Chapter 3- "Beginner's Luck"
Olivia jogged around Lumiose, pointing at different buildings and calling them out, having very positive reactions to all of them. "Look at that one! It's the Pokémon Reel Studio!" She exclaimed, pointing at a purple skyscraper-like tower at the end of a row of buildings. "That's a really famous movie studio!" Olivia seemed awestruck just looking at the building. Man, I've always liked Lumiose, she thought. The bright lights, the gorgeous buildings, the bustle of the town... It's all so great.
Meanwhile, Jonathan sprinted towards Olivia and tripped over a pebble in the road.
"Ouch!" Jonathan cried in pain. He did his best to hoist himself up, only getting on one knee. "Geez, that sucked," he mumbled.
The sound of the impact brought Olivia back to reality as she looked at her friend in despair. "Oh my gosh, Jonathan! Are you okay?" she wondered, hoisting him up to get a better look at his injuries. Olivia gasped at her friend, causing him confusion.
"Is it that bad?" Jonathan asked in despair.
"Well..." Olivia started. "You kinda have an open wound on your cheek, and it may be bleeding..." She said, trying to make it sound better than it was.
Jonathan felt around for the burning scar, which took a mere 2 seconds, and felt a light trickle down his cheek. "Well, it is bleeding, Detective Pikachu," Jonathan retorted sarcastically. "What else are you going to discover? That my pants are ripped at the knee?" He asked with a smirk.
Olivia looked at Jonathan's pants, which were ripped at the knee, and stood dumbfounded. "Well, yeah, they are..." She commented, trying to sound like she wasn't about to have a crisis.
"Well, at least my knees don't hurt as much as I thought they would..." Jonathan mumbled, holding his hand to his cheek.
"I'll go get you some bandages!" Olivia cried, running in the direction Jonathan came from as fast as she could.
"Okay, thanks!" Jonathan yelled from a distance.
After a minute or so, Miles caught up with Jonathan. The boy stopped abruptly, panting. "Hey, where did Olivia go?" he asked.
Jonathan simply facepalmed. "Did you not just see her running that way?" Jonathan yelled, pointing in the direction where his female friend ran off to.
"Umm.. no..." Miles stammered. "Are you okay?"
"Nah, not really," Jonathan said, calming down. "My knees are most likely bruised and my hand is covering a huge scar. That's why Olivia ran off."
"To get you bandages?" Miles asked.
"Yeah," Jonathan wheezed, limping over to the nearest building and slumping on its wall. "It hurts like hell right now."
At that very moment, Olivia sprinted towards the two, holding a grocery bag in hand. She kneeled on the ground and took the contents out. Nine packs of bandages, some medicine, and a bag full of Poke Food.
"Why'd you get so much?" Jonathan asked. "Wouldn't that be stupidly pricey?" Jonathan inquired.
"Well, they had a 15% discount on pretty much everything, and they were chock full of all of this stuff, so I thought, 'Why not stock up for later? Our Pokémon are gonna get in tough situations later, aren't they?'," Olivia explained. She then began to divvy up her shopping items between the three Trainers. "Let alone, it only cost about 1,500, Jonathan."
"Dang, that's cheap..." Jonathan agreed. After he received his share of the wealth, he opened up his backpack and put the medicines and food in the front pocket where all of the other food and medicine went. He opened up one pack of bandages and applied two to his scar. He winced from the pain, but instantly closed the pack and put it with the other medical items he had. "Well, I'm ready to head out if you are," he stated.
Olivia finished putting her stock in her bag, then zipped it up and put it on her back. "Same here!" She cried joyously.
Miles stretched for a bit, and then cried, "Well, let's go, then!"
The group strolled along the streets of Lumiose, eating some macarons they bought from a small snack shop. Jonathan had whipped out his phone and started to look around for where they needed to go. After a while, he pointed to the left of the group. "That way," he said through pieces of macaron. The group took a left towards a road that led out of the city, following Jonathan's Riolu, who was sprinting down the road. As they walked down the path, they noticed that the city-like scenery extended for a short bit before the area around them became full of luscious trees, beautiful grass, and a nice, clear river that ran beside them, hosting many tiny fish Pokémon.
Olivia ran towards the river and put her hand in it, letting the water run over her fingers. Miles observed the Pokémon in the trees, lurking in and out of sight. Jonathan looked around the dirt path and lit up. "Guys!" He screamed. "This is the perfect spot to have a battle! Come on, Miles, let's duke it out!" he suggested ecstatically.
"Oh... okay," Miles muttered reluctantly.
The two boys walked over to a grassy area and stood far away from each other. Olivia sprinted over towards them to watch the battle.
"Riolu, you ready?" Jonathan asked the Emanation Pokémon. Riolu yipped in excitement and jumped off the Trainer's shoulder. However, it landed face-first into the grass. Jonathan simply chuckled. "We're gonna have to work on that sometime," Jonathan said.
Riolu stood up, wiped the blades of grass off of its face and assumed a battle stance. "Riolu!" The Fighting-Type cried, ready for its battle.
Miles took out a Poke Ball and threw it in the air. "Chespin, I choose you!" he cried. The ball popped open, and a beam of blue light materialized the Spiny Nut Pokémon. Chespin assumed a heroic stance, with a goofy grin on its face. "It's our first battle together, Chespin!" Miles cried. "Give it all you've got, okay?"
"Che! Pin Pin Pin!" Chespin cried confidently.
"Alright, Jonathan, you get the first move!" Miles cried, obviously devising a plan.
"Alright, then... Riolu, use Quick Attack!" Jonathan cried. Riolu sprinted towards Chespin and lunged into its opponent, knocking it back.
"Well, okay..." Miles muttered. "What do I do?" Miles thought for a second, then called out an attack. "Chespin, use Tackle!" Miles cried.
Jonathan looked around quickly, and formed an idea. "Riolu, sprint for the tree!" He cried. Riolu booked it towards a tall, thick oak tree. "Riolu, jump onto it!" Riolu jumped onto the tree and held on to it. When Chespin jumped head-first toward Riolu, Jonathan gave another command. "Riolu, rebound off the tree and hit Chespin with Force Palm!" Riolu bounded off the bark and its hand collided with Chespin's spiny head, sending the Spiny Nut Pokémon flying back and crashing into the ground. Chespin stood panting while Riolu stretched, not appearing to be breaking a sweat.
"Chespin, use Vine Whip! Go!" Miles cried impatiently.
"Riolu, stand your ground!" Jonathan called. Riolu blocked the attacks from Chespin with its hands and wasn't fazed at all. "Alright, great job, buddy! Now, use... Quick Attack!" he called, with hesitation in his voice. Riolu ran in circles around Chespin with great speed and then lunged into the Grass-Type Pokémon with force.
"Pin!" Chespin cried in pain. The Grass-Type flew back into the air and did a backflip upon landing to give Riolu more ground to cover, and to give itself time to evade the next attack.
The two hadn't noticed the small crowd that had been attracted to the friendly battle until one of them cried out, "Go Riolu! You've got this!" Another cried, "No, Chespin's gonna win! Go Chespin!"
Jonathan smirked. He knew what to do, but he had to wait.
Miles took the bait. "Chespin, use Vine Whip to propel yourself towards Riolu! Then hit it with Tackle!" he cried, wanting the battle to move forward.
Not what I expected, but okay... Jonathan thought. "Riolu, use Force Palm to parry the attack!"
Chespin launched itself in the air and soared in the air, but looked down and became frightened. It fell to the ground, stopping short of Riolu.
The crowd made a collective sigh as Chespin fell. Miles looked at his Pokémon in fear. "Chespin, you've gotta get up!" He cried. "Please!"
Chespin struggled to get up, but was fine after he did so. He turned to face his Trainer. "Pin! Che pin!" He exclaimed, making his Trainer feel at ease. "Nice! Now, use Vine Whip!" Chespin launched a flurry of vines that whipped at Riolu, who failed to parry them in time. "Good job, Chespin!" the boy exclaimed.
"Riolu, use Quick Attack!" Jonathan exclaimed, starting to get annoyed. Riolu lunged into Chespin, sending the Spiny Nut Pokémon a fair distance away from it. "Awesome! Now, keep up the pressure with another Quick Attack!" Jonathan called. Riolu did the same maneuvers again, and this time struck with even greater power. "Nice work, buddy!" Jonathan remarked, letting Riolu sit still.
"Now, Chespin, use Tackle while Riolu's vulnerable!" Miles called. Chespin ran toward Riolu at a swift pace, ready to pounce at the Fighting-Type Pokémon. "Ready? Now!" Miles cried, as Chespin lunged at Riolu.
Jonathan had an idea up his sleeve that was sure to throw his opponent off and he knew it. "Riolu, use Counter!" He cried suddenly, surprising everyone.
"What?" Miles wondered as he saw his Chespin's attack parried and returned, sending it flying across the battlefield. "How did he keep that move so hidden from me and not forget that his Riolu had learned it in the first place?" Miles asked to himself. He shook his head to regain and called out another attack instantly. "Chespin, use Vine Whip, and make it quick!" Miles cried.
"Riolu, jump to dodge!" Jonathan retorted without hesitation.
Riolu jumped over Chespin's head and was in the air when Miles called, "Use Vine Whip again and slam it to the ground!" Chespin latched on to Riolu with vines and slammed it downward. "Amazing! Now, use Tackle!" Miles cried again.
"Riolu, get up!" Jonathan called with spirit. "You've got this, pal!" Riolu got up and dodged the Tackle attack in the nick of time. "Riolu, now get in close and start attacking!" he commanded.
"Chespin, parry with Vine Whip!" Miles responded instantaneously.
Riolu delivered a flurry of quick punches and kicks, and Chespin used the vines like swords to deflect Riolu's attacks from dealing damage to it. This sequence continued for a few seconds before Riolu made a move on its own. It grabbed the vines, surprising even its Trainer, and swung the vines, and Chespin, around it, gaining momentum as it went. After a while, it released Chespin, sending the Grass-Type flying.
The audience, having grown from about five people to around fifteen, made a collective gasp upon the sight of Chespin suddenly being flung into the air
"Now, Riolu, use Quick Attack to chase after Chespin!" Jonathan cheered, working off of his Pokémon's unorthodox action.
After Chespin landed on the ground it gained stability, the battle came to be a game of tag, and Riolu was gaining at a shocking rate. Then, the Emanation Pokémon charged through the Spiny Nut Pokémon, and Chespin was sent flying. "Chespin, no!" Miles cried. Chespin fell to the ground, and it was knocked out. "Chespin, good job," Miles said solemnly. "Get some good rest, okay?"
"Chespin is unable to battle," Olivia cried. "Jonathan is the winner!"
The audience clapped for the two battlers and congratulated Jonathan on his victory.
Miles then looked at Jonathan in awe. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "That was an amazing battle, Jonathan! How'd you do it?" Miles asked.
"I dunno," Jonathan replied. "I guess it's about thinking on your feet. It also could've been a heap of beginner's luck as well. I've never had a full battle before. You did great, too. I never would've thought of parrying attacks with my own in a million years!" Jonathan concluded.
"Thank you," Miles accepted. "I was surprised by that battle, let alone how well you fought."
After a while, a tall, pale man in a red T-shirt and black sweatpants walked up to Jonathan. "Hey," he said. "Good job out there."
"Thanks," Jonathan said, scratching his head.
"Hey. My name's Clayton. I'm an Ace Trainer from Unova," the man said. "What did you say your name was?"
"I'm Jonathan," Jonathan answered, shaking Clayton's hand. "I just started my travels here this morning." He said.
Clayton's eyes widened. "Wait, you just became a Trainer today?" he asked.
"Sure did," Jonathan replied, affirming Clayton's suspicions.
"I'm impressed!" Clayton replied. "You must be a prodigy to do that well in a battle! You've got serious potential, kid, let me tell you that!"
Jonathan blushed. "Gee, thanks, Clayton," he replied. "You must be really strong to be dubbed one of the Ace Trainers," he added.
"Thanks," Clayton muttered. He walked away slowly, checking his phone. "I need to go," he said, sounding somewhat in a hurry. "I need to be headed somewhere. See ya around, kid!" Clayton exclaimed, running off.
"See ya, Clayton!" Jonathan yelled, waving to the man.
A while later, Jonathan was eating a sandwich and playing with his Pokémon. Froakie was jumping around on the Trainer's shoulder, jumping in Jonathan's face and random intervals to scare him. Riolu was running around with Miles's Chespin and playing a game of tag. Olivia walked over to him. "Hey, Jonathan, you wanna battle?" she asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to," she added.
Jonathan's eys grew wide, shocked by the sudden challenge."Yeah, I'd love to!" he replied, walking to a battlefield area. "Here's a good spot!" he commented as they were standing on a patch of dirt. "Alright, here we go with Froakie!" Jonathan cried, releasing his Water-Type Pokémon. The Water-Type jumped off of his shoulder and landed on his feet, assuming a karate-like stance to intimidate his opponent.
"Froakie!" Froakie cried.
"Alright," Olivia whispered. "Go, Fennekin!" she yelled as the Fox Pokemon came out.
"Fen! Kin!" The Fire-Type cried. Fennekin landed on all fours and barked in hopes to intimidate Froakie. "Kin! Kin!"
"Jonathan, you ready?" Olivia asked with a bit of confidence.
"Yeah, you bet!" Jonathan cried with determination. "Froakie, use Bubble!" he called. Froakie then released an array of translucent bubbles, which hit Fennekin and damaged it quite a bit. "Awesome! Now, run up to it and use Pound!"
"Um," Olivia started. "Use Scratch!" Olivia called. Fennekin stopped Froakie's momentum, parried the attack, and sent the Bubble Frog Pokémon flying after landing the attack succesfully. "Cool! Use Ember!" Olivia cried with more confidence.
"Froakie, dodge it!" Froakie dodged the small flame with ease, and then jumped around more. "Froakie, let's get redemption! Use Pound again!" Froakie ran to Fennekin and slapped it with great force.
"Froakie!" it called, taunting Fennekin, who growled in response. "Froakie Froa!"
"Fennekin, use Growl!" Fennekin gave a more menacing growl, and Froakie was intimidated slightly. "Now, use Scratch!" Olivia called. Fennekin jumped for the Bubble Frog Pokémon and swiped its claws at it. "Good work!"
"Alright, Froakie!" Jonathan called. "Use Bubble once more!" The bubbles hit Fennekin, and for a moment, the Fox Pokemon was stunned. "Now, use Pound as fast as you can!" Froakie ran for Fennekin again and slapped it with great force. "Now, jump back and use Bubble!" Froaie jumped back with ease and shot another array of bubbles at Fennekin.
"Fennekin, dodge it!" Olivia called. Fennekin attempted to do so, but it was too late. "No, Fennekin!" Olivia cried. Fennekin had fainted, and there were swirls in its eyes. "I guess I lost..." Olivia muttered morosely. Her mood then lightened up. "That was amazing, Jonathan!" she cried. "You're an amazing battler, I tell you!"
"Well, I guess," Jonathan said, scratching his head. "I've had a few lessons from my dad every so often. He's a great battler," the boy added.
"You're a natural, Jonathan!" Miles commented. "Why, I bet you could beat Diantha, come to think of it!" he added.
"Aw, shut up," Jonathan said. "I'm not that good just yet. Let alone, I only have two Pokémon."
"Well, anyways, let's get on the road," Olivia suggested. "We need to head towards the woods, and we've got a bit of walking to do if we wanna get there in the next day or so."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jonathan remarked, returning Froakie to its Poke Ball and hoisting Riolu on to his shoulder.
The three set out on the road, having a boring walk minus the occasional sightseeing and random encounters with wild Pokémon.
Later that night, around dusk, the group had settled down, having covered about two miles in their walk. They had finished the macarons they had bought earlier that day as a light snack to eat before they went to sleep. Jonathan, almost instantaneously, started to set up camp. He had finished his food rather quickly and wanted to get an early start the next morning. He had set up a small red tent that was big enough to fit him and a few small Pokemon inside. "Lookin' good!" he grunted as he put the final stake in the ground. "I think we're all set, Riolu!" he added.
"Riolu!" the Emanation Pokémon cried.
"Well, let's hop inside!" Jonathan said, releasing Froakie from its Poke Ball as he yawned. "Boy, am I sleepy!" he added.
Jonathan climbed in his sleeping bag, and he brought one to fit one to three tiny Pokémon in it, which Riolu and Froakie slept in. Jonathan turned in his sleeping bag, excited for the next day, but unable to process the awesome experience he had just had. He stretched for a minute, but ultimately decided to stand up and stay up a little bit longer.
After Jonathan had finished setting up, Olivia and Miles stayed up, hoping to talk to the other. Olivia had walked over to a patch of grass and laid down in it. She was tired, and didn't feel like setting up camp. Miles had walked over and sat down beside her. "Hey," he said in a serious voice.
"Yeah, what's up?" Olivia asked.
"Well, I just had a weird feeling about that... kid at the lab today." Miles said.
"Manny?" Jonathan asked from out of the blue, catching his friends off guard. "Yeah, I didn't like him either."
"I thought you were going to bed, Jonathan," Olivia inquired. "Why are you still up?"
"Well, for one, you're not my mom," Jonathan said calmly with a chuckle. "And second, I'm a low-key insomniac. I've been thinking about Manny all day, and why he had shoved us like that. It's not like he knew we existed."
"Eh, who knows," Miles replied. "He could just be a huge brat for all we care."
Olivia chuckled. "You know, this makes me think... I knew a kid named Manny back in Trainer's School, and he always bullied this girl named Rebecca during my Berry class."
"I knew Rebecca," Miles stated solemnly. "She was always super shy and never talked to anyone except for me. I miss her, if I'm going to be honest."
Jonathan had zoned out, but snapped back to reality due to the silence. Startled, he started to speak. "Man, I miss being in school, but it was only five months ago when we graduated. Man, time sure flies by."
"Yeah," Miles replied, yawning. He proceeded to walk to his tent silently. "Goodnight," he said quietly.
Jonathan and Olivia were left alone, the latter laying on the grass. "You know," Olivia started. "You did really well against me today."
"Don't mention it," Jonathan said.
"No, really," Olivia said, rolling over to face him. "I'm still amazed by our battle. How in the world did you pull off those crazy maneuvers?" She wondered.
"I really don't know, if I have to be honest," Jonathan replied. "Again, it may just be beginner's luck."
"Well, anyway," Olivia started, standing up and stretching. "I'm headed to bed. See you tomorrow." Olivia walked to her tent.
"I guess I should head that way, too," Jonathan muttered, walking to his tent. He climbed inside and laid down. No sooner had he laid down than he had fallen asleep, exhausted from his long day.
The woman looked around, suspicious if her cover was about to be blown. She clung close to the buildings behind her, using her dark outfit to hide by staying stationary. She soon felt a rush of wind and blocked it with her hand. She smiled, however, as if she was expecting it. She moved silently, not wanting to attract more attention than was necessary. She walked around until she saw the source of the wind.
A rusty, aged helicopter. Inside was an old man she knew very well.
"Hurry the hell up, kid, it's 3 in the morning!" The man shouted with a raspy voice. "I'm on serious caffeine to get you where you need to be, ok?"
"Got ya, Vincent," the woman whispered, walking towards the helicopter. "Gee, he always gets crankier," she muttered to herself. She jumped in the helicopter, holding on to the roof by her hands. "Alright, Vincent, I'm ready," she announced. She put on a pair of high-tech sunglasses and kept a straight face.
"Alright, kid, you know the drill," Vincent informed. "Stay safe, don't die, your parachute is on the rack."
"Gotcha," the woman replied impatiently. "Now let's get outta here before anyone wakes up."
The helicopter's blades started making a whirring noise as the vehicle took off from the ground, propelling wind and dust away from it. The helicopter flew higher and higher, eventually reaching a height where the city seemed the size of a small room. Then, the vehicle slowly turned, pivoting 180 degrees before coasting forward. "Now, we should get to Anistar by 8," Vincent said. "If the sky is clear and we make it ok, that is. If not, just glide over there and you'll be fine."
"Yeah, thanks, Vincent," the woman said, looking out at the dark, starless sky that was only inhabited by a sliver of the dimly lit moon. "It's gonna be a long ride," she murmured, receding from the doorway and making her way to the co-pilot's seat. She sat down and faced straight ahead. "It's about time I got rolling." she muttered. "I haven't done something this great in years. And man, Kalos won't forget me after I'm done with 'em."
