Seth shook his head from side to side as his physical form re-materialized out of thin air. Traveling by Teleport was always a strange feeling- how Dad had ever gotten used to it was something he'd never figure out. The disorientation was the worst part though. His head was woozy, his balance was off center, and his vision was a little blurry for a few seconds. But, he was here... wherever here was.
"Feeling alright, Seth?" came a familiar voice from right next to him. It was Celes, his father's beloved Gardevoir, and the one responsible for the Teleport.
"Yeah," he replied, "Just a little dizzy is all. Where are we?"
"Just outside Viridian City," Celes answered.
Fuchsia City was a fairly long way from the western side of Kanto, which was heralded the world over as the great starting point for any new Trainer. Rather than send his son alone on what would have been many days' journey by foot, Dad had sent Celes along with Seth on a ship to Celadon, where her Teleport could easily take them to the starting line. She'd also served as an escort of sorts, making sure he got there safely.
"If you go just up that road there," she continued, "You should reach the Trainer's House. That's about the best place to start out."
"Right," Seth said as he tightened the straps of his backpack.
"And remember, your father had me accompany you so you'd be safe, but I'm going to run some errands and then head home as soon as you're over that hill. From here, you've got to handle yourself, alright?"
"I know, I know. It's just..." Seth sighed with uncertainty.
"Just what? This isn't like you."
"Well... Celes, what if I can't find any Partners? What am I gonna do if I can't catch one?"
Celes's eyes widened for a bit, then she lightly chuckled at the notion. "Oh Seth," she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Let me tell you a little secret. The best Trainers don't catch Pokemon- the Pokemon come to them and follow them because they want to. So don't worry about going Partnerless; just be yourself, and I have no doubt they'll come in no time. Now, you should get going. Day's still young, let's not waste it!"
"Gotcha, thanks Celes," Seth said as he turned and began walking down the road, "Tell Mom and Dad I love them!"
Not much later, Seth was into Viridian City proper. A map had shown him where the Trainer House was, and along the way he passed the Pokemon Center and the park next to it. His attention was drawn toward the park, however, as a crowd was forming in a circular fashion. It could only mean one thing, he realized with glee; a Pokemon Battle was about to start! He dashed toward it hoping to catch a view of the action. He loved watching battles, breaking them down, analyzing strategies, figuring out what he would've done in the situations, it was the best!
Dad's Words: It's alright to be angry. It's not alright to let that anger goad you into making poor decisions.
But what he was treated to here was nothing but a disgusting travesty. Anger rose up in him at the mockery of Pokemon Battles he was witnessing. Not only was the battle a one hundred percent mismatch, the boy commanding the Machamp didn't even show his opponent common courtesy! Seth managed to keep Dad's words in his mind though, and funneled the wrath into his clenched fists and away from his brain. A burst of movement told him another person in the circle, a rich-looking boy with white hair, had less success with his self control. As soon as the punch was thrown Seth was forcing his way through the crowd to the center. "HEY!" he yelled as he pushed his way in, determined to stop things. Disgust was one thing, but turning this into a street fight was certainly not-
Another motion caught his eye and made his heart leap into his throat. A Pokemon, had to be a Vulpix with those tails, was jumping about and trying to fire on the Machamp! Ordinarily he wouldn't have had a problem with things, but with a Machamp already wound up by a battle, a trainer that had a bad enough attitude without the assault, a clear power difference at hand, and the whole situation about to devolve into a complete mess...!
He had no time to think twice. He tossed his backpack onto the ground and nearly ripped his jacket in half trying to get it off in time. One reason he loved that jacket was because it was one of the best pieces of outdoors gear that could be found- which included shock resistance and fire retardant being used in the treatment. He just hoped it was enough as he swung the clothing into the air to intercept the first Ember. The jacket nearly flew out of his hands in the impact, but the threads held and didn't catch fire- which was a good thing. Relief was slow in coming, however, as the Vulpix landed and showed clear signs of throwing more fire. Once again, time for thought was in short supply as Seth stepped around and threw his arms out, standing between the Machamp and the Vulpix. "What are you doing?!" he shouted as he locked eyes with the burning fox. The Embers still smoldered in her mouth as she seemed to measure his actions, with notable distaste... but she held her fire. For the time being, anyway.
"Look," he said, addressing both her and the white-haired boy who'd thrown the punch, "I don't like what just happened any more than you do. But attacking him and his partner is only going to make things worse. It makes you no better than he was for crying out loud. Cool your heads!"
"And you," he continued sharply as he rounded on the Machamp's trainer, "Your opponent conceded the match! You had no business doing anything but ordering your partner to stand down. If this had been a Tourney or a League Match, you'd have been disqualified on the spot
and forced to pay damages. What on earth were you
thinking?"
@Feisty-Pants@Raijinslayer@BlackPanther