Chapter Two
Not as Easy as it Looks


Beep, beep, beep, beep. The annoying alarm clock by my bedside went off and I practically jumped out of bed and hit my head against the ceiling. My bedroom was a cool, customized one in the attic. Thing is, I bang my head on the low, slanted wall practically every bloody day. Karen said it ‘Explained a few things’. Ha, ha, she’s just so funny. And if you couldn’t tell, that was sarcasm. I blindly grabbed the pair of glasses by my bedside, put them on and then forced a comb through my messy, dark black-blue hair. Eventually I had managed to pull it somewhat straight and part it somewhat right. I grinned at my reflection in the mirror. Finally, I was getting out of here to train Pokemon! With my awesome Torchic, who’s ready to kick butt and take names!
I rushed down the stairs and saw Seth, my younger brother, exiting his room. We carefully avoided each other’s gaze, since both of us, while we liked to think we hated each other’s guts, had a mushy crappy ‘sibling bond’ between us. It sucked really that I had to have a special bond with my brother – it just seemed so girly and wimpy – but it was there no matter what I did and we’d miss each other while I’m on my journey.
Then again, I’m going and he’s not. Har, loser. Maybe I’d be nice and sell him an Eevee I’m going to breed. I would, of course, give him a little discount. He is my brother. He rushed down the stairs and I followed slowly. I wasn’t looking forward to the goodbyes. They’d be all awkward and just end in my parents hugging me half to death. Then the other half will go just from blushing that much at the public signs of affection.
I entered the kitchen. It was a relatively small room to the rest of the house. There was a fridge, a few cabinets and cupboards and a small dining table with a few chairs around it. Ah, the grubby, monotonous feel of home, sweet, home. I sat down as my mother placed down a few plates of bacon, eggs, tomatoes and other healthy breakfast-y things for me to eat. I began to wolf it down without so much a thought as my mother surveyed the top of the kitchen counters with those sharp grey eyes of hers, looking for so much as a smudge of dirt to clean off it. Yes, my mother certainly prided herself upon the cleanliness of her home.
“So…” my father said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. I looked up, a fork between my teeth and tomato juices dripping inelegantly down my front.
“Have you introduced yersel’ to your new Pokemon yet, Di?” he asked. I removed the fork and dropped it on the plate with a clatter. How could I forget that? Gosh, I was so stupid! Torchic needed to know whose commands to obey, it needed to know that it hadn’t just been kidnapped by some strange kid.
”No…let’s introduce oursell’s to ‘em all at once. What gender is it again?” I asked, raking my brain as I tried to remember if Will had said anything about a gender. Nothing came to mind so I assumed I’d just…well…lift the thing up by it’s tail when it came out the pokeball. I nipped into the living room, snatched the pokeball from the fireplace and came back, placing it on the kitchen table. Seth and Dad stared forward at it, as if they had never seen a pokeball at all in their life. I leaned forward and pushed the button on the front of the sphere and it split in two in a blaze of white light.
“What the hell?” my father yelled out as the white light formed into something very much unlike a Torchic. It zoomed off, a bright blue blur and screeched as it circled the room. I pressed my hands against my ears, yelling over the thing’s incessant shrieking.
”What the hell is going on? What hell is that…thing?!” I yelled, for lack of a better word to describe the creature. I couldn’t see what it was, but it was loud, high-pitched, a fast flier and a seemingly drunk one at that. It swooped up and down, swerved around to the side and barrel-rolled through the air in a seemingly endless panic.
“Return it! Return it!” my father yelled. I grabbed the pokeball from the table and tried to return the out-of-control Pokemon but the blue blur dodged my every attempt, the shrieks just becoming louder. Eventually however, it flew headfirst into the wall and flopped down, landing on the kitchen countertop. It lay on it’s back, twitching occasionally. I grabbed the nearest object – this one being a book named ‘The Joys of Cooking’ and crept forward cautiously. I lifted the book above my head, stepped forward…and the creature’s ear twitched. It leapt into the air and circled around the ceiling, screeching something incoherent.
”A Zubat?” Seth howled, “All that over a cruddy Zubat!?”
L I gawked…my first Pokemon…was a Zubat? An annoying little cave dweller who attacked in swarms? This couldn’t be happening! I’d be laughed at! Spat on! And most importantly, Karen, Jamie and Rek would never let me live it down! The Zubat seemed confused and restless and, though a stupid thing to notice, a really bad flier. The bat seemed to be avoiding collisions by the skin of its teeth. Zubat were blind sure, but couldn’t they use their sonic scream or something to avoid flying into stuff and stupid things like that? Then realization just struck.
I had been duped. Badly. Promised a Torchic, given a Zubat. I felt very angry all of a sudden. Oh, when I get my hands on that Will Finch, he was going to be sorry he ever messed with Trudi Jet! My mother suddenly entered with a small box and dropped it in shock as she saw the Zubat hanging from her light fixing, wings wrapped around itself. She scooped up the box and came over to me.
”What on earth? Why is there a Zubat in my kitchen?” she demanded. I scowled at her. Oh, yes, mam, I just brought in a live, cave-version of Magikarp into our home. Why did she THINK the stupid thing was in here!?
”Oh I don ‘t know…that git may have just given me this crap pokemon and nicked off with Volt!” I yelled, feeling my temper rise.
”Language. You swear almost constantly, Trudi. It’s really not polite,” she replied sternly. At that point, I just felt like exploding. This wasn’t the time to be criticizing my bloody manners!
“Who cares!? Just get me Volt back and get that kid back over here so I can kick his bony butt!” I screamed, a bit too loud because that started the Zubat off again. The blue creature leapt from it’s post and started screaming again, flying around and knocking things over. My mam thrust a box into my hands and I read the front.
”Woah, mam! A translator!” I yelped in surprise. These things were expensive!
”Yes, now put it on! You might be able to figure out how to calm the creature down!” she shouted over the racket. My father was jumping up and trying to catch it in his hands, Seth was clamouring over the table and chairs with the Zubat’s pokeball in hand, trying to return the insane creature and it seemed my mam was the only one thinking logically at the minute. I, however, was near crying from frustration. I decided, rather than be upset about it, be angry about it! Anger was much better, you could actually get something done. Besides, you didn’t look like a wimp if you were angry. I took out the translator, which was a small, plastic earpiece and slotted it into my write ear. There was a bit of static and screeching before it settled and I could hear the Zubat’s words clearly.
“WhereamI? WhereamI? Whoareyou? Whoareyou?” the creature chattered quickly. Great, now it was speaking English but still sounded near incoherent. The bat continued to fly about before my dad managed to successfully capture it in his grip and the bat struggled for a few moments, before he calmed down.
“Chill! Just chill!” I said, my ears still ringing from all the painful screeching and shrieking. The Zubat bent back and screeched a loud, powerful noise into my face. The room suddenly started spinning and I stumbled back, my head aching like mad as everything seemed to spin around me.
”I think I’m going to be sick…” I mumbled. I fell back and my father steadied me.
“Supersonic,” he mumbled. He steadied me and sat me into a chair as the Zubat approached cautiously, its large ears doing 180 degree turns atop its head as it checked it’s surroundings.
”What’s yer name?” I asked as the room steadied around me. That was one painful screech that Zubat had, no wonder Pokemon went all freaky when one used it in battle.
”No name! Master give me no name! Where is master? Where am I?” it chattered. Seth, my father and my mother watched intently, since I was the only one with the translator in here. I looked down, slightly sickened by what I was about to say. I could barely believe it, but it was true.
“You’re at my home. My name’s Trudi and…I’m yer master now,” I mumbled. Argh. I could see it now; Trudi Jet, the famed Zubat trainer! Fighting you with her winged rats of doom! I hated this.
“What? What? What happened to old master? Master give me to titchy new human?” he screeched. I leapt to my feet.
”Titchy? I am not titchy you little rat!” I bellowed. This was one pet peeve of mine. I hated being referred too as titchy or runt or tiny or munchkin or anything like that. I wasn’t bloody small, I was vertically challenged, damnit! The Zubat, who was male by the sound of him, looked taken aback for a second and his ears flopped down against his head.
”Trudi, sit down,” my mother said calmly. I dropped into the chair, my arms folded and my temper steaming, “I’m sure your trainer never meant to trade you. I’m sure you’re a very capable Pokemon, there must have been a mix-up.”
”Capable? It’s a bloody Zubat for Ho-oh’s sake!” I barked. The Zubat darted at me, screeching and I fell off the chair in fright as the bat Pokemon swooped down on my angrily, trying to sink his tiny fangs into my arm.
”Trudi, please. Be polite. You may well be starting off with this young Zubat. And I’m sure you’ll do very well with him!” my mother snapped. My dad and Seth seemed to be keeping their mouths tactfully shut as the females handled the situation. One very well and the other…well…the other was a fuming pile of flesh and bone. I could not start off with a Zubat! Everybody would make fun of me and take the mick! It would be so embarrassing! I wanted Volt back, I wanted Volt back now.
”That git has conned us! No wonder he didn’t put it in the official machine. I’d’ve seen it was bloody Zubat! Argh. When I get my hands on ‘im I’m going to tear him limb from limb!” I fumed, my hands bunched into fists. Nobody messes with me! And moreover, nobody screws up my chance to be a Pokemon trainer!
“Well, we’ll have to get the police out for him!” I yelled, my anger steadily building. A few people would have cried in this situation, but I preferred to make myself as angry as possible so I could get out there and kick some ass when I needed to. Mam laughed and rested a hand on my shoulder.
”Dear, it was an unofficial trade. Those themselves are illegal! No. The police would just make the situation worse,” she said in a partly-amused voice. How could she laugh at a time like this? This was no time to laugh and make jokes! This was serious!
”Then what? I just sit here and chuck pebbles at the Zubat?” I roared. Seth sniggered and I cast him an evil glower. My mother shook her head and shrugged.
”Oh, I don’t know honey. We’ll just have to make do, I suppose,” she said gloomily. I wanted to scream, kick and break something. Make do? Make do with what? This was so frustrating. And so damn stupid! There was only one thing for it. I stood up and grabbed the Zubat’s pokeball from the table.
”There’s nothing for it! I’ll hafta go after him with the Zubat!” I announced. Zubat nearly fell off his perch (the overhanging light fixing) at this, seemingly horrified by the idea. Charming, I assure you.
”What? No! Titchy Trudi human not able to beat old master!” the Zubat screamed, flapping his wings rapidly in a panic, “No! I don’t want to be Trudi human’s Pokemon! I don’t want to be trained Pokemon at all!”
”What‘s your problem? You should appreciate me being willing to train something like you! You’re a teeny, pathetic Zubat!” I argued angrily, insulted. Great, now the Zubat didn’t even want to be trained by me? Just brilliant. I had always heard that there was a spark between the starter Pokemon and trainer when they first met. We weren’t exactly off to a great start, were we? Not even out the back door and we’re fighting like Skitty and Poochyena!
”Problem is humans are tail-ends!” Zubat screamed. I pressed my hands against my ears and stumbled back in shock. That was one powerful voice, “Master catches me when I defend my home! Then I stay inside pokeball! I haven’t seen anything other than strange fake pokeball home since Master caught me in light!”
”Well…well…that’s taking the mick! We’re not all like that! That’s discrimination, that is!” I responded, stuttering on the first word. Well it was, it was blatant discrimination! I wasn’t some jerk who never bothered to train her...oh crap! Don’t tell me the Zubat was untrained as well! “Wait…wait! I was told you were a level 15 Torchic! What level are you?”
”How am I meant to be knowing that? I do not understand these levels you human rate us with! Pokemon do not rate another’s worth with these strange numbers!” the Zubat yelled back, seeming to be getting as angry with me as I was getting with him.
“Urgh! Somebody get me my pokedex! This Pokemon knows nothin’!” I howled. Seth darted out the room as me and the Zubat continued to argue. I snatched my ruby red pokedex from him when he re-entered and pointed the machine at the Zubat. A beam of rainbow light shot out of a small antennae on the top of the machine and scanned the Pokemon through instantly, much to my surprise. I flipped open the pokedex to see the Zubat’s status onscreen. Male, as expected, somewhere in adolescence in age and…level seven. Wonderful. Just bloody great. Exactly what I needed. A Zubat with little grasp of grammar without a clue how to fight. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
“Oh…level seven. Well that’s just bloody wonderful, isn’t it? I’m running after some thief with a level seven, illiterate Zubat as my companion? Things could not…” I began but silenced myself. Speak not the words, I thought, they make everything go further downhill.
”Trudi-human! I can fight! I fight in wild! I fight in attic of Master’s house! Brothers and sisters think I am strange runt who cannot fight, but I can fight!” the Zubat declared. I raised a sceptical eyebrow. Yeah. Right.
”Well, dear, what’s happening? Are you going on the journey or not?” Mam asked kindly, crouching down to my level and running a hand through my hair affectionately. I scowled and batted the hand out of the way. No, Mam. Just, no.
”Well…I think so. I don’t have much choice in the matter.” I sighed. My mother smiled and stood up, hitting me between the shoulder blades affectionately.
”Oh cheer up Trudi! You’re going off on a journey, aren’t you?” she asked, beaming. I smiled weakly.
“Well, you better be getting a move on Trudi,” Dad said suddenly, standing up and going into the living room. I followed and took my coat off a hook. I looked around sadly as I put it on, this was the final time I’d see my parents for a long time. I wasn’t about to go all weepy and tearful all of a sudden, but I could feel my throat starting to clog up in that weird way when you’re near tears. I swallowed it down, forcing myself not stay calm and not look the fool. I slung on my backpack over my shoulders – holy Lugia it was heavy – and opened the door and stepped out. Mam, Dad and Seth stood by the door, their faces melachony. It wasn’t the type of goodbye you’d expect. With cheery, bright faces and waving families. Nobody was talking.
”Well…goodbye Trudi…and…what’s the name of your Zubat?” Dad asked. I frowned. I didn’t know. I looked at the Zubat, who seemed not to know either.
”I suppose I can think of a name…” I replied sadly.
”Krankznnig!” Seth barked out. I slapped my forehead. This was his final revenge wasn’t it, pitting the dumbest name possible for me to shout out during battles, “Krankz for short.”
”Krankz. I like it much, yes. Krankz. Krankznnig. Hi, what’s your name? My name’s Krankz, what’s yours? Like it, yes I do! I want the name Krankz, Trudi-human!” the Zubat replied excitably. I groaned, knowing I would have to comply now. Seth would be a total brat if I didn’t go along with it, and the Zubat….Krankz seemed pleased with his new name. Though it was extremely dumb sounding.
”Alright then…fine…Krankz,” I replied with a sigh. Krankz did a small cartwheel in the air and at that point I slapped my forehead so hard I was left with a red, stinging mark. In years he was just entering his ‘teens’ but he was still so child-like. So untrained. This was going to be hard. I waved a final goodbye to my family before I just had to tear my eyes away and started walking swiftly away. I didn’t want to cling to my past too much. I descended down the slope and crossed the bridge, the running, babbling water which usually soothed me going unnoticed. I just had to get out of Blackcurrent town before I went rushing back to my parents or something equally as stupid.
I paused, staring up at the metal gates separating me from the rest of the world. This was it. I was going on a journey. It was an odd feeling, I was sickened slightly be the thought of being alone but excited by the thought of the tremendous battles and fights I could win. Of the glory. The sound of thousands and thousands of hands applauding me as I help up the trophy for winning the league. The call of my name in the stadium, the screams as children stampeded up to me to ask for my autograph and training tips. I smiled slightly. I began to walk through the gates…slowly. It was kinda dramatic, I’ll admit but it was a dramatic moment. Before I heard a great thump. I jumped and twirled around to see Krankz fluttering back from the metal post, a sore dark blue mark on his head.
“Oh…don’t tell me yer bashed yer head on the post!” I groaned.
”Titchy human, it wasn’t my fault! Post appeared in front of me, it did, it did. Someone after me! Yes…that must be it! Flying into things is something I don’t do. Nope. Nope. Somebody else’s fault,” Krankz blabbered, flying around in circles around me in blind, insane panic.
”Krankz…nobody is after you,” I said through gritted teeth, “Nobody put the post in front of you. You flew into it.”
”How can titchy be sure of this? Titchy human was staring into nothing! Human female does that lots. What is it?” Krankz questioned. I scowled, resisting the urge to punch the small creature.
”Urgh! Just move it!” I commanded and stormed out the gate, much less dramatically than I had originally intended.

“Huumaan!” Krankz called, swooping down from a tree at me. I ducked and yelled. Argh, this bloody Zubat was insane! He was a total psychopath!
“What did ya find a Pokemon?” I asked, grinning slightly as I stood up straight.
”Yes. I told it that a human was coming so it better be out of the way!” Krankz declared proudly. Argh. Krankz had been doing this ever since we started walking through the valley. It was his way of winding me up and making everything difficult for me. To be honest, me and Krankz weren’t actually getting along too well. I don’t know what it was. I hadn’t done or said anything to the guy!
”Argh! Krankz! I’m trying to catch a Pokemon! We’ve been walking for an hour and a half and not caught squat!” I yelled, tossing my head back. Already I was a bit sore from carrying the backpack away and thoroughly sick of Krankz taking the time to make my life hard. This was supposed to be fun and easy! It wasn’t supposed to be as difficult as counting your own damn teeth! I had thought a cool Pokemon would have…yanno, leapt out at me by now. Maybe a Treeko or a Chikorita or an Eevee. I had seen most stupid city-goer trainers with Eevee, so why couldn’t I find one anywhere? I had barely seen any Pokemon. I leaned against the lonely tree nearby, looking out at the endless expanse of rippling, emerald green grass and sighed. Maybe things were easier when your parents could afford to buy all your equipment in Capsules. Capsules were like pokeballs, only for objects. I had all the big stuff in Capsules, but most of the food and such weren’t in it so I had to lug that all over the damn place. As soon as I earned myself some money, I’d be replacing them with refillable Capsules.
”Argh…my aching back. The only thing yer’ve done so far Krankz is trainin’. That wasn’t even a battle. That was just practicin’ yer Supersonic ‘n’ Leech Life attack. Yeah…not a Pidgey in sight,” I mumbled. Krankz was completely oblivious, too busy doing barrel rolls in the air and swooping down. I ducked as he slammed into the tree and fell onto me head. I plucked him out my hair and he shook himself, rising to the air once more.
“This is damn stupid!” I ranted to myself, “I start off with a deranged Zubat, who’s been crazed from bein’ stuck in a pokeball for so long and I haven’t even caught ‘nother Pokemon to make up for it yet!”
Krankz continued to glide around, like some truly demented kite, drifting on the current of the air around him. He did seem to love flying, even if he could barely go a metre without flying into something…or me for that matter. I decided to see how far we were from Seashell Village and hoisted myself into the tree. I climbed up steadily, swinging myself over the branches. I imagined myself climbing with the elegance and grace of a wild Persian, while I really looked like a scrambling Skitty who had just recently found a field of catnip. I poked my head out the tree. The village was very faint, just on the horizon. Another hours treck, and this was a very short route. I groaned and dropped down, bending my legs as my feet made contact with the ground. The ground cracked beneath my feet, dry and unfed due to the lack of rain in the northwest of Nache. That’s why practically all the towns in the northwest were very close to the sea. So people could drown themselves there when it got too hot.
”C’mon Krankz. Stop bein’ an idiot, I know it’s hard for yer but ye’ll hafta try. We’ve got another hour’s worth of trekking’ to get ter the next town and my feet are absolutely killin’ me,” I grunted as I continued to walk.
”Hmph. Rather be an idiot than fleshy, two-legged shrip,” Krankz retorted quickly. I scowled, decided it would probably be better to ignore the little idiot for now untill he learned some respect. I continued to walk until I stepped on something…something that felt like flesh.
”Argh! What the hell?” I cried out, leaping up. A Rattata lay on the ground, violet tail twitching and red eyes narrowed with anger. A large bruise formed on the tail and the rodent leapt at me, sinking its oversized fangs into my leg. I screamed and shook my leg, trying to get the purple and white rodent off my leg. Krankz fluttered around me, seemingly very amused by the entire affair.
”Krankz, you idiot, do sommat!” I hissed, pointing at the Rattata latched onto my leg. I could feel blood trickling down to my feet. Krankz paused, apparently torn between his own laziness and obeying his master’s command.
”Leech Life! Supersonic! Don’t pretend you can’t manage…this!” I yelled again, in a more demanding, dire tone. Krankz sped forward and bit the Rattata on the side. The rodent cried out and released my leg, which was throbbing painfully from the bite. Krankz glowed slightly green as he drained energy from the rat-pokemon, the Leech Life healing a few of the bruises he had from flying into things all day. The Rattata wasn’t about to be beaten, however, and rammed into Krankz full force. The bat fell to the floor and in a streak of violet, Rattata was upon him, scratching and biting and being very violet. Krankz opened his mouth and released a high-pitched, agonizing sound which was all too familiar. The Rattata stepped back and fell over in a confused daze and Krankz swooped down, using Leech Life quickly to heal a few wounds. He zoomed into the air as the Rattata leapt to its feet, beginning to dart away.
”Geddit! I want to catch it!” I commanded. Krankz rocketed after the Rattata and pushed the stumbling, drunk-looking creature to the floor and set about using Leech Life again. Rattata cried out and began to struggle weakly and managed to kick Krankz away.
“Ok…ok…time to try this,” I breathed and snatched an empty pokeball from my belt and flung it at the Rattata. The purple rat was in midair, leaping after Krankz, when the sphere struck her on the tail and absorbed her in a blaze of white light. The pokeball fell to the floor and wobbled for a second, before settling into place.
”Yes! Ha! I got my first Pokemon!” I declared proudly, scooping the now warm pokeball from the ground. It was odd, but pokeballs turned warm when a Pokemon inhabited them. A feeling of unimaginable triumph blossomed within me. See, this was what I wanted! My dull, monotonous life to become exciting and full of colour! My first Pokemon! Let’s see what level and gender it is, shall we? I pointed my pokedex at the sphere on my hand and after the loading bar zipped to 100%, Rattata’s statistics were displayed onscreen. It was a female young adult at level four. Not bad for the first catch, eh? I was full of pride and my ego had inflated to two times it’s original size. Thought my brain was still nagging that it was only a Rattata and that I still I hadn’t caught anything cool. Anyway, the point was that I had caught it. Har. Maybe I could sell it to Seth later on.
”Kinda cool. Yes…exciting even. Liked the battle. Yes, yes. Are there going to be more?” Krankz asked wearily, flapping after me slowly as I continued to walk. I grinned at the bat-like Pokemon, agreeing with him for the first time.
”Yeah Krankz…I’m thinking there’s going ter be a lot more.”

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