The Journey Begins

In Twinleaf town we see a teenage boy getting ready for his journey. "Okay let see here, pokeballs check, pokefood check, map check, clothes check..." mumbled Graham while his pokemon were waiting until he finished. "Alright guys everything is ready so lets get go." said Graham.

Graham watch as Mirage, his female Togepi, sqeaked happily while Knight, his male Aron, closed his eyes and nooded. After recalling the two to their pokeballs, Graham called Zero, his male Riolu, who jumped on his shoulder and sat on it.

Graham left his house after eating breakfast and saying goodbye to his parents and left Twinleaf town.

"Hey Zero what kind of pokemon do you think we´ll encounter?"asked Graham to Zero who only shrugged his shoulders. "Well lets hope something happens" said Graham while walking on the grassfield.

The pair hadn't gone far without noticing wild Pokémon. They often ducked and darted beneath foliage to hide as the trainer and captive Pokémon passed by. Not uncommon at all considering most wild Pokémon were very wary of trainers. Still, they walked on unknowing if any would have the courage to challenge.

And one did indeed. He stepped from the tall grass, growling low in a rather intimidating manner. It was a quadruped, canine Pokémon. It had orange fur with black stripes along its back and legs. The fur on its muzzle, chest, belly, and tail was cream-colored, as well as an additional tuft of fur on top of its head. The coat was noticeably longer on its chest and tail versus the rest of its body. Its cool, gray eyes stared at Graham In a challenging demeanor. Even so, he had a cute little black nose, and large, round ears. Its forepaws had two visible claws, while its hind paws had three toes each, each paw hiding a brown pad only visible when he stepped forward.


It was a Growlithe! At least, that's what Graham's Pokédex claimed. The species was known to be very territorial, albeit were a bit rare around these parts. It seemed the trainer had unwittingly stumbled into the level 5 male's nesting grounds, and he was ready to defend his territory to the bitter end!

Graham's eyes widen in shock and awe when he saw the canine pokemon standing in front of him. He knows, thanks to his pokedex, that this pokemon is native to Kanto. But Graham couldn't believe that there was a pokemon like that all the way in Sinnoh. " I think I remember, when my parents gave me a brief history of Kanto's native pokemon, that Growlithe is a fire type but I'm not sure if I'm right." Graham mumbled under his breath, slowly overcoming his shock. However, Zero was a completely different story.

The small dog-like pokemon jumped from his trainer's shoulder and stood in front of him, meeting Growlithe's eyes with a challenging glare. Like Growlithe, Zero was ready to fight till the bitter end. Zero growled with equal intimidation at the orange pokemon, awaiting his trainer's commands.

Graham, noticing that Zero wanted to battle Growlithe, asked " You think you can handle this, buddy? " When he nodded, Graham ordered " Alright,  Zero, use Quick Attack to close in on Growlithe then attack with Bullet Punch." Zero dashed towards Growlithe while his fist turn to a metallic sheen, aiming to hit the canine.

The Growlithe Howled as the battle commenced, immediately raising his attack stat. The foe nearly vanished in a blur, appearing right before the puppy to his surprise as his Howl went off. The foe was quick. Before he could even prepare himself, another speedy attack was launched, this time with aims to truly strike!

The steel punch was fast- faster than Growlithe could think of reacting to at such a close range. It struck, knocking him back a bit. However, the move didn't seem to be very effective against the fire mutt. If anything, the Riolu had just enraged the wild Pokémon further!

Baring his teeth, Growlithe charged at the foe. He opened his jaw menacingly, aiming to use his sharp canine fangs to his advantage. He lunged forward, attempting to lock his jaw around any part of the foe he could manage. Growlithe used Bite!

Quickly seeing how ineffective Bullet Punch was to the canine pokemon, Graham knew right then that his first guess was correct, Growlithe was a fire type. Noticing that Growlithe was going to attack Zero with Bite, Graham quickly said "Zero get out of the way!" But it was too late, the canine's Bite attack already making contact with Zero's left paw.

The Riolu screeched in pain from Bite, which was more powerful due to Growlithe's Howl, and dropped on one knee. Zero then tried to shake Growlithe off his paw, but the pokemon refused to let go.

Meanwhile, Graham was starting to get worry, when he was struck with an idea. "Calm down Zero and use Counter, quick!" shouted Graham. Almost instantly, Zero was calm and his body was surrounded by a red glow. He stood and attempts to strike the Growlithe with a red glowing punch.

Growlithe was growling away as he tried his best to bite down harder into the foe, though his jaw was locked as tightly as it could currently. That didn't stop his moment of inquisition when he noticed the glowing paw. His eyes widened, and a yelp was heard as the Riolu struck him in the gut.

The puppy released, tumbling back a bit from the blow. He got back up though, looking scuffed from the fight. He wasn't giving up just yet, though. The Pokémon ran in for another bite, attempting to fool the foe with a zig-zag running pattern! His teeth were showed behind curled lips as he dove in, jaws bearing wide in preparation to chomp down!

Graham grinned in triumph as he saw the Counter connect with the Growlithe's gut, watching as the puppy tumbled back a little hurt. His grin, however, turned into a frown when he saw how hurt his Riolu was. Graham then said "Alright Zero, quickly use Bulk Up and ready yourself."

Zero panted as he watched his opponent fall back, still in pain from his Bite attack. Upon hearing his trainer's command, the Riolu tenses his muscles and felt immediately felt stronger while the pain lessen. Then he quickly stood in a stance and struggled to keep track of the attacking Growlithe.

Graham noticing how much trouble Zero had keeping track of the orange puppy, quickly ordered "Zero use Foresight, don't let Growlithe confuse you and try to counter with Quick Attack!" The Riolu red eyes glowed blue and manages to follow the canine's movements. Zero then dashed towards Growlithe, aiming to strike the orange puppy first!

Growlithe took note of the change in tactic by the foe. He bulked up, and was staring at him with such ease. He snarled, quickly changing his trajectory. He began dashing around Riolu in a circle instead, Howling as the foe traced his every movement. It didn't guarantee a hit, but it sure made evading that much harder. 

The foe shot at him suddenly, Growlithe doing his best to remain on guard. That meant little to his ability to dodge, though. The foe was simply too quick. Riolu slammed into Growlithe's side. He yipped, rearing his head back and aiming to sink his teeth into the foe. He hoped it would work better this way, since the two were making contact already. It was nearly impossible to dodge in the split second it took to act!

'That is one tough Growlithe' thought Graham when saw that the pokemon was hurt, but not enough for the canine to faint. But he grew worried a bit when Growlithe prepared to use Bite again on his Riolu. Graham knew that Zero was too close, already making contact with Growlithe, for the Riolu to be able to dodge the attack. So he ordered "Zero use Bulk Up and brace yourself!"

Zero tensed his muscles, though that's all the pokemon managed to do before Growlithe's fangs sank into his shoulder. The Riolu howled in pain for a moment, the attack not hurting as much due to Bulk Up strengthening him at the last second.

"Now Zero use Counter, full power!" shouted Graham, knowing that this is a perfect chance to strike. Zero's body glowed a fierce red color, and aims a glowing punch at the orange puppy with his free arm. The roles have been reversed, it would be almost impossible for the Growlithe to dodge the attack!

The Growlithe was indeed tough, but that could only go so far. He growled, sinking his fangs into Riolu as he fought fiercely. However it wasn't enough, as the bulked up Pokémon swung a powered up fist at the pup one last time. It socked him right across the jaw, sending the Pokémon tumbling to the ground.

He was clearly heavy in damage, ad he tried to climb back to his feet. His legs wavered, collapsing as the last of his strength drained from his body. He just couldn't take any more. His body was broken, but would surely heal. Giving in to the darkness drawing near, the Pokémon fainted. 

Riolu gained some experience from the battle, but it wasn't quite enough to level up from. It would be wise to let the Pokémon rest before using him in battle again, though, as it was heavily damaged. Fortunately, Graham had two other Pokémon at his disposal until he could get to a Pokémon Center.

Watching as Zero howled in victory, Graham sighed in relief and let out a small smirk. 'Not bad for our first battle.' he thought, knowing that it could have gone either way. Graham carefully picked Zero up and put on his shoulder, being mindful of his injuries.

"Well buddy, you take a break for now, I'm sure Knight and Mirage can handle any pokemon we may encounter." Graham said to his Riolu, who nodded his head tiredly then nuzzled his trainer's cheek. Smiling faintly at Zero, Graham then turns his attention to the unconscious Growlithe. He knew the he couldn't leave the fainted puppy like that so Graham picked him up and layed him down on his nest.

"Alright then, we're off." Graham said, and started walking in the same direction they were before the battle with Growlithe, prepared for any wild encounter.

It was quite a way further before Graham would encounter anything interesting. Most of what he had seen were Bidoof and Starly, all of whom scattered quickly once spying the trainer. It was beginning to look like no Pokémon would be brave enough to approach him even if he wanted.
However a bush rustled out of the corner of the boy's eyes, a small pink body could be seen. It pulled back, the bush rustling again as a small twig snapped. The Pokémon had plucked a berry, and was eating it! Upon closer inspection, and a little help from the pokédex, the species became clear.



It was Nidoran♂! The creature was a small, quadruped rodent-like Pokémon. It was pinkish purple with darker spots, and had large, spiny ears, oversized front teeth, and red eyes. Its back was covered with many large spines that could release potent poisons if threatened. On his forehead, the threat of his long, pointed horn loomed.

However, it didn't seem as if this Pokémon was interested too much in fighting the trainer. His large ears twitched like radars, head turning to face the boy. He continued chewing his berry, tilting his head inquisitively at the trainer. He didn't seem dense at all, in fact rather personable and quite intuitive if anything.

'Well, this is new.' Graham thought as he watched the small rodent chewing on a berry. After constanly encountering pokemon who fled before he could even bring out one of his pokemon, this is the last thing he expected see. Graham realesed his Aron and told him "Stay close to me Knight but don't attack unless the Nidoran attacks first."

Knight nodded in acceptance as he walked with his trainer towards the rodent pokemon. Zero on the other hand took a hold of his trainer's head and growled, the Riolu didn't want the teenage boy anywhere near the poison rodent. Graham chuckled a little and said "Don't worry Zero, I just want to take a closer on the Nidoran." As he got closed enough, he asked the poison pokemon "Hey Nidoran, what are you doing out here?"

Nidoran was slightly wary of Zero, the Riolu. He could sense the hostility, and took a step back when Graham approached. However, the trainer didn't seem to pose a threat himself. Nidoran eyed the Riolu a bit, before turning his attention back to Graham once more. 

His ears twitched, listening to Graham as well as everything else around them. Once he processed the question, he looked back to the bush. He pressed his head into the foliage, pulling back to reveal an Oran Berry! He took a bite out of it, the rather inexplicable mixture of flavors bursting in his mouth. He seemed quite satisfied with it. Apparently this bush had just ripened, and had been the target as Nidoran's lunch!

"Well, that explains the berry and with you being out." Stated Graham, as he watched the Nidoran go in the bush and bring out an Oran Berry. 'Still, this is the second time we encounter a pokemon not native to Sinnoh. It's really strange.' Graham thought, noting that the rodent is still wary of Zero, who was currently giving said rodent a vicious glare.

Knight, meanwhile, was approaching the Nidoran while eyeing the Oran Berry bush curiously. The Aron then looks at the poison pokemon and tilts his head while making a few low grunts. It seems that Knight was asking if he could eat some of the Oran Berry. Graham just stood back, he wanted to see how this played out.

Though it was true that neither of the Pokémon who had presented themselves to Graham were native to Sinnoh, it was also true that swarms of Pokémon were known to gather in various areas. Generally started from Pokémon who had been released into the wild, populations steadily grew until they formed their own niches. 

Still, the interaction between Nidoran and Aron seemed to be mild, and almost cute as both Pokémon were relatively small. Nidoran tilted his head as Aron grunted, before bending down and using his beak like nose to roll the remainder of the berry to the Pokémon. Though Nidoran and the Riolu seemed to have static between them, it seemed he held no malcontent for the steel type.

Knight looked at the berry then looked at his trainer, as if awaiting permission to eat it. Graham sighed then nodded, he knew better than to argue with Knight about asking for his permission when the Aron wants to do something, since the Aron took the meaning of his name very seriously.

Knight, having his trainer's permission, took a bite out of the berry. The Aron closed his eyes as multiple flavors exploded in his mouth. Obviously, Knight enjoyed the berry as he ate the Oran Berry completely. After his quick snack, Knight turned to Graham and grunted, as if asking if they could stay a while. Realizing what his Aron was asking, Graham thought for a moment before answering "Well that depends if Nidoran has no problems with us staying here for a while."

Knight turned his attention back on the Nidoran and grunted, asking if he is okay with them staying for a while with him.

Nidoran tilted his head a bit, ears twitching as he took in the information. After a short moment of contemplation, he let out a nod. His ears folded as his head waved, too large to keep propped up comfortably while going through the motion. "Nido, nidoran!" He vocally agreed, though remained unsure of what the Aron wanted beyond the berry.

As if on cue, a young trainer appeared, rushing through the brush. Nidoran's ears bolted up, as he took a defensive stance. His spines bristled up, tips filling with poison in anticipation. "Hah, I knew there was a Nidoran around here!" The young boy shouted, grabbing for a pokéball before noticing Graham.

"Tsk, what do you want?!" The kid growled. He was probably around 8 or 9 years old, one of those little brats who got a rat for their birthday and decided they were a Pokémon Trainer, no doubt. "I called this Nidoran, he's mine! I'll fight you for him!" He tossed out his pokéball, a strange red bug appearing in the red light. "Go, Kriketot!" It seems the boy was challenging Graham to a battle, and he didn't have much say in the matter. The Kriketot seemed to be male, around level 7.

Zero growled at Graham, asking why was he letting Knight befriend a pokemon that he wasn't going to catch. Graham, already guessing his Riolu's question, said "Zero you know how Knight is, he's only social when we talk to him. This is the first time Knight actually interacted with another pokemon without my permission, even if he still waited until I allowed him to talk more with pokemon. It's great that he's completely loyal to me, but I want Knight to know that's all I want, his loyalty not his free will."

Zero knew from personal experience how Knight is so he understood his trainer's reasons for allowing this. However the conversation was interrupted when a young boy sprinted out of a bush.

The young trainer immediately challenged Graham before he could even said a word. Graham blinked before schooling his features into a poker face, and said "Kid, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into." "Knight take care of this." said Graham and Knight stood in front of his trainer, awaiting commands. Graham said to the young trainer "Your move, kid."

Nidoran was confused, glancing over as Graham stepped up. Was he really going to defend him? He found the act most peculiar, then again it might have just been because of how assertive the boy had been.

"Hah, fine with me!" The boy jeered, pointing to the enemy. "Kriketot, use Growl, then Struggle Bug!" Kriketot began immediately following his trainer's orders. The little bug let out an unnerving growl to lower the foe's attack. 

Right after, Kriketot's body became surrounded briefly by a red aura. It faded away, as the Pokémon waited for the opponent's attack. When the attack would near, Kriketot would burn a bright red aura, opening his arms to shoot out a huge dome of red energy from his body! It would likely block the incoming attack, as well as lower Aron's Special Attack if it hit.

Graham knew that Struggle Bug won't affect Knight that much, but he didn't want to risk lowering Knight's Special Attack since the Aron was already affected by Growl even if Knight didn't show it. Graham looked around the grass field before spotting a patch of ground near his Aron. Graham, having an idea, calmly ordered "Knight use Water Pulse on the patch of ground ahead of you."

Knight opened his mouth and a blue sphere of water was formed. He then shot the blue sphere at the patch which quickly turned into a mud puddle. "Now use Mud-Slap on Kriketot" Graham ordered. Knight dashed towards the mud puddle then slapped it with his body, causing a blob of mud to head towards the Kriketot.

By trying to fight the fate of Kriketot's Struggle Bug, Graham actually sealed it. When the mud slap was shot at the bug, he did just as he planned. Holding his arms out, the red dome of energy shot from his body, canceling out Mud-Shot and headed straight for Aron!

"Great, now Bide!" The boy called, Kriketot seeming to stew in his contempt. He was biding his time, preparing well to store energy to lash back at Knight.

Knight tried to jumped to the side as he saw the dome of enegy heading towards him, but the attack was just too fast. Being a Steel/Rock Type, the attack didn't do much damage but Knight still felt weaker, his Special Attack dropping.

Graham growled mentally, knowing that this battle just got a bit harder. Graham ordered "Knight use Harden then wait until Kriketot attacks." Knight stiffens his body as Harden took effect then stood in place, waiting until his opponent attacks.

The boy seemed to get way too excited when his move struck. Especially so considering that it barely did any damage. It was like hitting a Geodude with tackle - unless you could really bide your time, it wasn't going to work out well. In fact, Graham could potentially end this fight rather easily with a full on assault.

Kriketot continued biding his time, storing up any energy for a release. He growled lowly while staring at the Aron. It seemed they were currently in a stand-off. "That's right, Kriketot! Don't let him intimidate you!" The boy cheered. Right now it was worse than the Metapod vs Metapod battle...

Graham broke his poker face by sweat dropping, thinking 'I might've overestimated this kid. Screw it, this is taking too long.' Not in the mood to drag this battle out any longer, Graham decided to finish it with a full on assault.

"Knight let's just end this. Use Water Pulse then Mud-Slap and finish it with Dragon Rush, now." Graham ordered. Knight formed a blue sphere while dashing towards the mud puddle then he shot the Water Pulse at Kriketot with a mud ball following behind it, both of the attacks heading towards the bug pokemon at high speed. Knight's body was surrounded by a dark blue glow as he dash towards the Kriketot, aiming to hit the bug as well.