To Make Our Mark in History

A soft wind was blowing through route 36, stirring the treetops and cooling the warm earth. Pokemon of all kinds could be heard rustling through the grass and the bushes, all enjoying the sunny day, no doubt.

Brianne didn't pay any attention to the weather or the scenery, she simply marched on through the route without batting an eye. She had her mind set on something, and when she was focused it seemed nothing could break her out of her trance.

Trailing close behind her was a short blue Pokemon, walking at a brisk pace to keep up with his Trainer. The black markings along his eyes and limbs looked somewhat mysterious, but they were common for a Riolu like him. Brianne had always loved the "mystical feeling" that came from Riolu, and she often bragged about how he was the perfect partner in her quest to become an archaeologist.

Unfortunately, it seemed her dreams would have to be put on hold for a bit. She wouldn't be able to even begin her own expeditions until she had money. She took the advice of her grandfather and deciphered it into a strange pattern: Money comes from sponsors, sponsors come after fame, fame comes after doing something great. And as everyone knew, the greatest thing you could do would be to make your mark in the Pokemon League. As much as she would rather jump right to having money and starting expeditions, her grandfather insisted she start by working her way through a region, earning gym badges.

Besides, Brianne liked the idea of becoming famous for any reason.

After marching along for a good long while, the Trainer finally halted in a clear area. She placed her hands on her hips and took a good look around before nodding to herself. "Mhmm, this place looks perfect." she said approvingly. "You ready for this, Riolu?"

The blue Pokemon let out a noise similar to a bark, which was his typical way of responding to his Trainer. He had been waiting to begin training for quite a while now, and her words really sparked his excitement. He began jumping about, swinging his paws in a punching motion.

Brianne smirked and quickly prepared to begin their first training session in Johto.


Brianne gathered together a pile of small pebbles, each one no heavier than a peanut. She stood a distance away from Riolu, who was still punching the air enthusiastically as he awaited her orders. A laugh escaped the girl. "Alright, champ. See if you can hit these!"

Picking up one of the pebbles, Brianne tossed it forward, slow enough so that Riolu would have a chance to hit it. The Fighting type watched carefully until the stone was within hitting range, and he quickly struck it away with his paw.

"Not bad!" Brianne grinned. "Now, let's see if you can handle the next few..." she said as she picked up a few more, then threw them towards her Pokemon, one after the other.

Riolu panicked a bit when he saw the three pebbles coming at him, and he quickly swung his paws about in a frantic manner. He managed to hit two of them away, but the last one knocked against his chest before falling to the ground.

Brianne paused her throwing, watching the blue Pokemon carefully to be sure he wasn't hurt. "Try focusing on one at a time. Keep on your toes until the last second, then dig in and-- Whack!" She imitated hitting one of the stones as an example.

Nodding, Riolu took on a fighting stance once more to inform his Trainer that he was ready. In response, two more pebbles were sent flying towards him, both of which he was able to hit back quickly. Shortly after that, another came rushing at him, much faster than the previous stones. He was very proud of himself when he managed to hit that one back.

He didn't have time to rest, though, as more came at him with great speed. The Riolu hopped side to side, shifting his weight to be sure he wasn't lagging, then he swung his paws once more. He hit two, dodged one, then hit another... The process repeated itself until Brianne had finally run out of pebbles.

When it was over, Brianne's arms were sore from the constant throwing, and Riolu was panting. The Trainer put her hands on her hips and sighed deeply, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Good job, boy. Very good."

Riolu barked happily and ran over to his Trainer. He gazed at her expectantly, as if he were waiting for something.

Brianne glanced down at him and then rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine." she said grudgingly, though she couldn't hide her smile as she tossed a little treat to her Pokemon.

The Riolu grinned victoriously before greedily eating the little treat, almost swallowing it whole. The Trainer laughed and patted the Pokemon's head affectionately, then continued her walk down the route.

Brianne continued her trek down route 36, this time hoping to encounter some wild Pokemon along the way. She did want to train Riolu a bit more, but her main goal this time was to catch a Pokemon that could learn one particular move...

Flash. It was vital for exploring dark caves, which Brianne was sure she'd be doing sooner or later, especially when exploring to dig up ancient secrets.

If she were to be totally honest with herself, she preferred finding an Electric type Pokemon for this job, but she knew that Electric Pokemon were rare in this route. She heard that they only showed up during certain times, and she wasn't sure what it would take to find one.

Nevertheless, she continued her search for any wild Pokemon with Riolu close by her side.

A large deer-like Pokémon could be seen nearby. It was munching on some moss, and appeared to have strange orbs on its antlers. If one were well learned, or had a pokedex they could recognize it as a Stantler. It seemed content where it was, lifting its head and watching the trainer with mild interest.

Santler, Male. Level 9.

Brianne's eyes lit up as she noticed the deer-like Pokemon grazing in the tall grass nearby. She crouched down low, crawling as close to it as she thought she could without scaring it off.

Riolu followed, though he didn't bother trying to hide. He had a feeling that the Stantler knew exactly where Bree was, despite her (bad) attempts at hiding.

After crawling a bit closer, Brianne finally leaped out, boldly thrusting her hand out in an overly-dramatic manner to command her Pokemon. "Go, Riolu! Use Quick Attack!"

Riolu stared at her for a moment, wondering if she realized just how much energy she wasted on giving him simple commands. He turned his attention towards the Stantler and rushed forward using Quick Attack!

Stantler looked like a cow chewing cud, watching the strange human crawl towards him. Most Stantler might flee, but this one seemed content and confident. He continued chewing its moss idly as the baby Pokémon pinged into his leg. He looked down, swallowing that which was in his mouth. If it was a battle they wanted, a battle they would get!

Stantler stepped back, rearing up. He quickly came down, aiming to clip the Riolu short. Stunning the foe in the display was the real goal, as Stantler used Astonish!

Riolu certainly was surprised by the Stantler's attack. The Fighting type was hit, receiving a bit of damage in the process. Riolu jumped back to put a bit of distance between himself and his foe, then he awaited Brianne's orders.

"Tough guy, eh?" Bree snickered to herself. "Then we'll show you what we're made of! Riolu, use Force Palm!" she shouted a bit louder than she needed to.

Riolu barked in acknowledgement, then charged towards the Stantler. His paw began glowing as he pulled back, ready to unleash the attack, Force Palm!

Stantler was a bit shocked that the Riolu hadn't flinched. He surely wasn't expecting that! However, Stantler was quick too. He reared up, narrowly dodging the Force Palm from Riolu. 

He gaited backward, throwing his head around in an intimidating fashion. He pounded his hooves against the ground a few times in preparation, before rushing at Riolu! He lowered his head, aiming to Tackle the Riolu!

When the Stantler rose up on its hind legs, it looked much more intimidating than before. Riolu took half a step back, hoping his Trainer would give him instructions on how best to handle the situation.

Bree had to admit, the Stantler did look rather frightening, stomping the ground like that and swinging its horns about. But this was no time to study the Pokemon in such a way, as it was already moving in to attack. Brianne quickly snapped out of her thoughts and called out, "Use Dig!"

Riolu didn't need to be told twice. He quickly began digging, moving the dirt with such speed that he cared not that he was coating his Trainer with it. He just barely managed to duck down in the hole before the Stantler passed, then he continued digging in hopes of coming up beneath the wild Pokemon.

Brianne waited quitely, though she was anxious for her Riolu to pop back up. She only hoped he would be right on target.

Stantler was sure he was gonna hit. The little Riolu was frozen in fear of his immense size and show! He had this in the bag, he had...missed? Stantler stood, blinking a bit as he quickly glanced around. He clacked his hooves against the ground uneasily, wondering where the small creature had gone to. Suddenly, he figured it out. Unfortunately, that was only because Riolu had come bursting from beneath him, hitting his underbelly! Stantler grunted, stepping back once more. He snorted angrily, lowering his head and rushing again at the swift Riolu!

"Oh, yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Brianne cheered, dancing about triumphantly. She hand't expected Riolu to do so well with his underground move, but he had hit his target dead-on.

Unfortunately, the Fighting type was still shaking the dirt from his fur when the wild Stantler came rushing at him again.

Brianne looked up just in time to gasp and watch the Riolu get tackled. It didn't seem to hurt him too bad, but it still sent him sprawling back due to the size of the foe. "This guy's tough! Okay, Riolu, no more mister-nice-guy. Wait for him to come at you again, then get him with a Force Palm!" Brianne said.

Riolu looked over at her nervously, but he wasn't going to disobey. There were times he truly questioned his Trainer's state-of-mind, but that didn't mean he didn't trust her. The Fighting Pokemon spread his feet apart for balance, then he beckoned the Stantler to come at him, taunting the wild Pokemon.

Stantler threw his head around, proud in his attack. He stomped his hooves against the ground intimidatingly, preparing another attack. He lowered his head, rushing at Riolu for another tackle! The question would be if Riolu was brave enough to go through with his orders. After all, Stantler was several times his size.

The Stantler was heading in for another attack. Brianne couldn't tell if it was just nerves, or if the Stantler really was moving twice as fast this time. Regardless, she knew her Riolu would be able to handle it... or at least, she hoped he would.

If Riolu wasn't frightened by the wild Pokemon's display of superiority before, he certainly was now. He knew that if he missed, he'd be in worlds of hurt when the huge deer Pokemon collided with him.

"Steady, Riolu." Brianne called to him. "Don't chicken out on me!"

Chicken? Now that was insulting. If there was anything Brianne would learn about her own Pokemon, it's that he never backed down from a challenge. He pulled back his paw, gathering power and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He'd prove that he was capable of handling this Stantler, no matter how much bigger, stronger and scarier it was!

Stantler continued his charge forward. Even if Bree's plan worked, Riolu would likely take a bit of damage from the opposing attack. Still, it proved to be worth it as Stantler hit hard, meeting Riolu's paw. The sheer back lash of force sent him flying back. He certainly hadn't expected that kind of power from a baby Pokemon, and being a super effective hit he only felt it that much more! Stantler stood back up weakly. He huffed again, unable to accept defeat so easily weak as he may be. He charged one last time, attempting to tackle into the little blue Pokemon with his horns!

Riolu certainly felt when the Stantler collided with his paw. The force was enough to knock him back, too, and both Pokemon flew in opposite directions. Dizzy and disoriented, Riolu took a few moments to find his footing, and he unsteadily stood up on his feet, still trying to get the world to hold still.

Brianne bit her lip as she watched the two run into each other. She knew it was a risky move, but now the Stantler was right where she wanted it to be. It wouldn't matter if Riolu was dizzy now, as she didn't intend for him to continue battling much longer anyway.

Reaching into her bag, she removed an empty Pokeball, pushing the tiny button in the middle and causing it grow until it fit in her fist. Winding up with the enthusiasm of a pitcher on a Baseball diamond, Brianne sent the empty ball hurling towards the wild Stantler. She certainly hoped it was weak enough to catch, as she knew Riolu wouldn't be able to continue fighting until he'd regained his balance.

Stantler was too busy charging at Riolu to notice Bree chucking the small red and white ball at him. It hit him in the head, just before he managed to reach the small blue and black creature. The red light absorbed him inside, no doubt a relief to Riolu. The ball clapped shut, falling back to the ground where Stantler fought to break free. They were known to be difficult to catch, so no doubt it was at a high risk of being able to break back out. the ball shook vigorously, lighting up each time. A few shakes of the ball, and Bree could rest easy. the satisfying bing let her know, Stantler was hers now. Give him a nickname?

From the moment the Stantler was absorbed into the Pokeball, Brianne kept her fingers crossed and her jaw clenched shut, as though she could keep the wild Pokemon from breaking free using sheer willpower. It shook a few times, each little twitch of the ball causing the Trainer to flinch, but it soon lay completely still.

Silence passed between the girl and her Riolu. Neither one of them said anything as they exchanged glances, then looked back to the Pokeball. Brianne slowly moved in and picked it up, knowing there was a Pokemon inside. A grin spread across her face.

"I caught my first Pokemon..." She laughed. "We did it! Way to go, Riolu!" she shouted, turning to face the little blue Pokemon.

Riolu cheered and rushed over to his Trainer, still a bit wobbly after the battle, but he was very happy that he'd helped to catch another Pokemon for the team.

Brianne smiled at the Pokeball and thought for a few moments. "So, my first caught Pokemon... Maybe I should give it a nickname. How about..." She paused for a moment, then thrust the ball into the air as she boldly shouted the first name that came to mind. "Rudolph!"

Riolu was holding his breath, waiting to hear the oh-so-fabulous nickname that his Trainer had thought up for the Stantler, but after a few seconds passed in silence, he lowered his arms and stared at her.

"What? You don't like it?" Brianne asked. Her Pokemon simply shook his head in response.

She sighed. "Oh, fine then. No nickname. 'Rudolph' is a silly name anyway..." she muttered as she placed the Pokeball on her belt and continued in the direction of Violet City.

Riolu rolled his eyes and followed his Trainer. At least she'd worn off a bunch of energy during the battle. Perhaps now they could have a nice peaceful walk to the nearest Pokemon Center.