Chapter 2- "First Impression"
"Jonathan, have you made your decision yet?" Sycamore asked.
"Um... I choose," Jonathan quivered, unsure of his decision. He scanned each Pokemon again, to have a clear image of each of them in his mind.
"Remember, Jonathan, take your time," Sycamore reminded.
"Gotcha, Professor," Jonathan muttered. The boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes, muttering a few inaudible words to himself as he regained focus. Jonathan calmly put his hand out, and his eyes darted open with confidence. "I choose... Froakie!" Jonathan declared jubilantly, reaching for the Poke Ball on the right.
The boy felt a surge of power rush through him as he grabbed the cold, metal ball and rolled it on his hand, also feeling a bit lighter from stress being taken off of him. A new joy and excitement he had never felt had coursed through his veins as he stared at the red, white and black ball he held in front of him. Here goes nothin', he thought. He threw it upward and caught it with the swing of his left arm. "Nice," he commented, examining the contraption. "They seem very handy," he whispered, smirking.
"Froakie, huh. That's an excellent choice, Jonathan!" Sycamore told him. "Froakie is a powerful and agile Pokemon, and the Kalos Champion even chose it! I remember when she walked through these doors and picked her starter Pokémon... And to think it was so long ago..."
Jonathan's eyes grew wide. "The Champion of the Pokemon League?" He asked in awe, interrupting the Professor's reminiscence. Sycamore nodded, knowing and empathizing with Jonathan's evident surprise. "Whoa! That's amazing! With Froakie, I'm sure I'll follow in her footsteps! Don'tcha think so, Professor?"
"For sure, Jonathan! You could become Champion!" Sycamore chuckled lightly. "However, it's a hard objective. You know that, right?"
"Yes, Professor, I do," the young boy responded, his tone becoming serious and his eyes sparkling with determination. "And I'm willing to take on the challenge, no matter what I face!" Jonathan brought his right fist close to his body, holding Froakie's Poke Ball. Riolu sneakily grabbed it and threw it in the air, playing fetch by itself to pass the time.
Sycamore chortled at Riolu's behavior. "Well, you can head outside and I'll be with you in a minute! Could you call Olivia in for a moment?" he calmly requested.
"Sure thing, Professor!" Jonathan replied jubilantly, grabbing Riolu and soon bolting out of the open doorway. "Hey, Olivia, Sycamore wants you in his lab!" the boy yelled exuberantly.
"Okay, okay!" the girl replied with agitation in her voice, stomping towards the open doorway. "Hey, Sycamore!" Olivia greeted in surprise upon seeing the man just behind the door.
"Hey, Olivia!" Sycamore greeted in response. "You nervous?" he asked the girl casually, leading her inside.
Jonathan couldn't hear her response, because the door closed before she answered. The boy then slumped on the wall, sighing in relief before he reached into his bag and grabbed Froakie's Poke Ball.
"Hey, Jonathan," Miles started, peering over Jonathan's shoulder to eye the contraption in his friend's hands. "What Pokemon did you get?"
Jonathan grinned, knowing Miles's curiosity. "I'll show you once Olivia gets here, okay?" He responded.
Miles nodded and stayed silent from there on, fidgeting with his fingers and shivering. Jonathan cleared his throat.
"Hey, Miles, you okay?" Jonathan asked. "You seem... so, off today."
"Yeah, just a bit, um... anxious, ya know?" Miles answered.
"Yeah, I know the feeling," Jonathan responded. "It's a really important choice, and that fact makes it... just, so nerve wracking. I wonder what Pokémon you'll pick, huh?"
"I think I know already," Miles replied, giving a sly grin and standing up to stretch.
Olivia walked into a square room that was dimly lit. It wasn't very exciting or vibrant, the only noticeable feature being a rectangular wooden desk with three red and white balls on it, each lined up with the others almost perfectly. She eyed them nervously. Every moment of her life had led up to this, and boy, was she ecstatic.
Professor Sycamore walked to a different wooden desk and picked up a red touch pad of sorts, examining it for a minute and then handing it to Olivia. "This is a Pokedex," he explained, fiddling with it in his hand. "It allows you to scan any Pokémon you encounter an then be able to receive extensive data about it."
Olivia just nodded this information off, in a rush to get the stress over and done with. "Uh-huh, gotcha," she replied hurriedly. Sycamore handed her the device and the girl took it, bewildered. "Wait... now what?" she asked.
Sycamore chuckled a bit. "Now, you hold up the Pokedex to any Poke Ball you want to scan, and the Pokedex will tell you about the Pokémon that is inside the ball!"
"Oh, o-okay," Olivia stammered, scanning the Poke Ball on the far left.
"The Pokémon in this Poke Ball is Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon," the Pokedex chimed in a robotic, female voice. Olivia looked at the picture of the Grass-Type Pokémon and chuckled a bit. Chespin was a short, bipedal Pokémon with small, brown eyes and a big smile. On its head were five short, pointy quills which resembled grass blades, that resided on a green helmet of armor. It had a beige torso and brown arms. "Chespin's quills allow it to defend itself from danger when in a defensive state. The Spiny Nut Pokémon is very playful and never loses is optimism."
"Well, then," Olivia chuckled, scanning the Poke Ball in the middle of the row, her hands still shaking. "Let's see if this Pokémon is any more... interesting," she muttered to herself sarcastically.
"The Pokémon in this Poke Ball is Fennekin, otherwise known as the Fox Pokemon" the Pokedex rang. "Fennekin can be very temperamental and snarky, but overall is a very loyal Pokémon to any Trainer it finds worthy. As a pastime, it loves to snack on twigs and tree bark."
"Oh, wow, how neat!" Olivia exclaimed with awe, looking at the picture the Pokedex provided. The Pokémon she saw before her was a quadrupedal, fox-like Pokémon, with a beige body and red tufts of fur in its ears and at the tip of its tail. It had a black, cone-like nose and endearing red eyes as well.
"A lot of girls who start out pick Fennekin, so it wouldn't surprise me if you did, too," Sycamore stated matter-of-factly, and Olivia simply ignored him and scanned the Poke Ball on the far right.
"Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Its happy-go-lucky nature makes it a fun Pokémon to be around at just about anytime. It is very quiet and agile as well, making its battle strategies hard to counter." The picture the Pokedex provided showed a small, quadrupedal, frog like Pokémon with a blue body and white hands and feet. Froakie's eyes stood out from its head with their yellow sclera and the black irises. Around Froakie's neck was a white, gummy-like scarf.
"Aw, that one is so cute, too!" Olivia proclaimed. "Aw, man, I can't decide..."
"Take your time, Olivia, there's no rush," Sycamore reassured the girl.
Olivia took a deep breath and then reached for the Poke Ball in the middle. She held it in her left palm, rolling it around a little bit. "Fennekin," she whispered, "I choose you."
Olivia then came out of the doorway with a Poke Ball and wiped sweat off of her brow. "M-Miles," she said, panting. "Pr-Profess-Professor S-Syca-Sycamore wants y-you in the..." She stopped, not knowing the word. "Whatchamacallit, Miles? I'm so stupid sometimes..."
"The lab?" Miles asked.
Olivia pointed at Miles and said, "Yeah, that."
As Miles walked into the lab, Olivia stretched out and sat down next to Jonathan. "Man, that was nerve wracking!" she declared.
"I know!" Jonathan replied. "It's almost like riding one of those drop towers at the boardwalk!" he added. "You go from all of this weight being put on you to total normality in seconds!"
"Jonathan, you know I hate those things," Olivia replied with a bit of stress in her tone.
"Oh, bad analogy," Jonathan acknowledged. "Leave Miles to that stuff, I was never-"
"But I get your point," Olivia interrupted, making Jonathan stop and relax. "And you're right."
"I am?" the boy pondered, hopeful and confused.
"Yeah," Olivia assured. "I mean, isn't that with all of our journey?" Olivia wondered. "I mean, with me doing Pokémon Showcases, and you doing your... I dunno, Pokémon League, whatever that is."
Jonathan smirked. "I thought you knew what that was!" he exclaimed. Olivia quickly shook her head in denial. "In that case, I'll just have to explain it to you."
"I never asked for this!" the girl cried in protest. Olivia soon looked at Jonathan in realization. "Wait a minute. Is this just a cheap tactic to indirectly provide exposition to anyone who doesn't know what we're talking about, and to explain what your goals and dreams are as a character?" she asked.
"I have no clue what that means," Jonathan started. "But, you don't know what the League is, so I'm telling you," he mentioned.
Meanwhile, Riolu was simply staring at its Trainer, trying not to be sent into hysterics. The Fighting-Type was rolling on the floor after a minute, and its vision was blurred due to the tears in its eyes. In its mind, seeing its Trainer tease his friend was the funniest thing he would ever see.
"But, wait, I didn't ask." Olivia pleaded. "Why don't you let the smart guys in the lab explain this later so that the whole scene doesn't seem out-of-character?"
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grunted. "I mean, I know what the League is better than you or Miles, but apparently I have to stay 'in character'," Jonathan mumbled under his breath.
Jonathan and Olivia merely sat against the plain wall, not saying a word after their little dispute. Soon after they sat down, the lab's door creaked, immediately causing the two Trainers to stand up.
"Hey!" Olivia acknowledged Miles and Sycamore as they walked out of the lab with a tone of fakeness, trying to imply that nothing happened.
"Hey!" Miles reciprocated. "What Pokémon did you get?" he inquired.
"Miles, not yet!" Sycamore reprimanded in a rushed voice. He directed his attention to the trio before talking again. "I have a few things to give to you guys. They'll help you on your journey as Trainers, if you use them wisely."
Sycamore promptly reached into his pocket and pulled out a three touch pads, each with a differently-colored border. One was red, another was blue, and the third was a very dark shade of purple "As you know already by using the spare in my lab, these are Pokedexes," Sycamore started. "You three know very well how they work, so I don't think we need to explain any further." he complimented.
"Well, we could," Jonathan responded in a knowledgeable tone. "But we don't have to."
"Shut up!" Olivia whispered angrily, jabbing her friend's elbow.
"Anyway," Sycamore brought attention back to himself to continue. He pulled out three grocery bags and handed one to each Trainer. "Inside these bags are 10 Potions and 10 Poke Balls."
"Um, Professor, what are Potions?" Olivia asked.
"I'm glad you asked!" Sycamore encouraged. "Potions are small vials of spray medicine that can be used to restore your Pokémon's energy after a battle!" he answered. "There are shopping marts that always have stocks full of Potions, so you shouldn't have trouble at all!"
"Thanks, Professor!" Jonathan chimed in.
"Anytime!" Sycamore answered back. "Hey, I've got a few people to catch up with, so I'll be headed-"
"Professor?" Olivia interrupted suddenly.
"Yes?" Sycamore replied impatiently.
Olivia soon smirked devilishly. "Just wondering, because we need to explain something to the readers... what's the Pokémon League?"
Oh, you've gotta be kidding me, Jonathan thought.
She's quite the questionnaire today, isn't she? Miles wondered.
"Well, the Pokémon League is a big, region-wide tournament where around 2,000 Trainers compete for the title of Kalos Pokémon Champion!" Sycamore answered, causing Jonathan to make a low, almost inaudible growl.
"How do you, per se, get in to this tournament?" Olivia asked with a manipulative look on her face. "Surely, I can't just walk in and be able to compete, right?"
"You're right, Olivia!" Sycamore applauded, oblivious to Jonathan's reddening face and angry expression. "You have to travel the Kalos Region and fight at least 8 of the 12 Kalos Gym Leaders and receive their Gym Badges to qualify!"
"And you receive... the Gym Badges... by beating the Gym Leaders in battle... right?" an enraged Jonathan asked in between heavy breaths.
"That's correct, Jonathan," Sycamore confirmed.
This made Jonathan explode. "Ha!" he burst suddenly. "Get wrecked, scrub!" he yelled, pointing at Olivia. "Haha! Woohoo!"
While Jonathan continued to express his obvious superiority, Olivia simply rolled her eyes at the banter.
"Well, if you don't have any other questions, I guess I should be on my way!" Sycamore announced. "Au revoir!" After the announcement, Sycamore proceeded to walk down the tiled, narrow hallway that was filled with many men and women in lab coats. He seemed to converse with them quietly for a while before disappearing to the trio.
"Au revoir!" The trio called after Sycamore left, waving to the renowned Professor.
Then, the three walked toward the elevator at a leisurely pace, Jonathan leading the group. Then, they heard a DING! from in front of them, and they stopped, instantly assuming a precautious pose.
As they approached the noise, a boy in a red cap, black and white striped shirt, jeans and white shoes came in their path. He was enraged upon seeing them for an unknown reason and yelled, "Out of my way, idiots!" He shoved Jonathan, Olivia and Miles into a nearby wall with all of his might. "Wannabes," he muttered, just loud enough for them to hear.
"Hey!" Jonathan yelled, wincing as he clutched his right shoulder. "What was that for?" he inquired furiously.
"Ow!" Olivia cried upon being slammed into the wall. "What a jerk. I bet he'd kill someone, shoving them that hard," she commented. Jonathan got up and sneakily followed him. "Where are you going?" Olivia inquired.
"Gonna follow him," Jonathan replied. "See what Pokemon he gets."
"Don't do anything you won't regret! " Miles stage whispered.
Jonathan then performed sneaky maneuvers and put his ear against the door as Sycamore walked in the lab, not noticing Jonathan at all. Jonathan listened intently, and moments later, he heard the door creak. He bolted for the hallway, scared for himself. Jonathan then hoisted Riolu on his shoulder and cried, "Froakie, return!"
Olivia and Miles soon saw him and caught his attention, slowing down their pace slightly. "What do we know about him?" Miles asked, guessing at what his pal was doing.
"Well," Jonathan began. "He's from Sinnoh, and he put on a front for the Professor, that sneaky little pest. And from what I've heard, he got a Clauncher as his starter."
Miles' jaw dropped. "Clauncher?" he asked again. "That's a pretty powerful Pokémon, especially when it evolves!"
"I sure hope he doesn't have any friends travelling with him, or we're gonna have some trouble!" Olivia remarked.
At this point, they were in the elevator. It finally made a dinging noise, and Jonathan, along with Olivia and Miles, bolted out of the lab faster than a Raikou. Then, after shoving the door wide open, the three were finally back in the streets of Lumiose.
"Whew!" Miles took in a breath. "That was a close call, if I do say so myself! He didn't even know that we were there!"
"Yeah," Jonathan said, breathing heavily. "I wonder..." he thought aloud. "If he has a powerful Pokémon like Clauncher, would it be safe to assume he'll be fighting for the title of Kalos Champion? I mean, if we see him again and he has badges, we'll know for sure, but... we've gotta keep an eye out for him," Jonathan concluded. "I don't like the vibes he's giving off. Especially after my first impression of him."
"Agreed," Olivia said, taking in more breath. "Well, the only way to go now is to find those Gyms Jonathan mentioned earlier!" she whispered, walking away.
Miles looked at Jonathan, not knowing what Olivia had run off for. They both shrugged, but followed Olivia to... wherever she was going, that was.
