Life of a trainer

I've been quietly reading this for a little while now,and now it's time to say something. This is really good,like really REALLY good. I love seeing everytime a new chapters,thanks for posting them.

Thank you ^_^ I'm glad you like it. My current goal is to post one chapter each day. That being said: Chapter 7 - Departure Two weeks after Benny had evolved into a Butterfree, Andy and Henry were standing on the deck of a ferry, leaning on the rail and watching the trail the ferry left in the water. Drops of water splashed in their faces and the wind violently pulled on their hair. And it felt great. The two friends were smiling at each other, enjoying the travel towards the mainland, the region of Kanto. Their Pokémon were inside their Pokéballs, and all they needed was a look to know what the other was thinking. They were thinking the same thing and they were equally excited. The adventure would begin. Today they would arrive at the port of Vermillion City. A few days after Benny’s evolution, Henry and Andy had decided to become travelling Pokémon trainers and they had started by travelling across the island group they lived, starting with Rhando island, since they lived their. It wasn’t the first time they had walked through the forests or up to the large lake in the south. And they had been on a field trips with professor Maple from the lab in Lilan Town in the past, but it had seemed like a good start of the travel. The very first thing they had done after deciding they would start travelling was visiting Thomas Redcliff, who lived in the forest just outside their hometown of Mesperit City and who had given them advice on how to train Pokémon in the past. It wasn’t the first time they visited the other Rorie islands either, but now they would do so without parents or any kind of adult supervision. Which was great. After Rhando, they had visited Ornitan island, consisting mostly of grasslands with rivers and lakes. Then they had gone to Resto island, with a mostly rocky surface, a giant dormant volcano and some caves with lava lakes. Henri had caught a Poochyena here and his Nidoran had evolved in a Nidorino after battling a grumpy Slugma in one of the caves. After that they had visited Indelgy island and Evoru island, both with grasslands and forest, the most notable thing was watching a small Cyndaquil colony on Evoru. Although they had witnessed several wild Pokémon in their natural habitat and Henry had managed to catch a Poochyena, they felt they could learn much more in the other regions, as they had lived their whole lives on Rhando Island and it really wasn’t anything new hey had seen. And so they had returned to Rahdno island, where they boarded the ferry that would take them to Vermillion city. And now they were on their way to the Kanto region, with a feeling of freedom and excitement prevailing everything else it seemed impossible to do anything else but smile. Henry pointed to the north and Andy’s grin broadened as he looked at what his friend was pointing at. The land was in sight, they would arrive soon. After arriving in Vermillion City, Andy and Henry walked together through the city to explore it a bit. There were people walking the streets: tourists, citizens, some children were playing tag and there were trainers walking around as well. One girl was rushing to the Pokémon Centre and there was some talking about the tough gym leader Lieutenant Surge. Andy looked at Henry, who shrugged and walked on. He wasn’t interested in challenging the gym leader just yet. The friends walked to a cafeteria and ordered a refreshing soda, while sitting back and just relaxing. It was their first time alone in a strange city and so far, they were enjoying it. “Will you be alright without me?” Henry asked Andy. They had talked about it a lot and the two friends had come to the conclusion it might be best to go their separate ways. “I wonder how I’ll ever make it through each single day and… hey! There’s a Pokémon! See ya!” Andy pretended to get up, but sat down again, laughing. “It’ll be quiet alone,” he admitted, “but I’ll manage.” Henri nodded, he felt the same way. “Let’s make an agreement. In two years from now, at six pm, we’ll meet in Danny’s restaurant back in Mesperit City. And we’ll have accomplished at least a part of our goal.” Andy nodded in agreement. For now they would go their separate ways, but they would meet back so they could share their adventures. “Sounds like a plan. Shall we make the reservation now?” Henry started laughing. “Danny won’t know what happens to him, let’s do it!” Grinning, Andy took the cellphone his father had given him on they day he had left Rhando Island and dialled the number of the restaurant. “Hey Danny, it’s Andy here…Yes, Andy Bansing, that’s me.” He winked at Henry, who was chuckling as he brought the glass to his mouth. “So yeah, I’d like to make a reservation…no problem you say? Fantastic, that’s what I wanted to hear. It’ll be for today in two years. Got that? … Yes, two years.” Andy covered the speaker of the cellphone. “You think he has a hearing problem?” Henry quickly put his glass down as he started laughing, almost choking in the sip he had taken. Andy grinned as he took his hand from the speaker again. “So today in two years…yes, two years.” Andy sighed and rolled his eyes. Henry was almost falling out of his chair from laughing. “At six pm. For two. Got all that? … Yes? Fantastic, see you in two years then. You’d better not get broke in that time … right, see you!” Andy ended the conversation and put his cellphone away again. “I think he had some difficulties understanding. It was like ‘In two years? Really, two years you said?’... as if that’s so hard to understand.” “I wonder why,” Henry replied, finally able to drink again. “You’d think he’d be used to having reservations,” he continued with a dry voice. And that remark made Andy almost choke in his drink and they laughed together. After they paid for their drinks, the walked to a crossroad and there they were standing next to each other. Watching the people and buildings around them. Finally they looked at one another and almost simultaneous they took their Pokéballs and called their Nidorino and Butterfree out to join them. For a moment they just looked at each other silently, both realizing how strange it would be to be apart from now on. “Well, it’s time to say goodbye,” Henry finally said. Andy nodded and Benny landed on his shoulder, looking sadly at Henry and the Nidorino. “How about: ‘see you later’?” Andy proposed as he held out his hand. Henry nodded and took the hand of his friend to shake it. “See you later, Andy. Benny, you take good care of him, will you?” “Freee,” Benny said, in a sad tone. The two Pokémon talked to each other for a moment and when they were done, Andy nodded to his friend a final time, turned around and started walking away, waving to his friend as he did. “You’d better have won a league or two when we meet again.” “You’d better have your Articuno by then,” Henri retorted with a smile. A grinning Andy turned around, gave him a thumbs up, turned around again and continued to walk away, with a waving Benny on his shoulder. Henry watched him go for a moment, then turned around as well and started walking in the opposite direction. “Come on, Nido. Let’s start our adventure.” The Nidorino quickly looked back at the distant Andy and Benny, nodded and followed Henry. “Free,” Benny sighed and Andy looked towards him. “Don’t worry Benny, we’ll see them again. We promised to do that and we have each other number just in case. You should be happy, today we begin our adventure. I promised you that, remember? We’d explore the world together, go on adventures, save the world and retire when we’re thirty.” Benny sighed and Andy grinned. “Oh yes, I changed that to participate in battles, get stronger and generally just have a good time together." Benny nodded, looking more cheerful again and Andy gently stroke him. “We’ll do well, you and me. Maybe we’ll find some more friends for our team, what do you think?” Benny nodded more enthusiastically now and Andy nodded as well, eagerly looking at the road ahead. Wondering what kind of adventures would be waiting at the horizon.

Chapter 8 – Gym battle in Saffron City After he had left Vermillion City, Andy just followed the road ahead, sometimes walked through a forest, sometimes walking on the road. Sometimes he took his Butterfree out, sometimes he walked alone. He did as he pleased and was happy that way. In the forest he took time to observe the world of the Pokémon, on the road he accepted a challenge if it was given to him. The first city his travels got him to was Saffron City, where he walked around in the city, eating a hotdog he had just purchased. He stopped before a tall building with glass doors. The gym of Saffron city. As he finished his hotdog, he examined the building, trying to decide if he would challenge the gym leader or not. “It should be interesting,” he said to himself and full of confidence entered the gym, where he looked around in the large empty hallway. He shrugged and walked on over the blue floor, viewing the brown wall and pillars with lights. He noticed some people, but when he asked about the gym leader, they just pointed what way he had to go. Finally he arrived at a double blue door, which revealed the battle area of the gym after he pushed them open. “Hello there! I want to challenge the gym leader of this place.” A woman with long greyish-blue hair stepped forward and examined him. “I am Sabrina, the gym leader of the Saffron City gym. You want to challenge me?” “That’s what I’m here for,” Andy replied, cheerful as ever, not in the least intimidated by her expressionless face. “I’ve had a vision of your arrival. You should know I have had psychic powers since I was a little child.” “Nice. Did you wait in anticipation for my awesome person to finally arrive here?” “Are you mocking my powers?” Andy laughed. “No, I wouldn’t dare. Your powers don’t scare me away, on the contrary, I wonder how this battle will go. I’ve never dealt with a psychic before.” “I dislike fighting, but if you wish, I will show you my powers,” Sabrina said to him and Andy grabbed his Pokéball.” “Show them to me. This battle is getting more and more interesting.” “Very well. We’ll each use…” “I’ve only got one Pokémon,” Andy interrupted her. “I can’t battle with more.” Sabrina nodded as she took her Pokéball. “Very well. Come to the field, Kadabra!” As Sabrina’s Kadabra materialized on the field, Andy called his Butterfree to the field. “We’re up against a gym leader here, Benny. Give it all you got!” The two Pokémon stared at each other, Kadabra holding his spoon and Benny hovering in the air, just beating enough with his wings to stay in place. “Alright Benny, use tackle!” As Benny flew towards Kadabra as fast as he could, the Kadabra suddenly disappeared and Benny had to move his wings fast to stop him from crashing in the ground.” “What the…” Andy looked at the Kadabra who had appeared on another side of the field and pointed to it. “Benny, try it again.” As Benny flew towards Kadabra again, he teleported away again. “Behind you, use gust!” Benny flapped his wings and produced a gust of wind, but Kadabra teleported out of the way again. “Why does he move without any orders?” Andy asked Sabrina. She looked at him with her expressionless face. “I have psychic powers, Kadabra and I are connected. He knows what I want him to do.” “I’m glad that is solved. Benny, use stun spore!” Benny flew higher and released the spore from his wings. The Kadabra watched it, his eyes flashing red and the spores around him were stopped, surrounded by alight blue light. “Confusion,” Andy sighed, recognizing the light from when Benny used that move. “Psybeam!” Sabrina suddenly said out loud and Kadabra’s eyes started to glow red, releasing multi-coloured circles, hitting the Butterfree in the chest. Flapping wildly with his wings, Benny managed to stay in the air, panting a bit. “Benny, are you alright?” Benny nodded. “Let’s try and fight fire with fire, I mean psychic with psychic. Use confusion!” Benny’s eyes started to glow light-blue and a similar colour surrounded Kadabra. With his confusion, Benny knocked Kadabra on the ground, but as Kadabra got back on his feet, it was Benny who got surrounded by the familiar blue light. “Fr-eee,” Benny said with some effort, trying to move. Then he got slammed in the ground, only to be lifted up and slammed in the ground again.” “It’s over,” Sabrina simply said. “It sure seems that way,” Andy sighed as he took his Pokéball, aimed it at the fainted Butterfree and called it back. “If you want, you can come back for a rematch.” Andy sent an amused look in Sabrina’s direction. “One defeat is enough, thanks for the offer though. To win from your Kadabra… it’ll take more then what Benny can offer. It was an interesting experience nonetheless.” “Don’t you want the Marsh badge?” Andy shrugged. “I wasn’t planning on joining the league. Maybe I’ll return one day to show you how awesome Benny can really be, but I don’t have my mind set on defeating you. I just want to have a good time really, I can’t have that if I dwell on defeat. But I’ll consult Benny when he feels better again and let him know about your offer.” Andy winked and an eyebrow of Sabrina rose in surprise. “I’m afraid you’ll have to miss me, dear Sabrina, but maybe I’ll pop up in one of your visions again.” A confident grin appeared. “It was an interesting battle, maybe we’ll come back sometime, but I can’t promise.” With that, Andy walked away, whistling a happy tune as if he didn’t just lose. “Oh, hey, before I forget.” Andy turned around. “If Henry from Rhando Island comes by, tell him I said hi, ok?” With a happy smile, Andy walked through the double door, through hallway and left the gym, leaving a surprised Sabrina and Kadabra behind. After Andy left his Butterfree in the caring hands of nurse Joy, he wandered around in the city, reading a travel guide for trainers. “Let’s see… Pewter City is out of the question, as is Cinnabar Island. Oh hey, Fuchsia City, Benny will be at a disadvantage there, but Henry will like it. Maybe Celadon, Benny should stand a chance in there, and it’s close by.” He flipped through the pages as he was walking, barely noticing the city he was in. “But Lavender Town has this haunted tower. That I’ve got to see!” When it was time to collect his Butterfree, Andy returned to the Pokémon Centre, where he collected his Pokéball, thanked nurse Joy for her care and he continued on his way.

Chapter 9 – Encounter with a Mankey After a trip to Lavender Town, Andy was walking in the forest again, whistling a happy tune. Benny was flying around him, enjoying the walk in the forest. When Andy heard some leaves rustle, he looked up to see where it came from and noticed a white Pokémon with brown hands and feet, hanging by it’s tail in the tree. He watched the Pokémon as it released, grabbed another branch and played around in the tree like that. Benny flew towards Andy and held on to his shoulder, also looking at the Pokémon. “It seems like a cheerful fellow,” Andy said, taking his Pokédex. “Let’s see what this little device has to say about it.” He aimed the red device at the Pokémon and soon a voice told Andy what he needed to know. “Mankey, a Pig Monkey Pokémon of the Fighting-type. An agile Pokémon that lives in trees. Known for its superior footwork, it packs a powerful punch.” “That doesn’t sound to bad.” “Although Mankey is usually calm, it does have a bad temper. It angers easily and will not hesitate to attack anything,” the device continued. “Oh…that doesn’t sound to friendly. Maybe we should back away and leave it at peace.” Benny nodded and just as Andy wanted to turn around, the Mankey looked up. For a moment, the two stared at each other. As the Mankey started shaking a bit and his nasal breath turned rough, Andy swallowed and cleared his throat. “What did the Pokédex say about his temper again?” Andy whispered to Benny, who was hanging on his shoulder and lowered himself until just his eyes peeked over Andy’s shoulder. “Free,” Benny said softly, clearly uncomfortable with this Pokémon as well. “Mankey,” the Pokémon growled. “Right! I have an idea!” Andy said, raising his finger into the air. “Free?” “Let’s run.” Putting action to his words, Andy turned around and started running. The Mankey took of and chased him. “Benny! Don’t just sit there! Use your sleeping powder!” Benny let go of Andy’s shoulder, flapped a few times with his wings to stay in the air and turn around and faced the incoming Mankey. As he flew backwards, he released the sleeping powder from his wings. After two steps, the Mankey was blinking and slowed down. Two steps more and the Mankey fell on the ground, fast asleep. “Well done! I don’t know what I would do without you,” Andy complimented his Butterfree and he walked back to the Mankey. “It’s an interesting Pokémon.” Again Andy took his Pokédex and started to look up the information about the species. As he was doing so, he didn’t notice, the arms of the Mankey started to move again. Suddenly he heard the Pokémon speak and he looked up, right in his eyes. “Ah crap,” was all Andy had time for to say as the Mankey jumped forwards and on Andy, who fell back and used his feet to kick it off again, but the Mankey quickly turned around and jumped on Andy again. Benny was getting ready to use sleeping powder again, but Andy stopped him. “No. If you do that, I’ll fall asleep as well.” He wrestled with the Mankey a bit. “Speaking of which, we need to talk about your quality of powder, Benny.” The Butterfree sighed when hearing that remark, but kept flying circles over the wrestling pair, looking worried at the struggle between Andy and the Mankey. They wrestled until Andy was able to pin the Mankey to the ground, keeping him there with his body and keeping his arms pressed against the ground with his hands. “It seems I win,” Andy said, panting. The Mankey was wriggling to get free, glaring angrily at Andy. “Don’t give me that look, if you don’t like to lose, you just have to get stronger. And I can help.” The Mankey stopped moving and looked up, silently. “I think you’re strong, but you can get stronger. I can help with that. Why don’t you come with me? I can help you train, and offer food, shelter and good company, with both the stunning Benny and the to-awesome-for-words myself.” He offered the Mankey one of his disarming smiles. “What do you think?” Benny came down as well, holding onto Andy’s shoulder and started to speak to the Mankey, who looked at the Butterfree and replied to it. When their conversation was over, he looked at Andy and nodded. “Great, that’s what I wanted to hear.” Andy got up, releasing the Mankey again and dug in his pockets to look for a Pokéball. When he finally found one, he took the small ball out and enlarged it with a simple tap of his finger. “This is a Pokéball. It allows you to travel with me, without having to walk with me through wind, rain, blazing heat, snow… why can’t I have a Pokéball?” Benny chuckled, but the Mankey looked at him, not understanding. “Well, maybe Benny can explain it better.” Again, Benny talked with Mankey and Andy patiently waited for them to finish. When they were done, the Mankey looked at Andy and nodded. “Fantastic. Well, before we do that, I would like to give you a name.” Andy fell silent as he thought about it. “Bear. I think I’ll name you Bear. What do you think?” The Mankey nodded again, more cheerful now. “Alright, let’s move on to the next part.” Andy gently threw the Pokéball at the Mankey from where he was standing. The Pokéball hit the Mankey and as it opened a red light appeared, surrounding the Mankey and pulling it in. The ball fell on the ground, shaking as the red light on the button flashed. After a few seconds, it stopped shaking and the light went away. “I think that qualifies as a successful catch,” Andy said, picking the Pokéball up. “Welcome to the team, Bear.” He looked at his Butterfree. “In the Pokédex there was a mention about Mankey living in a colony. Do you know why this one was alone?” Benny had a bit of a sad look and nodded. “Left behind?” Andy guessed and he received a confirming nod from the Butterfree. “Why?” Benny looked at Andy, trying to think of a way to tell him. Then he turned around and flapped with his wings to produce a powerful gust. He then pointed to the Pokéball and made a second gust, a weaker one. Andy frowned and looked at the Pokéball. “Was he deemed too weak?” Again he got a confirming nod and Andy nodded as well. “It explains why he liked the idea of getting stronger. I’m glad we found him then.” Benny nodded to agree.

Aww great Chapter. It's still amazing,as always.

Chapter 10 – The dojo Following the path in the forest, Andy looked at the Pokéball in his hand. He had just caught a Mankey and he was glad he had found him. “Hey, Benny.” Andy looked up, stopped and looked around to see where his Butterfree had gone to. He noticed him a little further away, in a field of flowers, flying from one flower to the next. “Alright then,” Andy said, laughing. “We’ll take a lunch break.” He walked back to the field and noticed a small path. Following the path with his eyes, he soon discovered a wooden building on the other side of the field. By the looks of it, a dojo. “Perfect!” Benny stopped taking nectar from one of the flowers and looked at Andy, a quizzical look on his face. “The dojo over there, “ Andy explained. “I promised Bear I would train him, what better place is there to train a fighting type then a dojo? Let’s go there.” First things first though, he had to get to know his Pokémon before going to a place like that. He let Bear out of the Pokéball and offered him some canned Pokémon food he had with him, an offer the Mankey seemed to accept happily. He also offered some to Benny, but Benny seemed pleased with the flowers and returned to the field he had been flying through earlier. As Bear ate, Andy sat down with him and talked to him. He just talked to him, he told the Mankey who he was, where he was from, what his goal was, how he met Benny and things like that. After a while he pointed to the dojo and said it was a perfect place to train fighting types, especially awesome ones like Bear was. The Mankey looked at the dojo in the distance for a bit and nodded, but then turned his attention back to the food, it was the first time Bear had something like this, but he seemed to like it. When both Pokémon and Andy had enough, they packed up and started walking to the dojo, with the exception of Benny, who was flying. After a short walk through the field, Andy arrived at the open gate and looked inside, with both the Butterfree and the Mankey behind him. On the courtyard he noticed several trainers and their fighting types, training with their Pokémon, or battling against each other. In the doorway of the wooden building behind it, an older man could be seen, watching the trainers with his hands on his back and a stern look on his face. Andy turned to the Mankey. “Here’s what we do. You go back in your Pokéball and I will make sure we get to train here for a while.” “Key?” Bear asked. “I can’t have you go on some rampage because someone looks at you in the wrong way, then we’ll never be allowed to stay!” Andy explained, making slightly exaggerated movements with his arms. “Mankeeey,” Bear growled lowly, glaring at Andy. “Oh, don’t look at me like that! You attacked me when I just looked at you. Me! The most fantastic person who ever lived!” The Mankey blinked, surprised that Andy didn’t seem the least bit intimated. “What do you say?” Andy then asked. “Will you go back in your Pokéball for a bit? I’ll let you back out as soon as we get approval to stay.” Now the Mankey nodded and Andy returned him to the Pokéball. After that he turned back to look at the older man, who obviously was the one in charge. With Benny hanging on his shoulder, Andy walked forward, straight to the man. “Hi,” Andy said, without any further introduction. “I would like to train here with my Mankey.” The eyes of the man moved slowly to Andy. “You think you can just walk up to me and request to be trained?” he asked with a calm voice, but with stern expression on his face. “I think I just did that, yes.” Andy faced the masters stern face with a confident one of his own. “As for the training, I’ll take care of that myself, but I don’t have the proper attributes to use for the training. This place seems perfect to train my Mankey.” “If I’ll allow you to join the dojo to train your fighting-type, you’ll have to abide to the rules of the dojo.” “That’s fine.” “It’s not just the Pokémon who’ll receive training.” “That’s fine.” The dojocho, the owner of the dojo, examined Andy calmly. “You seem really bold.” “That’s f- I mean, I know what I want and I’ll go for it.” Andy shrugged. “I’ll abide to your rules and training if it’ll allow me to train my Mankey, but I’ll leave when I want to. I didn’t start this journey to spend the rest of my life here.” “You seem determined,” the dojocho mentioned, merely stating the observation. “Of course, this is a determined expression.” Andy pointed at his face as he said that, but thought about something and a grin appeared. “Or at least, I think so, I don’t have a mirror to check.” He turned to Benny. “Did I look determined?” The Butterfree nodded. “Ah, there we have it.” Andy looked back at the older man with a cheerful expression on his face. “Seems you were right.” The master of the dojo stared at Andy for a moment, but suddenly burst out in laughter. “Alright kid, you’re accepted to the dojo. You’ve got spirit, I’ll give you that much. How you are as a trainer will soon be revealed.” The older man nodded at him. “I’m called Master Juno or just Sensei.” Andy nodded once and reached out his hand. “I’m Andy Bansing, I don’t carry any titles yet.” Juno smiled and shook Andy’s hand. “Give it some time, you will earn any title you wish. I’m certain of that.” The days followed each other rapidly as Andy spent his time in the dojo with the newest addition of his team. In this time he got to know his Mankey. Even though the Mankey, just like others of his kind, had a very short temper, he learned it had a playful nature. The first day he had stood on the sideline and just let his Mankey watch, allow him to get used to both Humans and Pokémon. The second day the training started. Andy let his Mankey practise his moves on a wooden dummy, but also stepped up as training partner himself, strapping a wooden plank on his arm, patted with cotton and wool on the inside to absorb the blows the Mankey made on the wood. And he let him train with Benny. Both Pokémon grew stronger and Andy was pleased with how well the training went, but there was one thing he couldn’t control: Bears temper. The Mankey still got angry or aggressive very easily, but not at Andy. He liked his new trainer, who trained with him, wrestled with him and played with him. All the rest of the dojo, that was a different story. Many times Andy had to call him back to his Pokéball, or have Benny use his sleeping powder to put him to sleep or have Benny use a tackle to divert the attention of the Mankey. His time in the dojo also allowed him to observe and he was often seen with a notebook and a pen, to write down things he noticed about the behaviour of Pokémon and the interaction between Pokémon and their trainers. It didn’t take long for Andy to have talked with everyone at least once. He could get along with some just fine. With others not so much. Some were fun to hang out with, others not. But overall he enjoyed himself there. At one day, most the attendants of the dojo had gathered in a large room inside the building for a series of battles. There was no structure, anyone was free to challenge anyone and those who didn’t battle, observed from the sideline. Andy was standing in the middle of the room, two other battles were taking place at the same time, but he hardly noticed. His attention was focussed on the opponent in front of him. A Machop with his trainer, a guy called Matt and who was five years older then Andy, but relatively new with fighting-types. “Alright Bear, let’s show them what you’ve got.” The Mankey jumped up, landed on his hands, walked around on his hands a bit, jumped back up and landed on his feet. Andy smiled, enjoying the playful nature of his Pokémon, but his opponent couldn’t laugh with it. “Hey! A battle is serious business!” Matt shouted from the opposite side. Andy sighed, wondering why he always ended up with such serious opponents. Bear glared angrily towards the opponent and started breathing through his nose. “Let him talk,” Andy said, before Bear would rush towards their opponent. “He’s just jealous he can’t do what you just did.” The Mankey calmed down, hearing Andy’s words and calm voice. He gave it a moment of reconsideration and raised his arms in a victory sign. Andy couldn’t help himself and burst out into laughter. “That’s the spirit, Bear! Now, are you ready to fight?” A sudden serious look came over the Mankey as he faced his opponent, placing his feet firmly on the ground and holding his arms in striking position. “We’re ready,” Andy announced to his opponent. “Feel free to make the first move.” Bear looked over his shoulder to Andy, who winked at him. “We’ve got to give them a fair chance, right?” Bear nodded enthusiastically and returned his attention to the opposing Machop again. As the Machop run forward for a low kick, Andy ordered a focus energy for Bear. Then he ordered fury swipes and the Mankey run to the Machop, hitting him several times, before jumping back to where he began. When their opponent ordered a karate chop, Bear jumped aside or leaned backwards to escape the chops and after Andy calmly asked it, landed a low kick himself. After a well places karate chop, the battle was over. “Nicely done! So. Who wants to be Bears next opponent?” Andy asked looking around, but no-one came. Bear was jumping from one foot to the other, happy with the victory and because it was just fun to do. “Nobody?” Andy looked at his Mankey, clearly still full of energy and took his Pokéball to call Benny out. Bear immediately turned to Benny, ready to fight. “Man, Mankey, Man?” Bear asked him. Benny nodded. “Freee!” The two engaged in battle, Andy stood aside, watching them and giving out orders to both. Bear was at a disadvantages and the Mankey knew that, but he always seemed to like the challenge Benny posed to him and Benny usually stuck with tackles and evading attacks, instead of using the moves Bear was weak to, like gust or confusion. On the other hand, Bear had gotten stronger and more agile, so it wasn’t long before both Pokémon were panting. “Alright you guys, that’s enough.” Andy took Benny’s Pokéball and called him back. “I’ll battle your Mankey,” a voice behind Andy spoke and he turned around face one of the students of the dojo, a guy about his age called Jason. Unlike Matt, with whom Andy actually got around with pretty well, Jason was just annoying. “So let me get this straight,” Andy said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “When I asked if anyone wanted to battle, you didn’t come. Now that he’s tired from a battle with Benny, now you want to fight? No way.” “What?” Jason asked with an artificial innocent tone in his voice. “Is your Pokémon to weak? Or a coward perhaps?” Andy wanted to reply to that, but Bear jumped up, landed between them and glared at Jason. The eyes from Andy moved from Jason to his Mankey. “Bear, no. He just wants an easy victory. Don’t let him talk you into a fight like that.” The Mankey ignored him, breathing heavily through his nose. “Bear! Don’t give into his taunting.” “Mankey,” the Pokémon growled. “Bear,” Andy sighed, as he walked around the Pokémon to stand in front of him. “Now listen to me. You don’t have to prove how awesome you are. I know how awesome you are, you know how awesome you are. Benny knows how awesome you are. That’s all that matters. That Jason doesn’t know is his loss. You don’t have to prove a thing. You are neither weak nor a coward, you know that, as do I. You are the most awesome Pokémon in the building, so you don’t have to feel attacked if this nitwit doesn’t know that. It’s a waste of time to prove him wrong, all that matter is that we know how fantastic you really are. Got it?” Bear nodded, but Andy wasn’t done yet. “This one here is a waste of our precious time. He had the chance to accept our challenge and was too chicken to do so. Now that he sees you’ve had an exhausting battle with Benny, now he wants to battle. He really just wants to defeat you, don’t give him that pleasure.” Bear shook his head, looking fiercely towards Andy. “Really Bear, as awesome as you are, you must know your limitations as well. You are tired, what point is there to deny that?” “Mankey! Mankey, mank!” “Seriously Bear, you get all worked up over nothing. He is not worth our time.” The Mankey calmed down a bit and leaned to the right, so he could watch the student behind Andy, then shrugged and jumped up to one of the wooden beam, which he held onto with his tail and feet and gently swung, watching the trainers and their Pokémon below him. “If you really want to battle, Jason, come back in half an hour, after two battles he deserves a break.” Andy didn’t look at Jason when he said this, and he meant it, he would give Jason a chance to battle Bear, but only after Bear could rest for a bit. Jason left without saying a word, but his place was quickly taken by the dojo’s master, Juno. “You made a good decision there. I think, with some time, your Mankey will be able to control his temper. He has already made a great improvement since the first day under your guidance.” “I do my best,” Andy said with a confident smile, but the smile faded and he looked towards the open gate. “I think I’ll be leaving soon,” he continued. “There’s only so much he can learn here, and the same counts for me. I feel we learned pretty much we can learn here and all there’s left is to improve those skills. I can do that on the road, I don’t have to stay here for that and I don’t want to. I want to explore what else is out there.” “You’re right about that,” Juno agreed. “It was good having you here, Andy. I’m sure you’ll do fine on your travel.” “Thanks for your confidence.” Andy grinned and turned to the dojocho. “But I agree.” Juno laughed. “With a positive attitude the battle is half won and the goal half reached. And you seem to have an unending supply of optimism. Take your benefits from that and good luck.” He reached out his hand and Andy took it to shake it. “Thanks for the experience, master Juno. I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’m sure Benny and Bear had a great time as well.” When he let go of Juno’s hand, Andy turned to Bear, still swinging on the wooden beam. “Bear! We’re leaving!” The Mankey jumped down and landed next to Andy, who took Bears Pokéball and called him back. After a final goodbye to the other trainers and the master, Andy left the dojo to continue his journey.

Chapter 11 – A stubborn Mankey After his stay in the dojo, Andy had wandered around in the area of Kanto, sticking to the forest mostly as he just preferred the scenery. What he really liked were mountains, but he hadn’t seen any of those yet. One of the trainers he had met during his travel had mentioned Mt. Moon, so he decided to definitely go there. And now with his Mankey he had a fair chance in the gym there, if he would challenge the leader. Andy was sitting against a tree now, examining a map. His journey had started in Vermillion City, then he had travelled to Saffron city, with the lovely gym leader and her Kadabra. After that had visited Lavender Town with the haunted Pokémon tower, that had been quite interesting. And somewhere on his travel towards Fuchsia City he had come across the dojo, which had been quite an experience as well. Andy was planning to visit the Safari Zone. He was really curious about that. And a gym was located in Fushsia City as well, but it wasn’t of much concern to Andy, who didn’t feel like collecting badges, unless the master seemed like someone interesting to meet. After Fuschia City he was thinking about heading to Celedon City, followed by a travel through the forest straight to Mt. Moon. Putting his map back in his backpack, Andy started whistling a happy tune, a tune he continued as he got up on his feet started walking again, with his hands casually behind his head. The sun shone down on him and even though it was a warm day, Andy was glad with the good weather he had so far. A journey like this would be a lot less fun in the pouring rain. Or a blizzard. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice someone had walked up to him. “How about a battle?” a female voice from behind him suddenly asked and Andy turned around. “Sure, why not?” Andy watched the girl and had a charming smile for her. “I'm Andy.” “Clair.” She took out a Pokéball and threw it in the air. “Psyduck! Come out and fight!” The Pokéball opened and released the Pokémon inside, revealing the yellow duck-pokémon. Andy also took a Pokéball and he watched it for a moment. Bear was not the best decision in this fight, Psyduck was maybe a water type, but it could learn psychic attacks. He could use Benny, but Benny had been in a tough battle not to long ago and was not fit for a battle against a Psyduck. That, and Bear seemed to enjoy the challenge. So he called him to the field and judging by the smirk that appeared with Clair, she knew of the type disadvantage. “Don't think I made a mistake here,” Andy informed her. “This is a calculated move.” Maybe she believed it, maybe she didn't, but Andy didn't care as he really had thought about it. A confident grin appeared on his face as he was looking forward to the battle. The Mankey was doing some stretching exercises, barely giving the Psyduck any notice. “Alright Bear,” Andy said. With these words the Mankey stopped his stretching excersizes and focussed his attention to the opponent. “Low kick.” The Mankey ran to the Psyduck, aimed for it's leg and tripped it, making it end up on it's back, but it quickly got up again. “Use watergun!” Clair ordered and a beam of water hit the Mankey, who held his arms crossed before his face to block the force of water. “Very nice Bear! Focus energy!” Bear planted his feet firmly in the ground and a glow surrounded him for a moment. “Now fury swipes!” Bear ran to the Psyduck and hit it several times. The Psyduck was driven back by the attacks and seemed unable to defend itself against the fury swipes. “Confusion!” Clair ordered and the eyes of the Psyduck started to glow blue. The same colour surrounded Bear, who was lifted from the ground. Bear struggled to break free, but it was useless, the confusion attack had him firmly in it's grasp. Bear was slammed into a nearby tree and sank on the ground. “Bear?” The Mankey got up again, glaring at the Psyduck. “Use your karate chop.” Bear rushed to the Psyduck, raised his claw and hit it, but after Clairs order, a watergun hit him directly in the face and he stumbled back. As he shook the water from his fur, Clair ordered another confusion and just like the last time, Bear was powerless as he rose above the ground. “M-Mankey,” the Pokémon growled. “Hang in there, Bear!” The Mankey glared at Andy. “I mean, don't give up. Sorry,” Andy said, rubbing the back of his neck, the choice of words had been rather poorly and Bear had every reason to glare at him like that. The Mankey was slammed against a tree and then on the ground. With some effort, he got back up again, breathing heavily through his nose. Not as a sign of fatigue, but of anger. “Use your Seismic toss.” Mankey nodded, run to his opponent, grabbed him by the arms and started spinning around. After a few spins, he let go of the Psyduck, which flew through the air, against a tree and dropped on the ground, fainted. Clair called her Pokémon back, looking at Andy with a small frown, followed by a smile. Andy didn't notice, as his attention was on his Mankey and he slapped Bear on his shoulder. “Nicely done!” “How about a second match?” Clair asked, but Andy shook his head. “No thanks, this was a though battle for Bear, he should...” “Are you scared?” Clair interrupted him. “Are you afraid you'll lose? Are you weak?” The Mankey started shouting and jumping up and down, agitated by her words. “Calm down Bear,” Andy told his Mankey. “We've talked about this before. Don't let yourself be taunted like that.” “Mankey! Mankey, man, mankey!” Bear said, shaking his head and glaring at Clair. “No Bear, you need your rest.” “Mankey,” Bear growled as he glared at Andy. Andy didn't back away and they stared at each other for a moment. “Fine,” Andy finally said. “If you don't want to listen to me then we'll fight. But if you end up in the Pokémon Center, I'm going to tell you I told you so.” The Mankey turned around and beckoned Clair to call her Pokémon. She had an Ivysaur this time and the battle began. Just as Andy predicted, after the last battle Bear was in no shape to win this and even though he could land a few hits on the Ivysaur and take a few hits from it, a vine whip ended the battle and Bear lay unconscious on the ground. Andy sighed, took his Pokéball and called him back. He then looked at Clair. “Clair, that was a good battle. I hope it knocked some sense into my Mankey.” “Why did you let hem fight if you were against it?” Clair asked, with a hint of disdain in her voice. “You are the trainer.” Andy shrugged and showed a smile. “I let my Pokémon have a say in the matter, they're the ones doing the fighting after all. And this was a good lesson for Bear.” He really couldn’t care less what this trainer thought about it. “Excuse me now, I have to take him to nurse Joy.” With this, Andy turned around and continued his walk over the path, leaving the female trainer behind. It had been a nice battle, sure, but that was it. He really didn’t feel the need to form any kind of friendship with this trainer. The trees on both sides cast their shadows on the path, giving a break from the sun that was shining relentlessy on the land. Andy looked at the Pokéball in his hand as he walked, even though he wouldn't admit it, he was concerned about his stubborn Mankey. He sighed, putting the Pokéball in his pocket, and followed the path until he found the Pokémon Center that had been marked on the map. The building looked like any other Pokémon Center, as did the nurse who run it. Walking up the counter he first gave a cheerful greeting and then handed in both his Pokéballs, while he told the nurse what had happened. She promised to take care of them and Andy took place on one of the chairs, where he waited until nurse Joy was done. As always, the waiting part was the most agonizing. Minutes seemed to pass like hours and there was little distraction for him. He was leaning on his own knees with his elbows, the fingers of his hand intertwined, and he waited like that. Suddenly the door opened and Benny came flying to him, he sat upright and Benny landed on his lap. Nurse Joy said his Butterfree was alright, but that his Mankey needed a bit more care. Andy nodded as he watched her retreat to the examination room and stroke Benny on the head. “Feeling better again?” Benny nodded. “Good, now we wait for Bear.” It took another hour before nurse Joy came forward with the Mankey next to her. She handed Andy his Pokéballs and told him everything was alright. Andy thanked her for her care, turned to his Mankey and looked at him as an eyebrow slowly rose. “I told you so.” “Mankey,” the Pokémon growled. “I said I would say that,” Andy said, waving his index finger at his Pokémon. “You deserved it. I'm not saying I'm the best trainer in the world. Well, I am, the world just doesn't know that yet, but regardless of that, I know what I'm doing, Bear. You should listen to me. If I decide we're not accepting a challenge, it's not because I think you're weak, but because I see you're not going to make it through to the end. Sure, we can lose when we accept a challenge when you're in perfect shape, but to start a battle when you're clearly tired has little use. That girl knew she could get a victory now, that's why she tried to talk us into it. Well, tried, she succeeded.” Andy stroke the fur on top of his head. “An awesome Pokémon like you doesn't have to prove himself in battle. It's their loss that they don't know. Keep that in mind, ok?” Bear nodded and Andy grinned. “Perfect. Now, let's eat.” “Mankey!” Bear said, jumping enthusiastically up and down and Benny also nodded eagerly. The grinning Andy thanked nurse Joy again for her wonderful help and left the Center with his two Pokémon, to look for a decent thing to eat.

Chapter 12 – The travel so far The fourteen year old Andy found a Caterpie in the forest near his hometown Mespirit City on Rhando Island, the largest of five islands called the Rorie-islands, when he was enjoying a picnic with his friend Henry and Henry’s male Nidoran. Andy named the Pokémon Benny and with him started his career as trainer. It didn’t take long for Benny to evolve into a Metapod and after two more battles, a double battle with Henry which they won epically and a tough battle against a Vespiqueen, he evolved into Butterfree. Shortly after, Henry and Andy left Rhando island to start their adventure as trainers in the Kanto region, where they wished each other good luck and left on their own journey. The journey in Kanto had started in Vermillion City and from there he had travelled towards Lavender Town where Andy had visited the haunted Pokémon Tower. After that he had travelled to Saffron City, where he had fought and lost his first gym battle against the psychic gym leader Sabrina. After that he had decided to go to Fuschia City, as he was curious about the Safari zone that was located there. On this trip Andy met a short-tempered Mankey, which he invited to go with him after wrestling the Mankey and pinning him down. He named the Mankey Bear and the first training Bear received was in a dojo, where he proved he was both strong and stubborn, the latter resulting in a loss against an Ivysaur not long after leaving the dojo. When Bear was recovered from the tough battle, Andy left the Pokémon Center and treated his Pokémon to a fantastic meal, a takeaway hamburger meal, and continued his travel towards Fuschia City. In Fuschia city Andy spent a while in the Safari Zone, observing the Pokémon living there. He also met with Koga, the gym leader there, but didn’t challenge him to a battle. The travel continued and as he earlier had decided, he headed to Mt. Moon, as he was curious about that. He took his time going there, going over the water and passing a place called the 'Seafoam Islands' where supposedly Articuno resided, but he didn’t see it. Which was too bad, because he really would have liked to have seen the legendary Pokémon ever since he had joked about catching it one throw with a regular Pokéball, that day he had found Benny. The travel took him through Cinnebar Island, Pallet Town, Viridian City, the Viridian Forest and ended in Pewter City. It was quite a travel and he often stayed a few days in each town or village he travelled through, spending some time in the area to see what Pokémon lived there, as he really wasn’t in a hurry. Along they way, when he closed in on Pewter City, he accepted a challenge, one of many he had accepted during the travel (all of them epic battles in which he displayed his awesome skills, even those he lost), and in that battle his Mankey evolved to a Primeape. And with Bear he also was able to defeat the Pewter City gym leader and earn his very first, and so far only, badge. In Mt. Moon he met a colony of Clefairy and Clefable and he spent a few hours there, observing them. Another thing he found in the cave system of Mt. Moon was a Moonstone, it was lying there on the ground and he picked it up, deciding it would be a present for Henry when he would meet up with him again, in the restaurant where they had already reserved a table. He travelled through Mt. Moon end ended in Cerulean City, where he decided to challenge the water gym and after a though battle he won with his Butterfree. That made his total count of badges two and he was pleased with that. From Cerulean City it was easy to travel back to Saffron City and he had a good reason to do so. He had talked with another trainer about the Johto region and he wanted to visit it, he felt he had seen most of the interesting things in the Kanto region and the trainer had made him especially curious about the Sprout Tower. So back to Saffron City it was. Finally back Saffron City Andy first visited Sabrina and when she asked if he was there for a rematch, he laughed and said he still didn’t have a Pokémon that could defeat her Kadabra and that he had just wanted to see her. After spending some more time in the gym and learning about the psychic types that were there, he boarded the magnet train, all eager to explore the region and meet new trainers and Pokémon. The magnet train brought him to Goldenrod City in the Johto region. A travel he spent most time reading in the trainers guide of Johto, a book he bought at the magnet train station, just like he had bought such a book at the port in his hometown about the Kanto region. It probably only seemed that way, because he was caught up in his reading, but soon enough Andy arrived in Goldenrod city.

Chapter 13 – The day-care After the magnet train had opened it’s doors in Goldenrod City, Andy stepped out and looked around. The tall buildings and many people here made it obvious that this was a big city, like Saffron City was. He walked over the clean pavement in the crowd of people, actually enjoying the walking in the busy street for a moment. He had walked a lot through forests, so this was a welcome change to him. At a crossing, he chose a less crowded road to follow and at the next crossing he did the same. The building were getting smaller as he continued to follow his chosen direction and less cars were driving on the road. It was clear he had left the busy city centre and had moved to the residential area, with an occasional shop or cafeteria. The people on the streets barely noticed him, a common feat for people living in a large city, as Andy already knew. He wasn’t bothered by it, if he needed someone to talk to, who would just walk up to someone, or bring out one of his Pokémon. Casually strolling over the pavement, Andy noticed an old lady leaving a small grocery store, holding two brown paper bags in her arms. Andy fastened his pace and walked up to the lady. “Good day, madam. Maybe I could help you with those?” The old lady, whose grey hair was tight in a bun on the back of her head, looked up to the taller Andy and smiled. “That is friendly of you, young man. If you could take one of these bags, that would surely help me.” “No problem!” Andy said as he took one of the paper bags out of her hands. “Do you live far?” “Oh, just about twenty minutes of walking I suppose, I live just outside the city with my husband.” Andy nodded to that, to show he was okay with that. “I’m Andy, by the way.” “Nice to meet you, Andy. I’m Sophia.” The two walked for a moment in silence as Andy watched some children playing on the sidewalk. A Chansey came running towards the children, letting out worried sounds and gestured towards the house. He concluded the Chansey must belong to the parents and had gotten the job to look after the children. “What is a young man like yourself doing in Goldenrod City?” the old lady asked and Andy shifted his attention back to her. “I’m travelling the world as a Pokémon trainer to learn about Pokémon and there wasn’t much left to discover in my hometown.” “Where are you from?” “Rhando Island, Mesperit City.” “We’ve been there on vacation years ago,” the old woman sighed with a happy smile. “It’s a beautiful island.” Andy wholeheartedly agreed and the two talked about the island. Andy hardly noticed how they left the city and only came across a couple of lone houses, until they reached the old lady’s house. She opened the porch for Andy and invited him in for a cup of coffee, to thank him for the trouble. Andy gladly accepted that and followed the old lady over the white pebbles that served as a path from the porch to the front door. Even though he didn’t see any, he heard the sounds of Pokémon. He decided to ask later, as he liked the prospect of coffee. “George?” the old lady asked as she entered the house. “I brought a guest.” “Really now?” An old man came from another room and observed Andy for a few moment, before coming closer and holding out his hand. “I’m George.” Andy took his hand and shook it. “Andy, nice to meet you.” “I promised him coffee,” Sophia said. “Will you make some?” “Of course,” George said and he gestured to the bag Andy was holding. “You can give the groceries to me, lad. I’ll put them away. The living room is behind that door, make yourself comfortable.” Andy nodded, handed the old man the bag and went into the living room. The living room was small, but cosy. There was a brown leather couch and two comfortable leather chairs. A small table was in between the couch and chairs and had a white table-cloth over it. On the floor was a thick carpet and on the window-sill were several potted plants, a few larger potted plants stood in a corner of the living room. In the other corner was a small television set. Andy took place on the couch and a few minutes later, the old couple entered the living room. George held the door open for Sophia, who held a platter with a coffeepot, three cups with a floral pattern on it, a small jar of milk and a small bowl filled with white sugar. She placed the platter in the middle of the small table and poured coffee in the three cups. “Milk and sugar?” Sophia asked Andy. “No thank you,” Andy responded politely. “I drink my coffee black.” He reached out to take the cup from the old lady “Sophia here told me you’re a trainer,” George said. “From Rhando island.” “That’s true.” Andy held the cup lightly between his fingers and blew on the hot liquid inside, it was nice to sit down for a moment and just enjoy a cup of coffee. “We are visited often by trainers,” the old man continued. “We run a day-care here.” “Ah,” Andy said, as he lowered the cup. “So that’s where those noises came from, I thought I heard Pokémon. Do you keep a lot of them here?” George shook his head to that question. “Not too much, we want to properly take care of the Pokémon here. Would you like to see them?” “Of course!” Andy immediately said, and he was about to put down his cup as well. Sophia shook her head with a small smile on her lips. “Come now boys, drink your coffee first. The Pokémon will still be there when we’ve finished it.” A grinning Andy brought his cup to his mouth to take a sip. He was glad he had come across the day-care lady in Goldenrod City, he hadn’t visited a day-care yet and it had been on his to-do list. After they had talked about his travel so far and the island he came from, while enjoying freshly brewed coffee and home-made cookies, George invited Andy to come along and took him to the backyard, where several Pokémon were walking around. There was a Mareep grazing some grass, two Skitty’s who were playing together, a Donphan was sleeping in a corner, a Vulpix was cleaning her fur and Parasect curiously walked towards them. “Would you mind if I let my Pokémon rest there?” Andy asked and George made an inviting gesture to the field. “Be my guest. There is plenty of food and good companion for them.” Andy quickly dug up his Pokéballs and called his Butterfree and Primeape. “Why don’t you two rest a bit here, you can eat and get to know some other Pokémon. I’ll be inside the house.” The two Pokémon nodded and turned to the Parasect that had already asked them a question in their Pokémon language. Andy watched it for a moment, before following the old man back into the house. “Can I help out in the day-care?” Andy bluntly asked, feeling he could learn much more here then on his travel. George looked at him for a moment, before nodding. “We could use a pair of young arms. But wouldn’t you rather continue your travel?” Andy made a dismissing motion with his hand. “The world will still be there to travel in after a few days, I can learn a whole lot more here. If you’ll just feed me and my Pokémon and offer a place to sleep, I will work for free.” The old man started to laugh. “You’re straightforward. I like that. Agreed, you and your Pokémon can stay here and help out for as long as you like.” A grinning Andy held out his hand and George shook it to seal the agreement. Andy was really glad he had come across the day-care lady now. This was certainly going to be a great experience.

Chapter 14 – Working in the day-care The days quickly passed as Andy was working in the day-care. He helped George feeding the Pokémon and cleaning their place. He helped Sophia in the kitchen to prepare food for the Pokémon guests as the couple referred to them. He took every chance he had to ask George about Pokémon and he soon learned George had acquired a lot of knowledge over the years. Between the feeding and cleaning, Andy spent a lot of time outside, just sitting somewhere and observing the Pokémon. A trainer had picked up her Parasect, but another had dropped his Diglett and Machoke off. The moment Bear noticed the Machoke he glared at him and a rivalry between the two was born. Both Benny and the Diglett tried to settle things between them, but to no avail. With a sigh Benny set down next to Diglett and together they watched a staring contest that had unfolded between the two fighting-types. Andy watched it as well and shook his head, but decided not to intervene. All he did was remind Bear that the Machoke had to be in the same or better condition when the trainer returned. “So don’t beat him up,” Andy added, waving his index finger to emphasize his words. Bear grudgingly accepted that, but didn’t stop glaring towards it. “Benny! How about a walk?” Andy asked, deciding that would be a better way to spent the free afternoon then watching his uptight Pokémon. Benny looked at his wings, his eyes sparkling with a withheld laughter. Andy didn’t withheld, he just laughed. “Alright, you’ll fly and I walk. How about that?” “Free!” Benny said, flying up and he started to circle around Andy. “Bear, behave while I’m gone. I don’t want to see that Machoke all battered and bruised when I get back. Ok?” Bear grumbled but nodded. Benny waved to the Diglett and followed Andy who had turned around and entered the house. “George, I’m going out for a stroll. I’ll be back in time to feed the Pokémon.” “That’s fine,” the old man said, smiling friendly to Andy. “Have fun.” “Will do!” Andy put up his hand as a greeting and left the house. The daycare was located close to Goldenrod City, but also close to Ilex Forest and that was where Andy was going to. Even though the sun was blocked by a thin layer of clouds, the temperature was pleasant. Benny enjoyed the walk, or flight, in the forest and was flying from tree to tree. Andy watched him, glad to see his Pokémon was enjoying himself. When Benny found a flower field he flew towards it for a snack and Andy patiently waited for him. It didn’t take long for other Butterfree to appear in the flower field as well and Andy sat down under a tree. By the looks of it, this could take a while. Benny had a great time feeding and playing with other Butterfree and Andy loved watching them. It was the first time he had ever seen Benny so happy and he complemented himself with the fantastic idea of coming to Goldenrod. After a while Benny came flying back to Andy. “Ready?” Benny nodded and Andy got up again. “Alright then, let’s explore the forest some more.” Benny nodded again and turned around to the other Butterfree, flying backwards and waving to them. They continued their stroll. A Noctowl flew over and Andy watched it for a second, it was the first time had seen a wild one. “It looks awfully serious, doesn’t it?” Andy whispered to Benny, who nodded in agreement. A grin appeared on his face. “Glad you agree. We’ll let it fly freely then.” Again a nod from the Butterfree, but then he looked past Andy. Andy turned around and noticed a Weedle crawling up a branch. “There sure are a lot of wild Pokémon here,” Andy sighed. There was a lot to see and as the walk continued Andy noticed several wild Pokémon. A Hoothoot was sitting on a branch, tilting it’s head when Andy moved under it. Some Caterpie were feeding on berries that were lying on the ground under a bush. Some Pineco were hanging in a tree and a little Paras scurried around. “Amazing,” Andy said, trying to take in as much he could about the things going on around him. Benny was flying around as he had done the entire stroll. Sometimes he stayed close to Andy, sometimes he flew off to explore the area. Andy always watched him, but didn’t tell him to stay close. In his opinion, Benny was free to fly wherever he wanted. The Butterfree was a few meters away and was flying between some trees when he stopped and looked at the ground. Curiously Andy moved closer, but Benny turned around and came flying back. He flew just in front of Andy, flew back towards the trees, turned around to Andy and flew more towards the trees again. “What’s wrong?” “Free!” “Alright, I’m coming.” Andy followed his Pokémon, who clearly had spotted something that he wanted to show to Andy. He moved through the bushes towards the trees were Benny was. By the looks of his flying pattern, Benny was concerned. Andy frowned and walked up to his Pokémon, who pointed to the ground. A Furret was lying on the ground, breathing heavily and laborious. The fur was dirty and in a mess. Andy knelt down besides it and gently touched her. His touch made the Furret cringe and he quickly pulled back his hand. “Hey, are you alright?” Andy asked. Concern clearly sounded in his voice. The Furret opened her eyes and looked at Andy for a moment, before trying to make herself as small as possible. Fear showed in the Furrets eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Let me help you.” “Furret…furret,” the Pokémon softly said and Andy looked at Benny for help. Benny landed next to the Furret and began talking to it. The Furret listened to Benny and carefully looked at Andy again, she still looked frightened. “Trust me, I won’t hurt you.” He reached out again, but the Furret backed away. “Benny?” Benny again began talking to the Furret, reassuring her that it would be alright, that she could trust him. She looked up to Benny with a sad look and Benny gave her a hug, folding his wings over her. For the third time Andy reached out and the Furret let him touch her this time. He gently picked her up. The 1,50m Pokémon was lighter then he had expected, which was good as he had to walk back to the day-care with her in his arms. “You will be alright,” he promised the Furret as he started walking back towards the day-care. Benny flew besides him, staying close now. The eyes of the Furret were closed and Andy picked up the pace, concerned about her health. When the day-care finally came in sight Andy let out a relieved sigh. He ordered Benny to fly ahead and warn George. Benny did as he was told and moments later George came out of the house, closely followed by his wife Sophia. They didn’t know what Benny was trying to tell them, but they had understood it was important. Sophia noticed the Furret in Andy’s arms and quickly walked up to him. “What’s wrong with it?” “I don’t know, I found it in the forest.” The Furret was brought indoors, where Sophia promised to take care of it. Andy nodded and went with George outside to take care of the other Pokémon there. There wasn’t much else he could do, but he had faith in Sophia and was positive she would be able to nurse the Furret back to health. Once outside, Andy noticed his Primeape and the Machoke were still glaring at each other, even though they were sitting on opposite sites and eating. With a sigh Andy scratched his head, at least Bear had listened and hadn’t attacked the Machoke, but this couldn’t go on like this. He could already picture how the trainer returned and found his Machoke all battered and bruised on the ground. The possibility that the Machoke could win was one Andy didn’t even consider.