Pokemon Mini-Series

Patches

"Alright kids, time is up! Please turn in your tests at my desk and have a good rest of your day!" The Coordinator teacher announced from the head of the lecture room.

Kira put the finishing touches on her test, before closing the booklet and walking it to the front. Then she grabbed her satchel and slung it on top of her red hoodie and blue jeans, before she started to make her way outside of the Coordinator classroom.

"Hey, Kira!" Her friend, Amber, caught up to her, adjusting her black beanie over russet-colored hair. "How do you think you did?"

"I think I did fairly well. Although I think style choices are rather subjective, and shouldn't be scored by a textbook."

"Aw! I totally forgot about the style points in my essay!" Amber hid her face in her hands. "I'm so dumb; I'm never gonna get my Coordinator credentials before I'm 16!"

"Sure, you will," Kira smiled reassuringly. "And even if you don't, you can still participate in contests."

"Yeah, but I won't be accredited! I won't feel official!"

"You don't need validation from a test to perform well. All that matters are those keys."

As the two left the building, Kira's Houndour stood up after waiting outside faithfully. "Heya, Jet. How was your day?" Kira greeted.

"Dour!" Jet yawned happily.

Amber looked at the blue-haired girl curiously and suddenly asked. "Why are you taking this class if you don't think you need it to perform?"

Kira sighed and scratched her head. "Well, you may not need to have credentials to perform, but you do need them to be able to get sponsored. And if I'm being honest, my dad's shop hasn't been doing great since he developed arthritis. Wattson helps where he can, and we were able to find an Aipom who was willing to work in exchange for food and a place to sleep. Jet has been helping with melting and fusing metal, too, but he mainly sticks by my side." She gave the Houndour a pat on the head, and then smiled sadly. "But I don't know how long he's going to be able to continue to support himself without me."
"Doesn't your brother want to take over the business?"

She shrugged. "He did. But my mom's new husband wants him to come and work for his corporation. Says that he would be a better businessman."

"I'm sorry," her friend offered.

Kira managed to put a smile back on her face. "That's alright, it's not your fault. But that's why I want to get accredited, so I can help him out and support myself."
"That's good of you." The other girl shook her head in disbelief. "And here I am complaining about wanting to feel official."

"Don't worry about it; to each their own strife. But you better go if you don't want to miss your bus."

"Oh right! I'll see you tomorrow, then!" Amber hurried down the road to the bus stop.

Kira watched her go, until Jet nudged her hand with his nose. She looked down at him and said, "Right, we have to pick up dinner. We should go before the grill closes."

He yawned in response as Kira unlocked her bike and lifted her leg over. The flaming Bunnelbies had faded with time and was in need of a fresh coat of paint, but it still got her from point A to point B without issue. Then the two set off at a slow pace down the road. After a block or two, Jet's ears perked and he suddenly deviated down another path. Kira applied the handbrakes, looking at her companion in exasperation. "Jet? The grill is the other way!"

When the dark-and-fire type didn't turn back around, she clicked her tongue in slight annoyance and turned to go after him. Jet lead her further downtown until they came upon an old park, where he suddenly stopped.

"What did you bring me here for?" She asked, pulling up next to him and looking around. Then she saw a flash of movement as a small body darted over the monkey bars, quickly followed by a pack of Houndours. Kira tensed, about to get off her bike, but she saw that Jet was watching with interest. The other Houndours paid no attention to the two onlookers as they vaulted over the swings and slides in pursuit of their prey. As the girl looked closer to track what they were chasing, she saw that it was a Pachirisu moving at astonishing speed. The blue and white squirrel Pokemon could have easily out-climbed the hounds, but Kira realized that it was trying to tire them out.

Then she looked at Jet, who stood unmoving. "Is... is that your pack?" She asked.

He silently nodded, his eyes never leaving the other Pokemon. She didn't say anything in return as she watched the progress of the chase. Soon, it seemed that the Pachirisu's tactic was working, as the Houndours were slowing on the straights and becoming sloppier on the turns. Instead of being a closely-knit group to prevent any escape, the four hounds started to spread out as their various staminas were tried. As the alpha Houndour jumped up onto a step, the Pachirisu suddenly whipped around and used Quick Attack, slamming into its pursuer and sending it flying back.

The others paused, tongues lolling out, waiting on their alpha to see what to do. Meanwhile the Pachirisu crouched bristling with electricity, as if daring them to make a move. The lead Houndour stood, before growling and letting out a stream of fire. But the Pachirisu dodged by leaping into the air. As it rolled, it created a ball of sparks and flung an Electroball right back. The hound was too tired from its pursuit to get out of the way, and the attack struck with full force. The alpha was knocked back into the rest of the pack, sending an electric current through all of them. Seeing they had been outsmarted, the pack retreated with smoke rising from their fur.

"Wow," Kira breathed. She had never seen such aggressive battle tactics from such a small Pokemon before. It was new. It was exciting.

"H-hey!" She called to the electric squirrel.

It turned abruptly, yellow cheeks pulsating with power. "No, no! It's okay; I'm not here to hurt or capture you!" She reassured it, slowly laying her bike on the ground. "I want to make a deal with you!"

Both Jet and the Pachirisu looked at her in confusion, but the electric-type calmed down and sat on its haunches in interest. It bobbed its tail as if to say "Go on".
"Well... Hi. I'm Kira, and this is Jet. Jet used to lead that pack, although I'm sure he was a much nicer leader." The girl looked at her companion for confirmation, but he was looking away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I know you don't like me telling this story. But it's important, I promise," she told him sympathetically, before turning back to the Pachirisu. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you would show Jet and I how to think outside the box like you do. I think that if you did, then he would be able to win his pack back. And then they wouldn't bother you anymore! It's a win-win situation!"

The squirrel thought for a brief moment. "Pachu?" It inquired suspiciously.

"Oh, me? Well I get to learn things for my performances! I want to be a Coordinator and have my Pokemon perform in contests. But if I want to win, I need to do things a lot differently so I can stand out! I guess what I'm saying is that I like your spunk, and I think I can learn a lot from you! What do you say?"

The blue and white Pokemon looked at Jet, who nodded begrudgingly. After some more thought, it shrugged and said "Pachirisu!" Then it ran over and scampered up a branch so it was eye level with Kira. "So, we have a deal?" She asked, putting her hand out. "Risu!" It placed its paw in her hand.