MATURE: Battle From the Heart (Chapter 4 is Up)

[CynthiaLover]

Okay... after much consideration (and soul searching), I decided to post my Pokemon fic up here. I'm nervous as nervous can be, but I have to try. It's the only way I can improve myself and my level of skills.

Anyway, since this is my first time posting a story here (as well as my first Pokemon story ever), I hope I'm doing this right. I haven't done something like this in years, so, I admit, I'm unsure of myself. But I've worked long an hard on my writing skills (dating back to the 9/11 attack), and for once I think it should try to see if my abilities and style have improved over time. I just ask that you don't be harsh or blunt, as I don't take that entirely well, and thus, discourages me.

Moving on to the main attraction, this is about a young adult beginner Trainer from Sinnoh named Geo. Once, a long time ago, he and his best friend planned to become Trainers together, as their birthdays were only two days apart, as well as both being the same age. However, just days before Geo would be eligible, he was struck down by a terrible heart condition, rendering him hospital-bound for years. His best friend, although devastated at lost of her long-time friend, started her journey and became very successful. Geo, on the other hand, fought tooth and nail against the, at the time, incurable illness. Despite many years passing, and his strength weakening, he fought on, never backing down. The doctors called him the "embodiment of willpower", as the illness would normally be a death sentence to anyone else. But he kept on fighting, despite heavy odds.

As time went on, during his (extensive) free time, he spent most of it studying, gaining a ton of knowledge. He was also given therapy Pokemon to calm his nerves. During that time, he developed a remarkable ability: the ability to understand the hearts and souls of Pokemon, as well as gained the ability to identify a Pokemon's gender and even their Abilities just by looking at them, even if there was no differences to recognize at all.

Finally, after a long, hard-fought battle, they discovered a cure, and Geo was the first to get it. Finally rid of the illness itself, Geo spent a few years in physical therapy, as his body had paid the price for many years bound to a hospital bed. After he was ready, and receiving the okay for it, he started his journey. Late, but nevertheless on the road. What will he encounter? What Pokemon will he catch? Will he ever be reunited with his long-lost best friend? Read and find out.

Now please note, as this is my first Pokemon story, there are probably obvious flaws I need to address (simply put, I'm terrible at proof-reading my own work), so if there are any, please kindly mention them and I'll fix them. And be kind with feedback. While constructive criticism is fine, obviously, don't outright bash me or my work, as I don't take negative feedback very well. If there is a problem, kindly address it, but don't chew me out, as I'm rather sensitive about my work. Also, please bear with me, as the first chapters I tend to write are fairly introductory, as its designed in case of a new reader unfamiliar to the concepts and ideas, so it may seem a little odd at first. Also, one last note, I labeled this story as "Mature", even though it will generally be rated "Teen", but that's because a much later chapter will have more "dark" and "sexual" scenes, so I'm labeling that to be safe.

Well, that's enough of that, here's chapter one. Enjoy.

Spoiler

Start of an Adventure

It was the dawn of a new day. Nestled within the Sinnoh Region was a small town called Twinleaf Town. Inside this town was a peaceful home. In one of the rooms, an alarm clock was going off. A hand gently turned it off, before pulling the covers back, revealing a young adult male. He was tall and handsome, but also appeared frail. He had a mess of red hair, deep blue eyes, and a gentle face.

He gave a stretch as he looked out his bedroom window, thinking, “Finally, today is the day. I’ve waited nearly 15 years for this day.” He gently touched a spot on his chest, “I battled long and hard, but not with Pokémon. Finally, I’m able to start my long overdue journey. Even the doctors say it would help strengthen me. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll see her again on this trip.” He yawned, “Well, time waits for no man. I better get up and get going.”

He got out of bed and started to get dressed. He selected a red tee-shirt, a blue vest, and black cargo pants. He then took a postcard off his dresser and walked downstairs, where great smells were floating upward. He entered the kitchen, where an adult woman was making breakfast. She had long red hair and green eyes. She smiled as she saw the young man enter the room.

“Well, good morning, Geo! Sleep well?”

Geo replied, “Morning, mom. Yeah, though it was hard to keep myself asleep last night. The day has finally come.”

Geo’s mother smiled, “Yes, at long last. The day you’ve been dreaming about is finally here. I know I shouldn’t be worried, but after your long, hard battle in the hospital, I am a bit concerned about you going alone.”

“I know…” he touched his chest again, “But I have to. I’ve waited far too long. And besides, I won’t be alone. I’ll have Pokémon with me, and they can take care of me as much as I take care of them. So I’ll be fine, really.”

She nodded, “You’re right, Geo. Pokémon can change lives very easily. They can improve our lives as much as we do the same for them, so it really is a win/win for everyone. Still, I do worry a bit for your health. This journey will make you stronger, no doubt about it, and it will do wonders for your health, but I hope you won’t overdo it. Remember, you cannot get too excited, otherwise your heart rate will increase, and that could be a problem.”

Geo nodded, “I know, and I’ve been working on keeping my heart rate as calm as can be. This will be a test, but I know I can do it. It’ll take some work, but I know I can do it. And it’ll start with these three.”

He gestured to the postcard. On it were directions, but also three different Pokémon. One was a green and brown turtle with two small leaves on its head. Another was an orange and cream colored chimp with a fire on its backside. The last was a blue penguin with small wings and a cape-like back.

Geo’s mother asked, “Have you decided on which Starter Pokémon you want yet, Geo? They’re all so cute, yet strong. It’ll be a tough choice.”

“I’m still debating it. Turtwig… Chimchar… or Piplup… Which one would be best? I don’t know, really. They all would be good choices, so I’m not sure. I guess I’ll figure it out when I get there.” His stomach growled, “But first, I need to eat. Is breakfast ready?”

His mother chuckled, “Yes, dear, it’s all ready. You better eat up, you’ll need the energy.”

Geo and his mother started to eat breakfast. Geo kept glancing at the postcard next to his plate, still debating which Starter Pokémon he wanted. After a little while, they finished breakfast, and Geo returned upstairs. He came back down carrying a large backpack. It seemed full of useful items.

His mother looked at him, “Guess it’s time. Did you pack everything you need?”

He replied, “Yeah. It took two days, but I made sure to pack everything. Thanks again for buying so many useful supplies, especially all those special Poké Balls, such as Heal Balls and Ultra Balls. This will help a lot. And thanks again for teaching me so much about cooking, Pokémon food making, and caretaking. That will be a huge help for both me and my Pokémon. Well… I guess I better get going. Otherwise I may miss my chance, and I’ve waited too long for this.”

He put on a pair of sneakers before turning to his mother. She gave him a hug, and with a deep breath, he left the house. Outside, he then clipped on two inline skates to the bottoms of his sneakers, and gently skated off. The skates seemed durable and sturdy enough to go over the packed dirt road without much trouble. He glided out of town, and onto Route 201. As he gently skated down the road, he looked around. On the ground were several plump, brown, buck-toothed Pokémon, going about their own business; while above him a flock of starling-like bird Pokémon flew in the blue sky.

“Soon, very soon, it will finally begin. And maybe, just maybe, I can see her one more time. I know she’s gone on to be successful, and I’m quite pleased, but I wish I could’ve shared that journey with her. Hopefully, all that can be mitigated when I finally get the show on the road. Better late than never.”

He finally made it to the next town. The sign read “Sandgem Town.” Geo then took out the postcard and looked at the small map.

“Okay… according to this map, Professor Rowan’s lab should be somewhere nearby. Let’s see…” he looked around, then back to the map, “I guess I’ll take the next left turn and head that way. I just hope I’m not late.”

Geo started to gently skate down the paved road, looking around as he did. Keeping his eye on the road, as well as the map, he navigated around town. Finally, he saw what looked like a large building on top of a small hill. He also saw a young kid leave the building, with a crew of men and women in lab coats waving at him as he left.

“I guess that’s the place. Looks like another new Trainer just started out as well. Uh-oh… that may limit my Starter options. I better get over there and hope there is still one Pokémon left for me.”

He quickly headed toward the building. One man noticed him approaching, and pointed him out to an older man with a white brushy mustache and beard with a somewhat intimating look. As Geo rolled up, the man who noticed him approached him.

“Geo! I forgot you were coming today.”

Geo replied, “Hi, dad. How could you forget? This day was nearly 15 years in the making. You know how long I’ve waited for this.”

His father replied, “Yes, that’s true, but we may have a slight problem.”

The older man approached, “So, this is your son, Geo? Welcome to my lab. I’m Professor Rowan, and as your father has said, there is a problem with your arrival here today.”

Geo felt his heart sink, “You mean… are all the Starters taken?”

Rowan nodded, “Yes, I’m afraid so. We had a few early birds arrive, and both your father and myself thought it would be one more day before you arrived, so we’re out of the regional Starter Pokémon that are available to new Trainers. I’m sorry to say, but that’s the case.”

The redhead looked crestfallen, but then his father realized something.

“Professor…” he said, “We may still have one Pokémon left. It’s not a Starter, but maybe we could bend the rules a bit this time? We did last time all those years ago when she started out, so why not do it one more time? After all, Geo has been waiting for this day for so long, so maybe we could make an exception for him?”

Rowan scratched his beard, “Hmm… I think we can do that. It’s unorthodox, but as you said, Geo has had a long, hard battle just to get to this point, so I think we can grant him a special exception. After all, it has been a long wait for him, so I think we can bend the rules this time. We did do it for her that one time years ago, so we can do it again. Will that be okay with you, Geo?”

Geo’s eyes lit up, “Really, Professor!? That would be wonderful! I’ll take it, no matter what it is!”

Rowan nodded, “Good, I’m glad that worked out. Come inside and see what we can do.” He led Geo inside, and picked up a Poké Ball on another table, “Inside this Poké Ball is a very rare Pokémon for this region. We were studying it, but it has proven to be stubborn and difficult. Maybe you can figure it out better. Your father tells me you can understand what Pokémon say and think, so maybe that will aid you here.”

He opened the Poké Ball, a white light was released, and started to take shape on the table. When the light subsided, a Pokémon was standing before him. It was a small, white Pokémon. It looked like it was wearing a dragging dress where its legs were, and a green “helmet” was on its head. It had two flat circular red horns on its head, one facing forward, the other in the back. Under its “helmet” were to melancholy red eyes. It looked around, then fixed its eyes on Geo.

Geo asked, “Is that a Ralts? They are rare here in Sinnoh. They’re more common in Hoenn, but that’s still not saying much. Such a little cutie.” He then looked became level with it, “Hi there, I’m Geo.” He then noticed something, “Hmm… this Ralts appears to be female. Is that right, little Ralts?”

Ralts nodded, giving Geo a warm smile, before saying something to him.

“Come now, I don’t think Professor Rowan is that bad. Do you just not like to be cooped up in your Poké Ball, or are there other reasons?”

Ralts replied, looking at Professor Rowan briefly before returning her gaze to Geo. She seemed pretty determined to say what was on her mind.

“Is that so? So that’s all you wanted. I guess I can see why you don’t like being in your Poké Ball.”

Rowan looked surprised, “I’m impressed. Can you really understand it, that is, her?”

Geo smiled, “Yes, quite clearly. The reason why she was being difficult is because she doesn’t like being inside her Poké Ball. Also, she wants to see the outside world more. She likes being outside, so that’s why she’s not fond of this lab. Isn’t that right, little Ralts?”

Ralts nodded eagerly, giving Geo another warm smile.

Rowan’s eyes widened, “I’ve been with Pokémon for nearly 60 years, but they never cease to surprise me. There are just as many Pokémon personalities as there are Pokémon. I think you and this Ralts will be a good matchup. If you could figure out in a few minutes what my entire staff has been unable to do the whole time this Ralts has been here, then you have the potential to be an incredible Trainer, and maybe even more. Very good, this Ralts is yours. I know you’ll take good care of her. First, let me give you this, a Pokédex.” He handed Geo a flat, red and black device. It looked like a handheld game console, “This device will record data on any Pokémon you encounter or catch. It can also tell you the caught Pokémon’s attacks, Ability, and even gender. Though with your analytic eyes, that last function may not be needed. I know you will put this to good use. And here are some Poké Balls for your journey.” He handed the redhead six red and white Poké Balls. “Here’s Ralts’ Poké Ball as well, but I doubt you’ll really need it.”

Geo eagerly took the Poké Balls from Professor Rowan. He placed the Ralts’ Poké Ball in a clip on his belt, while the others were stored in a side compartment on his backpack. Looking inside, on could see dozens of variations of Poké Balls. He closed the compartment up, and turned to Ralts.

He asked her, “Hey, Ralts. Would you like a nickname? It would be more personal, reflecting who you are. How about it?”

Ralts pondered for a moment, but then nodded in agreement.

“Okay, since you’re a girl, we need a girl name. Hmm… well, I’ve always liked the name Lora. Does that sound good to you?”

Ralts eagerly replied by jumping up and down.

“Okay, Lora it is. I think it’s a perfect fit, don’t you?”

Lora nodded happily before jumping into his arms. She looked up at him endearingly before both she and Geo returned their attention to Professor Rowan.

He smiled behind his beard, “Well done. You definitely have a gift, Geo. That will aid you admirably in future battles. But don’t forget one thing… Pokémon are by our sides, always. Never forget that. We depend on them as much as they depend on us. So take care of Lora here, and I bet she’ll happily repay the favor. Now, after so many years, you are now an official Trainer. I look forward to see your progress.”

Geo smiled, “Thank you, Professor Rowan. Thanks so much for giving me an exception so I can finally start living my dream.” He looked down at Lora who was in his arms, "Are you ready to go, my new friend?”

Lora nodded strongly, giving a fist-pump, while smiling broadly. With that, the two of them left Professor Rowan’s lab and headed into town.

Lora noticed that Geo, who was now walking instead of skating, was walking slowly. She looked up at him and asked a question.

He turned to her, “Sorry, am I walking too slow for you? I have a slight restraint on me. You see, I was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called HBD at a young age. I’ve been battling that illness for a while now. I’m now rid of it, but it has left me in a weakened state. So, in short, I have to move slowly and act calmly, otherwise I run the risk of hurting my heart. I can skate to move faster, but I need fairly flat terrain to do that. But that doesn’t mean everything about me is slow. My mind is sharp and quick as a whip, and I have a lot of knowledge and skill on various subjects. I’ll be, more or less, relying on that over my physical strength and stamina. But don’t worry too much about me. I know what pace I have to go at, so I’m able to do so without getting too excited or wound up. Besides, it’s nice to take it slow. You get to see more, have more adventures, find out some awesome things. Speed along too fast, and you might miss out on something. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Lora took a moment to think it over, but then looked up and him with a confident smile. Giving him an affirmative nod, Geo smiled, and they pressed on.

As they walked through Sandgem Town, they saw a lot of young Trainers playing and training with their Pokémon. However, they didn’t stop to talk to anyone, and instead made a beeline for a section of video phones just outside of the Poké Mart. Geo dialed a number, and waited. His mother appeared on the other side.

She said, “Geo! I heard from your father. You missed out on the Starter Pokémon. I hope you weren’t disappointed.”

He replied, “I was at first, but dad and Professor Rowan gave me this little cutie right here. She’s a Ralts, and I named her Lora. Although a Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup would’ve been more practical, I’m not complaining the slightest bit. After all, she’s a Psychic-type, and that’s a powerful type, so it worked out. Right, Lora?”

Lora replied happily, a big smile on her face.

Geo’s mother said, “Well it certain seems like everything worked out. And the word cutie is an understatement. She’s outright adorable. And I love the name you gave her. It fits her well. I just hope you two can feed off of each other’s strengths and overcome what lies ahead of you.”

Geo replied, “I know we can. It’ll take some time, but we’ll be fine. But thanks for the concern, it means a lot. I’ll call you again when I get to Jubilife City. Maybe by then I’ll have a few more friends. Take care, mom.”

“Bye, Geo, Lora. You two take care of each other, you hear me?” she then hung up on her end, with Geo doing the same.

“Come on, Lora, we’re burin’ daylight, so let’s get going. Besides, at the pace I have to go, it might be a wise idea. So how about it?”

Lora nodded in agreement.

“Great then. Onward to Route 202 where our adventure awaits.”

With a smile on both of their faces, Geo and Lora headed north toward Route 202. With determination and courage running high, they were ready for any challenge that came their way.

“Watch out, Sinnoh League. Geo’s coming to town, and I’m ready to win!”

Next Chapter: Birds of a Feather Soar Together

Okay, that's chapter one. Please bear with me that I tend to name my chapters as its easier to keep track of them when saving and storing them, so some of the names may be a bit cheesy or whatnot. I'm sure that won't be a big deal to many of you, but just so you understand how I function. Chapter two is finished, but I'm not gonna post it until maybe tomorrow or later, as I tend to tweak constantly. Let me know if this is any good. Later.

 

[Legacy]

Re: Battle From the Heart

Very nice start!

I enjoy Geo's character and dialog especially. He reminds me of Ash, very excitable and determined. Your grammar and general word usage is very good, so feel good about the progress you've made there over the years.

Only suggestion I might have is to vary your sentence structure every now and then in your writing. Some parts of your fic can read like a list of actions Geo or Lora are doing without much else. Let us know how Geo feels. Paint the picture for us

Overall, it was very enjoyable to read. Keep it up.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Re: Battle From the Heart

Okay, here's chapter two. I would've posted this sooner, but RL has a nasty tendency to get in the way.

Spoiler

Birds of a Feather Soar Together

Having left Sandgem Town, Geo and Lora were heading down the road. Lora was happily riding in Geo’s arms, looking around at everything as he walked. The redhead was also observing the area, though he had a few other things in mind. However, after a little bit, he sat down to rest.

Lora looked up at him, and saw he was panting slightly. Concern filled her eyes as she asked him something.

He looked down and smiled, “Don’t worry about it, Lora. I just don’t have a lot of stamina. After being almost totally bound to a hospital bed for so long, my strength is limited. Every day I get stronger, but it’s slow progress. I’ll be fine; I just need to take rests every so often. It’s nothing to be too worried about; I just don’t have a lot of oomph right off the bat. As time goes on, I’ll get stronger, but again, it’s slow progress. But progress is progress, right?”

Still, Lora looked concerned, as she stood on his lap. She reached up with one thin arm and placed it on Geo’s cheek. The redhead smiled at this, and gently rubbed her back.

“I’ll be fine. It may take some time, but I’ll overcome this. I beat the actual illness, and for a while it was incurable, so I can beat this, too.” He then pulled out his Pokédex, “Speaking of beating, I better check out what moves you have under your belt, so I know what I’m dealing with. Let’s see…” he scanned Lora with the Pokédex, “Hmm… You know Confusion, Thunderbolt, and Will-O-Wisp. Not a bad start. Pretty good, in fact. You also have the Ability Trace, which means you can copy the Ability of an opponent to make your own for the battle. Nice, very nice. Looks like we’re off to a good start.”

Just then, they heard flapping. Looking up, they saw a flock of small black and white bird Pokémon. They landed nearby, and started to eat some seeds and berries that were on the ground.

Geo pointed his Pokédex to them, “Let’s see, I believe those are Starly.”

The Pokédex said in a female voice, “Starly, the Starling Pokémon. Starly tend to travel around in flocks. However, they will bicker if the flocks get too big. Their cries are very strident.”

Geo and Lora looked them over. Starly were primarily brownish grey, but had a lot of black on them as well, such as part of their wings and head. They had a white face, almost mask-like, with black eyes, and a long, slender orange beak with a black tip. On their chests was a white spot and they had what looked like a ridged collar around their necks. They had orange feet with four toes, three in the front and one in the back, as well as three tail feathers, two black and one white.

Suddenly, they all took off, but one was left behind. It was still pecking away at some fallen berries.

Geo turned to Lora, “Say… since that Starly is alone… maybe we should try to catch it. The more friends we have, the better, right? And it’ll make traveling safer. Ready to give it a shot, Lora?”

Lora nodded, jumped off Geo’s lap, and got into a battle pose. Geo stood up, took a deep breath, and got ready to. Lora stated something, which caught the Starly’s attention. It turned to them, and seemed ready to battle, almost eager.

Geo said calmly, “Okay, Lora, let’s get this started. Let’s start off with Thunderbolt!”

Lora started to crackle with energy, and then fired a golden bolt of electricity. However, Starly flew out of range just in time. It then seemed to gleam, and then charged toward Lora, a silver-white trail streaming behind it.

“Watch out, that’s Quick Attack. Use Confusion to stop it in its tracks.”

Lora’s eyes glowed blue, and as Starly came closer, suddenly, it stopped. It was outlined by a blue hue, and was unable to move. Starly flapped and flailed to break free, but Lora held firm. She then swung her arm down, and Starly crashed into the ground. Dazed but not deterred, Starly got back up and flew upward. Suddenly, it charged down again, but this time its wings seemed to turn into silvery metal.

“That’s Steel Wing. Dodge and use Thunderbolt again!” Geo stated calmly.

Lora jumped as Starly swooped right where she was before, the attack missing. She then fired another Thunderbolt, this time hitting the mark. Starly was struck down, but still seemed to have the will to fight. It shot back up and charged in again, this time its wings were glowing white.

“Incoming, Lora. It’s using Wing Attack. Confusion, once more.”

As Starly came in close, Lora’s eyes glowed again, and once again, snagged Starly in midflight. Starly tried to struggle against the attack, but Lora swung her arm down again, sending it crashing to the ground.

Geo reached into a compartment in his backpack, and pulled out something. It was a Poké Ball, but it looked different than the red/white model. It was mostly pink with two cream colored crescents in front and a blue middle with a blue button. It was about the size of a ping-pong ball, but pressing the center button made it larger, about the size of a baseball.

“Okay, Heal Ball, go!”

Geo threw the Heal Ball at the Starly. It hit, and opened up on hinges. The Starly then turned into red plasma-like energy, and was drawn into the Heal Ball. Once it was fully contained, the ball snapped shut, and hit the ground. It then started to rock back and forth, the small button blinking a red light. Geo and Lora waited patiently for it to stop, knowing that this was the Starly’s last chance to struggle. After a few moments, the ball stopped shaking, the light stopped, a clicking noise could be heard, and several sparkles were emitted from the button.

Smiling, Geo picked up the Heal Ball, “Looks like I caught a Starly.” He turned to Lora, “Excellent work, Lora. I dare say, you’re battling skill is already pretty formidable. We have a pretty good shot at the champion title. But that’s a ways away, and we have plenty of time to hone and train until then.” He then scanned the Heal Ball with the Pokédex, “Let’s see… This Starly knows Quick Attack, Wing Attack, and Steel Wing. Pretty good start. It’s also a male, and has the Ability Keen Eye. Now, since this is a Heal Ball, Starly should be fully healed. Let’s find out. Come on out, Starly.”

Geo opened up the Heal Ball, and a white light emerged from it. It took shape, and Starly appeared before them. The Starly looked around wildly before diverting his attention to Geo. Geo knelt down in front of Starly, trying to get level with him.

“Hello, Starly. I’m Geo, and this is Lora. How would you like to be part of our group? It’s not much right now, but how about it?”

Starly happily agreed, raising a wing up, almost like he was doing a fist-pump.

“Great! Now, a name for you… How about Hawk? Sounds strong, right? Do you like it?”

Starly nodded eagerly, puffing out his chest and tapping a wing against it.

“Then Hawk it is. Welcome aboard, Hawk. I hope we have many successful battles ahead of us.”

Lora happily talked to Hawk, who replied with equal enthusiasm. Geo watched them talk for a moment, understanding each and every word. Finally, he held out the Heal Ball toward Hawk.

“Hawk, return.”

A red beam emitted from the Heal Ball, hit Hawk, and turned him into the same red plasma-like form. When the beam retracted, Hawk disappeared. Geo then pressed the center button, shrinking the Heal Ball back down to a smaller size, then clipped it on his belt. He then picked up Lora, and the continued down the road. A little while later, Geo had to stop again for a break. He sat down on a log and put Lora next to him. Suddenly, both of their stomachs growled.

He chuckled, “I guess that means its lunch time. Time for a lunch break, Lora.”

Lora happily nodded. Geo took off his backpack, and started to rummage through it. He then pulled out two feed bowls as well as two cans. He placed the bowls on the ground, opened the cans, and dumped the contents into them. What was inside the cans was some sort of soft kibble. After he finished filling up the bowls, he then took out a prepared sandwich and a can of lemonade.

“Okay, that should do it.” He took the Heal Ball off his belt, enlarged it, and opened it up, “Hawk, its lunch time.”

Hawk appeared when the white light subsided, and instantly spotted the food. Lora jumped down and started to eat the kibble from one bowl while Hawk ate from the other.

“I hope you guys like it. I learned from my mother how to make Pokémon food, but I hope it’s okay. If there is anything you need adjusted, let me know, okay?”

Lora and Hawk nodded, but resumed eating, enjoying it. Geo then started to eat his sandwich. They ate in peace, especially Geo, who would occasionally look up at the sky.

“I wonder how she’s doing?” he said mentally. “I know she’s very successful nowadays, but I would love to see her again. My old friend…” he gained a small blush, “If I see her, I wonder if she’ll remember me? We haven’t seen or spoken to each other in nearly 15 years, so I wonder if she’d even recognize me. Hard to say, but I hope so. Maybe the winds of fate will reunite us. I do know one thing; if I enter the League, then I at least have a chance of seeing her again. Well, we have a while until then, so I’ll just leave it at that.” He resumed eating, but his mind was still on the subject.

Just as they were about to be finished, a beaver like Pokémon came barreling through the bushes, nearly plowed into them, and vanished in the bushes behind them.

Geo stated, wide eyed, “I think that was a Bibarel. But what was it running from?”

His question would soon be answered. A young boy, probably around 11 or 12, charged through the same bushes, but ended up crashing into Geo. Both landed in a heap, with Lora and Hawk looking worried. The boy then jumped up, annoyed.

“Hey, what’s the big idea!? I’m gonna fine you for that!”

Geo sat up, dazed, but nonetheless intact. He looked at the boy. He had short cut blonde hair and orange eyes, with a fairly thin, yet athletic body structure. He was wearing an orange and white striped shirt, blue pants, sneakers, and a short green scarf around his neck.

The redhead replied calmly, “I’m not the one who barreled into someone who was having lunch.”

The blonde countered, “You still got in my way! Now I have no idea where that Bibarel went! So pay up in ten seconds!”

Geo thought, “Is this kid on a sugar rush, or is he this hyper to begin with?” Suddenly, he realized something, “Wait a nano, I think I know you. Aren’t you Barry from Twinleaf Town?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Do I know you?”

“Depends. I’m also from Twinleaf Town, but I doubt you really know me. I’m Geo. I moved there after being discharged from a long hospital stay. I know you because you were at the last Twinleaf Festival. You did a duet with an Exploud. We didn’t actually meet, but I remember that duet from the last festival.”

Barry thought for a moment, “Geo…? Somehow that name rings a bell, but I can’t place you.” He then shook his head, “What am I doing!? You still made me lose that Bibarel! Huh?” He just noticed Lora and Hawk, “Hey, wait a minute. If you have Pokémon, then that means you’re a Trainer. Then let’s battle! I just got a primo Pokémon from Professor Rowan earlier today, and I’m itching to battle. So let’s get it on! Unless you’re chicken.”

Geo got up, dusted himself off, and took a deep breath, “Fine, a battle it is. I could use the practice. We’ll make this a two-on-two, if that’s okay with you?”

Barry got into a position, “Two-on-two is fine by me! I’ll win, no doubt! So bring it on!” He took out a Poké Ball, “Go, Starly!” A Starly emerged from its Poké Ball.

Geo turned to Hawk, “Are you ready, Hawk?” Hawk nodded, “Then battle on.” Hawk got into position. “Hawk, use Quick Attack.”

Barry stated, “Starly, you use Quick Attack, too!”

The two Starling Pokémon charged at each other, a silver-white trail streaming behind them. They collided in midair, pulled back, and charged again and again. However, neither side was giving an inch.

Geo commanded, “Hawk, use Wing Attack.”

Barry commanded, “Starly, you use Wing Attack as well!”

Hawk and the other Starly charged at each other again, wings glowing. They struck each other multiple times with their wings, but again, neither side seemed to have an advantage.

Barry instructed, “Starly, use Aerial Ace, now!”

Geo thought quickly, “I can’t evade Aerial Ace, so I guess I’ll have to meet it head-on.” He then stated, “Hawk, use a Quick Attack-boosted Steel Wing.”

As Barry’s Starly charged in, air slashes forming around it in a shield-like form, Hawk charged in quickly, the silver-white trail streaming behind him, his wings now coated in silvery metal. The two attacks collided head-on, both sides trying to force the other down. Suddenly, both plummeted, and they flopped on the ground, eyes closed, defeated.

Barry exclaimed, “No way! They tied!? How is that possible!?”

Geo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s possible, it just doesn’t happen very often.” He held out the Heal Ball, “Hawk, return.” The red beam hit Hawk, turned him into energy, and returned to the Ball, “You did great. Take a rest, my friend.”

Barry did the same, but said strongly, “I’m still gonna win! Piplup, go!”

Out of his next Poké Ball emerged a Piplup. It looked eager and ready to fight.

Geo thought, “So, he got a Piplup from Professor Rowan. Guess he was one of the early birds Professor Rowan mentioned.” He then turned to Lora, “Lora, it’s your turn. Battle on.”

Lora nodded, jumped out in front of him, and got ready to battle.

Barry instructed, “Piplup, use Bubblebeam!”

Piplup opened its beak, and fired a forceful stream of bubbles.

Geo said, “Lora, cut through that attack with Thunderbolt.”

Lora nodded, and fired the golden bolt of electricity. It plowed through the Bubblebeam, popping each one, and struck Piplup with high damage.

Barry exclaimed, “I didn’t know it knew Thunderbolt! But I’m still gonna win! Piplup, use Peck!”

Recovering from the Thunderbolt, Piplup’s beak glowed, and it charged toward Lora.

“Lora, use Confusion to keep it in place. Then follow up with Will-O-Wisp.”

Lora’s eyes glowed and Piplup was caught by the same psychic power Hawk was previously. It tried to struggle to free itself, but to no avail. Lora then summoned several bluish white flames, then throw them at the suspended Penguin Pokémon. They struck, then vanished, but Piplup was wrapped in flames.

Barry sputtered, “But Fire-type moves don’t do much to Water-types! What’s the deal!?”

Geo explained calmly, “Will-O-Wisp is not a direct attack, rather, it’s a status move. It may be a Fire-type move, but it does no direct damage. Instead, it burns the target instantly. Now, Piplup will slowly take damage, regardless of its type, and its strength will be cut down. Only Fire-types are immune to Will-O-Wisp because they cannot be burned. Now, Lora, throw Piplup back with your Confusion.”

Lora waved her arm, and Piplup was tossed back. It struggled to get back up, but as it did, it was briefly engulfed in flames, then they vanished.

Barry stated, “I’m not done yet! Piplup, use Bubblebeam, once more!”

Still feeling the burn damage eat away at it, Piplup fired another Bubblebeam.

Geo said calmly, “Lora, Thunderbolt, once more.”

Lora fired another Thunderbolt. It broke through the Bubblebeam with ease, and then struck Piplup with super-effective damage. After the attack subsided, Piplup staggered, then fell flat on its stomach, eyes closed, defeated.

Barry cried out, “I LOST!? THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE!?”

Geo inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, then turned to Lora, “Nice work, my friend. That was an awesome battle.” He then thought, “My first battle, not bad. My heart is beating a little hard, but probably because it was my first battle. With experience and time, I’ll find a way to keep my heart rate down, even in official League Battles. After all, if I intend to enter the Sinnoh League, I have to be ready to handle that pressure.”

Barry looked at his two Poké Balls, “Man, I can’t believe I lost. Now I have to find a Pokémon Center, but I haven’t a clue where one is.”

A voice then said, “You’re not far from one.”

The two Trainers turned to see two other Trainers. They both looked the same age, about mid-teenage, one male and one female. The both had green hair and brown eyes, though the girl’s hair was longer. They both had fairly nimble body structures, though the girl’s was more hourglass shaped. The teen male was wearing green baggy pants, a red long sleeved shirt, a gold and green vest, a red bandana on his head, and purple sneakers. The girl was wearing similar clothes, only different colored, consisting of blue baggy pants, an orange long sleeved shirt, a black and blue vest, a green bandana on her head, and orange sneakers.

Geo asked, “Who are you? And you said there is a Pokémon Center nearby?”

The male said, “My name is Danny, I’m a Pokémon Breeder in-training. This is my twin sister Jo. She’s also a Breeder in-training. And yes, there’s a Center just up the road. Just follow the road and you’ll see it shortly.”

Barry bolted, “Then I’m outta here! Later!”

Jo muttered, “And people thought I could be hyper and impatient.” She then turned to Geo, “Great battle you had. But it seemed like you’re a bit new to this. Is that right?”

Geo nodded, “Yes, I am. I was delayed due to illness, so I’m only just starting off. My name is Geo, and this is my partner, Lora. Nice to meet you. Can you show me where the Pokémon Center is?”

Danny and Jo said together, “Sure.”

A short time later, the trio was walking down the road. Lora was in Geo’s arms, while Jo and Danny flanked him.

Jo purred, “That’s an awfully cute Ralts you have there, but also strong. When did you catch it, err, that is her? She is a girl, right?”

Geo nodded, “Yes, Lora is a girl. And she was given to me. I arrived late to Professor Rowan’s lab, so I missed out on getting a Starter Pokémon. Since this day had been long awaited for me, Professor Rowan gave me Lora here as a make-up. I don’t mind, really, as I was unsure of what Starter I wanted anyway, so this kinda fixed that. It appears Barry got a Piplup from Rowan earlier today, so he just started out as well. So I guess we were both on an even footing in the battle. And as I’ve seen, Lora is stronger than she lets on. Isn’t that right, my girl?”

Lora happily agreed, looking up at him endearingly.

Danny commented, “Ralts is a rare Pokémon here in Sinnoh. They’re native to Hoenn, but some exist here as well, though in lesser numbers. So you have a really rare Pokémon as your Starter. Guess your little dilemma sorted itself out, right?”

Jo asked, “Though why does Lora hang out outside of her Poké Ball? It’s kinda unorthodox, right?”

Geo replied, “True, but Lora hates being inside her Poké Ball. She hasn’t disclosed all her reasons, but her main reason is that she likes being outside and seeing the world.”

“Wait a minute! Are you saying you can understand her?” Jo and Danny asked in unison.

The redhead chuckled, “Clear as crystal. I guess I should explain. Due to my hospital stay, I somehow developed the ability to understand what Pokémon say. I was given a lot of therapy Pokémon to keep me company, since I wasn’t allowed too many outside interactions. I started talking to them, they started talking back, and I started to understand them. I can’t quite explain it, but that’s how it started. I don’t know the full extent of my ability yet, but so far, it looks like I can understand all Pokémon. But that’ll be tested as I travel. I may not have a lot of oomph or strength right now, but that will slowly develop as well.”

Danny stated, amazed, “Wow, totally awesome. That means you can figure out all the aspects of a Pokémon just by talking to them. Breeders and researchers would be jealous of that trait, since it’s their job to uncover the mysteries around Pokémon. We should know, we’re Breeders.”

Jo chimed in, “Yeah, that is amazing. I’m very envious.” She then said, “Anyway, we’re also just staring out. Danny and I spent a lot of time researching Pokémon Breeding, though Danny has a better idea than I do. We also both have one Pokémon on hand. I have a Roselia, while Danny has a Croagunk. Pretty neat, huh?”

Geo pulled out his Pokédex, “Let’s see… Roselia and Croagunk…”

The Pokédex stated, “Roselia, the Thorn Pokémon. The scent Roselia’s flowers emit is very relaxing and soothing. However, the thorns on their head contain a dangerous poison. Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. Croagunk has poison in its cheeks and can douse its fingers with poison. It also makes noise by expanding its poison sacs.”

“Hmm… a Grass/Poison-type and a Poison/Fighting-type. Sounds pretty formidable, especially Croagunk. So you guys don’t have any other Pokémon on hand?”

Jo replied sadly, “No, not yet. Both Croagunk and Roselia were given to us, but we haven’t caught any new Pokémon yet. So we’re searching for some new Pokémon. Neither of us have had much success yet, though.”

Danny added, “We both know that you have to battle with a wild Pokémon to weaken it first before throwing any form of a Poké Ball, but we haven’t been lucky enough to catch a new Pokémon yet. So we’re still learning the ropes as well. It seems, however, you know how to do it, so maybe you can teach us.”

Jo happily nodded, “Yeah! And maybe we could all work together and travel together! Traveling in a group is far more fun, and safer, than traveling alone.”

Geo turned to Lora, “Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? We could use the company, and like Jo said, it would be safer. Sound good, Lora?”

Lora happily agreed, making Geo smile.

“Okay then, it’s settled. It would probably reassure my family that I have others to watch my back, since I’m still recovering. I just have to warn you two, I can’t move very quickly, so don’t expect us to get from one place to another in record time. I can’t let my heart rate increase too much, or it might spark any remnants of my previous illness, so I have to take things slow and calmly. Is that okay?”

The male Breeder nodded, “Sure, no problem. We’re all on the same footing here, so it’s best we work together and help each other. And you get to see more when you travel slowly. Makes the adventure more fun.”

Jo then said, “Here we are, guys! The Pokémon Center.”

The group looked ahead of them. A large building nestled just off the side of the road was before them. It looked fairly rustic, but had a cozy and comforting feel to it. On the front of the building, near the roof, was a large “P” and a Poké Ball logo. Nodding, they entered the building. Inside, it looked both advanced yet modest, the room mostly consisting of a large lobby, a front desk, and a waiting area. At the front desk was a woman. She had pink hair with three curls in front and two loop-like ponytails in the back and green eyes. She was dressed in a nurse’s outfit consisting of a white apron, a pink one-piece dress, white shoes, and a nurse’s cap with a cross symbol on it.

As soon as Danny saw the nurse, however, he dashed over, and took her hand, “Hello, Nurse Joy. My, aren’t you beautiful today.”

Nurse Joy was taken aback, while Geo and Lora looked confused, and Jo slapped her face in annoyance.

Danny continued, “You are a beautiful flower in this forested area, one so radiant it puts all others to shame… ACK!!!”

A Pokémon emerged from Danny’s pocket. It looked like a cross between a poison dart frog and a fighter. It was a dark blue, almost purple, with yellow eyes surrounded by a black ring, two orange cheeks, and teeth that looked like a mouth guard. It was short and stocky, but seemed fit. Its arms were long, ending in black and orange three fingered hands, and a black band on each upper arm. Around its middle was a black stripe and several white ones, almost like it was bandaged up, and its strong legs ended in black three toed feet. Its fingertips suddenly glowed purple, and jabbed Danny in the backside.

Danny said in a strained voice, “Speaking… of… radiance…!” before crashing to the ground. The frog Pokémon then started to drag him away.

Geo turned to Jo, wide-eyed, “Does that happen often?”

She rolled her eyes, “You have no idea. Whenever Danny get’s too flirty, Croagunk steps in. I’m not sure if it thinks this is a game, or it’s being serious. Either way, it’s the only way to keep him from flirting too much.”

Shaking their heads in disbelief, Geo, Lora, and Jo approached the front desk.

Nurse Joy, having recovered from the surprise, smiled warmly at them, “Welcome to my Center. How my I help you?”

Geo took out the Heal Ball and put both it and Lora on the counter, “Can you check out my Ralts and Starly? We were in a battle earlier, so could you look at them?”

She smiled, “Of course. That’s my job in a nutshell. I’ll take good care of them.”

Lora looked concerned in leaving Geo, but he gave her a pat on the head.

“Don’t worry, this is just to check you out and make sure you’re healthy. It’s not a permanent basis, but you will have to get used to this. But I know everything will be fine, and you know that too.”

Nurse Joy nodded, “Exactly. It’s my job to make sure your Pokémon are well taken care of and in good condition. So don’t worry, little Ralts, I don’t bite.” She turned to Geo, “I’ll call you when we’re all set.”

Relieved, Lora nodded and Nurse Joy took the Heal Ball and Lora with her, and headed into a back room. With a nod, Geo, Jo, and the now-recovered Danny walked toward the waiting area, and sat down for a break. Danny then noticed Geo was panting a bit.

“Are you okay, Geo? You look a little winded.”

He replied, “Yeah, I’m fine. Like I said earlier, I don’t have a lot of stamina, so I have to take breaks frequently. It’s because I was nearly bound to a hospital bed for many years, so my physical strength is limited. I lost a lot of strength as an end result, but it’s slowly building up. I’ll be fine, so don’t worry too much about me. By the way,” he turned to Jo, “Jo is an odd name for a girl. Is that your real name, or just a nickname?”

Jo replied, “My real name is Johanna, but no on calls me that, and lives. I don’t like my real name much, so I go by Jo instead. I don’t know why, but being called Johanna just annoys me, so everyone calls me Jo.”

Danny chuckled, “She’s a classic tomboy, and she rarely takes gruff from anyone. Calling her Johanna is a surefire way to get her angry.”

Geo chuckled nervously, “Thanks for the warning.”

They sat and chatted for a bit. After a while, Nurse Joy walked up to them.

She said with a smile, “Geo, your Ralts and Starly are as good as new. They’re ready for you now.”

Geo got up, “Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy.” He walked back to the counter with her, and Lora instantly jumped into his arms, “I see you’re happy to be with me again.” He then took the Heal Ball and placed it on his belt. “Thanks again, Nurse Joy.”

She smiled, “My pleasure.”

Danny then jumped in, holding her hand, “Maybe now you can give me some treatment from your fantastic healing abilities… GACK!” Croagunk jabbed him again with purple coated fingers, “Especially… after… Croagunk… takes… me… out…” He then crashed to the floor, with Croagunk dragging him away again.
Geo turned to Lora, “That may take some getting used to. Agreed?”

Lora nodded, still wide-eyed after that display.

A little while later, after they all had dinner, it was time to go to bed. Geo, Jo, and Danny headed to one of the other wings of the Pokémon Center, and found a room with four bunk beds, a desk, a chair, and a lamp. Smiling, they got ready for bed. Geo took one bunk, sharing it with Lora, while Danny and Jo occupied the other bunk, with Danny on the lower bunk and Jo on the top one.

Jo gave a stretch, “Well, tomorrow we start out as a team. Sounds pretty exciting, doesn’t it?”

Danny replied, “Yeah, a journey is more fun when it’s shared by a group. You still okay with this, Geo?”

Geo nodded, “It’ll do me good. Besides, it’ll make my family less worried if I have others around me. I may not be the strongest right now, but that’ll change a time goes on. Besides, I haven’t had any real friends in years, so it’s nice to be around others for a change.” He turned to Lora, “Just think, girl, we’re gonna have lots of new friends soon. So rest up, because our adventure has just started.”

With a nod and a smile, the new group of friends drifted off to sleep. A new adventure ahead of them.

Next Chapter: Turning Over a New Leaf

Okay, that's all for chapter two. Chapter three is written, but like I said before, I'm still tweaking and modifying it. But it'll be up soon. Later.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Re: Battle From the Heart (Chapter 3 is Up)

Okay, chapter three rollin' on in now. Probably would've posted this sooner, but a lot of panic has been going on over the blizzard we're set to get tomorrow, so I've had to prepare for it. Anywho, moving on.

Spoiler

Turning Over a New Leaf

The next day, Geo, Lora, Jo, and Danny were heading down the road. Danny was checking a map to make sure they were on the right track. Jo was observing the area, keeping an eye out for any interesting Pokémon. Geo and Lora were just enjoying the walk, with Lora in his arms.

Danny said, “Okay, we still have some time, but we should reach Jubilife City within a few days.”

Geo nodded, “Either way, we’ll get there. I wonder what Pokémon we’ll encounter before then.”

Just then, they heard rustling from some nearby bushes. They all stopped, keeping a sharp eye out for whatever it may be. Out emerged two Pokémon fighting over a piece of fruit. One looked like a rock with a face and fists while the other looked like brown and cream colored bipedal rabbit.

Jo asked, “What are those Pokémon?”

Geo pulled out his Pokédex, saying “I think a Geodude and a Buneary, but let me check.”

The Pokédex stated, “Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude has a body made of hard rock. It is often mistaken for a real rock, so when it is stepped on, it will flail its arms wildly. Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. By quickly extending its rolled-up ears, it can launch powerful attacks against its enemies. Its ear punches are so strong even an adult will tear up in pain.”

“A Rock/Ground-type and a Normal-type. But what are they fighting over?”

Suddenly, a new Pokémon emerged from the forest. To everyone’s shock, it was a Turtwig. Seemingly annoyed at the other two Pokémon bickering, Turtwig shoved the fruit out from between them. Geodude and Buneary were arguing with each other and Turtwig, trying to put claim on the fruit. Turtwig was even more annoyed now and it erupted into a fight. Before Geo and the others could step in, Turtwig defeated both Geodude and Buneary, showing a confident smile. It then ran back into the forest. A few minutes later, after Geodude and Buneary recovered, Turtwig returned with a lot of fruit. It divided it up evenly, and gave it to the two Pokémon. Happy now, the Geodude and Buneary took their shares of fruit, and headed back into the forest.

Danny asked, “Did we just see that right?”

Jo remarked, “That Turtwig seems like it’s some sort of peacekeeper. The other Pokémon took the fruit it brought without complaint after a show of force.”

Turtwig then just noticed Geo and the others, and got into a defensive position, looking confident.

Geo pointed his Pokédex at Turtwig, “Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon. Turtwig’s shell is made of earth, and drinking water makes it harder. It can perform photosynthesis when its body is basked in sunlight.”

They looked Turtwig over. It was primarily a light green in color, but had yellow feet and jaw. On its back was a brown shell, almost like a shield, and had a short, stubby tail. Its head was larger in proportion to its body, with a large snapping turtle-like jaw, yellow eyes with black pupils, and a twig-like growth on top of its head with two tiny leaves.

Jo then got confident, “This is my chance to catch a new Pokémon! Roselia, go!”

A new Pokémon emerged from Jo’s Poké Ball. It was a small, light green Pokémon. It had a leaf apron or skirt and had a different colored rose for each hand. On each shoulder was a leaf, almost like a shoulder pad, and a yellow strip going down the front of its leaf apron. It had a round head with three sharp thorns on top, semi-closed eyes, and a small smile.

Jo stated, “Roselia, use Magical Leaf!”

Roselia spun around, firing glowing crescent leaves. Turtwig responded by moving its head forward, firing several leaves from the two tiny leaves on its head. The two leaf attacks collided, but Turtwig’s attack prevailed, pushing through the Magical Leaf.

“Roselia! Dodge it!”

Roselia managed to get out of the way, but the other leaf attack hit a nearby rock, and destroyed it with ease.

Geo stated, “That was a really strong Razor Leaf. I bet if it hit, it would’ve been a critical hit. Even with Roselia’s Grass/Poison-typing, that would’ve hurt. Be careful, Jo.”

She replied, “I’m good. Roselia, use Leech Seed!”

Roselia fired a seed from one of its roses, but Turtwig wasn’t worried.

Geo called out, “Jo! Leech Seed has no effect on Grass-types!”

She exclaimed, “WHAT!?”

The seed hit Turtwig, but it merely rolled right off, not activating, leaving Jo and Roselia surprised. Turtwig then charged in with surprising speed, before ramming Roselia hard.

Danny stated, “That was a fast Tackle attack! I’ve never seen a Turtwig move that fast before. Jo, try a different attack!”

She sputtered, “O-Okay. Let’s see… I know! Use Poison Sting, Roselia!”

Roselia opened its mouth and fired several small purple needles in rapid succession. Turtwig waited patiently for the right moment.

Geo said, “Good call. Poison-type moves are really effective against Grass-types. Even though Poison Sting doesn’t pack a big punch, it has a pretty good chance of poisoning the target.”

However, Turtwig seemed to know this, so at the last second, it dodged the attack, ran at high speeds, and got behind Roselia.

Jo exclaimed, “Uh-oh! Roselia, behind you!”

Too late. Turtwig tackled it from behind, slamming Roselia into a tree, knocking it out.

Jo sulked, “Roselia… return… That’s the second time that’s happened this week.” She held out the Poké Ball, a red beam emitting from the button, and returned Roselia, before hanging her head.

Turtwig looked confident, standing on its hind legs and putting its front legs on its middle, before returning to all fours. Turtwig said something, still smiling.

Danny asked, “Geo, translation, please.”

Geo replied, “Turtwig said, ‘Is that the best you’ve got? Come on, bring it!’ Pretty confident for a little guy. But I guess if it acts like a peace keeper around here, it can back that confidence up.”

“Maybe you should try, Geo. You seem to have a better idea about battling and catching Pokémon than Jo or I do. We’ll be able to learn by example. Give it a go. Besides, a wild Starter is rare, and it will feel like a make-up for mistiming your trip to Professor Rowan’s lab, right?”

Geo looked down at Lora, who looked up at him. “Well… even though I got something much better, a wild Starter is a wild Starter. What do you say, Lora?” Lora clinched her tiny fist, nodding, “Okay then. Lora, Battle on!”

Lora jumped out of his arms and got ready to battle. Jo was now watching intently while Danny had a notepad with a pen, watching.

Turtwig was ready to battle, and fired another Razor Leaf at Lora.

Geo commanded calmly, “Lora, use Confusion to stop those leaves in their tracks.” Lora’s eyes glowed, and all the leaves stopped in midflight, surrounded by a light blue hue. “Now, send them back!”

Lora gave a sweep of her arms, and sent the Razor Leaves back. Turtwig retaliated with another Razor Leaf. The two leaves collided and canceled each other out, creating a smokescreen. Turtwig charged into the smokescreen, ready to strike from its cover.

Geo said, “Lora, get a Will-O-Wisp ready, and plant them into the smokescreen randomly. Then get as far back from the smokescreen as you can right away. Now!”

Lora summoned several bluish white flames, threw them into the smokescreen, and jumped back as far as she could. Suddenly, they could hear a cry in pain from the smoke. When it started to clear up, they all saw Turtwig, standing still, eyes closed tightly, looking a bit singed. The other Will-O-Wisps were floating around, but then fizzled out.

Jo sputtered, “W-What just happened? Why did those flames just vanish? And why is Turtwig in pain?”

Geo explained, “That Turtwig was going to use the smoke to launch an ambush attack, so Lora threw a few Will-O-Wisps into the smoke. With so many flames, there was a good chance Turtwig would run into one of them. Now, Turtwig has been burned, so that’ll weaken it slowly, and its physical strength has been cut down. Now this will make catching it easier.”

Danny was scribbling down notes, “Gotta get this down. Status ailments help weaken Pokémon and make them easier to catch.”

Jo was wide-eyed, “Wow, Geo is really good. He’s just starting out, but already he’s showing great strategies and tactical skill. He probably knows more than most starting Trainers do. Gotta pay attention.”

Turtwig, during that time, had shaken off the shock of Will-O-Wisp hitting it, stomped its foot down on the ground, and got poised to attack again. However, without warning, it was briefly engulfed in flames before they vanished just as quickly. Shaking it off again, Turtwig charged in with Tackle, still showing off impressive speed.

Geo stated, “Lora, let’s finish this with Thunderbolt.”

Lora fired the golden thunderbolt at Turtwig, hitting it head-on. It collapsed to the ground, giving Geo an opening. He pulled out a different type of Poké Ball. It was black and white instead of red and white, with a gold “H” pattern on top of the black dome. It looked powerful.

“Okay, then. Go Ultra Ball!”

He threw the Ultra Ball toward Turtwig, where it hit the mark. The ball then opened up on the hinge, and Turtwig was turned into red plasma energy, and finally drawn into the ball, snapping shut behind it. It hit the ground and started to rock back and forth, the button blinking. Geo, Lora, Jo and Danny watched patiently, eyeing the Ultra Ball as it moved. Then, the rocking slowed down, then stopped, followed by a clicking sound, and the button released several sparkles, signaling the successful capture.

Geo picked it up, smiling, “Yeah! I just caught a Turtwig!” He and Lora did a victory pose before turning to Danny, “Is there a Pokémon Center nearby? It might be a wise idea to get this Turtwig checked out, just in case.”

Danny put away his notepad and pulled out the map again, “We’re not far from one. We can get there within a few minutes if we’re quick.”

Geo chuckled nervously, “Moving quickly isn’t something I can do right now. We’ll just have to get there when we do, since I can’t let my heart rate increase by much, if at all.”

Nodding, the group headed in the direction of the Pokémon Center. Despite Geo having to move slowly, they made it to the Center within 15 minutes. They entered the rustic-looking Center, and saw Nurse Joy at the counter.

She smiled, “Welcome to my Center. How my I help you?”

Danny instantly dashed up to her, and held her hand in his, “Nurse Joy, you are a wonder to behold. I need your help in healing my lonely heart. Please, take a look… ACK!!!” Croagunk appeared and jabbed him with purple-coated fingers, “After… Croagunk… takes me… out…” before crashing to the ground. Croagunk casually dragged Danny away, leaving a confused Nurse Joy and nervously chuckling Geo, Lora, and Jo in its wake.

Geo approached to counter, “Nurse Joy, could you take a look at my Turtwig for me? I just caught it, so I want to make sure it’s okay.”

Jo added, “And can you look at my Roselia, please?”

Nurse Joy, having recovered from Danny’s advances, smiled warmly, “Sure thing. I’ll take a look and make sure they’re fighting fit. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Geo gave a small bow, “Thank you very much, Nurse Joy.”

A little while later, the group was hanging out in the waiting room. Danny having recovered from Croagunk’s “intervention” was checking his notes from the battle, with Jo hovering over his shoulder so she could read them.

The male breeder said, “Okay, from that battle I think Jo and I have a better idea on how to catch new Pokémon. Other than the obvious battling them to weaken them part, status ailments like burn or poison can help by either whittling down their strength slowly or tiring them out faster. But Geo, where did you get all those other types of Poké Balls? So far you’ve used a Heal Ball and an Ultra Ball, but not the standard model. Where did you get them?”

The redhead explained, “About a year before I started, after being discharged from the hospital, my family and I started to purchase various items like Great Balls, Hyper Potions, and other stuff so I could start out on a well-prepared note. The doctor even recommended that I go on a journey to strengthen me up, so we did some planning ahead. Since Potions and such don’t expire, it was easy to gather up what we needed and squirrel it away until I was ready to travel. I also learned how to cook and prepare Pokémon Food while recovering, so even if I run out of prepared food, I can just make some, since we all figured I’d be a little slow in getting from Point A to Point B. This way, I’m prepared for an emergency or if Centers and towns are far and few between. And besides, with my slow land speed, I’ll need all the supplies I can carry. That Turtwig can move faster than I can, and Turtwigs aren’t exactly speed demons. So I did a lot of planning and prepping ahead of time. But it’s far from a perfect solution, so I do the best I can.”

Jo replied, “You did far more planning than either Danny or I. But I guess you’ve been waiting for this for a while, so you would seem like the type to think ahead and get at least a general game plan in your head. Kudos, that’s more than most starting Trainers do right off the bat. Danny and I can learn a lot from you, right, bro?”

Danny nodded, “Indeed. While we did prepare a fair amount, you went above and beyond, making sure you covered all of your bases. That’s fairly admirable.”

Lora nodded in agreement, smiling up at Geo. He responded by gently rubbing her head, causing her to nuzzle his hand affectionately.

Nurse Joy then walked up to them, “Excuse me, but your Turtwig and Roselia are all good to go. I’ve taken care of everything, so now they're fighting fit. Please pick them up at the counter.”

Geo and Jo said in unison, “Thank you, Nurse Joy.”

After taking Turtwig’s and Roselia’s Poké Balls from the counter, the group returned to their spots.

Geo held out the Ultra Ball, “Turtwig, come on out.”

A white energy emerged from the now opened Ultra Ball, and Turtwig materialized before them. After appearing, it looked around, unfamiliar with the Pokémon Center’s appearance before directing its attention to Geo.

Geo knelt down in front of it, “Turtwig, my name is Geo. You seem like a pretty tough and brave Pokémon. How would you like to come with me and compete in the Sinnoh League?”

Turtwig took a moment to think before nodding in agreement. Suddenly, without warning, it jumped up and bit down onto Geo’s head, startling the group.

Jo and Danny were about to make a move when Nurse Joy walked up, “Looks like that Turtwig likes you.” She then explained to the confused group, “Turtwigs often bite their Trainer’s head in affection, so it’s a very common behavior. They don’t intend to hurt their Trainers, it’s just a quirky habit they have, so there’s no need to be alarmed.”

Geo looked up at Turtwig, “Is that true?”

Turtwig responded with a positive smile and slight gnaw, still latched to Geo’s head. Geo then gently pulled Turtwig off his head, and put it back down on the floor.

“I’m glad that’s the case. Anyway, we need to think of a name for you. First off, you’re a male, right?” Turtwig nodded, allowing Geo to continue, “Thought so. So let’s see… How about Razor? Since your Razor Leaf is so strong, and you’re obviously a smart Pokémon, how does that name sound?” Turtwig smiled, nodding in agreement, “Perfect! Then you’re Razor now. Welcome aboard.”

Razor smiled before jumping back up and biting down on Geo’s head again. Geo winced slightly, but chuckled nervously, causing Lora, Jo, and Danny to do the same.

Suddenly, another Trainer approached Geo. He looked like a confident, almost overconfident, teenager Trainer. He said, “Hey, you, with the Turtwig hat. I challenge you to a battle! You say this Turtwig is tough, so let’s see it! There’s a battlefield out back, so be there!” and quickly charged off.

Jo mused, “And I thought I was impatient and headstrong. Are you going to accept his challenge, Geo?”

The redhead nodded, “Yes. The more experience I gain, the better off I’ll be. Besides, I doubt he’d let me off the hook even if I wanted to. So let’s get going.”

After prying Razor of his head again, Geo and the others walked out the back door of the Center to a battlefield. The teen was already there, looking eager and ready to battle.

Danny said, “I can referee this battle. So what are the rules you’d like?”

The teen said, “We’ll make this a three-on-three. Take it or leave it.”

Geo nodded, “Three-on-three is fine with me. Since you challenged me, I’ll let you have honors. Sound good?”

“Bring it! Zubat, let’s battle!”

Out of his Poké Ball emerged a new Pokémon. It was a bluish bat with a wide mouth, large blue ears with purple insides, no eyes, large wings with purple undersides, and two long, skinny legs.

Geo held out his Pokédex to look it up, “Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat emits ultrasonic waves to detect obstacles in the dark and fly around them. As an end result, it does not need eyes.”

Geo said to himself, “A Poison/Flying-type. Time to fight flyer with flyer. Hawk, Battle on!”

Out emerged Hawk, Geo’s Starly, and was looking ready to battle.

Danny stated, “Let the battle begin!”

The teen stated, “Zubat! Use Bite, let’s go!”

Zubat charged in, fanged mouth open wide and ready to bite. Geo was ready for this.

“Hawk, use Quick Attack to dodge it and follow up with Steel Wing!”

Hawk zipped out of the way just before Zubat could chomp down, then came charging back in with metal-coated wings. Before Zubat could respond, it was struck by the Steel Wing, leaving it a bit dazed. As Hawk got ready for more instructions, he seemed to sparkle and glow briefly.

Jo asked Danny, “Uh… why did Starly just sparkle and glow like that?”

Danny explained, “Steel Wing is a move that can sometimes raise the user’s Defense. The chance of it is small, but when it does happen, it can be a help. Now physical moves will do less to Geo’s Starly, since it was lucky enough to have Steel Wing boost its defensive power.”

The teen growled, “I’m not done! Zubat, use Wing Attack!”

Geo instructed, “Hawk, use Wing Attack as well.”

Both Zubat and Hawk charged in, wings glowing white. The two Wing Attacks collided in midair, both sides trying to get the upperhand. However, Hawk managed to force Zubat back, causing it to stumble in midflight.

“Now’s our chance, Hawk. Use Quick Attack.”

Hawk zoomed down toward Zubat, a silver-white trail flowing behind him, and rammed Zubat. This was enough to cause Zubat to crash to the ground, defeated.

Danny declared, “Zubat is unable to battle. Starly wins!”

Geo held out his arm, allowing Hawk to land on it, “Great work, Hawk, you did very well.”

Hawk replied with a happy victory pose, smiling the whole time.

The teen cursed under his breath, “Zubat, return. I’m not done yet! Machop, it’s your turn to pulverize!”

A new Pokémon appeared. This one was a grey, vaguely human-shaped Pokémon with large red eyes, short tails, and three brown ridges on top of its head.

Geo looked it up, “Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. Machop’s muscles never get tired, no matter how much it exercises. Machop have enough strength to throw 100 average-sized adult humans with ease.”

Geo turned to Hawk, “Hawk, take five for now.” He held out his Heal Ball and returned Hawk into it before turning to Lora, “Can I call upon you for this one, girl?” Lora nodded, “Okay then, Lora, Battle on!”

Lora jumped out onto the field, looking eager and ready.

The teen huffed, “Just because you’re using a Psychic-type against a Fighting-type doesn’t mean you’ll win. Machop, use Karate Chop!”

Machop’s hand glowed as it tried to slam it down on Lora.

Geo instructed, “Lora, dodge and then use Thunderbolt.”

Lora dodged at the last second and fired a Thunderbolt. It hit Machop squarely and with a lot of power. Machop stumbled back after the attack dissipated, shaking off the effects.

The teen stated, “Use Focus Energy and follow it up with another Karate Chop!”

Machop took a deep breath and flexed its muscles, gaining a white aura. It then charged in, hand glowing brighter than before.

Jo asked, “What’s Focus Energy?”

Danny explained, “Focus Energy raises the chances of landing a Critical Hit. And judging by how Machop’s hand is glowing brighter, this attack may be a Critical Hit if it lands. Even though Ralts is a Psychic-type, this might hurt a fair amount, even for her.”

Geo seemed to know this and instructed, “Use Confusion to stop Machop in its tracks!”

Lora’s eyes started to glow, and levitated Machop off the ground, causing it to flail madly to get back down. Lora then moved her arms, slamming Machop to the ground with psychic energy, kicking up a bit of dust. When the dust cleared, Machop was out cold.

Danny stated, “Machop is unable to battle. Ralts is the winner!”

Geo embraced Lora, “Good going, girl. That’s the way.”

The teen cursed under his breath again, “Machop, return. I’m still not done yet! Kricketune, your turn to battle!”

A new Pokémon appeared. This one appeared to be a bipedal red cricket, with grey-colored eyes, a large “mustache”, two small feet, black wings shaped almost like a conductor’s cape, and scythe-like arms. Its antenna were vaguely scythe-shaped, and there were three black dots on its lower body with two beige stripes running down its neck to the centermost of the black dots. Below the centermost dot is a pattern with a dark-red upper section and beige lower section.

Geo looked it up, “Kricketune, the Cricket Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kricketot. Kricketune conveys many emotions through the songs it composes by rubbing its scythe-like arms together. It is very good at composing songs ad lib.”

Geo said quietly, “A Bug-type, huh? And fully evolved, too. The only Pokémon I haven’t used yet is Razor. Given the type, Razor is at a disadvantage, but I have to try.” He then said aloud, “Okay then, Razor, Battle on!”

Razor emerged from his Ultra Ball, ready to battle. He stared down the Kricketune, unfazed by the type match-up.

The teen stated, “This time, I’m gonna win! Kricketune, use Fury Cutter!”

Kricketune charged in, scythe-like arms glowing green. Razor braced himself.

Geo instructed, “Razor, dodge and use Tackle.”

However, Razor was hesitant to dodge, looking back at Geo, surprised. This gave Kricketune an opening, and it managed to land some fast hits on Razor. Razor shook it off, looking angry.

Geo said calmly, “Don’t lose your focus, Razor. You can’t take everything head-on like that. But for now use Tackle.”

Razor nodded and charged in quickly, his speed surprising both the teen Trainer and his Kricketune. Before Kricketune could counter, Razor tackled it hard, sending it back several feet. Kricketune shook its head before returning to a battle pose.

The teen growled, “Grr! Kricketune, use Rock Smash! Pulverize that Turtwig!”

The Cricket Pokémon charged in again, one of its arms glowing white. Razor waited with a stern look.

Geo thought, “Razor doesn’t seem keen on dodging, probably because we’re just getting started together, so let’s try this.” He then instructed, “Wait for the right moment and then use Bite!”

Razor nodded and waited. Just before Kricketune could land the hit, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon chomped down on the glowing arm, stopping the attack cold.

“Now use Razor Leaf!”

Razor made a head motion as several sharp leaves swarmed out of the two leaves on his head. At such close range, the attack didn’t have far to go before landing a powerful hit. Kricketune tried to block the attack with its other arm, but was unable to.

The teen stated, “Use Fury Cutter while up close! Before he can launch another attack!”

The Cricket Pokémon used its free arm to slash away at Razor, dealing some impressive damage.

“Razor, give that Kricketune a toss and follow up with Tackle!” Geo stated strongly.

Razor sharply jerked his head, shocking Kricketune out of its attack, did a little spin, and threw the Bug-type across the field. He then charged in a high speed, ramming the staggering Bug Pokémon squarely in the stomach. Kricketune was sent flying back before crashing to the ground. It tried to get up, but just fell right back down, defeated and out cold.

Danny stated, “Kricketune is unable to battle. Turtwig wins, which means victory goes to Geo.”

Razor walked over to Geo with a confident smile, which the redhead responded by kneeling down and rubbing his back.

“Pretty good out there, Razor. We need to work on dodging a bit more, but overall not a bad first battle together. Just remember, we’re a team now, so don’t think we’re gonna be strangers to each other. So let’s try to work on the dodging and listening to instructions a bit more and we’ll make it to the Sinnoh League in no time.”

Razor nodded before jumping up and latching his mouth onto Geo’s head again. Geo and Lora chuckled in response.

The teen was cursing his mouth off before storming off. Jo and Danny noted this behavior.

Jo huffed, “What a creep. And people say I can be hotheaded. If he was going to be a bad sport about losing, then he should just go home.”

Danny nodded, “Agreed, sis. But I gotta say; Geo holds a lot of promise. It’s obvious he still has some work to do, but what we’ve seen so far is that he’s able to turn any bad situation into his favor. Even though Razor will need some work, I can safely say he and his Pokémon will make it to the Sinnoh League.”

“Yeah, and we can learn so much from him as well. Hopefully we can all be really good friends. Geo’s a cool guy, for sure.”

After a while, the group had some dinner and went to bed, eager to begin a new day with high spirits.

Next Chapter: The Bug Stops Here!

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully I'm doing a good enough job, since I'm new to writing Pokemon fanfics. Later.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Okay, here's chapter four. The gang is nearing Jubilife City, but it appears some things need to be taken care of first.

Spoiler

The Bug Stops Here

Geo and the gang were making their way down the road the next day. However, Jo seemed pretty down as they walked.

Geo turned to her, “What’s wrong, Jo? You’ve been sulking for a bit. Something up?”

Jo grumbled, “Even though I’ve been traveling for a bit, I STILL haven’t caught a new Pokémon. Every time I try, either it runs away or Roselia gets beaten. What am I doing wrong? Why am I failing so badly?”

Danny said, “Take it easy, Jo. I haven’t caught any new Pokémon either, so we’re both in the same boat. We both have a lot to learn, and Geo gave us some ideas on how to catch new Pokémon, so don’t worry, you’ll get something.”

Jo replied, “Easy for you to say, you actually know what you’re doing. I’m not as quick witted as you, so I tend to get caught off-guard more easily. Maybe I just need to catch something easy, like a Bidoof or a Kricketot, to get me started.”

Geo put a hand on her shoulder, “That’s the spirit. Start small and work your way up the ladder. Nothing major happens overnight, so take it one step at a time. That’s what I’m doing, though I guess catching a Turtwig wasn’t exactly a small step. But you’ll get there, just give it some time.”

After a little while, they stopped for lunch. Geo and Danny worked together to make a stew while Jo set up various feed bowls for the Pokémon. After she finished filling them, Geo and Danny started to get bowls for the stew ready. After they were ready, they all took out their Poké Balls and let out their Pokémon. As they all gathered around the food, Geo, Danny, and Jo sat down on some nearby rocks and started to eat their stew.

Jo commented, “You know, when you two work together to cook something, it tastes really good. You should have your own cooking show.”

Geo chuckled, “Thanks, Jo, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” He then turned to the Pokémon, “How’s the grub, guys? Do any of you need a menu change?”

The Pokémon all replied happily, but shook their heads in response to the second question.

The redhead then said, “Hawk, I think we should work on learning Aerial Ace. It’s a very useful move, and I think we should practice after lunch. Sounds good?”

Hawk replied with a confident statement, thumping his wing on his breast.

“That’s the way. So after we’re done with lunch, we’ll get to work.”

Danny asked, “Geo, just a curious question. How do you know the genders of your Pokémon? I know some have differences between genders, but some, like Razor and Lora, don’t. How can you tell the difference?”

“It’s kinda something I acquired along with my, you could say, honed sense of empathy during my time in the hospital. Because I gained an analytical ability, even if they don’t have gender differences, I can still somehow tell, though I do ask them just to be sure. It’s hard to explain, but that’s the gist of it.”

Jo commented, “That’s a lucky ability to have. It makes things easier for both you and your Pokémon. I know both Danny’s Croagunk and my Roselia are males due to them having gender differences, but I don’t think I could tell the difference between male and female Pokémon like Turtwig the way you can. It’s a pretty cool trait that you acquired.”

Geo chuckled and they resumed eating. After having a few more servings of stew, they cleaned up and got ready to go. Geo then took out a piece of paper, drew a large target on it, and hung it from a tree branch with some string.

He said to Hawk, “Okay, Aerial Ace is a very useful move because the opponent can’t get out of the way, ensuring it will hit. Some moves can dodge it, like Dig or Dive, but for the majority of the time, it never misses. This is what you need to do. You need to fly low to gather speed, then swiftly strike the target I made. Since this is practice, it’s okay if you goof up, so don’t worry too much about it. Practice makes perfect, after all. So let’s give it a whirl!”

Hawk nodded eagerly, taking to the sky. After gaining some altitude, he swooped down, got low to the ground, and charged toward the target. As he did, what looked like white air slashes formed around him, starting from the front of his beak.

Danny stated, “I think Hawk is coming in too fast!”

Geo instructed, “Hawk! You’re coming in too fast! Pull up and come around again!”

Hawk canceled the attack and flew upward again, slowing down a bit as he did. He then repeated his previous motion, coming in low, the white air slashes forming around him again. This time he was coming in a lot smoother. Suddenly, he lost his balance and started to wobble midflight.

Geo stated, “Hawk! Pull out, before you get hurt!”

Hawk barely managed to break free of the attack before he could crash, readjusting himself, then landed on Geo’s arm. He looked a little disheartened.

The redhead smiled, “Don’t worry, Hawk. Like I said, this is practice, its okay to goof up here. That second time you came in almost perfectly, you just lost your balance near the end. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt. Let’s take a moment to reevaluate the technique and work from there, see what went wrong.”

Lora nodded in agreement, saying something to Hawk. This brightened up the Starling Pokémon, making him feel more confident. He puffed up his breast bravely, ready to try again.

Jo commented, “You and Lora have a touch. Look how much happier Hawk is now. I bet with a little more practice, Aerial Ace will be down pat before you know it.”

After a few minutes of pondering, Geo adjusted the target to a lower branch. Hawk was back in the air, ready to try again.

Geo instructed, “Okay, Hawk, let’s try this again. With the adjusted level of the target, this might make it a bit easier. I’ll also give you a command at the right moment so we can practice the timing needed to land a hit. Ready to go?”

Hawk nodded before gaining some altitude. He then swooped in low, the white air slashes forming around him. He charged toward the target, focusing hard on it.

Geo stated, “Now!”

With a powerful burst of speed, Hawk charged at the target, and managed to strike it, ripping it to pieces. He circled around, giving a bit of a spin, before coming back and smashing through the branch that held the target, still surrounded by the air slashes. He then stopped the attack, a happy look on his face, before landing on Geo’s arm again.

The redhead gently stroked Hawk’s head, “Great work! We still need to work on it a bit, but that second strike was picture perfect. With a bit more practice Aerial Ace will be like second nature to you.”

Just then, they all heard something. Looking back at the fallen tree branch, they realized a Pokémon had fallen out. It looked like a little Bug Pokémon. It had a black segmented body with a coil-like appendage on top of its head, yellow eyes, a beak-like mouth, two white circles on its cheeks, and six stubby legs, with the bottom pair being yellow instead of black. It appeared to be rapidly gathering a bunch of leaves that were on the ground.

Geo pointed his Pokédex at it, “Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon. To protect itself from the cold, it gathers up materials to make a cloak. Somehow, even if it was just born, it always ends up with a cloak.”

Jo got excited, “A Burmy! That’s should be an easy Pokémon to catch! Go, Roselia!”

Roselia emerged from his Poké Ball, looking eager to fight. Burmy then noticed Roselia after it had finished gathering up leaves for its cloak.

Jo stated, “Roselia, use Magical Leaf!”

Roselia spun and fired several glowing crescent leaves at Burmy. However, Burmy suddenly gained what looked like an energy barrier that the attack harmlessly bounced off of.

Danny stated, “That was Protect, a very useful defense move. It completely protects the user from most attacks. Although Feint can smash Protect with ease, it’s not commonly known. But it can be overused, and its success rate falls with repeated use.”

Jo nodded, “Right! Use Poison Sting, Roselia!”

Roselia fired several purple needles from his mouth. Burmy used Protect again, creating another barrier, blocking the attack.

“That Protect won’t last forever! Roselia, use Leech Seed!”

Roselia aimed one of his roses at Burmy, and fired a seed from it. Burmy tried to use Protect again, but the barrier dissipated almost instantly, allowing the Leech Seed to hit the mark. As soon as the seed landed on the Bug-type Pokémon, several vines grew from the seed and ensnared Burmy. Burmy then became outlined by a painful red energy as the seed zapped it of its strength, while several orbs of light were drawn from the energy-draining seed back to Roselia.

Geo clenched his fist in approval, “Good call. Even if Burmy uses Protect, the Leech Seed will continue to drain its strength away, and Roselia will keep restoring his energy as an end result. Now’s your chance.”

“Right! Now, use Magical Leaf again!”

Roselia spun, firing more glowing leaves at Burmy. This time, however, Burmy tried something different. Several sparkling whitish orbs formed around it, and it fired them in response. The two attacks collided, creating a smokescreen, but some of Burmy’s attack pushed continued onward. Roselia was hit by the remaining orbs. He struggled to get back up, looking a bit singed.

“What was that!? And why does Roselia look burnt?”

Geo explained, “That was Hidden Power. It’s a unique move because it changes in both intensity and type depending on the user. If I had to guess, that Hidden Power was a Fire-type version, so Roselia took a bad hit there. But that’s where the Leech Seed will come in to heal the damage. Just watch out, if that Burmy has a Fire-type Hidden Power, then you better be on your toes.”

Like Geo stated, the Leech Seed zapped more strength from Burmy, and the energy orbs fused with Roselia, healing part of the damage dealt. Roselia got back onto his feet, feeling better, still wanting to battle.

The female breeder stated, “Okay! Use Magical Leaf again and follow it up with Poison Sting!”

Roselia spun again, firing more glowing leaves at Burmy, who retaliated with another Protect. However, after the Magical Leaf finished, the Thorn Pokémon fired Poison Sting. Before Burmy could react, it was hit by the tiny poison needles. As it stumbled to stay upright, it gained a purple blush-like stain on its face, closing its eyes in pain.

Danny exclaimed, “Nice one! You poisoned Burmy! Now’s your chance, sis!”

Jo pulled out a Poké Ball, “Okay then! Go, Poké Ball!”

She threw the red and white sphere at Burmy, where it hit the mark. The Ball opened up, Burmy was turned into a red plasma energy, and was drawn into the center cavity, the Ball snapping shut behind it. It clunked to the ground and started to shake, the button blinking, giving Burmy one more chance to escape. Jo and Roselia waited patiently, watching the Ball’s movements. The rocking slowed down, then stopped, a clicking sound could be heard, and several sparkles were released from the button, signaling the successful capture.

Jo eagerly grabbed the Poké Ball, “Yes, I did it! I finally caught a Pokémon!” She and Roselia did a victory pose.

Geo, Lora, and Danny walked up to them. Jo was happily nuzzling the Ball, almost too excited to notice them.

Danny smiled, “See, sis, what did I tell you? You just needed the right Pokémon to start things off. Soon you’ll have more Pokémon than you’ll know what to do with.”

Geo nodded, “Yes, Danny’s completely right. Start small and work your way up the ladder. That’s the way to go. May I check something for you about that Burmy?”

Jo gave him the Poké Ball. “Sure, Geo. I take it you want to check things like gender and stuff, right?”

Geo took the Poké Ball, held his Pokédex over it, and scanned it. After a moment, he returned it to Jo.

“Okay, your Burmy is a female, as I suspected, with the moves Tackle, Protect, and Hidden Power under her belt. She also has the Ability Shed Skin, which can heal status ailments during battle, so you caught her just in time, before it could erase the poisoning status.”

Jo smiled, “Thanks for the heads up, Geo, now I know what I’m working with. I wonder what Burmy will evolve into?”

“Burmy has a unique evolutionary tree, Jo. For the most part, it’s determined by gender. Male Burmys evolve into Mothim while females evolve into Wormadam. The females are particularly interesting, since the type of cloak the Burmy is wearing determines what type combo it’ll be upon evolution. Burmys with a plant cloak will evolve into a Bug/Grass-type, while ones with a sandy cloak will evolve into a Bug/Ground-type, and ones with a trash cloak will evolve into a Bug/Steel-type. The type of cloak depends on where the Burmy is being raised at the time. Plant cloak for the forest, sandy cloak for the mountains, and trash cloak for the city. That’s what makes Burmy so unique and interesting.”

The female breeder pondered for a moment, “So depending on where I raise her will ultimately depend on how she’ll evolve? Pretty cool. Better keep that in mind, although whenever and wherever she evolves will be up to her, not me.”

Danny nodded, “An excellent way to put it, sis. It’s best to let the Pokémon decide when and where to evolve, since they’re the ones doing the evolving, not us. But a Trainer can influence the decision as well, but, again, it’s ultimately better to let the Pokémon decide.”

She continued to nuzzle the Poké Ball, “Either way, I’ve got a new friend, after countless failed attempts. Maybe my luck is changing.”

With a smile on their faces, the group resumed the trek to Jubilife City, a new Pokémon in tow.

Next Chapter: Galactic Battle

Okay, that's chapter 4. I haven't finished chapter 5 yet, mainly thanks to another dose of writer's block, but I'll get there... eventually. Later.