Pokemon: Moltera

[Deadly.Braviary]

Spoiler: A short introduction

A short introduction:

Hey there, readers, and welcome tomy world of Pokemon! I'm DeadlyBraviary (with an infinity symbol at the end, I'm just too lazy to c+p it =P), formerly known as Soul Silver 1201. You can just call me Soul, because I'm used to it.

Pokemon: Moltera is my latest fanfic. It follows the adventures of Arron Bradshaw, in my original region: Moltera. Moltera has just over 130 new species of Pokemon, including mysterious legends, enigmatic rare Pokemon, annoyingly common rodents, and of course, the three starter Pokemon and their evolutionary relatives. It also has, as is the pattern, eight Gyms that must be defeated in order to challenge the Elite Four. I've structured this fanfic as a game, but I've made sure it doesn't sound like a playthrough of a ROM/hack. What I'm basically looking for is to get my view across to you, how my region, its inhabitants, its culture and its geography is supposed to be.

If you're ready to start reading, just keep scrolling down; but if you're a returning reader, you can use the links in the chapter list to navigate to where you left off.

Rated PG-13 for language and slight violence, and just to be safe. Please c+c as often as you can, and enjoy!

CHAPTER LIST
Prologue
Chapter One: Kickstart
Chapter Two: First Battle
Chapter Three: Route 101 and Chansail Town
Chapter Four: Let the Games Begin


Prologue

Finally, it's here! The day I finally get the hell out of this place!

Arron Bradshaw here, as usual. This is the first tape of the New Year, so as is my custom, I'm gonna have to explain things all over again (sigh).

This is my video diary, recorded on my cellphone. It's the only thing I have left from my dad, the only thing that reminds me I even have one. I don't even know who he is - or was. He met my mom when they were 6both around twenty. They got engaged and all, but he disappeared the night before my mom realised she was going to have me. They were never married, so I'm raised by a single mother. All she has left of him was his Series II A99 Pokemon Trainer Specialised Cellphone; or as I call it, my recorder.

It's about twenty years old, but it was seriously high tech at the time. It has a really cool password lock function for nearly every single app - they come loaded on CDs, called Cell Disk Devices, and there's about twenty of them on this. Unfortunately, each one has a different password, and I've only figured out the codes for a couple of apps. The video camera, for one. That's what I record my video diary on.

The PokeCell itself isn't great, but it's got a lot of sentimental stuff behind it for me. It's a kind of light-aqua-turquoise-something blue, with a white trim. Just a large touch-screen with a few buttons, clipped to a white wristband.

Tomorrow's the day I leave this place. I hate Turbranch! It's the place my dad left me, where I was born. Lotsa bad memories. Unfortunately, I live here. Until tomorrow.

I turned fourteen last month, so I could've left back then, but Mom made me promise to wait until my friends Jackson Tyler and Rhea Bliss turned fourteen so that we could leave together. Tomorrow Jackson, Rhea and me leave to Liam Ironwood's house to get our first Pokemon.

The Moltera region is filled with tons of unique Pokemon. There's Touvian, and Phobigy, and Frostoad, and of course, one of my favourites, Kenduke. There's also some non-indigenous Pokemon, like Zangoose and Blitzle.

Tomorrow, I'll be making my choice of Moltera's three traditional starters, Clamussel, Pyrannon and Moniterra. All three are pretty cool, so I'm good with any one.

Mom's coming to make sure I'm asleep. Gotta go.

Night, Arron.

 

[Deadly.Braviary]

Chapter One: Kickstart
{Turbranch Town . 5:15 AM}

Turbranch was a quiet place. Not much to do or see, just a few houses. And, of course, the home of Liam Ironwood, Moltera's leading Pokemon expert. Professor Ironwood specialised in Pokemon behavioural analysis. He was only in his early forties, but he'd become famous when he was twenty-two. Ironwood had been a famous criminologist for quite some time, an expert profiler. Eventually he turned his attention to profiling Pokemon rather than criminals, and his publicity died down.

Of course, there was also the insignificant house of Selene and Arron Bradshaw.

Arron woke up early. It was just past five, and he'd only gone to sleep at twelve. Of course, he was bloody excited. Who wouldn't be? He was getting his first Pokemon and leaving Turbranch Town, his least favourite place in the world.

The teenager resumed packing; he'd fallen asleep searching for his favourite T-shirt. All of his clothes, which had been carelessly crammed into the most lightweight suitcase he could find, were now folded neatly and took up much less space then before, thanks to his mother. Both his guitars were in their shared double-case, ready to latch on to his suitcase. His PokeCell, wallet and map were all in his backpack, which was still relatively empty. Of course, he needed space for PokeBalls, healing items, food ... whatever.

Selene walked in on him while he was brushing. Arron hugged his mother, surveying her for what he knew could be the last time for almost a year. Her blue-black hair, which fell to her waist; her arched eyebrows hovering over her deep grey eyes; her wistful smile, the kind she'd been doing since he turned fourteen.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She was searching for a last-minute backout, Arron knew. She doesn't want me to leave her like dad did, he thought. His father had been a trainer for some time, a quite successful one in fact. He'd been considering applying for a job as a Gym Trainer in another city, before he left them.

"Of course. I called the professor last night and confirmed the appointment. Rhea's given me, like, six missed calls all night, and Jackson called me ten minutes ago. I want to do this, mom, I know you don't want me to but I have to do this."

She'd had a month to accept the news that her son was leaving, and Arron was sure she'd come to terms with it. His doubts vanished, when she gave a quick nod. "Breakfast's on the counter," and Selene vanished.


{Turbranch Town . 7 AM}

Arron got out of the car. His mom had persuaded him to let her drop him off at the professor's lab, even though it was just two blocks down. She was trying to hold on to him as long as possible, and he didn't mind that much.

Besides, he'd be mostly walking for the next few months. At least, until he caught a Pokemon that could fly.

Arron surveyed himself in the reflective door, while he waited for Jackson and Rhea; their appointment was for 7:10, and he was early. He was nearly 5' 7'', and his athletic frame was that of an early-morning jogger, not a professional runner. He smoothed down his thick, wavy, blue-black hair, more out of habit than a desire to look good; as expected, it wouldn't stay down, so he left it as it was. He'd inherited it from his mother, along with his calm grey eyes. They made him look thoughtful, people said. His clothes were fine; a black shirt with short, cut-off white sleeves and a pair of faded jeans.

In a couple of minutes, his friends showed up. Jackson was a typical punk; his blond Mohawk, with its striking cinnamon red spike-tips, made him stand out. So did his sky-blue eyes (actually contact lenses), his black leather biker's jacket, and his black ripped jeans. Jackson, who was a month and a half older than Arron and much more muscular, was all about stealing the spotlight.

Rhea, on the other hand, was less in-your-face. The brunette had a forgettable face, and her neck-length straight hair wasn't streaked or styled. Her eyes were a little more unique, a honey-coloured shade of gold. She wore a white top and running shorts. She was almost invisible, with her height of 5' 4''.

"Hey, Arron." Jackson high-fived him as they rung the bell. "Sleep well?"

"So-so, what 'bout you, Rhea?"

"I slept like a rock," the brunette laughed.

At that minute, the door opened, and Liam Ironwood stepped out. He was a gaunt man of medium height, and even though he was just approaching middle age, his sideburns were grey, and there were silvery strands in his brown hair. The man looked very aware: his slightly tanned complexion and intellectual brown eyes indicated that he spent as much time in the field as he did with his research.

"Good morning, kids," Professor Ironwood greeted them. "You must be Jackson, Arron and Rhea?" His eagle eye swept over them.

"Yeah, that's us," Jackson said, stepping forward. He naturally assumed the leader's role. "We're here for our first Pokemon."

"That's good, this way, please," Ironwood motioned them into the lab. It was like a large library. An imperious bookcase stood at the north wall. Arron noticed that two of the books' authors were 'L. J. Ironwood'. In front of it was a rectangular glass table. On it rested a large, brown briefcase, marked with a note that clearly stated it belonged to Professor Liam Ironwood.

The professor removed the combination lock from off the case and slid the latch open. Then he opened it and swivelled it around so that the teens could have a look at it.

Inside the case was a velvet red padding. On the padding rested three identical spherical devices, about the size and weight of a golf ball. The top half was red and the bottom half was yellow. An indented black line separated the two, running along the outside of the sphere, and a small white button was set in the centre of the sphere's front.

Arron heard Jackson and Rhea breathe in sharply at the sight of the PokeBalls. Jackson, he knew, was a hardcore trainer. He was all about power. Rhea, meanwhile, was more interested in the travelling angle. Arron himself just wanted a little adventure.

Ironwood lifted a PokeBall and rapidly double-pressed the button. With the first one, it grew to the size of a small orange, maybe four or five centimetres in diameter. With the second, a streak of pinkish red burst from the PokeBall and formed the outline of a Pokemon.

The professor quickly did the same with the other two. Now three Pokemon were on the floor, facing the trio of would-be-trainers.

The one on the left was a green lizard. Its skin was made of smooth leaf-shaped scales, mottled and marbled with several different shades of green. The quadruped's thick tail was two feet long, and looked dangerous. Its four stubby feet all had three short claws, and its head boasted a crest of three blunt spines. A ridge shadowed its intelligent eyes. The Grass-type Tree Lizard Pokemon, Moniterra.

The one on the right, meanwhile, was four feet tall. It was a humanoid reptile, with reflective orange scales. Its feet had only two short claws, but its left forelimb was another matter altogether. It wielded three sharp, long claws, which glinted menacingly. It even wore armour: a V-shaped crest on its forehead, spiked shoulder pads, and a curious device on its right forelimb. Aforementioned device looked almost cannon-like, and it had a blade jutting out of the top and bottom each. Its tail was short and nearly immobile, while its eyes were a deep orange. The Fire-type Fuse Pokemon, Pyrannon.

The central Pokemon was the most strange-looking. It was a clam. Its broad grey shell looked slippery and moist, and curved backwards and outwards into a form resembling the crest of a wave. The lower lip of the shell jutted out slightly more than the upper one, and the edges of both lips were adorned with a cerulean blue, curving, wave-like pattern. Nothing was visible inside the shell, except two large beady orbs, the same beautiful blue as the wave pattern; presumably, they were the eyes of the Water-type Sea Clam Pokemon, Clamussel.

Jackson surprised Arron and Rhea both, by saying, "You guys pick first." Arron looked towards Rhea, but she motioned for him to choose. With a glance at each, he took a few minutes to decide. Damn it, they were all pretty sweet.

So which one?

 

[Deadly.Braviary]

Chapter Two: First Battle
{Turbranch Town . 7:15 AM}

Jackson surprised Arron and Rhea both, by saying, "You guys pick first." Arron looked towards Rhea, but she motioned for him to choose. With a glance at each, he took a few minutes to decide. Damn it, they were all pretty sweet.

So which one?

After considering for a minute, Arron made up his mind and pointed to Pyrannon. "I think I'll go with him." When he turned, he saw a bit of disappointment in Jackson's eyes and felt bad; he knew that Jackson had wanted Pyrannon too. There was no deying it; the flaming reptilian was cool (metaphorically, obviously), and would only be getting cooler.

"Right, then," Ironwood said, oblivious to the inner dynamics of Jackson and Arron's friendship. He once again double clicked Pyrannon's PokeBall and the Fire-type was withdrawn. "Who next?"

Rhea had made up her mind already. She selected Moniterra, leaving Jackson with Clamussel.

"All right, now here's a PokeDex for each of you," Professor Ironwood said, handing out three flat devices, with a large screen and a trackball, as well as a series of buttons on the side. "They've got info on most of the Pokemon you'll be encountering on your journey. Now that that's done with, follow me out back, would you?"

He showed the three to a small paddock behind the lab. A tablet PC was set up in one corner, connected to what looked oddly like a miniature vending machine; Ironwood tapped a few options out on the tablet until a menu appeared on the screen, showing a series of Pokemon. He quickly tapped on one, and the 'vending machine' began to whir.

"This is the standard PC system which you'll find in most of the Pokemon Centres you come across. Once you've got your trainer IDs from the nearest town with a Pokemon Centre - that'll be Chansail - you can activate your account on the PC and deposit Pokemon in the Box," the professor explained. The vending machine (or rather, the Box) had stopped whirring and a PokeBall had dropped out onto the tray. Professor Ironwood picked it up and released the Pokemon within. A two-foot-tall humanoid appeared, dressed in a grey, flowing robe. It wore a large box-like, light purple mask with an opening that showed large brown eyes. The Pokemon's facial markings resembled the grille on a kendo practitioner's mask. A large ponytail of brown fur cascaded down its back, and it held a long bamboo fencing foil held together with leather fittings.

"To check out a Pokemon on the PokeDex, you do this." Ironwood aimed the PokeDex horizontally towards the Pokemon and clicked the trackball button. Immediately, the PokeDex spoke, in an automated female voice. Kotot, the Martial Pokemon. Type: Fighting. It is proficient in fencing, using its bamboo foil to easily defeat opponents.

"To catch them, try this." The professor drew an empty PokeBall from his pocket and clicked the button: however, he didn't release it. A beep sounded, and he threw it like a grenade at Kotot. A second beep sounded, and this time the ball engulfed Kotot in light. The PokeBall trembled for a second, and then ping'd. "Wild Pokemon generally struggle more to escape a PokeBall, and the more powerful the Pokemon, the more they will struggle. You can buy more specialised PokeBalls like Timer Balls or Luxury Balls at stores if you like, but for beginners, you'll generally only need PokeBalls.

"And finally, battling." Professor Ironwood began to speak but he was interrupted. "That's all good," Jackson cut in, "but wouldn't it be better if we could actually experience battling for ourselves?"

Ironwood considered, then nodded, although a little doubtful. "Sure. Just make sure you don't hurt anybody, right?"

Jackson turned to Rhea, but she shook her head. "Nope. I'm not a big fan of battling. I mean, of course I've got to, but I don't want to right now. How about I battle the loser?"

"Sure," Jackson agreed. Arron stepped up and the two friends faced each other. Both of them reached for their PokeBalls and double-clicked the button. In a burst of red light, Clamussel and Pyrannon emerged on the field. Pyrannon immediately shifted into an aggressive stance, sensing a battle. Clamussel's eyes narrowed determinedly.

"Clamussel, Water Pulse!"

"Go Pyrannon! Use Flamethrower!"

And nothing happened.

"You'll have to command them to use attacks that they know right now," Ironwood reminded them. "Both know Growl. Clamussel knows Pound and Pyrannon knows Scratch. That's it."

Embarrassed, Arron said, "You can have the first move."

Jackson commanded, "Clamussel, Growl!" The bivalve immediately made a guttural "Sssell" from deep in its throat ... if it even had one. Pyrannon took a step back, intimidated by the odd noise.


"Scratch, Pyrannon!" Arron said. The Fire-type raised his large claws and struck Clamussel's shell, viciously. Doing next to nothing.


Jackson shouted, "Pound, now!" Clamussel jettisoned itself forwards, releasing a stream of bubbles from the wave-like formation on its rear, and smacked its hard shell into Pyrannon.

"Rann!" the latter yelped in pain as his leg was struck by Clamussel's hard shell. "Rrr..." With a growl of anger, Pyrannon scratched at his foe again. And again. And again. Relentlessly raking his talons at the Water-type's shell.

"Stop it!" Arron ordered. "Use Growl!"

But the orange reptile refused, still on the offensive. Clamussel weakly jettisoned itself away, but marks were beginning to form on its shell. "Use Growl!" Jackson called out. Clamussel once again made the strange, disconcerting noise. It worked, and Pyrannon backed off, a little surprised. Clamussel seized the chance to immediately perform another Pound. This time, it caught Pyrannon by surprise, and the reptilian stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. "Rah rann!"

"Pound once more!" Jackson shouted, excitedly. "It's in the bag now!"
"Not a chance!" retorted Arron. "Use Scratch!"

Pyrannon moved first, slashing Clamussel. The clam overturned,and made a noise of surprise. "Claa?"

"Again!" Arron commanded, tensely. Once more, Pyrannon was too fast for Clamussel, and the latter succumbed with a cry of "Claa!"

"No! How ... ?" Jackson exclaimed in disbelief.

Pyrannon is a hell of a lot faster and stronger than Clamussel, Arron noted. But Clamussel seems to be taking damage better, so this could have been a fluke win ... Lost in thought, he didn't even notice that Rhea and Jackson had finished their battle as well. That must be it! Clamussel's more defensive, and Pyrannon is meant for hard-and-fast attacks! So then Moniterra might be pretty balanced out ... Huh? Ironwood was talking.

"So now that you know a little about the strengths and weaknesses of your Pokemon," the professor was saying, "you should probably nickname them. It could really help you bond with them."

"No thanks," Jackson said. Judging from his smug, self-confident look, Arron presumed he had won the battle.

"Already thought of one," Rhea interjected. "I'm gonna name her Leaf."
Professor Ironwood nodded in approval. "And you, Arron?"

"Uhh..." He hadn't thought about it, actually; all he was really bothered about was going on an adventure. "How about ... umm ... Cole? Yeah, that's good. I mean, it sounds flaming and cool and all ..."

Ironwood continued, "Now that that's over with, you should probably be heading out to Chansail Town to get your trainer's licenses. You'll need to go through Route 101* to get there, so you'll be needing these if you'd like to catch some wild Pokemon." He pointed to a pile of PokeBalls. Jackson immediately grabbed five of them, dropping them into his pockets. Rhea went next, taking five. Lastly, Arron took what was left.

On bending down to pick up the PokeBalls, Arron realised that one of the five remaining ones was strangely designed. The top half was a shade of cerulean blue, with an embossed black netting design, rather than the light red of normal PokeBalls.

"Professor, what's this?" he asked, showing Ironwood the strange PokeBall.

"Oh, that's just a Net Ball. It simply works better on Water- and Bug-typed Pokemon; you can keep it if you like. I don't have another PokeBall to give you, and it's not extremely valuable."

Arron pocketed the Net Ball, making a mental note to try it out on a Bug- or Water-type.

"Now, Route 101's right that way," Ironwood pointed north. "I've got some business to be up to, so if you don't mind ..." He hurried back into the lab.

"All right, guys, be seein' you," Jackson high-fived Arron and headed off in the direction Ironwood had indicated.

"You're not leaving?" Arron asked Rhea. She'd picked up her lavender PokeCell and started texting someone.

"Not yet," she replied. "I'll go over and see my friends, and then say bye and then leave."

"Right then, I'm gonna leave," Arron said, recalling Cole to his PokeBall. He then walked back out the lab, controlling himself until he reached a sign that stated:

ROUTE 101 NORTH
TURBRANCH TOWN SOUTH

​

With a grin, Arron raced out of his hometown. I'm free!
A/N: * - I'm assuming that Moltera's routes are in the 100s, just as in Hoenn's, because I really don't want to go into the 300s and above.

 

[Deadly.Braviary]

Chapter Three: Route 101 and Chansail Town

​

{Route 101, 8:30 AM}

Arron didn't move. He had splayed himself out on the grass that filled the route. It was long and lush, around one-and-a-half to two feet tall, and smelled sweet and earthy, a little like fresh mushrooms roasted in honey. It was nearly incompressible; whenever he stepped on a stalk and lifted his foot, it sprang back up. And also extremely soft. Sleeping on it felt like lying on a pillow made of the softest down imaginable. The grass, was, in short, the best damn grass that he'd ever come into contact with. It also hid a couple of decidedly unpleasant surprises, as Arron would soon find out.

Arron felt a slight tug at his shoelace. He didn't open his eyes; this was a brilliant experience. The grass felt like cloud nine.

He felt another tug. This time, he shook his foot so as to get rid of the annoying whatever-it-was that was pulling his shoelace.

The whatever-it-was obviously didn't take kindly to being discouraged from tugging his shoelace. So it bit him, and quite viciously too.

Arron jerked upright, his eyes snapping open. He didn't scream; it wasn't quite painful enough to make him scream. Instead he uttered a pained moan of equal parts agony and rage.

The whatever-it-was turned to face Arron, revealing itself as a plump and curious rodent, the same size (and girth) of a small basketball. Its two beady eyes were a muddy brown, and its fur a beige shade. A shaggy mini-mohawk of a khaki shade stood up from its rotund head, and its teeth boasted a single large tooth, chipped at the bottom in such a way that it looked like two teeth rather than one. This tooth was, in fact, the one that had seconds ago been in Arron's ankle. The rodent squealed a "Gigigigigee!" in a tone that indicated, quite clearly, that it meant, Why on earth did it take me so long to get your attention?

With a groan, Arron reached for something to hit the Gerball with and came up with only a handful of grass. In most places, they were quite common, so almost everyone would have a broom or something that could give the Rodent Pokemon a decent whack and send it scurrying away. Unfortunately, here in the suburban wilderness of Route 101, there was no way of sending the thing away. So, Arron decided, with a sigh, that he had better use a Pokemon.

He reached for Cole's PokeBall, and withdrew it from his backpack. With two quick double-taps on the button, the Pyrannon emerged in a flash of red light.
"Hiya, Cole," Arron said to his new Pokemon. "This rat" - here he indicated Gerball - "just bit my freakin' leg. So, if you don't mind, could you please beat the crap out of it?"

Cole cheerfully nodded in assent, and immediately went into an aggressive stance. The Gerball, sensing danger, let out a nervous "Gigigerr?".

"Well?" Arron said. Cole still hadn't moved. "Why aren't you attacking?"

"Py pyrr," Cole said patiently, which Arron was sure gave a good reason exactly why it hadn't attacked. Unfortunately, he didn't speak Pokemon.

Oh. He's waiting for orders, Arron suddenly realised. "Erm, didn't you know Scratch?"

Without answering, Cole dashed forward and swiped at the Gerball. It toppled backwards in fright, even before the Scratch connected. Scurrying back to its feet, it quickly bared its tooth in what was probably supposed to be a threatening gesture, and proceeded to charge into Cole's foot. The Tackle attack didn't do much damage, barely bruising Cole. This time, Cole didn't wait for Arron's orders; he Scratched the Gerball again, and this time managed to draw blood. His foe made a strangely endearing squeal of anger in response; it melted Arron's heart.Awww, that's so cute! Come to think of it, why didn't I notice how fluffy and cute it was before? Maybe because it bit my foot, but ... huh?

Arron snapped out of his daze in confusion and saw Cole blinking, similarly disoriented; Gerball immediately Tackled him again and managed to knock Cole down this time. What was that?, Arron wondered mentally. Maybe this thing can help me ... He drew the PokeDex from his backpack and aimed it at Gerball, while clicking the trackball button.

Gerball, the Rodent Pokemon, said the PokeDex. Type: Normal. A common household pest that is singularly unremarkable in its abilities. Well, so much for that. It's only told me what I already knew. Arron looked up to see that the Gerball had now retreated a little further away from Cole, and had curled up in a fluffy ball.

"Keep Scratching!" Arron called to Cole. With a nod, the Pyrannon resumed its swiping. However, he seemed to be having a little more trouble hurting Gerball than before. Arron turned back to the PokeDex and the menu on the touchscreen caught his eye. Using the trackball, he scrolled down to and selected the 'Techniques' option. The PokeDex then pulled up a list of three attacks: Tackle, Growl and Defence Curl. He selected Defence Curl, and scanned the description of the move. So it curls up in a ball to protect itself, huh? So that's why I'm not having much luck with traditional attacks ... But wait a sec, doesn't Cole know Growl as well?

"Hold on," Arron instructed. "Cole, use Growl!" Immediately, his starter uttered a menacing noise from deep in his throat. Gerball squeaked a "Gerr!" of fear and retreated. "Now, Scratch while it's still not ready!"

With a triumphant cry, Cole attacked Gerball. This time, the force of the blow was too much and Gerball was KOed.

"Another one bites the dust." Arron grinned. Then he noticed that Cole seemed to concentrating intensely, an orange light in his eyes. All of a sudden, he raised the cannon on his arm and fired a stream of small round bolts of flame. They struck the grass and managed to burn a few stalks before they fizzled out into sparks. "Was that ... Did you just learn a new attack?" His PokeDex beeped at the same second and he was informed that Cole had, indeed, learned Ember.

"I think it's time to move on ahead," Arron said, a little wistfully as he remembered how good the grass had felt. He recalled Cole to his PokeBall and then walked a bit further until he reached a small clearing. There he heard a cry of "Use Vine Whip!", and, curious, looked out into the clearing to see none other than Rhea. Her Moniterra was out, and, as he watched, it swished its tail at a Pokemon he couldn't see clearly. Suddenly, two slender vines erupted from behind its crest, and slammed at its target. When Arron got a little closer, he saw that it was another Gerball. Unsurprising; the things were ridiculously common.

As the wild Gerball struggled to get back up, Rhea raised her arm and Arron saw her click and hold the button on a PokeBall. Then she chucked it at the rodent - Arron supposed it had beeped, he couldn't hear - and it enveloped the Gerball in white light. It bounced to the ground, shook quite a bit, and then ping'd.

"You can come out now," Rhea said mildly. "Come on, Arron, I saw you two minutes ago."

He stepped out of the grass and into the clearing with a "Hi".

"I caught a Gerball, as you saw," she informed him. "I think I'll name her Gina."

"Oh. Great." His lie was unconvincing, but Rhea didn't seem to care. She said, "Why don't you go on ahead to Chansail? I've already got my Trainer Card, I only came here to train for a bit."

"All right," Arron replied, and took her advice. Past the clearing was another small patch of grass. Ignoring the temptation to lie down again, Arron continued through it and entered Chansail Town.

​

{Chansail Town, 9:05 AM}

It took Arron a really, really long time to get through the horde of people at the Pokemon Centre. It was cramped and, honestly, quite boring. The nurse at the counter insisted on healing Cole before he could apply for his Trainer Card, and when he tried to argue, she'd begun a lecture on why it was so important to take good care of one's Pokemon. After she was done healing Cole, she directed him to yet another nurse. After providing the nurse with details such as his date of birth and blood group, she presented him with an item that looked rather like a credit card. Slipping it into his backpack, he escaped the madness of the Pokemon Centre and inquired about where he could get to Route 102.

When Arron reached the north exit, he stepped off the concrete road and onto the dirt path. As soon as he did, though, a decidedly overweight man in a suit accosted him.
"Hey, you," the fat man said. "Are you Arron Bradshaw?"

"Nope," he lied.

"Of course you are," grunted the man, without listening to him. "Your friend's at the Trainer School right now. He really wants to have a battle. Why don't you go meet him?"

Arron pointed behind the man. "Isn't that Tom Cruise?"

"Not a fan," the fat guy interjected.

"My mistake, it was Katie Holmes."

"Not a - hey, what?!" When the man whirled around, Arron sneaked behind him.

"It's not her," the dude grunted to thin air. A minute later, something clicked.

"COME BACK HERE!"

Ignoring the man's roars, Arron continued down the road.