[Pokémon] Aura Sphere

?Blurb?
Brenda has just graduate pokeschool, and is ready to create her own adventure through the Unova League! The reality may differ from the rose-colored world she imagined, but she is set on overcoming obstacles along her childhood friends, Cheren and Bianca. Will she surpass her father, and fulfil her dream of becoming a Pokemon Master?

I think it's pretty clear from the blurb, but this is a Black&White fanfic, following the storyline but with major original additions/events.

?Warnings?
Romantic content ahead, pertaining checkmateshipping and ferriswheelshipping. Whether one or the other will triumph, I'm not inclined to reveal ;)
There is some mild gore (injuries will bleed) and spicy gore (resulting from some terrorist attacks). I can't avoid these scenes, because I'm a realist unlike the pokemon game developers, who try to keep it PG.
No sexual content. Maybe kissing? Idk
Some violence: pokemon battles, terrorist attacks by Team Plasma, maybe fistfights between friends?

?Chapters?
For the lazy scrollers (like me), here I've linked to all the chapters :)
Chapter One: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9737988&postcount=2
Chapter Two: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9738002&postcount=3
Chapter Three: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9739215&postcount=4
Chapter Four: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9744529&postcount=5
Chapter Five: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9751598&postcount=6
Chapter Six: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9753252&postcount=7
Chapter Seven: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9754328&postcount=8
Chapter Eight: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9754328&postcount=9
Chapter Nine: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9754328&postcount=10
Chapter Ten: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9754328&postcount=11
Chapter Eleven: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9754328&postcount=12
Chapter Twelve: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=9864622&postcount=14

Chapter One


6:00AM.

A woman was making breakfast downstairs, when she heard a familiar alarm go off. She braced herself, for the sound was usually accompanied by an even louder clatter - the sound of the poor alarm clock being flung down to the floor with utmost force.

However, to the woman?s surprise, the noise was never heard.
-

Upstairs, a mountain of blankets trembled once, twice, and suddenly flew away from the bed as though they had been caught in an explosion. Out of them jumped up a teenager in her pajamas.

She tapped the alarm clock, and her hand almost knocked down her graduation photo frame, which she caught before it hit the floor.

Putting the picture back, without bothering to make it stand upright, she slid over the floor. The socks complained on her feet, but she didn?t have time to apologize.

She then opened and slammed her bathroom?s door. She washed her face, inevitably getting some cold water into her smiling mouth. It was alright, since she would brush her teeth right after - if anything, it saved her time.

Brushing her coarse hair with tough strides, and putting on her favorite clothes, the ones she had avoided all summer so she could feel fresh wearing them that day, she ran out of her barely made-up room.
-

?Good morning!? the girl shouted, and her mother almost dropped the dishes.

?My goodness, Brenda. You scared me.?

?Why mother? I always shout good morning in the mornings.?

?Yes, but never at 6AM. I didn?t believe there was anything that could make you wake up this early.?

The teenager giggled, scratching the side of her face.

?Today is special,? she laughed with widened eyes glittering in anticipation. ?Today, I become a pokemon master!?

Her mother smiled at her daughter, who stretched both of her arms for emphasis.

?You mean pokemon trainer, dear.?

?Pokemon master ? in the making,? the girl stuck her tongue, and calmed enough to sit down to eat.

?Only two eggs, mother? And two pieces of bread??

?What are you saying. You are the one who complains when there is too much breakfast.?

?Yes mother,? said Brenda with exaggerated desperation. ?But today is different. Pokemon trainers needs to eat a lot, because they exert themselves in training and battling.?

She stood up, and showed her mother the punches and kicks she had been practicing for the occasion. Step, step, and jump kick!

?It?s your pokemon that will do the battling, dear,? her mother grinned with a hand on her mouth.

?They will battle, but if anyone messes with my pokemon, they?ll know who Brenda Hunter is.?

?Don?t send trainers to the hospital, please. We don?t have the funds to pay the fees.?

Brenda laughed. She loved her mother?s sense of humor, as much as she loved her own.
-

Once she was done with breakfast, and packed her bag with three potions and a Unova region map. As the final touch, she grabbed her worn-out white cap with pink designs, and passed her high ponytail through its reel hole.

Then, she ran down the stairs, almost skipping all the steps, to say her final goodbyes to her mother.

?You know you can come visit any time,? her mother said, with a hint of melancholy.

?I sure will, and will introduce you to my dear super-strong pokemon!?

?Thank you, and I will look forward to it.?

With that, Brenda gave her mother a long hug and a kiss, and ran all the way to Professor Juniper?s laboratory.
-

When she was close enough to the lab, Brenda realized waking up at 6AM was not early enough to be the first one on board. There were already five or six boys and girls standing in front of the entrance.

?Isn?t that Brenda? Good morning, Brenda,? greeted a girl who noticed her running.

?Good morning, everyone! How did you guys make it this early??

?We could ask you the same,? said a boy wearing a navy blue shirt. ?You were never this early to Pokeschool, that?s for sure.?

?Hush, Nick. Can?t you see that this is totally different to Pokeschool?? Brenda stuck her tongue to the boy.

She then looked around, but the individuals she was hoping to see were not there yet.

Just then, a familiar voice called her name. A girl wearing a fluffy lime green hat waved at her, and she made haste to meet her friend.

?Bianca! Good morning, I thought you wouldn?t make it on time,? Brenda smiled, and extended her hands toward her friend, who grasped them tightly.

?You?re just unusually early, that is all,? Bianca said.

?What?s up with everyone,? Brenda rolled her eyes. ?First my mother, then these cheeky kids and now you. Is it so incredible that I?m here ahead of time??

?Yes, it is,? replied four of the six kids in unison.

?I didn?t ask you. Rude.?

Bianca just giggled inaudibly.

?Ah look, there?s Cheren running this way,? Brenda pointed a finger at her friend. ?That guy is worse than me. Not even for this special occasion did he bother to wake up early.?

?Don?t you see how much stuff he?s carrying? He was probably awake until late, planning every step of our journey.?

?Our journey ??

There was something Brenda had to tell her friends. However, before she could break it to Bianca, her friend walked over to Cheren and helped him with some of his bags.
-

At that moment, the doors to the lab opened, and Professor Juniper showed up.

?Good morning, young ladies and gentlemen. Are you ready to choose your pokemon, and start your journey??

The little audience of about fifteen youngsters replied with an energetic ?yes?.

?Then wait no more,? the professor said. ?Come in, and get your supplies.?

The children walked with fast strides, smiling and laughing among themselves.

?What are you waiting for, Brenda?? asked Bianca, when she saw that her friend was still standing, somewhat absent-minded.

?Oh yes, sorry. Bianca, Cheren, you should go quickly and choose your starter before everyone else does.?

?You too, Brenda,? Cheren said, pushing his glasses up his nose. ?Why are you being this slow, when you woke up early for this moment??

?Don?t mind about me. Go, go, go, it?s an order!?

Brenda pushed her friends toward the entrance, and passed by Professor Juniper.

?It doesn?t surprise me that you brought so much luggage, Cheren,? the lady smiled as they passed. ?However, are you confident you can walk around Unova with this much weight??

?I planned this trip for so long,? Cheren sighed. ?I guess I forgot to consider the ease of travel.?

?If you want, I can deliver the bags you don?t need to your parents. Let me know when you have sorted your things.?

?Thank you, Professor.?

?Now, now, Cheren, move! Your pokemon await,? Brenda shouted, but herself stopped right in front of the professor.

When her friends were gone, albeit sometimes looking back at her, she asked Professor Juniper for a minute of her time.
-

As the sun peeked over the mountains, the boys and girls ran out into the front garden of the lab, and opened their pokeballs to show off their new companions to their human friends. Some of them even challenged others to their first ever pokemon battles.

?Where is Brenda?? asked Cheren, when he and Bianca walked out with less bags and more pokeballs.

?I?m here, blind dunsparces,? Brenda jumped out of nowhere, and startled them.

?Where were you? We?re just fifteen kids, and you disappeared all of a sudden.?

?No surprises. I was waiting out here,? Brenda giggled.

?What starter did you choose? I chose oshawott, the cute otter pokemon.?

?And I chose snivy, because he looks pretty intelligent,? Cheren said, and sent his partner out.

Encouraged, Bianca also opened her pokeball to release her oshawott. Upon touching the ground, the oshawott brushed his feet on the grass, and then looked up at the three kids.

?I?m going to call him Chris,? its owner said, lowering herself to pet him.

The oshawott looked at her with his round eyes, with a somewhat clueless face.

?Am I right in guessing that Chris is short for Christoph?? Brenda snickered, and Bianca colored her cheeks a little.

?It?s no secret that I?m a huge fan.?

?Anyone who?s been to Bianca's room would assume it upon entering,? laughed Cheren.

?What about you, Cheren. Aren?t you going to give your snivy a name??

?Nah. I don?t have enough creativity to come up with names.?

?No fair,? Brenda pouted. ?Snivy sure wants to be different from all the other Snivys. What about calling him Green??

Both of her friends batted their eyes.

?I guess naming them from their color is an easy alternative,? Cheren commented.

?No, silly. I?m talking about Green, the character from Pokemon Adventures. He?s so cool, like Snivy is!?

?No way I?m calling my pokemon that,? Cheren curved his lips. ?I like Red more than Green.?

?Then call him Red, if you will. But I won?t guarantee your Snivy will grow to be cool.?

?It will. Red will be much cooler than your ??

Then, Cheren and Bianca realized that they had yet to see Brenda?s starter.

?What Brenda, aren?t you going to show us what starter you picked??

?Did you choose Tepig? That would be a great coincidence, wouldn?t it??

Brenda scratched the side of her face, and remained silent for a moment to heighten suspense, at least in her mind.

?Actually, I haven?t chosen my starter yet.?

Chapter Two


Brenda stuck her hand underneath Cheren?s jaw and moved it back up.

?Don?t be so surprised,? she said, raising both eyebrows and raising her face. ?It would be more surprising if I chose a normal starter - that?s just too mainstream.?

?Wait, so what starter are you choosing?? Bianca asked, her face still bright from awe.

Hearing her cue, Brenda took out something out of her backpack?s side pocket. With deliberately dramatic gestures, she turned her hand to show them what she was holding.

?A pokeball? What?s inside it??

?Silly friends. It?s empty,? Brenda grinned. ?I?m on my way to catch my first partner.?

?C-catch your starter??

?How will you do that? You don?t have a pokemon to fight any encounters.?

?And the tall grass is dangerous without a pokemon! Oh Brenda, do reconsider.?

?What?s with you? Did Cheren?s Snivy worry-seed you??

Brenda gave gentle taps on both of her friend?s cheeks.

?H-hm,? Cheren cleared his throat, slightly coloring his face. ?Snivy doesn?t learn worry seed, but that is beside the point.?

?Come on, don?t worry about me,? Brenda stretched her arms, one hand still holding the pokeball. ?If anyone can do it, that?s me.?

?I will have to agree with that,? said a voice that hadn?t been in their conversation.

?Professor Juniper!?

?I must say your request took me by surprise, because no one had ever asked me for a pokeball to catch a starter,? the professor said. ?However, I have seen you in field work for many years, having taught you all some courses at the Pokeschool. Brenda has a natural ability to get along with pokemon.?

?See that, what did I tell you??

Then, Bianca chuckled silently.

?What, Bianca? Still concerned about my abilities??

?No, not at all. I?m still worried for you, but I just happened to remember that time with the bouffalant.?

?Aah, yeah! When we went on a field trip to Flocessy Ranch,? Cheren joined Bianca in laughing.

?Stop it, you two. It?s not that funny, you know,? said Brenda, pouting.

?Professor, you weren?t there, let me tell you. Two Bouffalant escaped the enclosure, and came charging toward us,? Cheren started the anecdote, escaping Brenda?s hands which were directed to shut his mouth up. ?Everyone started running away, but guess what this headstrong youngster did??

?I don?t want to be called a headstrong youngster by a headstrong youngster,? Brenda pointed her lips at his remark.

?She stretched her arms like this,? Cheren lengthened his arms sideways, and made a wide gap between his feet. ?And she said, ?come at me, if you dare!??

Professor Juniper gasped, and he told her that?s how everyone had reacted.

?Fearless, reckless,? Cheren continued. ?When I saw you doing that, I thought I?d pass out from how fast my blood rushed down from my face.?

?What could I do? Running away is not my style.?

?Fortunately - and surprisingly - the Bouffalant stopped just an inch from her. All of us stood there in shock, while Brenda stoked one of the pokemon?s fluffy mane.?

Cheren tried to keep a straight face while telling the story, but Bianca could not cooperate. She burst out laughing, but her laugh was reserved and barely audible.

?Then, all of a sudden, the Bouffalant snuck their faces into Brenda?s pants front pockets, and ate all of her Mago berries in one bite!?

?Not funny! They didn?t even ask me if I wanted to share,? Brenda said with a louder voice than her friends? combined laughter. At this point, Professor Juniper was also snickering.

?What was it that she shouted?? Asked Cheren to Bianca.

??Come back here, you thieves! Give me back my snacks, pair of ugly cows!??

?The worst part was that one of the Bouffalant didn?t like sweet berries, and got all confused, running in all directions. We had to run away from the bull while our bellies hurt from all the laughing.?

?Thanks, fake-friends,? Brenda turned away from them. ?I?m going to catch my starter, and you?ll see how cool I?ll be. Just watch.?
-

The four of them ventured off to Route 1, where the other youngsters had already went ahead on their journey, and were almost invisible by now.

The trees lining the path were blooming in pink, flaunting the sweet perfume that its flowers released. The way to Accumula Town was covered in tall grass, which swayed in the breeze, and made rustling sounds in waves.

The three teenagers and their professor walked over to the nearest patch of tall grass.

?We have your back,? Bianca reassured her friend, as she readied herself to jump into the grass.

?If you run into trouble, we?ll step in with our pokemon,? Cheren joined.

?Thanks, but I won?t need your help. Just watch the professional,? Brenda replied with a smirk.

She stood in front of the patch of tall grass, and took a couple of deep breaths.

She noticed that the grass, as high in length as her waist, trembled from time to time.

Pokemon, here I go.
-

Two steps in, and nothing happened.

Brenda looked back at her friends who seemed more nervous than herself, and tried to comfort them with a confident smile. Then, she turned back to her business.

At that moment, a wild pidove flew out of the grass, almost crashing into her face in self-defense.

In an attempt to dodge the attack, Brenda moved to the side, but missed her step, and fell on her back.

Her friends came running over to check on her.

?Are you alright??

?I?m fine, I?m fine.?

Indeed, she was fine. The fall had somehow not hurt as much as she expected.

She stood up, and in doing so, she was startled to find a blue-colored pokemon lying still on the ground.

?Oh no, I think I squashed the small guy when I fell,? Brenda told her friends.

She then lowered herself back again, and turned the pokemon to see its front side. Upon doing so, she realized it was a riolu, but he was not responding to his body?s movement. Brenda patted its cheek, to no avail.

?I think he?s dead!?

?Don?t be silly, Brenda,? Cheren shouted. ?Pokemon don?t die from a mere body slam. It?s probably unconscious, that?s all.?

?Now?s your chance. Catch him before he wakes up,? Bianca urged.

?Right,? Brenda tightened her face, showing a serious side her friends had rarely seen. ?Pokeball, do your work!?

The ball hit the stomach of the sleeping pokemon, and immediately closed with its target within.
-

One shake, two shakes.

All four of them were so concentrated on watching the ball sway, that they almost forgot to breathe. Brenda, especially, had her eyes widened so much that they could pop out of their sockets at any moment.

One last shake occurred in slow motion, and a little sound let her know the good news.

?I-I did it,? her voice came out at a high pitch, because her throat was dry. ?I caught my first pokemon!?

"Brenda, send him out. We have to treat him," Bianca reminded Brenda, but the girl was still clenching her pokeball in a trance.

Bianca, Cheren and Professor Juniper ran closer to the patch of grass Brenda was standing in, and Cheren snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Wake up, Brenda. Your partner is fainted."

Brenda's unfocused eyes suddenly widened, and the realization that she had caught her first pokemon sunk into her again.

"Yes, right away," she said, and pressed the pokeball's button.

It opened, and the riolu was sent out again, in the same position that it had been caught.

"Brenda, here," Professor Juniper offered her a potion and a pink triangular berry.

"Your Riolu is not fainted, but it was hurt and looks like it is confused."

Brenda sprayed the riolu's body all over, and broke the persim berry into small pieces that could fit into his mouth.

The Pokémon reacted to the taste of the berry, and began chewing the pieces slowly.

"Riolu, are you alright?"

The riolu rubbed his right eye, and finally started to regain focus. However, he was visibly surprised to see that he was surrounded by four unfamiliar humans.

He jumped off, and raised both arms in a defensive stance.

"We're not going to hurt you," said Bianca, but the riolu was still shaken.

"I'm your trainer now," Brenda stepped forward, and showed him the pokeball that caught him.

The bipedal pokemon did not change his stand for a while, but then he approached the pokeball that had been held out with utmost precaution. He looked at it up close, sniffed at it and found his own smell, which made him hop away in surprise.

However, when he looked back at Brenda, she could tell that his eyes were by no means content with the realization.

"Brenda," Professor Juniper finally spoke up. "It is very hard for new trainers to befriend their pokemon on first acquaintance. That is why each region has chosen three starters with basic characteristics, which are pokemon with more easygoing natures."

The professor's intent was perhaps vague, and Bianca could not tell whether Brenda had understood it or not, since she was looking down at the riolu, and her bangs were hiding her face from her position. There was some silence, though, so Bianca took the cue and added her opinion.

"Yes, forget about what we said earlier. There is nothing to be ashamed about, if you want to release your riolu, and get a starter like us."

Brenda took a deep breath and raised her head.

Unlike what her friends expected, she was smiling even more brightly than her usual.

"Why are you all so gloomy? Cheer up," she said, stretching her right arm upwards. "I don't intend on giving up on my wild starter just yet. Not ever! His and my fate crossed roads, and I'm not willing to look back at this moment with regret, which is what I'll definitely do if I give up today."

Then, she lowered herself closer to the riolu, and looked at him at eye-level.

"Nice to meet you. You might not like me now, but you will," she said and winked.

The riolu was puzzled, but then crossed his arms and looked to his side with contempt.

Brenda scratched the side of her face, and then snapped her fingers.

"You know what? I'll give you a gift, right here and now. I shall give you a name."

"Do you have a name in mind, or would you like to brainstorm?" asked Cheren.

"Sorry pals, of course I have a name in mind. I've planned everything since ages ago."

"I bet you also planned your wild encounter too," Cheren smirked.

"Funny," Brenda squinted her eyes at him.

Looking back at the riolu, Brenda sensed that although he appeared to be ignoring her, his attention was still directed at her. Or at least, his left ear was.

"The best pokemon needs the best name," she told him. "And what better name than one that takes part of the best trainer's name?"

At this point, she paused as was customary for her when she wanted to build suspense. However, this time there was a secondary purpose. She wanted to prove to herself that her partner was indeed listening.

Half a minute passed, but she said no word. Cheren was about to ask her the name (more specifically, he was going to say "don't keep us waiting so long, or we'll grow old without knowing his name"), but when she heard him take a breath to speak, she immediately placed her index finger over her mouth for a split second, quickly enough so that she wouldn't be caught in the act if the riolu happened to glance her way.

When a full minute had elapsed, when at last she saw the riolu take a sneak peak so subtle, that had Brenda not been paying full attention at his every move, she would have missed it entirely.

The riolu, realizing that he'd fallen into the trap, quickly looked away, but the damage had been done.

"You are curious about your name," Brenda laughed, full of satisfaction. "Then we shall not delay this matter any longer."

She took the riolu's hand in both of hers.

"Ren, today you've caught a partner and made a friend."

Probably the one caught most off-guard was Cheren. So much so that his quick wit was surpassed by Bianca's reaction.

"So you're naming him Ren?" she asked. "You said you were taking it from part of the best trainer's name. Could you mean Cheren's?"

Hearing his thoughts out-loud, Cheren's face instantly turned a bright pink. He looked away, as to conceal half of his face.

Without any notice of his mind, however, Brenda bursted out laughing.

"I didn't realize that his name also contained a 'Ren'," she said.

The two other youngsters batted their eyes, and Professor Juniper only smiled.

"As much as I esteem you," Brenda told Cheren. "You just aren't the best trainer, and won't be, as long as I, Brenda, live."

She wiped off her tears, product of her laughter.

Cheren, turning even more red, snapped back, "You just see, I'll become the best trainer, and I'll make you take back your words."

"That's a challenge I'll accept," Brenda winked.

"Well then, now that we have sorted all the starter business out," Bianca said. "I think it's time for us to leave Nuvema Town. Thanks for everything, Professor."

"Thank you too, for making me a proud teacher and professor. I hope your journey will be thrilling and nurturing for you and your pokemon."

"I'm sure it'll be, I'm going to force it to be so," Brenda said, forming a fist on her right hand.

"Do please keep yourselves safe, though," Professor Juniper chuckled.

Cheren stepped forward, with a hand on his chest.

"No worries, I'll, erm, keep an eye on the rowdy child," he replied, and pushed his glasses up his nose bridge.

"Stop treating me like a child! I'm already fourteen years old, you know."

"Well, I'm fifteen, and therefore your senpai."

"Only by a month," she said, and bit her fist.

"Now, now," Professor Juniper said. "And do expect a call from me on your birthday, Brenda."

"Thank you."

"If any of you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. I'll go back to the lab now."

"Good bye, Professor."

The trio then waved their hands to the professor, as she returned to Nuvema Town.



"Ok, let's go then," Cheren said, and Bianca followed.

"Wait guys," Brenda called them back.

"What is it," Bianca asked her, concerned because her friend looked uneasy.

"I- I won't be going with you guys."

Bianca widened her eyes, and Cheren, who is usually composed in any situation, looked as though he'd been hit on the head with a rock.

"What do you mean?" he whispered, but since none of his friends could hear him, Bianca asked the same question loudly.

"If I said it's because I need to befriend Ren, and wouldn't want to slow you guys down, that'd be a lie. The truth is, I want to learn to survive by myself. To make many mistakes, and always stand back up, with only my two legs to depend on."

Brenda scratched her neck, and let out an uncomfortable laugh.

"I feel I'll end up depending on you guys too much, as I've done all my life up until now. That's why, I want to go my separate way. Ren only gave me a reason to make up my mind."

Her two friends were visibly disappointed, but in the end, they smiled.

"We understand," Bianca said. "But I think I've depended on you more than you've depended on me. I think I would like to learn to be independent too."

"Yeah, it wouldn't be that different if we hung out with the same old friends," Cheren laughed.

"Thanks guys, you're the best! Now, let's go. Our way is still the same until the end of Route 1."

Cheren and Bianca started walking, and Brenda looked back at her Riolu, who had been watching them talk for a while.

"Ren, let's go," Brenda stretched her hand to him, but Ren looked away with a dissatisfied growl. "You know, you will look back to this day someday, and think 'man, I was stupid for disliking my trainer, for she's awesomeness all around'. I just know it!"

She scooped Ren up with both arms, and placed him on top of her shoulders.

"When my father visited me as a child, he'd pick me up like this and say, 'Brenda, if you shift your view a little, look at how different your world seems, even though it's the same old Nuvema Town you've known your whole life'."

Ren growled and complained by flailing his legs and pulling Brenda's hair, but rather delicately.

"My father can't do this now, of course, since I'm a grown girl, but I can do it to you. Now, I don't think I'll be able to once you evolve into a Lucario, so take it as a limited-time offer."

The pokemon still kept pulling on her hair, which wasn't hurting, but was still annoying.

"Stop that, I won't be letting you down, whatever you try," Brenda laughed, and started running.

Midway to Accumula Town, Brenda ran past her two friends, who had paused to battle some wild pokemon.

"Slowpokes, I'm winning the race," she said as she waved back at them.

"Since when is this a race?" Cheren shouted back, but Brenda couldn't hear from her own laughter.

"Brenda, she's a really amazing girl," Bianca commented.

"Amazing and carefree, a toxic combination, if you ask me," Cheren sighed.

"I… I don't want to lose," Bianca smiled, and began running after her childhood friend.

"Wait, Bianca, Brenda! Agh, these girls," Cheren complained, but also smiled.



At the entrance of Accumula Town, Brenda, and then Bianca, stopped to wait for their last friend.

After a little pause, Brenda spoke up.

"Here's where we part ways. Let's try to cut all the cheesy stuff, and-"

She was cut short by Bianca's sudden embrace, which surprised both Brenda and Ren alike.

"I'll miss you Brenda, I don't know how I'll live without you."

"Now, now. This is what I meant by-"

"Cheesy or not, I just can't imagine myself without you. You've been a constant in my life."

"I have been, haven't I?" Brenda laughed. "But it's not like we won't be seeing each other often. After all, we'll be taking on the same Unova League, at a similar pace."

"I know but," Bianca tightened her embrace. "It won't be all the time. At least let me give you an extra long hug, so I may live without seeing you for a while."

"Ok, ok, but don't tighten anymore, I can't breathe."

"Oh sorry," Bianca let go, and wiped her face. "I think I got carried away."

"No worries. I'll be missing you too, for a while."

Once Brenda and Bianca had stopped their dramatic parting scene, Cheren stepped in, and placed a small bag on both of their hands.

"What's this, Cheren?" Brenda asked, and then opened the bag to find two potions, a container of pecha, cheri and chesto berries, another container of pokemon food, and some human snack bars.

"All this for us?" Bianca exclaimed. "Thank you, Cheren."

"Cheren, always the well-prepared senpai of the group," Brenda laughed.

"Please don't do anything stupid when I'm not around, or actually, also when I'm around," Cheren scratched his head.

Brenda then gave him a quick hug, which caught him largely off-guard. Ren had to hold on tight to Brenda's ponytail, in order to conserve balance.

"I will, I'm not stupid," she stretched a thumbs up inches from his blank face.

"Now, I'm off to explore the world!"

Brenda raised her hand, and waved at her friends while running away in the direction of the Pokemon Center.



The two who stayed behind, watched in silence as Brenda, with Ren still on her shoulders, entered the Center, and were off their sight.

Bianca glanced at Cheren, who was still looking in that direction, his face's redness just starting to fade.

"Your feelings are obvious," Bianca commented, which woke Cheren from the trance.

"Huh? Ah, well. They don't seem to be, though."

"With Brenda… Let's say you'll need more than a subtle coloration of the face to get to her."

Leaving that thought with him, Bianca also waved her hand, and went off her way.

After making sure that Ren was in perfect condition at the Accumula Town Pokemon Center, Brenda figured that a little sightseeing of the first town she?d visited outside her own would be beneficial. She tried taking Ren by his hand, but he would just push hers away, so she gave up and only made sure that he was following where she went.

Just next to the Pokemon Center was a small park with two benches, where three kids of around six were playing catch with a lillipup.

?What do you say, Ren? Do you want to play catch??

Ren turned away, and growled.

?I guessed so,? she shrugged, and stuck her tongue out.

They went around the town, looking at the small brick buildings without actually going in.

Brenda talked with some people passing by, however, who gave her advice on starting her journey. A kind old man even gave her a pokeball as a gift! Accumula Town?s people seemed to be kind, and Brenda felt as though she were just in an extension of her home town.

She also spotted a small cafe, which she promised Ren they would dine in for lunch.

When they were just about to complete their clockwise rotation of the town, which wasn?t as big as she had imagined, they found a staircase that led to a house. The view from there was fantastic. The rosy trees that spread across the land, and far away she thought she could see a river flowing. Here and there, the trees would tremble, though it was not from the breeze - it was due to small pokemon jumping from branch to branch, finding newborn fruit to eat.

The aroma, coupled with music someone was playing on the piano, made spring, Brenda?s favorite season, all the more splendid.

Brenda and Ren came down after a good twenty minutes observing the view, and completed their sightseeing.

?Now that we have our senses relaxed, let?s go back to Route 1 and train a little. What do you say??

This time, Ren seemed to be invigorated by the proposal.


They ran all the way to the tall grass, and actively looked for a match.

Soon enough they ran into a pair of wild patrats.

?Easy, Ren is a fighting type, so we have this match in our hands,? Brenda whispered to herself. ?Ren, use Vacuum Wave!?

However, when she thought he would attack, he instead received two tackles from his opponents. Then, gathering himself up from being pushed back, he plunged straight into one patrat and with the momentum, he also shoved the other. The two opponents fainted instantly.

?Huh?? Brenda needed a few seconds to understand what had happened. Meanwhile, Ren jumped up and down, celebrating his first victory.

?Oh, you must have used Counter. It?s also a fighting type move alright ? but you could?ve avoided two tackles had you used priority move Vacuum Wave.?

Brenda pouted, and Ren giggled at her face.

?Come over, let me treat your wounds.?

As Ren walked towards Brenda, however, he heard a bush rustle nearby. More concerned with a possible foe, Ren changed directions and jumped into the bush.

?Ren, come back!?

Come back, he did immediately, but not without company. A startled pidove was pecking all over his head, and the little Riolu could do nothing but run in circles.

?Oh no, flying type attacks are super-effective against fighting types,? Brenda said. ?Ren, come back! You can?t fight in your condition.?

Even then, Ren tried to punch the pigeon, missing each time and receiving pecks on his head instead.

Soon, Ren tripped over, and watched as the pidove retreated into the sky, only to come back at full force to deal its final blow. He closed his eyes, and braced himself for a shockwave of pain.

?Ren!? he only heard his name being called.



One second, two seconds passed, and yet the pain did not arrive.

Ren finally opened his eyes, and caught the pidove flying away with blood on its beak. In front of him, his trainer was sitting with a hand pressing the other arm, which was tainted in a spider web of blood.

?Don?t worry about me,? she said, as she noticed Ren gazing at her arm in shock. ?We must get to the Pokemon Center to treat our wounds. I hope I don?t scare people looking like this.?

Brenda laughed, but the way her cheeks twitched gave away her pain.

Both of them stood up, and walked back to the center as fast as possible.

Nurse Joy was surprised to see them looking as though they?d gone to war. She had only seen them looking fresh a couple of hours ago.

?My my, come here young lady. Let?s stop your bleeding before anything,? she said, and lent Brenda her arms for support.

They walked over to a small consulting room, and Nurse Joy asked Brenda to sit down. With skills polished over years of experience, the nurse applied a white ointment which smelt like mint over the wound, and then put a large bandage over it.

?I?m covering it for now to avoid infection, but once the blood clots you should remove it to allow the skin to repair itself.?

Brenda nodded.

?You have to be more careful. Human skin is more delicate that a pokemon?s. Don?t over-exert yourself, alright??

?Yes Nurse Joy, thanks for tending my wounds,? Brenda smiled.



In the meanwhile, Ren had been guided by Nurse Joy?s partner, an Audino, to a separate, larger room with many pokemon. Two other Audinos were tending pokemon?s wounds with potions, full restores and full heals.

Since this time, Ren?s wounds were not mere scratches from being pushed down to the ground by his trainer, the treatment stung much more. Ren complained, but the Audino persisted, and did not give up until she had covered all his head and legs with bandages.

Once they were done, they came out to the waiting hall, where they found Nurse Joy and Brenda standing. At the sight of his trainer, however, Ren looked down to his feet, and walked forcefully. The girl ran over, and kneeled in front of him, careful not to touch him, lest she may cause him pain.

?Oh Ren, look at those bandages! Do your wounds still hurt??

Ren did not make a sound, and did not raise his head.

?Nurse Joy,? Brenda called the lady, who was still behind her. ?I think Ren?s still in pain. He usually at least growls when I talk to him.?

Nurse Joy squatted down to check Ren, but could not find a reason for residual pain. She then asked him again, whether he was in pain.

Ren slowly moved his head sideways, but still stationed it looking down.

Nurse Joy contemplated the Riolu with a hand to her chin.

?I think he?s not in pain, but he is depressed.?

Brenda looked at her, surprised.

?Depressed? Why?? Then she thought again, and said, ?Oh, because he lost the battle against the pidove??

She looked back at Ren.

?Don?t worry, Ren. One has to lose, to become stronger and win the next time,? she giggled. ?This was just practice. We?ll train hard, so we can win our first badge in Striaton City!?

Her cheerfulness still wasn?t infecting Ren.

?Perhaps Ren is sad that he caused his trainer to get hurt,? Nurse Joy commented.

As though he were affirming this, Ren let out a soft growl.

Brenda batted her eyes. For a minute or so, she also seemed to have turned into stone, much like her pokemon looked.

?Um, Miss Brenda?? even Nurse Joy had to call her.

Then, with no premonition whatsoever, she lunged at Ren and locked him into a tight embrace.

From where they stood, only Nurse Joy and Audino could see Ren?s blank expression over Brenda?s trembling shoulder.

?I?m so happy. Beyond happy,? she said with a clouded voice. ?That you?re concerned about me. I?m glad we are starting to build our friendship.?

She then let go of Ren, and wiped her eyes with a quick, rough movement of her hand.

?I know this is only the beginning, but I?ll eventually convince you that having a trainer is the best thing ever!?

Nurse Joy and Audino smiled behind her, and Ren only looked at her with eyes that could be shining in admiration, but also seemed to be widened in disbelief.


From a corner of the Pokemon Center, a shadow only watched as the girl picked up her Riolu, and sat him over her shoulders.

Chapter Six​

In the next hour of training, Ren obeyed Brenda about 50% of the time - a dramatic increase, compared to the initial, which was zero percent.

?Come on Ren,? Brenda would complain. ?I studied Pokemon eight years of my life. I?m not kidding when I say I know quite a bit about Pokemon battling.?

Yet, Ren could not take her word for it. Not surprising, for how could a human know more about battling than a Pokemon who had until now battled in the wild?


At around midday, Brenda only realized it was perhaps time to have lunch when her stomach growled.

?Can?t go to war on an empty stomach. Ren, let?s go eat.?

Ren had finally won a battle against a pidgey just then, so he was in perfect mood to take a break. He ran after the youngster who skipped all the way to the restaurant they had found earlier.

The restaurant had a waiting list going, since midday was their peak hour, but Brenda did not wait standing for long, because there were some chairs in the entrance.

?Sit here,? Brenda tapped her tights, but Ren preferred to stay standing. ?I guess winning your trust won?t be easy after all. Even then, don?t think I?ll give up. I?m as stubborn as you, or more.?

As she said that, one of Brenda?s old classmates happened to pass by, having finished lunch herself.

?Oh, isn?t this a surprise? Brenda isn?t it,? she said. ?I heard your class graduated last weekend. How is the life of a trainer treating you??

?Annie, what a coincidence. Haven?t seen you ever since you moved to Castelia City. I?ve just reached Accumula from Nuvema this morning, but what brings you to this place??

?Well, when you live in the city, and eat too much specialty food, you kind of miss common people?s food. Fortunately, my family still owns a little condo here, so I can spend a few days in these nostalgic areas.?

Brenda could not hide the shock on her face, so much so that Annie had to her what was amiss.

?I- I hadn?t considered the food!? she exclaimed.

?What?s that all about??

?I?d prepared myself to leave my mother and my town behind, but not the food!?

Brenda looked down at her knees.

?My my, Brenda. I?m actually surprised you forgot about food. It?s you, the girl who chased bouffalant because they stole her berries, we?re talking about.?

?How do you still remember such tiny details from the past??

?It was a rather memorable event, to say the least.?

Annie then noticed something moving close to her legs, and was startled. However, she then realized that it was just a Riolu.

?I wonder if the waiters haven?t realized that there is a wild pokemon on the loose,? she commented.

Brenda raised her depressed face, and looked back down to what Annie was referring to.

?Oh, no Annie. This is my partner, Ren.?

Brenda patted Ren?s head.

?My bad,? apologized Annie. ?I didn?t think you?d have caught another pokemon so early.?

Then Brenda explained in not much detail, how she had caught Ren, her starter pokemon.

?Interesting, and very like you Brenda. I gave up on becoming a trainer when I moved into the city, but I still have a pretty companion, Linda.?

She then threw a Luxury ball into the air, and released a delcatty, though it took Brenda a few seconds to recognize it.

?A shiny delcatty!? Brenda shouted with her eyes almost jumping out of their sockets. The people around her made shh sounds, so she contained her need to make another, not-so-classy remark.

The look on Brenda?s face was enough to feed Annie?s ego, however.

?Yes, I asked my uncle in Hoenn to bring me a shiny skitty about four years ago. When I felt I was too mature to carry around a skitty with me, I evolved her into a delcatty. We are definitely a match made in Heaven.?

?That?s so amazing,? Brenda shouted in whispers. ?I had never seen a shiny in my life. Your uncle must be a magician or something.?

Annie giggled.

?He?s a shiny hunter. He has a lot of workers looking for shinies all over Hoenn.?

?I bet it?d cost a fortune to buy one, unless one was part of the family,? Brenda said, still looking at the Delcatty with nothing less than admiration. ?May I pet her??

?Why, go ahead. She loves to get attention.?

Brenda stretched a hand, and stroked Delcatty?s well-trimmed fur.

?Her fur is so soft, I-?

Before she could finish her sentence, however, the Delcatty was pushed away from her hand. In what felt like a second, the cat pokemon slid and bumped into a counter three seats away from her.

?Linda!? Annie ran to help her partner up.

Once the Delcatty was aware of what had happened, she quickly stood up, and charged towards the Riolu that had punched her on her side. Ren received the full on tackle, and they ran into a tall window, which they broke.

The battle that ensued next was nothing but chaos.

The two pokemon were battling each other, lending no ear to the commands of their companions. The people on the waiting list had to move out of the way, to dodge the pokemon that ran and jumped in all directions. Finally, the restaurant?s manager was called, and he became angry to see the broken window and the mess that the two uncontrolled pokemon were causing.

He demanded that Brenda pay for the window, but she was a child with no money, so the only thing he could do was to kick her out of the place.

A couple of Houndooms were brought out from the kitchen, and they took care of the wild pokemon.

Annie screamed when she saw how the fire had burnt her Linda?s red fur. Brenda said nothing when a Houndoom pushed Ren to go out the door, and he frowned at the sight of her face.

?Brenda, I?m so disappointed,? Annie shouted, even though they were right next to each other. ?Your ?partner? if you so call that beast, has no respect and no manners. I don?t ever want to see him close to my Linda again!?

Then, she returned her Delcatty to her ball, whipped her blond hair in front of Brenda?s nose, and ran away to her condo.


?Oh well, now we?ll have to eat Cheren?s snacks.?

Brenda stretched her body with both hands straightened up.

She started walking, and seeing that Ren was still pouting, she turned around.

?What are you waiting for, Ren? Aren?t you hungry?? she asked, and placed a hand over her stomach. ?I sure am.?

Ren?s stomach seemed to agree. He walked after her, taking care not to look in her way.

?Let?s sit under those trees - the sun is not scorching, but I?m assuming you don?t want to burn your skin any more than that,? Brenda snickered. ?But jokes aside, remind me to teach you basic manners and respect, I forgot to do that, and put you in a bad spot there.?

As they reached their picnic spot, Brenda looked at Ren in the eye.

?I?m sorry.?

At this, Ren barked. He shouted angrily, but Brenda was confused as to what could have caused such irritation in him.

All she did was apologize.

?Ah I understand. There?s no time to lose with apologies. Food awaits!?

She took out a plastic container which contained Pokemon food, and offered it to Ren.

However, Ren took one glance at the food, and slapped the container, which caused it to fall and roll, leaving a streak of food behind.


Ren must have known he made a mistake, for he instantly stopped shouting.

He took a quick look at his awfully silent trainer, but all he could see was her white cap, and hair that covered most of her face. Despite that, he clearly saw a tear form at the end of her chin, and drop onto her shirt.

Ren widened his eyes, and stood up quickly. He picked up the container, placed it upright, and started collecting the food that had fallen on the grass.

When he was done, he offered the container to Brenda, who had not shifted her position.

He made a low sound, like a cat?s purr, to call her attention, but Brenda would simply not raise her head.

Ren lowered his head, and was unhappy.


Half a minute later, Brenda laughed in an exaggerated loud voice. It had been so sudden, that the startled Riolu almost dropped the can of food it had put most effort in restoring.

?I knew you weren?t a lost cause,? Brenda said, with a bright smile.

Ren, understanding now that he had somehow fallen into a trap once again, faced his whole body away from Brenda.

?What now,? she asked from behind. ?Don?t tell me you?re upset because you thought I was crying. I kind of was, in the beginning, not going to lie, but then I realized halfway through that there really wasn?t a need for tears.?

Ren still did not accede.

?Come on now, Ren. Gosh I didn?t know you were such a sensible guy.?

Her partner would still not bulge. Brenda began to be concerned that she had played a prank too harsh.

?Ren, sorry, I won?t do it again. So don?t be so mad at me, please??

She placed a hand on his shoulder, and turned him around.


Should she call it ?like father like son??

Ren was making a face, sticking his tongue out and looking up. When she flinched in surprise, he laughed hysterically.

?You played the same trick on me, didn?t you, little snothead.?

She pouted, but the fact that he did also made her unable to contain her laugh. She started tickling him in revenge, to the point that Ren could hardly breathe.

A little into their fight, and they had to take a pause. Grrr, their stomachs both complained at the same time, so they decided to take a break from war, to eat their snacks in peace.


They had no idea they were being watched again, this time from behind some other trees.


?... Why do you take interest in them?? A voice no one but him could hear, asked him. ?To me, they just seem to be a pair of idiots.?

?Perhaps they are,? he answered. ?But I am still curious. It is as if I were watching a clash of ideals right in front of me.?

His long hair wavered in the wind, together with the trees and grass.

?Perhaps it is a clash which will belong to us.?

Brenda and Ren exited the Pokemon Center, her bag filled with potions and status healers.

?Guess it?s time. We?re fully prepped to take on our first Gym match.?

Brenda punched her invisible enemy twice, and then did a roundhouse kick.

?What are you doing, Brenda?? she heard Cheren?s voice, and looked in his direction. ?It doesn?t matter. Come here, it seems they?re doing some kind of presentation.?

He was pointing at a long row of uniformed people lined up in the park. One of them, the one in the middle, was wearing some old fashioned robes and large jewels, which made him stand out.

However, his ruby-colored eye patch was enough to send chills down Brenda?s spine.

Ren and her joined the crowd just as the old man with the robes started talking.

?Hello, people of Accumula Town. My name is Ghetsis, and I?m representing Team Plasma. As you must know, we are petitioning the government to consider our offer, and are going from town to town to recruit as many supporters as possible,? the man smiled, but it seemed like a cold smile to Brenda.

Ghetsis walked to the right, and raised his arms.

?What is our offer, you ask? That is, Pokemon Liberation.?

The crowd started murmuring among itself.

?Though pokemon are beings with infinite potential, with powers greater than any human?s, their fate is frozen as they?re sealed in pokeballs. They live a life of slaves, many times abused by their reckless trainers. Why must they deserve such treatment??

Ghetsis turned around to walk to the left, and for a second, Brenda felt as though he had looked at her in the eye. If he did, his sight seemed to have frozen part of her soul.

?Pokemon and humans must be equals. Inhumane confinement of pokemon must end right now. The only way we can accomplish this is through liberation,? Ghetsis bowed as he reached the end of his discourse. ?Please consider supporting us, and joining Team Plasma. The numbers matter, in order to convince the Unova government. Thank you.?

With that, Ghetsis flickered his hand, and the grunts with grey uniforms immediately took on a defensive stance around their robed superior.

In no time, and with careful orderliness, Ghetsis exited the park, and went out of Accumula Town.


?What do you think,? Cheren asked Brenda, when the crowd started to disperse.

She, however, took a moment to respond.

?Oh, I don?t know. I guess to each their own, but I don?t believe liberation will improve our relationship with pokemon.?

Cheren moved his glasses up his nose bridge.

?I don?t think so too,? he nodded.

?I know you don?t,? Brenda said, cheerfully. ?Ever since I can remember, you?ve wanted to be a pokemon trainer. You were always looking up ways to train happy and strong monsters.?

?Yes, it?s true, but whenever our teachers brought pokemon into the classroom, they would end up making friends with you more than anyone else.?

?What can I do,? Brenda laughed and winked. ?I?m just a natural.?

?I know, that?s why-?

Then Cheren cut his thought short, turned red, and waved his hands, ?Oh nothing. Don?t mind me.?

?What?s gotten into you,? Brenda raised an eyebrow.

?Nothing of importance. I?ll go to the Pokemon Center now, and will leave for Striaton City soon.?

?I already finished my business at the PC. Maybe we?ll see each other along the way to the city.?

Cheren excused himself, and left Brenda and Ren alone in front of the park.

A little silence ensued, and then Brenda squatted next to Ren.

?What did you think of what that Ghetsis guy said?? she asked.

Ren looked up, in a pensive expression.

?I bet you kind of agree with what he said. You wish you were free, without me to bother you all the time, don?t you??

Ren made no sound in agreement or disagreement.

?Well,? Brenda sighed. ?I?m sorry to tell you that you are not getting what you want.?

Then, with a bright smile, she added, ?I?ll show you how much better your life will be, with a trainer like me by your side.?


She took Ren?s hand, and was about to run all the way to Route 2, when she noticed that someone was still standing close to the park, watching them.

The person was tall and slender, with long green hair flowing out from a black cap. A pokemon with black fur, which Brenda had never seen before, rested on their shoulder.

When their eyes met, the person showed a glimpse of surprise and quickly looked away. However, it was hopeless.

?You, the lady in the black cap,? Brenda shouted. ?With that attire and attitude, there?s no mistake. You are a pokemon trainer, aren?t you??

Her future opponent knitted his eyebrows, and gently caressed his hair.

?A lady?? he answered in an almost inaudible voice. ?I guess I really must cut it, if people mistake me for a girl.?

Brenda widened her eyes, and bit her fingernails.

?No, no, I?m sorry! Your hair is totally fine, young man. It suits you like a koban to a meowth, a pearl to a spoink!? Brenda blabbered, waving both of her hands. ?It?s just me, a stupid countryside folk, who?d never seen a man with long hair. The longest I?ve seen is Cheren?s, but that?s because he?d have to cut it every week if he wanted to carry a short-haired head.?

The stranger was dumbstruck at how fast the girl talked.

?Anyway, my point is,? she finally concluded. ?You?re a trainer, I?m a trainer, and our eyes met just moments ago. That can only mean one thing.?

She pointed straight at his face, and posed for dramatic effect.

?We must have a pokemon battle!?

The stranger would have been well-allowed to laugh, for Brenda?s act was nothing short of entertaining.
However, he only tightened his lips.

?What, I don?t hear you answer, my lad,? Brenda said, placing a hand on her ear. ?Or is it that you?re running away, because you?re scared to lose to a girl??

She smirked, narrowing her eyes.

?No, but my Zorua dislikes battling,? he said, again in a quiet voice.

Ren looked at the fox pokemon on his shoulder, and made faces and laughed.

??Rather than a fox, you are a chicken?, huh? What do you say, Zo. Do you want to make an exception??

The zorua jumped off the young man?s shoulder, and stood prepared in front of the pair with shocked faces.

?Where did you get that from?? she asked, referring to the chicken joke.

Ren also said something, in a language she could not comprehend.

?What?? he answered. ?Have you never met a person who could talk with pokemon??

?Talk with pokemon??

The question made the stranger twitch his eyes. It was a question that brought back vague but distasteful memories.

Contrary to what he expected, though, the girl looked at him with total admiration.

?That is the coolest thing I?ve ever heard. You must tell me what Ren says, for I think we fight each other due to my lack of understanding.?

She was full of glimmer, but then stopped herself, and remembered that they were about to start a battle.

?Excuse me,? she coughed. ?I got side-tracked. If your zorua (By the way, I?d never seen one before. They must be quite rare, right?) is feeling like battling after my Ren?s joke, then let?s get this started.?


The battle was a 1-on-1 on a grassy field. The sun was out, but not strong enough to give them the effects of a sunny day. There was a little wind, just enough to sway the grass below Ren and Zo.

?Here we go,? Brenda shouted. ?Ren, vacuum wave!?

?Zo, jump and dodge.?

The zorua jumped with a speed that made her almost invisible, and over to Ren?s back.

?Zo, bite.?

As her trainer ordered, she bit Ren?s tail, which made him jump in pain.

?Zo, extrasensory.?

?Ren, close your eyes and ears, now!?

If he allowed his senses to be taken up by the attack, Ren being a fighting type, he would have been definitely knocked out at once. Fortunately, this was one of the 50% chance when he actually listened to her.

?Great, Ren,? she threw a rock at his feet when the extrasensory attack was over.

Ren released his ears and opened his eyes, and saw a reassuring grin on his trainer.

?Now, Ren. Vacuum wave!?

?Again?? the young man commented. ?Zo, dodge it.?

And jump she did once more, but Brenda was one step ahead.

?Ren, vacuum wave upwards!?

The quick fighting type attack finished off the zorua in one try. She managed to land on her four feet, but then she collapsed and fainted.

?We did it,? Brenda exclaimed, and ran to hug Ren.

Her opponent walked up to his zorua, and without a word, caressed her black fur.

?Your Zorua?s jumping power was impressive,? Brenda told him. ?If I didn?t have type advantage, I don?t know if we could?ve won.?

The young man shrugged, and offered 700 pokecoins to the winner.

?Thanks. May I ask your name? You were my first battle opponent, so at least I want to remember you. I?m Brenda, if you wanted to know.?

?I go by N,? he answered.

?N! Alright, I won?t ask what it stands for, though I?d love to know,? she hinted at him, but seeing that he had no intention of speaking, she carried on. ?Anyway, I have to get going, if I want to reach Striaton City before sunset.?

N nodded.

?Hope we can have a rematch, if we ever see each other again,? Brenda said, as she waved her hand with her whole arm.

Then, she ran together with Ren, full of pleasure at having won their first battle, towards Route 2 and onto Striaton City.

?Ready?? Brenda asked Ren, and then pointed her finger to the distance. ?Striaton City waits for us.?

They took a couple of steps forward into Route 2, when a voice called for them.

She looked behind her, and she saw Cheren running through the gates.

?I thought you?d already left for Striaton City,? she said with surprise. ?You surely spent a long time in the Pokemon Center.?

?I happened to meet a professional in berries. We talked, and at the end he gave me a variety of them.?

Then, Cheren reached for his backpack, and produced a few.

?Sitrus, pecha and cheri. Sitrus heals 25% of your pokemon?s HP when it cuts halfway. Pecha cures poisoning and cheri heals paralysis. The neatest thing about berries is that you can have your pokemon hold them, and they?ll know when to use them.?

Then Cheren offered them to Brenda.

?You know, you can plant them to obtain more as well - just remember where you planted them.?

?Thanks Cheren, and the berries connoisseur was very kind in giving them to you.?

?Yeah. He was actually in Accumula to learn about berries that only grow in this part of Unova. I?ve read a book written by him, actually.?

Brenda giggled.

?What book have you not read, Cheren??

?I read all that our library had, but that?s a tiny amount compared to how many there are in all of Unova. I still have much to learn.?

?Well, I?m more of a hands-on learner. I just had my first battle against a trainer, and I surely learnt from it, though I did win,? Brenda winked. ?If you hadn?t been busy talking to the berries guy, you?d have seen how cool Ren and I looked.?

?I?m sure of it. I bet it was full of posing and dramatic effects,? Cheren smiled.

?It can?t be Brenda?s pokemon battle, without excitement and dramatic effects, can it?? Brenda laughed, and manually (for Ren did not raise his hand on his own volition) high-fived Ren.



Cheren and Brenda started walking toward Striaton City.

?The guy I battled though,? Brenda commented, remembering her first battle. ?He was a good battler but rather an oddball.?

?You calling someone an oddball?? replied Cheren, as he checked his town map.

?In all honesty, he surpassed my average oddball-ness,? she pressed her index finger on her cheek. ?You see, he could communicate with pokemon.?

Cheren raised an eyebrow.

?As in speak to them??

?Yup. He could understand them, and they could understand him,? as she said this, Brenda?s breathing became irregular, and her eyes brightened. ?Isn?t that the most awesome thing you?ve ever heard??

Cheren looked at her face, which was full of excitement, and also down at Ren, who shook his head with an expression close to fear.

?I don?t know,? he said, scratching his head. ?That sounds more freaky than awesome.?

Brenda slapped her whole face with an exaggerated gesture.

?What to do with kids today,? she said, with her hand still plastered on her face. ?They don?t know how to admire true genius.?

?Well, as far as I know, humans are taught to fear those who have abilities that surpass normality.?

?I don?t fear abnormality. I only fear scary things, and this guy wasn?t scary.?

Then, Brenda paused for a second, and thought.

?Actually, the only thing that was scary about him was his appearance,? she added.

?How so??

?He had this slender figure, and gorgeous green hair that nearly reached his butt,? Brenda recalled.

??He was handsome?, is that what you?re trying to say?? Cheren asked, embarrassed at Brenda?s choice of language, and perhaps also feeling a little grumpy.

?Nope,? Brenda denied immediately, looking directly into Cheren?s eyes. ?I wouldn?t call that handsome, though other people may think so. I don?t know. I thought he was, yeah, beautiful.?

Cheren?s tight expression softened around his eyes, and then he laughed.

?Poor guy,? he said.

?What? You don?t know either. I didn?t ask him if he?d be sad if someone described him as beautiful. Personally, I think it?s a compliment.?

?Is that so? Do you also think I?m beautiful, by any chance?? Cheren asked, but he regretted the question just as he had made it.

Brenda batted her eyes, but she was clearly oblivious to his inner thoughts.

?No, you?re handsome,? she smiled. ?The lone fact that you?re my best friend makes you ten times handsomer than any other guy.?

Cheren smiled, as he watched the side of her face from a few steps in behind her.

What to do about this narcissist, he wondered, but he couldn?t counter the fact that her words had poured something warm inside his heart.

Indeed, even when the sky started pouring, it was not successful in cooling it down.



?Cheren, hurry! It?ll be pouring in a minute, I?m sure,? Brenda called him, as she picked up Ren. ?Ren, get back into your pokeball. I don?t want you to catch a cold.?

Ren, as stubborn as usual, hit the pokeball with his paw. The ball fell to the ground, which fortunately hadn?t become muddy quite yet.

Brenda did not insist, but instead took out a towel from her bag, and placed over him.

As she had predicted, the rain intensified in a matter of minutes.

The other trainers, who had positioned themselves to challenge passersby to battle, had also begun to run. Some towards Striaton, and others toward Accumula.

It seemed as though no one was yet practiced enough to hold battles in rainy weather.



The two young trainers ran, their sneakers turning muddy and soaked.

?Brenda, you?ll catch a cold,? Cheren said, as he ran next to her. ?We should wait for the rain to calm down under a tree or something.?

?I?m fine,? she replied, as she wiped the accumulated water from her eyes. ?We?re close to the City. There we can take refuge in the Pokemon Center.?

?Stubborn as always,? Cheren sighed, and placed the towel he had been using over her head.

?No, I?m fine I tell you,? she said, and tried to return the towel, but Cheren had increased his running speed. ?Wait, that?s unfair! I?m carrying the weight of a pokemon!?

Cheren did not reply, but waved his hand in the air.

?That guy,? Brenda murmured, then looked down in her arms to check on Ren. ?Are you feeling cold? Hang on, we?re getting close to the Pokemon Center.?

Ren did not say anything either, but his eyes were not hostile.



When Brenda arrived to Striaton City?s Pokemon Center, Cheren was waiting for her at the entrance.

She pushed his towel onto his chest, and pouted.

?You could?ve waited inside,? she pointed out. ?Don?t blame me if you catch a cold. You were the one who forced me to use your towel.?

?A little cold wouldn?t do anything to me, anyways,? he shrugged.

?Colds make your head all fuzzy. You don?t want a cold when you?re facing a gym leader soon. Besides, I?ve got immunity to colds, while you don?t.?

Cheren raised an eyebrow.

?How so??

?They say that idiots don?t catch colds, and you?ve always been - unfortunately - the smartest student in Nuvema Pokeschool.?

Cheren laughed.

?Don?t believe in superstitions, and get inside. Even if you say you?ve got immunity, I think I?ve seen you sick more times than I?ve been myself.?

They walked together, and the doors automatically slid open.

There were a lot more people in the Pokemon Center, than they had been accustomed to.

?Hopefully there are still rooms available to pass the night,? Cheren told Brenda.

As they passed some people buying medicine, they spotted a familiar face.

?Bianca,? Brenda called. ?Did the rain also catch you by surprise??

Bianca squeezed herself through some people, and took both hands of her friend.

?I?m glad to see you,? she said with her bubbly smile. ?Yes. My hat got soaked.?

Then she realized Cheren was behind Brenda, and made a face.

?Not fair. You said you weren?t going to travel with us, and yet you?re here with Cheren,? she complained. ?If you didn?t want me in the group, you could?ve just said so.?

Brenda batted her eyes.

?What are you saying? That is not it at all. I happened to run into him as I was leaving Accumula Town, that is all.?

Bianca smiled, and said that she knew.

?People usually tease me for being oblivious to sarcasm,? Bianca giggled. ?But you are worse than me, dear Brenda.?

Brenda knitted her eyebrows.

?When did you become so sly,? she protested, and proceeded to tickle Bianca.

?Stop that,? Bianca said, running away.

?It?s punishment for making a fool out of me, missy!?

Brenda chased Bianca, who ran in circles, and used Cheren as a shield.

?Stop the childish games, both of you,? Cheren said, as he struggled to keep his eyeglasses in their proper position.

?We?re still children, so we must play childish games,? Brenda laughed.

She then tickled Ren, who had been standing and looking at them as the uninvolved third party.

As was his disposition, he felt obliged to take revenge and join the childish game.



The laughter and tickling did not stop, until they were scolded by three people almost simultaneously.

The rain continued until the next crack of dawn.

Brenda could hardly sleep that night, not because the rain made noise as it hit the Pokemon Center roof, but because she could not stop herself from thinking the strategy she would employ on her first Gym battle.

As the clock hit 7 o?clock, she jumped out of her bed.

She made an effort to keep silent for her sleeping friends, but she ended up bumping into more things that she planned. Even then, they only made vague complaints, evidently still asleep.

Brenda went out of the room, with her towel and change of clothes, hoping that there?d be a shower space open for her.

Fortunately, the shower room was empty at quarter past 7.

?No early risers, I suppose,? she whispered to herself, and hummed a tune as she took off her shirt.

When the changing room door opened unexpectedly, she let out a gasp.

However, the culprit was none other than Ren, her ill-tempered traveling companion.

?Come on, Ren,? she reproached him. ?Didn?t you see the sign that says this is the girls? changing room? You should knock at least.?

Ren pointed his nose upward, showing no concern.

?Oh well, it?s fine this time, since no one is here. We can enjoy the shower room all by ourselves.?

Brenda placed her towel around her torso, slid one of the shower curtains, and ushered Ren in.

She pumped some shampoo onto his head and body, and gently washed him clean.

It was not, by any means, an easy task. Though Ren had evidently come to splash water onto himself, he had not envisioned that his body would be covered with a foamy agent he had never seen before.

?Ren, calm down, it?s just soap,? Brenda said while trying to stop him from trying to run away.

At one point, Ren happened to touch some foam, and accidentally put it over his eyes, which stung him and made his aggression even worse.

?We can rinse it out, Ren stop!?

Elongating her arm to almost the point where she would?ve dislocated her shoulder, she turned the knob only to get both of them showered with cold water.

By the time Brenda somehow finished bathing Ren, her towel was so soaked that she wondered whether it would do its job as a towel anymore.

?Aaugh, I wasn?t planning on washing my hair today,? she said as she picked up one of her damp strands from her face. ?But I guess I must change my plans now.?

She pulled Ren out into the changing room, to which women had started to come in. Changing her mind, she asked Ren to return to their room alone, as she could not go out in a towel, and wait with Cheren and Bianca.

When she stepped back into the shower room, she realized that three people were already occupying the three showers, and that she would have to wait after all.



When she was done with the shower room, she returned to her room while drying her hair with her towel.

Cheren and Bianca were up, but still drowsy, sitting on their beds.

?Rise and shine, everyone!? she greeted, and then looked left and right for her riolu.

She found him behind her bed, munching on the snacks that were in her backpack.

She gasped with both hands on her cheeks.

?Don?t tell me you ate all the food?? she checked the bag, and only a snack bar, which Cheren had given her the day before, fell out to the carpet. ?Man, just this? A forced diet, I guess.?

Ren laughed at her disappointed face.

?You selfish brat,? she addressed him. ?You think you?re smart, but now I have no money and no food. So we better win that Gym battle and get reward money. Not that we were going to lose, to begin with.?

Then Brenda took a huge bite off the snack bar.



The three of them left soon after Brenda finished eating, though it took quite a bit of nagging and hurrying on Brenda?s part.

?Are you guys also challenging the Gym now??

Bianca said that she was not ready yet, so she was going to explore the city, which she wasn?t able to do the day before.

?You should visit the Dream Yard after your battle,? she invited. ?I?ll be there once I?ve seen the city. It?s a famous tourist spot known for their dream-eating pokemon, Munna.?

Once she was assured that Cheren and Brenda would visit the Dream Yard, she waved her hand and walked away.

?What about you, Cheren? I bet you don?t want to miss my first Gym battle, given that you missed my first trainer battle,? Brenda teased.

?I?m headed to the Gym too, but not because of that,? he said, with slightly colored cheeks.

So they walked, with their eyes facing the city which they could barely see through the rain before.

?Look there,? Brenda pointed to the west of the city, where she could see a park with a fountain. ?We must go there when we?re done collecting our badges.?

?Did you already forget we agreed to meet Bianca at the Dream Yard? It?s that way,? Cheren replied, pointing North East, close to where the Gym stood.

?No, I haven?t forgotten. It can be after we meet Bianca, and it wouldn?t contradict what I said, clever boy.?

?In any case, we?ll be walking through the park to go to Nacrene City.?

As he said this, they arrived at the footsteps of the Striaton City Gym.

?Ladies first,? Brenda winked, and cut in front of Cheren. ?Come Ren, we?re going to kick the Gym Leader?s butt!?



Brenda entered, took a look inside, and then pushed Cheren back out, saying that they had mistaken the place.

?There?s no mistake,? Cheren reassured her. ?The sign outside said this is the Gym.?

So he opened the door again, and they went back in together.

The front most part of the Gym had tables, which half of them were occupied by people having breakfast. Waiters and waitresses walked around taking orders, never bumping into tables, which gave them an air of natural elegance.

?This is a restaurant, though,? Brenda said, confused.

Ren remained close to his trainer, for seeing all these people talking at once made him a little scared.

?Welcome,? finally a waitress took notice of them and approached them. ?Would you fancy a lovely breakfast, or a heated Gym battle??

Brenda laughed, relieved.

?I?d like one Gym battle, please,? she said, and looked at Cheren. ?What would you like??

?Two Gym battles, that?ll be,? he said, following the joke all the way through.

?Two Gym battles. Come this way, please,? the waitress made way for them, and followed them to another room, which had another waiter reclining on the wall.

?Challengers? Let?s see if they can pass through,? he said, sending out a lillipup.

?Patrat, let?s go,? the waitress also sent out her pokemon.

?I guess it?s a double battle?? Brenda commented. ?Ren, go destroy your opponents!?

?I won?t let you steal the whole spotlight,? Cheren laughed. ?Red, let?s go!?

Brenda couldn?t help herself.

?It?s not just that the name ?Red? on a snivy doesn?t match,? she explained. ?Now that I think about it, Red and Ren sound so similar. I should?ve called Ren ?Bre? or ?Da? instead.?

?Names are inconsequential,? Cheren laughed. ?What?s important is the content. Red, show them what you can do!?

The fastest pokemon, Red, obeyed his trainer?s orders, and used tackle on the patrat.

?Don?t you have grass moves? They?d gain STAB on Snivy,? Brenda said, in hopes to impress Cheren with her knowledge.

?He knows Leaf Tornado, but that attack isn?t good for double-battles, since it hits your neighboring ally as well.?

?How thoughtful! But Ren isn?t so whimsy as to go down with that,? Brenda said, and then had to change her thought last minute. ?Ren, use counter.?

Fortunately, Ren answered her request, and waited for the enemy to hit him.

She would have used vacuum wave to finish the patrat off, but it was, like leaf tornado, a move that would hit an ally as well.

I can?t use the move when Cheren was cautious not to hit Ren, she thought.

However, that meant that both patrat and the lillipup would be able to attack now. The two opponents both used tackle, the patrat on Red, and the lillipup on Ren.

At the end of the round, Ren used counter on the lillipup, which was, of course, not ideal.

?Oh, snivy is eating!? Brenda exclaimed.

?Yeah, I made him hold a sitrus berry, and now it has healed itself.?

?That?s a pretty neat tactic, but I?m not surprised since it comes from you,? Brenda smiled.

Now, in round two, Red was able to finish off the patrat with another tackle. Ren still had to use counter, so in the end, it wasn?t able to attack because the lillipup chose to attack Red instead.

?Double battles are a pain,? Brenda sighed. ?They limit my move pool, and now Ren has been outshone by Red.?

?Don?t worry, the Gym Leader will battle you one-on-one,? Cheren reassured her, as the lillipup fainted with Red?s tackle.



The waiter and waitress gave them a little sum of pokecoins, and followed to show them the way to the Gym Leader.

Upon entering, however, Brenda was again surprised.

At the end of a large battle field were three Gym Leaders!

?Welcome, challengers,? the green-haired young man greeted. ?We are the Gym Leaders of Striaton Gym. My name is Cilan.?

?I am Chili,? said the man with red hair that looked like flames.

?And I am Cress,? said the one with blue hair. ?Which of you will be the first to battle??

?Me, me,? Brenda waved her hand high.

Cheren patted her shoulder, wished her good luck, and walked towards a few chairs located against the wall.

?Which starter did you choose, young lady?? asked Chili.

Brenda?s movements halted, and she was lost as to what to reply.

?The truth is,? she said at last. ?I didn?t choose a standard starter. My partner is Ren.?

She guided Ren to take his spot in front of her.

?Is it a new trend?? Cilan asked.

?Excuse me??

?No, I wondered whether it was a trend among recent grads to choose non-standard pokemon as their starters.?

?Don?t mind him, lady,? followed Cress. ?He is only impressed because we just had a battle before you, and the challenger also had a non-standard pokemon.?

Brenda widened her eyes, for she could only think of one person her age, who did not have one of the Unova starters beside herself.

?N was here?? she blurted out.

?N? Is that the name of that young trainer??

?Did he have long green hair, and was he wearing dull-colored clothes??

?Now that you mention,? Cilan laughed. ?He could?ve gotten a little counseling from the fashion connoisseur.?

?Fashion connoisseur? Do you know someone like that??

?You?re looking at one just now,? Cilan said, with a hand on his chest. ?For I am a fashion connoisseur of top category.?

?I wouldn?t have guessed,? Brenda commented, looking at his waiter-like uniform. However, when Cilan asked her to repeat herself since he could not hear her remark, she said that it was nothing.

?So N was here,? she said to herself.

?N? Is that your ?beautiful? battling opponent?? Cheren asked.

Brenda pressed a finger on her lips and hushed him.

?What? Yesterday you said you meant it as a compliment.?

?But yesterday you took pity on him for being called so,? Brenda pouted. ?Oh well. He said his Zorua didn?t enjoy battling, and yet he?s taking on the Unova League. I really don?t understand that guy.?

Brenda shrugged, and decided to focus on her Gym battle.



?I?m ready to start the battle,? she announced.

?Cress, you fight her,? Cilan said, leaving the battlefield to join Chili, who had already sat down on their waiting chairs.

?Leave it to me. Lillipup, let?s go!?

However, the first encounter finished rather quickly.

In the first round, Ren used counter, because Brenda was confident that he could take a hit from the lillipup. He did, and without the limit which Double battling placed, Ren was able to use Vacuum wave in the second round, which was super effective against the normal-type puppy.

?Hah, type advantage is sweet!? Brenda laughed.

?Not so easy,? Cress said. ?Let?s show them, Panpour!?

?We?re almost there,? Brenda told Ren. ?Just one more opponent, and we?ll have our first Gym badge.?

Ren growled, and took a stance of concentration.

?Ren, use vacuum wave!?

?Panpour, use play nice!?

Though the Panpour was faster, Ren?s attack landed first.

The monkey fell to the ground, but jumped back up and fulfilled its trainer?s request.

The panpour approached Ren, and hugged him.

Ren broke out of the monkey?s grasp, but it latched on him again and again. By the fourth attempt, he began to act strange, as though he were in a different dimension.

?What did you do to Ren?? Brenda shouted.

?Play nice is a move that decreases your pokemon?s attacking strength,? Cress explained. ?He and panpour have become friends, at least until the end of this battle.?

Brenda looked at how Ren smiled at the Panpour.

?Snap out of it, Ren. You?re not the friendly type, remember??

However, it was futile. Brenda would have to beat Cress with the effects of play nice.

It?s not a problem, however, she remembered.

Vacuum wave is a special attack, so it would not be affected by play nice.

?Ren, use counter!?

?Panpour, use lick!?

Fortunately, lick was a physical attack, but the amount of damage counter did was not quite enough to knock the monkey out. Additionally, Ren became paralyzed, and was unable to move the next turn, when Brenda thought she could finish the battle with a vacuum wave.

?Water gun, now,? Cress said.

The move was by no means strong, but it was still STAB, and did enough damage to push Ren into a dire situation. If he was not able to move the next turn due to paralysis, he would be finished with one more water gun.

?Please, Ren. I know it hurts and you can barely move,? Brenda begged, with her heart going at a hundred beats per minute. ?It?s just one last chance. We?ve got to make it. I know you can do it, I know you hate losing!?

Brenda closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself as she made the final request.

?Ren, use vacuum wave!?

Ren stood up as quickly as he could, and forced his legs to run forward. He locked his opponent in his eyes, but every step he took, his paralysis threatened to make him fall.

With a jump, he straightened his fist just an inch from the Panpour?s face.

The vacuum took his opponent out.

When the monkey fell backwards to the ground, Brenda seemed to have contracted Ren?s paralysis.

However, that lasted for only a split second - after the initial shock, she ran over to Ren in the middle of the battle field, and embraced him tightly.

?We did it,? she murmured on his ear.

It seemed as though she wanted to cry, but she had never been one to allow herself to cry in public.

?We did it,? Brenda repeated in a loud voice, standing up.



Cheren applauded, as she ran together with Ren toward the three Gym Leaders.

?Yes you did,? Cress nodded when she reached them. ?And as a proof of that, you can have the Trio Badge.?

Just as she accepted the badge, she crouched in front of Ren. She took his paw, and placed it on top of her hand, which held the badge.

?We have earned our first badge,? Brenda told him, looking him with a unusually serious expression. ?The first of eight. We have done it together.?

Ren showed an honest smile, the first she had seen, as well.

After Brenda, it was Cheren's turn to take on a Gym Leader.

The trio waited for Cheren to send out his Snivy.

"A Snivy, it is then. I'll battle him," Chili said, stepping forward.

He sent out a lillipup, which seemed to be the common pokemon among all three Leaders.

"Red, use leaf tornado," Cheren said calmly.

"Lillipup, tackle!"

Red acted first, and managed to lower the lillipup's accuracy, which in turn caused its tackle to miss. The lillipup seemed confused as to how its move could have missed the target.

"That's lucky," Brenda told Ren, who was sitting next to her. "Now a second leaf tornado should do the trick. Cheren won't even have to heal up to face the next opponent."

However, Red winded up missing its second leaf tornado, because the lillipup happened to change its course of movement. The dog pokemon managed to hit the tackle this time around.

Red did knock out the lillipup on the third round, but Cheren would be forced to use a potion sometime in the next two rounds.

"Good, good," Chili said, as he withdrew the fainted lillipup. "However, don't think you'll win that easily."

From the ball Chili threw came out a pansear.

"Oh no," Brenda gasped. "Now Cheren has a serious disadvantage, not only from how tired Red must be, but also from the typing."

Contrary to what Brenda thought Cheren's move would be, he commanded Red to use leech seed.

"Pansear, use flame burst," ordered Chili, with a confident smirk.

Of course, the fire type attack hit super-effectively on the grass type Snivy, but it was not strong enough to knock it unconscious.

Now, Cheren used a potion on Red - actually, he used two, which was the maximum number he was allowed to use, back to back. That was because each time he healed, the opponent used the same attack, which brought down Red's stamina to nearly the same level.

"What's the point of healing up, if he's going to end up at the same position?" Brenda was at a loss.

"Now, Red," Cheren raised his voice. "Use nature gift!"

Red procured a chesto berry, and the berry glowed until it disappeared. A purple aura enveloped Red, and then he lunged forward with speed to headbutt the monkey.

The pansear still stood after the attack, but not for long. It kneeled, and finally lay down without consciousness.

How things turned out took both Brenda and Chili by surprise, so much so that they were speechless for a moment.

At last, Cilan broke the silence.

"Pansear is unable to battle," he said. "Red, the Snivy, is the winner!"

"Cheren, you did it!" Brenda came running, and Ren followed her.

"What, did you expect me to lose?" Cheren grinned. "I can't fail when my friend has won a badge right before me."

"Of course not," Brenda admitted. "All those books had to come in useful at some point."

Both Cheren and Brenda laughed.

Then, Cheren walked over to the other side of the field, his fingers already feeling the sensation of his badge. In the middle of the way, he caught up to Red, and he took him in his arms.

When he stood in front of the three Gym Leaders, they each congratulated him.

Chili put his hand in his pocket, to get a badge for Cheren.

"Uh?" he checked the other pocket. "It's weird, I was sure I had brought a bunch of badges."

"Here, have this," Cress stretched his arm, holding a badge.

Out of nowhere, a Minccino fell down on top of Cress' hand, and robbed the badge.

"That won't be necessary," said a girl, lowering herself from the upper floor of the Gym, skillfully using some ropes. The girl was covered in black, tight clothes - even her hair and face was covered, except for her eyes.

"I should've guessed it was you," Chili scratched his head. "I'll never know in what moment you took my badges."

"That wasn't me," she said, walking toward them. "It was my partner there."

Suddenly, a pokemon appeared close to Chili, and he was startled.

"A Kecleon," Cheren commented.

"Exactly, for what other pokemon would go well with a ninja like me, other than my Unseen?"

"Unseen?"

The woman ignored his question, for she had more important things to say.

She took off her head covering, revealing long, orange twin tails.

"You should be proud, challenger," she said, pointing at him. "For not many have the fortune to be noticed by my eyes."

Cheren looked at the three Gym Leaders. Cilan moved his mouth sneakily, saying "Just roll with it."

"The way you told your Snivy to use leech seed, and then healed twice to exhaust your opponent's stamina without making a move, was impressive. Moreover, how your Snivy used a water-type natural gift with the Chesto berry to finish pansear off, was plain stylish. I can't believe you are a beginner who's just started his journey," she carried on. "For that reason, I invite you to join my ninja gang, The Invisibles. We will fight the forces of evil, together!"

Cheren showed a forced smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think I have the qualities to make a good ninja."

"You are wrong, challenger. The skills of a ninja can be learnt, if you have a good teacher like myself."

In his mind, Cheren wondered why the girls around him, save Bianca perhaps, had to be such overconfident nut cases.

"Well I-"

"Well, he's not interested," Brenda had come over to Cheren's aid. "Besides, I don't know if Cheren's klutz is curable, though he impressed me yesterday when he ran faster than me."

"Excuse me, but who are you?" the ninja girl raised an eyebrow.

"I'm Brenda. Cheren's best friend, aside from Bianca," Brenda stretched her arm with her hand shaped into a peace sign. "And what about you? You haven't even introduced yourself."

The girl hair-flipped one of her twin tails.

"I'm Carol, the ninja cousin of these three," she said, referring to the Gym Leaders. "And if you wanted to know, you are not invited to join The Invisibles. The offer is only for the cute guy in the glasses."

Carol winked at Cheren, which made him terribly embarrassed.

"Cut it out, Carol. You're scaring our guests," Chili said.

Carol clicked her tongue, and crossed her arms.

"Fine, but you'll regret it, pretty-boy," she spat out, and stormed off with her Minccino and Kecleon. However, midway, she turned and returned with light feet.

"Don't forget your badge, and keep up your cool battle style," she smirked as she grabbed Cheren's hand and placed a trio badge in it.

When she was really out of sight this time, Cress sighed.

"I guarantee you," she told Cheren and Brenda. "She's the only weird one in our family."


After a little small talk with the Gym Leaders, the two badge holders exited the Striaton Gym.

"A unique character she was, was she not?" Cheren commented, scratching his head.

"Unique, but so annoying!" Brenda said, and Cheren looked at her in surprise, for it was not often that he spotted her complaining about someone.

However, the reason was not what Cheren hoped it was.

Brenda flickered a strand of her high ponytail, and imitated Carol.

"'You are not invited to join The Invisibles,' she says. Like I'd want to join a cult like that!"

She stepped on the floor frantically, as though a miniature Carol was standing there.

"Easy there, Brenda," Cheren tried to pacify her.

Brenda took a deep breath, and fell silent.

"Ok, I'm calm. Now, we must go meet Bianca at the Dreamyard."


Bianca was talking with an unfamiliar woman when Cheren and Brenda walked into the Dreamyard.

"Hey, Brenda, Cheren," Bianca called them. "Come here. Especially you, Cheren, for I'm sure you'll be interested in what Ms. Fennel has to say."

"Nice to meet you," Ms. Fennel greeted as the two approached. "I'm a dream researcher based in Striaton. This Dreamyard is really an extension to my lab."

Cheren placed a hand on his chin, and nodded.

"I've heard of dream research, which is more advanced in Unova than all other regions."

"What's so special about the Dreamyard, if I may ask?" Brenda asked with anticipation.

"Let me show you," Ms. Fennel said, and she walked over to the closest tall grass.

She moved the grass softly, as though she were looking for something. On the third try, she managed to find what she was looking for.

From the tall grass emerged a pink pokemon, and it remained floating midair.

"Wow, what's that pokemon, Cheren?" Brenda asked.

Before Cheren could answer, however, Ms. Fennel introduced them to her target of research.

"This is Munna, the dream-eater pokemon. I have been researching her evolutionary line for years now, and thanks to her breed I have been able to contribute much to dream research."

"But she is still a wild pokemon, isn't she?" Brenda asked, grinning. "May I capture her?"

Ms. Fennel chuckled.

"But of course, trainer. I don't wish to monopolize the Munnas and Musharnas."

However, Cheren had a piece of warning to offer.

"Munna is a psychic type," he said. "Be careful, since your Ren is a fighting type, and thus vulnerable to her."

"Ok, thanks for the heads up," Brenda said, and then sent Ren forward. "Ren, you must come back if you can't handle this fight, ok? This is our first battle with real type disadvantage."

Ren nodded, but he was determined to win. He took his stance, and awaited for command.

"Ren, use quick attack!"

The attack hit the Munna, but she immediately countered with a hypnosis attack.

"This is not good," Cheren told Bianca. "If Ren doesn't wake up in the next round, it might be best to forfeit."

Ren did not get lucky, and did not wake up in the next round. The Munna used psybeam on him, and he complained, but did not wake up.

"It's fine, Ren. We tried," Brenda said as she took the pokeball that hadn't been used in a while. "Come back now."

However, when the pokeball's withdrawing light almost touched Ren, he woke up and rotated his body to avoid it.

"Ren, we can't weaken Munna enough to catch her. Return," she pressed the pokeball's button once again, but Ren just would not accede.

Instead, it used bullet punch on the Munna, and received another psybeam in return. That second attack caused Ren to faint.

"Stubborn Riolu," Brenda sighed as she kneeled to scoop Ren into her arms. "We'll have to work on how to read your limits, little guy."

Brenda's friends ran over to check on Ren's status.

"He's fine, I'll take him to the Pokemon Center now," Brenda smiled. "Sorry I showed you an uncool performance."

"No worries, we know wild pokemon are hard to bond with," Bianca cheered her up. "I'll take on the Striaton Gym in a little bit, so I guess we'll be seeing each other in Nacrene City next."

Brenda nodded, and waved at her friends.



Just as she was exiting the Dreamyard, however, she happened to spot a red fox looking at her from a patch of grass.

"Oh, it's a Vulpix!" Brenda exclaimed, and became sad that she didn't have pokemon to fight and capture her. "Guys, look! Anyone want to capture a Vulpix?"

Unfortunately, just as her friends reacted at her remarks, the Vulpix disappeared into the tall grass.

"Never mind, she's out of sight now."

"Don't worry, Brenda," Bianca told her from where she stood. "I'm sure you'll encounter another one, and you'll be the one to capture her!"

"If I remember correctly, it was your favorite pokemon, wasn't it?" Cheren commented, more to himself than to the girls.

"Yes, it'll be that way," Brenda replied to Bianca, totally cured of her unhappiness, and was off her way to the Pokemon Center.

"... So that's why you should listen to me when we need to forfeit the battle," Brenda was explaining to Ren how he should avoid getting knocked out, when a preschooler bumped into her legs.

The preschooler, who hadn't been paying attention, fell backwards and started crying.

"Oh easy there," Brenda said, lowering herself, and offering a hand to the child. "You were just startled, but fortunately you only hit your butt."

As he took Brenda's hand, another preschooler approached.

"Sam don't be silly. You shouldn't cry just because you fell," the child said.

"It's ok," Brenda told both children. "Sam is just learning, and besides there's no reason to be ashamed about crying when something hurts."

Sam gave her thanks, and both boys were on their way back to what seemed to be a small kindergarten. Next to that house, was another with a large enclosure and quite a number of pokemon, including rare and foreign ones.



Curious, Brenda decided to take a look inside.

"Welcome," an old lady said as she entered. "This is the Unova Daycare, Route 3 branch. How may I help you?"

"Thank you, but nothing in particular," Brenda smiled. "I only have one pokemon, so I can't deposit him, even if I wanted to."

The old lady bowed, and sat down on a chair behind the counter.

Two children, of similar age as the prior two or a little older, were in the daycare with their pokemon. One of them was a mothim, and the other was a sewaddle.

"Wow, your pokemon has already evolved to its final form," Brenda couldn't help noticing.

The two children looked at Brenda, with round eyes.

"That's because bug pokemon evolve fast, and I've taken care of Mothy with all my heart," said the girl.

"My Doodle hasn't evolved yet because I just caught her yesterday," the boy said, but he wasn't in a cheerful mood.

"My Ren hasn't evolved either," Brenda told the boy, with hopes of comforting him. "But I think that increases the surprise-factor, doesn't it?"

"Surprise-factor? What's that?"

"It's when you don't expect something, and yet it happens. Surprises are fun, and more if it's concerning pokemon."

The children remained thoughtful for a moment, and then the girl smiled, while the boy just shrugged.

"I won't have a surprise-factor," he said, pointing his mouth. "Because my parents want me to release Doodle."

"Why is that?"

"They say I'm not big enough to take care of a pokemon. Even though I told them Sasha is the same age as me, and she already has a mothim."

Brenda knitted her brows in empathy, since her mother had also not allowed her to have pokemon in the house until she graduated pokeschool.

"That's a pity," she said. "I don't really understand adults who don't want children to get a headstart taking care of pokemon. I only see benefits, and no cons."

"I don't know what a con is, but I think so too," the boy said.

"Yeah, even if Tom wasn't paying attention to Doodle, I'd make him," Sasha agreed.

"Sis, would you please talk to my parents? Maybe they need to talk to an adult, because we're just kids," Tom pleaded, raising his sewaddle. "Please help, please please?"

"Wait you guys," Brenda stood up. "I'm not an adult yet myself. I'd like to help, but I don't think I can change your parents' mind."

However, the children echoed each other with please-s, that in the end she was forced to see Tom's parents.



Brenda stayed at the kindergarten and its little park, playing with the preschoolers, until the time came when parents would pick up their children.

Having grown up an only child, and with two friends who had older siblings, Brenda had had little experience taking care of little children. That is why at first, she was uncomfortable standing among all the children, even when Tom and Sasha were kind enough to invite her over to play.

However, she did end up making friends with the other children, thanks to Ren. The children approached her, curious about her partner. Many of them had never seen a Riolu before, and the few that did, boasted about knowing of them.

Unexpectedly, Ren did not seem to have trouble mingling with the children. He was roughly the same size as them, so he was able to play with the same toys, swings and slides as the children. From Brenda's perspective, she was rather glad that she had been convinced to stay, if only to be able to see Ren laugh happily like he was while playing.

While Ren played, Brenda chose to help out the caregivers by tending to injured children and cleaning the kindergarten.



Finally, as the sky started to turn orange, Tom's parents showed up.

They were well-dressed in formal suits. The father was a tall man, who seemed to maintain a smile on his face, while the mother, though good-natured, seemed to be more strict.

"Mom, Dad, this is my friend Brenda," Tom introduced her to them. "I met her today, and she is a trainer, and she has a Riolu."

Ren was standing just behind Brenda, peeking at Tom's parents.

The two adults offered their hand, and Brenda locked each in a handshake.

"She's going to tell you why I should keep Doodle," Tom said, and then ran off to where Sasha was waiting for him.

His parents were left confused.

"Doodle? That little boy, whatever could he have meant by that?" the mother asked.

"Doodle is the name of his Sewaddle, madam."

The lady sighed.

"Oh, so he still hasn't released that pokemon."

"No, he hasn't. He carries her everywhere, and every so often releases her out of her pokeball to play with her. Doodle also seems quite happy to play with Sasha's Mothy, too."

Tom's mother looked at Brenda in something close to awe, but this time the father spoke.

"I take it you have spent your day looking after Tom," he said. "Thank you for that, but if you might be implying that we should keep the sewaddle, I'm afraid we may waste your time unnecessarily."

"I already told Tom that I wasn't sure I could change your minds," Brenda replied. "But at least hear me out. May I ask, have either of you been a pokemon trainer?"

Both adults shook their heads sideways.

"Do you know that Tom wants to eventually become a pokemon trainer after he finishes pokeschool?"

"Yes, we know. However, he is still young, and his mind is bound to change," the father said.

"Whether or not he becomes a pokemon trainer," Brenda continued. "Only fate will decide. However, I'm a firm believer that growing up with pokemon will only nurture his innocent soul."

Brenda scratched her nose, a little embarrassed at what she would say next.

"The truth is, I'm only now realizing that there is something neither pokeschool or your parents can teach you, unless you spend time with pokemon."

"What is that, if we may ask?"

"The difficulty of building a strong bond with pokemon," she said. "As a child, I tended to be liked by wild pokemon I'd just met, so I imagined that earning the trust of my partner when I became a trainer would be the easiest part of my journey. I have to - I must admit I was wrong. Ren and I still have a long way to go, and he reminds me of that in the way he battles."

Brenda laughed, and petted Ren's head.

"'A strong bond between trainer and pokemon can make the impossible to become possible', Professor Juniper always said. However, it takes time, and most importantly, determination and effort to build. I've only been with Ren a few days. I've gotten injured because of him. I've bought the wrath of a friend because of him. Even then, he's my partner, and I want to dedicate every moment of my career to build that trust between us. That's why I support your son's willingness to make friends with Doodle. He will learn that Doodle is not just a doll, which does things the way he wants, but an individual with her own mind. Why not start to build a bond now that he's young? If he becomes a trainer in the future, their bond which was fermented over the years may open doors that would have otherwise remained shut."



The three of them did not speak much following this, and Brenda felt sorry for Tom that she was unable to draw in his parents a change in mind.

With polite farewells, Brenda parted ways with Tom's parents, and asked them to give him her regards.



Just as she was reaching the point where Wellspring Cave's entrance was visible, Ren and her were stopped by a voice shouting Brenda's name repeatedly.

Upon turning around, they were surprised to see Tom running and panting.

"What is it, Tom?" Brenda asked, lowering herself to match Tom's height.

"You forgot your reward," he replied in between puffs of air.

"Reward?" Brenda batted her eyes, and then wondered whether it was a gift from the caregivers for helping them in the day. "It's fine. Go back, and tell the caregivers that I volunteered my time, and so they don't have to give me anything in return, will you, Tom?"

Tom shook his head frantically.

"No, it's not from them," he said, taking something out of his pocket. "It's for talking to my parents. They'll let me keep Doodle now!"

Brenda's face lit up instantly.

"I'm so happy, Tom. I don't need a reward, you've given me one already, by taking away my sadness."

Though she said this, Tom insisted that she have her reward.

It seems I'm weak to demands from kids, she thought and chuckled, as she opened her palm to receive said reward.

"What's this, a pokeball?"

It was something she was definitely not expecting.

"See what's inside," Tom encouraged her.

Brenda nodded, and pressed the button on the pokeball. Together with the familiar opening sound, a sewaddle appeared.

"What, but Tom," Brenda started. "You just told me your parents allowed you to keep Doodle."

"Yes, they did," he replied, giggling. "This is not Doodle. She's Doodle and Mothy's daughter."

The recollection that she had met Tom and Sasha at the Daycare flashed in the back of her head.

"Granny had told us that if you put a female and a male pokemon in the same Daycare, sometimes they'd find your female pokemon holding an egg. So Sasha and I tried it out, and it was true! When it hatched this morning, this little girl came out of the egg."

"If you don't become a trainer, Tom, you should become a pokemon researcher. You're already doing wonderful experiments!"

Brenda laughed, and Tom giggled again.

"I want to be a trainer, just like you, Brenda."

"Thank you, and thank you for the gift too. I'll treasure my Sewaddle just like you do your Doodle, remember that."



Brenda gave Tom a little hug, and waved her hand until he was out of sight.

"What do you think, Ren?" Brenda asked, as she petted the Sewaddle. "Do you think you can make friends with her?"

Ren looked at the green larva, who looked back at him with drowsy eyes. Then, he looked away with furrowed brows, and crossed his arms.

"You say that now," Brenda snickered. "But I'm sure you'll become good friends."

Brenda picked up the Sewaddle, but it did not struggle to set herself free. Rather, she seemed wholly unconcerned about what was happening in her surroundings.

"I guess her nature is quiet, calm or relaxed," Brenda noted. "I'll name her Leaf, for she has one large leaf on her head, even larger than Doodle's, I think."

Leaf returned to her pokeball wholly composed, much like Ren had never done, and the three of them carried on with their walk to Nacrene City.

Review for Chapter 1

This is pretty standard as far as journey fics go, but there was just something about it;a certain charm it has, that kept me reading. For starters, I already like the chemistry you've established between the characters in the first chapter, with Brenda being a stand in for Hilda/Hilbert, however, you did well in making this not just be Pokémon BW, but with an oc character.

I enjoyed Brenda's personality to be honest. I always like me my bubbly protagonists. I'm curious to see all the ways that you could develop her as a character as she ventures out into the joys, sorrows and hardships outside her home. I'll pick this up again to see what happens next. I get the feeling it's gonna be fun.

After a few battles along Route 3, Brenda and her partners made it to Nacrene City, just in time for dinner.

Thanks to winning against the Gym Leaders and the trainers, Brenda had accumulated enough money to buy a nice banquet - however, to avoid a mishap like in Accumula Town, she decided not to eat in, but take out the food, and eat inside their room at the Pokemon Center.

She greeted the other two girls who were sharing the room with her, and she and her pokemon ate happily, after a day of excitement and change.



The next morning, she was up and ready to go.

?Gym Leader Lenora uses normal type pokemon. This should be an easy fight for us, Ren.?

Yes, last night before sleeping, she had checked the Unova League manual, to make sure she was not mistaken.

Brenda lifted Ren?s empty pokeball, and the other which contained Leaf inside. She gave Leaf?s pokeball a little kiss, and promised to train her for her debut in Castelia City.



?Look at this place,? Brenda said as the Pokemon Center doors closed behind her. ?I don?t know why it?s called a city. It has a nice town-feel to it.?

Indeed, the small wooden houses and the remains of an old railroad, all surrounded by pine trees, made her feel as though she were visiting an extension to Nuvema Town. In her mind, Nacrene City was less city-like than Accumula Town, even though it did house more people.

Brenda and Ren walked north of the Pokemon Center, where the supposed Gym was located.

They passed by the restaurant they ordered food from the day before, and noticed that a couple of guitarists were playing some peaceful tunes in the terrace.

The Gym was not located far from there, but she would have missed it entirely, had the League manual not given her a heads up that it was inside a museum.

?Ready? Ren, let?s go,? she said as she walked forward. ?I hope there are few challengers this morning.?

As she talked to Ren, she forgot to watch where she was going, and bumped into someone.

?Sorry, I wasn?t paying attention,? she apologized.

Then she raised her head, to see at whom she was talking to.

?Oh but isn?t it N!? she exclaimed, happy to see a familiar face. ?Remember me? We met two days ago.?

N was also surprised, but he pushed his black cap down, and just replied with a ?yes?.

?Do you want to see a new addition to my team?? Brenda offered, but since she did not receive a reply, she went ahead and released her Leaf.

The little larva turned its neck sideways, and then looked up to see the green-haired man.

?Don?t you think she?s cute? Her name is Leaf, and I got her as a present by one most adorable preschooler.?

N nodded, but refrained from commenting.

Brenda pressed the pokeball, and made Leaf to return.

?You know, when I heard you had battled at the Striaton Gym, I couldn?t believe it. That?s because you said your Zorua disliked battling, and I assumed you wouldn?t be interested in taking on the Unova League,? Brenda carried on with the slightly one-sided conversation.

?I realized that for me to accomplish my ideals,? N said. ?Sitting around would amount to nothing. Zo also agrees, so we are battling Gym Leaders to gain strength.?

?That?s great! Then now we?re officially friends with similar interests, and rivals who aim to be the very best!?

?No,? N replied. ?We do not have similar interests.?

?Really? I think we do. We both are taking on the Unova League. We both love our pokemon. We both are young, with hopes and dreams awaiting for us. Isn?t that like, 90% of what constitutes you and I? Cheren, Bianca, you, me, and all other fresh trainers are similar, I?d say.?

Brenda stretched her arms wide, to emphasize the dimensions of what she spoke of.

The way she looked so happy arguing for their similarities may have caught N off-guard, but if he was awed by it, his stance did not show it.

Instead, he kept silent for a moment, and then closed his eyes.

?Sometimes the 10% difference is what truly matters,? he said, and walked past Brenda.

?Hey,? Brenda turned. ?Did you already battle Lenora? Were there many trainers waiting in line??

N stopped, and looked back at her.

?I battled her, and lost. She should be free to battle you now.?

With that, N disappeared in the direction of Route 4, leaving a wide-eyed girl behind.



?It?s ok,? Brenda reminded Ren. ?We?ve got type advantage, while he didn?t.?

They entered the museum, and asked one of the ladies at the counter whether she would have to pay an entrance fee, though she was only there to battle the Gym Leader. To tell the truth, she had bought too many expensive dishes the day before, so she was rather running low on cash.

Fortunately, that was not the case for anyone, since the museum was subsidized by the government and some sponsors to open its doors to the public at no cost.

?The Gym is at the end of the museum,? the lady said. ?Just go straight down from here.?

Brenda thanked her, and walked with quick footsteps in that direction.

In front of the stairs that led to the Gym entrance, a rock of roughly the size of her two fists combined caught her eye. The rock was a perfect orb, which despite being pitch black, was made of a material that reflected the light well.

?Somehow this rock doesn?t look old enough to be in a museum. Don?t you think so?? she asked Ren, but he had paid no attention to the rock, and was already waiting for her at the top of the stairs.

She soon joined him, and found herself inside a small library that smelt like old books all around.

?Hello,? a middle-aged gentleman spoke to her. ?Challengers to the Nacrene City Gym, I suppose??

?Yes, we are,? Brenda said, stretching her arm to pose with a peace sign.

?In this Gym, we will present you with two questions. Each question is an excerpt from a book, and has two possible answers. Depending on your choice, you shall battle two of the four Gym trainers.?

The gentleman led her through the many bookshelves, to an area where four trainers were reading books.

?Oh, another challenger??

?I guess it?s the season of pokeschool graduations, so we?ll be getting many one after another.?

Two of the trainers placed bookmarks on their books, and stood up from the table, holding them so their titles were visible to Brenda. One of the books was titled The Biology of Meowth while the other was Dissertation On the Diet of Aipom in Unova.

?Here is your first question,? the gentleman said, taking out a piece of paper from his pocket. ?This pokemon shows a strong preference for Nanab berries; however, these berries are not native in Unova, and therefore scarce. As such, this pokemon shows signs of adaptation to eat other varieties.?

?Well, it?s certainly about diet, so I believe it?s an excerpt from the Dissertation.?

?Correct,? answered the young girl, putting the book on the table. ?So I shall battle you now.?

The gentleman pressed a button close to the window, and slowly but steadily the bookshelves started turning and moving apart, so to make space for a pokemon battle.

The girl threw her pokeball, and it released an Aipom.

?This is an interesting set up for a Gym,? Brenda admired. ?I bet if I?d chosen the wrong book, I?d have battled a Meowth.?

?Yes, that?s right. Lenora wants to encourage the building of knowledge from books, so she thought of this little game.?

When Ren took his place, the battle began.

?Aipoms are fast, but not enough for Ren,? Brenda talked to herself. ?Ren, use vacuum wave!?

The target was hit, but somehow it seemed to do less damage than what Brenda expected.

Why? It?s a super-effective STAB attack, Brenda was confused.

?Aipom, use fury swipes,? the girl ordered.

Ren was scratched three times, but managed to dodge the fourth one.

Both trainers repeated the same moves twice, though fury swipes hit only twice on the third round, resulting in Ren?s victory due to a matter of speed.

Seeing how tired Ren had been left after a one-on-one match against a normal type left Brenda puzzled. However, she hoped that perhaps chances were the Aipom had been born with unusually excellent battling genes.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she battled a Sentret after answering correctly to the question, ?it?s balance is so great, it can balance its whole body on its tail?.

Ren was able to take out the opponent in a few minutes. This calmed Brenda a little.

Once their battling was concluded, the gentleman guided her to a hidden staircase beneath a bookcase, which he again activated by pressing a button on the shelf itself.

?Good luck, young one,? he said, and bowed.

?Thank you,? Brenda replied as Ren and her went down the stairs.

The smell of old books intensified the more steps she took, but finally she touched the underground floor.

?Welcome, challenger,? Lenora greeted, raising her eyes from a thick book she was holding. ?I am Lenora of the Nacrene City Gym. I hope you have prepared yourself with extensive reading.?

Lenora?s teal colored ponytail, which matched the color of her eyes, bobbed as she walked over to a table to leave her book and come back to face Brenda.

The seasoned Gym Leader sent out a Herdier, and Brenda hurried Ren to take his position.

The battle started with Ren?s priority move, vacuum wave.

His move hit the Herdier?s face, and he was blown away a good number of steps back, but otherwise the attack seemed not to have cut his stamina a lot. Instead, just as soon as he was able to, he charged forward and hit Ren with full force.

The attack injured both parties, but Ren seemed to have received a stronger damage.

?Ren, use counter!? Brenda commanded, crossing her fingers that another take down attack would not knock him out.

Ren braced himself for another attack, which did come.

Fortunately, Ren barely made it this round, and was able to take out the Herdier with counter.

?Good, Ren,? Brenda said, wiping a little sweat from her forehead. ?I?ll heal you this coming round.?

Lenora let out a Watchog.

As promised, Brenda healed Ren fully, and he was refreshed, ready for the last battle till a new badge.

?Ok Ren, let?s use counter again,? Brenda said, and Ren obeyed.

?Finish him,? Lenora commanded. ?Use retaliate!?

The Watchog ran with incredible speed, and stopped in front of Ren, only to punch him a couple of times, and deal a final kick that sent him flying to the wall.

?Ren!? Brenda ran towards him, but upon reaching him, she realized that he had been knocked out.

The blood drained from her face, as she returned Ren to his pokeball.

Her instinct was to forfeit, and leave the place as soon as possible, but as per battling rules, leaving the battle midway was not permitted.

?Sorry, Leaf. I didn?t want your debut to be this dull,? Brenda whispered at Leaf?s pokeball.

Then, she hesitantly released her onto the battlefield.

As expected, a crunch from the Watchog was all Leaf needed to be knocked out.

Brenda fell to her knees, with a blank expression.

?Watchog, return,? Lenora said.

She walked across the field, gently scooped the fainted newborn larva, and approached the teenager.

?Don?t be so sad,? Lenora sighed. ?Here, you should bring your pokemon to the PC. I will be awaiting for a rematch.?

Lenora placed Brenda?s Leaf on her arms, and helped her stand back up.

?Sometimes type matchup is not all that defines a pokemon battle,? Lenora advised, and returned back to her study.

Brenda turned her back to Lenora, and stepped toward the exit.

A little tear fell onto Leaf?s forehead, but Brenda wiped her cheek as soon as she felt it caress her face.

---

DreamSayer said:

Review for Chapter 1

This is pretty standard as far as journey fics go, but there was just something about it;a certain charm it has, that kept me reading. For starters, I already like the chemistry you've established between the characters in the first chapter, with Brenda being a stand in for Hilda/Hilbert, however, you did well in making this not just be Pok?mon BW, but with an oc character.

I enjoyed Brenda's personality to be honest. I always like me my bubbly protagonists. I'm curious to see all the ways that you could develop her as a character as she ventures out into the joys, sorrows and hardships outside her home. I'll pick this up again to see what happens next. I get the feeling it's gonna be fun.

Click to expand...

Late as hecc but thanks for reading :D This is actually my first time writing a long fanfic (I only wrote a short story on the Hunger Games once ehehe~) so I chose to go relatively simple with the OC being a literal stand-in for Hilda/Hilbert. I think when I revisit the whole story for a second draft, I'll make her more my OC, but for the time being I'm hoping the story is interesting just with her quirky personality. I have written some original work, and for some reason I can never like my MCs much... but Brenda is special :P I love Brenda. I just wish I had as much motivation to keep writing this story as I have for other stuff like story-based pokemon fangame runs which gets 10X more attention and encouraging comments. Not that I'd stop midway- BW is my fave pokemon story, and I have a noice plan for it, so I'm happy to go on for myself alone! xD