Aaron and Grey - a Pokémon story

An Unlikely New Friend

"Fantastic," Aaron exclaimed. "I knew you'd want to get out of your alley. Anyway, it appears you liked the milkshake, but how about we appease your growling stomach and get you an actual meal?" The boy was desperately trying to get more out of his milkshake cup, and was subsequently making loud slurping noises when Aaron asked if he wanted food. He nodded vigorously, something he seemed to be doing a lot of lately. "Well, since your milkshake was gone a while ago, let's head out." The boy lifted his Riolu out of his lap and positioned him in his bag so his head was sticking out and he could see, and Aaron reached into his bag and left some money on the table, then they were off.

"I know just the place," Aaron said as they were walking away from the small café. "It's not a very large or glamorous place, but the food is pretty good, and it's great for beginning trainers. The boy then stopped and looked at Aaron inquisitively. "Well you've got to learn sometime," Aaron continued, "and it's better to start early." The boy looked down for a second, then said, "alright, but you'll give me tips right?" The boy looked back up at Aaron, and as Aaron looked down at him he sighed, realizing Aaron wanted him to do it himself, and they continued walking.  They reached the restaurant, and Aaron was right about it not being glamorous: Everything was the same shade of brown, and there were only a few customers and a single waiter, who appeared to also be the head chef.

Aaron guided the boy to the counter, where he payed ₽3,000 and the cashier explained that you have to wait for the dish to get its "full flavor potential," and that the chef here would battle with you to pass the time. The boy was worried. He had never battled before, and his only pokémon was still probably the same level it was when it hatched-1. "How could I beat anyone with a level 1 pokémon," he thought. As they went back to their table, however, it seemed Aaron was going to help after all as he reached into his bag.

"This restaurant requires double battles," Aaron started, "so you'll need another pokémon, unless of course you want your Riolu to be damaged constantly. The boy shook his head. "Didn't think so," he continued, "which is why I'm giving you another pokémon. I prefer it's other evolution, so I havn't used it all too often, but I do let it out from time to time, you know, so it isn't stuck in its ball all the time. Here we are!" He exclaimed suddenly. "I had to find the right pokéball." 

No sooner had the boy taken the pokéball from Aaron a chef came up to the table. "Hey there, I see you just got your food, want to help pass the time? My name's Roger."

Aaron looked at the boy and said, "go on then." The boy stood up, and walked towards the empty interior of the place.

"First battle, huh?" Roger started. "Well, if you're really nice, I might go easy on you. Go, Pansage, Pansear." He threw two pokéballs, and two small monkeys popped out, one red with a small fire-shaped curl on its head, and the other green, with a small tree-shaped one.

The boy unzipped his bag and let Ronnie run onto the field, and looked at his pokéball for a second before throwing it up in the air. A bug popped out and started quickly flitting about the field. "That's Ninjask," Aaron said from the table. The boy looked at this bug and said, "hello Ninjask." It flitted around in such a way that it ended up facing the boy. It's head twitched a couple of times before it turned back around. 

Suddenly Aaron stood up and yelled, "hold on a second, forgot something!" He pulled a small red and orange ribbon out of his bag, and rushed over to Ronnie, tying it on his neck. "Just in case," Aaron said looking at Roger. He also handed a small thing that looked like a pokédex to the boy. "This will allow you to look at your pokémon's stats, level, moves, etc. I meant to give it to you earlier. It's a modified pokédex." The boy looked at this new pokédex, and tried to compare it to his old one. "My bad, now, go ahead," Aaron said as he walked away. The boy looked at the ribbon that was now attached to Ronnie, who had started playing with it. The boy first looked at his own Riolu, and saw some interesting moves. "Bullet Punch, Cross Chop, Counter, and Poison Jab," he mouthed to himself. He then checked his Riolu's level, and saw it to be level 1, and his spirits sank. Roger waited patiently, for he was in this same position before, and he didn't want the child to be scared out of battling, like he almost was. The boy then looked at the Ninjask, and once again saw useful moves: U-turn, X-Scissor, Aerial Ace, and Night Slash, but the Ninjask was level 25. The boy thought that the ninjask would end up being the main damage dealer here, and looked at its stats. He almost fell over at its speed. 

"Your food's getting cold," Roger said across the floor, for although he was patient for new trainers, he also wanted his food to be enjoyed properly.

"Alright," the boy said, and, trying to remember everything he heard from the trainer's school window, he commanded his pokémon. "Ronnie, use Bullet Punch on Pansage!" The Riolu jumped at the Pansage, but was dismayed to see such low damage done. He resolved he'd have to train a lot if he were to be a trainer. "Now, Ninjask, use Poison Jab on Pansear!" Ninjask's arm glowed purple, then he jabbed the small monkey in its stomach. It fell backwards, a quick KO. 

"Yeah!" the boy exclaimed.

"Pansage, use Vine Whip on Riolu!" Roger shouted from his side of the floor. Long vines sprouted from the back of the Pansage, and they smacked the Riolu, throwing him a few feet to the side. As the Riolu lay there, the ribbon around its neck started glowing, then it dissolved, and it appeared that the Riolu absorbed it. The Riolu then, with great effort, stood back up. "You're lucky your friend over there tied that one, otherwise it would have been a KO," Roger said. The boy used his new device to check his Riolu's HP, to find it was at exactly 1. "That must be what that item does," he thought. "Doesn't matter now," the boy yelled back. "Ninjask, Aerial Ace!" The Ninjask flew forward at incredible speed, something the boy figured was normal for this particular pokémon, and hit the Pansage square in its chest. It fell backwards in the same fashion as the Pansear, and was returned to its pokéball.
"Well kid, you win. I think your food got a bit cold though, sorry." The boy picked up his Riolu, ecstatic about winning his first actual battle. He ran back to Aaron, Riolu in arms, Ninjask close behind. The boy was talking to Aaron about everything, the modified dex he was given, the Ninjask, the ribbon, how little damage Riolu did, how they'd have to train, how much the Ninjask did, and much more, all the while chewing his food. Aaron only listened, and smiled. "He'll make a great trainer," he thought.