DPA: Rivals

Chapter 6: The More, The Merrier!

"Skye, what is that?" Max asked Skye, staring at the odd Pokémon that had popped its head out of the water.

"That's Poliwag!" Skye said, handing Max his bag. "Don't you remember seeing one back home?"

"Yeah, of course, this one just looks...smaller?"

"Bro, that's one of the things that's cool about Kanto. Pokémon are different here than in Alola. Some Pokémon might be smaller, or different shapes, or even different types."

"Woah."

"Woah is right. Now come on come on and help me carry these things," Skye said, buttoning up her coat. "Compared to Akala Island, this place is freezing. Come on, Dratini!" The Dratini, who had been playing with another trainer's Slowpoke, slithered towards Skye, up her leg and around her arm like a bracelet. "Dri!" it cried out, nuzzling its face into Skye's hair, very much enjoying this new environment.

"I think you'll like it here, Max."

"I know I will!" Max said with a smile. He turned back to the Poliwag, who was still watching the pair, its head just above the water. "Hey Skye, should we try and catch that?"

"Sure, but let's get off the dock." The pair walked off the boardwalk, bags in hand, taking their first step onto Kanto soil.

"I...told you...I'd beat you!" Daryon sputtered between gasps, winded from the run.

"Actually, according to rules of a fair race, you cheated, and I win by default," Cameron said, taking his glasses out of their case and putting them on. As the fitter of the two friends, he wasn't nearly as tired from the long run.

"Cheated?" Daryon asked, feigning surprise and wiping the sweat off his brow.

"The rules were, we'd start when I say 'go.' You started running before that, thus giving you an unfair start. Thus, in any official race, you'd be disqualified, and me, being the only racer left, would win automatically."

"Oh whatever," Daryon rolled his eyes as the pair entered Professor Oak's lab. As they walked in, they were greeted by the scene of the Professor as well as two others, a girl about their age, and a boy who seemed hardly older than 6, neither of whom they had never seen before. What caught Daryon's eye was the Pokémon that had curled itself around the girl's wrist.

"Oh...my...Golduck!" Daryon screamed with glee, running up to the girl and oggling the Pokémon . "It's a Dratini, but it's...it's different! It's pink! I've never seen anything like it!"

"That's-" Professor Oak began.

"Daryon, that's a shiny Pokémon ," Cameron interrupted, equally fascinated. "A Pokemon with a rare gene that gives them a variation in their coloring." Cameron turned from the Pokémon to its trainer. "Ma'am, a shiny Pokémon i-i-is incredibly rare, how on Earth d-d-d-did you manage to find one? The odds are over one in-one in-one in 4,000."

The girl smiled. "Oh, Dratini here? Dratini was a gift. Anyways, I'm Skye, nice to meet you!" She held out her hand.

Cameron nodded, still focused on the Dratini. "Nice to meet you, Skylar, anyways, who gave you this Dratini? Did he say where he found it?"

Skye put her hand to her side. "It's Skye, actually, not Skylar," she said, taking a step back, a little miffed. "And no, I don't know where Dratini came from."

"That's too bad," Cameron said.

"Oh yeah, Professor!" Daryon removed a small package from his bag. "We picked up your parcel for you!"

"Ah yes, thank you boy," Oak said, taking the package, and placing it on a desk. "Anyways, this is Skye and her younger brother Max. These two just got off a ship from the Alola region. Because she officially became a trainer today."

"I got a Bulbasaur!" Skye said, trying her luck with the more energetic of the two friends. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too!" Daryon replied, shaking her hand. "Sorry about Cameron, he gets a little out of it sometimes."

"You don't say," Skye replied, raising an eyebrow. "Anyways, Max, say hello."

Max, who had been quiet the whole time, was staring at a small space in the corner of the lab. Everyone turned to see what Max was staring at. It was a Poliwag.

"Oh, it's a Poliwag!" Daryon said, pulling out his Pokédex and scanning the Tadpole Pokémon . "Despite the danger, it wants to come up to land. So it does its best to waddle along, but when an enemy finds it, it rushes back to water," Daryon read aloud. He put the Dex away. "I'm gonna catch it."

"No!" Max shouted. Everyone turned to look at him. "Skye! Please catch it for me."

"Max, we've talked about this," Skye said, kneeling down to speak to Max. "You're too young to own a Pokémon ."

"Can't you just, you know, catch it and hold on to it for me?" Max said, looking down as he spoke.

Skye turned to Oak, who just shrugged. "Nothing against the rules with that."

Skye sighed, and smiled. "Fine. Dratini, use Wrap."

Dratini sprung off her wrist like a compressed spring finally being let loose, and wrapped itself around the Poliwag, making it unable to move. She walked over to the small Pokémon , and tapped a Pokéball against its head. Poliwag was absorbed in the light of the Pokéball, which clicked immediately, signifying a successful catch.

Skye released the Poliwag from its Pokéball, and Max picked it up. "We're gonna be friends."

"Blup!" Poliwag cried, seeming to be okay with that.

"That was incredible!" Daryon praised Skye's quick catch. "You and Dratini are amazing together!"

"You know, Skye, you should travel with Daryon and Cameron," Oak said, grabbing a box opener for the parcel. "It's not unusual for new trainers to travel in groups of 3 or more. Heck, one trainer I used to know used to travel with 10 other people!"

"Well..." Skye said, hesitant.

"Oh, please, that would be great!" Daryon pleaded. "We could show you what Kanto is like, and you could show us how you catch Pokémon so fast!"

Skye looked at Daryon, then Cameron, then Max. She smiled faintly. "Well, it would be helpful to have someone who knew Kanto to help us, considering we're new here. Sure, we'll do it."

"A-a-awesome!" Cameron replied, holding out his hand. Skye looked at the hand for a moment, smiled, and shook it. "Awesome," Skye said, and smiled.