After Wes has successfully escaped Team Snatch's headquarters, he and his two Pokémon has made a stop to what looks like a broken locomotive, so it's being used as a gas station. It's the Outskirt Stand in which, traveling Pokémon Trainers makes a stop. Parked in front is a truck with a burlap sack in the back.
Stepping out of the Outskirt Stand are two men. They were not aware of Wes's presence.
One of the men is wearing an odd-shaped hat. He also wore red sunglasses an orange vest on top of a blue shirt, dark gray pants and black shoes with gray at the front.
The other man is wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt, light blue pants, brown fingerless gloves, a turqoiuse arm piece. He also wore red sunglasses. He burped.
"We sure ate like a Munchlax, eh? I love chowing down after a job! It adds to the flavor, I swear!" The man in the blue sunglasses said. The man with the blue sunglasses chuckled.
"And we bagged ourselves a great big catch, too. Boss'll be sure to fix us up good with big rewards, too," the man with the red sunglasses said as he chuckled again. "It doesn't get any better than this!" They get to their vehicle and drove off. Wes didn't pay any mind to what they were talking about, so he entered inside. Once he did, he saw the news cover of Wes's attack of Team Snatch's hideout.
"Authorities have made a stunning announcement on the mysterious building that exploded in Elco Canyon. It was Team Snatch's hideout. Team Snatch is a gang of Pokémon abductors who have already been marked for arrest. The hideout was discovered only as a result of the explosion. By the time police arrived, the ruined building had already been abandoned. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. It should become apparent eventually," the news lady reported.
The patrons were talking among themselves about the attack on Team Snatch. Wes knew Gonzap wouldn't be easy for capture, so he and the rest of Snatch are probably already looking for a new hideout by now, but he also knew they will be coming for him, so he had to be ready for them when they do.
"I gotta say, it's about time someone did something on those bastards for all the hell they put us through from day one," a man said.
"I agree. There's no forgiving Team Snatch for stealing Pokémon from Trainers. They don't deserve one single shred of forgiveness. I'd give a 'hip, hip, hooray' if they were wiped out with their wrecked hideout," a woman said.
Among the patrons is a young man with dark pink hair who wore a brown shirt with red and yellow linings and blue jeans with red, fire marks at the bottom of the leggings, and yellow at the crotch. He wore brown boots. here was a large man running the stand when he noticed Wes coming in.
"Hey, I haven't seen you around here before," the large man said.
"Just passing by," Wes said.
"Not really surprising. I get that a lot," the large man said. "Can I get you anything?"
"Just some water with ice," Wes said.
"On the way," the large man said, preparing a glass for him. He poured the water in a glass and hands it to Wes. "Water's free." Wes took the water and he started to drink it. The pink haired young man walked up to Wes.
"Hey, you're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you?" The young man asked.
"Why does it matter that I am?" Wes asked.
"I just have an eye for these sort of things," Wes said.
"Good for you," Wes said.
"Since you're a Pokémon Trainer, I am challenging you into a double battle, outside of the stand, and I'm not taking no for an answer," the young man said.
"If it'll get you to shut up, I can take you up on that offer," Wes said, drinking his water.
"Great! The name's Willie!" Willie introduced himself. After Wes had his drink, he and WIllie stepped out to have their battle. Willie took out a couple of Repeat Balls and threw them. "Go! Zigzagoon and Linoone!" His Repeat Balls opened and his Zigzagoon and Linoone both came out, ready to battle. Wes took out his two Pokéballs and threw them.
"Go! Espeon and Umbreon!" Wes called out. Espeon and Umbreon emerged from inside, ready to battle.
"Zigzagoon, Linoone! Both of you use Tackle!" Willie ordered. Both Pokémon charged right at Espeon and Umbreon in order to land a hit.
"Espeon! Use Confusion! Umbreon! Use Secret Power!" Wes ordered. Espeon and Umbreon unleashed their attacks and lands a hit onto the both of them, easily taking them out. Willie was shocked to see that he lost the battle with just one hit from each one.
"Wiped out. I need more seasoning," Willie said. He called his Zigzagoon and Linoone back and laughed a bit. "But, yeah, real tough. You did a real number on us. Say, I know, why don't you head out and sharpen your skills over in Phenac City. It's out west of here. You'll find some Trainers who are better than me in battle."
"Phenac City, huh? Okay, I'll check it out," Wes said. He got in his vehicle and began to drive off through the desert. He arrived in Phenac City, and it is a small city abounded with water. He spotted the same men from earlier with the same sack as before.
"Hey, what are you doing? Get a grip, man!" The man with the blue sunglasses said.
"Yeah, you say that, but this..." The man with the red sunglasses paused. "It won't stop squirming! Makes it tough to hold on!" He looked at the sack. "Okay, okay. Settle down in there. Just be quiet a little longer!"
A voice suddenly erupted from inside the sack, catching Wes's attention.
"Mgflpmmmmgg... Beh! Help! Someone let me out! Kidnappers!" A girl's voice screamed. This grabs Wes's attention.
"Tch! That tape didn't keep her trap shut!" The man wearing the red sunglasses exclaimed. "Hey, quit shouting!" The man wearing the blue sunglasses spotted Wes in the same area as them.
"Oh, crap! Did that punk just hear all that?!" The man wearing the blue sunglasses exclaimed.
"Yeah, I heard everything you two geeks said and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what you're up to," Wes said. The two men walked up to him.
"Since you you overheard us, we don't have any choice. Blame it on your bad luck," the man with the blue sunglasses said.
"And you would be?" Wes asked.
"The name's Trudy," the man wearing the red sunglasses said.
"And I'm Folly. Now, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Folly said, taking out two of his Pokéballs and threw them. "I choose you, Whismur!" His Pokéballs opened up and two Whismur emerged from inside. Wes took out his own Pokéballs and threw them.
"Espeon, Umbreon! Go!" Wes called out. Espeon and Umbreon both emerged from inside, ready to battle.
"Whismur! Use Uproar!" Folly ordered. The two Whismur unleashed a series of sounds, going wild and heads right towards the both of them.
"Umbreon! Use Snarl! Espeon! Use Confusion!" Wes ordered.
Espeon and Umbreon unleashed their attacks and they took out the two Whisper Pokémon with just one hit, much to Folly's dismay.
"Gaah! You're tougher than you look!" Folly exclaimed. "You took out my Whismur... You're no ordinary Trainer, are you?!" He looked right at Wes's face. "Huh? Wait a sec..." He took a good look at Wes and he gasped when he realized who just beaten him. "That face... You might be... Team Snatch's..."
"I used to be," Wes said.
Hearing the commotion, a woman and a young man came rushing to the scene.
"What, what?! What's going on here?!" The young man exclaimed. The woman shrieked when she saw the sack.
"Somebody! Robbers! They're robbers!" The woman exclaimed. Trudly turned to the woman.
"Y-You shut up! We're no robbers! We're kidnappers Get it? Kidnappers!" Trudly said. Folly ran up to his accomplice and placed his hand over his mouth.
"You dingbat! Don't shoot off your mouth!" Folly said. He turned to Wes with a galre. "Don't get happy all just on account of winning this once," Folly said. "The next time we meet, I'll trash you, your Pokémon, and all!"
"Hope you put up a better fight until then," Wes said. Trudly and Folly ran off, leaving their vehicle behind them.
Once they were far enough, they made a stop to catch their breath.
"I don't believe this! I got my ass handed to me by that guy! And to make matters worse, the witness slipped through our fingers," Folly panted. "He's going to have our heads for this!"
"We got no choice but to inform Miror B about this," Trudly said. Folly looked right at Trudly like he was crazy.
"You can't be serious, can you?!" Folly exclaimed.
"Look, Miror B and the other higher-ups are gonna find out about our little set-back when he asks us why we don't have her with us like we reported. Chances are, we're going to get hold of the girl again, and we'll beat that guy with a little extra we've been holding back," Trudly said. Folly just grinned.
"Guess you're right. He won't stand a chance," Folly said.
Back in Phenac City, Wes, called back his two partners and he walked up to the sack.
"Yuck, there's someone inside it. Can you believe some people?" The young man asked.
"Think you help the person out?" The woman asked.
Wes said nothing as he went to undo the knot, and out of the sack is a girl with orange hair in pigtails, and blue eyes. She wore a black choker with a moon on it. She also wore a purple top that exposed her midriff, a white skirt that almost reached her knees, pink boots, and black socks. Wes was awestruck by her appearance. His cheeks slightly turned pink.
"Phew! Thank goodness. I'm saved!" The girl happily exclaimed. She looked around and she didn't recognized her surroundings. "...Where is this? Where did those two bring me?"
"This is Phenac City, the opulent city of water," the woman answered. She turned to Wes. "This person saved you from those thugs." Wes turned his head, still blushing.
"It's true. You're just lucky I was at the right place at the right time," Wes said.
"The way he battled those goons, it was truly superb! I wish you could have seen it!" The young man said.
"Oh? Is that so? Thank you! And... Uh... You are?" The girl asked.
"Wes," Wes simply answered.
"Wes. That's a good name," the girl said. She looked right at his face and saw he was blushing.
"Okay, now it's your turn. You know my name, so I might as well know yours, too," Wes said.
"My name's Rui. I'm glad I met you!" Rui said.
"How did you end up getting caught by those two stooges anyway?" Wes asked.
"I was in the neighboring town when those two grabbed me..." Rui explained and then paused. She gasped when she remembered something very important. "Oh! Those guys, did they use a peculiar Pokémon?" Wes looked at her funny as did the woman and the young man.
"A peculiar Pokémon? No, they looked like ordinary Pokémon to me. What do you mean by peculiar Pokémon?" The young man asked. Rui set her attention on the young man.
"Oh... No... No, that's fine, then," Rui said.
"Well, it's easy to see something's on your mind. You should go see our mayor for his advice," the woman suggested. "He's a very kindly person. I'm sure he'll help you somehow."
"Okay, the mayor. Any idea where we can get in touch with him?" Wes asked.
"The mayor's house is near the fountain square past here. Go up from the square on your left," the woman instructed.
"Okay. The mayor might know something," Rui said. She turned to Wes. "Hey, Wes... I know I'm imposing, but I don't have anyone else I can turn to. Please, can I get you to escort me for a while?" Wes looked at her face, but mostly into her eyes. For some reason, he wanted to get to know this girl, so he couldn't refuse her request.
"Okay, you can stick around if that's what you want," Wes said This made Rui happy.
"Thank you, Wes! Eheh, I thought you might say that! If you're with me, Wes, it won't matter if those guys come back again! Thanks for joining me for a while!" Rui said, hugging him. Wes was blushing in a deep shade of red, but he liked it.
"She's so soft," Wes said in his thoughts. She stopped hugging him and she blushed when she realized what she just did.
"Sorry, I got carried away," Rui apologized.
"It's fine," Wes said, still blushing.
Could it be love at first sight? Rui has joined Wes for the time-being (you be the judge on that). But what is the peculiar Pokémon Rui was talking about earlier, and what does the mayor know? Find out when we continue on with the story.