pokemon 3

Route 201 – Sinnoh Region

A Pokémon Trainer searched through the forests near Sandgem Town for his target. He stood at 178cm tall, had dark-green hair, and warm brown-eyes. His skin was slightly tanned from the sun and he wore practical clothes for his work, a pair of grey cargo pants, a black undershirt, with a forest-green jacket over it. On his waist was a belt holding five Pokéballs. His Pokémon Team were his friends and partners for his work as a Shiny Hunter.

It was a lucrative profession, tracking down the rare and elusive 'Shiny' Pokémon for rich collectors who loved collecting them and showing them off. A quick search of the Internet would show that most collector-owned Shiny Pokémon lived better than most people did. The Pokémon lived in the lap of luxury with every need they could possibly have taken care of. It was the money that had initially attracted the young man, Yoh, to the career after his stint on the Gym Circuit. The first six years of his Trainer career had been spent travelling around and challenging Gyms to collect their Badges and enter the League Conferences. He'd never won, though had gotten to the Finals twice. After realizing that even a victory at a League wouldn't keep him happy, Yoh had looked into other careers that he and his Pokémon could do. He'd been a Shiny Hunter for over four years now and had found great success in his chosen profession.

"Should be around here, the rumors all mention an oddly-colored Ariados in the forest. This is the last section to check." Yoh mumbled to himself quietly, his eyes and ear both sharp for any noises or signs of his quarry. He'd noted a few webs scattered here and there throughout the trees as he'd travelled through the forest, so he knew that he was getting close.

A sudden scream rang through the forest, almost startling the young man. That was clearly human! He couldn't just ignore such a terrified yell, so he bolted in the direction of the noise.

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Dawn, a new Trainer on her first day, held the Piplup from Professor Rowan's lab close to her chest. After some craziness at the Lab, she'd volunteered to help bring back the Chimchar and Piplup that had run off while trying to battle each other. She was a cute girl with a fair complexion, blue-eyes, and long navy-blue hair.

She'd found the Piplup and the Water Type Starter Pokémon had been willing to come with her without hassle. The two had wandered back through the forest and Dawn, as a newbie Trainer, hadn't recognized the warning signs that she was entering the territory of predatory Pokémon. Piplup however, very much recognized the danger when webs began appearing all over the trees.

"Lup, Pip!" The small blue Penguin Pokémon in her arms chirped frantically while squirming around.

"What's wrong, Piplup? Why're you panicking all of a sudden? What's got you so spooked?" Dawn questioned the Water Type as she turned around to look at where it was pointing. The young girl's eyes widened when she saw what had the Starter Pokémon so frantic.

Crawling along webs spun throughout the tree tops was a horde of Ariados. There had to be a dozen of them evolved Bug/Poison Type Pokémon. All of them began clicking their mandibles at the two that had stumbled into their territory. The largest one, an Ariados that had a different color than the rest, let out a chittering hiss and the horde prepared to attack.

Dawn trembled in fear, Piplup was a new Starter Pokémon and wouldn't be strong enough to battle an evolved Pokémon like Ariados even one on one. With a dozen of them all attacking at once, Dawn and Piplup both knew they were in trouble.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" She screamed as purple needles were spat at her and Piplup from each of the Ariados. All the two could do was raise their arms to try and black the incoming attacks.

Dawn could see the attacks coming; she couldn't close her eyes as her fear prevented her from moving much at all. With her blue-eyes wide open, she was able to see when a beautiful Pokémon with silver fur landed in front of her. Then she heard the voice, calm, controlled, and certain.

"Protect!" Yoh called out and a transparent green dome of energy covered his Pokémon and the girl behind her. The Poison Stings bounced off the green shield harmlessly before dispersing. "Now burn, Will O' Wisp!"

Dawn watched on as the green dome disappeared and nine silver-furred tails fanned out behind the Pokémon that had protected her and Piplup. She briefly noticed that the tips of each tail were covered in blue-fur before a sinister-looking purple fireball appeared on the ends of each of the tails. The fireballs were sent into the horde of Ariados, setting the Bug/Poison Types ablaze and inflicting burns.

"Ari!" The horde of Ariados chittered frantically as they were burned.

"Fire Spin the target!" Yoh instructed and his Ninetales unleashed a vortex of fire that struck the Shiny Ariados and trapped it in a swirl of flames. The rest of the Ariados panicked and fled into the trees as their leader fell to the forest floor, screeching within the fire that trapped it.

"Wow…" Dawn stared on in awe at the battle, if it could be called that. The beautiful Ninetales had easily sent the horde running in fear.

"Net Ball, go!" Yoh tossed the green-topped Pokéball with the black net design on top at the flailing Shiny Ariados. The flames were dispersed as the Bug/Poison Type was draw into the ball. The specialty Pokéball shook twice before dinging a successful capture. "Capture complete." He smiled as he quickly collected the Pokéball and then moved to check on the girl. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Dawn blinked before realizing the young man was speaking to her. "Oh, yes, I'm fine." She stood up and gave him a bow. "Thank you for saving us."

"You're welcome." Yoh smiled at the girl as his Ninetales came over and nuzzled his hand wanting to be petted. "Good girl, you did great." He chuckled as he pet her silver fur.

"I'm Dawn," Dawn introduced herself. "Today is my first day as a Trainer."

"Seems you've had a rough time of it for a first day." Yoh mentioned. Dawn sighed heavily as she agreed with the older Trainer.

"Your Ninetales is beautiful," Dawn praised as she held out her hand and let the Fox Pokémon sniff it. "I thought they had more golden-colored fur though?" She giggled as Ninetales allowed her to pet the soft silver fur.

"Most do, my Ninetales is a Shiny Pokémon." Yoh explained as he saw how much his Ninetales was enjoying Dawn's attention. "She was a golden Vulpix when I found her years ago."

"She's absolutely gorgeous." Dawn praised while petting the Fire Type.

"Well, how about we get you back to Sandgem Town?" Yoh offered as he pointed in the direction of the town.

"Thank you, I was actually not sure if I was going the right way." Dawn admitted shyly. The group of two humans and two Pokémon set off through the forest together.

"I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say you planned to mostly stick to the Towns and Cities on your journey, right?" Yoh asked while looking over what Dawn was wearing. The new Trainer's outfit was a mini dress consisting of a black V-neck tank top with a white shirt under it, a very short pink mini skirt, and a red scarf. On her head, she wore a white beanie with a pink Pokéball print on it. She also had golden-yellow hair clips that held up her hair in front. There was a simple bracelet on her right wrist. On her feet, she had a pair of knee-length pink boots and black mid-knee socks above them. On her back was a small, yellow backpack that only seemed capable of carrying a few sets of clothes and maybe some items.

"For the most part, yeah." Dawn confirmed as she looked over her outfit. "I was going to search the Routes between towns and stuff for Pokémon and return to the Pokémon Center at night. I want to be a Coordinator, like my Mom." She explained her plan to the older Trainer.

"Makes sense for a Coordinator," Yoh nodded to the newbie, getting a smile from Dawn. "No sense travelling deep into the wilds for days on end when it's much more efficient to train at a facility that can offer all the amenities that a Coordinator needs."

"Yep!" Dawn smiled happily, she'd learned as much as she could from her mother before she started her journey.

"Seems our Pokémon are getting along too." Yoh chuckled and Dawn cooed when she saw Piplup riding on Ninetales' back as they walked through the forest.

The trip through the forest was filled with conversation to pass the time. As they emerged back into Sandgem Town, Yoh followed along after Dawn to make sure the girl got back to the Professor's Lab unhindered. He was planning to part ways with the newbie Trainer when they got there, but Dawn had almost dragged him in by the hand. So Yoh watched as Dawn chose Piplup as her Starter Pokémon and received a Pokédex and five Pokéballs to start her journey.

The pair of Trainers headed to the Pokémon Center next. Yoh had to heal Ariados before making a call to his client. Dawn had Piplup checked out too and once both Pokémon were returned to them fully healed, she just followed Yoh over to the Transport Machine.

"You really caught it?!" The man on the screen beamed happily at Yoh.

"Yes sir, a Shiny Ariados, just like the rumors said." Yoh nodded as he held up the Net Ball. In a flash of white light the Shiny Ariados appeared on the floor for the man to see.

"It's wonderful!" The Collector praised as he looked over the Shiny Pokémon. "I'll transfer the payment to your account immediately."

"Thank you, sir." Yoh returned the Ariados to the Pokéball and waited for his payment to come through. A beep from his phone alerted him to a new notification. Yoh checked and saw that the agreed upon amount had been deposited into his account and placed the Net Ball onto the Transfer Machine. A press of a button later and the Pokéball was transported over to the Collector.

"Thank you very much! I'll be sure to hire you again the next time rumors of a Shiny Bug Type catch my ears!" The man beamed as he held the Net Ball in his hands happily.

"Looking forward to it, sir." Yoh chuckled as the call ended and he stood up from the chair.

"Who was that guy?" Dawn asked as she walked beside Yoh towards the cafeteria to get some food.

"A Bug Maniac is what I'd call him." Yoh grinned at the blue-haired girl. "Absolutely loves Bug Type Pokémon and pays very well to anyone that can capture Shiny Bug Type Pokémon. He's a Collector; you've probably seen some posts from them online. They're the ones that show off their prized Pokémon living better than most people do on their large estates and stuff."

"Oh…" Dawn made a cute exclamation of understanding. "That means you're a Shiny Hunter, right?"

"Yep, been doing it for just over four years now." Yoh replied as they got their food and headed over to a free table. "I get to travel, see places, and the pay is incredibly good."

As they ate, Dawn learned more about Yoh's past. She was amazed that he'd not only traveled all over the world taking on Gyms and Leagues, but that he'd also reached the Finals twice. She told him of her dream to be a great Coordinator like her Mom. How she loved the idea of travelling around, competing in Pokémon Contests, and wanted to win the Grand Festival in the future.

"It was nice to meet you Dawn, good luck on your journey to be a Coordinator." Yoh smiled at the girl as they prepared to separate.

"It was great to meet you too, Yoh!" Dawn beamed at him. "I'm going to try to get to Jubilife City before nightfall. Hopefully I can buy a Pokétch while I'm there, they're essential for a stylish Coordinator!"

"You're going to try and make it all the way to Jubilife before nightfall?" Yoh raised an eyebrow a he checked the position of the sun. "Unless you have a Ride Pokémon or a good bike, you're not going to make it before it gets dark."

"Well…I had a bike…" Dawn sighed at remembering the fate of her bicycle. "The Chimchar that escaped and was brought back by Professor Rowan's Assistants kind of set it on fire…"

"You're just having no luck today, huh?" Yoh consoled the girl as best he could. "If you had a tent and sleeping bag you could camp out on Route 202 and make it to Jubilife in the morning."

"Ehehehehe…" Dawn rubbed the back of her head and Yoh remembered the size of her yellow backpack. There was no way Dawn had camping equipment in that small bag.

"Wouldn't it be easier to stay the night in the Sandgem Pokémon Center and start fresh in the morning?" Yoh questioned the newbie Trainer.

"No need to worry, I'll be fine!" Dawn raised her right fist in front of her, a determined look on her face.

"Uh huh…" Yoh gave her a disbelieving look tinged with amusement.

"Hey!" Dawn pouted at him and the Shiny Hunter couldn't help but chuckle.

"Why the rush, today's your first day," Yoh asked and Dawn looked down a bit before mumbling something. "I'm sorry?"

"I said I want to get to Jubilife to practice for the Contest held their soon." Dawn looked up at him, her blue-eyes shining with determination. "A guy I know started his journey recently and he's a Coordinator to! I want to win my debut Contest and shut him up! He always used to tease me throughout school and I want to win my first Contest Ribbon before he does."

"So you've got a bully and you want him to eat his words?" Yoh gave her a smile. He could understand that, in his travels he'd met many pricks that treated others like crap. It was almost cathartic to shut them up and knock them out of Tournaments or League Conferences. "I can relate."

"You can?" Dawn blinked at him.

"I've been a Trainer for a long time, Dawn. I've met more than my fair share of jerks." Yoh pulled a Pokéball off his belt and enlarged it. With a toss and a flash of light a Pokémon appeared.

"Goat!" The Pokémon bleated as it shook its body, including a coat of leaves along its back.

"What is that?" Dawn asked in amazement, she'd never seen this Pokémon before.

"He's a Gogoat; they're native to the Kalos Region." Yoh pet the large Grass Type affectionately. "They've been ridden by humans since ancient times." He opened his own pack and pulled out a thick, padded blanket and tossed it over the Goat Pokémon's back. Dawn noticed a clip hanging from each edge when Yoh snapped them together to secure the blanket to the Gogoat.

"He's big," Dawn giggled as the Grass Type instantly started nuzzling her hand when she held it out to the Goat Pokémon.

"He's a friendly boy," Yoh chuckled before turning to face Dawn. "I'll give you a ride to Jubilife City."

"Really?!" Dawn's pretty blue-eyes lit up and sparkled in joy. "Thank you, Yoh!"

"Sure thing, Dawn, I know what it's like to want to prove someone wrong." Yoh assured her. "Here, I'll help you up." He cupped his hands and held them low for Dawn to use as a step to get onto Gogoat's back. "This padded, traditional riding blanket doesn't have stirrups like a modern saddle. But it's compact and fits in my pack easily."

"No need to worry!" Dawn smiled as she placed her left foot into his hands and let him boost her up enough to throw her leg over the Grass Type's back. Yoh got a flash of her panties, white with light-blue horizontal stripes, before Dawn was sitting on the riding blanket. "Ready!"

"One second," Yoh place his hands on Gogoat's back on the blanket and hefted himself up in one movement. He'd had a lot of practice though, so it was to be expected. "Alright, let's ride, buddy." Yoh's hands went to grasp each of Gogoat's curved horns as reins, leaving Dawn securely between his arms, as the Pokémon began to walk towards Route 202.

'This is kinda nice.' Dawn thought to herself with a smile as she enjoyed riding on Gogoat's back with Yoh's arms on either side of her.

Once they were on the Route, Yoh allowed Gogoat to pick up the pace a bit. Dawn laughed with the wind in her hair as they rode along. She took in the scenery happily and was surprised when they began to slowdown.

"What's going on, Yoh?" Dawn questioned as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"See it?" Yoh pointed to some bushes that were shaking slightly. Dawn focused and caught sight of something brown and cream colored among the foliage.

"It's so cute!" Dawn gushed when a Buneary emerged from the bushes.

"You don't see them too often on this Route," Yoh mentioned to the girl. "You want to try and catch it?"

"Yes!" Dawn replied instantly. She let out a cute squeak when Yoh's hands gently took hold of her waist. The man helped her down from Gogoat's back so that she could confront the Buneary.

"Remember to weaken it first." Yoh offered advice before Dawn attempted to throw one of her empty Pokéballs at the Normal Type.

"Right…" Dawn blushed at the obvious mistake. She released Piplup and set to battle. With a few words of advice from Yoh, the Buneary was staggered by Piplup's attacks and Dawn tossed her Pokéball. With three shakes and a ding, Dawn captured her first Pokémon. "I did it!" She cheered happily as she picked up Buneary's Pokéball.

"Not bad, Dawn." Yoh congratulated the girl on her capture. He reached down and took her hand, helping her back up onto Gogoat's back.

"Thanks to your advice!" Dawn hugged him with a warm smile. Yoh returned the hug for a moment and then took hold of Gogoat's horns again. The duo of Trainers was quickly back on their way to Jubilife City.

Yoh smiled at seeing Dawn so happy when Jubilife City came into view. The two dismounted Gogoat, making sure to give the Grass Type thanks for the ride with pats and scratches. Yoh returned the Goat Pokémon after removing the riding blanket and returning it to his pack.

"They have Pokétchs!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly as she rushed over to a store and entered. Yoh followed behind her at a more sedate pace and entered the store. Dawn looked over the Pokétchs and picked up a box with a pink one in it. She grimaced at the price but took it over to the counter anyway.

"That'll be 34,900, young lady." The woman behind the counter smiled at Dawn.

"Ouch…" Dawn grimaced as she pulled a pocketbook out of her yellow backpack. This would drain most of her account that she'd been putting her allowance and any extra money she got into since she was seven and declared that she was going to be a Coordinator like her Mom.

"Here," Yoh spoke as he swiped his card through the reader. The lady turned to smile at him, probably assuming him to be her older brother or something as the purchase went through.

"Yoh?" Dawn blinked at her new friend, not having expected him to buy her the Pokétch she wanted. She took the box when the lady handed it to her and they headed to the side of the store together. "You didn't have to do that."

"It's fine, I wanted to." Yoh shrugged, not bothered by the amount. He wasn't a wasteful spender and his career was very lucrative.

"Thank you," Dawn blushed prettily and smiled at him as she took out her new Pokétch and strapped it to her left wrist. "It can do a lot." She smiled as she flipped through the various features on the watch.

"We should probably get to the Pokémon Center." Yoh spoke up after letting Dawn play with the watch for a few minutes. "Big cities like this can actually run out of rooms at the Pokémon Center."

"Let's go!" Dawn grabbed his hand and rushed out of the store and down the street, nearly dragging the older Trainer along.

They were able to secure a room at the Pokémon Center, but it was a single bed room with a King-sized bed. Dawn blushed when she saw the room, rather nice for a Pokémon Center since it was in a big city. Seeing the single bed really drove home that they'd be sharing it. After dinner and showers, Dawn was in her pink pajamas and lying on one side of the bed. Yoh was in his own pajamas and lying on the opposite side.

Dawn relaxed when she heard Yoh's breathing even out as he fell asleep. She should've known he'd be a gentleman about this situation. She fell asleep with a small smile on her face.