"Do not listen to her," the professor replied as his Lucario stepped forward.
"It's one against four," the woman replied as her Crustle stepped forward.
"You do realize I have a full team?" Zander countered as he set a hand on one of the five other Pokeballs at his waist. "Not to mention a Mega? Nor the fact that others have been contacted? You won't walk out of this unscathed if you don't leave now."
"Unscathed? Seriously? Skip the monologue! Mightyena, Bite!" The man behind Mightyena called, and the Pokemon lunged forward at Zander's Lucario.
"Extreme Speed," Zander responded, and Lucario dashed forward, slamming into the Mightyena and taking it to the ground.
"Spread out, each of you take a kid," the woman with the Crustle called. Her eyes looked around, before her face split into a wide grin at the sight of Augustus.
"Well, well, would you look at that?" The woman pointed at Augustus, and he stepped back under her threatening form. "I don't usually have the time nor the patience to break new trainers, but-"
"Augustus, don't listen to her! Don't release your Pokemon! She'll take them if you do!" The professor said.
Augustus clamped a hand over the Pokeball protectively, but it opened in his hand. His Bulbasaur leapt out with a growl, staring down the Crustle.
"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur said, taking a defensive stance as the Crustle smiled.
"Fury Cutter," the woman called.
"Tackle!" Augustus yelled in reply, and Bulbasaur dodged the Crustle's attack, before slamming into the shell of the Pokemon, knocking it off balance slightly. The crab stumbled away with an angered noise.
Suddenly, a loud roar cut off the Crustle's noise, and a giant purple Pokemon moved in front of Augustus. The thing was giant and had many horns, its tail thrashing from side to side as it snarled at the Crustle. The crab hissed in response, but scuttled backwards.
"King!" The purple Pokemon growled. "Nido! Nidoking!"
And the Pokemon slammed the ground harshly, roaring as it used Earth Power. A blast of energy shot towards Crustle, knocking it backwards and off its feet to land upside down. The Pokemon shrieked and tried to roll itself over. The woman stepped back, her once smug smile now a grimace.
Nidoking turned to stare at the Bulbasaur, who nodded to him in response. Nidoking replied with a huff and the two readied themselves as the woman hefted her Crustle over.
"Crustle, Fury Cutter!" She snarled and her Pokemon leapt forward, claws aiming for Nidoking.
"Use Vine Whip!" Augustus found his voice at the last second, and Bulbasaur brought out two vines to lash at Crustle, stopping it in its tracks. As Crustle swiped at Bulbasaur, Nidoking opened his mouth and fired a beam of frosty energy at the bug, knocking it back into its trainer.
Augustus took a look around. Yancy was dueling the trainer with the Mightyena with help from a flying, blue, beetle-like Pokemon with a pair of large, jagged pincers that snapped at the Mightyena, firing a ball of green energy at it and knocking it back.
Lillian was battling the trainer with the Ariados, along with a large, bulky, black and orange crystalline Pokemon. As Torchic landed an Ember attack, the crystalline Pokemon used a move Augustus recognized as Stone Edge. Pointed rocks shot up from the ground, sending the Ariados up just in time for Torchic to fire another Ember and take it to the ground, knocking it out.
The Professor appeared to be having the least trouble with the Muk, as his Lucario fired a blue Aura Sphere at the blob. His own Pokemon looked in relatively good health compared to the Muk, who slumped into a puddle of rancid-smelling goo.
The woman snarled as she locked eyes with Augustus, drawing his attention back to her. "You won't get away with this!" And she recalled her Crustle and dashed out of the lab, followed by her companions.
"What...just happened?" Lillian asked in a small voice.
"Team Maple," Zander said as he gestured for them to come together. "They're an organization dedicated to removing Arceus from his throne."
Augustus gasped. "I've heard about them! Weren't they the ones responsible for attacking that Pokecenter down in Magloss Town?"
Zander nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Yes. I have no clue why they'd attack this lab, however. They must have known about this."
He sighed, before removing his glasses. "Did you all call someone you know to get you out of here?"
The three of them nodded and the professor breathed a relieved sigh. "Good. That way, you three are safe. I'll get you out for the day. I'm sorry your first memories with your new partners went like this."
"It wasn't your fault," Lillian mumbled as her Torchic rubbed against her leg.
"Yeah! You can't blame yourself!" Augustus joined in as he scooped up his Bulbasaur and returned it to its ball to rest.
"Yes, well...if you say so," Zander mused as he removed three objects from his pocket. Small, boxy, and red, they looked like cell phones. "These are Pokedexes. They will allow you to identify any Pokemon that you come across."
Augustus took his and opened it. It blinked, scanning his face, and then chimed, before speaking in a monotone voice.
"Welcome, Augustus Blight! I am your Pokedex!"
"Well, that's neat," Augustus muttered as he held it up to the purple Pokemon that had defended him and his Bulbasaur.
"Nidoking, the Drill Pokemon. A Poison and Ground type, and the evolved form of Nidorino. It uses its powerful tail in battle to smash, constrict, then break its prey's bones."
A small image of the Pokemon appeared on the screen, as well as a list of statistics. At that, Augustus nodded and tucked away the Pokedex. "Nidoking, huh? Looks powerful." He turned towards the professor as Lillian and Yancy each took a Pokedex. "Thank you for helping. I doubt we could have gotten through that alone."
"Don't mention it," Zander replied, waving it off as he returned the Nidoking to its Ultra Ball, followed by the flying Pokemon that had assisted Yancy and the crystal-looking one that had assisted Lillian. "I have one last gift for each of you."
And he gave them each a small bag. Augustus unzipped his to find five Pokeballs inside.
"For catching Pokemon," Zander said as Lillian and Yancy took their bags as well. "Well, now that this horrible day is over...you three are officially Pokemon Trainers. Go out into the world. Do what you do. Catch Pokémon. Battle. Have fun with your partners."
The professor gave them a smile. "I am proud of the three of you for standing your ground. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe someone is arriving."
Augustus recognized the limo through the window and rushed outside as he tucked the Pokedex in the bag, Lillian calling after him.
Thasiel stood there by the back door, his Pangoro at his side. His eyes landed on Augustus, and his face changed to a relieved look and a smile. "Master Augustus, you're alright-"
Augustus wasted no time and shot into Thasiel's arms, hugging him tightly.
"Umph-Master Augustus, what's this about?" Thasiel asked concernedly as his arms wrapped around the boy.
"Can...can I explain on the way home?" Augustus had never heard his own voice be that small before. It was near a whisper, barely heard. Thasiel shifted above him, and Augustus thought he saw him nod.
"Of course."
And he went to guide Augustus into the limo, but before he could shut the door-
"Augustus!"
He turned just in time to see Lillian heading up to him, Yancy in tow, although he didn't look happy to be pulled along.
"I'm gonna text you later, okay? I just-are you alright?" Lillian asked worriedly. Augustus only nodded silently.
"Miss Lillian. Wonderful to see you. I do apologize for the timing of it, however," Thasiel said as he made a small bow towards her. She smiled in response as she let go of Yancy's hand. "Good to see you, Thasiel. I hope you're well."
"I am, thank you," Thasiel said curtly as he returned his Pangoro. "But I do apologize, as we must be off."
And Thasiel gave a nod before heading to the driver's seat. Lillian waved to Augustus, who waved back silently as Thasiel began to drive off.
"Are you alright, Augustus?" Thasiel asked, and Augustus blinked at the drop of the honorific. "Um...not really. Team Maple attacked-"
The limo jerked suddenly as Thasiel turned in his seat to look at Augustus through the divider. "Attacked?! Are you alright? Did they hurt you? Did they hurt your friends? What happened?"
"The Professor fought them off. Four of them. I'm fine. They didn't hurt me or the others," Augustus responded immediately. "I'm okay, Thasiel."
"Why were you at the Professor's Lab in the first place?" Thasiel asked as he began to drive again.
"I'd think it would be best to show you later, since you're driving," Augustus responded. Thasiel made a noise of agreement, and they drove off.
When they got back to the estate, Augustus carefully made his way inside and set down the small bag with the Pokeballs and his Pokedex in it on the table, before he took a deep breath and revealed the Pokeball with his Bulbasaur in it.
Thasiel's eyes followed it to his face, and he smiled. "You got a Pokemon?"
Augustus nodded, matching Thasiel's smile with his own as he opened it. His Bulbasaur emerged. "Thasiel, this is my partner. Bulbasaur."
Thasiel crouched down to the Pokémon's height. "Oh, Augustus...I can't believe it. This happened today?"
"First day," Augustus confirmed with a nod. "I got my name drawn."
His Bulbasaur stepped back at the sight of Thasiel and looked up to Augustus worriedly, but Augustus nodded. "It's alright. He's friendly."
Slowly, Bulbasaur approached Thasiel and settled in his arms. Thasiel stood back up as he patted the green creature gently. "My, my. It seems all those books in your room will come in handy now, Master Augustus."
"Oh, stop," Augustus huffed. "Or I'm taking him out of your arms."
Thasiel gave a look of mock offense. "When did you get this mean, Master Augustus? And did you battle Lillian or the other boy?"
"Yancy." Augustus nodded. "And yes, I battled Lillian, and won. I was going to battle Yancy, but then everything happened, so I couldn't really do so."
"Hmm...Well, if you'd like, we could battle as well..." Thasiel said.
"Ha! You'd end up with an unconscious Bulbasaur," Augustus replied. Thasiel nodded as he gently set Bulbasaur down. "Now, as it is, you have no school, due to the attack, of course. Do you wish for me to give you two some time together while I prepare lunch? Battling takes energy from both trainer and Pokemon."
"That would be best, and make sure you make some for yourself and Pangoro," Augustus said as Bulbasaur walked over to him. Thasiel nodded and headed off into the kitchen as Augustus crouched down to smile down at the Pokemon.
He reached out tentatively, as not to upset the creature, but it surprised him when it moved its head into his hand. He laughed softly and patted the Pokemon, and it closed its eyes contentedly. "Like me already, huh? I'll take you to my room."
And Augustus scooped Bulbasaur up again, heading to his room and shutting the door behind him. He set the Pokemon down on the floor as it looked around confusedly. It turned to look at Augustus, sitting back on its haunches. "Bulba?"
"This is my room," Augustus explained. "It's where I sleep and read and do other things in, but I'd like for you to be here, if you want."
Bulbasaur nodded and turned, before moving over to the glass and looking through it at the balcony. Augustus wondered what the Pokemon was doing as it shook its head, before it suddenly jumped up on Augustus' nightstand and looked out the window that was slanted above it. Augustus was glad he didn't have a lamp on it, as the morning light was usually enough to wake him up.
Bulbasaur made a contented noise from the light coming in and the bulb on its back glowed a brighter green. Augustus blinked, tilting his head as he watched the Pokemon curl up, before he moved over to one of the large bookshelves in his room and began searching through it.
"Grass types, Grass types, I know it's here somewhere...aha!"
Augustus pulled a volume from the shelf with a green cover and a picture of a leaf on it. The title read IN THE FIELD OF SEEDS; A BOOK OF GRASS TYPE POKEMON. Augustus flipped through the pages for a moment, before he found what he was looking for.
"Okay...so Bulbasaur sometimes nap in sunlight so the seed can grow larger. Got it." Augustus shut the book and tucked it under his arm, turning back to his partner and heading over, gently setting his hand on the Pokemon. "Want me to wake you when we're gonna eat, buddy?"
Bulbasaur gave a sleepy nod, and closed its eyes as Augustus sat on his bed and opened the book again to study more on Bulbasaur.
After a little while, however, a soft knock on the door disrupted his reading, and he went to open it.
"Master Augustus-" Thasiel began, but Augustus placed a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and motioned towards the sleeping Bulbasaur. Thasiel nodded and spoke in a lower tone. "Master Augustus, lunch is ready. If you would like, there's a selection of food you can pick from for your partner."
"Thanks, Thasiel. I'll be down in a moment," Augustus replied with a smile. Thasiel nodded once more and left as Augustus moved over to Bulbasaur and gently set a hand on the creature's head, leaning down a bit. "Hey, buddy. Time to get up and eat."
His Bulbasaur opened an eye to look at him blearily, before standing up and stretching. Augustus smiled and opened his arms for the Pokemon to settle into, and he set Bulbasaur's Pokeball on the nightstand.
With barely any difficulty, he carried the Pokemon downstairs. Thasiel had set up an arrangement of food for the four of them, and Augustus smiled happily as he set his Pokemon down. "Bulbasaur, I'm gonna get some food for you, okay? Wanna come with me so I know what you like?"
Bulbasaur nodded, and Augustus went over to the small bags of food Thasiel had set out on the end of the table. Bulbasaur clambered up into one of the chairs to assess them, sniffing each of them, before finally deciding on a blue bag. Augustus nodded and picked it out, taking a small bowl and pouring some into it. He set it down and Bulbasaur dashed forward, immediately taking a bite and nodding as Thasiel emerged with a small tray of something in his hands.
"Since it is a special day, of course, I thought I'd make something special to celebrate," Thasiel said as he set the tray down. Augustus gasped.
Four Pokepuffs were settled on the tray. The small cakes were neatly made and frosted, decorated to perfection.
"Thasiel...you make these, like, once in a blue moon," Augustus said softly as he picked one up. The four Pokepuffs were all different colors. One was pink, one was green, one was brown, and one was orange. Augustus knew the flavors by heart, even though it was rare that Thasiel would make them. Sweet, Mint, Mocha, and Citrus.
He set the one he'd picked up back on the tray as his Bulbasaur went up to inspect them. His partner nibbled on the Mint one and nodded happily. Augustus picked it up and set it in front of the Bulbasaur, before taking the Sweet one and taking a bite out of the pink dessert.
"As a matter of fact, yes, but this is a special day. You received your very first Pokemon," Thasiel replied as he carefully lifted the Mocha one out for himself, and passed the Citrus one to Pangoro, who downed it in one bite.
After lunch, Augustus gave his partner a quick tour of the estate, wondering how Bulbasaur would react to the place. He was pleasantly surprised, however, when Bulbasaur managed to find the playroom and took to it immediately, hopping around happily with the other wild Pokemon that sometimes came in.
Dinner soon arrived, and Thasiel, also rarely, shocking the boy, let Augustus eat in his own bedroom.
"Make sure you study, though," the butler said with a smile as Augustus took the dishes from him. "Your partner's care is important."
"Of course I will, Thasiel," Augustus replied as he took the plate and sat at his desk, the book from earlier open sitting on the side. He flipped through it as he did so, setting the plate on the desk. He took a glance at his partner, who was currently in the backyard, hopping around with Thasiel's Pangoro in the fading light of day. He could see it through the rail of the balcony, and he smiled.
He turned his attention back to the book and the notepad he'd taken out beside it. Picking up his pencil, Augustus began to write down some notes on Bulbasaur that he already knew, as well as some new facts from the book.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he blinked, standing up and wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. He opened the small bag he'd gotten from the professor and scooped out the Pokedex, opening the sliding door to the balcony and stepping out.
He aimed the Pokedex at Bulbasaur. It blinked, and an image of the Pokemon came up on the screen.
"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. A Grass and Poison type. Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger."
Augustus went back to his desk and began to mark down the statistics. He set it upright so he could look at it, and checked the book as well to see if they matched up. They did, and he nodded as he marked them down before moving on.
"Evolves into Ivysaur, same typing, soon after learning Sleep Powder..." Augustus mumbled as he set the pencil down to take a bite of the pizza Thasiel had ordered. "Comfort food," Thasiel had said as he ordered it. He refused to let Augustus pull Thasiel's 'healthy body' card, saying that since the boy had been attacked, it was a night to calm down.
"Final evolution, Venusaur, also same typing, evolves soon after learning Worry Seed..." Augustus said as he picked up his pencil again. "Bulbasaur, so far, appears male, responds to male informal nouns, enjoys Mint Pokepuffs and Type G13 brand food, knows Tackle, Growl, and Vine Whip..."
Augustus set his pencil down once more to take another bite, humming softly as he did so. He leaned back in his chair, placing his arms behind his head and stretching. A soft thud sounded as something suddenly made contact with his bedroom door, and he jumped, going to open it as he finished his food. His Bulbasaur leapt into the room happily, making Augustus laugh as it ran in circles around his legs.
He scooped up the creature happily, and it snuggled into his arms. Augustus closed the book as Thasiel entered with a smile, taking the empty plate as he watched the two with a smile. "Already adapting to your partner, Master Augustus?"
"Yep!" Augustus laughed as he set the Pokemon down. "Thanks, Thasiel. For all your help."
"No need to thank me, Master Augustus. I enjoy what I do," Thasiel responded. However, as Augustus opened his mouth to respond, the doorbell rang.
"Hm. It's late. Who would be here at this time?" Thasiel asked as he went downstairs, Augustus behind him with his Bulbasaur at his heels.
Thasiel pulled open the door and froze. "I-Miss Johanna. You're home."
Augustus's mother stood in the doorway with a smile. She wore a red dress, clutching her handbag at her side. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her Gourgeist floated behind her. Her gray eyes landed on Augustus, the same as his, and she smiled wider.
"Hello, Thasiel. Apologies for stopping by so suddenly, but-" Johanna Blight took a small breath. "I had some personal business to attend to, and I thought I'd say hello."
She stepped through the threshold as her Gourgeist greeted Thasiel happily, and she hugged Augustus tightly. "Oh, my boy! How are you?"
"Mom, oh, I'm good...how are you?" Augustus asked softly as he hugged back.
"Wonderful. I was just up in Magloss, having dinner with...oh, well, it's not important." Johanna brushed it aside, but her face was tinged pink slightly.
"Oh, come on, mom. I'm fifteen. Not a kid. You can tell me what you're doing at night," Augustus giggled as his mother straightened up.
"Which lovely lady accompanied you to your meal, Miss Johanna?" Thasiel asked, tilting his head towards her. Johanna, however, laughed it off. "Thasiel, if I told you, your eyes would pop out of your head. But she's a wonderful lady, trust me."
"You know, that makes me wonder-" Augustus began teasingly, but his mother placed a finger to his lips. He always asked this question ever since he was young, sometimes teasingly, sometimes not. If his mother liked women, how did he come into being? He'd had the 'talk', he just didn't understand it sometimes.
"Augustus, honey, I've told you before, I like everyone. Just cause I go on a date with a pretty woman doesn't mean I can't like others," Johanna responded as her eyes shot towards the pizza box, still half-full on the table. "It appears you two had a lax night."
"Yeah, that..." Augustus scratched the back of his head as his Bulbasaur approached curiously. "We've got a bit to talk about since you last came by."
Johanna nodded as she went to sit down, Augustus joining her as her Gourgeist floated up. "It appears so. I got a call from the Professor as well. He's an old friend. But anyways, Augustus..."
Johanna's many rings gleamed as she linked her fingers together primly. "I do think it is best we talk."
Augustus nodded. "Alright then."
He took a deep breath, and began.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
CHAPTER 3 BE DONE! I really hope y'all enjoyed this one, took me a little while, I do apologize. But life stuff just happened. Thanks again to @ThatOneSnowyOwl for inspiring me and giving me advice all the way through!
- Statik