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]

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.

[chiron_survivor]

"We'll see how he feels about me when I don't have a handful of kibble," she jokes. She shares a smile with the girl trainer and politely waves goodbye to her brother. If she has any resentment towards him, she doesn't show it.

Louis chuckles again, stepping behind the counter and totaling Josh's purchase. "Only in the movies," he replies, amused. Whatever currency Josh has on hand seems to be sufficient. "If you decide to keep the deino, let me know. I'll put you in touch with Seo-yeon. She's our dragon expert around here."

Adia looks over the merchandise on the counter -- keychains, candies, and other tiny impulse buys. When she turns a little to adjust the strap of her messenger bag, she notices the well-dressed figure behind them. She accidentally catches his eye and smiles briefly before looking back at the counter. He's probably waiting in line behind them, she reasons, although she didn't notice him earlier.

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Starting off with kibble isn't a bad thing." He doesn't mention to Adia that the poor Deino did look a little malnourished, which is probably what prompted him to break into the Pokemart looking for food. No need to worry her when the Pokemon is now is good(?) hands. "I guess the Deino could get used to our scents after a while."

Josh is already reaching into his pocket, pulling out his wallet, which strangely only contains money in it. No credit cards. No visible ID. Just money and a few random business cards he's picked up in the Nexus. "Seo-yeon..." Once he's placed some money on the counter, he reaches for a nearby pen and business card, jotting down the name hastily. "How can I get a hold of her?"

Clearly he's focused on the conversation with Louis and doesn't notice the older gentleman behind them. When Adia spots him, he merely nods back to her, but it's strange that he's standing there holding nothing in his hands. The only other noticeable feature is that he has a satchel bag like Adia's, only the colors and size and different.

[chiron_survivor]

"I'll read up on the species," she promises. Her knowledge of dark types and dragon types is unfortunately not thorough as she has not run into many of either.

"She's in most Saturdays," Louis replies. "Tall girl, purple hair. She almost always has her altaria with her, you can't miss her." He leans back and catches sight of the older man and grins. "Hey, Prof. I'll be with you in a second."

[mynameisnotbrad]

Josh isn't too knowledgeable about typing or Pokemon either, but now that he's seen a dragon Pokemon he wants to learn about them. Once he's written down the brief description of the trainer, he puts the card into his wallet for safe-keeping. It's hard to resist keeping his hand in the pocket where the poke'ball rests, as if constantly making sure Deino is there.

"Take your time, my friend." He speaks with a British accent, crisp and calmly, as is unfazed by the wait. In fact, his attention is more so on Josh and Adia, instead of the business that has bought him here today. Having now noticed the new company, Josh turns around for a brief moment to stare at the professor, then back to Adia.

"Did you want anything, Adia?" He's spotted the little impulse buy items near the register and is trying to distract himself from the professor who's lingering nearby.

[chiron_survivor]

"Hmm?" Distracted by the professor, it takes her a moment to catch up to Josh's question. "Oh, no thank you. I'm good."

Louis's mustache twitches a bit as he prints out a receipt and hands it to Josh. First that other dark-haired gentleman wanting to treat Adia, and now this fellow. He can understand the appeal, she's a sweet girl. "There you go. Good luck, young man. Good to see you again, Adia."

He gives the older man behind them a beckoning wave. "What's on the agenda today, prof? Does your torterra need another trim?"

[mynameisnotbrad]

Josh frowns at that response, quickly glancing over at a few keychains, grabbing one that looks cute, then places it on the counter with enough money to pay for it. Louis, being the nice gentleman he is, adds the key-chain to the transaction, offering Josh his remaining change and receipt with a smile.

"Here. Make sure a Klefki doesn't steal it, Adia." He's smiling while offering the Clefairy keychain to her, quickly stepping out of the professor's way. He can feel Madrone's eyes rest on his back, before turning away.

"I'll make the visit short, Louis. I jut wanted to drop off an order for some food. It seems like the recent fluctuation of cold weather in the Nexus has caused some of the ice and grass type pokemon to migrate differently. I need to make sure I have enough nutrients ready for them." He places a small envelope on the counter, which contains a neatly-types list of all the food he needs.

Josh is trying to head towards the door, but Madrone's commanding voice causes him to stop. The professor is now staring at him and Adia with curiosity.

"May I have a word with you both before you go?"

[chiron_survivor]

It's too late to protest by the time he offers her the keychain. She takes it gently and admires the soft pink creature in her hand. "A clefairy," she whispers, before looking up and smiling. "Thank you, Josh. It's perfect for me."

Louis chuckles and shakes his head. "Looks like that winter spirit is up to his old tricks again." He slips the list out of the envelope so he can take a quick look. "I have all this in stock, prof. I'll get your order delivered to your lab by the end of the day."

Adia is following Josh out the door, but pauses when the professor addresses them. "Yes?" she says, turning around to face him, polite but a little shy, wondering what he could possibly want with them.

[mynameisnotbrad]

"I'm glad you like it." He's paying more attention to Adia now that the bill has been properly resolved. Maybe, just maybe, he can try to win her over. It'll take hard work, but he isn't planning on giving up quite yet.

Professor Madrone nods politely to Louis and can't help but smile at his comment. "Yes, when the trees start to move about and a sudden batch of Snover appear, well, one must adapt accordingly. I'll be at the lab for the rest of the day, so you shouldn't need to call my phone. Thank you once again."

His eyes rest firmly on Adia and Josh, but one can see that his gaze is fixated on the pocket where Josh stashed Deino's Pokeball. "You two are clearly not trainers, but still seems interested in Pokemon. May I inquire as to why?"

[chiron_survivor]

"I love it," she says. She gives the plush clefairy a happy squeeze before affixing the keychain to the inside of her messenger bag.

Louis returns the nod and moves out from behind the counter. "If you need anything else, you know where to find me," he says, giving Madrone another friendly smile before heading back to the food aisle. The professor may be relatively new to the Nexus, but he's already one of Louis' favorite customers.

The question surprises Adia, but the man is so polite that she does not hesitate to answer. "Oh, well... a friend of mine has three pokémon, and several months ago, he had to leave the Nexus for an extended period of time, so I sort of took over caring for them... they're so fascinating to me, we don't have anything like them where I'm from."

She could say a lot more, about how cute she finds them, or how much she admires the bond they form with their trainers and carers, but the man did ask the both of them, she wants to give Josh a chance to answer, too.

[mynameisnotbrad]

Professor Madrone is happy to support to local businesses of the Nexus, as it saves him the trouble of trying to track down resources. He gives the older man a polite nod and wave, before continuing his conversation with Adia and Josh.

He listens intently to Adia's story, his expression not changing or indicating his emotions. "I understand how that can be difficult, since Pokemon are merely myths or completely unheard of in other worlds. But if given the chance, you would research and study them, correct?"

His gaze is now on Josh and his tone changes slightly, almost forcefully inquiring. "And you? I saw what you did earlier, the methods you used to catch that Pokemon. Brash. Reckless. Emotionally driven."

Josh is not too fond of hearing those words, and instead of shutting up and giving simple answers, he's brutally honest with the Professor. "I want to know why Pokemon trust humans, given how humans only treat them as tools or things for personal gain."

Professor Madrone can't help but raise an eyebrow at that statement. Why would someone care so much about how other people treat their Pokemon, he thinks to himself. "I feel you're classifying a small percentage of trainers into the bigger picture. Most people work together with their Pokemon for the greater good, not evil."

[chiron_survivor]

"Oh, of course," she answers brightly. "They're wonderful, aren't they? They're so intelligent, and some of them are quite powerful, but many of them choose to form lifelong friendships with humans." For someone who loves animals, it's a dream come true. "I only wish that I had the time to make a career out of it, but I learn about them when I can."

She falls silent again during the exchange between the professor and Josh, but her expression likely gives away some of her thoughts. Namely, her surprise over her friend's method of catching the deino. She hadn't been there to witness it, but she assumed he had been more thoughtful in his decision. It makes the fact that he caught the pokémon all the more unexpected.

Sensing the professor's skepticism, she steps a little closer to Josh in support of his words. "We have seen some very bad examples," she replies, thinking of Bucky's injuries. "And you need to understand, from an outsider's perspective, watching pokémon fight one another can seem unnecessary and cruel. Where we're from, when humans have animals fight one another, it's purely for their own amusement, and the animals can be seriously injured or even killed."

She looks to Josh for confirmation, to see if he's thinking something along those lines. "I know that it's different in the world where pokémon come from, but it still unnerves me a little. It's why I'd rather study them than train them to fight."

[mynameisnotbrad]

"Yes, so many breeds exist here in the Nexus and lately the population has risen greatly. To be fair, I've been looking for capable people to assist in my research on how Pokemon adapt and interact in the Nexus." He seems happy to discuss these things and even Adia's agreement to Josh's statement doesn't seem to upset the professor.

"I've noticed that many people here feel that way about battles, and even if I presented scientific facts that debunk any misconceptions, I highly doubt it'll change the minds of people very easily."

Josh, without thinking his words through, comments on the situation. "If Pokemon want to battle, why should anyone stop them from doing it?" He really sees nothing wrong with combat, just the people instigating it. That comment isn't going to win him any points with the professor either.

"Your friend seems to have a much more logical line of thinking, in comparison to your emotional reasoning. Tell me, what do you intend to do with that Pokemon you caught? Are you going to force it to battle?" Madrone is now looking at Adia. "What do you think should be done with the Pokemon?"