Chapter Text
“It went into that alley there!” The boy called out as you chased after the bag thief. While running, you heard bystanders murmuring to each other about how strange the situation was, but nobody stepped in to help. Typical.
As you ran, somehow it didn’t seem like you were gaining any distance on the Pancham. He huffed. “Man, that thing can hustle!” Finally, Pancham turned a corner, and the alleyway opened up to a small square. In the middle stood two backpackers, a tall and poised woman and a shorter, fatter man. The Pancham had run up to their feet, holding your bag up to them.
You and the boy stood behind the corner with his Pokémon, observing the three. “I guess this wasn’t just a wild Pokémon randomly messing with you,” he whispered. You sighed. “Using your Pokémon to pickpocket people is a new low…”
He turned to you, his expression serious. “Listen, tourist— what’s your name?” “…it’s [Name],” you introduced. He smiled, nodding. “[Name]? Got it. I’m Urbain.” You offered a smile back to him. “Nice to meet you, Urbain.”
Urbain pumped both his fists again, a wide smile on his face. “Don’t you worry— I’ve got your back here!”
Behind him, the woman spoke to the Pokémon. “Come on, Pancham! Even a backpacker like me wouldn’t be caught dead with a bag this tacky!”
The man next to her nodded. “Maybe it was trying to clean up this eyesore,” he added. “Let’s bring it to the cops! Bet they’ll pat us on the back.”
Suddenly, Urbain stepped out from your hiding spot, and you quickly scrambled to follow him, his three Pokémon in tow. “No need for that,” he announced, “I’ve got the bag’s owner right here.”
You could feel your cheeks warming from bashfulness, but you tried your best to stand your ground. They did just insult your bag, after all.
The woman and man recoiled in shock. “Hey, you’re Urbain!” You glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. How much of a reputation did he have around here, and what for…?
Luckily, he seemed just as lost as you. He smiled as politely as he could. “I… can’t say I know you. Did you see one of the ads I filmed, maybe?”
The woman looked flabbergasted. “It’s me, Andi! From the Z-A Royale! How could you forget already?!” “Yeah, I’m Andre,” the man next to her chimed in. “We faced off just last night!”
Urbain simply grinned, putting his hands on his hips. “Oh, Trainers from last night? Sorry, not ringing a bell. Must not have been much of a challenge.” Wow. You didn’t take this guy for a strong trainer… maybe you’d underestimated him.
Andi sighed. “That stings. But I guess… fair.” “Listen up!” Andre cheered. “We’ll return your bag— if you battle us right now!” Urbain shook his head. “That makes no sense,” he sighed. “If you want a rematch, all you have to do is wait till nightfall.”
“Shut up! Pancham’s itching for another shot at you,” Andre huffed. “That’s why it snagged the bag! Uh, probably!” Urbain, to his credit, seemed to be doing his best to both deescalate the situation and get your bag back. “It’s nice of you to consider what Pancham wants,” he said, “but the two of you against me? That’s unfair!”
To your surprise, however, he turned to you. “Listen,” he said lowly, “how about I guide you through this mess? I’m just a helpful kind of guy, you see.” You gaped at him. “You… want me to battle?” He looked back at you, tilting his head to the side. “…yes?”
You bit your lip. You had never really battled before… but you’d eavesdropped on your sibling’s lessons with your father enough times to know most of the practical stuff. “Alright,” you conceded, “I’ll battle.”
“Whatever,” Andi called from behind you, “just hurry up or it’ll be night anyway!” Urbain didn’t respond to her, patting you on the shoulder. “Hear that? They’re down! Now choose which Pokémon you’ll battle with.”
You looked down at the three Pokémon in front of you: a Tepig, a Chikorita, and a Totodile. If you were being honest, you didn’t have a real preference… so you opted to eenie-meenie-minie-moe it out. When you opened your eyes, your finger was pointed to Totodile.
“Great,” Urbain cheered, “now be ready to enjoy your first-ever Pokémon battle here in Lumiose City!”
———————————————————————
“How much longer are you gonna drag your feet?” Andi drawled. You stretched your arms, before shaking your head. “Don’t worry. I’m ready.” She stood there, smiling widely. “All that waiting drained my momentum. Time to get back into gear! No way am I gonna get beat by a Pokémon first-timer!”
Andi dropped into an action pose. “You’re going down! Pancham gave us a shot at revenge, and we won’t miss!” Urbain laughed from behind you. “I respect that spirit. But you’re gonna have egg on your face for real if you lose to a newbie!”
Andre laughed with him. “Hey! Focus up, Urbain— you’re dealing with me!” Still ever unfazed, the boy didn’t even flinch. “Right. I’m sure you got muuuch stronger in the day since I beat you!”
He turned back to you. “I know it’s your first match, but you can do this! I believe in you and your Pokémon!” You offered a small smile. “I appreciate it,” you said.
With that, you spread out for your respective matches. Andi cracked her knuckles. “That’s good advice,” she admitted. “Too bad I’ll beat you before you have a chance to use it!”
———————————————————————
Andi pouted, clapping reluctantly. “You really held your own, but this was supposed to make US feel better, not you!” You smiled back at her. “Good game,” you replied.
Urbain ended up winning his match against Andre too, to no surprise. Andi looked crestfallen. “We… We lost… And to a newbie, at that. I’m more disappointed in myself than in Pancham.” Andre shook his head as well. “Can’t believe I thought I’d score a next-day comeback. My Pokémon and I are so let down…”
Andi smiled at him. “This is why you and I get along so well. We even lose together.”
Urbain, who had returned to your side, gave them a thumbs up. “If you’re that upset, wait till night falls and come try again!” Andi shook her head decisively. “No way! We’re not dealing with you again— not even if we meet during the Royale!”
She looked down at Pancham. “You can have your bag back. Pancham says sorry. Now au revoir!” With that, she and Andre ran off. Pancham ran after them, but paused to stare at you and Urbain for a moment before following its trainers.
You walked to the center of the square, picking up your travel bag. “Ugh, finally,” you muttered. “Dunno why they made it such a hassle… guess you’re pretty famous around here, huh?”
Urbain shrugged. “I mean, not really— but I guess I wouldn’t be too surprised if a lot of people did know me well. But enough about me,” he said, putting his fist in front of him. “Don’t leave me hanging!” You couldn’t help but laugh. “You want a fist bump?” He nodded. “Yeah, a fist bump! Put them knuckles out!”
You snickered, but met his fist with yours. He grinned. “That’s huge, winning your first battle! You and your new buddy must’ve been meant to meet.” He pulled his hand back, and you let yours fall to your side as well. “Why don’t you keep Totodile as your partner?” Urbain suggested. “Something tells me you two are gonna be great together!”
You nodded. “Thanks a bunch,” you exclaimed, taking Totodile’s Poké Ball from his outstretched hand
“Toh! Toh!”
Totodile cried from behind you. “Totodile looks as happy as you are!” Urbain exclaimed. The small Pokémon waddled up to you, and you crouched to one knee and offered it a tiny fist bump of its own, to which it eagerly took and then did a small happy dance.
When you stood up, Urbain turned back to you, smiling. “You’ve got the makings of a real power duo!” He slung an arm around your shoulder in a friendly gesture. “Don’t worry, [Name]. You’re gonna love the Pokémon Trainer life!” You smiled back at him. You could already tell he was right.
Suddenly, you heard the sound of a computer booting up. ’Battle Zone activated,’ boomed a voice through the streets. You looked up in apprehension. Urbain rubbed his head, face curled in a grimace. “Oh man, it’s nightfall already?”
He sighed, stepping away from you and crossing his arms. “And here we are in a battle zone. Rotten luck.” He looked you dead in the eye, adopting a conspiratorial tone. “We gotta move, so here’s the deal, super-short version… battle zones are intense! Anyone who finds you in here can challenge you to a battle on the spot!”
You nodded in understanding. “So that’s what happened with you and those Trainers last night?” He gave you a thumbs up. “Bingo. Lucky for us, I know somewhere safe, and it’s right nearby. Let’s get going!”
He looked down at Chikorita and Tepig, Totodile now in its Poké Ball. “We’ll have these two Pokémon take care of your bag,” Urbain said. “Chikorita and Tepig, you got this!” The two let out cries of affirmation before approaching you, and you deposited your bag to them.
Urbain watched them run off, hands on his hips. “They’ll be fine! Other Pokémon will leave ‘em alone.” “Yeah, I’m gonna have to trust you on that one,” you said. “This isn’t exactly my area of expertise…”
He nodded. “Either way, we gotta hightail it outta this battle zone. Follow me!”
You two ran through the streets for a moment, before he turned back to you. “We’re almost there,” he said. Suddenly, you heard a voice from behind you. “What have we got here? A pair of battle zone loiterers! You must be after a Pokémon battle.”
You jumped, turning around to face the woman in front of you. “So square up and give me your best shot!” She exclaimed. Urbain stepped up behind you, raising a placating hand. “No, wait! Actually, my friend here isn’t part of—“
She didn’t let him finish. “I don’t believe anyone asked you!” She interjected. Urbain looked at you helplessly. “Sounds like you gotta beat her, [Name]…”
You sighed, pulling out Totodile’s Poké Ball for the second time today. “Let’s go, Totodile,” you said.
The waitress woman smiled in triumph. “The points I earn from trouncing you will propel me up the ranks!”
———————————————————————
After your victory, she looks at her phone and pauses. “Wait a minute… are you not competing in the Z-A Royale?” You shrugged. “He tried to tell you.”
The waitress frowned. “Ugh. I wasted precious nighttime on the most useless opponent in the battle zone!” Without a goodbye, she ran off. Urbain turned to you, his eyes sparkling in excitement.
“OK, wow, [Name]. You’re something!” You laugh awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. “Oh, I dunno about that,” you deflected, but he shook his head. “You and Totodile have some serious teamwork going!”
He looked around you, seemingly grounding himself. “Anyway, now you know how intense battle zones can be. So here’s my advice as your kind new friend who loves helping people…”
“And who is extraordinarily humble…” you added.
He pretended not to notice you, but amusement shone clear on his face. “…Let’s get the heck out of here before someone else comes after us looking to battle!”
Before you know it, you were running again, but you didn’t get far before three Trainers and their strong-looking Pokémon block your path. Urbain grimaced, looking back at you and gesturing towards them. All three looked more than ready for a battle.
Plastering a smile on his face, he turned to them, gesturing towards you. “Look, I’m trying to get our hotel guest to safety. Let us through, would you?” He held his arms out towards them, as if offering his olive branch. The girl in the middle only scoffed.
“Too bad for your guest! Once you step into a battle zone, you’re targets like everyone else!” To enunciate the point, she pounded her fist into her hand. You shuddered. Urbain seemed to notice this, stepping in front of you protectively. For once, his signature smile was nowhere to be seen. “If you want a target, I’m right here,” he growled, fists in front of him in a fighting position.
But before anyone could make a move, a “kyururu” was heard. Everyone looked up in confusion.
Slowly descending from the sky was a Floette with an unexpected black flower. You were intrigued. You had never heard of one of those before. The Floette flew up to Urbain, smiling.
One of the other Trainers seemed to have the same thought as you. “A Floette with a black flower, huh? You don’t see that every day. Let’s see how it battles!” She curled in on herself, ready to attack. All three of them looked ready to fight, when Floette turned around, glaring at them.
It pointed its flower at them and a bright pink light started to emanate from its center. Urbain, seeming panicked all of a sudden, rushed forward, his hand outstretched. “Don’t hit them!” He cried. You were baffled. How powerful could this one Floette be?
Floette didn’t acknowledge that it heard him, continuing to charge up its light. However, when it fired, instead of hitting the Trainers, a bright, giant pink laser beam fired into the sky. You and the Trainers stared at it in shock before they slowly turned and looked at each other.
In a flash, they cartoonishly skedaddled from the scene. It was enough to make you laugh.
Urbain still looked troubled, though. You offered him a smile. “Hey, we made it out of the battle zone!” Seeming to snap out of it, he looked back at you, returning your smile. “Y-yeah, we did! Nicely done, Floette!”
Floette let out a happy cry. “…but maybe you should save that Light of Ruin move for when it really counts, huh?” He finished. Floette just stared at him.
“[Name], let me introduce you to Floette,” Urbain said. “She’s a very special Pokémon. She’s apparently three thousand years old!”
You gaped at him. Three thousand?! That should be impossible… but judging by what you just saw, it would make sense.
Urbain kept talking. “Thanks to Floette, those troublemakers cleared off! Let’s hurry to our safe spot— Hotel Z!”