Who Said Pokemon Can't Be Trainers Too? (2k19)

Chapter Thirteen

I walked into Cyllage City as the clouds began to part above me, the rain slowing to a stop. I can't stop thinking about how Joe turned around and said bye to Hope. Does he understand her or did he understand that her yips were her yelling goodbye? I shook my head as Hope ran ahead of me, splishing about in the small puddles on the asphalt. I looked to the beach that lines the small exercise-centered city, seeing a few shirtless jocks in jeans doing pushups, jumping jacks and various other things on the beach despite the fact that it had just been raining a few moments before. I rolled my eyes at them before I caught sight of a large group of scientists fighting with a Mega Aerodactl. I threw up my eyebrows when I noticed Joe and his Pokemon fighting them, not the Aerodactl, the scientists. The Aerodactl raised his head, screeching loudly as he fired a Hyper Beam into the sky. Noname and Dirtnap were trying to hold down its massive wings while Joe walked up to it, grabbing it by the snout and pressing his hand against his forehead. I picked up Hope and walked towards them as the beast reverted to his normal self, falling into the powdery sand. I watched as Joe turned to the lead scientist and held out his hand, causing a Pokeball to leap from the scientist's belt into his hand. I stepped back in surprise. How did he do that? He's not a Pokemon, how did he do that? Hope leaped from my arms and ran over to him, hopping about his ankles.

"WOW that was soo cool!" she cheered, looking up at him with bright eyes. "How'd you do that?" I walked over to them as Joe chuckled, looking down to the little fennec. 

"Runs in the family," he said, leaning down and petting her between her ears. So he does understand Pokemon. He smiled at her before straightening himself and running his sleeve over his lips. He walked over to the downed Aerodactl, sitting beside its massive head and resting his hand on its nose. He set the ball next to it and leaned in and said, "You're free now buddy. No one ever has to treat you like that ever again." The Aerodactl looked from him to the ball then back to him with his large dark grey eyes, swimming with emotions even I can't begin to understand, and nudged the ball towards Joe. Joe looked into his ashy eyes for what seemed like forever before nodding in understanding, taking the ball and standing up. "Alright, let's do it Diablo," he said, pressing the ball on Aerodactl's nose, allowing the ball to consume the beast. 

"Wow," Hope said in awe, "That. Was. COOL!" She began hopping around Joe again, her tail wagging and kicking up sand behind her. "You got a giant dinosaur! And he was all SCREE and you were all hush I love you and he was all oh ok." 

"Is she always like this?" Joe asked with a chuckle, looking to me. 

"More or less," I replied with a shrug, walking over and picking up the vibrating fennec. 

"UM EX-CA-YOOOOOSE ME!" one of the nerds shouted, realizing what just happened, "YOU CAN'T JUST STEAL OUR EXPERIMENT!" Joe sighed and let out a dark chuckle as all the nerds began walking towards him, fists clenched and fuming with their lab coats billowing in the wind.

"Chastity, you should go. I'll handle these chumps," He said, looking to me with his stormy eyes. I threw up my eyebrows for a moment and nodded, turning and heading towards the gym to fight the gym leader with the Fruity Pebbles in his hair.