Finding You - Chapter 4

Finding You – A Pokemon Black and White Fanfiction – Chapter 4

Double Team

After arriving in Driftveil, Luna learned that Blair was not actually Blair at all, but rather, Touya Black, Champion of the Unova region! After they parted ways, Luna made her way to the Pokemon Center, where she learned her flight to Nuvema Town had to be cancelled. Unsure of what to do, she came across a stroke of good luck when a complete stranger, a teen girl, offered her a flight on her Staraptor. Now that Luna's arrived, she just has to choose her starter Pokemon…

***

Journal of Dominic Mond, Third Entry

Today I entered Castelia City, determined to begin my quest to make my life worthwhile. I was greeted by an overwhelming metropolis of crisp business suits and crowded sidewalks. I could feel adrenaline pumping through my veins just from walking the streets.

My dear Luna, this place is huge, so it's no surprise that there would be some…unsavory characters. But coming from a small town like Cherrygrove, I couldn't help but feel that the Pokemon were more well-mannered than the people, who stared straight ahead and never gave so much of a wave or apology when bumped into. I believe that people and Pokemon could learn a lot from each other.

I guess I'll start my search. Wish me luck, dear daughter. Even if this journal never reaches you.

***

"Well then, Luna, take your pick."

Luna looked down at the three Pokeballs on the table. According to what Touya had said, in each of these Pokeballs was Tepig, Snivy and Oshawott. Each of the Pokeballs was slightly different than the norm; on each was a flame, water droplet or leaf insignia to distinguish the three Pokeballs.

I wonder which one I should choose? Luna thought. Chewy tiptoed at her feet, trying to get a look at the counter.

"Take your time," Professor Juniper advised. "You don't want to make the wrong choice."

Tepig is a fire type. I don't think I'd want to start out with a fire type...if something went wrong, I could accidentally set the forest on fire!

I saw Touya's Snivy on the boat, and I already know its basic moves, but...something tells me that I want something a little different.

I guess that leaves...Oshawott!

Luna picked up the Pokeball with the water droplet on it and pressed the button twice. It enlarged, then opened.

As soon as the red light faded, it left a small otter-like Pokemon stood before her. It turned towards her and smiled.

Luna was immediately in love. "It's so cute!" she squealed. "Oh, how adorable!" She bent down and scooped it into her arms.

"I'm going to name you...Xander," she gushed. "Your full name can be...Alexander. Yeah, I like that! It's a big name for a little guy, but hopefully you'll grow into it." Xander let out a low purring sound from his throat.

"I'm glad you like him!" Professor Juniper said warmly. "Is he your final choice?"

"Oh, definitely," Luna assured her.

"Then that settles it." Professor Juniper walked to another table and picked up two items. "These will help you on your journey. This is a Pokedex; it automatically records the information of any Pokemon you capture and knows some basic info about Pokemon in the wild as well. And this is your Xtransceiver."

Luna blinked. "Cross- transceiver...?"

"Yes, Xtransceiver. It's a powerful communication tool that lets you contact and speak to other Trainers. I already have registered myself in it, so you can contact me at any time if you need to. Oh, that's right, and here are some Pokeballs to start you off!"

"Wow," Luna said, "you're giving me so much...are you sure this is really okay?"

Professor Juniper laughed. "Of course! It's my job." She winked. "Good luck on your journey, Luna, and remember: have fun. The next town is Accumula Town, and it shouldn't take long for you to get there."

"Thank you so much," Luna said. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me!"

"Don't worry about it. Go get 'em!"

Luna waved to Professor Juniper as she headed out of the lab, but then paused. "Oh, um, by the way...Professor Juniper? Have you ever met my dad, Dominic Mond?"

The Professor nodded and smiled. "Ah, yes. I know Dominic. I haven't seen him in years, but he's a smart man and cares a lot about Pokemon."

Luna's heart beat a little faster. "Would you…happen to know his whereabouts?"

Professor Juniper shook her head. "No…I haven't had any contact with him for a long time. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. Thank you!" Luna exited the lab and took a deep breath.

Now it's official. Unova, Dad, here I come!

***

The walk through Route 1 was surprisingly fast. So far Luna had not encountered any wild Pokemon, and already she could see some buildings in the distance that she knew was Accumula Town.

Xander and Chewy were walking alongside her, although neither of them appeared to be getting along very well. Luna had quickly come to realize that their differing personalities clashed. Xander was a jolly and cheerful kind of Pokemon, while Chewy preferred to be grumpy and had his own unspoken preferences. If someone failed to meet his standards, he didn't like them.

I don't know what I'm going to do when I meet a wild Pokemon, Luna thought. Will I send out Chewy or Xander? It's too bad that they already have a rivalry going on...

Then Luna realized that she had no idea what moves either of them knew. More out of curiosity than anything, she took out her Pokedex and aimed it at Chewy.

"Teddiursa, the Little Bear Pokemon. Teddiursa tends to lick its paws because their paws absorb honey. Teddiursa's current known moves are Scratch, Leer, Fury Swipes and Covet."

Okay, Luna thought. What about Xander?

"Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokemon. Oshawott attacks and defends using the scalchop shell on its stomach. Oshawott's current known moves are Tackle and Tail Whip."

"Not too shabby, you guys," Luna commented, trying to act upbeat and set the example for her team. "I think we can make this work! Now, we're almost to Accumula Town, and –"

Luna stopped when she heard a rustling. In front of her was a patch of tall grass. Is a Pokemon about to appear?

Out from the grass stepped a Patrat.

"Oh, my first wild Pokemon!" Luna exclaimed excitedly. "Um, Chewy! Go!" Chewy shot Xander a smug look and jumped out in front of Luna.

"Okay, Chewy, this is our first battle! Use Scratch!"

Chewy jumped at the Patrat obediently, but to Luna's surprise he swiped multiple times. Fury swipes!

"Chewy, I said use Scratch, not Fury Swipes!" Luna scolded. "Try using Scratch again." Chewy shot her a look and, to her surprise and disappointment, used Fury Swipes once more.

When the Patrat was defeated, Luna looked at Chewy. "Bad boy!" she scolded. "I wanted to capture it! Why didn't you listen?"

Chewy turned away.

Luna sighed. "Look, I know you probably think you know better than me, but I'm the Trainer here! You need to listen to what I say, okay?" She glanced at Xander. "Just for that, I'm using Xander to battle the next wild Pokemon I see. How does that sound?"

Chewy glared at her with the terrifying look she had grown used to. But she didn't flinch. "Chewy," she said quietly, "just remember who jumped off a ship to rescue you from drowning."

Chewy's fur fluffed up and a snarl formed on his face, but he didn't cause any more trouble.

Xander, appearing to be trying to lighten the mood, cheerfully bounded on ahead. Luna had to run to catch up. Chewy grumpily followed behind, obviously feeling bitter.

We're almost to Accumula Town, Luna thought happily. And it's only mid-morning! Professor Juniper was right; it really hasn't taken long to get there. If I'm lucky, maybe I can even make it to Striaton City before nightfall. Things are really looking up after all!

Lost in her thoughts, Luna didn't even notice that both her Pokemon were out of sight. It took her a moment before she looked up, startled. They're gone!

"Chewy?" she said aloud, cautiously. "Xander? Where are you two?"

There was no answer. Luna's heart started thumping. I don't want to be left alone in the middle of the tall grass! What if another wild Pokemon comes out?

Luna decided to stop and listen for a moment to see if she could hear them. Despite her worry, her surroundings felt surprisingly peaceful. There were trees outlining the edges of the route, and their leaves occasionally rustled a bit in the soft wind. The warm sunlight felt good on her shoulders, making her relax.

Just stay calm, Luna, she told herself. This isn't so bad. In a quiet area like this it'll be really easy to find those two again.

Sure enough, after a few minutes she heard faint battling sounds in the distance. Did they run into a wild Pokemon? Luna ran towards the sounds.

To her surprise, it wasn't a wild Pokemon they were battling, but each other. Chewy and Xander were facing off, their dislike of each other obviously coming off at an all-time high.

Luna stood and watched them for a moment, shocked. It appeared as if Chewy was the one who had started the fight; he was attacking Xander with wild, flailing attacks. Xander was dodging continuously, ducking and holding up its scalchop to deflect the blows.

"What do you think you two are doing?!" Luna cried. "Stop it! Stop it right now!" Xander paused for a moment to look at her, but then Chewy swiped at him again and forced him to keep fighting.

Luna wearily took out the two Pokeballs from the bag at her side and returned both Xander and Chewy to their respective balls. I've had enough of their fighting. she thought. She sighed. I guess Pokemon training is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. They each have their own personalities. I don't know how I'll manage to train them.

With that, she walked the rest of the way into Accumula Town without her Pokemon at her side.

***

"Would you like to heal your Pokemon?"

"Yes please."

"Okay, I'll take them for a little while. We'll let you know when your Pokemon are ready to be picked up."

"Thank you very much."

Luna stepped away from the counter at the Accumula Town Pokemon Center as the nurse took Xander and Chewy away inside of their Pokeballs.

Accumula Town had turned out to be a fairly small location. It was bigger than Nuvema Town had been, but it was still a tight-knit community, without many sites to see or places to go. The only place of interest was a small café, where Luna had eaten lunch earlier. She sighed heavily.

I don't know what to do, Luna thought. The two of them seem to hate each other so much...I really want this all to work out. How can I get them to get along, or at least tolerate each other?

Out of the corner of her eye Luna noticed something bright pink, and did a double take when she realized that it was the same girl who had given her a ride. She was sitting calmly on one of the benches, feeding a Vulpix. I never would have guessed in a million years that she'd be here. Now's my time to get her name…and she seems to have a variety of Pokemon, so maybe she can give me some training tips!

Luna mulled about the Center for a few minutes before she finally worked up the nerve to walk over to the girl.

"Hi there," Luna said shyly.

The girl's eyes widened in recognition, and she smiled. She stood up.

"Fancy seeing you here! I didn't think we'd run into each other again. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself right last time." She stuck out her hand towards Luna. "I'm Zoe Sanders. Oh, and this is Dixie." She gestured towards the Vulpix. "And you are...?"

"Luna," she replied. "Luna Mond." She took the girl's hand and they shook.

"Sooo," Zoe said. She sat down in one of the chairs in the corner and kicked out her legs. "Um. What's up?"

"Well, I'm actually having a little trouble," Luna explained she sat down in the chair beside her. "My two Pokemon aren't getting along, and I've barely started my journey. Do you have any advice?"

"Aren't getting along, huh...?" Zoe scratched her chin thoughtfully. Dixie walked over and jumped into her lap, immediately curling up and going to sleep.

"What I would do," Zoe said at last, "is put them together. What I mean by that is that you should make them work together to get something done. Maybe then they'll figure out that the other one isn't so bad. After all, there's nothing wrong with teamwork."

That might just work, Luna thought, awed that Zoe had thought up a solution so fast. "But earlier, when I was coming to Accumula Town, the two of them ran off and got into a battle with each other. If I try to make them work together, how can I know they won't just start battling again?"

"Remember that you're the Trainer," Zoe said firmly. "Pokemon should be our friends, but if you're training them for battle then you also have to make them obey."

"Okay..."

The nurse who Luna had talked to earlier approached them, holding a tray with the two Pokeballs on them. "Your Pokemon are fully recovered and ready to go!"

"Thanks," Luna told her. She stood up and turned to Zoe with a smile. "And thank you too, Zoe. I'll try what you said. Hopefully it works."

Zoe winked. "Oh, believe me, it will. And if it doesn't, well then...Say, what's your Xtransceiver number? You have one, right?"

Luna was slightly surprised at the question; she had almost forgotten about the Xtransceiver. That's right! I can talk to other Trainers with it! "Yes, I have one."

"Let's swap numbers."

They did so, and then they parted ways. Luna bought a few items at the Pokemart before she went back outside. Now she was heading out of Accumula Town to Route 2, on the way to Striaton City.

All right, she thought. This is it. I need to make sure Chewy and Xander get on track with each other. But how should I start?

As if on cue, Luna thought she spotted something moving in the bushes. Maybe it's another wild Pokemon!

Sure enough, out stepped a Pokemon. It was one that Luna had never seen before. It was terrier-like in appearance, small and adorable. It calmly regarded her with its dark eyes.

"Oh, wow, it's cute!" Luna exclaimed. She took out the Pokedex.

"Lillipup, the Puppy Pokemon. The long hair covering Lillipup's face is an excellent radar, which senses conditions in the surrounding area."

"Lillipup, huh? I'd like to catch you!" Upon hearing this, the Lillipup pricked its ears but did not try to run away.

Luna's hand moved to the pouch where Xander and Chewy were in their Pokeballs, but then she had a different idea. Instead, she reached for the pouch that held her empty Pokeballs.

It probably won't work to throw one on the first move, Luna thought, But I at least want to try!

Luna threw the Pokeball at the Lillipup. The puppy Pokemon disappeared inside of it. It wiggled once, twice, three times...and then it was caught.

Luna blinked at the Pokeball at the ground. That was...surprisingly easy. I guess I do have lucky moments sometimes! She picked up the Pokeball and let Lillipup out.

"Hi there," Luna said to him. "My name's Luna, and I'm going to be your new Trainer! You don't mind me catching you like this, do you?" The Lillipup wagged its tail.

"Oh, good! Hey, you remind me of a little Scottish Terrier...how about I call you...Laddie?" Laddie's tail kept wagging.

Then Luna had another idea. "Listen," she said to Laddie, "I have two other Pokemon, named Chewy and Xander. They aren't getting along very well...maybe you can help me out?"

***

Luna was walking along Route 2, with Xander and Chewy by her side. "Try and get along, you two," she told them. "I don't want any more mishaps before we get to Striaton City. So –"

Suddenly Laddie jumped out of the bushes, growling and snarling in a way that indicated he was going to attack. Luna blinked in surprise. Xander and Chewy immediately got on to the defensive.

"Oh no!" Luna cried. "What should I do?" Laddie stepped a few paces closer.

Chewy and Xander both looked as if they were going to attack, but then noticed the other and turned away. They obviously thought that if they had to fight alongside the other, they'd rather not fight at all.

"Chewy! Xander!" Luna cried. "Go after it!" They didn't move. Panic started to set in. They really aren't doing anything! What if...what if...

Then Laddie leapt towards Luna. She let out a shriek as he moved to bite her arm.

All of a sudden Laddie was batted away by Chewy. They rolled on the ground for a few seconds before Chewy leapt away. Laddie moved to attack again but was interrupted by a Tackle attack from Xander.

Luna watched as Xander and Chewy worked together to battle Laddie. Eventually Laddie admitted defeat ran away into the grass.

Chewy started to go after him but Luna stopped him. "It's okay," she said. "You can let him go." Reluctantly Chewy stayed put.

"That was amazing, you two," Luna praised. "See, you guys actually make a really great pair!" Chewy and Xander looked at each other in surprise.

"I like it when you two get along like that," Luna said. "I know you two are really different, but let's try to make it work, okay?" Xander gave a small nod and Chewy seemed to reluctantly acknowledge her words.

Laddie did a good job, Luna thought. I'm glad he was willing to work with me so easily! I guess even Pokemon can be good actors....I'll have to return him to his Pokeball later. Thanks to him, Chewy and Xander are okay with each other now! I can just tell that he'll be a great member of my team.

I know that there will be many more challenges awaiting me as I search for my dad. But I feel more confident that I can overcome them now!

"Striaton City, here we come!"

To be continued...