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Eddies

Chapter 25: A Trainer is born...

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 25

*By mid morning, Chris and Skyy were tired of waiting for the Ranger's to come get them, and had decided to do something about a belated breakfast. Having spied Raikou on the neighbouring balcony, the pair headed to the adjacent room, knocking quietly on the door. A shuffling within told them J.B was already up, and the police officer soon opened the door to stare down at the pair. *

Chris blinked, surprised at the somewhat unkempt state of the man. However, when challenged by a glare from the officer, he continued hurriedly.

"We're going to try and find some food, since the Rangers seem too busy to handle us. Care to join us?"

As J.B began to nod, he was pushed aside by Raikou, who shouldered past the startled human to rub up against Chris warmly. Chuckling at the big purring legendary, Chris said "I see someone is keen for something to eat."

Nodding wryly, J.B ducked back inside for a jacket, pulling on the coat as he trailed behind the trio as they headed to the lift. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, with Raikou's bulk pressing them against the elevator wall, but they made it to the ground floor safely. Rather than leave without notice, J.B approached the sole Ranger on duty in reception, advising her they were heading out for a meal, and could she please advise Ranger Scott of their intentions.

She nodded, and made to reply just as her phone rang. Answering the line, she held up a finger to J.B, causing him to pause. Juggling the handset with one hand, she rummaged through a draw on the desk with her other, pushing through files and office supplies which she dumped on the desk in frustration. Finally, she located a small wad of bank notes which she passed them to the police officer, who took them wordlessly before breaking into a smile as she gave him a friendly wink.

Nice people, he thought, pushing the bills into a pocket absently. You could almost come to like it here.

*Joining the three outside the building, J.B breathed in the fresh, clean air deeply. It had struck him earlier how unusually "clean" the place was for a bigger city; no taint of smog, or exhaust fumes fouled the air, and the streets were clean. Nothing like the polluted airways of cities back home. However, big was still relative, and by his home world standard, as a "populated centre", the place barely rated a mention. *

Sighing, he joined the trio on the pavement as they debated where to head to eat. Feeling a little out of place standing on the sidewalk with a kid and two talking animals, he shrugged self consciously, staring around at the few people walking by, most of whom were accompanied by pokemon of their own.

Definitely not in Kansas anymore, he mused, as Chris and Skyy took the lead towards the downtown area, and he fell in beside the big legendary.

He soon noticed the scared, even frantic looks they were receiving from the locals, both human and otherwise, many of whom made it a priority to cross the road early and keep as much distance from them as possible. Looking down at himself he couldn't detect anything odd in his appearance that stated he was an outsider, and made to ask Chris what the issue might be, when he noticed the dry expression on Raikou's face. That a creature such as this could so animatedly express his feelings was surprise enough, but on careful examination, it became clear the source of the local's fear was indeed the big cat, rather than the rest of them.

*Siding up to him, J.B said quietly "Seems you make the local's nervous." *

Raikou snorted in wry amusement, turning his head slightly to eye the human walking beside him. "Yes. A bit. One of the reasons I avoid populated places like this."

J.B nodded absently. "What makes you so different from any of these other guys?" he said, pointing to the other pokemon on the street following their trainers. "No one seems to be batting an eyelid at them."

Raikou sighed, while continuing to follow the pair in front. "Does not your own culture have mythical creatures that cause fear in the human psyche?"

*J.B considered the reply, but looked up as Chris answered, obviously listening on the discussion. *

"We do" he said, without turning back. "Dragons; ghosts; sea monsters; we have them all"

Raikou nodded. "Here, we have those too. The only difference is they live amongst us."

J.B looked unconvinced. "Ghosts?" he said. "You're not serious?"

Raikou chuckled as Chris turned to grin back at him. "Oh yeah!" said the youth. "I've seen them. Scary mothers!"

J.B fell quiet for a time. "What about Gods?" he finally said, watching Raikou carefully and noting the twitch in his big frame.

"Yes, we have God's amongst us" was the quiet reply, but he wouldn't be drawn to elaborate further.

Looking up, J.B noted Chris was watching him again keenly. As the police officer glanced down to the big legendary, who seemed unaware of his stare, Chris gave him the slightest of nods.

Jesus H Christ, J.B thought to himself. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Throwing caution to the wind, J.B reached out a hand and rested it on the flank of the legendary walking besides him. As Raikou looked up in surprise, the human said softly "Must be lonely..."

The toothy smile he received in return was illuminating. "Not when you're amongst friends" Raikou rumbled, flashing his fangs as he smiled, and J.B grinned, relaxing fully for the first time since he arrived.

Furred or not, he knew the truth when he encountered it.

"No, you're never alone amongst friends."

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They found a small restaurant tucked away in a quiet part of the city, several blocks from Ranger HQ. It could have been described as "quaint" if you squinted enough, but at least the proprietor seemed more than happy to have them as customers. Several of the places they passed had seemed to be less willing to entertain the group, and they'd passed by three different establishments before coming across one keen for their business.

Had it been back home, J.B would have described it as a cross between a pasta restaurant and a sushi bar. "Notalian" sprung to mind as perfectly describing the place. As a late breakfast/early lunch destination it was somewhat of an odd choice, but food was food, whatever the planet.

Nor did the elderly restaurant owner and his wife seem in awe of Raikou. Indeed, they insisted in fawning over their "illustrious guest" in a manner that made the big pokemon clearly uncomfortable. Chris poked him in the ribs, telling the legendary he could feel the heat from his embarrassment from across the room, and grinned as he received a scowl in return.

*Regardless, the food was excellent. Served on small plates, and brought out in vast quantities, it consisted of a lot of vegetables, served in every way imaginable (and some he hadn't), with little meat in the recipes. In the mix was a lot of pasta and toasted breads made with grains unfamiliar to the humans. Skyy wolfed down the cereal dishes with gusto, and even Raikou didn't seem averse to sampling a few, although his preference was clearly for the meat-based dishes. *

Chris and J.B sampled a bit of everything, leaving it up to the pokemon to finish off everything else. As the empty plates mounted, J.B became somewhat nervous he'd have enough funds to cover the dinner, but shrugged off the thought. As far as he was concerned, the Ranger's owed him, and he felt no guilt at having them deliver on something as covering the cost of a few meals, even if he needed to hand them an I.O.U from the restaurant for further payment.

*As their stomachs filled in proportion to the number of plates being brought out, J.B leaned back and watched his odd dinner companions. He'd had worse, and rarely better. *

The kid and the wolf (no, the "lucario", he admonished himself) ate like... well... kids. Barely taking notice of their plates, they piled food down their throats in a way that would have impressed anyone not familiar with the bottomless pits teenagers owned.

Raikou... well... Raikou made a mess. Clearly not self conscious at his dinner manners, he wolfed down bowl after bowl placed on the decking before him, barely nodding at his hostesses who catered for his every need, and kept his bowl full to overflowing.

Sipping on a not-beer, eating food at a Notalian restaurant, in a place not of his world, J.B sighed inwardly at the surrealism of his situation.

Hell, Timmy. You'd have enjoyed this a lot more than me, he thought.

When they'd finished, and the plates had all been removed, J.B leaned back and listened in on a story Chris was animatedly telling Skyy concerning a trip to the Mediterranean his family had gone on several years earlier, and the similarities to many of the foods he'd eaten there. J.B, who was himself extensively travelled, tended to agree with much he said, although it also bared a lot of resemblance to cuisine he'd eaten in parts of south west Asia and Indonesia.

He got up and approached the owners, pulling out the wad of weird looking bills ready to pay, but was surprised at the relative cheap expense of the big meal. However, the reason soon became apparent, when the pair asked hesitantly if they could take a photo of themselves with Raikou. When he returned to ask the big pokemon, grinning at the dry look he received, Raikou shrugged and agreed readily enough, although grimaced as he was embraced around the neck by the sweaty, pudgy arms of the owner's wife, who beamed in excitement as J.B took the picture.

Leaving the happy pair with promises to return, it was early afternoon before they began the long walk back to Ranger HQ, stomachs full as could be possible. Pushing through the revolving doors to the building, they were immediately spotted by the Ranger on reception, who this time seemed less cheerful. Waving them over, she told them that the big boss was waiting for them, and they needed to get downstairs ASAP.

Shaking his head, J.B herded the group to the lift, selecting the floor as advised, and hoped in hell that the news they'd get when they arrived was good, just for a change.

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Bill woke to a face full of fragrant fur, surprised at how warm the pillow he was hugging had become.

When the pillow in question then shifted beneath him his eyes widened, especially after a deep, rumbling purr began to vibrate through his chest. Cursing, he shrank back as the pillow rolled lazily on the sheets, and two big golden eyes regarded him with obvious amusement from the bed beside him.

Once his thoughts recovered, Bill chuckled, reaching out to give the luxio a rub on the neck; a caress she warmly received.

*"Morning, Shadow" he said softly, and she reached out a paw to rest on his cheek fondly. Grinning, he got up and stretched, as she rolled onto her back, legs in the air as she arched gracefully, groaning in pleasure as she ground her spine into the mattress. Amused despite himself, Bill glanced at his watch and cringed at the time. Shit, only 5.30am, and the sun was already up! Used to sleeping in the comforts of his own bed, which generally precluded sharing the sheets with a huge feline companion, the early rise was atypical. He considered getting back under the sheets for some more sleep, but the intent gaze directed at him by Shadow quelled the thought. *

"I suppose you want out?" he said, chuckling at her firm nod. Grinning, he got up and stretched, quickly donning his clothes as she dropped to the floor and headed for the patio doors leading to the veranda circling the house. Once she slipped through, he watched her disappear into the garden for some privacy. She was smart enough to make him start liking cats, he thought with a grin, dropping onto a veranda chair and leaning back with eyes closed.

*He must have fallen asleep at some point, as he woke with a start when a cold nose pressed against his neck. As he focussed on the grinning cat before him, he chuckled loudly, giving her a surprise hug. *

"Smart arse!" he said, and she gave a rumbling giggle. Pressing her cheek into his palm, she began purring deeply, the vibrations running up his arm as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Your owner is an amazingly lucky guy, to have you as a friend" he said without thought, then kicked himself at the look of pain that crossed her face.

Shit, he said to himself at his lack of tact. Stroking her again, he whispered down at her "I'm sorry. That was thoughtless. But I still promise to get you back to him if we can, OK. As I said, you can stay with me till we do".

*She nodded, eyes brightening, before stepping back and gesturing with a paw to the garden. As he rose to follow, curious as to her intentions, she led him down past the barn to a timber fenced corral, which she entered by lithely vaulting over the six foot railing. When she glanced at him expectantly, he climbed the rail to join her, eyeing her as she paced around the sandy arena uncertainly until receiving a flash of inspiration, remembering his long experience with the DS. *

Dropping to a knee before her, he said "You want to train?"

At her firm nod, he rubbed a chin thoughtfully, snapping his fingers as an idea sprang to mind. Digging out his phone, he clicked through the apps, pulled up the old online pokedex he had used back in the DS days. Clicking it open, the familiar "Pokedroid" menu popped up, and it only took a moment to bring up her stats.

"Alright then! I'm pretty rusty at this, so you'll have to forgive me. But we can try a few of these, huh?"

At her nod, he scrolled through the menus, and said "Alright, Shadow. See that big bale of hay over there. Pretend that's your opponent. How about... tackle?"

Shadow narrowed her eyes, and charged towards the hay, slamming into the bail with a shoulder and rocking it back several feet.

Grinning at their success, Bill said "Awesome! Now, use thunderfang!"

The luxio rounded on the bail, shredding it with her fangs as sparks of electricity shot out in all directions.

"Great. Let's try a combination attack. Charge, followed by tackle and bite!"

*As the pair trained, Bill was enthralled at the skill of his new charge, and how incredible it felt being able to direct such a powerful creature in battle. Hell, the computer game had nothing on this, he thought! *

This was seriously awesome!

After a half hour of training, they were both tired, and she returned to his side to gaze up at him with brilliant eyes. Beaming down at her, he scrolled down the list of moves in his makeshift pokedex, pointed one final time at the now massacred hay bale, and shouted "OK, Shadow. Last but not least... Discharge!"

As a static crackle enveloped the arena, a powerful shock blasted through Bill's frame, sending him flying back to strike the arena railings, before he dropped to the sand face first. Momentarily stunned, he sat up, spitting out a mouthful of grit until his vision recovered and his limbs began working again. Looking, up into the concerned eyes of the luxio, who stood over him anxiously, he gave a broad grin, reaching over to give her ears a rub. "Slight miscalculation?" he said wryly, and received a sheepish nod in reply.

Chuckling, he stood up and dusted himself off, telling the pokemon "That's alright. I think you did enough damage as is", pointing out the smouldering hay bale across the arena.

"That's pretty impressive, kid. How'd you learn to do that?" a voice broke out behind him, sending the pair jumping in surprise. Turning, he beheld his superior officer, Cameron, watching them train. With him were a half dozen other officers who stood regarding Shadow in equal parts awe and disbelief.

Grinning broadly, he rested his hand on Shadows head, and said "Misspent youth, Sir! Seems all that wasted time wasn't as wasted as I thought."

Nodding, Cameron dropped to a knee before the luxio, and said "Well, you're an impressive little lady, for sure. I assume you'll want to continue to partner with this disreputable character for the near future?" He chuckled as she nodded firmly, and said "So be it."

Standing, Cameron dusted himself off, and clapped Bill on the shoulder. "Well, Son. Seems I won't need to give you a debriefing. At least, you've shown these others what these creatures are truly capable of. So, how about we get some coffee and you can fill me in on what you were doing, and where you feel we should head from here?"

Nodding, the group returned to the farmhouse to plan for the day's activities.

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It wasn't often that Chris felt intimidated around someone, but the Ranger boss was a pretty scary person. Friendly enough, for sure, but you could see it in his eyes he saw right through you, and everything you said was fully analysed and processed by the keen mind behind them.

Shaking their hands as they entered a small conference room, Barklay gripped J.B's palm for a long moment, eyes expressing his sympathy at his loss. J.B simply nodded in return. They were two professionals who knew the situation, and understood the pain, not that it made it any easier to deal with.

After they all took their places at the large conference table, nursing hot drinks brought in to them by another Ranger, Barklay again listened intently to their detailed description of events, ensuring everything they knew of the matter had been relayed, and nodding at various points as if to clarify things to himself. More surprisingly, especially to Skyy, was that he asked for the opinion of the pokemon also, and took as much pains to question their retelling as he did with the humans. It wasn't often that anyone in authority took the time to listen to what a pokemon had to say, but clearly this human was not one to bear such prejudices.

Given the number of pokemon teamed up with the Rangers, and given a typhlosion was one of his best, perhaps it wasn't that surprising after all.

It took several hours, but once everyone had retold their tale, Barklay leaned back, chair squeaking in protest as his weight strained the hinges, and pursed his lips.

"This is going to take some time to process" he muttered, before turning to Scott and frowning. "I want everyone here through psych before we go any further. There's enough stress and anger radiating from this room to melt steel. I don't need anyone popping a valve at some crucial time in the future, because of unresolved issues that could have been dealt with now. I'll leave it up to you to arrange it."

While Scott nodded, J.B leaned forward abruptly and said "I'm fine. Save the shrinks for the novices."

Barklay frowned, eyes narrowing as he said "Understand that everyone here undergoes psych after these sorts of events. It's expected of all my Rangers. This wasn't a request, and it isn't optional."

J.B turned red, and went to stand in anger, only to feel a heavy hand on his shoulder, pressing him down into his seat. Looking up, he caught the red eyes of the typhlosion above him, claws lightly gripping his shoulder as the big pokemon shook his head solemnly.

J.B sighed, dropping back as Barclay eyed him in sympathy. "Don't tell me you don't have your officers undergo psych after traumatic events where you come from?"

J.B reluctantly nodded his head, and said "Of course we do. It's just..."

*As he shrugged again, Barklay nodded to Storm, and the typhlosion released his grip, patting the shoulder in sympathy before he stood back. *

"Everyone here, including the Rangers, will be processed and debriefed by Psych." Frowning suddenly, he glanced uncertainly at Raikou, who eyed him mildly. "Except perhaps, for you..."

Raikou shrugged his big shoulders, and said "I will accompany Chris. It is not a problem."

A brief glance of relief crossed the C.E.O' **s brow before he stood abruptly, signalling the meeting was at an end. **

"The rest of your afternoon is full. Spend the evening as you choose, but I expect everyone back here at 0900 tomorrow, ready to go."

With that, the group dispersed to their varied clinical appointments expecting a busy, if not overly enjoyable, afternoon.

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Author's note:

Another descriptive chapter going nowhere, but everything leads to something. Not sure when, but I'm positive it will ;)

Having never played the game, and really having little experience with the practicalities of battling pokemon, I had to go with the feel of it. So, if it's not quite right well...tough titties ;)

That's really the only good thing to come out of the anime. Ash getting repeatedly zapped to hell by Pikachu. Had to honour it somehow.

Again, if you vote, please leave a comment.