Hannah stopped for a moment to take in the sights of Route 20. It didn't look all that different from Route 19; it even had the same music. About the only difference here worth noting was the presence of a river.
She shrugged, then carried on. Right as she was about to cross the bridge across the river, she was stopped by a youngster.
“The look in your eyes tells me you want to fight!” he said, before he sent out a Patrat.
“So you randomly challenge me without asking me if that's actually the case? Great decision!” Hannah replied, then sighed. “Well Telan, you know what to do.”
Telan whistled, and then vine whipped the Patrat into submission while taking minimal damage himself.
“And I can tell that you really wanted to win!” the Youngster finished as he handed over some money.
Hannah just gave him an odd look, and then walked across the bridge and further onto the route. A few steps later, she ran into a similar scenario with a lass and her Purrloin. After Telan beat the cat, Hannah found a random Parlyz Heal lying on the ground, as well as a Poke Ball tucked in next to a rock.
People in this world must be really bad at holding onto their items....
To the right of the group of rocks with the Poke Ball, a hiker stood blocking access to a large stairway. Hannah didn't bother stopping to talk to him, but she assumed that she wasn't going to get past him just yet. She instead went the other way, finding another pair of paths. The one that lead straight forwards seemed to lead back to Flocessy, so she took the one that headed north.
Before her stood a rather decorated gate that served as the entrance to a ranch. To the next of this gate, there was a sign that read, “Meet lots of Pokemon! Flocessy Ranch, just off Flocessy Town.”
Hannah strode into the Ranch, and took a look around. Sure enough, she could see Hugh walking around just past a couple fences. She was about to go and give him his map at last, but then looked at the tall grass right next to the path.
“I think it might be worth it to see what kinds of Pokemon live here, since it ought to be at least a little different than out on the routes. What say you, Telan?”
Telan looked at Hannah, then at Hugh, then back at Hannah. He made a movement that seemed parallel to his owner's shrugs.
“I'm going to take that as a 'no preference.'” Hannah responded, and then strode into the grass.
So began a long session of training and Pokemon catching. The Pokemon that inhabited this ranch included a sheep referred to as a Mareep, a yellow duck called Psyduck, a blue mouse-like creature with a sorrowful expression called an Azurill, and rarely a black-and-white bird called a Pidove.
She caught one of each. The Mareep was named “Lighthouse,” and promptly made herself worthy by providing helpful paralysis support. Hannah didn't like the Psyduck at first and simply used the first one she encountered as growth for Telan, but caught the next one she met and named it “Kappa.” The scenario with the Lillipup was similar, though in that case it was more that Telan proved too powerful for the first Lillipup and knocked it out in two hits (after which he was retired from fighting for a brief time). She was luckier with the second, and named it “Lady.” The Azurill was named “Molecule,” and the Pidove received the rather goofy-sounding name of “Waka Waka.”
The session ended soon enough, with everyone gaining a decent amount of experience (even Ruckus, who had gotten himself knocked out twice by Patrats). Hannah was about ready to finally move on and give Hugh his map, especially since Lighthouse wasn't the only Mareep who was infuriatingly good at spreading paralysis, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she hadn't quite seen all the Pokemon here.
Before continuing on her search, she made a trip back to Flocessy's Pokemon Center, passing by Alder on the way.
“Back so soon? Are you ready to begin training?” he asked her as she walked by.
Hannah shook her head. “I...got a little carried away with catching Pokemon. I'll get this over with soon.”
“Very well then. I hope that you don't take much longer.”
After healing everyone up at the Pokemon Center, Hannah returned to the Ranch. She was about to step into the grass again, but after looking at it more closely she took a step back.
“There's something else bothering me about this patch of grass, but I can't put my finger on it. Perhaps it's the way it's shaped.”
Telan didn't seem to be focused on the shape of the patch; rather, he seemed to be looking at something moving in the grass. It didn't take Hannah to notice this behavior, and followed his gaze. There was indeed something moving in the grass, but given that it was home to a bunch of things she didn't think much of it at first.
“Telan, you've fought nearly everything that patch has to offer. Why are you getting antsy now?”
Telan's returning whistle sounded apprehensive. Hannah thought for a few moments, then recalled her earlier feeling that she hadn't seen everything in this patch. This new thing must have been the Pokemon that eluded her.
Without saying anything else, she went back into the patch and approached the shape. Sure enough, her suspicion was proven correct: the previously unknown Pokemon was a blue, dog-like creature with black legs and red eyes, and a pair of what looked like pony tails attached to its head. According to the Pokedex, it was called “Riolu.”
What really struck Hannah about it was how different it looked compared to the other Pokemon on the Ranch. They all looked like Pokemon you'd normally find on a Ranch, while Riolu looked more like something that wouldn't be out of place in an ancient myth. So naturally, Hannah had to catch it.
Ruckus and Lighthouse worked together to weaken the Riolu and paralyze it, and it was soon caught. Hannah gave the Riolu the decidedly not-mythical name of “Crutch.”
After Crutch was transferred to the storage system, Hannah took the time to go over her team. Apart from the obvious Telan, the team currently consisted of Rodent the Patrat, Ruckus the Purrloin, Lighthouse the Mareep, Lady the Lillipup, and lastly Norton the Genesect. They all had done their part apart from Norton (who Hannah was a little too afraid to use at the moment), but Hannah admittedly did want to try out some of her newest catches. It was time to give that PC system a go.
“Sorry Telan, but I think you'll need to go back into your Poke Ball for now.” she said. Telan made a sad-sounding noise, but complied. Once he was safely put away, Hannah returned to the Pokemon Center, after apologizing to Alder yet again – he sounded like he was starting to get annoyed.
After healing her Pokemon, she apprehensively approached the PC and turned it on.
Here's hoping this thing is as safe as Bianca said it was....
She selected “Someone's PC” (whoever the heck “someone” was) when given the option, and was greeted with a box with four icons within it, each one representing the Pokemon currently within. She thought some, and then selected the option that read “Party Pokemon,” put the six Poke Balls she had on her onto the tray that extended from the PC's base, and pushed it in. She swapped out Rodent and Ruckus for Waka Waka the Pidove and Crutch the Riolu, and then closed the PC and retrieved her team's Poke Balls.
“Well, that was mostly painless. Don't know what the Pokemon think of it, but it's easy enough to use.”
She let Telan out of his Poke Ball again, and the two went back to the Ranch. Instead of diving back into the grass, she locked her fingers together and stretched her arms before looking in Hugh's direction.
Time to do what I came here to do in the first place. That was a fun little diversion, apart from all the bloody static-y sheep....
Right as she was about to enter that part of the pasture and get Hugh's attention, he noticed her and walked up before she had taken more than a few steps.
“Hello again, Hannah. Come here to train as well?” he asked.
“...Kind of. I spent a lot of time doing that as well as catching a lot of stuff,” Hannah responded. “Though I mostly came here to give you something....”
Hugh smirked. “Well, that's nice. But how about a battle first? I bet you've gotten stronger since our first match.”
Hannah frowned, and then sighed. “All right....”
“Come at me!”
Battle! Hannah vs. Hugh!
As it turned out, Hugh was still limited to only his Tepig, while Hannah had a full team of six. She thought about using Telan again, but decided against it and sent out Lighthouse instead.
“You still only have one Pokemon?” she asked.
“Decided that there wasn't anything here that tickled my fancy,” Hugh replied, and then turned to his Tepig. “Use Tackle!”
“Paralyze him, Lighthouse! Use Thunder Wave!”
Lighthouse let loose a charge of electricity that stunned the pig, whose Tackle didn't appear to do a lot of damage.
“Use Thunder Wave – oh wait, don't use Thunder Wave! Use Thunder Shock!”
Lighthouse listened to the first command instead of the second, and sent out another paralyzing charge of electricity that didn't work since Tepig was already paralyzed.
“Punish the mistake, Tepig! Tackle the Mareep again!”
Tepig tried to obey, but was prevented from moving by his paralysis.
“...”
Lighthouse's next attack was a proper Thundershock, and she kept spamming it until Tepig finally fell, though fairly weak herself once the duel came to a conclusion.
“I lost...again. I think I need to apologize to my partner!” Hugh said once the fainted Tepig was returned to his Poke Ball.
“Don't kick yourself, Hugh.” Hannah replied as she recalled Lighthouse. “Tepig certainly put up a fight there.”
“What? Oh, I'm not disappointed. You've proven that you've definitely improved, and that I can count on you for backup.” Hugh glanced at his Tepig's Poke Ball. “But I'm worried that Tepig might be.”
Hannah and Telan exchanged glances, and then Hannah shrugged.
“So anyway...what did you want to give me?”
Hannah rummaged through her bag for a few moments before pulling out the town map she had been lugging around for several hours now.
“Your sister wanted me to give this to you,” she said as she handed it over.
“A town map?” Hugh asked, as he took the device and looked it over. He smiled a little bit. “...She didn't have to do that....”
He put it away before turning back to Hannah. “Thanks to you too. We haven't been out of Aspertia for that long, and you've already helped me out.”
Hannah smiled in return. “That's what friends are for, right?”
“I thought it seemed awfully lively around here! You two were having a Pokemon battle, huh?” a random male's voice stated. “Isn't it nice to be young?”
After a few seconds of confusion, Hannah and Hugh turned to look at the source of the voice; a man dressed in red with a bandana, along with a similarly dressed female and a dog that looked like an older Lillipup.
“Who are you?” Hugh asked.
The man looked a little taken aback. “Who am I? I am the owner of this ranch!” He motioned to the woman standing next to him. “And this is my wife!”
At this point, the wife walked up to Hannah and handed her a Potion. “You could use this to keep your Pokemon healthy away from the Pokemon Center. Always nice to keep your Pokemon in top shape, yes?”
She then turned to Hugh and gave him a Potion as well. “And you look like you could use one as well!”
“By the way,” the owner started, “you didn't happen to see a Herdier around here, did you?” He motioned to the dog standing behind him. “Our two Herdier are always together, until one suddenly went and wandered off. I'm a little worried....”
Hugh was silent for a few moments, then looked shocked. “You're just a little worried...?”
“Yes. I imagine the Herdier is just playing somewhere else in the ranch. What else could have happened to it?”
“...And you know this for certain? For all you know, that Herdier could be lost forever!” Hugh responded, then turned around. “I'll look for it! Hannah, help me here!”
“Aye aye, Sahib.” Hannah said, but Hugh was gone before she could finish replying. She raised an eyebrow.
“He seemed to get a little riled up there.... I wonder what got into him?” the owner asked once he had left.
The wife looked at him, a perplexed look on her face. “Now I'm curious....” Then she turned to Hannah. “By the way, dear, if your Pokemon get hurt, let me know. I'll make them feel better for you!”
Hannah nodded. “Can you heal them up right now? My Mareep's still a little worn out from the battle.”
The wife nodded. “Of course!” She took the Poke Balls, put them on a miniature device that resembled the ones in the Pokemon Center, and healed them up. “Here you go!”
“Thank you!” Hannah took her Poke Balls back, and then took off after Hugh.
Hugh wandered about near a haystack, calling out for the lost Herdier. Hannah considered checking the parts of the ranch behind this area, but up north was a more wooded area. Certainly, the owner would have checked the parts of the ranch that were already cleared.
As she headed up towards that area, Hugh came up behind here. “Do you think the Herdier...wandered off somewhere back here?”
“It seems likely.”
“Then let's have a look!” Hugh then bolted off again.
Hannah shook her head and followed him further up the path.
Hugh took a look around the new area of the ranch. “This place is bigger than I expected....”
Hannah took the less grassy path to his right, and wound up coming across a janitor.
“Oh hey, I haven't seen you before! Care for a match?” he asked Hannah.
“If my friend doesn't object to it. We're trying to find a missing dog here!”
He sent out a Lillipup, who Lighthouse paralyzed and took down, and a Mareep of his own, who Lady dealt with in several hits, but not before the Mareep's static-filled wool paralyzed her.
“Bloody sheep....” Hannah muttered under her breath as she walked off.
“Oh hey, Hannah! I have something good to share with you!” Hugh cried, catching up to her. He then handed her a Parlyz Heal. “This ought to help your paralyzed Pokemon!”
“Oh good, just when I needed one of these,” Hannah commented before using the item on her Lillipup. “By the way, you seem...awfully nervous about this Herdier.”
“Pokemon just don't wander off on their own, Hannah.” Hugh stated bluntly. “It could be in some major trouble!”
“I'll keep looking, then.”
Hannah continued onwards, taking a southbound path that lead to a battle with a youngster with a Patrat and a Psyduck. The patrat was dealt with by Crutch, who took a fair bit of damage from it, and the Psyduck was soundly taken down by Telan's super effective vine whip.
The bottom of this path was a dead end, but it at least had an X attack for collection. Hannah then turned around and took the other path that lead westwards. After some more walking, she heard what sounded like a bark.
“Did you hear that?” Hugh ran onto the scene once again, before heading into a large patch of grass. “I'll check this area! You go deeper into the grove and look!”
Hannah complied, but she noticed an item lying on the ground and went into Hugh's area to retrieve it.
“Hey! I said I'd check this area!”
“I know! I just wanted to grab this potion here.”
Hugh raised an eyebrow. “Is that potion even safe?”
“It isn't the first one I've seen just lying there. Trust me, I wonder too.”
“Whatever. Just keep looking!”
A few more twists of the southbound path, and Hannah stumbled on the missing Herdier, along with the reason for its disappearance: a man clad almost entirely in black, whose outfit strongly reminded Hannah of a military uniform. Hannah didn't have to think twice about his occupation: he was likely a criminal, plain and simple.
He had the Herdier cornered, and the dog's facial expression looked like a mix between fear and anger. It let loose another bark, tone strongly suggesting that the man harassing it back off.
“That cry! You found it!” Hugh's voice called out, though he himself made no personal appearance. “You stay with it, Hannah. I'll go get its Trainer!”
“Hugh, I think we have bigger problems than just a simple missing Herdier....” Hannah called back, to no response. Or at least, not the response she was hoping for.
Upon realizing that he wasn't alone, the man stood up and glared venomously at Hannah. Now that she could see him a little better, Hannah saw that the lower part of the man's face was covered up by a gray bandana.
“You little pest....” he snarled at her, the last word coming out covered in bile.
Hannah was intimidated at first, but then snarled back at him. “Hey! That's Ms. Little Pest to you!” Telan, who at this time was hiding behind one of Hannah's legs, came out from behind her with his boldest expression, and whistled confidently at the man.
“So you think you're so tough, do you girly?” the man responded, completely unfazed. “I'm a member of a group known for striking fear into the hearts of those who oppose us. You're just a newbie compared with us!”
“And what group might that be? Team Bark-but-no-Bite?”
“You're quite off the mark, girly. We are Team Plasma.”
Wait...Team Plasma? This is worse then I thought it might be....
Hannah tried to hide her fear behind an angry expression, to mixed success. “Oh, that group that was supposedly disbanded two years ago? I don't think you're going to bounce back from that one.”
The man simply laughed. “You would be naive to think that took us out for good. We are on our way back to prominence, and this time we will succeed, in the name of liberating Pokemon!”
“So you're 'liberating' Pokemon by harassing innocent Herdier? You're not going to get very far if that's your game plan.”
“You're pushing your luck, foolish girl.” The man made a move that suggested he was pulling a weapon of some sort out. “You're the reason I'm even in this mess to begin with. So...take this!”
He then threw something at Hannah, causing both the trainer and the Snivy to flinch and cover their faces, expecting an explosive of some sort. After a few moments had passed, Hannah opened her eyes and uncovered her face, looking around in confusion.
The man had gone, leaving only the equally confused Herdier. At Hannah's feet was a disc contained within a square case. She looked curiously at it, then picked it up.
“So instead of hurting me, he gives me this?” she asked curiously. “What is it, anyway? A Team Plasma ad?”
As she looked it over, she saw some text on it. She read it aloud.
“TM 21: Frustration. A full-power attack that grows more powerful the less the user likes its trainer.”
She frowned. “Okay, so I think this thing is a device that teaches a Pokemon a move. And Frustration is the move this one teaches. Though, I can't say I like the sound of that.” She put the TM into her bag. “I think this move says wonders about Team Plasma if this is what they teach their Pokemon. You'd have to abuse the poor things for it to have any worth.”
Telan looked up at her nervously and whistled.
Hannah looked down at him and smiled warmly. “Don't worry, Telan. You're my friend; I wouldn't think about hurting you.”
The response sounded much like a sigh of relief.
Hannah looked back at the Herdier. “So, now all we have to do is wait for Hugh to come back with the owners. I hope the Herdier's alright....”
The dog, once it was over its initial shock, looked at Hannah and barked playfully. It walked up to her and happily strode around her.
“Yap! Bwoof!”
Hannah patted the Herdier on the head once it stopped bouncing around, to which the response was yet another happy bark.
“So, you're okay then? Good to know.”
At this point, Hugh strode onto the scene with the ranch owner right behind him.
“Herdier! What made you come all the way back here?” the owner asked his dog.
“Herdier?” Hannah asked as the dog in question returned to his owner's side. “Is that your name for him?”
The owner shrugged. “Well, he answers to it and seems to accept it.” He shook his head. “At any rate, I'm really grateful for your help!”
Hugh frowned sharply. “You're awfully calm about this. You could have lost your Pokemon forever!”
He turned away, but before he left he looked over his shoulder at the owner. “Take better care of him!”
Before either Hannah or the owner could reply, he stormed off and was gone.
“...Is he always like this?” the owner asked Hannah.
“No, actually. This is the first time I've seen him act this way.”
“Hmm.” The owner stroked his chin. “It's like he's afraid of losing Pokemon. I wonder if something happened to him?”
He then turned to Herdier. “Let's go home, Herdier! Everyone's waiting!”
He then walked off, leaving Hannah and Telan standing there.
“Doesn't even wait for me to tell him why his Herdier had gone,” Hannah said. “Ah well. Telan, we should probably get going.”
Hannah found a shortcut away from the grove, hopping down a few ledges until she was back at the main part of the ranch. She saw the owners standing by the entrance, looking towards it with worried expressions on their faces.
“Note to self: ask Hugh about this incident the next time I meet him,” she said to herself before going to explore the other parts of the ranch. There was nothing really worth noting apart from a bunch of Mareep who thankfully weren't interested in fighting and probably belonged to the owner of the ranch, plus a random lass who packed a Purrloin and a yellow caterpillar covered in leaves called a Sewaddle. Hannah also found a Poke Ball tucked away in a nook between a pair of fences.
Now that she had seen everything, she left the ranch, but not before getting thanked by the owners.
“You're welcome!” she replied, and then headed back to Flocessy Town.
