Beyond the Adventure - A Pokémon Story

Chapter 2: First Steps pt3

        The dirt road ahead is smooth, trampled by the many travelers who walk it.  Tall trees surround us, with the sound of Spearow in the air.  A serene lake lies to the west of the road.  Every now and then, a Poliwag will poke its head above the surface, then dive back into the water.  The tall grass in the woods rustle, no doubt by wild Pokémon playing or foraging for food.  Just ahead, two trainers square off, and their Pokémon, a Yanma and a Psyduck, battle it out.  Jaws looks on eagerly, eyes filled with joy.  I have never met a Pokémon who loved battle as much as this little guy seems to do.  I pat his head.  “Come on, buddy.”

        As we come around a bend in the road, we are confronted with a large building.  A sign reads “National Park and Pokéathlon Dome”, with a smaller sign “Bug Catching Contest every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 2pm!”  I check my Pokégear.  “Saturday, 1:37pm,” it reads.  I look down at Jaws.  “Want to check out the bug-catching contest?”  He smiles and nods.

        We walk in the gate and we are greeted by a lovely young lady with beautiful red hair and gorgeous blue eyes.  I am taken aback for a moment as she smiles warmly at me.  “Welcome!” she says.  “Will you be participating in today’s bug-catching contest?”

        “Ah… um… well…” I stammer.  “I hadn’t planned on it…”  I feel my face burning red.

        The woman keeps smiling.  “Not a problem,” she says cheerfully.  “Should you change your mind, simply speak to me and I’ll sign you up!”

        I laugh nervously.  “Haha, okay, thanks!”

        “That’s an odd Pokémon,” she says, peering over the counter at Jaws.

        “Yeah, he’s definitely unique!” I say proudly.

        “He’s kinda cute,” she says, glancing at me.  My face burns as I wave goodbye.

        Jaws and I walk toward the park entrance, looking around.  Several trainers are hanging around, eagerly waiting for the contest to start.  To our right, a gate leading to the Pokéathlon Dome invites all trainers brave enough to compete.  People and Pokémon come and go through the gate, some with determined faces, and others with solemn looks of defeat.  Behind me, I hear a loud, obnoxious, and strangely familiar voice boasting about the strength of his Pokémon.  I turn around and, sure enough, it is the trainer from Whitney’s gym.

        “…and so I put her Persian to sleep, then I drain it of all its energy with Leech Life,” he says.  “Yeah, it didn’t stand a chance.”  He tosses a Pokéball to himself, looking quite pleased with himself.  The girls around him “ooh” and “aah”.

        “Jaws,” I say.  Jaws looks up at me.  “Let’s go before…”

        “Well, look who it is!” the pest shouts.  “The scaredy Meowth who refused to fight me.”

        I groan.  I really do not want to deal with this guy right now.

        “Ready to fight me now?” he belts out.  “Or are you still going to wuss out?”

        I look down at Jaws.  He looks eager, fists balled up.  I shake my head.  “Not here, buddy,” I whisper.

        “Wussing out, I see,” he says.  “Might as well.  Nobody can beat the great Bruce anyway.”

        I smirk.  “Tell that to Whitney,” I crack.

        Bruce frowns.  “That was a cheap shot,” he growls, as the girls behind him snicker and walk off.  “Doesn’t matter anyway.  If I can’t beat her, nobody can.”