Nothing to Cage 2

“Who are you?” Aspen questioned cautiously while keeping Lily close. This guy called her by name, not by Pokemon name. That was suspicious in itself. The inquiry brought everyone else’s attention to the person up on the rock hill.

“Oro, oro,” the figure chanted like a chaste scold as he stood up while brushing his pants. He probably heard the tense tone behind the purple eyed twin’s voice. “Chillax.” With that, the teens and their Pokemon gasped with wide eyes when he took a step forward off the cliff!

In midair, the stranger did a triple flip then landed on the grassy bottom with a thud miraculously on his feet! “That was crazy, but awesome,” Serena muttered. Coherently, and in sync, both of the boy teens said agreed along with the Pokemon nodding.

The newcomer looked at least to be in his early twenties, but held a childish charm. His black hair was messy and tame at the same time. It seemed to be spiked down in layers with some bangs covering his coffee eyes and a short mullet at the base of the neck. He wore a blue-gray hoodie windbreaker that had an underside colored dark olive green. The jacket wasn’t zipped all the way up revealing a silver undershirt with the collar lining being the same color as the hoodie underside. His baggy pants were grey with 6 straps, same color as the windbreaker, attached. 4 of the straps were near the thigh and on each one there were 3 Poke Balls. However, the capsules weren’t all red and white. Some of them were differently colored. The guy’s shoes were standard black Adidas.

The most notable features about him were a pair of dark grey strapped, red goggles nestled slightly above the forehead and an always present impish smile. With a lazy yawn, the young man propped his hands behind his head and grinned more. “Yo.”

“So, if you’re here to not cause harm,” Aspen started still having his eyes carefully trained on this person, “can you tell us who you are?”

The older boy’s smile seemed to grow. “I’m Kaiser Cain N. Abel Anketo; don’t hesitate to call!” he declared proudly without breaking a sweat.

‘That’s too long, and isn’t Kaiser a title name, not a name, name?’ the 3 teens thought and sweat dropped.

“Sni/Te/Miju?” Lily, Osho, and Flaretusk tilted their heads in confusion.

“Judging by your expressions, you’re not going to call me Kaiser are you?” he chuckled as all of them shook their heads. “Everyone calls me Cage; so, you can too.”

‘That’s better.’

The one named Cage then looked over at the wounded Snivy. He walked over, but stopped when Aspen took a step back in defense. He just smiled harmlessly. “Ne, that queen gave you a nasty slash didn’t she?”

“Queen?” the trainers repeated in puzzlement.

“The Purrloin you just caught,” the older boy explained. “It’s female.”

“Wait; have you been spying on us?” the female teen accused with a stern glare.

Cage let out a guilty chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck in a sorry way. “Spying, yes, but that was at the beginnin’ of the battle. I was just coincidentally on top takin’ in the view.” ‘Too much of a coincidence, if you ask me,’ they told themselves. “So, I couldn’t help, but here your guys’ plight. Ya need help still?”

Onym, Serena, and Aspen looked at each other and thought of the situation they were in. As much as they needed to get to a Pokemon Center, the nearest was hours away while the next one could take another day. Sure, they had the needed supplies to take care of a Pokemon. However, they wouldn’t be able to deal with possible serious injuries such as the recently caught Purrloin who slammed her back hard. What choice do they have?

“Yeah, we do need help,” the 15 year old male twin admitted.

The coffee eyed boy gave another of his smiles. “Alrighty then, follow me; my camp isn’t that far away.” He took off in the direction of the nearby lake.

After a few moments of silence, the girl of the group decided to speak out. “So, I’m guessing from those Poke Balls, you’re a trainer like us.”

“Yup!”

“But we were told only 6 Pokemon can be held per trainer.”

“That’s still true; the extra 6 you see are empty. They’re the Poke Balls I use if I catch any new Pokemon.” Cage then started to laugh slightly like he was embarrassed. “Sorry, if I look obnoxious, by showing off that I hold more than one.”

“Not at all,” Serena put at ease. “I just found it strange. Also by the fact, you’re carrying different colored Poke Balls.”

“There’s a reason behind those.”

“Such as?”

“Ah!” A flash of glee came over to the 22 year old as he pushed away a tree branch. “We’re here!” he pointed out to the modest camp site near the lake, but that wasn’t the only thing. The group looked more carefully and saw 6 other Pokemon! Cage moved forward into the clearing, grinning ear to ear.  “Oi, minna! We have guests.” All 6 creatures turned their heads and greeted their master.

“Char,” a blood skinned lizard with a needle in its mouth saluted. Flaretusk curiously went up to this Pokemon. He spotted the flame at the end of its tail and gave a snort of fire as his greeting. “Tepig!” “Meleon,” the red reptile approved with a nod. Onym watched the interaction for a bit before taking out his Pokedex. “What Pokemon are you?” the black haired teen asked more to himself than the unknown Pokemon.

Dexter:
Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon. It has razor sharp claws and its tail is exceptionally powerful.

“Diablo comes from the Kanto region.” The Tepig trainer turned his head to Cage. “His pre-evolution Charmander is one of the starters that beginning trainers can receive.”

“Charmander,” the teen said out loud as he went back to Dexter. After pressing a few buttons, the image of the Charmeleon turned into a smaller, orange version of the former, but without the single horn extension.

Dexter:
Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out.

“Well, that’s a downer,” Serena claimed with an uneasy face at the info. Onym’s lips formed into dismay. He felt a pat on his knee and saw it was Diablo giving him a small, heartening smile. It was almost like the red lizard was saying not to worry on such things. Another pat came, this time from his orange pig. The black haired 15 year old couldn’t help, but smile at the comfort he was given.

“Ja.” A larger version of a Snivy slithered over catching the attention of the twins. They were able to recognize the Pokemon as a Serperior since their mom owned one named Ivy. Lily stared at the Grass-type in awe. Aspen chuckled lightly at his Pokemon’s astonishment and gently put her down to let her have a better look. The Serperior kept its head up, but settled its similar red eyes on the little, green reptile. “Vy.” Typical behaviors of a Serperior by keeping its head high like royalty. The white haired trainer decided to take out his dex. “Let’s see what Dexter has to say about you.”

Dexter:
Serperior, the Regal Pokemon. Serperior’s glare can halt its opponent’s movement. It increases the solar energy it absorbs.

“Sni.” The Snivy was staring at something nestled between her evolutionary counterpart’s head and the yellow extensions. The male twin looked closely and saw it was a scarlet lily. He then spotted a black collar that had a yellow, bird-like flower attached on the left around the Serperior’s neck. “The lily I gave to Irene; the collar was from her mate, Sherlock the Sceptile,” Cage enlightened. The Serperior on Dexter disappeared into a green, bipedal lizard with yellow eyes.

Dexter:
Sceptile, the Forest Pokemon. Its arms are equipped with razor-sharp leaves, and it moves lightly through tree branches in order to attack its enemies.

“Zoro!” A grey and red blur knocked over the older boy. “Hello to you too, She-Wolf.” “Zo,” the bipedal, fox-like Pokemon cooed with affection.

“Wow! You own a Zoroark? Those are hard to come by as much as their pre-evolution, Zorua,” the black and white haired twin exclaimed in amazement and took out her light grey and pink Pokedex.

Dexter:
Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokemon. Stories say those who tried to catch Zoroark were trapped in an illusion and punished.

“I’m so jealous!” she whined a bit childishly as she walked over to She-Wolf. “I want to own a Zorua though.” The female Illusion Fox Pokemon let out a playful bark allowing the high-spirited teenager to pet her.

“Well, you may be in luck.” Cage sat up and smiled. “She-Wolf had a nice litter of Zorua 2 years ago. There should be a couple of them left still.”

“Really? And you’re going to let me own one?” Serena asked excitedly.

The 22 year old laughed at the girl’s thrill. “Well, She-Wolf likes you and you look like a good trainer, though you’re just beginning on your journey. So, why not?”

“Thank you!” She jumped in glee and grabbed a surprised Osho into her arms. “You hear that Osho, we might be getting a new friend.” The male Oshawott thought for a bit before smiling happily like his trainer. “Miju-miju!”

“Ono/Swa/Vul!” Cage chuckled at his other partners. “Looks like the other three don’t want to be left out of the greetings.” He stood up and walked over to the last 3 Pokemon of his team. “We have Li Xiao Long the Haxorus.” “Kusu,” the Dragon-type bowed his head. “Odette the Swanna.” The white bird gave a graceful bow to the guests. “And Maou the Mandibuzz.” “Vulgi,” the vulture-like Pokemon greeted as she jumped on her trainer’s shoulder.

Onym
Dexter:
Haxorus, the Axe Jaw Pokemon. Its tusks are incredibly destructive. They can easily slice through a thick, sturdy steel column every time.

Aspen
Dexter:
Swanna, the White Bird Pokemon. Swanna uses its long neck to attack repeatedly and rapidly with exceptional strength.

Serena
Dexter:
Mandibuzz, the Bone Vulture Pokemon. Mandibuzz swoops down from the sky to attack its prey using its sharp, powerful claws and beak. It builds its nest out of bones it collects.

Onym was moving his head back and forth from the dex screen to Li Xiao Long. “How come the Haxorus I’m showed is green and yours black?” he asked as the Dragon-type bent his head towards the timid, young trainer.

“Pokemon that are differently colored than their normal counterparts are called Shiny Pokemon,” the Anketo clarified. “They’re very rare to find and to breed.” He heard a click and saw that the white haired 15-year-old was taking a picture of the Axe Jaw Pokemon. ‘Well, Li Xiao Long is a sight to behold.’

“Now, that introduction is over. Let’s check on the injured shall we?” Cage outstretched his hand to the table. Aspen nodded his head. However, before he could even grab Lily, Irene’s tail wrapped around her. “Sni?” The female Snivy looked at the Serperior, who then gave an imperial smile. The Regal Pokemon placed the Grass Snake Pokemon on the table as the seasoned trainer sat down. “Let’s see what we can do for that scratch.”

While Cage treated Lily, Aspen took more pictures of the 22-year-old’s group. Mostly of Diablo, since he wasn’t a native Pokemon to Unova. After washing the wound, the older trainer took out a Super Potion. “Sorry, if this will sting, but only for a moment,” he explained with guilt. The green snake looked over at her master to give her some comfort. The white haired boy gave a reassuring nod that everything will be fine. Lily looked back at the one treating her then closed her eyes. The coffee eyed boy smiled lightly before spraying the medicine on the cut. The Snivy tensed for a moment then went back to being relaxed when the burning sensation went away. “And the final touch.” A white band-aid was placed over her snout. “We’re done for this one.”

Lily stared at the white bandage and gently rubbed it. It felt weird having it on, but it did make the scratch feel less painful. “Snivy,” she let out contently.

“Oh! Stupid me.” Cage face palmed causing his guests to look at him weirdly. “I forgot to ask your names, though I already heard the names Aspen and Serena, and of course Lily here.” He then pointed at each individual. “I know you two are Aspen and Serena; are you guys twins?”

“You got it!” Serena gave a thumb up as she wrapped her arm around her twin’s neck. “People say we don’t look alike, but we’re definitely twins.”

“I still question that,” the male twin mumbled while sweat dropping.

“It’s probably the eyes that gave it away,” the Anketo chuckled then looked at the Oshawott sitting next to his Swanna. “And you’re Osho.” “Miju!” the Sea Otter Pokemon chirped cheerfully. “What about you two?”

Onym gave a bashful smile as Flaretusk nudged at his trainer’s leg. “Uh, Onym, my name’s Onym,” he then pointed down to the Tepig at his feet, “and this is Flaretusk.” “Tep!” The Fire Pig Pokemon let out some fire from his nose.

“With that settled,” Cage looked over at Aspen, “bring on the next patient. That queen took quite a knock out combination between a Vine Whip to the chin and a smack to the back.”

When the male twin put away his digital camera and took out the Poke Ball that contained Purrloin, Lily’s red, reptilian eyes narrowed. She hissed faintly. Both boys looked at her. The older boy chuckled uncertainly, “Now, now, Lily. She’s as injured as you are. It’s not fair to leave her still in pain.” “Sni,” the Snivy rebelliously turned her head and crossed her arms.

“Lily,” the Grass-type revolved to the sound of her master’s voice. “I know you’re mad at her, but she was only simply living up to her species just like all other Pokemon.” Lily closed her eyes. “You can’t stay mad at her forever.” She opened one eye to look at the red and white capsule. After a few moments, she used a single vine to press the button.

The Poke Ball opened letting out a blue beam that shot at the spot next to the bipedal serpent. The beam twisted and turned for a while until it took form of Purrloin. The light sparkled away revealing the purple cat who stole Osho’s scalchop. She was laying down curled up trembling. The hurt from battle must have settled in.

Aspen gently stroked the Devious Pokemon causing the queen to slowly open her jade eyes. When she saw who was petting her, she tried to reel from the touch only to whimper in pain. “Easy there, we’re not here to hurt you.” Purrloin looked at the boy twin with an unsure gaze. She then noticed Lily next to here. The Snivy stared at her former adversary before using her vine to give a reassuring, friendly pat on the head. “See? No harm, just help,” he stated. The Dark-type, after a few moments, of silence mewled, “Purr.”

Cage chortled lightly at the exchange before digging through his bag for the needed supplies. “So, thought of a name for her?”

The white haired 15-year-old continued to caress Purrloin then looked at her eyes. “She has jade eyes, I’ll call her Jade.” The now named Jade purred as she rubbed her head against his hand.

“She likes it!” Serena giggled.