"We're he-re!" Rosa sang happily. "Nimbasa City, Unova's entertainment hotspot!"
She was right. With a amusement park, the Pokemon musical, a new theater to show movies from Pokestar Studies among several sports stadiums, the one word to sum up Nimbasa in a nutshell was "entertain." But of course, that wasn't the reason why we came here.
"Alright, where's the Gym at? I want to get my fourth badge right away," I said.
"It's supposed to be in the amusement park. The Leader is a woman named Elesa who specializes in Electric-type Pokemon," Rosa explained. "We actually watched a show featuring her team once."
"Really? When was that?"
"The day we got our starters, coincidentally enough! But somebody turned the T.V. off before I could see what her team was," Rosa said, one eyebrow raised.
"Don't blame me. I didn't even know Elesa was a Leader until three seconds ago," I said plainly. "She doesn't sound like that hard of a person to defeat."
Rosa sighed and slung her arm around my shoulders. "My naïve brother, did you really just forget that Elesa uses Electric-types? How do you think Saber would hold up against any of her Pokémon. Or how about Surge? You of all people should know that a successful Trainer needs to have varied types of Pokémon."
"When did you become such a battling expert?" I muttered.
"Come on, Nate. Anyone with a basic knowledge of type matchups knows your odds of winning this without pure luck or power are nearly zero."
"Then I guess I need new Pokémon, don't I?" I snapped. Over-leveling was one of the main things that helped me get my first three badges, so what made her so sure I would lose? But after a minute of actually thinking it through, Rosa was right. Elesa would use three Pokémon against me whether they were good matchups or not. And who could handle an Electric-type? Lilith, just Lilith. Yeah, Rosa was definitely right. Without adding a new member to my team, I'd be screwing myself over before I even challenged Elesa.
"There's a nice selection of Pokémon on Route 16," Rosa suggested. "I'm sure you can find something there."
"I can find a new Pokémon, and you can go on another one of your catching sprees. It's a win-win situation," I said. "You're just lucky that I'm gonna let you catch Pokémon before I challenge another Gym."
"This is the last time, I promise," Rosa said.
"Yeah, sure," I said sarcastically.
We were trying to find the Route 16 entrance on Rosa's Town Map when over the top of the map I saw a small group of familiarly dressed people slip past us. Neo Plasma grunts? I quietly told Rosa and we watched as they made their way into an alleyway. How come no one else saw this? Well, we were on a kind of side street.
"Looks like we have some other business to take care of first," I said.
We tailed the grunts for a couple of blocks until they stopped at a tall wire fence that bordered the Nimbasa amusement park. The four grunts sent out a Cubchoo, Blitzle, Mareep, and a Growlithe. One of them ordered the Growlithe to use Fire Fang on the fence. Why were they were trying to get in?
"Hey!" I shouted, sending out all of my Pokemon as I did so. The grunts looked at us and were startled by our presence.
"What're you kids doing here?" one of the grunts said.
"You should know better than to be snooping around, didn't your parents teach you anything?" a female grunt said mockingly.
"Yeah, they taught me not to be scum like you!" I retorted. "Saber, Razor Shell that Growlithe!" Saber threw his two shells at the Growlithe and it was knocked out instantly.
"Why you little—!" the female grunt growled. "Cubchoo, Frost Breath!" Her command sent the other grunts into an attacking frenzy.
"Blitzle, use Thundershock!" one shouted.
"Mareep, Thunder Wave!" another followed up.
"Lucky, Detect!"
Rosa's Eevee suddenly jumped in front of my Pokémon and a created a wall of light. It appeared for only a brief second, but it was enough to deflect the Neo Plasma Pokémon's attacks. That was my cue. I told my Pokemon to use Razor Shell, Crunch, and Magnet Bomb. My Pokémon's attacks hit the opposing Pokémon and they went down almost right away. A few more attacks were exchanged, during which the Plasma Pokémon got in a few minor hits or Lucky would chime in with another Detect or a Growl. Soon, the three Pokémon were down.
"This is horrible," the female grunt cried. "Retreat! This mission was a failure." They recalled their Pokemon and fled the scene. At least they didn't abandon their Pokémon... I guess? No, it would've been better if they left them. We could've taken them to the Pokémon Center and found them new Trainers.
I examined the wire fence and other than the gaping molten hole ripped in the side, nothing else had been done. "What do ya think they were after?" I asked.
Rosa shrugged. "Petty robbery?" she said.
I returned her shrug. "Maybe. But knowing Neo Plasma, they might've been on their way to steal some Pokemon." Neither of us had a clue as to what they were planning. Whatever they tried to do though, we managed to stop it. With some confusion still lingering, my sister and I went to go find the route gate again.
We walked along Route 16 in silence. Rosa was preoccupied with her Pokédex's Habitat List feature and I kept constantly looking around for any Pokemon. The forest bordering the route was relatively silent, which I took as a bad sign. No sounds, no new team members to find.
"Let's see..." Rosa said absentmindedly. She swiped her index finger upward on the Pokedex's screen and read off the list of Pokemon sighted on the route. "Minccino, Gothita, Audino, Emolga, Cinccino, Trubbish, Liepard, and Solosis."
"You sure got your work cut out for ya!" I laughed. "Do you even have enough Poké Balls for all these catches you have to make?"
"I have five Poké Balls, four Great Balls, an Ultra Ball, and a few assorted varieties I picked up at the Poké Mart."
"Geez, that's a lot!" I remarked. "Do you have any money left?"
"What do you think?" Rosa asked, still staring at her Pokédex.
"Little to none?"
"Precisely."
"Oh. So you're broke."
"Gold Starmie for you."
Great. My sister had no money left. Fan-freakin'-tastic! I myself only had about thirty-thousand PokéYen at the moment, and knowing Rosa's spending habits on Poké Balls, we'd be broke in a week. Gym Leaders paid a lot if they lost and though Cheren had never paid me for my win, Roxie and Burgh wired my winnings to an account my mom had set up for me. That fact made my victory over Elesa all that more vital.
I was about to ask Rosa why there were no Pokémon around when I heard something.
Help us! Somebody help us!
I stopped dead in my tracks, not sure if what I heard was real or not. It was a cry for help, but it didn't seem to come from any discernable source. It was like it had come from within my own head.
"You heard that too, right?" Rosa said. She had stopped as well and was looking around, Pokedéx still in hand.
They're going to catch us! Somebody, anybody!
"There it is again..." I commented. This voice was slightly different from the first. It sounded... I don't know, feminine?
Help us!!
Both voices screeched so loud in my head that it actually hurt. I groaned and held my head in my hands, the ringing caused by the voices fading by the second. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosa doing the same thing. We both heard the voices, so why couldn't we tell where they came from?
"There are people in trouble," Rosa stated the obvious. "Hello? Did anyone just call out for help?" she shouted into the forest around us.
Yes, we need help. We're in the forest off the left side of the path! Hurry, please!
Just as the more feminine voice finished speaking, the sound of rustling leaves and breaking branches came from the forest, right where the voice said they were. Along with the rustling a horribly loud buzzing noise was heard as well, as if a huge Bug Pokémon was crashing through the brush.
Rosa and I ran off the path into the trees, following the noises. As we ran, I could occasionally see flashes of brown and white. These Pokémon must've been some kind of Bug-type.
We're almost at a clearing, and we'll try to hide there, the first voice said.
There's so many of them! the second cried fearfully.
Like the voices said, we stumbled into a very large clearing. There were about a dozen Bug-type Pokémon standing around the clearing. Their bodies were brown, and they had large white horns.
"Those are Pinsir..." Rosa said. "I never knew they could gather in such large numbers!"
Other than the odd number of Pinsir, I couldn't see the people we were supposed to help. One of the Pinsir saw us and let out a horrible screech that sounded like a cross between a human scream and an insect's buzzing. The other Pinsir heard this and turned to look at us as well.
"Nate, what do we do?" Rosa said quietly.
"Isn't it obvious? We take them all down," I said, removing Surge's Pokeball from my belt. "Have Lucky use Detect, okay? She can protect us, and either Ivy or Slinky can battle."
Several of the Pinsir lunged at us, ready to tear us to shreds with their pincers. Rosa threw Lucky's ball and as she emerged from it, Rosa told her to use Detect. Lucky reared up on her hind legs and held her front paws out to the sides. A wall of what looked like frosted glass appeared in front of her. Because we were behind her, Lucky's protective shield protected Rosa and me as well. The Pinsir reached us and slammed into the wall and bounced off it. Rosa and I took this opportunity to send out Surge and Slinky.
"Surge, use Spark!"
"Slinky, Sand Attack! And Lucky, keep that Detect up for as long as you can!"
Lucky nodded and began moving her front legs in a sweeping motion, pulling them back in front of her then moving them out to the sides again, refreshing the barrier.
Slinky and Surge worked as a kind of system. Slinky would use her tail to fling dirt and pebbles in the Pinsir's faces, stunning them. Surge then took over, using many rounds of Spark and Metal Sound to defeat and further disable the Pinsir.
Eventually the enraged Bug-type horde were scattered about the clearing, all knocked out. Before my eyes, Slinky turned a pure white and her silhouette changed. She had become an elegant-looking yellow and purple Liepard. After Slinky's evolution, I walked to the center of the clearing looking for the people we had come here for in the first place.
"No, Lucky!" Rosa's cry rang out, startling me. I turned to see what was wrong and saw Rosa and Slinky kneeling over Lucky, who was crumpled to the forest floor in a brown and white heap.
"What happened?" I asked, immediately growing concerned as well.
"She just collapsed! It must have been from using Detect for so long. Detect is only supposed to work for a single turn, and she somehow held it for way longer!" Rosa said, seemingly on the verge of tears. Lucky slowly opened her eyes and raised her head. She looked at Rosa and weakly yipped, a smile on her face. Rosa let out a sob and picked up her Eevee, hugging her tightly. "Oh Lucky, I'm sorry for making you do that!"
She says it's okay and that it isn't your fault.
I looked back and saw two small figures in the bushes on the other side of the clearing. They both stepped into full view, at least one did. Two Pokémon were looking at Rosa and me. One was a black and white Pokemon with little white bows attached to its head. The second was a hovering orb of green gel with a lime-green being floating inside. A Gothita and Solosis.
Thank you for saving us. Those Pinsir had been causing trouble around here for a while, they were such a nuisance! the feminine voice echoed in my mind. As I heard this, the "bows" on Gothita's head twitched. Was this Pokémon talking to us?
"Wait, you were the ones asking for help?" Rosa asked, looking away from Lucky.
"Forget that question, how are you able to talk to us?!" I asked a little more hysterically than I wanted to. My mind was reeling. I never knew it was possible for people to understand Pokémon, and my mind was currently being blown several times over.
We're Psychic-types. All Psychic Pokémon have the ability to use telepathy, but not too many are willing to talk to humans, the Solosis said calmly, like it was explaining something that it had talked about many times before.
Again, we thank you and are forever grateful, Gothita said. I call myself Bow, and this is my best friend Soul, though I'd like to think of him as my brother. I know all humans have names, so what do you call yourselves?
"My name's Nate, and she's my sister Rosa." I said, still feeling weird about talking to a Pokémon.
And those lovely Pokémon over there are Slinky and Lucky, Bow said. Is Lucky okay?
"I hope she is..." I replied uncertainty.
Bow, can you do that thing? It could help Lucky, Soul said excitedly.
"What thing?" I asked.
You'll see! Soul laughed, bouncing around as he did so.
Bow ran over to Rosa and Lucky, tripping once or twice because of her short legs. She placed her stubby arms on Lucky's forehead and closed her eyes. Heal Pulse, she murmured. A pale pink aura pulsed from where her arms made contact with Lucky in waves. When Bow finished, she stepped away from Lucky and gazed at her expectedly. Lucky's ears twitched and her eyes flickered open. She looked up at her Trainer and licked her cheek. Rosa was smiling from ear to ear and so was I.
"That's amazing!" Rosa exclaimed.
It was the least I could do since you saved our lives, Bow replied. If there's anything else you need, Soul and I would be happy to oblige.
Speaking of that... I thought. "Actually, there is something else we need," I said to Bow.
Yes, Nate? she asked.
"Would you and Soul want to travel with Rosa and I? You would be able to leave this forest and see everything the Unova region has to offer."
Leave..? Bow tilted her head to the side.
Yes, yes! Soul said happily. Come on, Bow! We could explore the world if we went with them. Please?
Well... Bow sighed and lowered her head before looking back up at me with a smile. If Soul wants to go, I'll go too.
"You know what being part of a Trainer's team entails, right?" Rosa asked.
Yeah! We were once told that being chosen as a human's partner was one of the greatest honors a Pokémon could achieve, Soul said.
That fact is true, Bow added.
"Then I guess it's settled?" I removed an empty Poké Ball from my backpack. "You'll have to stay in here sometimes, but you can come out when you want to." Soul approached me while Bow went to Rosa.
I can't wait, this'll be awesome! Soul said. I pressed the Poké Ball's button and Soul was pulled inside. A star shot from the button a second later. I then attached Soul's ball to my belt, right next to Surge's. Rosa showed me a stylish black Poké Ball she called a Luxury Ball.
Who can blame me? I want to ride in style! Bow's disembodied voice said defensively.
Rosa and I looked at each other and laughed. Though not what we expected, we both had new Pokémon. Watch out, Elesa. 'Cause your badge will be mine!