Pokemon Shippuden

Chapter 2: Talent

Mikael stood across the street with his arms folded. "Got a little fight in you I see. Think you got the balls for a battle?"

Ricardo was frozen like a deer in headlights. "Who? Me??"

"Who the fuck else around here is fighting?"

Ricardo rubbed his jaw. "But I don't have a Pokemon."

"Hahaa!" Mikael laughed heartily "Don't give me excuses left and right." He picked a marble-sized pokeball by random off his belt and threw it at Ricardo. "Take this one!"

Ricardo caught it and examined the ball for a moment. He didn't expect them to be so tiny.

Mikael scratched his gray beard "Damn son, you've never held a pokeball before?"

"Held one? I don't think I've even seen one up close. These aren't exactly everyday items." Ricardo pressed the button on the front of the ball making it expand to a large handful. "I figured it out. How do we start?"

Mikael grabbed the fourth ball on his belt. "Like this!" He expanded it and threw it spinning like a baseball pitch toward Ricardo. "Go! Magneton!" The ball paused mid-air and released a burst of energy taking the form of three metallic orbs with eyes arranged in a triangle each with a single horseshoe magnet coming off of them.

Bystanders started to cheer. "Go Mikael!!"

Ricardo followed suit. "Go! Uh.. Pokemon!!" His threw his ball sloppily making it barely spin. It stopped mid-air bursting into a nearly 7-foot long lamprey with arms that levitated above the ground.

"Great! That's my Eelektross! It knows Crush Claw and Discharge, use them wisely!"

"Damn right I will!" Ricardo's heart jumped with excitement, what kid growing up didn't endlessly rehearse how their first Pokemon battle would go? "Eelektross! Quick! Crush Claw!"

The Pokemon surged forward in a zig-zag motion across the street that was almost too quick to see.

"Magneton! Go up!" It obeyed and floated upward in the air. "Now use Charge!" then began surrounding itself in electrical energy. The Eelektross came directly under the Magneton and vaulted off the ground towards it's opponent with outstretched claws.

"Magneton use Zap Cannon!" The Eelektross was mere inches away from Magneton swiping with killer instinct before Magneton's charged particles coalesced into a downward blast directly smiting its enemy back towards the ground.

BRRACKK!!

"Oooooooh...." Went the gathered crowd with pained expressions.

Eelektross crashed into the asphalt street impacting a shallow crater. It had been knocked unconscious.

Ricardo's high immediately tanked into the bottom of his stomach. His first battle was over and it hadn't even been half a minute. "My nigga.. What even was that..?"

"Magneton. Return." Mikael beamed his Pokemon back into its ball and walked over to Ricardo's side of the street refusing autographs and pictures on the way. "Firstly, put my Pokemon back in its ball. It's hurt."

The crowd began dispersing and emergency services were called to attend to the collateral damage. Ricardo did as he was told and returned the Eelektross back into its ball. "But no, really. What was the point of that battle? If I was clearly outclassed?"

Mikael laid his hand on his shoulder. "You weren't outclassed. Both of these Pokemon are of similar strength. It's up to the trainer to understand each individual Pokemon's abilities and style of battle to best utilize their capabilities. Simply something that comes from experience."

Ricardo looked at Mikael almost condescendingly "And how do you suppose I get that?"

"Look." Mikael took on a serious tone. "You're not going to cut it for this casting call. You're better off just going home and not wasting any more time here."

"Thanks for the advice." Ricardo had heard enough. He patted Mikael on his shoulder and turned to leave before his temper got the better of him. He took a few steps and Mikael stopped him.

"Know what? What's your name young buck?"

"Ricardo. Makenson." His annoyance was clear in his tone.

"How about this Ricardo." Mikael reached in his back pocket taking out a pen and a fortune cookie slip. "Take my number. Give me call when this auditioning process finishes at the end of the month."

Ricardo took the slip and went about his business. It was decidedly no longer a good day.

He stopped at McDonald's to order a McKarp when LaShay rung his line. He considered not picking up. She could hear the full story when she got back from work but answered anyway.

"What's good?"

"Um, my couch ain't clean nigga."

"It's alright. I'm already on my way back."

"Already?? Awe did my baby get the part?"

"No. Matter of fact, Mikael come out to give me an ass beating personally."

"He did what? What you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. We battled. I lost."

"You battled?  Why are you so nonchalant about this? What happened??"

"Babe I'm not having a good day. Can we talk it over tonight instead?"

"Sure thing you big ol' baby. I just called to let you know I'm leaving for work."

"Okay. Leave the door unlocked I think I left my keys."

"Alright no problem. I'll call back on break. Love you."

"Yea. Love you too."

Ricardo hung up and finished his sandwich. When things go wrong at least he had something right in his life. Though that might try and crumble later on too. He made his way back to the condo and slunk into the couch. Still dirty.