Pokémon: Ancient Scarlet

King, Hound and Knight

"All right! This here is Poco Path!" Nemona said to Milo as he finally joined her on the side path, turning around and gesturing to the route that was crawling with wild Pokémon. Several pig Pokémon scampered around while several birds chirped within the trees, with several spider Pokémon dangled from webs leading from the trees. A lighthouse rose out from the distance, dominating the skyline by the cliffside. "It's the path that leads to adventure for you and me! Out here, things are different than in town. You're gonna see wild Pokémon out and about. They'll be on the path and in the grass and such!"

"Back home we had a huge place called the Wild Area that stretched miles long and had all sorts of cool Pokémon." Milo remarked, thinking back to several times his family had gone on train rides that allowed him to look at the Wild Area as it rolled by the countryside. Milo wondered at that moment whether or not Paldea had trains. "You had to keep your distance, though, unless you were looking for a rough fight."

Nemona turned towards Milo, flashing him a bright smile. "Same thing applies here. Get too close to one, and you'll have to battle. But you've got Reggie for that, right? And if you want to try to catch a Pokémon, you gotta use...a good ol' Poké Ball!"

Nemona dug into her bag and pulled out the capsule in question. "I've got tons. Have a few!

Milo ended up receiving five Poké Balls from Nemona, but a loud oinking sound caught the two Trainers off-guard and made them look to their right, where the two of them spotted a black and brown pig with pink feet and snout.

"Oooh, what luck! Time for some learning by doing! Try battling this Lechonk, Milo!" Nemona said as she bolted to the side, leaving Milo alone to face off against the Lechonk. Milo grimaced as the same strange pressure that he had felt when battling Nemona earlier struck his chest, but Milo ignored it and focused on his first wild Pokemon battle.

"Alright then Reggie, let's get some practice in." Milo said as the Fire Croc Pokémon leapt out of his arms and landed on the ground. "Use Ember!"

The Fuecoco let out a joyful cry before firing off a fireball that struck Lechonk, knocking it to the ground with a pained squeal as the smell of seared pig filled the air.

"Smells like bacon." Milo thought to himself, fighting back a smirk. He stopped smirking when the Lechonk got back to its feet and slammed into Reggie with a Tackle. Milo had Reggie finish it off with another Ember, and sighed with relief as the pressure on his chest faded.

"Nice! Defeating Pokémon in battle will help Reggie grow and get stronger!" Nemona called to Milo as he walked back over to her. "Next time, try throwing a Poké Ball when a Pokémon's riiight on the tip of being defeated. You'll have a decent chance at catching it then!"

"Gotcha. I'll go for a catch next time."

"Anyway, have some more Poké Balls just in case. Not every catch works out!" Nemona said to Milo, who accepted another ten Poké Balls gratefully.

"Weaken the Pokémon, then throw the Poké Ball! Remember that, and you'll be fine!" The Student Council President explained to Milo, putting a hand on her hip. "Now go battle those wild Pokémon and catch some of 'em!"

"I'll see about getting Reggie a new friend or two." Milo said as he pulled out an empty Poké Ball and tossed it up and down a few times. "You gonna hang around while I explore the route?"

"I mean, I could. But where's the fun in just watching? I'm gonna see what I can nab myself!" Nemona remarked cheekily, winking at Milo and making the teen's heart skip a beat. "Let's meet back up at that lighthouse over there! You can see our school from the top!"

"S-sure. See ya in a bit." Milo managed to stammer out before Nemona bounded off, and Milo slapped his cheeks several times in an attempt to focus on his job. Unfortunately the Voice chose that moment to speak again.