AN: Enjoy the chapter,
Ch 2 A Strange Encounter
Steven blinks at the girl he crashed into, the wind blew through her hair causing him to blush red. He was unable to move, mesmerized by this black-haired girl.
Helena was also blushing; the wind blew through her hair showing her beauty. She couldn't help but look at the strange colored haired boy,
Both were unable to speak until two more people arrive at the scene. "See? What did I tell you, dude? You have gotten yourself hurt and-great you crashed into another trainer." A teenage boy with sky blue hair and sky blue eyes stood above the boulder that his friend jumped over.
The boy wore a white shirt with light orange designs spread across it. He also wore green khaki pants and white shoes with the top orange and a green strap over them, the bottom was a lighter orange like the foot hole.
A chubby yellow Pokemon with red rings on his cheek and black fur on his hands ran next to the new boy. "Makuhita," He responded.
Another boy showed himself, leaping off the boulder. He has teal blue hair with two strands sticking out and forest green eyes. He wore a simple light blue shirt with the collars sticking out and white streams depicting the outlines. White pants just below the knees and light blue slip-on shoes on his feet. "Are you okay?"
A white arm with a red eye floated down to Steven, tapping on his shoulders. "Beldum?" He asked his trainer.
"Y-Yeah, I'm alright." Steven shook his head, smiling at his partner. "Thanks for asking, Beldum, and you too Wallace-"
Wallace sighs, rolling his eyes. "I wasn't talking to you, Steven. I was talking to this fair maiden you happen to crash into." He held out his hand, offering his help to her. "Let me help you up,"
Helena shook her head, coming out of her trance. Looking at the boys that just showed up out of nowhere, "Oh, I'm alright. Thank you," She reaches out to Wallace's hand, standing on her feet.
Steven frowns, looking at his friend that offered this girl his help. "I'm here too, you know." He states, getting up on his own. "You could at least help me after her," He looks at Brawly, watching on top of the boulder.
"You as well, Brawly. You could've lent a hand." Steven scolded the young surfer.
Brawly chuckles, kneeling down on the boulder. "Hey, I was not the one who crashed into her like an idiot." The young surfer stated,
"Makuhita!" Makuhita gave his trainer a high-five at what he said.
"Yeah, that was a good one Makuhita!" Brawly laughs, ignoring Steven's grumbles.
Wallace sighs, looking at the girl before him. "Sorry about Steven. He's prone to act before thinking," He apologizes on his friend's behalf.
"N-No, it was my fault for standing in his way." Helena looks at the boy, Steven petting the Iron Ball Pokemon. He turns his head over to her, hearing what she said causing her to jump.
Steven walks over to the girl, "No, it's my fault. I should've listened to my friends and watched where I was going." He stops in front of her,
The Steel-blue-haired boy inclines his head, "I'm sorry that I crashed into you," he apologizes to her.
Both Wallace and Brawly nodded, satisfied that Steven admits to his mistake.
Helena blushes at the sight of Steven inclining his head to her. "It's fine…Steven, right?" She asked seeing him facing her properly.
"That's right, Steven Stone." The trainer held out his hand, smiling at her. "It's nice to meet you…"
Helena obliges the trainer, shaking his hand. "Helena, Helena Potter." She introduces herself to the boy.
Steven smiles, "Helena," He said with a small blush, he snaps out of it when he heard Wallace clearing his throat. "Oh, um. The guys behind me are-"
Wallace smiles, taking over his friend's introduction. "I'm Wallace and the guy on the boulder is Brawly with his partner, Makuhita." The young trainer introduced themselves to the girl.
"Makuhita!" The Guts Pokemon waved his fist at the girl.
Brawly saluted at her, giving Helena a smirk. "Sup, dudette."
Helena smiles at the boys, being nice on their first meeting. "Beldum," She saw the Iron Ball Pokemon tapping on Steven's shoulder, gaining his attention. The teen giggled, seeing the Steel-type attempting to get his trainer to introduce himself to him.
Steven chuckles, patting his partner gently on his side, "Alright, alright, easy there Beldum." The Steel-blue haired boy looks at Helena, "This here is Beldum, my partner and longest friend. He wanted me to introduce him to you."
"It's nice to meet you, Beldum." Helena smiles at the Steel-type.
Beldum's eye closes, happily responding to her greeting. "Beldum!"
"Seems Beldum took a liking to you, Helena." Steven watches as Beldum floats around her with glee.
Helena chuckles, watching the Pokemon float around her. "Really? I never met that many Pokemon before. This is my first time seeing them like this." She commented, petting the top of Beldum's head.
"Really? That's interesting." Steven commented, watching the two interact.
Brawly and Makuhita jump down from the boulder, standing next to Wallace. "It seems that Beldum isn't the only one taking a liking to Helena, right bro?" He nudges Wallace's arm.
"Indeed, I'm interested in how this will turn out for Stevie." Wallace chuckles, seeing the two laugh together at Beldum's cries.
"Hey! When I told you to wait up, I mean it!" A scratchy female voice called out to the boys, "You know that Roxanne isn't athletic as you all are!"
"Flannery! I am athletic, just not as much." Another female voice cried in a softer tone.
Helena looks up, hearing the voices of girls approaching the area.
The first was a red-eyed and hair girl, tied in a wild ponytail. She wore a red sleeveless shirt with a black flame symbol in the center. Black pants with a red belt and flames on the bottom of each leg hole. Finally, she has a black and white arm bracelet on her left arm; black sneakers with red and white stripes on each side.
The other girl has pink eyes and brown hair tied in pigtails being held by a pink ribbon. She wore a white shirt with a pendant around her collar. Over it was a light brown vest with three hexagons in a darker brown color. She also wore a black skirt with pink leggings and brown shoes.
The red-haired girl blinks, seeing Helena next to Steven. "Steven what did you do this time?" Flannery asked the trainer.
"Knowing Steven, he might've crashed into her when doing that leap." Roxanne sighs, assuming that was the case.
"You got it there, Roxy." Wallace looks up at the model student.
Roxanne sighs, placing her hand on her head at Steven's actions. "Not again, this is like the third time this month," She stated,
A boulder with a red nose and arms waddled over to Roxanne, "Nosepass."
The brunette looks down at her partner, blinking at him. "So it's not the third time this month, Nosepass?" Roxanne asked the Compass Pokemon.
Nosepass nodded, jumping four times. "Pass, Nose."
Flannery scoffs, catching what Roxanne's partner was indicating. "So it was like four times this month." She groans at the number. "Seriously Steven, you need to be careful."
Brawly laughs at the red-haired girl scolding Steven. "Really Flannery? That's rich coming from you." He commented, placing his arms behind his head.
"Eh? What does that suppose to mean, Brawly!?" Flannery growls at the young surfer.
"Nothing of a sort." Brawly whistles, avoiding a conflict with her.
Wallace held his chin, eyeing the sky-blue-haired boy. "Real nice, Brawly. Real subtle there." He said, seeing his friend shrugging his shoulders.
Steven sighs, turning the Helena, "Sorry about my friends, Helena. They're a unique bunch if you can't already tell." He said.
"I can, I too use to have friends like those at my home. But it was small." Helena commented, watching them interact.
The Steel-type Pokemon floated next to Steven, sensing a bit of sadness from her. "Beldum,"
"You said that you used to have friends in your home." Steven restates what she said, "Can I ask, what are you doing here in Petalburg Forest alone?" He asked, trying not to be rude.
Helena jumps, unsure how to answer the Steel-blue-haired boy's question. "Um, you see…well…" She stops, hearing her stomach growl. Her face blushed, embarrassed that everyone heard that. "I-I'm sorry, that was rude of me. I haven't eaten anything yet and I was hoping to exchange the gems that I have so I can buy food and…"
Steven held his hand out, unsure how to answer the former Witch. "H-Hey, d-don't do that. I bet that growling came from me too." The trainer stated, "I didn't eat breakfast at the cafeteria and ran out here to look for Pokemon (And maybe some Stones), but you got nothing to worry about!"
Roxanne looks at Flannery still at it with Brawly before looking at Steven and this girl. "Nosepass, come on." She slides down from the boulder with Nosepass and walks past Wallace.
"Mmm? Roxanne?" Wallace looks at the youngest of the group, walking up to Helena and Steven.
Helena turns to the new girl, coming up to them. "Hey, I'm Roxanne, do you want to join us for a late lunch? We've prepared extras just in case this one needs it." Roxanne motions to Steven who blushed at the comment.
"H-Hey!"
Helena giggles, seeing Steven's blushed face. "Okay, I'm a bit peckish too."
Roxanne smiles, jumping back. "Great! Glad to have you," She turns to Flannery and Brawly still at it with each other. "Hey, Brawly, Flannery, help us set up camp! It's lunchtime,"
They both looked at each before facing away. "Fine,"
"Come on, if everyone helps, we can start eating." Roxanne smiles, removing her bag and placing it on the ground.
Helena turns to Steven, unsure what to do. "Um, I don't know how to help. It's my first time doing this…"
Steven blinks before smiling. "I'll show you how don't worry."
Wallace took out the packed sandwiches from his bag, he watches as Steven showed Helena the ropes to set up a camp.
Roxanne took out some canned soup and a pot before heading to the firepit. "Hey, Roxanne. What do you think of Helena?" the teal-haired boy asked his friend.
"Mmm? I think she's nice," Roxanne looks at Helena, helping Steven. "I mean, she didn't react when Steven introduced himself. Stone is a pretty big name in the World," She commented.
"I guess setting things for lunch is a way to get to know her better then." Wallace smirks, looking down at his friend, "Nice call there, Roxanne."
Roxanne places the soup cans on the table, she turns to the teal-haired trainer. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Wallace." The brunette smiles, letting Flannery take the soup and the pot.
Torkoal made his way over to the fire site, lighting it to warm the pot. "Torkoal," He calls his partner over, telling her the fire is ready.
"Thanks, Torkoal, you're the best." Flannery places the pot on the small makeshift stove and poured the soup.
Once their lunch was ready, they all gathered around the pot to eat the soup.
"Mmm-mmm, gub time!" Brawly rubbed his hands together, sitting in front of the fire. He reached out to lift the cover of the pot only to be slapped away.
"Hey, no touchy Brawly." Flannery scolded, taking bowls and placing them on a rock. "We need to treat our guest first," The red-haired girl smiles at Helena.
"Torkoal!"
"Makuhita!"
"Beldum!"
"Nosepass."
Brawly looks at their Pokemon, agreeing with the future Gym Leader as they eat their food. "You guys too? Fine, I'll wait my turn." He grumbles,
Helena shook her hands at the trainers, "Oh no, you can go first Brawly. I'm sure you-"
"Stop it, you are our guest and we must treat you so." Wallace folded his legs, smiling softly at her. "That's our code in this little group,"
Flannery scoffs, pouring soup into the bowl. "Yeah, most of us follow it." Her eyes motions to the sky-blue-haired boy, waiting for his turn. She handed the bowl over to Helena, watching her take it.
Soon Flannery gave everyone some soup, leaving Brawly for last as punishment. "Alright, everyone got their bowl?" She asked around, seeing each pair of hands filled. "Then-"
"Let's eat!" Everyone cried, digging in their food.
Helena jumps, following everyone's example. "Let's eat," She tasted the soup, her eyes widening at the flavor.
Steven places down his bowl, looking at Helena next to him. "How's your soup, Helena?" He asked the black-haired girl.
"T-This is good! I never had anything like this before." Helena exclaims, sipping her bowl.
"I'm glad you like it, I'm not that good at cooking," Flannery stated, sipping her own bowl. "But thank you for your compliment, Helena." She smiles at the new girl.
Roxanne places down her bowl, before darting her eyes to Helena. "Say, Helena. What's your story?" The brunette asked the black-haired girl. "How did you manage to find yourself in Petalburg Forest by yourself?"
Steven's eyes widen, choking on his soup. He hacks, about to speak when he wasn't supposed to. "Steven, dude. Stop eating before you speak, didn't your mother say something about that?" Brawly asked,
"O-Oh no, are you alright Steven? Um…" Helena took out her handkerchief and handed it to him. "Here, you can use this to wipe your mouth," She offered him,
Steven nodded, taking the handkerchief off her hands. "T-Thank you, Helena." He coughs one last time before dapping his mouth with her handkerchief. "Sorry to make you give this to me."
"If it's helping someone, then I don't mind."
Wallace cleared his throat, "So, back to the question Helena. Where do you come from?"
Helena turns to the first people she met in this World, she had a lot of time thinking of a false backstory when helping setting camp. "Um…well, I grew up where Pokemon isn't commonly found. It's a rather secluded community from the rest of Hoenn," She smiles, "I-I decided to leave my home because I wanted to experience the rest of Hoenn from my Grandfather's story." She lied,
"Huh, that kinda makes sense." Wallace commented, "You seem to be new at this, didn't go out that much back home?" He asked, conversing with the new girl.
"Wallace, that's enough prying into Helena's business." Roxanne shoves the teal haired boy,
Wallace laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Kay, kay, Roxanne." He turns to the black-haired girl, with an apologetic smile. "Sorry if I took my question too far, I'm just curious."
"It's fine Wallace, no harm has been done." Helena ensures that Wallace did nothing wrong.
Steven looks at Helena; admitting he was a bit curious about her past. "So if you don't mind, do you mind telling us?" He gave a charming smile at her,
'Welp, there's the charm.' Everyone thought, looking at Helena fully aware that Steven's natural charm to people would affect her.
Helena thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I was a sheltered child. My parents were…quite protective of me, but there was a mad man that killed them." She sighs, telling the half-truth of her journey.
"From there, a family friend suggested that I should take a journey. See what's out there from our little town." Helena finishes her fabricated story to the group. She felt guilty just for lying to them after offering their hospitality to her but that's her past and she rather keeps it a secret.
Everyone, including their Pokemon, looked sorry for the former Witch. Steven frowns, feeling sorry for Helena,
"Helena, man I'm sorry for your loss." Brawly sympathizes with her.
"I-I'm sorry, Helena. I shouldn't bring it up," Steven apologizes to the young teen.
Helena shook her head. "It's alright, Steven. It was a long time ago." She explains to him.
Roxanne looks around, clearing her throat. "A-Anyways, what brings you to Petalburg Forest, Helena?" The brunette asked the black-haired girl. "This is a place where trainers train or capture Pokemon." She explains.
"Yeah, it's pretty dangerous to be here without any Pokemon or friends around," Flannery stated, petting Torkoal next to her.
"Well, I was planning to go into the nearest town to exchange some gems my family's friend gave me." Helena motions to the pouch filled with rare gems.
Steven jumps, hearing that Helena has some minerals in her possession. "Um…may I see them? I'm pretty good at determining the price of rocks and other minerals." The Steel-blue hair boy scratches his cheek,
Helena blinks, she gets that gems are valuable, but Steven was giving off some weird vibe.
"Well, lucky you Helena," Flannery smirks, leaning back on her stool. "Not only that you saw Stevie's charm but you also discovered his addition to stones and other rare minerals." She chuckles, letting everyone join in.
Steven blushed in embarrassment, turning to the people he thought were his friends. "F-Flannery! Come on!" He looks away from them, ignoring their cheeky grins. His eyes look over to Helena smiling at their friendship before at him.
Helena looks at Steven, not caring if he has an interest in stones. "I don't mind if you have a specialty with stones, Steven." She said, being nice to him. "I'll appreciate it if you want to check them out for me."
Steven faced Helena, his face red as a Tomato Berry. "Mmm, sure I can do that."
"That's great! Thank you so much!" Helena exclaims, giving the pouch to the Steel-blue haired boy.
"Beldum?" Beldum floated next to his partner, seeing what the former Witch has in possession.
Steven opens the pouch, taking one gem out. His eyes widen at the cut he's holding,
"Steven, what is it?" Roxanne asked her friend, "You got that face on whenever you found something rare."
"Roxy's right, what is it, man?" Brawly asked, also seeing his face.
"Maku?" Makuhita and the rest of the Pokemon looked curious, their eyes are drawn over to the trainer.
Steven places back the gem inside the pouch before handing it back to Helena. "Well? What did you figure out?" Helena asked a bit worried that it's not enough for decent pay.
"Well, I like to thank you for showing me these gems Helena. It's quite rare to find gems like this, pure and cut. Your family friend is very generous." Steven explains, seeing only a few of these gems in his father's building and in his family's vault. "Second, you'll get a hefty pay if you bring it to the right dealer. Enough that you might buy more than one large house!"
Helena blinks never thought that that pouch of gems she has would give her that much. "Really? I never knew that it's worth that much," She stated.
"Yeah, it'll give you that much. I may not be a real expert yet, but I do know my stuff." Steven said, proud of his knowledge of stones and gems.
Beldum nodded, agreeing with his partner. "Bel, Beldum,"
Steven smiles, looking at Helena. "If you want, I can take you to a good place to exchange the gems for money." He offered to the girl,
The black-haired girl smiles, jumping forward with gratitude. "Really? Thank you so much, Steven!" Helena said with glee.
"G-Glad that I can help," Steven stammers, happy to be helping her. "I-It's the least I can do after I crashed into you,"
Helena blinks before giggling, "Yeah, that might be it." She jokes, and everyone laughs including Steven at her joke.
Wallace thought for a moment of Helena's situation. "Say, Helena do you have plans after this? Besides the money thing." He asked. "Like becoming a trainer?"
"Mmm? Not really, I haven't thought of it." Helena ponders, thinking about what she would do now after the money exchange. "To be honest, I haven't much experience with Pokemon before. Plus I'm not sure where to start on becoming a Pokemon trainer."
Upon hearing Helena's statement, Roanne jumps up, having an idea cross her mind. "Then you should come with us!" She stated, letting everyone catch on.
"Huh?"
"We all go to the same Pokemon trainer school because of our goals." Roxanne raised her finger. "It's a place where trainers of all ages can learn about being a trainer. It's the perfect place for you to learn all you need to know in being a trainer!"
"Nosepass, Nose!" The Compass Pokemon supported his partner's offer.
Wallace nodded, "Sounds reasonable to me. You're new to this area, right? Then what Roxanne said might be good for you," He seconded the offer.
Flannery steps in, wanting to implant her voice in the conversation. "Plus, you can be with us!" She stated,
Helena looks at everyone, sharing the same thought. "You're sure?" She asked everyone, "I don't want to be a burden to all of you." She said,
"You're no burden, dudette," Brawly said, smiling at her. "You seem fun, plus I think Stevie here would like it if you were to come with us,"
Steven sighs, but smiles either way at the thought of Helena joining their group. In all honesty, he finds her to be…interesting.
"Mmm-mmm," Everyone agreed,
The former Witch thought for a moment, she didn't plan ahead after dealing with the money for this world's currency. To be honest with herself, she thought it would be best to find out a bit more about how this world works.
"Okay, that sounds great." Helena gave a bright smile.
"YES!" Flannery cheered at the black-haired girl agreeing with them.
"Then let me be the first one to say…" Steven stood up, turning to her and offering his hand to Helena. "Welcomes to the Hoenn Region, Helena Potter."
Helena took his hand, taking her first step into her new life, a place where she can make her own name. A place where she can take her own journey to become the person she wants and not what was predestined.
AN: How do you like it? Please leave a comment or review.