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Josef walked through the winding path with the warmth of the rising sun against his skin. He'd gone along this route a number of times before with his parents, usually before they headed off to work. There was a bakery along the way which a friend of the family's ran along with her daughter and husband. Josef's parents would often come home in the afternoon with a number of reduced sweets and breads from the bakery, and every morning they'd all stop in together for a quick and fresh meal.

However, in the past couple of weeks they'd stopped frequenting the business for reasons that Josef didn't yet understand. The boy figured that it was due at least in part to the fact that his schooling was almost over, but he felt that there had to be something else behind it otherwise they'd still be getting the reduced goods later in the day.

Josef walked down the path, watching as other trainers got into battles with wild Pokemon and then each other. He could tell straight away that some of the trainers were better than others, but what he couldn't figure out is if it was just due to them hanging around this location too long or if it was actually their natural skill. The boy stopped in the middle of the path several times, watching and staring at the tall, flowing grass which held a number of unknown Pokemon. It only just began to sink in that his journey had finally started. This was the beginning of his life-changing journey through the Sinnoh region. This is what his parents had uprooted their entire lives for.

Josef continued to walk along the path, wondering if all the supplies that he'd packed would be enough for the journey or not. He pulled his backpack around and hung it from his chest, going through its contents as he moved along. After taking inventory and insuring that all was well, the boy pulled out an old-fashioned map from his bag and unfolded it, taking in well over twenty different marks that his parents had put on it in black marker and over a dozen which he'd made with a blue ink. Each of the black marks represented a different culinary location that he should stop in on, while the blue indicated various clothes outlets. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to afford to buy as many clothes as he once could on his current budget, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least make an effort to check all of the trendiest places out.

It had been nearly half an hour since Josef began to travel along Route 202 before he realized just how slow he was actually moving. As he'd been going through his bag and reading his map, his pace had slowed to a halt. He'd barely made any progress at all, but was lucky that he'd not gone too far ahead as the bakery he'd intended to visit was already a short ways behind him. The boy put everything back in its place and then swung his bag back onto his back before jogging over to Rachel's Bake Shoppe.

As Josef approached the entrance to Rachel's shop, he noticed a sign hanging above the door. In bold, red lettering the sign read, 'Closed' and below it, scribbled hastily with a pen it read, 'Out Of Stock'. The boy's eyebrow raised in confusion, but he tried the door nonetheless. As expected, it was locked tight. Josef walked around to the back of the building, knowing that during business hours Rachel would keep the back door unlocked for her husband to come in whenever he transferred over from his first job. As he thought, there was a piece of cardboard shoved into the back door where the lock was located, ensuring that it didn't latch until Rachel wanted it to.

"Rachel?" Josef called out as he walked through the back of the bakery. The boy looked at the boxes all around, seeing massive tears in a number of them and neat little piles of all the various ingredients spread across the floor. The place had never looked so dirty and yet so clean at the same time.

"Josef, is that you? What are you doing in here, didn't you read the sign on the front door?"

"Well yeah, but... if the back door was unlocked then I knew you'd be in here. It's been a couple of weeks since I've been in so I just wanted to check in and see if you had anything new before I headed out on my journey."

A sigh came from a short ways into the restaurant. Josef continued walking through the maze-like stacks of boxes, bags and refrigerators. As the boy came out into the entry area, he found Rachel sitting on the floor with her back against the booth where the register sat. The woman looked sad, all covered in flour and cocoa and with a defeated look upon her face as her glazed-over eyes lazily rose to meet Josef's chest.

"No. No... there's nothing left here... I'm just waiting..."

"Waiting? For what? Shouldn't you be baking?"

"What's the use anymore? Those monsters just keep coming back. I can't make anything in advance without them stealing it away from me. Even if I could, they just tear up the ingredients. A few days I just opened up in the afternoon, baking what I could and hoping for the best. But... even if I could keep that up, I'd never meet ends meet... and there's those damned monsters! They're like a plague... they just won't stop coming back... my life is ruined. I don't know what I'm going to tell my husband."

"Monsters? What are you talking about? I don't really understand what's going on, but if there's something I can do to help then just let me know."

"No... no, I don't think there is. Those beasts, they're... I called the police, but they said that they couldn't really do anything unless I was here when it happened. Of course, when I tried to come in and catch them in the act they just ran away before I could call anyone."

"So what, they're a bunch of kids trying to sabotage you? But why?"

"No, not kids. Pokemon. A whole pack of Rattata. It wouldn't normally be a problem, but there's some kind of outside force that has rallied them all together. They're more organized than ever before. I used to have issues with one or two of them at a time, but now there's just... dozens of them... I don't know what to do."

"What if I took care of them? I just graduated from the trainer academy, it'd be the perfect way to test my abilities out."

"I couldn't possibly ask you to do such a thing."

"Hey, it's no problem. You've done so much for my family in the past, it's only right that I repay the debt now. Then you'll be able to get everything back up and running and my parents can come in for your sweets again."

Rachel smiled and then slowly rose to her feet. "Well, I'd really appreciate it if you don't mind. Once you're done, I'll treat you and that Pokemon at your waist to a nice little meal."

"It's a deal then." Josef smiled and then looked around the store for a few seconds. "So then... what should we do until tonight?"

Rachel shook her head. "I've got things under control here. And actually, I have a pretty decent idea about where this pack of rats might be right now. The outsider in their group has changed up their sleeping schedule for these night raids, so you should be able to slip in undetected and wreak some havoc before they ever know what's really going on. And really, I don't think you'll need to take out all of them, just scare them into scattering and then take out their leader. You've got Pokeballs, right? Even if you don't really want the thing, I'd appreciate it if you could capture him and then just release him somewhere else at least."

"Well, I'll see what I can do."

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"So, they're off in that direction?" Josef stood at the edge of a wooded area, staring at the line of flour footprints beneath him.

"That's right. I traveled in there myself the other day, but I don't have any Pokemon to fight them with. I tried going to the police, but like I said, they wouldn't do anything unless the Pokemon were in the act of ransacking my bakery."

"Any idea how many there might be? I doubt my Deino will have much trouble with them if they're asleep, but I think a guesstimate would help me to be prepared just in case."

"I don't really know. Maybe... somewhere between twelve and fifteen, not counting the outsider. They had been a relatively peaceful pack until that other one came along. I'd left out stale bread every so often for them to eat off of when the harvest wasn't too good. Me and the Rattata minded our own business for the most part and got along just fine, so I'd rather not cause them too much trouble especially if they've got babies in there."

"Alright." Josef pulled the Pokeball from his belt and gripped it tightly in his hand. "I suppose I'll head on in and see for myself then."

"Be careful, Josef. You may be a trainer, but you've still only just graduated. I'd hate to be the reason for you getting hurt so early on in your adventure."

"No worries." Josef turned and smiled at Rachel as he took his first step through the trees. "I'm more than capable of handling myself." Josef brought his attention back to the forest and the trail of prints leading further into it. "Guess I'll get to see what this Deino can really do."

Josef followed the trail that the Rattata had made for nearly five minutes before he saw a clearing only a short ways ahead of him. The boy crouched down and crept up to the edge of the trees, peering between them as he looked into the open area. He'd found the pack with little effort, but their numbers were a deal greater than what he'd anticipated. It seemed that there was actually two families that had joined together, and eggs had been laid all around.

The boy scanned the area for the Pokemon which he thought could be this outsider, but with so many of them around he could hardly begin to tell. The fresh trainer smiled and then looked down at his Pokeball, an idea brewing in his head. Josef pressed the button on the ball, causing it to grow into its full form. Pulling his arm back like a crank, Josef launched the ball out into the clearing.

"Go, Rouge!"

Several of the Rattata instantly perked up, while others remained groggy and slow. Deino burst free from his ball in a blinding light, the act of which caused a few of the rats to flee instantly.

"Guess we'll have to shake them up a little more than that, huh? Rouge, use Dark Pulse!"

The Pokemon tilted its head back and let loose a ray of circular rings made up of a dark energy. The attack hit a few of the Rattata, causing them to jump up and run off out of fear while others merely snarled and took a defensive stance. Rouge began spinning in circles, throwing up a cloud of dust around him as the attack bore into the ground around him. The Rattata squinted their eyes, trying their best to see through the screen that the Deino had created to no avail. It would be several seconds before the dust settled, which meant that Josef had the chance to make another attack.

"Rouge, use Dragon Rage!"

Though Josef had another chance to let Rouge attack, the smokescreen had affected both parties. The Deino already had trouble seeing due to the tufts of hair which covered his eyes, so the dust did him no favors as he tried to take advantage of the moment. The Pokemon fired off the move, only to have it fly high over the Rattatas' heads and into the trees beyond, causing one of them to crack and fall over. As the tree fell, a few of the Rattata that were left quickly rushed over to where it seemed likely to impact and braced themselves to bear its weight.

Josef, curious as to why the Pokemon had sacrificed themselves, started to edge around the clearing while remaining in the safety of the trees which surrounded it. The Rattata which had surrounded Rouge had now dwindled to number only three, but the dust had finally cleared and it was their turn to strike.

The Pokemon launched a ferocious barrage of attacks at the Deino, more than making up for the extra strike that their opponent had failed to capitalize on. Rouge toppled over backwards as it was struck with hit after hit, and struggled to get back up as it elongated its neck in search of its trainer.

"Dei! Dei!" Rouge turned, its body bruised from the numerous attacks it had just received. "No! Deino!"

"You're right! I'm sorry! Deino, strike back at them with your own Tackle!"

The Pokemon nodded and then rushed at the nearest Rattata, striking them with its body and causing both to fall over. Rouge struggled back to its feet, standing triumphantly over the Rattata it had just knocked out. "Deino!" The Pokemon cried out, excited about having won its first battle.

"Don't get cocky just yet, Rouge. There's still two more!"

As Josef had managed to reach the fallen tree, he witnessed the Rattata protecting a nest of eggs which they'd apparently only just lain. The boy started to walk out of the safety of the treeline, hoping to help the Pokemon protect their children when a Pokemon cried out from the other edge of the clearing.

"Raaat!" The cry echoed all throughout, causing the other Pokemon to stop and turn their heads.

The dark-skinned Rattata which was now very easily recognizable as the outcast slowly stepped down from a pedestal of trash which the others had laid out for it. The Pokemon's eyes slowly scanned the clearing as it walked, making contact with each and every other Rattata and causing them to flee as it did so.

"So, you're the head honcho then, huh?" Josef walked out into the clearing, stepping up behind Rouge to offer the injured Pokemon his support. "Think you can really take us on by yourself?"

"Rat-tat-ta." The Pokemon spoke with each step that it took, methodically and carefully closing the distance between itself and the duo in front of it. "Rat. Rat-tat-a. Tat. Tat. Ta."

"I don't understand a thing you're saying, but you've been bothering a friend of mine. Which means, regardless of what you think or what your intentions are, you have to be stopped."

The Rattata took up a defensive stance and began to glow as its eyes narrowed.

"Trying to finish this in one strike are you? Well, two can play that game. Deino, use Focus Energy."

Rouge nodded with a grunt, and began to glow similarly to the Rattata.

"Rat-tat-a. Rat. Rat-tat-a."

"Whatever you said, I'm sure it was something cool. It's a shame that I don't know what it was. Regardless, I think we've both talked enough." Josef pulled an empty and unused Pokeball from his pocket and pressed the button in the center of it. "Rouge, use Tackle!"

The Deino rushed at the Rattata, throwing his whole body at the Pokemon as it rushed forward to do the same. The two Pokemon clashed and then fell to the ground, their bodies in a tangle. Josef rushed forward with the ball in his hand and ready to throw. Several seconds passed before Rouge began to move his head ever so slightly.

"Thank goodness. I'm so glad you're okay." Josef squatted down and pulled the Pokemon apart, noting that the Rattata was clearly out cold. "What do you say we finish up what we came here to do, eh Rouge?"

The Deino nodded and then sat on its hind legs as Josef pressed the empty Pokeball up against the Rattata's head.

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"That went a little bit smoother than expected, wouldn't you say?" Josef stood up, placing the newly captured Pokemon on the belt at his waist before patting the Deino's head. The boy smiled as he rubbed his hand against the Pokemon, wondering if he should return it to its ball or wait until after they'd received their reward.

"Josef! That was amazing!" Rachel walked out from behind a tree that she'd been using to hide, a smile spread across her face as she approached the boy and his Pokemon. "I never would have imagined you could have gotten so powerful, and so soon after becoming a trainer! Those Rattata didn't stand a chance against you, despite all the trouble that they'd been giving me the past couple of weeks. It kind of makes me feel ashamed, to be honest."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's what I've been training at the academy to do anyways. And... well... it didn't all work out that perfectly."

"What do you mean? You scared all of them off and even beat their leader! How much more perfect could it have been?"

Josef slowly walked over to the felled tree and then fondled with the Pokeball at his waist, releasing the Rattata from it so that it could stand beside him. "Your friends are..."

The Rattata looked all around itself with a confused look upon its face before finally meeting Josef's lowered gaze. "Rat-tat? Rat?"

Josef nodded. I still don't get what you're saying, but yet, you do me. This tree... you can hear it, can't you?"

The Pokemon's ears perked up and its eyes widened, having only just realized what was going on. The Rattata lunged at the tree. The Pokemon's mouth opened wide as it sank its teeth into the bark and began to viciously tear away at the trunk. As the Rattata gnawed its way into the tree, it formed a small hole just barely big enough for its own body.

"Rat! Rat-tat!"

The Pokemon looked up at Josef and then quickly ran circles around the hole that it had created. From within the hole, another noise echoed, something much more faint, quiet and weak.

"R-rat... tat... a..."

Rachel slowly walked over, confused as to what was going on until she heard the soft cry of the Pokemon trapped beneath the tree. "Oh my God, that's horrible." The woman clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Rachel, go run and get a Nurse Joy from town. There's going to be a lot of injured Pokemon that are going to need immediate aid."

The baker nodded, quickly turning on her heel and bolting off back in the direction from which she'd came. Josef sighed, peering down into the hole that the captured Rattata had created.

"You're not such a bad Pokemon, you know? Your methods were wrong, but... you were just trying to take care of your new family, weren't you?"

The Pokemon ignored him, continuing its circling of the hole it had made while poking its head in periodically with a whimper.

Five minutes had slowly passed with nothing being done as the boy and Pokemon waited for Rachel to return with help. Josef was quickly growing irritated with how long it was taking for the baker to come back. The boy started shaking his leg vigorously, his hands fidgeting and sweating as he attempted to busy himself all the while counting the seconds that passed by.

"Josef! Go ahead! We're almost there!"

The boy's head snapped to the side, looking to where the voice was coming from. Off in the distance, Josef could see Rachel running back through the trees alongside Nurse Joy and a Machoke which was carrying tray tables in each hand.

Wanting to waste no more time, Josef shot his hand through the hole and grabbed several of the Rattata which had just been prematurely hatched from their eggs. The boy removed his hand from the tunnel and put the Pokemon on the ground beside him before quickly diving back in for more. By the time Joy and Rachel had finally reached Josef, the boy had already pulled up over two dozen baby Rattata.

"Oh my goodness," Joy began, tenderly handling each and every Pokemon as she moved them from the ground to one of the carts that she'd brought with her. "This is terrible, how could this happen?"

"It's my fault," Rachel whispered. "The Rattata had been raiding my bakery for weeks, but the Police wouldn't do anything about it. When Josef came by to check on me, I threw him into the thick of it, bribing him with whatever sweets he could want as long as he could get rid of the Rattata... I just... I never meant for this to happen. I just wanted to scare them a little and have their leader relocated..."

"It's alright, you don't have to beat yourself up over this." Joy took a moment to stop what she was doing and put her hand on Rachel's shoulder, comforting her with a smile. "They can still be saved at this point, but if they'd been left alone under that tree, things could have been much worse."

"There's no time to talk right now," Josef said, glaring at the two women as he lay arm deep in the tree. "There's a few left in here, but they're adults. They're... trapped, beneath the weight of the tree. I don't think they're conscious either. Their bodies are firm and unresponsive, but they're definitely Rattata. I need that Machoke to come over and lift the tree for me so that I can pull them out before they're crushed."

Nurse Joy nodded. "I understand. Machoke, go and give that boy whatever help he needs! We have to save every one of these Pokemon!"

"Maaa-choke!" The Pokemon lumbered over and dug its hands under the tree trunk.

Josef pulled his arm free from the hole and rolled off of it and onto the ground, taking a position between the Machoke's legs.

"Right here. There's three of them that I could feel. I'll need you to hold it up for at least five seconds, do you think you can manage that?"

"Ma!"

"Alright then." Josef took several deep breaths, readying himself for whatever he might see. "Now, lift!"


"So, how were they?"

Josef slumped down into a booth in the corner of Rachel's bakery, his hair drenched it sweat and his clothes covered in dirt and mud. "They were fine. Joy said they'd make a full recovery."

"I see, that's good then." Rachel walked into the kitchen and came back only seconds later with a glass bottle of milk and a whole, chocolate cake. "This is... really, all that I can do to thank you right now. The bakery has still lost a lot of money, so these next few weeks will be really rough. I can't afford to-"

"Rachel, it's fine. I was happy to help, even if things took a dark turn in the end. All the Pokemon are going to be okay, so there's no need to worry. And besides, I'm more than happy to have your cake. After all, you are on my map."

The baker smiled, placing the entire cake on the table that Josef had chosen to fall in to. "Well then, I hope the three of you enjoy it."

Josef nodded, releasing both his Deino and the Rattata into the seat across from him. "I expect we will."

"By the way, what are you planning to do with that Rattata now?"

"Eh, I think I'll keep it." Josef started cutting into the cake, serving a sizable piece to both of his Pokemon. "It's not such a bad rat anyways."

"Then, do you plan to name it anything?"

"Hmmm, I hadn't really thought about it yet." Josef sliced off another small wedge of the cake and left it on the serving platter before sliding off the other half of the cake onto his own plate. "How about, Trees?"

"Trees? That's an odd choice for a name."

"I suppose, but I think it fits him just fine."

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Josef walked into Jubilife City with his arms stretched out wide and his nostrils flared open. The young man took in a massive breath and then exhaled slowly as he listened to all the sounds of the busy city. It wasn't his first time in Jubilife, but there was just something about the air of a city that set it apart from anywhere else. And... to be honest, it brought back a lot of memories regarding his life in Kanto, which made him smile.

Josef's parents worked in the television studio, but they'd both requested off this day in particular to be able to see their boy off on his big adventure. His mom was a traveling reporter, while his father worked behind the scenes inside the station itself. It was unfortunate that he couldn't pay them a visit at the moment, but he was sure that he'd see at least one of them again somewhere along the way.

Josef started walking around the city, taking in all the various sights that he hadn't given the time before. The boy took a lap around Jubilife, wondering what he should do while he was here, or if he should check out anything at all. He'd wasted plenty of time with Rachel's bakery that the answer didn't seem to be something so easy to figure out. If he wasted too much time like that, it was possible that he'd end up falling behind everyone else in his class and he'd miss out on something important.

"Hmm, that watch upgrade sounds like it might be useful later on, but..."

"Agh! That's not fair, Joey! You've had your Pokemon way longer than me! Of course it's gonna be a lot stronger!"

"Heh, quit whining you baby. You lost, fair and square, so give me your lunchbox."

Josef followed the commotion, wondering what was going on. To his surprise, there was a boy in his early teens hanging around the Jubilife preschool. A small crowd surrounded the boy as he gloated over his newest conquest. A four year old fell to the ground and began to sob as he unzipped his Pikachu backpack and pulled out a lunchbox with the image of a Gengar on it. The teenager snatched the box out of the child's hands and quickly rummaged around inside of it.

"Tch. Peanut butter and honey, some diced up oran berries, and crust-less white bread. What a joke."

The teenager dropped the box to the ground and threw its contents off in the distance before beginning to stomp on the image of the Gengar.

"Hey! Cut that out!" Josef rushed up to the boy after seeing how he was behaving in front of the other children who were at least ten years younger than himself. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Huh?" Joey turned to look at the giant who was quickly closing in on him. "Ah!" The boy screamed and then pulled the lone pokeball from his belt, throwing it in the direction of Josef. The ball twirled through the air and then bounced against the ground before bursting open, revealing a Rattata with a larger than average physique.

"A battle?" Josef quickly slowed his pace to that of a brisk walk.

"Huh?" Joey straightened up upon seeing that the titan across from him had slowed his advance. The teenager brushed himself off and then smirked as he puffed out his chest, trying his best to make it seem like he was still the big man on the playground. "Yeah, a battle! You scared? My Rattata has won so many battles already, it's not even funny! It's the best of its kind; the top percent, y'know?"

"Why would I be afraid of a battle? Just a few hours ago, I fought against a whole pack of Rattata."

"Y-yeah?" Joey shook a little bit, trying to wrap his head around how anyone could beat up a whole pack of Rattata so easily. What kind of Pokemon could this guy have, he wondered. "I'm not afraid of you either! My Rattata will mop the floor with you, regardless of how many others you've beaten! I told you, my Rattata is in the top percentage of all Rattata! There's no other like it in the region! Heck, there might not even be another one like it in the whole world! Maybe it's in the top of the top percent! Hahaha!"

The boy tried to make himself out to be big and bad, but Josef could see right through him... well, over him, rather. The man closed the distance between them and could tell now, as he stood over the boy that he was shaking in his shoes. "Alright. I'll battle you, but just so that I can test something out for myself. If this Rattata really is in the top of the top percent, then maybe I should be a little bit scared."

Joey's eyes lit up as they rose to Josef's. "Of course, my Rattata's the best! Nobody can beat it one-on-one!"

"Alright then. I'll fight you with a Rattata of my own, so that I can see what percentile it falls into."

"Y-you have a Rattata too?"

"Of course. I caught it just a while ago and haven't had the chance to use it, so I really have no idea how good or bad it is. But I think now is as good a time as any to figure it out."

Joey grit his teeth. Up until now, he'd only ever gone up against really weak Pokemon that the preschoolers had managed to round up on accident and chance alone. Josef was sure to be a formidable enemy, especially if his intentions were to give the boy a dose of his own medicine. "Alright then! Let's lay it out there then! If I win, I'll take... I'll... uh, I don't really know what I want from you."

"Hmm," Josef scratched his head and thought hard. What did he have that someone else would want to fight him for? "Oh, I've got just the thing." Josef pulled his bag off his back and started to rummage around inside of it. "Here. If you win, I'll give you this slice of cake from Rachel's bakery just down the road. And if I win, you have to stop picking on preschool kids and fight more people your own age."

Joey's mouth began to water as he stared at the recently baked cake and the cute little decorations that Rachel had put on it. He wanted that cake, there was no doubt about it. However, if Josef were to win, he'd have to give up on the easy pickings around the preschool. Normally, he'd take up the offer without a second thought and come back to the preschoolers regardless of the outcome... but Josef was just, so... scary.

"I'll take you up on that bet."

Josef nodded. "Alright then. Since this is a battle to test just where my Rattata falls in terms of strength, I'll only use it in our fight. Neither one of us will use items, or let out Pokemon hold anything while they fight. This will be a battle determined simply by our Pokemon's power and our ability to direct them, okay?"

Joey nodded. "That's fine by me."

Josef nodded and then pulled the pokeball from his waist. "Let's get it on then. Trees, I choose you!"

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"Trees? What kind of name is that for a Rattata?" Joey laughed nervously as the dark-grey Pokemon burst free from its ball. "W-what's wrong with your Pokemon? Why's it such a weird color? It looks... different... darker, somehow."

"It's called an Alolan form, apparently." Josef placed the empty ball back on his belt and took on a more relaxed pose. "My mom used to have one. Not a Rattata, but an Alolan form Pokemon. Funnily enough, it was a Meowth."

"Wow..." the boy's eyes seemed to be pulling themselves out of his face as he stared intently at the off-colored Pokemon. "I've never seen one before. That's pretty cool, but just because your Pokemon is a different type of Rattata that doesn't mean that this battle is going to end any differently! Let's just get this thing going already!"

Josef nodded. "It's technically my first real trainer battle, so don't be too harsh on me, alright?"

Joey smirked and then stood up straight, puffing out his chest. "Really? Guess I should take it easy on you then since you're such a newbie."

Josef smiled half-heartedly as he dragged his right leg across the ground, placing it firmly behind him as he took on a more aggressive stance. "Trees! You're going to win this battle!
Believe in yourself!"

"Rat!" The Pokemon called back as it tensed up its body, readying for whatever was to happen next.

Joey's eyes narrowed as he took a strong step forward, digging his heels into the ground. The boy inhaled deeply and then shouted at his Pokemon, "Rattata! Use Fury Swipes!"

The Rattata leaped forward, zig and zagging all the way over to Trees as its claws elongated. The Pokemon jumped onto the opposing Rattata and began to swipe at its face and body, time and time again.

Josef grunted as he watched his Pokemon get quickly jumped on. "Trees! Use Quick Attack to get away!"

"Rat-tat!" The Pokemon called out as it started to move forward slowly. The Pokemon quickly began to gain speed until the only thing that Joey's Rattata could do was hang on.

"Trees! Quick!" Josef pointed his finger at the fence positioned just behind Joey on the other side of their makeshift battlefield. "Run as fast as you can towards that fence and then throw off that Rattata!"

Joey leaned back and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Rattata! Hurry up and let go! It's okay if you lose them, just don't get throw into that fence!"

The Rattata struggled to gather its bearings. If the Pokemon had let go without a second thought, it would have been swiftly trampled over and hurt by the Rattata it was hanging on to with its life. Only seconds passed before Trees had come within feet of the fence. Joey's Rattata closed its eyes and clenched its teeth as Trees made a sudden turn, causing it to fall over and skid across the ground. Joey's Rattata rolled underneath and over Trees before flying off, coming to a jarring halt against the cold metal of the fence.

Trees quickly rose to its feet. The Pokemon was covered in bruises from the numerous hits it had taken from the opposing Rattata, but most of the damage had been done by its own hands during its accidental tumble. Joey's Rattata looked even worse for wear, however, as its whole body was covered in scrapes and bruises and even being so unlucky as to have had one of its eyes swollen shut.

"Rattata! Don't give up! I know you're the strongest one out here right now! Use your own Quick Attack and then follow it up with a Bite!"

The Rattata shook, struggling to stand on its own two feet. "R-Rattata!" Strong and defiant, despite the damage it had taken. It was apparent that both Pokemon were on their last legs, and whoever landed the next hit would likely be the victor of the match. Joey's Rattata started out its sprint much quicker than Trees had, rising to a speed high enough to cause Trees to grow dizzy in only a couple of seconds as one Rattata ran circles around the other.

"Trees, don't give in! Store up all the energy you can with Focus Energy and wait for my command! You've only got one shot, so ignore whatever else is going on and listen only to me! Trust me!"

Trees looked back at Josef and hesitantly nodded its head. The Pokemon closed its eyes and bowed its head. Trees' ears perked up as it awaited its master's call. Slowly, an aura formed around the Pokemon's head and shoulders as it focused its energy into what was currently its only points of attack.

Joey sniggered as he watched Trees begin to glow. Attacking from head on would most definitely be a mistake at this point, but if they came at the Pokemon from behind then it was unlikely Josef could keep up with the Pokemon's reactions. The boy waited a second, readying a speech in his mind for when it would be decided that he'd won.

"Trees, now!"

Joey snapped out of his daydream at the sound of Josef's voice. Wasn't he waiting for Joey's command to issue his own? Instead, Trees leaped forward at the exact instant that Joey's Rattata was beginning to come around its side. Trees crashed in to the speeding Rattata, causing it to spin in a circle before falling to the ground, and for Joey's Rattata to roll over several times before coming to a halt. A cloud of dust formed over the area, covering both Pokemon. The trainers rushed up to their respective Pokemon, calling out to them as they feared for the worst.

"Rattata! Rattata, are you alright? Talk to me buddy! We won, didn't we? We always do!"

"Trees? Trees, you there? Come on, man."

Both trainers fell quiet as they disappeared into the dust cloud and stopped at the places where their Pokemon had fallen. Josef stared down at the ground, seeing that Trees' body was still twitching but his eyes had sealed shut.

"Trees, you alright?"

"R-Rat..."

"Thank goodness. Hey, guess what? This means you're part of the top percent." The boy started to laugh and then lifted his Pokemon up into his arms before making a beeline for where Joey had been heading. "Hey, kid, you out here still? Joey? Hello?"

The dust slowly cleared, revealing that the boy had run off somewhere while Josef had been checking in on his own Pokemon. A few of the preschool kids had been watching the battle as it unfolded with wide eyes. Josef ran his hand across Trees' head before pressing the pokeball against it, sealing the Rattata away.

"Hey. You kids see which way that boy went?"

Two of the boys looked at each other and then shook their heads. "We couldn't see anything through the smoke. We're sorry. Thank you for helping us win against that bully though! He comes around every day to take our lunches away from us!"

Josef shook his head. "It's fine. I couldn't stand the way that he was treating your friend, so I just had to step in."

One of the little girls skipped up to the fence where the small crowd had started to gather in celebration of Joey's defeat. "Mister?"

Josef looked down at the little girl and then took a knee so that he could speak with her face-to-face. "Yeah? What's up?"

The little girl dug around in her bag and then pulled out a pokeball from within it. "Here you go. My mommy gave me this but I think you should have it. Joey beat up my Pokemon yesterday so mommy said I should use this ball to catch a stronger one and stand up for myself. But since you did it for me, I think it's better that you have it now."

Josef reached over the fence and took the reward. Josef smiled and then rubbed his hand across the little girl's head. "Like I said, it's no problem. If he comes around again, you should get a teacher to help you out. It's not good to have bullies like that around a place like this. You kids should be having fun, not be worrying about whether or not you're going to lose your lunches."

The little kids all smiled wide and then ran back inside the building, cheering for Josef and yelling about how they were going to ask for special lunches from their parents the next day since they weren't going to be stolen again. Josef smiled and then slowly scanned the area in search of Joey. There were a set of prints which began where the boy had started out at, but they quickly disappeared. The boy sighed, unsure of what would happen around the preschool after this. At the very least, he'd taught Joey a quick lesson which would hopefully help him to mature. In the meantime, however... the idea of listening to a radio while he adventured seemed quite tempting.

[a id]Pokemon[/a id]

[a id]Items[/a id]

[a id]Key Items[/a id]

[a id]Food[/a id]

[a id]TM/HM[/a id]

Josef stepped up to the front door of the Hexcorp company, hopeful that he could pass whatever test they'd prepared for him to overcome in order to obtain the radio app. The boy walked inside as he was blasted by several fans which were propelling warm, misty air at towards the doorway.

"Welcome to Hexcorp!" A young woman who was only a few years older than Josef sat at the front desk on the other side of the lobby. The woman welcomed Josef with a smile and a nod. "Are you here for the competition?"

Josef nodded his head. "Yes ma'am."

The woman smiled and then motioned to her right side. "Right that way. Take the elevator up to the second floor. The offices there have been turned into a makeshift arena for the giveaway."

Josef nodded his head and walked by the receptionist, following the hallway to which she'd pointed. At the end of the hallway were a set of elevators with matching call buttons. The boy pressed one of the two buttons and a chime played, announcing the arrival of the elevator he'd called for. Josef peered into the small area, and having noted that nobody was inside trying to get off, headed into it himself. Three columns of buttons were presented to the boy on the inside of the elevator, each of which represented a different floor. The boy wasted no time in mashing his thumb against the button with the number '2' on it, causing the doors to slowly draw close and the elevator to begin its ascent.

Several seconds passed before a chime similar to the one before played over the speakers. The doors pulled themselves open, revealing a large gathering of people from varying ages. In the center of the room, a scientist stood atop a table and held a microphone in his hand. The man seemed to be in more casual attire than one would expect of a scientist, but he still had on the signature white overcoat which is what gave it all away.

"Nobody? Nobody?" The scientist yelled into the microphone with a smile on his face. "I guess my Porygon here is just too strong, isn't that right, Kal?"

The Porygon hovered around its trainer without making a sound. Its eyes scanned the room, searching for a new opponent before locking on to Josef.

"You there! The young man in the back who just arrived! Are you here to take on my challenge?"

The crowd parted, leaving a small path for Josef to take up to the arena. The boy started rolling the bottom of his shirt between his fingers, growing increasingly nervous about the number of eyes in the room the longer he stayed there.

"Y-yes. I'm here for the radio."

"So is everyone else my boy! Come on up, you'll have your chance! Everyone gets just one though, so make sure you're ready for it!"

Josef fixated his eyes on the ground, not wanting to acknowledge just how many people were around him. His palms were beginning to sweat, but he couldn't back down just yet. He wanted that radio app, regardless of the costs. He'd already spent a considerable amount of time weighing its worth and utility against the various factors at play, and had decided it best to go for it despite everything in his body screaming at him to run back to the safety of the elevator.

"I'm here for the radio..." Josef whispered to himself as he fumbled with the pokeball at his waist.

"Hey kid, don't keep us waiting now! Let's see what you've got!"

Josef jolted back to attention, ripping the ball off of his belt and dropping it to the ground in a single motion. The ball rolled over on itself, enlarging and then popping open lazily. Rouge appeared from the red light emitted from the ball and let out a lazy cry.

"A Deino, eh? Sounds like this'll be a challenge! Let's get down to business then!"

"Rouge, use Dragon Rage!"

The Deino reeled its head back and then shot out a powerful blast of purple-black flames that struck the Porygon head on.

"Kal, no!"

The Pokemon fell to the ground, bouncing off of it. The Porygon winced in pain, and seemed to be surprisingly damaged by the attack.

"Damn those fixed damage moves... EV and IV training means nothing when you hit me with that shit..." The scientist scratched his head vigorously and then rushed up to his Pokemon, pulling a potion from his back pocket. "Here, take this real quick and then get back out there!"

After spraying the Pokemon's wounds with the potion, Porygon began to hover back in the air strong and proud as if nothing had ever happened.

"Kal, use Tri Attack!"

The blocky Pokemon formed a triangle around its head in which fire, electricity and ice all mingled together. The triangle condensed down into a ball and then shot out like a rocket towards the Deino. The little dragon barely had the time to dodge before the attack blew past where it had just been standing. The Deino kept moving, realizing that if it was hit by the attack it would most likely faint instantly.

"Kal, don't let up! Keep firing until you've got nothing left!"

"Rouge! Don't stop running! Fire off a Dark Pulse whenever you get the chance! Don't let it sit still either! It can't live forever!"

"Dei!" The Pokemon trotted around the perimeter of the arena as it dodged attack after attack and firing back with attacks of its own.

"Kal, his attacks can't hurt you! All we have to do is hit him once, so stay where you are! If you start moving, it'll be even harder to focus in on him!"

The Pokemon's eyes narrowed as it focused on the Deino. The Porygon stopped firing off attacks haphazardly and began to charge up all of its energy into one larger than average orb.

"Rouge, he's charging up for an attack! Use this time to whittle it down even further!"

"Dei!"

The Deino fired off a Dragon Rage attack, followed by a couple of Dark Pulses. Each attack hit its mark, causing the Porygon to cease hovering and fall to the ground. However, Kal continued to charge its attack even while on its last legs.

"Kal, fire!"

The Porygon let loose the collection of energy as its eyes fell closed. The scientist crossed his fingers, hoping that the attack could hit so that he could call it a draw.

"Dei!"

The attack struck the Deino, sending it tumbling backwards before a cloud of smoke consumed it. Josef leaned into the arena, hoping to catch a glimpse of his Pokemon, hoping to see that it was alright and that they'd won. Several seconds passed before the smoke dispersed, and when it did, it could be seen that all but the Deino's head had been frozen solid.

"D-dei?" The Pokemon cried out softly, craning its neck towards Josef.

The boy jumped into the arena and grabbed up his frozen Pokemon, hugging it tightly. "Yeah, we won buddy. Don't worry, I'll take you to the Pokemon center when we're done here. You did good."

The scientist walked over to Josef and sighed. The man had already recalled his Pokemon, admitting defeat the second that he saw Rouge wasn't completely frozen. "It was about a fifty-fifty chance that he'd have gotten knocked out. Your Deino's one strong customer being able to tank Kal's attacks like that. Listen... that app, you can get it from the front desk. I'll let the receptionist know that you won while you're in the elevator."

Josef nodded, pressing Rouge's pokeball against the Pokemon's now limp body. "Thanks. It was a good battle. I know that radio will be useful eventually."

"I'm sure it will be. It's Hexcorp brand after all."