EPISODE 2:
FUNDAMENTALS
Roy strolled down the main street of Gallant Town. The roads and sidewalks were still well maintained and the shops that lined either side still felt inviting despite their inoperation. Palm trees sprouted out of fenced dirt patches intermittently spaced in the middle of the streets. The palms swayed with the gentle breeze and the air was warm and crisp.
Remnants of its tourism business were also quite blatant, with the occasional information kiosk sitting alongside parks and places of interest. Nobody was working the stands.
Roy approached one and spotted a little map behind the desk. He snatched it up.
They'd give it away for free anyway, he thought to himself.
He opened the map and started looking for something to do. Much of what the brochure listed was no longer available. Apparently before everything fell apart, the park hosted Churbin shows every afternoon. Roy smiled to himself, enjoying the thought.
Would have liked to see that.
Towards the left side of the page, right by the shore, he noticed an area labeled "The Ferry and Plane Express". He recalled Professor Blackthorn talking about it, something about quarantines and.. wild Pokemon!
Roy set off in that direction.
-----------------
As Roy grew closer and closer to the ocean, he could hear the surf crashing in the distance and could smell the saline scent in the air become more pronounced. He had never seen the ocean in person, besides the from helicopter that brought him into town, but he was way too out of it to appreciate the view.
Crossing the threshold of the dunes, Roy was greeted with a pristine white sand beach and clear azure water, reaching out and touching the similarly colored sky. The ocean shimmered under the shining white sun, dancing along to the sound of the Churbins chirping. Roy felt contented. This haven was unaffected by the recent turmoil, and that simple fact inspired hope inside of him.
He stayed for a little while, sitting with the sand between his toes and letting Orville run around and play in the water. The Glacherd splashed in the surf and seemed to enjoy itself. Roy laughed.
He was alone on the beach.
The pleasant moment was shattered by distant shouting. Roy shot up from his seat and quickly dove into his shoes, filling them with his sand covered feet. Orville raced over to him, and was instantly recalled into his ball.
Roy raced in the direction of the sound. It was coming from a massive dock that seemed to stretch out for miles. It was loud. It was violent. Something was happening. As Roy grew closer to the structure, he was able to make out rough outlines of dilapidated planes and boats.
His stride slowed.
That was the Express. The shouting must of been other trainers calling out orders to their Pokemon.
His dash waned to a walk, and within a minute a small fence was before him.
Roy climbed up, and was easily able to hop it.
He landed on hard concrete. Looking forward, Roy saw an overgrown airfield that once served as the gateway to Veriti. Many of the tourists that would visit his family's vineyard in Drake's Neck would talk about it, complaining about what a nightmare it was getting to the region and how much the "Express" sucked.
Among the planes were several other Pokemon trainers, battling and training. Roy even recognized a few of them from the professor's lab.
A few yards from where he stood, Roy heard a rustling in the tall grass. Nervously, Roy tiptoed towards it, ever so slowly. Before he could react, a small furry thing jumped out at Roy.
Startled, Roy fell backwards onto the hard ground and cried out in pain.
"You scared me!" Roy snarled.
The creature seemed amused. Roy righted himself, then removed a small device from his back pocket, a Pokedex, the professor called it. He held it out and let it scan the comedian.
"Pacin huh?" Roy said, addressing it. "I'd like you to meet Orville!"
Roy unholstered the ball and threw it vigorously into the air. Orville landed firmly on the ground, standing preparedly.
Orville and the Pacin stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move.
They glared at each other.
Nothing happened.
Orville looked back at Roy, desperately confused.
Roy's inexperience in Pokemon battling left him paralyzed. He had no idea what to do.
The Pacin sprang into action, running up and colliding with Orville. Orville recoiled from the hit, but was seemingly okay.
"Uh.. Uh.." Roy stuttered, baffled. "Ice... Attack..!"
Orville seemed to understand, as he blew an icy breeze littered with small frozen shards directly at the Pacin. The shards collided at force with the critter, sending it skidding backwards.
It started running towards Orville for another tackle.
"Orville! Dodge it! DODGE IT!" Roy yelled.
Right before the Pacin made contact, Orville jumped out of the way, sending the Pacin sliding by it's own momentum.
"Ice attack!" Roy shouted excitedly, emulating the trainers he watched on television.
Another icy wind from Orvillle cut into the Pacin, nearly defeating it.
"ONE MORE!!" Roy exclaimed, screaming now.
The Pacin wound up for a final tackle, and Orville inhaled it's icy breath. The critter leaped in the air at Orville, and before colliding Orville blew its mighty breath, knocking the Pacin out of the sky. It crashed to the ground, unconscious.
"Yeah!" Roy was thrilled!
He won his first battle. He ran to Orville and lifted him up over his head, spinning around. Orville's tongue blew in the wind.
"We did it!"
Other trainers looked on, unimpressed.
Roy didn't care.
