Chapter 38

Caleb wasn't expecting for someone to greet him, so he was slightly startled as he glanced towards his right side where he saw a teenager.

The teenager had white hair that was covered by a black beanie, striking blue eyes, and pale skin. He has a tall stature, albeit slim. His clothing consist of a blue hooded sweater, with snow flake designed around the ring of the collar, and wore black trousers and with a complimenting white sneakers. He was also carrying a white sling bag.

The most notable appearance of the teen that Caleb was attracted to, was the white haired stubble on the young dude's chin and upper lip.

Wondering at the same time how this guy develop such things at a young age. 'Did he use some special beauty product or what?'

He greeted back with the most welcoming smile he could muster. "Yup, I am. Why? Does it look obvious?"

"Nah, just wondering. I saw you from across sitting so nervous, like how I had been back to the time I first tried the facilities in this venue, not this particular one though." The teenager said. His eyes were so striking that Caleb couldn't help but look at them for a moment. However, once again his eyes were unintentionally drawn towards his stubble. "Excuse me for not asking prior, but do you mind me sitting here?"

"Not at all." Caleb responded, while keeping his eyes away from his 'beauty-producted' stubble.

"My name is Nicolas by the way, a newly licensed pokemon trainer from Galar." The teenager named Nicolas shifted himself a little on his sit as he leaned for a handshake.

Caleb's eyes widened. "You're from the Galar region?"

He forgot to return the basic etiquette of knowing each other because of the amazement he felt.

It took a second before he reacted and shook the teenager's extended hand. "I'm Caleb, I'm not a trainer yet since I'm still a student. By the way, what are you doing here in our region?"

Nicolas crossed his arms, then leaned back on his chair. "I'm actually visiting the region with my family, we have a distant relative native to Kalos and my parents decided to pay a visit." Then, Nicolas frowned. "You're still a student? Really? You don't look like one though."

Caleb responded with a smile. "I get that a lot."

"Yeah, I bet. Anyways, it's unusual for you as a student to visit this kind of place, you could either be brave or just ignorant." Nicolas blatantly said, sounding a little rude. "Don't get me wrong though, since you're my junior as a trainer who recently had his license I'll give you a heads-up, challenging trainers in Pokemon Battling Avenue isn't the same with the classmates you have in your year."

Caleb did not feel offended at all, besides he felt that Nicolas meant well. Moreover, he wasn't here with the main intention of winning the matches, he was here because of the purpose of training.

"I understand your concerns, my objective of coming here is actually because I want to train me and my starter."

Nicolas scratched the back of his head, not too sure how to respond. "You do know that your intention here is actually costly, do you?"

Caleb was startled hearing that, he frowned a little before saying. "What do you mean?"

Witnessing Caleb's reaction, Nicolas chuckled as he explained. "I'm speaking about the League's wager rules. Just because you didn't know surely the trainer who referred you here would inform you about such basic knowledge?"

...

Cesar had just returned to his office and sat on his chair when he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh wait, I forgot to brief my grandson about the League's wager rules also applied to the avenue... Damn, I really should stop smoking, hope he got some spare money he have in his pockets."

After which, he placed that at the back of his mind, unbothered. As he picked up a document and began to read on what was written, all the while picking up a pack of cigars and lighting a stick, forgetting the short moment of negligence he had committed.

...

Caleb was cursing his grandfather both internally and externally right now.

Of all the things his grandfather had to forgot, he forgot that?

He already spent the money he brought within his person on the pokemon center, Caleb grabbed his wallet and looked at the pitiful few crumbled pokedollars within. He couldn't help but bitterly smile. This amount definitely wouldn't attract Trainer's attention, why would they waste their time and tire their pokemon for a meaningless battle, when there are lots of people to accept challenge from.

Caleb sighed.

After an awkward moment of silence between the two, Nicolas seemed to had notice Caleb's predicament, so he suggested. "Aye look, if your objective is to train how about you have a pokemon battle with me?"

Caleb blinked. "I don't have much money on me though, are you fine with a few pokedollars?"

"I don't care about your crumbled paper." Nicolas responded blankly.

Caleb was startled. "Really?"

Nicolas smiled back. It wasn't a smirk, that a prankers would carry. It also wasn't a look of condescending, like people with mocking intention have on. It was a genuine smile.

"Of course, morover I already had my fair share of battles earlier. I actually just came back from the pokemon center nearby so they are all healed and conditioned to go." Nicolas leaned back a little bit more. He seemed to really like leaning back, as he now looked as if he was lying on a bed although he was on his chair. Fortunately, it was a bendable chair or else it would have snapped already.

This time it was Caleb's turned to scratch his head. "Uhmmm... Thanks, Nicolas. I mean it."

Nicolas smiled brightly. "Nah, don't sweat it dude. It felt good helping people once and a while, especially to my juniors." He laughed with his head held high, his nose seemed to become pointier than usual in Caleb's eyes.

"Number 077, please proceed to field 003. Number 077, please proceed to field 003..."

Coincidentally, the speakers suddenly announced the number on Caleb's card. "That's mine? Shall we go?"

Nicolas stretched for a bit before nodding. "Yeah, let's go."

...

The field where the zero badgers trainers were congregating was not very large as most pokemons at that level didn't have the destructive capabilities the higher tiered pokemons did.

It looked like there was more people here than usual. This was probably because the official season had just began when trainers had just started their journey.

When they reached the field to look for their designated field. Nicolas spotted it first. "There."

Caleb glanced towards where he pointed, the field was on a place where the stands were closely located.

Both of them walked towards the field and noticed that there seemed to be a battle that had just been concluded.

"Let's begin?" Caleb proposed.

"Okay."

Caleb walked towards the marked off trainer box and Nicolas walked the opposite.

When they had already stood against each other, Caleb calmed his heart as he took a deep breath. This was the first time he was up against an official trainer, Caleb felt his heart thumping wildly.

This wasn't a feeling he usually felt when he was up against Diantha and his friends, including with his classmates.

The coarse oil and dirt of the battle field crunched beneath his feet and all his senses seemed hightened.

The site was composed mostly of compact dirt.

The field's referee, who was wearing a black and white checkered shirt, comanded his Slowbro and Xatu on either side of the field to raise barriers. Caleb watched all of this happening as the two psychic pokemons, raised their hands and glowed with purple light, creating shield that encased the field. This would prevent spectators and trainers from injury.

Nicolas turned to face Caleb who was marveling the entire thing.

"Ey! Stop looking around and focus, let's get this started. Those psychics ice-solated the field so that we wouldn't be injured during battle." Nicolas suddenly threw a pun that caught Caleb off guard.

When the referee lowered his checkered flag, it means that the battle should begin.

"I'll go first, give 'em hail Mime Jr." Nicolas threw a pokeball on his side of the arena, and a small pink pokemon appeared with dark-blue legs and hat, which appears crooked and has a white ball on it. A red bump appears on its stomach and a typical red clown nose appears on its face. It has slender arms and small hands.

Caleb recognized the pokemon. With his knowledge, he knew thjs pokemon was a Psychic and Fairy-type.

He was surprised, he thought that from what he just heared from the pun Nicolas just threw out at the last of his sentence, it would be an Ice-type. He wasn't expecting this, otherwise an ice-type could have been much better for his Magby because of the type advantage.

Not wasting any more time, Caleb unclipped the pokeball hanging on his neck and then enlarged it. He then threw the pokeball up. "Here's a pun back at 'cha. Fire away, Magby!"

When Magby appeared, it had already been informed to what they are doing. So when it appeared, Magby stomped a foot on the ground and roared intimidatingly, filames gathering on his mouth.

"Woah, a Magby!" Nicolas who saw Magby, was surprised. He took out what seemed to be a red device, and aimed it at Magby.

When Caleb sees this, he narrowed his eyes. 'A Pokedex...'