Track 7 - All I Need

Braedon remained in Aspertia City for a couple of days after his battle with Cheren. After getting lectured by his mentor, he felt that he didn't need to rush to the next gym. Asa and Mariella were successful in getting their own badges; both did it with a team of two Pokémon.

The three eventually parted ways, and one by one, they left Aspertia City. They all had the same destination, but they knew that if they traveled separately, then they'd feel independent.

Braedon arrived in Virbank City right before sundown. It was roughly a day's walk to get there from Aspertia City. Virbank City was a large city, one of the most populated cities in all of Unova besides Castelia City. It was a port city, where a lot of cargo from foreign regions was shipped, contained, and distributed throughout Unova. In the southern end of the city was a massive turnpike, which served as a fast way for people to get to and from Virbank to Castelia by train, bike, or bus.

Braedon was eager to battle with Roxie, the gym leader, but Cheren's words echoed in his mind. He knew that he couldn't force Oshawott to do it alone. He needed to catch something else.

This brought him to the underbelly and edge of the turnpike, an area of the city that was labeled as the Virbank Complex. No one could find wild Pokémon in the city, but dozens of them roamed and lived in the complex. It was especially full of Pokémon from foreign regions, as a lot of them would sneak onto the cargo ships and then never make their way back home.

A lot of Pokémon used empty tanks and abandoned vehicles as their homes. Had wild Pokémon not made it a sanctuary of sorts, then the government would have made a better effort to keep the complex clean. At least, this was their excuse for not doing anything about the pollution.

"So, Roxie uses Poison-type Pokémon. If I can get a Poison-type of my own or a Steel-type Pokémon, that should match up pretty well," Braedon thought aloud. "There are supposed to be Magnemite living in this area now. I think that'd be perfect."

He lifted his Poké Ball and released Oshawott. Once the light from the Poké Ball dissipated from the Pokémon, he shook and smiled at his trainer.

"Let's go find a new team member. You ready?" Braedon asked.

Oshawott nodded and then looked around the area.

The two continued under the turnpike, walking along the side of tall grass. Braedon was short for his age, so if he went into the tall grass, it was hard for him to see anything that might attack him. If he and Oshawott stayed on the outside, he could at least use the road as an escape route.

To their left, some of the tall grass started to rustle. Braedon stopped walking, and Oshawott prepared to fight. He grabbed his scalchop and held it out with his small arms.

Then suddenly, a small silver Pokémon with two horseshoe-shaped magnets on either side of its body emerged from the grass. Static emitted from its body. Upon seeing the Pokémon, Braedon's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers in excitement.

"That's it! Magnemite!"

The Pokémon lazily looked at Oshawott and Braedon. It slowly turned around and started to float away.

"Hey! Wait! We're supposed to catch you!" Braedon exclaimed. "Oshawott, Razor Shell!"

Aquatic energy formed around Oshawott's scalchop. He dashed forward and waved the scalchop around, making it look like a blade. He leaped into the air and swiped, hitting Magnemite from behind. The Electric-type descended slightly, but its natural magnetic force kept it from hitting the ground. It turned around and glared at Oshawott.

The static around its body increased in intensity, and it unleashed a burst of sparks from its magnets. The sparks connected with Oshawott, making him screech. When the attack stopped, Oshawott stumbled backward.

"Oshawott! Are you okay?" Braedon asked.

Oshawott took in a deep breath and then growled. He glared at Magnemite and waved around his scalchop, determined to continue fighting until the Pokémon was caught.

"That's the attitude!" Braedon cheered. But then, his enthusiasm was quickly sucked away.

One of Magnemite's comrades floated out from the tall grass. The two were joined by one more, and then one by one, dozens of the Pokémon made their presence known.

"Oh no," Braedon muttered.

"Osha!" the small Pokémon shouted. Although he was outnumbered and at a type disadvantage, he didn't care. He focused all of his energy into his scalchop and whipped the water around. The group of Magnemite appeared unbothered.

"I don't think so!" Braedon shouted. He lifted his Poké Ball and withdrew Oshawott before he did anything he'd regret. He looked at the group of Pokémon and turned around. His legs shook violently, and his heart beat heavy enough to feel as though it was going to rip from his chest. He let adrenaline and the need to live carry him as he dashed down the road.

The Magnemite did not follow. Instead, they waited for Braedon to disappear. Once the trainer was gone, they dispersed. The lazy expression returned to the original Magnemite's singular eye, and he returned to his busy day of carelessly floating around.

Once Braedon felt like his legs could no longer carry him, he collapsed. He managed to run away from the tall grass, and he ended up in an entirely different part of the complex. This area was filled with trainers, all battling and practicing with their Pokémon. He could tell that most of them were relatively new trainers, as their Pokémon were all unevolved. The battles all utilized basic attacks. Had one particular trainer stood out above the rest, others would have been lining up for a battle. Braedon hoped to one day be that trainer.

But, as of now, he couldn't even manage to catch a single Magnemite. In fact, he ran away. He gripped at Oshawott's Poké Ball tightly. Had it not held his Pokémon, he would have squeezed it even tighter. He was unsure if the Pokémon could feel the pressure, and he didn't want to risk it. He loosened his grip.

He peered around the complex. Although there were trainers battling, the wild Pokémon in the area did not appear bothered. In fact, a few of them appeared interested in the humans and their Pokémon.

Braedon eyed one of the trainers that wasn't battling. He wanted to throw his Poké Ball forward and immediately jump into a battle, but he thought better of it. He came to the complex with a specific mission. He needed to catch a Pokémon. And if he were to run into a thousand Magnemite like before, he was sure that the friendly trainers around would at least assist him in battle.

He walked around the small battlefields, finding an abandoned vehicle. He could hear something inside the vehicle, so he slowly approached it. If he felt his hair begin to stand up from static, he would have immediately turned and walked away. Instead, he felt heat coming from within the vehicle. He reached his hand out and put his finger on its metallic surface. Immediately, he recoiled.

"That's hot!" he screeched.

Something clanged on the inside of the vehicle, and a small Pokémon peeked its head out.

"Bee?" it cooed.

Braedon looked at his burnt finger and then stuck it in his mouth, trying to find any way to cool down. With his free hand, he pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the new Pokémon.

"Magby, the Live Coal Pokémon. It's small, but its body temperature is over 1,100 degrees F. Embers escape its mouth and nose when it breathes," Braedon's white Pokédex chimed.

"It might be easier for me to catch a Fire-type. Then, I can have Magby help me catch the Magnemite," Braedon thought as he tucked his Pokédex away. He pulled out Oshawott's ball once again and released the Water-type.

"Osha!" Oshawott cried out as he came to the field. He instantly grabbed his scalchop and waved it around.

Magby smiled and climbed out of the vehicle. He spit embers from his mouth and slightly lowered his body. He was ready for a fight.

"We can finish this one quickly! Use Water Gun!" Braedon ordered.

Oshawott reeled back and opened his mouth. With a loud shout, he unleashed a straight and powerful stream of water from the back of his throat. But before it could reach Magby, the Fire-type released a black ball of smoke from his mouth. The ball imploded, covering their battlefield with smoke.

"Oh no!"

"Mag-bee!" the Pokémon cried out. He leaped from the top of the smoke and did a front roll. Flames emerged from his body as he descended toward Oshawott.

"Fight back with Razor Shell!"

Oshawott held out his scalchop, which became surrounded with aquatic energy. He swung as soon as Magby got close, but the momentum of the Fire-type's fall won the power struggle. Oshawott was thrown backward but immediately rolled to the side and stood up.

"Bee-bee!" Magby shouted. He sucked in air and released small pellets of fire from his mouth.

"Water Gun!" Braedon ordered.

Oshawott glared and released his attack once again. This time, he had the advantage. His stream of water immediately extinguished Magby's attack and then sprayed the Pokémon in the face. Magby was knocked into the air and returned to the ground with a hard thud.

"Now's our chance!" Braedon exclaimed as he grabbed a fresh Poké Ball from his belt. "Go, Poké Ball!"

He threw the ball across the small battlefield. It connected with Magby and slowly absorbed him with a red light. The ball fell to the ground and wriggled from side to side. Braedon smiled and sighed with relief. He walked to the ball, but before he could get too close, it exploded, and Magby emerged.

"Bee!" the Pokémon cried out. He shot a glare at Braedon and turned his focus to Oshawott. Without any more warning, he surrounded himself with flames once again and barreled forward.

"Razor Shell!" Braedon desperately screamed.

Luckily for him, Oshawott was ready for the command. He jabbed his scalchop outward while digging his right foot into the ground behind him. Magby connected, and the two struggled momentarily, but this time, Oshawott won the struggle. With one last shove, Magby was thrown back. The Fire-type hit the ground, and his body was left sprawled out.

"Alright, now!" Braedon exclaimed as he threw one more Poké Ball.

The button on the ball connected directly with Magby, and it opened. Magby was absorbed with the red light once again, and the ball fell to the ground. It slowly rocked back and forth, and this time, Braedon stood still. He wanted to fetch the ball as soon as it stopped moving, but he didn't want to jinx his chances of catching the Pokémon.

Then, the ball stopped moving.

Braedon sighed and held his arms up. "We did it! We caught a-"

"Mag-bee!" the Pokémon shouted as he burst forth from the ball one more time.

"No," Braedon muttered. He lowered his arms, and his shoulders slumped. "What is wrong? Why can't I catch you? Why can't I catch a Pokémon?"

"Oshawott! Osha!" his Pokémon exclaimed. Oshawott ran so that he stood in between his trainer and Magby. The Fire-type looked at the two of them. He rocked back and forth as he tried to find his footing.

Braedon watched his Pokémon, and he felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest. "You're right! We can't give up! Oshawott, use Focus Energy!"

Oshawott cried out as orange chi encircled his body. Magby's eyes widened. He took one step forward and groaned. He knew that he was on the verge of fainting, but he wasn't going to get caught by some weak trainer. He shouted, releasing small embers from his mouth. The embers flew across the small field and rapidly connected with Oshawott. However, the Water-type tried to not let it bother him.

"Let's give it one more go! Use Water Gun!" Braedon ordered.

The orange chi was absorbed by Oshawott's body. His eyes glowed with power, and he launched an intense stream of water from his mouth. Magby wanted to reply with another Smokescreen attack, but his body wouldn't allow him to move. Instead, he took the strike and was flung into the air. He hit the ground violently, and his body couldn't even manage a twitch.

Braedon pulled one more Poké Ball from his belt. He looked at it and gripped it tightly. With one more throw, this time with a little bit extra strength, he chucked the ball as precisely as he could. It connected with Magby and immediately absorbed it. When it came to the ground, it wobbled weakly from side to side.

Braedon watched on closely. He refused to blink. He refused to breathe. He didn't want there to be any chance that he couldn't catch the Pokémon.

And then, the ball stopped moving. It let out a soft ding. Magby had been caught.

Braedon remained still. Slowly, his mouth became agape. He wanted to run forward and collect his Poké Ball, but now that he had actually managed to catch Magby, he found that his feet wouldn't move.

Oshawott turned to look at Braedon. He cocked his head, unsure of why his trainer stayed put.

Braedon could feel tears welling up. He wiped them away with his sleeve, took in a deep breath, and walked to the Poké Ball. With knelt, picked it up, and held it high.

"We did it! We caught a Magby!" he exclaimed excitedly. Oshawott bounced up and down around him.

"Oshawott! Osha!" the Pokémon said. He started to shadowbox in the direction from which they came.

Braedon looked at Magby's ball and smiled. He shook his head while he tucked the ball onto his trainer's belt. "I know. You want a rematch with those Magnemite. Maybe Magby could help us. But, I think we should appreciate what we have now!"

"Osha?"

"I know. I'm sorry. But, we need to first get Magby to a Pokémon Center. Magnemite can come later!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

One reason why I started writing fanfiction so long ago was because I moved to Kyushu (souther part of Japan), and I could see what Hoenn was based on. From that point on, I've really enjoyed writing for other regions. I get to look up what each place is based on, and I can kind of have fun mixing what the games/anime does along with the real-world location. I really like describing the cities of Unova and Sinnoh.

But, one predicament that I run into a lot is whether or not cars should be in the Pokémon world. I mean, a lot of cars. It feels like it is missing from the anime and games.

REVIEWS

Besprizornye - "Well, I am caught up and very much enjoying how this story is developing! I realy admire the job you've done giving Braedon and Leinani such distinct personalities with both strengths and foibles. In particular, I think that you're strategy of developing them separately before throwing the two trainers together is going to pay off since you've already rounded them out so well on their own that each does not require a counterpart to define him or her. As for how they'll get along, well, I'm sure that there will be plenty of friction, just as you intended!" - Oh, they're gonna hate each other. Haha