Pokémon BW2 - Saving Unova, Again? ✔

Ch.3 | Where Are Thou, Herdier?

Image by - creamy_roux on Furaffinity

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Rosa decided to get some training in before stepping into Floccesy Town right away. So far, the only pokémon she'd seen around were Purrloin and Patrat – nothing she felt like catching. She could focus on that part later.

Moving on, the brunette moved through the dirt path and the grass, which rustled with each of her steps. A Patrat made its appearance and stared at them. "It seems tough. Let's battle it!" Rosa ordered her Snivy to tackle the wild pokémon. Jano obeyed and ran at it, only for Patrat to jump upwards and land on his head, sending him face-first on the ground. It fled after that, likely not up for conflict. "You ok, Jano?!" Rosa lifted her pokémon and regarded him with worry.

'Yes, my lady.' He brushed the dirt from his face, giving a nod. His trainer sighed as she realized this might not be that easy, being a newbie and all.

"Well... practice makes perfect." Setting Jano down, the duo continued ahead to search for more pokémon to battle with. There weren't any other trainers as of now. They did encounter a Purrloin, winning this time, before things started looking up for them. Of course, Rosa's thoughts drifted to Hugh. 'I wonder if I'll get to see him... He needs his map after all.' She frowned lightly. 'Looks like we might not be traveling together. I mean, a newbie like me could hold him back from his dreams.' The brunette finished up another battle with a different Patrat before finally deciding to go to Floccesy Town, where a pokémon Center likely is. 'Speaking of dreams,' she looked down at her feet. 'Journeying can't be the only thing I want. It seems rather plain. I could aim for–'

"You there, trainer!" Someone cut her thoughts off. Rosa raised her head to look around, but no one was there.

"Hello??"

"Up here!" This confused her as she looked at the sky, Jano following her gaze too. Could it be Arceus itself? She couldn't help wondering, until she found a man with fiery hair standing on the cliff nearby. "My name is Alder! I'm the trainer with a keen interest in the world. One of my goals is to tell people about how wonderful it is to walk toward the future together with pokémon." He moved forward and jumped off the cliff. Rosa gasped, quickly looking away, praying he wouldn't get hurt.

She heard the thump of his feet hitting the ground before looking back at him, a sigh of relief escaping her. "I'm Rosa, sir." She smiled.

"From Aspertia City?" He only received a hesitant nod as an answer. Alder jumped around the girl and her pokémon, observing the two but also freaking them out. When he was done, he grinned at the brunette. "Your Snivy is a fine-looking creature, but you're not exactly a seasoned trainer yet..."

"Is it that obvious?" Rosa nervously laughed. If this man had been on that cliff, he likely saw her first run-in with that Patrat.

"Don't worry yourself!" Alder patted her head. "You just need more training, which I will be helping you with! Follow me!" His smile only showed kindness so she decided to accept his help. There was something familiar about him too. Unfortunately, Alder ran off without her so she had to hurry if she wanted to catch up. He stopped just outside the Pokémon Center to wait for her. "You should heal your Snivy before following me any further. My house is just up ahead, you can't miss it!" Rosa watched him walk off before heading inside the Pokémon Center.

The brunette exited the building not long after to walk down the path. Jano took the spot atop his trainer's head so that he could see everything better. Floccesy Town was quite peaceful. Most folks went about their business while some sat on the benches to chat with their friends. What caught the Snivy's attention was the tall tower. "Sni!" He tapped Rosa's head and pointed toward it. "Huh?" She followed his gaze, eyes widening at the tower. She walked over to it curiously, then noticed the plaque next to her. "It's an old clock tower." She looked back up to it with a smile.