupid. Unbelievably so. As small as they were, at almost two feet, they were always chewing through the roping rather than the jam. All of it. When they did, I was occasionally left with a broken trigger and/or a ruined noose. There was the few times they bit the trigger rope first.

On top of that, when I did catch one, they always came back for more. No matter how many of them died, they still came to eat the grass fibers. I almost stabbed them in frustration when I caught one.

On the off chance I successfully caught a Pachirisu, I thanked their small necks for being as fragile as they were. Though it was sick and sadistic, I would rather not slit it's throat like I did with birds. I nearly vomited each time I did, but at least I didn't actually puke.

No matter the Pokemon, Akuma always accepted it as a meal. That was the whole reason I preformed the call. It was the same as a butler ringing a dinner bell. Once fed, I would quickly retreat into the branches to observe Akuma should she start to wander away. Which she tried a lot.

With the power to starve her, she began to understand what would happen should she try anything. She found that out after two and a half days without eating.

Still, I held some control over her. She would still attack me, but that means I could delay her feeding time until after I came down from the branches. I had to preform the dinner call every time, but she understood what punishment was.

It took a while, but on the fifteenth day, I made headway.

.

"Now, Akuma. If you attack me again, I'm not going to bring you your meal tomorrow. All I'm asking is help me. Then you can eat."

And, to my surprise, she stopped. She simply sat there, and though reluctant, she waited for me to tell her what to do. I was shocked at her acceptance. Still, the thing she valued most was her meals. Oh, how she loved to eat.

"O-okay, let's try some exercises, I guess? Let's, uh, see how well you work... for two Pidgey! Yeah." Directing her, while she was blind, she caught on to what I showed her to do. And she found a way to get around it.

Once I showed her to run in about a fifty meter dash, she started to run after me. I was worried she would attack me once she caught up, but she simply passed me. It wasn't noticeable at first, but using her speed against me, she began to shrink the course. We were soon running forty meters before I saw the same patch of dirt get further and further away.

Being blind, I knew she wouldn't see it. I started to figure out a way to use that against her.

On my next dash, I went a bit further, the dirt patch as my mark. It was gradual, but Akuma didn't notice as she was still trying to trick me. I let it slide, just for now...

By the time my dashes reached the dirt patch, I stopped running. Akuma rushed to her finish and stopped. Using her ears and nose, she looked towards me. Then a look of annoyance crossed her face. What I could see of it, at least.

I laughed, before she started a dash towards me. It was still a few meters from me, but her starting point was close enough to me for her to have already jumped before I had her Poke ball out.

With a stab of pain in my chest and shoulder, Akuma bit into my already bitten shoulder as she collided with me. I felt she had aimed for my throat, but her blindness had saved me. I clicked the button and returned her to her Poke ball. Hadn't I told her she'd get no meat tomorrow?

But she had done the exercise! Though she'd resorted to cheating, it was still more than she'd done a week ago. Wiping my forehead of sweat, I decided it was time to go home. With Akuma in her Poke ball, she'd have plenty to think on until tomorrow.

Looking at my shoulder, I saw it wasn't bleeding as much as I thought it should. The bite... wasn't that deep. Did the exercises exhaust her? Still, I held the torn cloth on my shoulder to the wound. Picking up my bag from the tree, I started my journey home.

.

"Why do you always have to come home covered in blood? Let me see it." Pulling off my shirt, I let my mother see the wound. I hoped the blood hid the severity, but if it wasn't as I thought... "Jojo, could you get me a rag?"

"You still working with that devil of a Deino? Looks like you got it under perfect control." Of course. My father. Why did he always have to be this way. As he walked through the room, he tossed my mother the rag she'd asked for.

"Of course I do. Who said this wound is from Akuma?" This happened every time I came home. Either he's drunk and mocks me, or he mocks me and then gets drunk.

"Those teeth marks don't look like a Pachirisu. But don't worry! You've only got two more months to pass that test. Plenty of time..." He walked out of the room laughing. My hand itched to cover the marks on my shoulder, but Mother batted my hand away when I did.

I winced every time she wiped away blood. Since the bite was still bleeding, though slower than before, she had to keep cleaning the wound. After resorting to simply holding the towel there, she went to get a bowl or bucket of water. I held the once blue towel there as it turned a darker shade of red.

Once she'd returned, the bleeding had stopped, but the scabs were still fresh. She rinsed the towel in the water, letting the clear liquid to be tainted and polluted. With a package of gauze at the ready, she used the 'cleaned' towel to clean the wound before spraying a disinfectant and wrapping the gauze around the stinging wound.

The bite was only seven or eight centimeters wide, but she wrapped the gauze around my chest and my arm. Yes, it covered the entirety of the wound, as the instructions stated. But this was a little... overboard.

"Okay, now move your arm. No, your other one! The one with the bite." Moving my arm, I did feel pain, but it the movement was hardly restricted. "Good. Now you can still use your arm. Just make sure not to over do it. Okay?"

"Yes, Nurse Joy." I smiled before heading to my room. My smile faded entirely once I closed the door. Business time.

I realized I knew nothing about the actual training of Pokemon. Yes, I had assumed much until this point. But it was a gut feeling. It was something I felt was right. But during that moment Akuma allowed me to command her, I froze.

With an extensive library online, I could easily amend this blunder. All it took was one simple search. And that's when I found millions of results. People wrote blogs, essays, and reports on how they trained their Pokemon, each in their own individual ways. And many of them were really stupid.

None of the first page's results showed any signs of actually training, though. Each one either had their other Pokemon instill discipline or they simply recorded their journey without many important details. Hardly helpful.

On the third page of results and half an hour later, I finally found something that was actually helpful. It was a small and fairly small site, but it had a few poor quality tutorials on how some guy was training his Pokemon. It was obviously a testing more than an actual tutorial.

As the videos went on, it went from cringe to bearable. The quality of the video was better, but at least the guy didn't drop his Pokedex while recording. After almost forty minutes of video, I found a video on this site that showed what I wanted.

"Hey, guys. I've been getting a few messages saying they don't have a Pokemon like me. Some might even have the Pokemon, but no knowledge on training their Pokemon. So, that's what I'm going to show you today. So, follow me into the world of Pokemon!"

The man behind the Pokedex camera began walking as the same intro rolled. It showed past events and achievements. I recognized some of them as they flashed by. Finally it faded into an image of a forest.

"Okay, so here I am in Veridian Forest. I'm not really looking for any really rare Pokemon or I'd be here all day, but I will show you how to catch one. Also remember this. It's always advised to be with a partner. As you can see," he said, panning to a Pidgeot. "I have my partner right here. Now, let's find that Pokemon."

A few small clips played and it was all pointless stuff. Failed catches of Caterpie and Wurmple. He even found a Nincada above ground, but it quickly fled under ground. Finally, another clip began to play.

"Alright. I can feel it. This one is the one. Now, here as you can see, is a Pikachu. They are pretty rare here, but they can be quite the little shocker. As you all know, Red himself beat the Elite Four and the Champion with one. Let's try and capture it." The man pulled out a more advanced Poke ball, this one blue with red stripes.

With a nod to his Pidgeot, he began his creep towards the Pokemon. Pidgeot stayed in it's roost in the branches above. As he neared the electric mouse, it noticed him. Turning from on two feet to all four, it started sparking. I, the audience, could not see the catcher, but heard his breath catch.

"Okay, time to use some dirty tactics," he whispered. Suddenly, a cloud of sand and dirt exploded and hit the Pikachu. As the crackle of electricity arcing in the air began, a flash of white and red sucked the Pikachu away in the ball. As the ring was replaced with green, the host positioned the Pokedex camera to show him and the ball.

"So, that's about it. If you can see that, the red ring is turning green. Once you've got a full green ring, you're safe. Look," he said as he picked up the ball. "Perfect catch. Using a Pokemon tactic with the sand and dirt, I blinded the Pokemon before striking. It's a useful tactic with smaller Pokemon, but not really on flying types. They can easily blow away or get above the cloud. But now I should show you how to train a Pokemon."

The scene faded as the man started walking out of the forest. It was replaced with a bright clearing and the camera was positioned in a tree. It was obvious when he started talking that the trainer was wearing a microphone.

"Alright. Many of you are new trainers. So, that means no Pokemon to train the newer ones to listen to you. So, for educational purposes, I've positioned my Pidgeot to be above should anything attack, but to not interfere in the training. If you can see over there, I've also set up a camp. I'll be here for about a week for a little Pikachu." To the right, a green tent was erected with a small pit for fires and a clothes line.

"Alright. I'm ready. Arm steady, you should aim to release the Pokemon a fair distance." The Pikachu instantly materialized ten meters away. Basic stuff. What really made me laugh was the bolt of electricity that struck the man as he tried to recall the Pikachu.

On the up side, Pidgeot swooped down and picked up the Pikachu before it could escape and used it's Poke ball for it's trainer. For the trainer himself, he was knocked unconscious from the electricity. Due to this being published footage, I knew the man wasn't dead.

After a brief cut, the video returned to him with a more... electrified look. His hair was standing up in some places and burned in others. His chest also had a burn through the shirt and into his chest.

"Tips on training electric types. Remember they have ranged attacks. I'm gonna go sleep this one off."

I laughed as it went through the training, as it did have comedic moments, but I also learned that I should always be cautious around Pokemon. Any stronger attack and he'd have died. He was lucky the bolt had only knocked him out.

"Alrighty. Time to get to actual training." I saw that his chest was bandaged like my arm and I winced at it. "So, with this tree branch here, I'll use it to absorb the attacks. Now..." Releasing the Pikachu again, the same reaction occurred. Holding up said tree branch, he was prepared. As the electricity jumped through the air, it was caught with the tree branch and, though burned, did not transfer to it's wielder.

"Now, Pikachu! I have decided to name you Steven. Listen to me and I can give you something you never had. Strength. Strength you'll never... Oh, crap." As he was talking, the Pikachu named Steven bolted forward with extreme speed. Using his tree branch, the trainer host blocked the attack. However, it was also broken.

Resorting to force, he cast aside the branch and instead punched the Pikachu down into the ground. Like, actually smashed it into the ground. As it's squeaking was heard, the man shouted at it.

"I'm trying to help you! You think you're strong?! Well I'm stronger! Why? It's because I've dealt with Pokemon brats like you! You think you're any better? No, and now those same Pokemon brats would wipe the floor thanks to me! If you would listen, I'd tell you how!" Literally subdued, Steven the Pikachu could hardly do anything. If it tried to use it's electric abilities, the trainer quickly stopped it with more force and pressing it further into the dirt.

Like a miracle, the Pikachu stopped resisting. Slowly, he released the pressure on Steven. It rose up and sat back on it's two feet. I judged it to be at the same level of Akuma. Now is the part I had to listen...

"Okay, the first thing to becoming strong, little Steven, is to improve what you've already have. As a Pikachu, you have speed and range above power. It's not that you need more power than you need more agility and target practice." Turning it's head, the Pikachu did not do as he said. Without more power training, Steven wouldn't listen.

With agility expected of a master, the trainer slapped the Pikachu. It was knocked over and sent a foot. Rising in anger, electricity sparking, I was reminded of Akuma's reaction. Her bite on my shoulder sparked in pain for a moment.

"Really? After I told you the secrets? If you're going to be like that, I have no use for you. And the Pokemon I have no use for, I feed to wild Ursaring." With a squeak of fear, Steven quickly calmed down and stood at the ready. Fear and threat? It appeared to be working, but I wondered how well I could use this same tactic on Akuma.

"Okay, if it's power you want, you need to use every ounce of electrical power. Show me what you've got on... that tree over there." Pointing opposite the camera, I watched as the Pikachu used a massive electrical bolt on the tree. And continued using it. It wasn't as powerful as the Pokemon who could control the thunder clouds themselves, but it was still powerful.

When the Pikachu stopped, it was breathing heavily. The tree was left with a bright and glowing burn mark.

"Again." What? It was already exhausted, and you want it to keep going? Obeying, it used a smaller, but still effective bolt on the tree. When it stopped, Steven was on the ground. "Again."

Responding with squeaks and pikas, Steven leapt up. It was obvious why. It couldn't keep going. It was hard enough for it to do it once, much less twice.

"If you can have the energy to resist me, you definitely have the energy to shock the tree until it falls or bursts into flames. Whichever comes first."

Grumbling in it's Pika way, Steven started shocking the tree again. The attacks were not as powerful as the first or second, but it was definitely still exhausting. The trainer walked towards the Pokedex camera.

"So, I'll be here for the next while. As I said before, I week should be plenty of time to train this little Steven. I'll be back when he's trained. After the week, he himself should see he's stronger than before. I'll also take him through some Agility practice and some target practice at varying ranges. You should all know how to do that. Be right back."

The scene faded out. Of course I knew how to do Agility training. I did it with Akuma earlier and received a bite for it. I rubbed my shoulder.

"Okay, guys. I found out something a bit embarrassing. I did not notice that Steven's tail was curved as it was. Turns out Steven is a girl. But since she already accepts Steven as her name, I'm keeping it as that. Speaking of which..." He reached down and picked up Pikachu and put her on his shoulder. "How's it going, buddy?"

Spreading her small arms, the Pikachu looked happy. After seeing her almost killed by ground in the last clip, it was surprising she was so happy. After seeing the results, she probably felt the whole thing was more her fault rather than his. Still, it was amazing in just a week he had a Pikachu for his team. I had spent two weeks to get where he was within a few minutes.

After a few clips of him battling with the Pikachu, the video ended. True, it was kind of motivational, but it was still something I hadn't expected. I knew I wouldn't do exactly what he did, but he did teach me something. Use what you already have.

It gave me a lot to plan. What did Akuma already have? She was powerful, in both ranged and close combat. She was young, so it wasn't expected she have many attacks and skills. Her speed was faster than mine, so what did she lack and what did she have?

The best I could come up with within an hour. Have spent two and a half hours in my room, I grew bored as the sky began to grow dimmer in the fading summer. Checking the time, it was only six in the afternoon. Dinner would be in an hour, but my stomach rumbled.

Sinking back into my chair, I began to write down my findings so far. It was mostly possibilities and thoughts on Akuma, but it was more than enough to clear my head. Even though she was fairly well rounded in strengths, training was still necessary to show my methods worked. Maybe some target practice with her ranged attacks and some sensory exercises?

I poked around with some training programs I could do, but some required more than I could spend. Rather, I couldn't spend anything as I had nothing. From a few strength programs to simply running laps. I'd have to mark a set ring for laps, but that was extra.

Being without sight, I settled with training her perception to 'see' in a way. It was obvious she could already tell certain directions and position by simply listening, but it required concentration. My idea was basically meditation and tracking, but to command Akuma like that... That would probably come later.

After I was mostly content with my decisions, I heard my mother calling my name. Time for dinner...

.

It was about ten in the morning when I returned to the birch tree. I held a rare Hoothoot from one of my traps. There was a bit of blood from where I had stabbed it through the heart. It was easier than slitting the throat, as well as cleaner.

When I held up my Poke ball, I took a deep breath and quickly reviewed the plan. It was a risk, but I would take it for progress. I pushed the button and released Akuma. Preforming the call, I held out the bird in my hand.

"Hey, girl. I've got for you a rare treat. It's a Hoothoot, just for you." Sniffing the air, Akuma began to approach me. Once she was less than a foot from me, I moved her meal closer to the ground for her. "Here you go."

Cautious, she reached forward before snatching it out of my hand. Once it was within her clutches, she began to devour the bird meat. It was gruesome and messy. I turned away as blood occasionally splashed me. I felt my stomach turn every time a drop hit.

Though I was usually in my tree by now, I was determined to stay by Akuma. If she realizes I'm still here, she might expect more food. But I had none to give. None than I could willingly give, at least.

Akuma snapped though bones to find more meat, but found them all to be cleaned. Sniffing around, she suddenly looked towards me.

She realized I was still here.

With blood covering her fur and mouth, she looked menacing. Almost as if bearing death itself. I swallowed the fear in my throat and began to stretch out my hand. She... she should trust me, now that she's eaten. Probably.

It was out of caution that both of us were hesitant to approach one another. Akuma paused when she heard my movements toward her, causing me to freeze in panic. When nothing happened, I exhaled and stretched out my clenched hand towards her again. I would show her I wasn't scared of her. Not yet. She would see we could work together.

When my fingers met her dirty fur, she jumped back and growled. But she calmed down quickly after realizing nothing had happened to her. I crawled slowly toward her, with her response being to get lower to the ground in case she had to run.

I carefully pressed my hand against her head, as I'd done before. She growled, but soon accepted it with uncertainty. It wasn't hurting her, so why worry? Still, she was very uneasy with my being so close. I was as well, her blood-cover face was so close to me, but this was what she was...

It was something she needed rather than wanted, but I knew the look of a Pokemon was a lot. Giving her a bath might not interest her much, but maybe it would help us bond? Still, it could wait... First, training, then bath.

Hopefully Mom wouldn't get mad at me.

"Alright, Akuma. You ready to run? This time I'm gonna keep an eye on you. No cheating." Understanding passed between us and Akuma retreated with her head held in pride. "Let's just run in a circle, alright? Follow my path, okay?"

Without waiting for a sign from Akuma, I started my jog. It was just a lap around the birch tree. It wasn't huge, but it did go for about thirty meters before turning. And hot on my heels was a Deino.

Making turns, I felt like I could only do a few laps. I knew I never was the sportiest, but I thanked my gym class and Judo for the strength.

Akuma caught on like last time, but she seemed to follow the same path I ran. Though she was blind, it was amazing that she ran without fear. I knew I could use it against her in many ways, but it would have been too cruel to her.

Once my breathing had reached a ragged level, I stopped and tried to catch my breath. It was almost like that one kid who forgot his inhaler.

Running past with tons of energy was Akuma, racing along the track I had made. Still, it was funny how she occasionally veered off course. Her senses relied on my track, after all.

It took a few minutes, but I eventually was able to breath steadily again.

"Akuma, that'll do." She didn't listen as she raced by. This was a game for her, I assumed. And I knew how difficult it was to drag a kid away from their games. "Akuma! Stop!" She still kept running.

Pulling out her Poke ball, I began to race after her. My legs already felt like jelly, but it didn't matter right now.

I could almost see her smiling at me when she looked back at me. Even though she only heard my footsteps, she knew I was chasing her.

Being faster than me, she only had to keep right out of my range. What she forgot was the Poke ball and it's reach. Aiming the laser while running was difficult and it took a few tries, but I finally got her.

Sinking to the ground, I held the Poke ball to my chest. Why did you have to do this to me, Akuma? My chest was rising and falling rapidly. I could even hear my heart pulsing in my ears! I knew I would be here for a while...

.

It took a long rest, a well deserved nap to recover. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned as I awoke from my dreamless sleep. A bit confused, I wondered where I was. Brushing the grass off my face, I pushed a Budew off.

In my hand was my Poke ball, luckily still containing Akuma. I sighed and thanked Arceus no Pokemon had released her. Of course, I probably wouldn't be here anyways if they had.

Standing up, I pushed the Poke ball into my bag. I yawned again and rubbed my legs. The muscles were stiff and probably torn from the run. And I still needed to give Akuma a bath. Groaning, I began my trek home after only a run and a nap.

.

Father and mother were both outside with the crops when I got home. Sneaking past them, I carefully extracted myself from my work. Of course, I did have a dragon to bath, too. But does that count as work?

Walking upstairs, I was a bit nervous about releasing Akuma in the house. Her draconic abilities were powerful, capable of making a crater in the ground. It made me shudder, thinking if she used that inside.

"Okay... Gotta stay calm..." Clicking the button, I released Akuma. She appeared in the usual flash, and almost instantly face planting on the slick tile.

She complained at the floor and tried scratching it with nonexistent claws. Once she found her attacking had no effect did she notice I was there.

"Akuma? You might not like this but it's time for a bath. Okay? Just... stay calm." She turned her head sideways in confusion. She also listened for the whistles I made at meal times as her tongue was slightly hanging.

Once I pulled the handle, I plugged the hole in the bath as she jumped back in fear. Just what sorcery was this noise?

"Calm down, Akuma! It's just water. You know? Drink some!" Stepping towards her, I tried to pull her towards the noise, but she was like a cat. Still, it was more the noise that scared her.

Turning it down lower, I slowed the flow of water enough to calm down Akuma. She still wasn't completely comfort around me. Trapped in a small room with me and a strange noise I controlled, she was frightened.

"See? It doesn't hurt me," I said, stepping into the bath. It was a little cold, seeping into my socks. "Come here and I'll show you. I won't hurt you." Taking a handful of water, I splashed some on her. She growled and tried to snap the water out of the air.

Still, no harm was done. The water had reached my ankles by now and was getting warmer. It should be enough to wash the small two foot dragon. Taking off the soggy socks, I tossed them into the sink. Turning towards the sound, Akuma started to back away from the sink, into the corner.

"Akuma, it's alright. It's just water. Just trust me." I got out of the bath and walked towards the shaking Deino. Unfortunately, I forgot she was blind and relied on the sounds. With the sound of slapping footsteps, Akuma growled at me and I saw the muscles tense in her legs.

"Hey! Don't be scared! It's just me. No one else. Alright?" I slowly began creeping forward again. Though she was still bearing her teeth, I was allowed to come into touch distance. Reaching out, I wrapped my arms underneath her forelegs and lifted her up.

Panicking, she tried to twist her head around to bite me as I walked her closer to the bath. Right at the lip of the bath, she swung her head back. Her fur horn stabbed into my hair before her skull collided with mine.

Gasping in pain, I nearly dropped her into the water. That would not end well. Most likely results, she would feel betrayed.

"C-calm down, Akuma! It's just me! Now..." Slowly, I lowered her down into the water. "Please don't freak out?" The Deino's back leg touched the surface of the water.

"See," I ask, putting her down on all four, the water halfway up her legs. As soon as she realized it was water, she instantly calmed down. Leaning down, she began drinking the water. The blood around her mouth began dyeing the water pink.

"Alright. Now do you know what I'm doing? No harm done." Taking a wash cloth from the rim of the bath, I soaked it in the water before bringing it to Akuma's neck. Jumping away, she growled at the rag. "Still just me. You're messy, you know?"

Still cautious of me, she didn't let me touch her with the cloth. I tried twice, but the last try resulted in me dodging her fangs. Don't like me still, huh?

"C'mon, Akuma. You've got blood on your face. You don't want anyone seeing you like this, do you?" I felt a bit embarrassed when I remembered she couldn't see...

Still afraid of me, Akuma did not entirely trust me. Who knows what I could be trying to do to her? Of course, it's just a slimy wet rag. The worst I could do was whip her, but I'd never do that. She'd kill me if I did.

I switched off the water, as the level reached to her upper leg and her under side. Using my hand, I dripped water over her head. I could see her ears twitching underneath the fur. Using the water, I began rubbing off the dried blood.

Though she tried to stop me at first, I think she began to enjoy it. She would never let me see the joy she felt. She was too proud for that. Still, she didn't resist much afterwards. Training was going well, in my eyes.

"Alright, Akuma. You're better now. I'll comb your fur later once I have a brush for you. Mom won't like you for using hers." Grabbing a towel from the wall, I made sure it wasn't one we usually used. Her black and blue fur would be a dead give away.

Drying her off, she didn't understand what it was, but at least it wasn't a slimy wet cloth. The furry and soft cloth was better, akin to motherly care. Still, Akuma never had a mother. Is that why she was growing closer to me, in such a short amount of time?

Once she was mostly dry, I held up her Poke ball. "Okay, Akuma. Time for you to go back into your ball. But I'll make sure to bring you some more meat later, huh?"

Sad, I knew that she wouldn't feel the same time I did. The Poke ball would allow her to not feel the passage of time. Some said it stopped time altogether, but most said it halved to quartered the distorted time. It was much more reasonable for the later theory. I clicked the button and retrieved my Deino before I heard my mother.

"Are you up there in the bathroom? You didn't say anything when you came home."

"Uh, yeah! I was kinda dirty, so I had to take a quick shower. I, uh, still have to get dressed..."

"Alright, well I'm going to the store for dinner. Do you want to go with me?"

"N-no thanks, Mom! I've got to do some stuff for training tomorrow!"

"I'll be back later than! Bye!" I exhaled my held breath and started to peel off my soaked clothes. Grabbing my own towel, I began to dry myself off. That was a close call. Bringing an untrained Deino inside the house might have been against the rules...

.

After a month of exercising, I found the Akuma grew much closer to me. She stopped trying to attack me, but she did have pride issues. As an aggressive dragon, she did have her position. With her growth in power, she also grew in height. She rose up two whole inches, not including her faux horn.

My arm also healed, leaving a set of small scars. It didn't look as bad as my forearm, but it was still a scar. I tried not to show Akuma or my parents, but they already knew about them. It was hard to hide when she checked my arm for progress.

Akuma didn't earn much battling experience, other than the occasional target practice I held. It was quite the exercise, competing with her accuracy. To keep from destroying my special Birch tree, I set up an area near. We destroyed a few trees during practice...

Since she didn't get injured, I also kept all two of my potions. It helped save money, even if I never bought one. It saved me from buying more.

One thing that confused me about Akuma... Although she had her draconic explosive attack, which we used for target practice, she never displayed a fiery attack. Dragons were known for their destructive flame breath, so I was confused why she wasn't spewing fire already.

On top of that, the food I fed to Akuma also earned me a bit of cash. By skinning and taking certain parts from Pokemon I killed, though it sickened me, it allowed me something to sell to the Pokemon Guild. In total, I received about two thousand Poke dollars.

Though it sounded like I had quite the wallet, it was only enough for a few things. Maybe a few Poke balls or potions, but as a responsible trainer, I only bought a chocolate bar. Or three.

Only though it was halfway to the deadline, I decided it was time. Akuma was strong and did listen to me, but I had to see if she would accept meeting a new human. It was, after all, one of the main requirements to become a trainer.

And so, after feeding and watering Akuma, making sure to wash the blood away, I retrieved her. This was her grand debut after all. I fumbled with the orb in my pocket while I asked my mother and father.

"Mom? Dad? I've got something really important to ask you."

"Yeah, sure. Ask away, kiddo." I smiled at my mom before waiting for father. He didn't say anything.

"Well... I'd like to ask you to meet my Pokemon. She's really playful and stuff once you know her, but I don't know how she'll react. So... will you still meet her?"

"If you're confident in her, then yes. Because I believe in you." My mother winked at me, which gave me confidence.

"You can leave me out. I have no interest in meeting any Pokemon. But, have fun with that ridiculous Deino. Probably can't even control it..." Why? Why, Father? Couldn't you just have a little faith in me?

"You don't have to meet his Pokemon, but I will. You don't have to be rude about it, Jojo." Getting out of the chair, Mother walked out of the living room. Following her, I grabbed my shoes. Together, we walked outside.

"So, where are you planning to show me your Akuma? You know you can't release your Pokemon in town, right?" I'd almost forgot! Not being a league-recognized Trainer, I couldn't release Akuma. That's partially why I trained her out of town, but also because I couldn't trust her around other people.

"Well, I could take you to where I've been training her, but it's a while away..."

"If it's for you, it would be fine. Besides, I was a trainer before. I can walk that far any day." Even though I didn't forget, that was quite a few years ago. Hopefully she was right about that...

Setting off, I lead the way towards the birch tree in the light of the dying sun. It was getting late, as well as cold in the coming winter. I almost regretted not bringing a scarf or a hat. My hoodie did only enough to abate the shivering temperatures.

"Do you really go this far every day? Just how far is this training grounds of yours?" I looked at my mother to see her breathing heavier than when we started. I laughed internally since she obviously didn't get as much exercise as she thought.

"Not much further. It's just outside the city limits. About a kilometer from our house." True, my heart was pounding and I was breathing quickly, but it was more from nerves.

Once we passed the usual buildings, I saw my birch tree there. I felt the Poke ball heavy in my pocket, even at the size of a regular jawbreaker. I ran the last few meters to the tree.

"Here we are, Mom! This tree... this is my training area. Now, if you could just... stay back for a moment? Akuma won't recognize your voice or footsteps, so I should probably warn her in advance." Taking my advice, she nodded and took a few steps back. I held up the Poke ball and clicked the button on the ball.

"Hey there, girl. Remember I told you I would introduce you to some people today? Well, I brought her with me. Behind me is my mother. She's friendly. Not food." Petting her head, I was careful to keep a hand on her head. "Wanna say hi, Mom?"

"Um, hey there, Akuma." Surprised by another voice, Akuma dropped down to pounce. With my hand on her, it was the only reason she hadn't already attacked.

"Calm down. She's friendly. No biting." A bit concerned, my mother took a step back. "Hold on. She's alright. You're a friendly. She understands that, right?" I poked her shoulder. Rising up, she stopped growling.

"You're sure she's calm? She seems a little untrusting."

"Of course she is. She isn't used to people or Pokemon. Being blind, she's never really been able to recognize friends or foes. I am, I guess, her eyes." Opening her mouth, Akuma made a strange noise. "See? She agrees." I hope that's what that means.

"I can see that you've got it under control, but she is bit scary. I don't know if I would ever try training one. I hope you'll be able to keep it under control. You've seen their evolved forms, right?" The vision of the three headed dragon came to mind. I shuddered at the thought of what it could do to me.

"I think that Akuma will be able to recognize my voice, even in her evolved form. That is the only way she knows me." She jabbed her horn into my cheek, bending it rather than doing damage. Why did she know just how to be cute? I pat her head and rubbed her fur for her delight.

"It's very difficult to judge how Pokemon will act in the future. But... I hope you'll be alright, okay? You too, little Akuma." She looked from her to me. "So... when are you planning to take the test? And how do you plan to get to Jubilife?" Right, the testing center wasn't here in Floaroma. Jubilife was the starting location of many trainers. Still, there probably wouldn't be many applicants as it was almost Winter.

"Well, I guess the fastest way would be by train, but-"

"I'll buy you a ticket when we get home. It's... I guess it will be our goodbye gift. You should be able to handle the test on your own. And remember to study, just in case."

"Right. I guess you've met Akuma now. Sorry girl. You've gotta stay inside for a while. I'll make sure to feed you before the test, alright?" Clicking the button, Akuma vanished into the ball in my hand. I shrunk the orb and stored it in my pocket.

"It's nice to see you've bonded well with her. I'm surprised you managed this much in only two months."

"Thanks, Mom. I did use the internet to study a lot, though." I stood up and brushed off my knees of dirt. Taking the sign as a hint to leave, we began the journey home. It was getting dark, after all.

"I hope you'll be safe," she said again. "I don't know what I would do if you got hurt."

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine. I've spent months preparing for the wilderness. With Akuma with me, I should be fine. She can hear anyone or thing approaching." We entered Floaroma as we talked. I was excited to begin the adventure, even if my wallet was not. I felt it sadly sitting in my satchel.

"Well, I would still feel better if you had someone else to go with you. Are you sure you don't want to wait?"

"Mom, you know as well as I do I've only got one more month left. Plus. the longer I wait, the fewer trainers will be there. If I even wanted to team up with someone, no one will be there in the Winter."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, no stopping you now. Here's to passing the test first try." I bumped my arm to her's, a symbol of good luck.

"Knowing my studies, I should be fine."

"You nearly failed your last year of school."

"Mom!" Though she was true, that didn't mean I fail. I did study for the tests, including this one.

"You know I'm messing with you. I know you'll be fine. Anyone who's been studying like you have should have no problem with that exam. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't study before your test."

"I know. I'll try a little. Should just be a bit of survival and Pokemon Biology stuff. I passed in the top percent of my class with those."

"Right. Well, we're here." Turning at our house, my mother pulled out a key and unlocked the door. With the Automatic Curfew Locks, a key was required to get in after sundown. Just as advertised on TV! Still, I had a key in my wallet just for this.

Walking inside, I slipped out of my shoes. Doing the same, my mother went into the kitchen to start on dinner. Of course, Dad was no where to be seen. He was probably either drunk or caring for his tools in the garage, as we didn't see him with his crops. I didn't really care, though. I wouldn't have to see him for a long while once I left...

.

After a dinner of Mareep and vegetables, I went upstairs to sort my things. I had only a small satchel to carry things in, but I only needed a few things, such as a pair of clothes or three. It wouldn't be light, but at least it wasn't like those giant and expensive hiker bags.

It was after I tried to add a few hats that I began to see trouble. I could only bring one, I decided. But I had twelve to choose from. It was almost like a teenage girl's collection of clothes, but they all had certain meanings. One of them was even signed by the last gym leader of Pastoria city.

Deciding on my blue one, from a water Pokemon convention, I looped it through the strap of my bag. Yawning, I finished shoving my junk into the bag. It was difficult to feel sleepy, but I was still tired from walking to the birch tree and back. Twice. Not to mention training with Akuma for an hour.

Changing into my night clothes and putting my stuffed bag on the ground, I fell into bed. Even though I wasn't planning on sleeping, the calls of my pillow were as sweet and luring as ever. It's wishes commanded me and I fell to sleep...

...

The cheer of crowds was deafening and Pokemon shrank back from the noise. Two trainers faced each other and crossed arms. They then linked their Pokedex before retreating to their respective sides. A voice of a commentator could be heard, but it was so loud it was hard to understand.

Holding out two Pokeballs each, both trainers released two Pokemon. On the blue side, it was a Gallade and a Gengar. For the Red, he had a Venusaur and an Umbreon. It was an impressive lineup from both of them, each counteracting each other. The two took their stances and waited for the signal to begin.

With a shot from a blank, both trainers shouted out commands for their Pokemon. The red side used ranged attacks, a barrage of sharpened leaves and a pulse of darkness. The blue sent a barrage of psychic blades and the Gengar sank into the ground. Sneaking up behind the Umbreon, the Fairy's shadow raked it's back with phantom claws.

Each taking the attacks, the Gallade was forced back from the pulse of darkness while defending against the leaves. The Venusaur had four bleeding lines across it's face and side. It retaliated with an explosion of poisonous spores. Umbreon jumped through the shadows and chased the Gengar as it laughed maniacally. The sound was a mix between a scream and a growl.

The green and white knight launched an electric wave across the entire field and washed across the Venusaur. The two shadow Pokemon were too busy jumping in and out of existence to be caught by the shock wave. Being a plant, the electricity had little effect compared to the psychic prowess of the Gallade.

Using the main abilities of it's line, the Gallade lifted the giant flower quadruped into the air before a poisonous liquid began leaking out of it. It roared in pain, but it had no grips to escape. In desperation to help, the Umbreon used a bite of dark fangs. It made the Gallade incapable of teleporting, even as it tried.

Using it's fists, the Gallade smashed into the cat's head. With an almost audible crack over the roaring crowds, the Umbreon was forced to the ground, unconscious. Turning back to the collapsed Venusaur, the Gengar had already began to advance when the Gallade launched another barrage of psychic blades.

Before either were able to hit the plant, the red trainer recalled both of his Pokemon, head hung in defeat with the score displayed on the giant screen above. He had lost.

Rising his hands in victory, the blue trainer recalled his Pokemon and advanced towards the middle of the field. Shaking hands, the announcer called out the results of the quick double battle...

...

My mother was shaking me in the dark morning. It was still early, but the light of the sun was beginning to peak over the forest. I yawned and looked around in confusion. What was going on?

"C'mon. Time to wake up. Your train leaves for Jubilife in two hours. You ready for the next step in your journey?"

"Why so early?"

"It's the cheapest to buy tickets now. You understand why we did this?" I yawned again and pulled off the covers. My pants were uneven, one of the legs past my knee. My stomach was also showing before I pulled my shirt down. I rubbed my face and tried to wake myself up. Today was the day.

My mother walked out of my room once she was certain I was awake, not wanting to see me dress. As I grabbed my clothes, I made sure to also grab a scarf. It would be useful once winter was here. I changed quickly before shouldering my bag and going to the bathroom.

After taking care of business, I went downstairs. In my groggy morning form, I nearly tripped down the stairs. Catching myself with the guard rails, I went to eat a bowl of cereal. On the table was a note, as well as a few slips of paper. Of the paper, one was a train ticket. The rest was a few Poke dollar bills, equal to 250 dollars.

I sat down and poured out the golden flakes into the bowl and dumped Moomoo milk over it. Nummy and yummy cereal...

"Good to see you're up well. I remember trying to wake you up for school... You always were so close to being late several times." Mother came down the stairs, combing her hair with a brush. Good thing I didn't brush Akuma with that, huh?

"Well, today is the day I go to Jubilife. Of course I'm excited for it. And just how long is the train ride, anyways?" I shoved another spoonful of cereal in my mouth. It was just turning soggy, but still crunchy

"About three hours. It isn't fast or anything, but it's better than walking there. Shouldn't be too bad."

"It's only two hundred kilometers. But I could probably make it there within a week or so. Not too bad."

"Do you want to walk there?"

"N-no! You've already bought the ticket and all. I'll take the train."

"Smooth. Now eat your breakfast. You've got to leave soon. The station is across town, you know?" I nodded. I would be ready at any moment. I would not miss that train. Swear on my mother, I was going to get to Jubilife by lunch time. "And take this. You'll need it." She handed the ticket and money to me.

"Aren't you going with me? Why else would you be up so early?" I pocketed the paper.

"Hell no! I'm going back to sleep once you leave." Jeez. That was... honest. But I was a Pokemon Trainer now! I could get on a train by myself.

"Okay. I'm finished." I picked up my milk-filled bowl and dumped it in the sink. Going to the door, I slipped on my shoes and my hoodie. I could see today was going to be a bit chilly from the frost over the grass outside.

"You sure you've got everything? Clothes, snacks, money, and a map? You know where you're going?" Mom was leaning against the doorway into the dinning room.

"Yeah. Well, not a map, but I'll find one in Jubilife. Promise... I'll miss you, Mom." Herdier stretched as he walked into the room. "I'll miss you too, buddy. Hope you can have fun without me." I rubbed his head before he went over to my mother. He was my first companion. I nearly choked on the knot in my throat.

"We'll miss you too. Now get going! You'll miss your train!"

"Right," I managed out. "Bye." I opened the door and slipped out before I started silently crying. I rubbed the scars on my arm for comfort before running off toward the train station of Floaroma.

.

My tears had stopped flowing by the time I made it to the small station. It was mostly used for export of lumber, flowers, fruits, and berries. Still, there were trains used for passengers, but as there were only two major stops, only a few trains stopped here.

Luckily, I had a ticket for one train to Jubilife, leaving October 19th, 2064 at exactly 7.24. That's what it said on the ticket, at least. I wiped away the dried streaks on my cheeks and stepped inside. I only had ten minutes to board.

"Hey, son. You riding the train to Jubilife?" I looked towards the voice and saw a crowd waiting there. They looked almost like... homeless.

"Uh, yeah. Is there something wrong with the train?"

"Yessir. It's late, that's what. Supposed to leave in a few minutes and it ain't even here. Might as well wait with us."

"I'm fine, thanks. I think I'm, uh, gonna wait by the tracks."

"Whatever you say, Farmer Boy." Farmer... boy? How'd he know that name? It was the name my school mates gave to me, mocking me and my family. I steeled myself and remembered. I am a Pokemon Trainer. I can't lower myself, just to snap at these homeless. I walked out onto the platform with a shaking fist.

Looking to the tracks, I saw a train. Were they lying to me? Those bums were probably trying to cheat me out of my ticket, if anything. If they were homeless here, there was hardly any use in going to Jubilife, I thought in anger. Walking to the train, I confirmed the sign above said Jubilife. The time even matched my ticket. I scuffed the floor in disgust for those morons.

I quickly swung myself into the train. When I boarded, there was a man in a yellow vest waiting just inside. Nearly bumping into him, he stepped back.

"Woah there, kid. What's the hurry? Now, can I see your ticket?" I reached into my pocket and pulled out the manila colored ticket. Handing it to him, he stamped a big Electrike onto it before handing back to me. "Your seat is just down this hall. Third cabin." I nodded and passed the man.

"Woah, now. Do you have a ticket?" Looking behind me, one of the homeless had followed me.

"I'm with him."

"Do you have a ticket?" When the man didn't present one, the checker pushed him out of the train. "Come back when you can afford a seat. Filthy scum." I felt a pang of pity, but I shock my head before opening the door to my cabin.

Finding it empty, I sat near the window and took off my bag. I leaned back and yawned. I was really tired from waking up so early. I was just about to fall to sleep's embrace when the train began to move. With a hiss of gas, I nearly lurched out of my seat.

As I got a hold of myself and adjusted, I heard the door open. I turned to see a girl coming through. Her blonde hair, nice clothes? She was probably way out of my league.

"O-oh! I didn't see you there. Did you just get on?" When I heard her speak, I shook myself. She wasn't that pretty, but she was better than any girl I'd find in Floaroma.

"Um, yes. I was going to Jubilife."

"Obviously. So, where you from? You look like you're from either Snowpoint or from Hoenn."

"No, I'm from Floaroma. Nothing special."

"Hmm. Your parents must be foreign, then. I myself am from Snowpoint, but my family came from Hoenn fifty years ago. Soo... what brings you to Jubilife?"

"You know you can take a seat? It feels uncomfortable to talk while sitting down."

"I would, but, uh, you're, um, kinda in my seat. My luggage is above you." She pointed to the racks overhead. I saw a large backpack stored up there, the same blue as the room. No wonder I didn't see it.

"Sorry. I'll move. Didn't know anyone else was sitting here." I turned and moved to the seat across from me, still by the window, but in full view of the sun. The girl quickly took my spot and sat down.

"You still haven't answered my question," she said after a moment.

"Right! Well, I recently caught my first Pokemon. Going to take the Pokemon Trainer Exam." I held up Akuma's Pokeball with a flourish.

"Sweet! Me too. I caught my Pokemon just after graduation, but it's been a while since then. A full year, really. Haven't been able to find any teleport services or had the money to afford a ticket to Jubilife. But now I've got these two." The girl held up two Pokeballs. One was a blue variant, while the other was a green and black Pokeball.

"What kind of a Pokeball is that one," I asked, pointing to the latter one.

"This, my new friend, is called a Dusk ball. As the name says, works after Dusk. It's weird, but it works wonders. Especially on dark and ghost Pokemon. You should get one soon!" I scratched my hair in confusion. How could a Pokeball get stronger in darkness?

"How do they make Pokeballs like these? Aren't they made from Apricorns?" The girl laughed and put the strange Pokeball back.

"The newer Pokeballs are made out of metal. Only the more basic Pokeballs are made from apricorns anymore." Pokeballs... made from metal? How did that work? "So, what's your name? Mine's Sarah O'Perr." Distracting me from my thoughts, I answered with my own.

"Nice to meet you, Sarah. Which Pokemon do you have, if you don't mind me asking."

"I've got only the best. The one in the Great ball, he's Perry the Dedene. In my Dusk ball is Yami. She's a Sneasel. Might want to watch the claws, though." She's got some scary Pokemon. And both had a weakness for my Akuma, being a dragon.

"I've caught a Deino. She's just a young hatchling, but she's strong. Her name is Akuma."

"Akuma, huh? Sounds scary if it's a Deino. Still, I think my Yami will give you a run for your money." She sounded strong. On top of the weaknesses, Akuma was a hatchling. She wouldn't do too well until she could counter those disadvantages.

"Don't worry! I'm not a trainer either. No need to be so worried." She sat back and laughed. I joined in, though a bit nervous. Right... Without any Trainer ID, we couldn't even battle. I couldn't wait until we got to Jubilife city.

"So, Snowpoint, right? You don't look very warmly dressed for the north."

"Don't worry. My clothes are in my bag. Besides, it's warmer down here in the south. So, how long have you had your Deino?" She crossed her legs and pulled a gummy bear bag out of her pocket.

"I caught her about two months ago. I had help from my family's Herdier and Staravia, but I managed to catch her. How about your Yami and Perry?"

"Well, Perry's my starter. Yami was caught when I was out collecting firewood. My Dedene... I was given him by my friend. He was my... ex boyfriend. But that doesn't matter. He's still a little weak, but Yami is enough to make up for it." She had a boyfriend. Dang it! But... if she did, where was he?

"My Akuma, I think she's from the dragons that caused the hurricane last year. That's where her power come from. But, that's not to say she is from the hurricane, though."

We began to discuss some Pokemon strategy. I quickly found out she was much smarter than I was, but she obviously lacked actual implementation of battles. Me, I didn't have much battling experience or knowledge, but I did have a basic understanding. At least it was enough to keep me awake all the way to Jubilife station.

.

"All passengers, we've arrived at Jubilife. Any passengers traveling to Oreburgh and further have half an hour before departure."

"Well? We're here. Wanna come with me to the testing center?" Sarah grabbed her bag from over head and looked to me.

"Uh, sure. I don't really know where it is, so lead the way, I guess." I grabbed my own satchel. Following her, I jumped off the train. We walked through the station and passed a few shops. Though my stomach growled, Sarah didn't hear. It was tempting to quickly buy a Miltank burger, but Sarah walked fairly quickly. It would be difficult to find her if I did buy one.

"So, do you think we could get a bite before we go take the test?"

"What are you imposing? We aren't going to actually take the exam. We're going to register first, then take the test. Not your first time dealing with officials, right?" Sarah continued to walk at her fast pace.

"We'll be in and out of there? Quick and easy? That's simple then." I wrapped my arms around my head and walked behind her.

"No, not really. It might take a while, but who knows? Maybe no one will be waiting?" So... we might have to wait for food? But I'm hungry...

"But... What if there are people? Wouldn't it be better to just eat before and be happy later? C'mon. Just a Miltank Burger? I see a shop right there. It'll only take a minute."

"C'mon! Let's just go register and eat later." But... burger... Struggling to hold back my hunger, I followed Sarah to the testing center. I held my stomach in despair.

As we walked down the street, I saw many tall buildings. Each one was taller than every single one was taller than any in Floaroma. I was surprised at how small I felt. How did anyone live with all these buildings hanging over them? It was almost crushing.

"How far is this testing center? I don't like these buildings, like they're about to fall on me." I crept closer to Sarah, almost cowering. We turned off the main street, built mainly for cars, and onto a cobblestone street. And it was crowded with people.

"Big baby. They aren't going to fall. I see these kinds of buildings all the time in Snowpoint!" Snowpoint had buildings as tall as these? Just how small was Floaroma? Yes, I knew we were small. But if every other town had these large towers, how would I live here?

Just as I was beginning to give up hope, I saw a sign over a building. The Pokemon league logo was held behind the title. It was the testing center. With the goal in sight, the wings of Pidgeot sprouted from my shoes.

"What's got you so excited. You're acting younger than me. You aren't messing with me, are you?" As I passed the buildings, almost running, I saw the shops and merchandise. Most of it was cute, misleading propaganda. None of it really interested me particularly, but the concept was cool.

"I'm just impatient sometimes. I waited over a year to do this. So let's go!" I weaved by the large crowds on the street, pushing past large and small.

"Wait up! I don't want to do it alone!" I looked back. Due to her larger backpack, I had to slow down. She couldn't squeeze through gaps I could, even if she was technically thinner than me.

I stopped in the pedestrian street. A few people bumped into me as they passed. I almost snapped on the first one, but it quickly became apparent that it was normal. I let it slid... for now.

"C'mon," Sarah said once she was closer. It wasn't like we were holding hands but it didn't help we were so close. I mentally kicked myself for earlier. Why had I acted so weird? And why was I blushing now?!

Walking up to the large building, I saw it had a fancy sliding door as well. It wasn't full glass like the Pokemon Center in Floaroma, but it was still nice. "Cool doors," I commented.

Inside, it was fairly simplistic. It had a few signs to point the new trainers in the right direction. No fancy colors, no posters except for propaganda, and definitely not many trainers. No wonder. Most people from this year would probably be around Oreburgh by now, and any late bloomers have already registered.

"I have no idea where to go," She said, making me turn to Sarah. She didn't know where to go? As if I was any better. I sighed. "Maybe let's ask those guys? It is an Info Desk."

Clever idea, Sarah.

Following her almost swaying hips, I agreed to her plans. She was my guide, leading the way to my shiny new ID card. If she lead the wrong way, I easily could push her off the edge if need be. I was going to be a trainer. And Trainers could do that. Right?

"Hello? Could you help me and my friend? We're looking to register for the Trainer's Exam. Where do we go for that?" I straightened my back, trying to look more... mature. I was not going to be treated-

"Sure, kids. Second room on the left." A kid, huh? Not a kid! Don't they know who they're dealing with? I was the future champion of Sinnoh, and they treat me like that? I guess they just don't recognize potential when they see it...

"What are you shaking your head for? Let's go, Dragon Boy." Did she just call me Dragon Boy? Well, I guess it would be true, but I plan on catching others!

Readjusting my bag, I followed Sarah as we walked down the hall. Looking ahead, I saw a sign that hung above the door, announcing it as the 'Administration of Registration and Examination'. Now, it was a bit specific, but it was exactly what we were looking for.

Walking through the archway, we were met with a line of desks meant for a whole group of new trainers. Currently, I saw two younger boys taking the test. It was strange, but Pokemon trainers were required to function with disruptions and distractions.

"Um, I don't mean to disturb," I said to a man standing there. "Where do we register for the test? My friend and I were looking to take the exam."

"Well, you two are in the right place. Just over there, you see the lady behind the glass? She's the only administer at the moment, so you two go ahead and talk to her." I glanced nervously at one of the boys. He was busy checking out Sarah, annoyed with me in the picture.

"Thanks sir. Hope I'm not disrupting too much."

"Not at all. You're actually the only ones really to come in, so it's fine." This man was a little off, as if fake, but I passed it off.

"C'mon. Let's go register. Then you can get a Miltank Burger."

"Promise?" I held out my arm to touch forearms, but Sarah just shook my hand bro-style. Not the... expected response. Apparently it was just a Floaroma thing.

We walked into the small off-shoot office labeled as Registration and saw an old lady behind the desk. And she wasn't one of those sweet little Granny. She was like one of those snappy Librarians. She even had a few books beside her.

"So, two more runts thinking they can be the very best, too? You aren't gonna sing that song, are you? The last bunch thought they could demonstrate their trainer skills like that, so you're already out of luck."

"Sorry, but what song? That isn't what we were going to ask you. Do you know, Sarah?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll sing it later for you. So, miss Admin of Registration, we're looking to take the Exam. When can you sign us up for the next test?"

"Well, you could come back at twelve tonight, or tomorrow at nine. Your choice. And better hurry up, because I was getting to the good part. You know, the good scene." A book has a scene? Don't tell me she can't read.

"W-well, what do you wanna choose? I'm up at whatever time." I scratched my head and looked to Sarah. She was biting her lip.

"I don't want to take it tonight, but I'm also not a morning person. I mean, I could take it at nine, but it wouldn't be pretty." The lady laughed and started typing on the computer next to her. Her rolling chair made a sharp noise every time she moved it.

"Honey, being a trainer has nothing to do with being pretty. You've obviously got the looks, not to mention the sizes. If you wanna be a trainer, you'd better shape up quickly. Otherwise he'll have to save your ass every time you have a Period." She laughed while I blushed. I definitely didn't want, or need, to be dragged into this.

"N-now, I'm sure she's very mature and all. She can handle her issues while I deal with mine. So, nine in the morning tomorrow?"

"Righty, kiddo. And be sure to buy extra tampons!" She laughed again and I ducked out of the room, barely dodging the fist that sailed over my head. I could tell a mad Sarah was a bad Sarah.

Still, I couldn't abandon her. We were in this for the long run, it seems. Not gonna cut it if it works fine. I was a little scared of the two tough guys, though...

.

Security quickly handled the situation by detaining Sarah and the insensitive Librarian. We were told to also cough up 400 for damages. If we still wanted to register, it would be another four hundred Poke dollars each. It was a fairly heft price since I didn't have much. It took six hundred out of my wallet since Sarah insisted we split it.

On the other side, I only agreed if she paid for my burger. It was the price for wasting my time and embarrassing me. I didn't tell her that, but she knew she had failed an aspect of the Trainer exam.

So, that's how we both ended up outside eating a twelve dollar burger each, around a trash can/table thing. They were quite large, and definitely worth it for me. I didn't have to pay, after all! Sarah, on the other hand, ate her smaller one with an angry look.

"You gotta lighten up. And the higher people are horrible." I laughed before taking a bite of my burger. It tasted leagues better than my Mother's own cooking. Why didn't we have these in Floaroma?

"She was a bitch. As if I can't take care of myself?! I've gone camping before!" Sarah was still complaining, viciously eating the Miltank patty.

"She is, correction. But that's not the point. The real thing now it this; the Burger! Just how does grease and onion make a simple patty taste so good! I think I wanna eat one every day."

"And I'll stick you with the bill, too!"

"Jeez, I was being sarcastic. No need to snap. Trying to light the mood... You know, I think I have to tell you something..."

"What? This better not be some stupid knock-knock joke."

"No! It isn't even a joke! But you might want to know. Some people might see this as a date." A smile crept over my face as a deep crimson blush covered her face. She responded by throwing her plastic fork at me.

"You're a jerk, you know." My ears grew red. I was being a jerk? I-I didn't mean to be. Was I really?

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings. It was just an attempt to make you happier." I bowed with my palms together. She laughed at me.

"I wasn't serious. Dragon Boy's been spending a bit too long in the country, has he?" The red on my ears spread to my cheeks and I laughed with her. At least she wasn't angry anymore. But she did forfeit her eating utensil. A smirk of victory crossed my face.

"Well, I do believe I win."

"Wait, what did you win?"

"I obviously can eat more of my burger than you can. You no longer have a way to eat yours, so I win. Ha ha!" My laugh suddenly faded when she smirked and picked up her burger. Was that in the rules?

"Let's see if I'm truly a loser, huh?" She promptly took a bite from her hands. It was almost... efficient.

Following my competition's example, I wrapped the paper around the burger and picked it off the table. I left my sad plastic fork forgotten on the table. The next bites were a race to the end.

About the time I was trying to eat the last bites, I found myself regretting my actions. Yes, I was first. But I could feel my gut regretting the entire burger being eaten as fast as I did.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," I groaned, setting aside the last bit of my sandwich. I looked to Sarah's and found her half finished. I made a mistake, didn't I?

"I don't think the Dragon Boy is much different from his Dragon. Don't you think?" Did she really know so much about Deino?

"Why do you call me that? Dragon Boy, I mean."

"Because it sounds cooler than your actual name and it's excuse not to say it. I'll call you something else if you want."

"I guess Dragon Boy is fine! Anything besides that will be worse."

"Hey! I take pride in my nicknames! Don't you like it?" I felt a pain in my gut and I winced.

"Really, it's fine. I was just wondering why you called me Dragon Boy." I mentally examined my stomach, which was grumbling in complaint. Nothing satisfies a Teen stomach...

"You're really looking sick. Wanna head over to the Pokemon Center? I've heard they let new trainers stay one night free. Maybe they can give one-time medical care?"

"Hopefully. But... what about your sandwich?"

"Why do you think I'm holding it? C'mon, then." I wrapped up my meal and threw it in the trash bin the table was built on. "It's your fault, by the way. You're the one who suggested the competition."

"Yeah, I know. Let's just get going before this gets worse. It's really starting to hurt."

.

"Hello, and how may I help the two of you? And may I just add, you both look super cute together!" I was leaning on Sarah by the time we got to the Pokemon Center. The pain felt like my Burger mutated to come alive in my gut. It really hurt!

"We aren't together! He just had too much to eat at lunch today!" I could tell she was blushing as she tried to keep me as far away as possible.

"Oh? And what kind of lunch did you two have? Was it really romantic?" The young nurse joy had light pink hair and a few piercings, as I could see. She was cute in a way, and her voice sold it perfectly.

"Are you even listening?! He's hurt. And we were not on a DATE!" I almost thought about backing away, but it did mean being further from her chest. She held me a bit closer than she thought.

"Whatever you say, sweet cheeks. I guess I'll have to take your boyfriend away, though. You know, just some diagnostics and stuff. Nothing major." I had to keep in the laughter as everyone was teasing Sarah today.

"Good! And he isn't my Boyfriend!" I could feel her temperature as I held my laughter in pain. "Stop laughing, you pig! It isn't funny!"

"Whatever you say, miss. No need to take a joke that way, though." I was slightly saved, at least for the mean time as the pink-haired nurse called a Blissey out with a gurney.

"How do I know you aren't going to do anything weird back there," Sarah asked as I was laid on the mobile bed Gundam. Good thinking, because I had no idea what they were going to do to me. Is she reading my mind?

"Miss, this is a Hospital. Not a brothel. Now calm down and take a seat. We'll be back in a few minutes." What was a brothel? I guess it was something I could search up once I got access to internet. Hopefully I could use a PokeDex to do it once I got mine tomorrow.

The Nursing Pokemon wheeled me through the hall it came through and I felt uncomfortable on the bed. And in my gut. Maybe it was because I was lying still, or maybe it was from leaving Sarah's breasts, but I couldn't place my finger on it...

"Okay, Sir. I'm going to have to ask you to empty all metal objects from your body. It could react with the machine, you know?" I looked down at my pants and realized my jeans had two decorative metal rivets. I couldn't... just remove them, could I? "It's only for medical purposes. Not gonna do anything invasive or anything."

Breathing heavily, I removed all electronic and metal objects from my body. Most was in my pants, but it also included my scarf and hoodie. I was left in my socks, underwear, and shirt. I shivered in embarrassment.

"I know you're in pain, so just lay here on the gurney. I can easily wheel you in." Lying still, the nurse began pushing the gurney with Blissey waddling beside her. I was quickly plunged into darkness, though.

Soon after the door closed behind me, the machine whirred to life. Sensors and lasers scanned my body and lasted for at least two minutes. It also happened to be hot as hell. I sweated and moved around a lot.

Then the door opened, with a breath of cold air blew down my neck and legs. It felt like I'd been in here for at least ten minutes. Were they trying to bake me? I don't think half-eaten Miltank Burger is very good.

"Well, good news is it's done. Bad news is that you have indegestion. You're going to have to stay here in the Poke Center for a night. But I'll give you this." She handed me two pills. "Eat those and your pain should lessen. I'll just let you rejoin your girlfriend. Uh, with your clothes on, of course."

Following the doc's instructions, I swallowed the two green and red pills. It was difficult to do, but not impossible. They mostly dissolved in my mouth, to be honest.

I quickly redressed, though I decided to carry my hoodie and scarf. As I did, the pain began to fade out to a dull ache. It was almost a miracle of technology.

"One last thing. You shouldn't eat anything until tomorrow. As it, twenty four hours. You don't want to make it worse."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy. And, though I hate to ask, I also hate to not. What do I owe you?"

"Oh? Well~. For the extremely low price, I'll say it's free for a kiss. Just one, mind you."

"A k-kiss!? Why would you want a kiss from me?" I backed up towards the wall, though I wasn't really scared of her. It was Sarah I was scared of. She already wanted to hurt me for laughing.

"Let's just say business has been slow. Besides, this will be my first kiss. Don't you want to take the risk and just YOLO? I'll bet you and your girlfriend never kissed yet. Why don't you try it with someone older, just to get some... experience?" The nurse crept forward, almost enticing me.

"S-she isn't my girlfriend. Yet. We only met today. But I'm gonna have to, uh, decline your proposal. I'm not here for a relationship with a nurse."

"Oh? Then what are you here for? It looked to me you like you were here to get a girl. No need to be shy. Just a quick peck?" What was with her? She had to be at least eighteen. Why was she trying to get me to kiss her?

"No. I can't. But maybe next time? Like, save the favor? I know I'll be back through here."

"Are you planning on being a trainer? Did you apply to be one yet?"

"Uh, yeah... Right before I got indigestion to celebrate, I guess..."

"Don't worry. It's free then. You shoulda seen your face. I woulda kissed you if you'd said yes, you know? And you'll be able to go to your test, too. Got it covered." She winked and two-finger saluted me. I laughed nervously. "So what Pokemon you gotz?"

"Uh, "gotz"? Well, I have a Deino. I caught her about two months ago..."

"A Deino, huh? I'd like to see one in battle, then! Now go! Go kiss your girlfriend then." Waving, she pushed me through the door as she wiped everything down with a sterilizing agent. I exhaled heavily. I'd just had the weirdest experiences ever.

"So? Are you better now? Because I am ready to go!" Sarah was waiting right outside of the lobby. I assumed she was getting impatint, so I was glad I'd denied Nurse Joy. If Sarah saw me... Oh yeah. We weren't actually dating. This was the longest I'd been with a girl, period. What a sad life I lead...

"You just gonna stare at me? Quit being a perv. What took you so long? I thought it was just a Diagnostics." I held up my hands in surrender.

"It was! I was put in a machine and then some pills and now I can't feel my stomach and, now that I think about it, why can't I move my pinky?" I tried clenching my hands, but I couldn't feel them very well. My pinkies would not follow my commands.

"Why did she give you some weird pills? What were they? Tell me!"

"Jeez! Why are you so worried! I was gone for ten minutes!"

"Because, who knows... how they treat Pokemon and humans?" Smooth... "So? What did she do to you? Step by step!"

"Back up a second. I don't need you choking me. Can you put me down?" Once I could breathe, I explained most of the details, leaving out her approaches to mah bodeh. I made sound pretty convincing, by my standards.

"Okay, fine," She said, not finding any problems. "So what were the pills? You said one was green, the other was red?"

"She didn't say, but they work. I'd rather not question it."

"Forget it, then... Look, Jubilife is famous for a couple of reasons, I'm sure you know. One is the Poketch company, the other is the famous Shopping Street 8. And I wanna go to both. Tagging along?"

"Sure. The only other things I can do is sleep or sit around. Maybe even annoy randos." She laughed and her seriousness faded. I sighed in relief. So she wasn't angry after all. Whew!

"I guess we should go, then. To Shopping Street 8!" Fist pumping together, we laughed. "Now we go." And together we walked out of the sliding glass doors of the Poke Center.

.

It was an hour later that I began to have problems. Not with my stomach, but in my arms. Since Sarah didn't want to carry most of the things she bought, as she already had a large backpack, I was stuck carrying stuff like a swimsuit she might never wear. I only bought six Pokeballs and a flashlight for the first true test. The Oreburgh Gate.

Other than that, it was great. I couldn't eat, but I certainly didn't want to. I might not have hurt, but I felt full. And I think my arms did, too.

"So, wanna finish up and head to the Poketch company? We might be able to get you a Deino styled one."

"Great, because that's the only reason I'll buy one. I only have enough for a PokeDex now. I'm lucky the Pokeballs were half off."

"No need to be a party pooper," Sarah pouted. "It's just a Poketch, you know?"

"Yeah, but it's just a watch. It doesn't even have any good apps nowadays. I'd rather just have my PokeDex."

"Fine, but your loss is my gain!"

"Just save enough for the Dex? You kinda need one."

"Alright! By Xatu, you sound like my Dad. He's always telling me that."

"Maybe he was right? It does help to plan this stuff out. And where is the Poketch place anyways?"

"We're already here! Were you even looking?" I blushed and felt my ears begin to burn red. I don't know if she tricked me, or I was just an idiot. Either way, I'd just said all that stuff...

"Eh, can we help you two today? Ah, for you miss, I'd recommend a silver and blue Poketch. And for you, young man, a gold and purple. Would you like to see them first before you buy?"

"Woah, woah, woah! Who said I was buying one? I'm just here to help her with her shopping."

"Oh. I see you're definitely a lost cause, then." He began to ignore me entirely, the nerve of some people... "And you, miss? What can I get for you?"

"I'd actually, uh, prefer a white and red one. A male model, as well. Just personal preference."

"But miss, the female models have been fitted one famous models to fit any woman. Please reconsider."

"Sir, am I one of your famous models?"

"N-no, ma'am. But the male model has a larger wrist width and length. It would be better for you to take the female model."

"Then you're a sexist pig. Give me my request and I'll save my complaint until I get back to the Poke Center."

"Very well, then. I'll be right back." Under his breath, I could swear I heard him say, "bitch" but I wasn't so sure. Not the right time...

Returning, the man handed her the Poketch she requested and directed us to the checkout counter.

.

We returned around three in the afternoon. Sarah apparently had more money than I gave her credit for. Like, rich parents or something. It also made myself feel poor. I don't like poor...

Together, by using our Pokemon as our ID, we were able to get one night in the Poke Center's housing. We were also each given a pair of new grey sweatpants and a white tee. They were for us to wear while our usual clothes were washed.

With a set of new clothes and an armful of bags, I followed Sarah as we climbed up the stairs to our rooms.

"Why didn't we rent the room before going out?" Sarah still had her backpack, along with two of her bags from shopping.

"Who was it who wanted to just go?" She groaned as we climb the second flight of stairs to the next story.

"Which one was ours again? I forgot."

"You were the one leading the way! Ugh, it's 302 and 303." Luckily I had heard those numbers. The key cards given to us looked exactly the same, while only the encryption on the back mattered. Walking up to 302, I waited for Sarah to unlock the door.

"You can just put my stuff on the bed. I'll pack it later." As we stepped inside, I saw it was a fairly well sized room. And it has a mini fridge?! What kind of Poke Center is this?

"You just gonna stand there? Your room looks exactly the same, so no need to gawk at it."

Nodding, I walked into the room. It had a single bed and, though well decorated, was obviously only meant for one trainer.

Setting the bags and boxes on the bed, I pulled my arms cleanly out of all the bags' loops. A single line of worthless junk sat before me.

"I'm going over to my own room," I said, feeling tired. It had been a long day for me, having only left home this morning. Of course, I didn't really expect this much to happen in the first place.

"I'll just be here until dinner."

"I can't have dinner. Doctor's orders."

"Aww... You really are a party pooper."

"Whatever," I sighed as I closed the door. Going across the hall, I pulled out my own key card and slipped it across the reader. It opened the door and I stepped in.

True to her words, my room was very similar, but it was mirrored. I slipped off my shoes and satchel, dropping them by the door.

Lying on the bed, I could feel myself slipping. I couldn't blame my body. It had been through a lot because of my choices. I closed my eyes and decided to take a quick nap...

---

Well, it's done. He's got a companion. Sorry it's a little rough, but I'm just going with whatever comes to mind.

Now that I've written and had my fun, I do believe I'll sleep. If you liked the chapter, please leave a review. It really helps me continue writing.

Now, LowePlays signing out.