The last of Arthur's potion stock was used on Zangoose. Seedot was also injured, but it had recovery abilities. A few absorbs and Leech Seeds on some wild pokemon and Seedot was back in top shape. Also very eager for a proper fight. Zangoose had forced itself out of its ball after being healed, but it soon returned after making sure it was safe. This repeated itself every twenty minutes or so. It was likely that the cat Pokemon was worried about its trainer being ambushed by the defeated Sevipers' relatives. It was a very real worry, but Arthur doubted they would tell their group about the incident. It would be a massive blow to their pride, and likely their standing within the group.

Around midday Arthur stopped for lunch. He had not planned on catching such a large Pokemon, or any pokemon, in the Petalburg woods. So instead of the vitamin-packed Pokemon food that Seedot got, Zangoose got Arthur's sandwich. The young trainer could go without lunch for a day or two, but he needed his Pokemon at top strength to defend him. Once out of the forest later in the day, Arthur could cook up an extra large dinner for both of them. He had some stock cubes in his pack, fully thanks to his Mother, and some vegetables that were only looking slightly bruised. Also thanks to his Mother.

As the small group sat around for their lunch, there was a rustling from the path behind them. Zangoose was instantly alert, followed quickly by Seedot. Arthur was quick on his feet, barely behind his pokemon. Two balls in hand, ready to recall the pair if the encounter was too much for them. The whole group may be battle junkies, but Arthur wasn't stupid.

From around the path appeared a gecko that stood on two feet. It had a large green tail and massive yellow eyes. Behind it walked a young boy, around fourteen, the standard age for a Pokemon. The boy wore a white beanie, with a green bag slung on his back, the strap across his chest. The boy had three Pokeballs attached to his hip, meaning he had three available pokemon.

"Oh, hello! I don't mean any trouble!" The boy said, raising his hands up slightly, notably away from his Pokeballs. This seemed to calm Seedot a fair bit, as they knew much of Human ways. Zangoose however saw this as a threat and began growling. The gecko pokemon didn't like this at all and stepped forwards, readying itself for battle.

"That's enough, Zangoose. We aren't fighting here." Arthur called. The pokemon instantly relaxed, trusting Arthur completely. It did however give the smaller pokemon the side eye, keeping track of its movements. "Sorry about that, Zangoose is a new capture. We saved it from some Sevipers, so it's still a little on edge."

The boy let out a nervous chuckle, looking directly at the massive claws that the undersized Zangoose possessed. "It's alright. I understand. You gotta get used to these things, walking around with wild pokemon all about. Not every Pokemon is a timid Skitty. My name is Brendan, this is Treecko what's your's?" The boy, Brendan, asked. He was clearly looking to defuse the situation and make everyone more comfortable, and Arthur was happy to oblige.

"Arthur, this is my partner Seedot. What brings you to the Petalburg Woods?" Arthur asked. He figured he knew the answer, there was only really one reason to go through these woods. Either to reach Petalburg or Rustboro. Considering they were headed in the same direction, it was obviously Rustboro.

"A little training before reaching Rustboro and challenging the gym there. Treecko should be able to handle it well, with his type advantage and all, but it's best to be prepared. How about you?"

"I'm the same. I'm on my adventure to be the best Pokemon Trainer and beat the Elite Four, then take the title of Champion from Steven Stone." Arthur declared, clenching his fist before him. Seedot cried out in agreement, and Zangoose nodded. It didn't really know what Arthur was talking about, all these titles meant nothing to it, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to back up its Trainer.

"That's... Rather ambitious." Brendan said, scratching at the back of his head. "You seem to have the same goal as my friend. She is a bit of a battle junkie. I'm more interested in filling out the Pokedex for Professor Birch." Brendan shook his head a little and let out a small laugh. "Honestly, you would think that I was the son of the Pokemon Professor and she was the daughter of a gym leader with the way we act, instead of the other way around."

Arthur was confused. He knew who Professor Birch was, everyone in Hoenn did, but he had never heard of a Pokedex. So he asked what it was. "Oh, it's a portable encyclopedia about Pokemon. Their cries, eating habits, locations, and general knowledge. It needs to be updated every few years, make sure that it's accurate and add to it where necessary. With the addition of pokemon from other regions into Hoenn, it has to be updated again. It's mostly used by researchers and breeders, but it isn't uncommon to see professional trainers using one." Brendan answered, excitement leaking into his voice as he explained the device.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

The pair of boys spoke at great lengths about the device, and how it worked. Brendan even let Arthur scan his pokemon. The device told him the moves each Pokemon knew. He knew all of Seedots, he was very knowledgeable about that line, but he didn't know that Zangoose knew Fury Cutter. The Bug-Type move would be very useful in prolonged engagements, becoming stronger with each hit.

"Would you like to travel to Rustboro with me?" Brendan asked suddenly, a glean in his eye. "I don't have many friends here, we only moved to Hoenn from Jhoto not long ago. "

Arthur was sure that the young trainer didn't mean for it to sound quite so pathetic, but he accepted anyway. They would be out of the forest today, then they would be in Rustboro late the next day. It wouldn't be too long, and he did enjoy the boy's company.

"Sure, it sounds fun," Arthur replied with only the slightest moment of hesitation. "Let's trade numbers too, so we can stay in contact if we separate." Brendan nodded without any hesitation, just happy to have made a proper friend. The boy didn't even comment on his C-gear instead of having a Pokenav.

With that, the pair stood up and recalled their pokemon. Seedot and Treecko had been getting along fantastically, while Zangoose had kept ever watchful. It was only a short while before they heard some cries coming from ahead where the path thinned, the great thick trees on either side of the path encroaching on the trodden road. This time though, it was not the cry of a Pokemon being attacked, but a person.

With a short look between them, the pair raced ahead. Quickly the source of the cry was found. A man carrying a package was surrounded by two men wearing red outfits, A Houndour and a Numel next to the pair. "Just give us the package and no one has to get burned." One of them said, clearly trying to sound like a reasonable person while robbing a man.

"N-no! I-I-I can't g-give i-it to you!" The Courier declared, clutching the package to his chest. Arthur reached for Seedot's Pokeball at his hip before he froze his hand. These people clearly used Fire Type Pokemon, so it was a very bad idea to use Seedot. Even if it won, even if it was pushed over the edge and evolved, he would be putting the poor Pokemon in a lot of pain fighting these two. Instead, he grabbed the ball next to it, Zangoose.

"Go, Zangoose!" The cat Pokemon appeared, claws outstretched and a wild look in its eyes.

"Go, Wailmer!" An orb landed on the grass, the top blue with fins sticking out of its side, with white on its stomach. A perpetual grin lay on its face.

"Eh? A pair of kids want to play? Get them, Houndour." The first one, the one that wanted to sound reasonable, called.

"Easy picking." The second said, his Numel charging.

The Houndour went for Zangoose while the Numel went for Wailmer.

"EMBER!" The opposing Trainer screamed, way too loudly. Arthur almost flinched at the scream but gave his Pokemon a command in a clear and easy-to-understand voice.

"Use Quick Attack to avoid the attack, then use it again to attack!" Zangoose followed the command easily, the Ember was poorly aimed in the first place, barely hitting where the cat pokemon was standing to begin with. Zangoose charged at the dark Pokemon, shoulder-checking it while surrounded by Normal-Type energy. The small doglike Pokemon went down, though not fainted. "Keep hitting it with Scratch until it's down!"

Zangoose unleashed its fury, screaming its name as it mounted the dark Pokemon and began slashing with both hands. It was ferocious and honestly a little horrifying. Like something out of a horror movie where the teens were being hunted by the physical manifestation of Pokemon mistreatment. Houndour was soon knocked out, its Trainer hesitating to call any more moves, leaving his Pokemon to suffer. It was clear they had never actually battled before.

Arthur recalled his Zangoose before things got permanent. It wasn't trained to stop once the fight was over yet, as things were a lot more deadly in the wild. Especially between Zangoose and Sevipers. Arthur looked over to see how his new friend was doing, only to find Wailmer letting loose a Water Gun, knocking out Numel almost as quickly as Zangoos did. The pair of red goons recalled their Pokemon.

"You can have it this time, but we will be back!" The first cried before turning around and running. The second pointed at his eyes, then at the pair of young trainers. He probably thought it looked cool, but he just made himself look like an idiot. He did lose after all. Posturing doesn't work well when you run with your tail between your legs two seconds later.

"Are you alright?" Brendan asked, not wasting any time and checking on the Courier. Arthur was loath to admit he was more thinking along the lines of how weak those two had been, and how they had barely put up a fight.

"Y-yes! Thank you both so much. Here, take these as a thank you from Devon Corp for protecting our goods." The man said, holding out two Greatballs, the more advanced version of the standard Pokeball. They offered a higher capture rate, a must-have for capturing more powerful Pokemon. Though Arthur thought they were kind of ugly compared to the sleek design of the standard Pokeball. The pair of Trainers took one each anyway. They were expensive and useful.

With that, the Courier excused himself, saying he had to make this delivery as soon as possible. The rest of the day passed without incident, and a few hours before dark, the pair exited the forest. Booking rooms in the travel lodge situated just outside the Petalburg Woods, the group settled in for the night after a very large and hearty meal.