Regeneration: A New Pokemon Story

Leering From the Tall Grass

     The crackle of TV voices and the glare of every light in the room woke me. As any other day I rolled out of bed but instead of headbutting a cold hard floor I hit a soft pile of blankets. As I proped myself up I felt a sticky note stuck to my forehead, so I yanked it off and read it.
     "Meet me by the route, also stop falling off your bed you could get hurt, See ya soon!  -Sincerely, your most handsome friend in the world"
     I laughed, I'd forgotten that Reggy stayed the night, but it was only inevitable that he wouldn't be patient enough to wait around. Plus it was always funny to see him sign off with phrases like that, whether it was because he knew he was better looking, or because he knew he was my only friend.  In either case he was right, but I always had him when it came to common sence, and could pull up a number of instances in which I had gotten him out of trouble.
         One time a circus came, and he had somehow asked out a girl, and had been asked by another girl and was unable to say no. So...we faked his injury by making it look like he fell from a tight rope, when really I had hidden landing pads beneath the sand. So while one girl thought he was injured, he was sharing a funnel cake with the other, and no doubt cleaning the powder suger off her lips. To call it even he left me alone with the other girl, but after 20 minutes of freaking out over him, another 10 minutes about talking about how great he was, and another half hour talking about all the other guys she had been with that this had happened to before  (that number alone was to much to count on fingers and toes) she finally looked at me and decided that she might as well waste some time trying to kiss me. If I had let her it would have been my first kiss. Reggy assumed that I kissed her and I let him think that, but I just couldn't do it, kiss a girl thinking the entire time "How do I compare to the last 20 guys?" It may be petty, but I already get overlooked enough when I'm around Reggy.
     Pushing all of that aside, I took a quick shower and threw on some clothes. Jeans, tennishoes, a sleavless undershirt and a thin pull over long sleaved shirt, black around the chest but with white sleaves. I put my hand to neck and realized I didn't have a tie, it would feel strange without it but it would be dumb to wear it. Throwing open my drawer I found what I needed, a soft red scarf. I wrapped it around my neck and slung my one strap pack onto my shoulders. The pack was light, all it had was some food, the money I had saved up, and Chimchars ball clicked onto to the side of it.
     I all but leaped down the stairs to see my mom standing there with a box.
     "Before you go, i want you to take these.... maybe they'll get you home a little faster." She opened up the box to show a pair of red Converses, laced up with bleach white laces. My jaw dropped. Sure they were good looking shoes, but that's not why I was so shocked. These shoes were Light Runners 1.8, inside the soles of the shoes lay a serries of devices that could make running  faster than wind seem easy going. Beside the shoes laid a small remote that hooked onto your pocket. With one push of the little button, the tiny pistons inside would multiply the force of ruining by another 50%.
     "Mom... how did you get these?" I stammered stepping foreward.
     "I'm a friend of friends who can get things, just try them on Austin, you have a long journy ahead of you."

     Reggy was pacing in a circle at the fork in the road, he paced around a few more times before he saw me.
     "It's about time! Where have you been!" He ran up to me and embraced me in a bro hug. His hair was actually down now, in its thick wavy mob, which slapped me in the face as he flung his arms around me. Breaking away from our hug he jumped into the thicket.

     Wading through the grass was terrifing. Grass is a bit of an understatement, mainly the so called grass is really made of long leafy reeds that slap and scratch, ferns mixed in and woven through the tall green mass. At first it begins at your shoulders, but then slowly you descend into darkness as it rises above your head. Silence falls, and nothing but the sound of cool breeze and awaiting monsters stir the ever growing weeds.
     Suddenly a loud "CRACK" split the silence as a pair of wings aproached upahead. I couldn't even see Reggy anymore but I heard him release Piplup up ahead in the distance. A sharp beak shone against the white face of a Starie. By instinct I found Chimchar and threw him out.
     "Chimchar! Scratch!" I yelled, but instead of the deadly leaping attack I had witnessed before, he pawed at the ground and, with a sickening show of teeth, grinned at the bird. It confussed me but as I saw the bird hesitating and slowing I remembered.
     It is not uncommon for pokemon to use behavioral tactics to lower another's resources, for example a young Chimchar has a disturbing Leer that will leave its opponent very vulnerable. 
     He was using moves at his own will, ignoring me all together.  I guess it was better than him attacking me but still.... this could end badly.
     The bird swooped down and raked it's claws against him, leaving neat red lines against his shoulder.
     "Chimchar! Scratch! " I yelled again, but no result. He leered at the hovering beast. Then it hit me. He wasn't doing this just out of spite. The first time he brought down one of these birds he just used one hit. He was spoiled now, and was trying his best to one shot him again. Another flash of talons and the red lines marked Chimchars chest. I had to teach him. With all the strength, anger, and authority I could muster, I bellowed in a low gravely voice.
     "CHIMCHAR!" He paused, and turned slight in my direction, listening. "SCRATCH!"
     With a snap and jolt of movement and an orange blur, the little guy lept up, and swiped his deadly claws down, clipping the Staries wings. It fell crippled to the ground, struggling to get up. I half expected Chimchar to start eating the bird, but it turned to me again.
     "Alright, finish it." I said, Chimchar snarled, and with the back of his foot stomped on the bird until it passed out. I swallowed, picked up the Pokeball and threw it at Chimchar. With a satisfying click and a flash of light the ball returned, and we walked away.