New Year's Date for 'Josh' ((mynameisnotbrad))

[chiron_survivor]

Mid-afternoon on New Year's Day, and Crossroads Café is more or less empty.

The early birds and people nursing hangovers from the previous night's festivities have already cleared out, and the dinner rush has not yet begun. Adia has claimed a table in the corner -- by herself -- although Ice Bear had stopped by to bring her a chai latte and a blueberry muffin while she waits for Josh to join her.

Caspar had made noises about coming, but Adia insisted that he stay home this time. She had a lot of catching up to do with her friend, and Caspar would make it awkward. Her one concession is to keep her PINpoint out, and so when Josh arrives, he'll find her eyes on its smartphone screen instead of the door, texting quietly and smiling at whatever she reads in return.

Comments

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Soldier of the sky, huh? Well, I guess that would make sense, given his nature. To be honest, when I saw Bucky’s colors, he reminded me of the American flag, which is a symbol of justice and pride."

He makes sure that Ice Bear has received the sufficient amount of payment, before heading to the door, back out into the not-overly cold Nexus. Ice Bear also waves goodbye to Adia, but doesn't seem to pay too much attention to her company. It still feels strange seeing some people dressed for winter, while others are walking around in shorts.

Like the cafe, few people are roaming about, making the walk to the Poke'mart easy and fun. However, it seems like a large building is being constructed not too far away from the mart. Josh has to stop and stare at the construction, mainly because a group of Machop and Machoke are running about, carrying stacks of bricks and supplies.

"Huh. Looks like the old Poke'mart is getting an upgrade. Maybe there's been more Pokemon or trainers appearing as of late?" He shrugs his shoulders. "Well, no sense in waiting outside..." He opens the door of the Poke'mart to allow Adia to enter first.

[chiron_survivor]

She listens, her jaw dropping a little, then bursts into laughter. "Like Captain America!" she says, pleased to learn this amusing coincidence. "Oh, I can't wait to share that with Steve."

The machops and machokes catch her attention first, as they remind her of the elusive machamp she had been talking about earlier. But soon enough, her eyes are drawn to the structure itself. "Wow, it's huge!" She looks at Josh and gives him a thoughtful nod. "Yeah, must be. I wonder why."

But there's time to speculate within the mart itself. She gives her friend a smile for holding the door, then steps inside. "Hi, Adia," says an older gentleman with a thick mustache and a head as shiny as a cue ball. He's busy stocking shelves near the entrance. "Here to pick up more of Ethel's head polish?"

"Not this time, Louis. I'm just looking around." She smiles at the employee before turning to Josh. "He's given me some great advice on steel pokémon."

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Yeah, that's a pretty good comparison." is she talking about the real Captain America when she mentions Steve's name? Doesn't matter to Josh in the long run, as he closes the shop door behind them.

It's disarming to be immediately approached by the store employee, and Josh is half-tempted to tell the old man to go away, but bites his tongue. "Steel Pokemon? I really need to get up to date on the different types." He's already glancing around at the different items on the shelf, almost nervous to ask about what toys would be good for a cat pokemon.

"So..where should we go first? Anything you want to look at in particular?" His eyes dart from her to a trainer walking out the door with his partner, a happy-looking Trubbish. What. Was that really a trash bag pokemon? This visit might take some getting used to...

[chiron_survivor]

Pokémon retailers are an overall gregarious group. It took Adia a bit of time to overcome her shyness, but now she seems quite comfortable as she walks down the aisle, smiling at the occasional familiar face. "There are eighteen types," she tells him. "I started by learning the types that Steve's pokémon are, and then branched out from there. It's an unusual ontology, but considering how different they all look, it might be the only consistent way to classify them."

She turns to answer Josh's question, then follows his gaze to the trubbish. "I know, it looks like a trash bag," she murmurs. "I should show you a picture of a klefki sometime." But, anyway, back to the matter at hand. "I wouldn't mind looking in the enrichment aisle. They always have fun stuff there. What would you like to see?"

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Eighteen? I only really remember fifteen of those. Steel, dark and fairy are the ones that don't seem familiar to me." He shakes his head lightly. "Maybe I should pick up a book or two while I'm here." At least he's open to the idea and concept on learning about Pokemon, instead of being close-minded at all the different types. He could see how some people might be scared off by psychic or dark types or favor cute water and fairy types.

"I wonder what it looks like..." His interest is piqued, equally so at the realization that a trash bag walked by. "Me? I'm okay with checking out a little bit of everything. But speaking of types, do you have a favorite, Adia?" He's allowing her to lead the way, completely uncertain on where he wants to specifically go.

[chiron_survivor]

"The library has some good books, too," she tells him. "In the reference section." It's where she did most of her learning. "You'll be starting with more knowledge than I did, at least. The only reason I started looking into different types is because I was worried Sarah would start a fire."

If it's books he's interested in, she'll take him down the aisle that has reading material. There are magazines with glossy covers about the latest training tips and gym circuits, as well as books about different types and even caring for specific pokémon. "That's a klefki," she says, pointing to an image of an adorable.. keychain? Seriously?

"A favorite type?" She has to think about this for a moment or two, with eighteen types to choose from. "I suppose I'm partial to fairy, because they often have healing powers. But I have yet to meet a pokémon that I didn't like. Each one is cute in its own way. What about you, do you have a favorite type?"

[mynameisnotbrad]

"I guess I'll have to stop by there when my schedule isn't so hectic. Although, I have to ask, what kind of Pokemon is Sarah? My guess is a Charmarder." Because he can imagine a lizard with a flaming tail could cause some concern.

Josh's eyebrows raise upon seeing the keychain Pokemon, completely dumbfounded at the fact that a floating keyring is an actual pocket monster. "I've got nothing. It seems like Pokemon can be just about anything."

He has to think about her question carefully, shoving both hands into his pockets. "I'm not sure. Maybe grass types? They seem to be friendly with nature and kind of fit my personality. I was always told I liked the girly stuff, so maybe a bit of fairy typing as well?" He shrugs his shoulders. "So, if you like every type, does that also include some of the scarier ones, like dark and ghost?"

[chiron_survivor]

"She's a growlithe," she replies. "Although I've seen charmanders before. They are very cute."

Josh's reaction makes her giggle. "Sorry," she says. "I think I was making your expression the first time I saw one of them, too. They're sweet, although I've heard they'll steal keys when you aren't looking."

She gives him the same patience that he gave her when answering the question. "Hmm," she says. "I would have thought you'd prefer the psychic type, because of your trivia show. But I don't think there's anything girly about liking fairy type. They're as tough as any of the other ones."

That's a fair question. She knows that the dark and ghost types get a bad rap in some circles. "Of course!" she answers without hesitation. "They're only scary if you don't understand them."

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Oh, Growlithe are pretty cute too. Both Pokemon evolve into some really neat forms a well, a giant dragon and a giant puppy. Hmmm...I'm starting to think all evolutions involve large growth spurts." Which isn't even true in the slightest. Adia's laughter causes him to blush and turn away quickly, not in a bad way, but her kindness is contagious.

"Stealing keys sounds like something they'd do. As for psychic types, I'm not too sure how that would work out. Having a Pokemon that could pry into my mind is kinda daunting." He nods in agreement at the idea of Fairy-type Pokemon being stronger than they look.

"Understanding..." He's about to say more but the shelves behind them suddenly shake for a brief second. A few aisles away, a group of trainers are talking loudly to themselves, visible from the end of the store. The group seems lost in thought, staring down one aisle hesitantly.

"What should we do?" A young girl speaks up, immediately being interrupted by a male trainer.

"It's obvious! We battle it!" He's eagerly reaching for a Pokeball on his waist.

Josh can't help but look over in the general direction of the conversation, then back to Adia. Should they go check it out?

[chiron_survivor]

"They do tend to get bigger," she agrees. "Not always, but definitely in Sarah's case. I don't know what Steve is going to do when she evolves into an arcanine. Or Ethel becomes a bastiodon. He already had to rearrange his apartment when Bucky evolved..."

Yes, telepathy seems to be a big concern around here. Adia rubs the back of her head self-consciously, thinking of the moon rune granted to her during the Nightmare. "I guess that's true. I've never had one read my mind, though."

She listens expectantly for what he's going to say, but the commotion also catches her attention. Is there a wild pokémon loose in the store? She meets Josh's gaze, then bites her lip and nods. Sure, they can check it out. She trusts the the group of trainers to handle the situation properly.

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Maybe it's time to look into a house if the Pokemon are outgrowing the apartment. That or Steve can just keep them in their Pokeballs." And he says this completely unaware if Steve even has that capability or wants to do something like that.

Josh isn't going to comment on the psychic subject matter any further, his attention is all but on the arguing trainers nearby. He walks over to the group, peering past them to see what exactly has them rattled. Adia's guess is pretty spot on, as in the middle of the aisle (which seems to be for Pokemon food), a dinosaur like Pokemon seems to have dragged an entire bag of food onto the floor.

The Pokemon has torn out a sizable hole in the bag, spilling kibbles everywhere, and is content with eating any food it can sniff out. Which means everything. It's a literal vacuum cleaner with an insatiable appetite.

"Hey Adia...Does the anti-violence field apply to Pokemon?" Josh had no idea if it does, but his words deter the male trainer from releasing his Pokemon. Instead, the trainers turn to face Adia and Josh, the boy looking somewhat annoyed at their appearance. His attitude doesn't stop him from lashing out at either of them either, while the female trainer hides behind him fearfully.

"You got a better idea, smarty-pants? Or are you going to have your girlfriend do all the work for you?"

[chiron_survivor]

"I think he is looking to move into a bigger space," she replies. "He's not a fan of keeping them in pokéballs. Neither am I, actually, although most of them don't seem to mind."

There are a few things about pokémon culture she's not a fan of, especially the fighting. It's why she keeps her attention on the ready-to-battle trainer a moment longer than Josh before switching her gaze to the cause of the trouble. What she sees makes her smile; a little dinosaur, or maybe a dragon? She's not familiar with this particular species.

She turns to answer Josh when the trainer rudely interrupts. She's about to apologize for interrupting, but the girl cowering behind him catches her attention. That used to be her, once upon a time. She's older and wiser now. She doesn't have to stay silent to keep the peace.

Ignoring the attitude, she looks the male trainer in the eye and smiles politely. "I think you forgot that they don't allow battles in the mart," she says kindly. "Besides, it's not being aggressive. We can probably shoo it out of the store if we move the bag of food... or I can get Louis, he'll take care of it."

[mynameisnotbrad]

If Adia hates battling, then Josh is the opposite, always craving some form of violence or combat. Pokemon battling doesn't bother him in the slightest, but teenagers with attitude do rub him the wrong way.

The dragon stops eating upon hearing the commotion, not looking at the group, but sticks his long face up in the air, sniffing around cautiously. One can logically assume the Pokemon has poor eyesight, if any, based on the Beatles-style fur covering most of his face.

The female trainer seems happy to hear what Adia's saying, but the older sibling isn't too pleased. He's still got a frown on his face, arms crossed over his chest. To the shock of no one, Josh is personally not amused by what's going on or things that have been said and this kid's attitude is only angering him further.

"Fine. Why don't you go try to move the bag of food first? If you think you're so smart, handle the situation without having to call that old man over here."

Josh is just watching, not wanting to step on Adia's toes and get overly protective. He sees that she's taking the initiative and will intervene if stuff gets really chaotic. Or he loses his temper. The latter is most certainly bound to happen if things keep going the way they are currently.

[chiron_survivor]

Adia keeps her smile, not rising to the bait. Some teenagers are nothing but attitude, so she's not going to take it personally. Her only concern is the tension she feels coming from Josh. The last thing she wants is some sort of altercation.

"Well, I'm happy to give it a try. But it never hurts to ask for help, y'know?" She makes eye contact with his younger sister a moment -- poor kid -- before turning and heading towards the little dragon. Slowly. She doesn't want to scare it.

"Hey, friend," she calls out gently, so the myopic pokémon knows she's coming. "Are you still hungry? Would you like some more food?" If the creature will let her, she'll grab an end of the food bag and drag it towards the door, conveniently spilling a trail of kibble for the dragon to follow.

[mynameisnotbrad]

Josh has both hands out of his pockets, balled up into fists, as he watches the scene unfold. His gaze moves from Adia to the boy, whom has relaxed almost instantly. There's a smile on his face, once that Josh recognizes all too well: he's plotting something.

He turns away to watch Adia once more, seeing her slowly start to move the bag away from the Pokemon. Then it hits him like a ton of bricks. Most wild dogs and cats grow territorial when a source of food is being removed or messed with. Pokemon can't be too far off that mindset either, in his opinion.

The Deino doesn't move towards the food trail, his nose is pointed at Adia, his sniffing has quieted down drastically. Watching from a distance, the younger sister fearfully keeps an eye on Adia, hoping nothing bad happens. But something feels off about the whole situation and Josh caves on his earlier commitment.

"Adia! Wait a second..."

There's no time to react as the Deino lunges forward, biting at Adia's hand and fingers, only to be met by invisible barriers pushing him back. The anti-violence field is the only thing keeping Adia from potentially losing her digits. The young girl jumps back in fear while her older brother laughs at Adia's attempt.

"Looks like your plan was a failure. I bet you aren't even a real Pokemon trainer. If you were, you'd know that Deino are aggressive Pokemon, especially when it comes to food."

[chiron_survivor]

The movement catches the corner of her eye and she skitters backward, clutching her hand to her chest protectively. That was a close one! She watches as the dragon drops its head and goes back to eating, this time interspersed with soft growls. "Sorry," she says shakily. Her heart is beating hard, but she holds no ill will towards the pokémon.

It's only when she hears the laughter that she flushes with embarrassment, looking over at the teen who is gloating over her near injury. Her earlier confidence seems to crumble. "I wish you'd told me that before I tried," she mutters. She cradles her hand and sighs. So much for trying. "I'll go get Louis, then..."

She hurries to the front of the store to find the employee. Dumb. She should have let a professional handle it from the start.

[mynameisnotbrad]

Josh takes a few steps forward, hand outstretched, before stopping suddenly. Adia seems hurt and his sudden movement would only upset the Pokemon further. Anger is swelling up in his body, and he spins quickly on one heel, coming face to face with the trainer.

"What are you going to do?" There's a smug expression on his face, as if taunting Josh.

He turns to look at the Pokemon and Adia starting to leave, too much is happening at once and he immediately feels overwhelmed with rage. He wants to turn around and clock the trainer with his fists, but instead his eyes rest on a stack of Pokeballs on a nearby shelf.

Driven by his emotions, mostly negative ones, he reaches for a yellow and black painted Pokeball, clutching it tightly in his hand. It isn't just this moment that's angering him, it's a cumulative stack of issues. His family being unwelcoming. John's cancer worsening. Being hated by the few people he's let into his life.

But Adia is different. And he wants to show her that he can be someone different.

The Pokeball is thrown at an alarming speed, grazing past the boy's face and causing the anti-violence field to spark for a brief second. The target is the Deino, who's back to munching away at the food, unaware of the orb being hurled at him. The anti-violence field lacks an interaction with the Poke'ball, given the device's composition and lack of actually hitting the Pokemon. Instead of being deflected, the Pokemon disappears into the ball with a flash of red light, landing back onto the tile floor.

It shakes violently, then slowly comes to a rest.

The trainer is dumbfounded at what just happened, and to be fair, Josh is standing there with a blank expression on his face.

"...That worked?" He glances around to see if Adia left or not. Did she see what he did? Or will she be coming back to a much bigger surprise?

[chiron_survivor]

Having already turned the corner to find Louis, Adia is not there to witness Josh capturing the wild deino. However, she returns in time to witness the aftermath: a bag of half-eaten food, a striped poké ball, and three surprised-looking people.

The friendly older employee, having accompanied Adia, hums thoughtfully and scratches his mustache. "Looks like he wandered back out," he says with a small chuckle. He pats Adia on the shoulder. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll go get a broom and a pan and clean this up. Be right back."

As he heads off again, Adia looks over at Josh in confusion. Is that what really happened? She can't imagine that food aggressive of an animal walking away from the rest of the kibble.

[mynameisnotbrad]

No one seems to make a move until Louis has meandered away, and before Josh even gets a chance to speak up, the young girl is talking excitedly.

"Wow! Did you see that?!? He threw the Pokeball so fast and the Deino didn't break free!" She walks over to the Pokeball, staring at it, then Adia. "You missed it lady! It was amazing!"

"Um...well, she summed it up better than I could have." He shrugs his shoulders, while walking over to the Pokeball, picking it up carefully. He stares at the bag, then Adia, before taking a deep breath. "Adia...I think you had the right idea." He reaches down and grabs a handful of food with his other free hand, holding it out to her. "...I know you're strong. Give it another shot."

He pushes the food into her hand, then throws the Pokeball to the ground. The Deino reappears and is visibly surprised, quickly turning his head around and sniffing everyone and everything. The little girl flinches, but Josh bends down on one knee, quickly grabbing another handful of kibble, offering some to the girl. She takes it and waits to see what he does, which is rather scary as he bends down and holds out a handful of food to the Pokemon. Learn by experience and watching, they say.

[chiron_survivor]

"You caught it?" she asks Josh in surprise. She looks over at the teenage trainer who is visibly sulking, so she knows it must be true. Wordlessly, she takes the kibble into her hand, then watches as he summons the pokémon from its ball.

The deino catches the scent of the human who tried to move its bag of food. This time, however, that human is also holding food. Well, that's okay, then. It leans its long neck forward and eats the kibble, following up with a thorough slurp of the palm of her hand. Thanks, human! It sniffs the air and then gives the girl's hand a similar treatment.

Adia smiles softly, her confidence restored. She'll know better for next time. "Are you going to keep it, Josh? You did catch it, so it will naturally want to bond with you."

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Wow! It ate everything I was holding. Here Deino, have some more!"" The little girl reaches down and grabs more kibble, which Deino is happy to keep eating, at least until Louis tells them otherwise. Josh is fully expecting them to get kicked out of the Pokemart after this stunt.

"I don't know..." He's really still shocked at this turn of events and seems mostly focused on making sure Adia is doing better. He stands back up and keeps allowing the girl to feed Deino, focusing his attention on Adia.

"What matters most is that you're okay." He nods, dusting off his hands on his jeans, his gaze turning to the teenager who's still sulking in the corner of the room. "I think an apology is in order."

"...Sorry."The teen mumbles, clearly not ready to admit defeat just yet. Josh doesn't push the issue, being content with that result.

"That's better." He nods, feeling stragely calm, his anger has completely subsided. "Geez...Never would've guessed that I'd be able to act on what you've said, John..." Clearly that last line is Josh talking to himself, not directing the comment at anyone is particular.

[chiron_survivor]

"You can always release it into the wild," she tells Josh, not wanting to overwhelm him. Caring for a pokémon is a big deal, especially as he isn't a Nexus resident. She fishes out a tissue from her messenger bag and wipes her hand while watching the girl feed the deino without any fear. What a change from earlier. She smiles, sure that the torn-up bag of kibble is worth it.

She looks over at the teen and waggles the fingers on her hand that nearly got chomped. "It's okay, no harm done." What's important to her is that she prevented a poké battle from breaking out in the middle of the store. Who knows what would have happened then?

Josh's words to himself catch her attention, but before she can say anything, Louis reappears with the broom and pan. He takes in the new scene and starts to laugh. "I shouldn't have bothered getting the broom."

"Sorry, Louis," Adia says quickly, but the mustached man wards off her apology with a wave of a hand.

"It's all right, it happens." He spots the poké ball in Josh's hand and says, "Young man, do you mind re-capturing the deino and getting it out of here? I don't mind losing one bag of chow, but I'd rather not see what it wants for dessert."

[mynameisnotbrad]

"I wonder what's best for Deino..." As if on cue, the Pokemon raises up his head and smiles at Josh directly, before wrapping up another handful of kibble. It seems like the older boy is also breaking out of his grumpy shell, choosing to also feed Deino for a little bit. It's strange seeing how one little creature can make so many people happy.

Josh turns to face Louis after being addressed and merely nods at his words. "Yeah, of course." He gives the two trainers enough time to say goodbye, before holding the ultra ball towards Deino. With a quick flash of light, the Pokemon disappears and is back inside the comfort of his temporary home.

"Ah...I think I should probably pay for this pokeball. At least you can claim to buyers that it's very efficient." He glances at the chow bag as well. "I'll get the damaged bag as well."

[chiron_survivor]

"He likes you," Adia says, giving Josh a warm smile. "At the very least, you've made a new friend."

With the deino back in its poké ball, Louis can get to work sweeping up the dry mess on the floor. His eyes crinkle when Josh offers to pay. "That's awfully generous of you, I appreciate it. But don't sell yourself short, even an ultra ball doesn't always catch a pokémon on its first try. You're a natural."

Once he has the floor clear of kibble, he gestures Josh to the front of the store so he can ring him up.

[mynameisnotbrad]

"We've made a new friend. Together." He smiles and places the now-compact poke'ball in his pocket. What a crazy day.

"Really? I thought people just throw Pokeballs all the time and are almost guaranteed to catch something." He's clearly never played a Pokemon game is his life. Either way, he allows Louis to lead them back up to the front of the store, hoping full well that he has the necessary currently to cover the costs.

All the while, he doesn't notice the gentleman walking behind them, dressed in a neatly-pressed suit and tie who seems to be watching both him and Adia.