Andrew, Lani, Ryan, & Marble | 1
"Andrew!"
At the sound of an approaching voice calling his name, Andrew's head whipped around to see his cousin, Lani, barrelling towards him. Excitedly, he jumped up and took off running to her as well. The two collided in a suffocating hug, Lani's grip tigther than Andrew's. Ryan didn't look up at all during the whole ordeal. "Holy Miltank, what are you doing here, Lani?! Aren't you supposed to be on the ranch?"
Lani froze for a moment, her brain quickly going into overdrive as she came up with a response. "Ah was just in the neighborhood and decided to drop by for a quick visit! Ain't ya happy to see me or anythin'?"
Andrew laughed. "Well, of course I'm happy to see you!" he beamed. "It's always great to see you. Here, come sit, we can chat for a bit."
Andrew led Lani over to the blanket where the feast/veggie massacre was taking place. Ryan briefly looked up at Lani and returned to voraciously consuming his food. "Don't mind Ryry. I made him walk more than 30 feet today, so he's been starving like a castaway. Here, have some." He reaches into a bag and pulls out a second sandwich, which he holds out to her.
Lani was hesitant to take the sandwich at first, but the girl was convinced when the very sight of it caused her stomach to growl quite loudly. Neither she nor Marble had had a decent meal since the duo had departed from the ranch at pratically the break of dawn. As a result, the tanned-girl was quick to snatch the sandwich from Andrew's hands and start devouring it rapidly. Marble did not need to be told to eat twice either. The Mareep was attacking an apple with such ferocity that it was putting Ryan to shame.
Ryan looked up when Marble started eating the apple, his brow furrowing as he noticed another faction in the war on fruits and vegetables. "Ryry, be nice. Marble's hungry too, and she's our friend," Andrew warned, giving him a stern glare. Reluctantly, Ryan continued to devour his carrots, but kept a close eye on Marble just in case.
"Uh muhn... uff uph suh gud!" Lani exclaimed, her mouth full as she tore into the sandwich with glee.
Andrew smiled as she ate the food. "I have no idea what you said, but it sounded complimentary, so thank you." He leaned back on his hands, watching her patiently until she had swallowed the food. "How are things going on the ranch? Everyone getting along?"
Lani paused, her smile faltering ever so slightly before responding. "Ah... Well, Ah mean... Ah guess they are, yeah? Ah mean, they were last night anyways..."
"Am I correct to assume it didn't last?" he asked tentatively. This was always a touchy subject, since he knew Lani didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with her parents nor did they see eye-to-eye with each other. "Not prying, you know. Just wanting to make sure you're alright."
"Well, ya see... That's part of the reason Ah'm here," Lani answered. The auburn-haired girl took a deep breath before looking her cousin in the eyes, her face looking much more determined now. "Ah decided to finally become a trainer last night! In fact, me and Marble just set off this mornin'!"
Andrew's expression changed to one of confusion and excitement. "You're becoming a Trainer? ... Lani, that's awesome!" His excitement won the war over the confusion - this needed to be celebrated! "I can tell you, the Trainer school is so much fun. It's gonna be the best two years of your life!"
"Oh... Ah... Um... Ya see... Ah'm not gonna be enrollin' in the school..." Lani mumbled, absent-mindedly fumbling with a spare apple that neither Marble or Ryan managed to engulf.
Andrew blinked, his confusion creeping back in. "But, that's... pretty essential. Wait, are your parent's gonna homeschool you on being a Trainer? Are they even allowed to do that? I thought all Trainer-related education had to go through the school. Plus, they're ranchers, aren't they? That means that they don't know -"
Lani's gaze slowly lowered to the ground. "Ah didn't... exactly tell Ma or Pa what was goin' on, Andrew... They don't even have an idea that Ah'm here right now..."
A long silence ensued, punctuated only by the sounds of Marble and Ryan eating. Andrew looked at Lani for a long time, processing what she had just said. "That's... I don't... Okay, hold on, I just..."
He put his head in his hands, rubbing his forehead in tight circles with his fingers. "Alright, let me get this story straight. You're telling me that you ran here for Arceus knows how long, by yourself, without telling anyone, and now you want to go become a Trainer without even applying for the Gym challenge or going through any of the Trainer education necessary to take the Gym challenge?"
"Now wait just a dern minute! It's not like Ah took off like a Lillipup chasin' a Cubone 'round the cornfield or anythin' like that," Lani protested. "Ah've been tryin' to be a trainer for a while, but Ma and Pa always keep sayin' that it's not a good idea and Ah should just stay at the ranch and work there! Ya got me there with the whole not goin' to the school bit, but Ah got every intention of takin' on those city slicker gym fellahs!"
She paused for a moment, glancing over at Marble proudly. "That's why Ah snuck Marble out with me! She's pretty much my Pok?mon anyways. Ah raised her myself, so don't that mean she's legal as my starter or somethin'?"
Andrew sighed. He weighed his words carefully, because he knew exactly what was happening. "Look, Lani, I understand why you did this. I know how it felt to be 16 and feel like the whole world wanted something for you that you didn't want. Believe me, I considered doing exactly what you're doing so many times. But..."
He looked over to Ryan, who, for once, was actually looking back at him. He must have sensed the shift in the atmosphere during their conversation, a rare occasion. "There's a lot more to being a Trainer than just having a Pokemon and battling Gym Leaders. The amount of registration you have to handle is usually enough to turn people away, without evening mentioning the age restriction. On top of that, being a Trainer is stressful. You're constantly on the move, you have to weather extremely rough conditions, and you have an immense pressure to succeed at the risk of wasting years of training, with basically no rewards unless you make it to the top."
He looks over to Marble. He was always fond of Marble. Her wool was soft and comforting, and she was always happy to see him whenever he came over. Maybe his closeness to her and Lani made him feel extra protective of the two. "On top of all that, Marble wasn't a Pokemon that was raised for battling. Not that Ryry was ever really going to be a great starter since he barely pays attention..." Ryan snorts in protest. "But Marble is going to struggle without any formal training. I'm worried you two will start off with a disadvantage, and I wouldn't want that to impede your experience."
"Ah made it this far already, didn't Ah?" Lani argued back, crossing her arms with a huff. "Besides, Ah've spent my whole life at the ranch too! While all ya'll at the school were busy with homework and worryin' 'bout dates, I was milkin' Miltanks and tendin' to the Mudbray, rain or shine! That's gotta count for somethin', yeah?"
Andrew couldn't help but chuckle. "Homework and dates? Is that what you think we did in school?"
"Well, yeah! Ya'll weren't busy paintin' fences or harvestin' berries," she replied rather bluntly.
He smiled. Lani always had a way to make him laugh. "Alright, look, I'm not gonna stand in your way of becoming a Trainer. I just... want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Those two years at the school would really help you. I know your parents are hard to convince, but I... I would suggest another try. But... if you're really set on this, I'll support your decision."
"Ah ain't never been more sure of nothin' in my entire life!" Lani said with glee. "Besides, Ah was gonna do this with or without ya, ya know..."
Andrew paused for a moment, thinking. "I have an idea." He stood up suddenly and grabbed Ryry by the sides, lifting him as the tiny beaver protested with squeaks as he was pulled away from his food. "You, me, battle. Right here. Well, over there, away from the food. But seriously."
Lani's eyes lit up with excitement. "A battle...? Like, a real one? Ya ain't just pullin' my leg are ya?"
"Nope. We're gonna see what you're made of. I wanna know if you've got what it takes," he grinned. "Ryry might not be the fastest battler, but he can put up a fight. Plus, we've both got Pokemon with us anyhow, so why not?" Ryan looked grumpy was not happy about having to battle when he was still trying to eat.
"Alright, then... But Ah reckon you better not get all mad 'nd stuff when I start winnin'," Lani replied in a somewhat taunting manner. She rose to her feet, glancing downward at Marble with a wide grin on her face. "Ya ready, partner? Time to show this city boy what we got, yeah?"
Marble let out a small mewl in response, putting on a rather intimidating face... or as intimidating as one could possibly be for a Mareep, anyways. It seemed to work well enough for Lani, however. The trainer led her Mareep a little bit away from the picnic blanket in order to make sure that none of Andrew's food or belongings would get damaged.
"City boy? Ha! You know I can do farm work too!" Andrew laughed as he followed. He grabbed a few sticks lying in the grass beyond the railing and marked places for himself and Lani to stand at, giving ample room for the Pokemon to battle. Ryan sauntered into place begrudgingly. Andrew reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Heads or tails?"
"Tails!"
Andrew flipped the coin high, catching it on the backside of his hand. "Heads! First move goes to me!"
Ryan tensed, looking a bit more determined, as Andrew called out. "Ryry, use Rollout!" Ryan quickly curled into a ball and pushed with his back feet, launching himself into a rapidly-spinning ball that hurtled directly towards Marble. Despite Ryan's overall laziness, the move was coming quickly!
The battle had hardly started, and Lani was already having the time of her life. The girl had no idea that she was already going to be having an intense battle so soon! Thankfully, she had just the strategy needed to counter the incoming attack.
"Marble, knock him back with an Iron Tail!" Lani shouted.
Marble's tail began to glow brightly with energy as she began to run straight towards the rolling Ryan. With an energetic mewl, the Mareep hopped up into the air and spun around. She brought her tail straight against Andrew's Bidoof, attempting to knock him back as if he was some sort of golf ball.
"Ryry, left!" Suddenly, Ryan turned sharply to the left, Marble's tail swinging out in a big arc where he would've been had he not moved. "Right!" Just as suddenly, Ryan turned again, careening directly into Marble's side roughly and sharply.
Marble let out a pained wail as the attack collided with her body. The sheep Pok?mon fell back against the ground, but managed to slowly pick herself back up after a moment or two. Marble's face had a look of absolute determination as she stared down at Ryan, a sight that relieved Lani with the knowledge that her Pok?mon was hanging in there.
"We gotta slow that bugger down, and Ah reckon Ah know just the way..." Lani thought with a small smirk. "Marble, zap him with a Thunder Wave!"
Marble let out a deep wail as the orb on her tail began to spark with electricity. The sheep let out a wave of sparking, electrical energy. The voltage danced along the ground as it zapped its way right in the direction of Ryan, shooting out wild sparks all along the way.
"Ryry, off the rail!" Ryan nodded and quickly spun back into Rollout, speeding off in the opposite direction as the Wave closed in. He suddenly launched into the air, smacked directly into the rail, and propelled himself in the opposite direction overtop the incoming sparks. The Wave crashed into the metal, sending jolts along the entirety of the rail. Ryan skidded to a halt on the ground, shaking himself off.
"Gotta work a bit harder for that, Lani," Andrew joked, a big smile on his face. She was really giving her all, and it was admirable. "I'm not gonna go down that easy."
Lani huffed, crossing her arms in defiance. "Ah ain't outta this yet! Just ya wait!" She turned her attention back to Marble, giving her sheep a look of encouragement. "We can do this, Marble! Charge on with a Headbutt!"
Marble nodded quickly in response and began to charge straight towards Ryan. She lowered her head as she ran, her stubby, little legs moving as quickly as she could. All the while, she let out a fierce, angry sounding growl.
"Ryry, keep it rolling!" Ryan curled up again, this time rolling towards Marble directly. He seemed to be moving faster than before, and quickly closed the distance between him and the sheep. They collided with a strong force, a small shockwave hitting the ground as they impacted.
"M-Marble, are ya okay...?!" Lani called out, her eyes wide as she waited for the dust to clear.
The girl's eyes were focused intently on the battlefield as she waited. After a few moments, the forms of both Ryan and Marble could be made out. Ryan looked to be recovering from the impact rather well. Marble on the other hand, was lying on the ground, clearly in pain. She was breathing quite heavily from the exchange and clearly a bit tired from the rahter intense battle, at least the most intense battle she had ever had. Marble slowly began to pick herself off the ground, her body staggering to keep balance.
"Okay, that's enough!" Andrew called out. "She's hurt."
He quickly rushed over, Ryan scooting out of the way. Andrew knelt down and dug in his bag, producing a Potion as quickly as he could with all the disorganization inside. He held it out to Lani. "Do you want to do it? She'll trust you more than me."
Lani quickly took the Potion from Andrew and knelt down beside her Mareep. Without even a moment of hesitation, the girl began to spray the healing medicine on her Pok?mon. Marble let out a small whimper, clearly from the Potion stinging a bit as it was applied, but it didn't take long for the Mareep to at the very least appear to start feeling better.
Andrew checked up on Ryan, who had a small mark on his forehead from the Headbutt collison. He took out an Oran Berry from a small bag hanging off his backpack and cracked it open. He dug into the berry with his fingers, scooping out some of the inside, and gently smeared it onto Ryan's forehead. The Bidoof remained as spacey and unattentative as he usually was.
Andrew looked behind him to check on Lani and Marble. "Everything going okay? If we need to go to the Pokemon Center, we can."
Lani huffed, the girl clearly a little disappointed that her first battle against another trainer ended in defeat. "Yeah, yeah... Everythin' is good... I guess we should probably take her down there to make sure she's all fixed up and ready to go."
"Are
you doing okay?" he asked seriously. "Battling can feel really intense for everyone, you know. It's pretty scary sometimes."
"What are ya talkin' 'bout? That was a hoot! I can't wait to battle some more trainers and stuff!" Lani exclaimed, managing to quickly regain her earlier bravado. "When do we leave?!"
Andrew laughed. That was certainly not the reaction he expected. "Well, first, Pokemon Center. I'm gonna leave later today. That should give us enough time to get you registered for the Gym challenge. When that's done, we'll be ready to go!"
"Then what are we standin' 'round like a bunch of Sudowoodo caught in a mudpit fer? Let's get goin'!" Lani insisted as she took hold of Andrew's wrist and practically began to drag the boy behind her.
Andrew yelped gleefully as Lani dragged him down the stairs. Ryan lazily hoofed after them, struggling to get his chunky body down the stairs, contemplating how he was going to chew up Andrew's shoes in revenge.