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Luz went over what she knew of a Rowlet’s skill set. Given that they were her first Pokémon, Owlbert should be around level 5. With that, he should know growl and tackle.
“Alright, Owlbert.” She grinned to herself, “let’s start strong with tackle!”
The owl Pokémon’s head turned nearly the full 180 degrees to look at her. “Kroo?”
“Use tackle?” She tried again.
“Togepi, let’s give the Rowlet a demonstration.” Philip commanded. “Use tackle!”
The egg Pokémon charged at Owlbert.
“Owlbert, dodge!” Luz tried. Owlbert turned to face Togepi and flapped his wings. It was too late.
Togepi slammed into Owlbert, making the two go back a few inches. The egg Pokémon jumped back to Philip’s side of the ‘field’. Owlbert let out a pained coo as he got back up.
“You ok, bud?”
“Kroo.” He nodded.
Luz quickly realized that she had no clue what damage inducing moves he had. She needed to figure out something or else Owlbert was going to faint. “Do you know any attacks?”
He nodded and flapped his wings again.
“Gust?” She guessed. That would be pretty good for a level 5 starter Pokémon.
“Togepi, tackle.” Philip said at the same time.
The egg Pokémon charged at Owlbert again. The bird flapped his wings hard enough to cause a strong gust of wind. The gust forced Togepi back.
“Keep trying.” The merchant crossed his arms.
Togepi responded and charged at Owlbert again. Luz needed to think quickly.
“Owlbert, use gust to force yourself into the air.” Luz really hoped this would work.
The Rowlet gave her a look. She worried he wouldn't listen, but he nodded, bent down, and flapped.
Owlbert shot into the air, seconds before Togepi’s attack would have hit. The strong winds forced Togepi to the ground.
“Let yourself fall.” She told the owl.
Owlbert fell, beak first, with a mighty “Rooo!”
“Get out of there, Togepi!”
Togepi picked themself up only for Owlbert to torpedo into them. The impact caused dust to rise, blocking the Pokémon.
The two trainers waited with baited breath for the dust to settle.
“C’mon, Owlbert.” She muttered. It was a bit risky but she was sure that that combo would do damage.
The dust finally settled to reveal Owlbert standing victorious on top of Togepi. The egg Pokémon even had the stereotypical swirl eyes. The Rowlet met her gaze.
“Kroo!”
“We won…” she said, barely above a whisper. Luz couldn't believe they actually won. “We won!”
She ran to Owlbert and lifted him up with a joyful laugh. He chirped just as happily, nuzzling into her arms.
“It’s always good fun to have your Pokémon do battle, don't you think?” philip walked over to the trainer, Togepi already called back.
“Absolutely!” She grinned, barely holding back her excitement.
“And as they gain experience through battle, they’ll learn more moves and grow even stronger!” There was this glint in Philip’s eyes as he continued. “But so few people here have their own Pokémon. If only more knew how to use Poké Balls!”
“If only they weren't so afraid of Pokémon.”
“At any rate, let me help our little winner recover from his little exercise.” He took out a small glass vial filled with something purple. Luz held Owlbert as Philip poured some of the salve into his palm. He gently applied it to Owlbert’s stomach, where Togepi had hit him, then took out a few more vials. “And to you, my sky-fallen friend, I present some potions! You can use-”
“To heal up my Pokémon. Thanks but I know.”
She adjusted her partner so she could take the potions and shove them into her bag.
Philip hummed, his gaze seemed to be accessing her. He smiled and wiped the salve off Owlbert’s stomach, his feathers having gone back to normal.
“Kroo!” the owl happily moved to her shoulder.
“Well, I’ll be rooting for your success on that trial. More Galaxy Team members means more customers for yours truly, after all!”
The merchant left after that. Amity approached, and Luz had forgotten she was even there. In her defense, she had been wholly consumed by the battle.
“How’d you do that?” The green haired girl asked.
“Do what?”
“That move. I’ve never seen a move like that before.”
“I mean, technically, it's just a body slam.” Luz shrugged, paused, then added, “Or maybe fly is a better comparison.”
“But Rowlet doesn't know either of those moves!”
“Yeah, but he can still fly without the move and gravity is still gravity.” Luz looked at Owlbert. “Speaking of, we have got to teach you new moves. Do you only know gust?”
Owlbert nodded and Luz frowned. Maybe battling a few bug types would do him some good.
“You're insane.” Amity deadpanned and Luz shrugged again. “But it might just be the thing that makes or breaks your trial.”
“It’ll be a piece of cake, don't worry.”
Owlbert gave a chirp of agreement.
‘You're being overconfident again.’ a part of Luz’s mind told her.
‘Maybe,’ Luz agreed, ‘but I know what I’m doing now.’
‘Nerd.’
She tried not to be offended by her own thoughts as Amity led her back to the gate.
“Whenever you leave Jubilife Village, you have to pick a destination and tell Severine where you're off too. That way, someone can come collect you if things go wrong.” There was a moment of silence that seemed to grow awkward.
The other teen was about to say something when a guard approached them. The guard was a tan skinned woman with long brown hair with dyed blond tips that was tied into a high ponytail and yellow eyes.
“You're Luz, right?” The guard asked.
“Yeah, that’s me.” Luz offered her hand to them. “And you are?”
“Severine,” they shook hands. “I was informed you’d be passing through. Your trial will take place outside the safety of the village, so I’m here to make sure you get there and back safely.”
“Gracias, Severine.” The two Galaxy Team members gave her a weird look as she turned to Amity. “Where are we going again?”
Amity groaned. “Obsidian Fieldlands. And we need to hurry, we’re losing daylight.”
They stopped at a camp between luscious green hills that teased a beautiful field on the other side. Luz almost ran to see all the Pokémon that would be out there, but Amity grabbed her arm before she could.
“Listen up, Luz, because this is important.” Amity told her.
“Right. I’m listening. This is my listening face.” Both she and Owlbert nodded, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“This is our base camp. It’s where we start and finish our surveys.” The Galaxy Team member gestured to the camp. It was two large tents, a campfire, and a few guards standing watch. “Now remember what you've got to do-”
“I know.” Luz interrupted with a wide smile. “Catch a Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx! Piece of cake.”
She was all but bouncing in place. She was going to catch Pokémon, and maybe she’ll get to keep them this time. That would make almost a full team.
“This is serious, Luz. If you don't pass this trial, Captain Hunter won’t allow you to stay in Jubilife.”
“That’s a bit over dramatic.”
“I’m afraid Amity is right.” Both girls jumped at Lilith’s sudden appearance.
“Professor! What are you doing here?” Amity asked once she got over the shock.
“Once you left, the captain made it very clear that I bear full responsibility for whatever happened to ‘our sudden guest’.” Lilith huffed and crossed her arms.
At this point, Luz was losing interest in what they were talking about. They were taking far too long for the excited teen and Owlbert was flapping his wings like he wanted to go too.
“Do you know where we can find a Bidoof?” She whispered to the Pokémon.
Owlbert chirped back just as quietly and took off. She looked at Amity and the professor, still busy talking, and followed him. Honestly, they were the ones who weren't paying attention, that wasn't on her. Owlbert led her to the edge of the camp, where it sloped down.
There, out in the open, was a brown, rodent-like creature with four short legs. It had a short, dark brown snout and a small, red nose with a cream-colored bit of fur on its face, almost like a mask. Three round tufts of fur formed its tail while two more seemed to be where the ears should be. It had large buck-teeth and small black paws.
Luz was shocked to just… see it. She thought she would have to walk in the tall grass for who knows how long to find one. She looked at Owlbert. “Do I even have to fight it?”
The bird shook his head.
“I can just throw the Poké Ball and catch it?”
He nodded.
Luz grinned and took a Poké Ball out of the bag. This trial would be a lot easier than first thought. She took position, taking into account that the Bidoof was downhill from her, and threw. The Poké Ball hit the Bidoof on the head, causing it to try and buck up.
The Poké Ball opened up and Bidoof turned into a white-ish blue light and entered it. The ball hopped into the air and fell back to the ground. She heard the fireworks more than she saw it.
“Yes!” She cheered, running down to the Poké Ball.
“Luz!” The teen looked up the hill to see both Amity and Lilith. Amity ran over to her, “You can’t just run off like that! It’s dangerous out here.”
“But I already caught a Bidoof.” She held up the Poké Ball. Luz snickered as she added, “I’m going to name ‘em God.”
“What…”
“Yeah, I thought it would be funny.”
“You already caught Bidoof…”
Luz nodded with a smile and let God out of their Poké Ball.
“Bi!” God greeted, going onto their back legs.
“Aren't they cute?”
Lilith finally caught up to the two and put a hand on Amity’s shoulder. “She truly is a prodigy when it comes to catching Pokémon.”
“Right,” the other teen said after some time. “I guess next is Starly.”
“Sweet!” Luz recalled God and let Amity lead her to where the Starly were. Lilith waved them off.
There, by a tree, was an avian Pokémon with primarily grayish-brown plumage. There was a white marking on its face resembling a mask, and a white spot on its chest. The rest of its head and the lower half of its wings were black. They had a long, orange beak with a black tip, and oval, black eyes with white pupils. A small tuft of feathers curled over the back and its head, and a small, pointed ruff surrounded its neck. It had two black tail feathers with a white feather between them. Its feet were orange with three toes in the front and one in the back.
She was going to go catch one when Amity grabbed onto Luz’s arm, keeping her in place.
“You can’t just rush in. Starly is the type to run from people. The best way to catch one is to hide in the grass, so it won’t spot you.”
Luz gave her a look, wanting to point out how they were afraid of creatures that ran from people. Instead she said, “Ok.”
Owlbert flew off so she could focus on catching Starly. Being squatted down in the tall grass was weird. The grass made it hard to see and she would have to change the way she threw the Poké Ball. If she stood up and threw, the Starly might get startled. When the Starly had its back turned to her, she threw harder than usual, to make up for her stance, and hit it.
The Starly flapped its wings in shock as the Poké Ball opened up, and in it went. There were three hops and a firework.
“Impressive.” Amity said as Luz grabbed Starly’s Poké Ball. “This trial seems to be easy for you.”
Luz shrugged as Owlbert landed on her shoulder with a muffled coo. He had a bundle of Oran berries in his beak.
“Where’d you get this?” Luz chuckled as she took the berries from him and put them into her bag.
“Probably from that tree.” Amity pointed to one of the nearby trees. “I was going to tell you but Rowlet seemed to have beat me to it. If you throw a Pokémon at certain trees or rocks, they can bring back berries or materials.”
“Huh…” Luz leaned close to Owlbert and whispered, “you just wanted to restock our stash, right?”
“Kroo.” Owlbert ‘whispered’ back.
“Come on, all that’s left is Shinx.” Amity ran on ahead.
Luz turned to Owlbert. “Shinx is an electric type, so try and be careful.”
The Pokémon running off on his own didn't concern Luz too much, he seemed to always come back, but she didn't want him to antagonize types he was weak to.
Owlbert gave an annoyed chirp that she took as his begrudged agreement.
With that taken care of, Luz ran after Amity. The green haired teen was glaring at a Pokémon that was blocking a bridge.
The Pokémon was a quadrupedal feline reminiscent of a lion cub. The front half was light blue, while the rear was black. There was a short tuft of fur on the head and smaller tufts on each cheek. They had large oval ears with yellow, star-shaped markings on the insides; yellow eyes; and a tiny red nose. The fur at the end of the tail formed a yellow star.
“There it is, Shinx.” Amity shuddered, still glaring at the cub. She turned to Luz. “Shinx has an aggressive disposition… Did you know that already.”
“A what?”
Amity seemed to grow proud that she knew something Luz didn't.
“If a Pokémon with an aggressive disposition spots you, it will try to attack. You won’t be able to catch them at that point, the Pokémon will just knock away any balls you throw. The only way to catch one is to bat-”
That was really all Amity could tell her before the Shinx spotted them. The Shinx roared and charged at them. Amity froze and Luz reached for the first Poké Ball she could. She just hoped it was God’s. She threw it between them.
The Poké Ball released the Bidoof, much to her relief. Shinx ran straight into it, likely a quick attack.
“You ok, God?” Luz asked when Shinx hopped back. The Bidoof nodded and she tried to think of what to do. Might as well try one of the most common attacks. “Then use tackle.”
God surged forward with a war cry, slamming into the Shinx. It’s claws dug into the ground so it wouldn't be pushed too far back.
“Before it can recover, tackle again!”
God followed her order, slamming into the Shinx once more. The cub seemed to be on its last leg as it struggled to stay standing.
Luz, figuring there was no better time, threw an empty Poké Ball at it. There was a tense moment as everyone waited to see if the Shinx would escape.
The firework went off and Luz sighed in relief. “Come here, God.”
The Pokémon chittered as they moved to her. Luz sat down and took out a potion.
“Owlbert,” she began as she poured some of the salve into her hand, “can you grab Shinx’s Poké Ball?”
“Kroo!” He flew from her shoulder.
Luz focused on the Bidoof before her. A bruise was starting to form on God’s forehead.
“You did a good job, buddy.” She gently rubbed the salve where the bruise was.
“Doo.” God sighed as she took care of their injuries.
She stared at the Pokémon. She was sure there was some Bidoof that had five tail fluffs, not the three that God had. Luz knew there were some Pokémon that had minor differences depending on the gender.
“God, are you a girl?”
“Bi!” The Bidoof cheered.
“Huh.” Luz chuckled to herself as she wiped the potion away, the bruise gone. “God is a woman.”
God got off her lap and Owlbert dropped Shinx’s Poké Ball in their place. Luz opened it and used the rest of the potion on the cub. She wondered what she should name the electric type.
“You really did it…” Luz looked up to find Amity standing above her. “You caught three species of Pokémon.”
“What, like it's hard?” Luz chuckled as the Shinx pawed at her lap.
“Professor Lilith really wasn't lying. You really are some kind of prodigy.”
She was focused more on the cub that was curled up in her lap. “How about Spark Plug?”
Shinx looked up at her and she took that as an ok. Spark Plug it was. Now she just needed to name the Starly.
“You completed your trial!”
Oh, right. Luz had kind of forgotten about that, too caught up in the catching and battling than the reason why she was doing so.
“Cool.”
“I said you’d pass the trial with flying colors. Congratulations, Luz!” Lilith told them as soon as they made it back to camp. God and Spark Plug had been returned to their Poké Balls, mostly because Amity looked rather uncomfortable around Spark Plug in particular. “You've taken your first step towards seeking out every Pokémon! This calls for a commemorative photograph.”
Professor Lilith took out an old fashion camera and had one of the watchmen take a photo of the three humans and one Pokémon. Luz would have to ask the professor for a copy later.
“You do have a real talent for this.” Amity admitted, then held a hand out to her. “It’ll be a pleasure to work with you.”
Luz took her hand and shook it. “Same.”
“Now then, we’d best report to Captain Hunter.” Lilith said. “Time to head back to Jubilife Village, eh?”
By the time they got back to Jubilife, Luz felt weird. Lilith and Amity praised her for completing the trial, but it felt like something was missing. She felt… empty, like she was supposed to be sharing this accomplishment with someone. She just didn't know who.
Owlbert rubbed against her cheek with a worried look. Her smile was a bit strained and zoned back into what was being said around her.
“Eventually, you should be able to have Pokémon you've caught go live in the village pastures.” Amity waved to a fenced off field near the gate. “It’s believed a person can only hold six Pokémon at a time.”
“Why?” Luz asked. She always wanted an actual answer as to why she could never have more than six. She vaguely processed how that meant she might have been more familiar with Pokémon that she first thought.
“Every legend that mentions people and Pokémon working together never mentions more than six.” The professor explained. Luz was going to question that more but Lilith continued, “Now, come on, you two- Captain Hunter is waiting for us.”
Luz couldn't help the mischievous grin that infected her face. “I can’t wait to see his reaction.”