Arrival At The Skiddo Ranch, And A Goodbye?

Story
'''Jon, Ryan, Maria and Kyle are walking down a lovely path with Chespin on Ryan’s head looking at the flowers. Jon stops suddenly.'''

Jon: Look over there!

Jon points to a ranch, just full of Skiddo.

Maria: A Skiddo ranch.

Kyle: Shall we go and see it?

'''The four trainers walk towards the Skiddo ranch. They arrive at the fence and see at least 20 Skiddo. An old man, who is on the other side of the fence, walks up to the four trainers. '''

Old Man: Interested in the Skiddo I see.

Ryan: Yeah, they’re cool!

Chespin (giving a thumbs up): Ches!

Jon: I have one, do you mind if it joins in with the others?

Kyle: And my Bulbasaur if that’s okay?

Old Man: Of course, the Skiddo won’t mind at all, and I don’t either.

Jon: Sweet, thank you. Skiddo, have fun!

Kyle: You too Bulbasaur.

'''Jon sends out his Skiddo and Kyle sends out his Bulbasaur. Jon’s Skiddo is a bit smaller than the other Skiddo.'''

Jon: I’m Jon by the way.

Maria: I’m Maria, and this is my older brother.

Kyle: I’m Kyle, nice to meet you.

Ryan: I’m Ryan, and as you may have gathered, this is my best buddy Chespin!

Chespin gives the old man a smile.

Old Man: Nice to meet you all. Would you like to visit with the Skiddo?

Ryan: Can we? Awesome!

'''The old man leads them to a gate. Upon opening it, Jon’s Skiddo runs to visit with the wild Skiddo. They get along almost instantly. Kyle’s Bulbasaur goes over too and says hi, and all the Pokemon seem to be getting along fine.'''

Ryan: Hey Jon, you know that old expression ‘peas in a pod’? I think it’d be more appropriate to say the Skiddos’ are like corn in a field. You know, because there’s a lot of them? And there’s a lot of corn in a cornfield?

There’s an awkward pause between them.

Ryan: Never mind.

He looks out at the herd of Skiddo, in which it’s easy to spot Bulbasaur’s lighter shade of green against the brown and darker green.

Ryan: Wow. Skiddo sure looks happy.

Maria: They sure do.

Jon: Is it only you looking after the ranch by yourself?

Old Man: Usually, but sometimes my granddaughter comes and helps. She loves the Skiddo almost as much as I do. Possibly even more I’d guess.

Ryan: Is it possible I could get one to sit still? I’ve been drawing ever since I was little...er, and I’m looking to find Pokemon to draw.

Old Man: Oh yes, as long as you treat them kindly.

Ryan: Cool!

He approaches the Skiddo carefully and quietly,

Ryan: Hello. I mean no harm. I would just like to ask if I could draw one of you.

Jon: Why not draw them all?

All the Skiddo jump and smile at this idea.

Ryan (Smiling): Why not?

He sits down and pulls out his sketchpad and pencil.

Ryan: Hold still please.

Just as he’s about to put his pencil to the paper, the trainer sees Bulbasaur still mixed up in the group of Skiddo.

Ryan: Hey Bulbasaur, why don’t you sit up in front. I’ll draw you with them.

He looks around at the Skiddo

Ryan: Would you be alright with that?

'''The Skiddo nod. Bulbasaur moves to the front. Ryan begins to draw them. While Ryan is drawing them, Maria and Jon are talking to the Old Man, while Kyle is watching Ryan draw.'''

Jon: If you don’t mind my asking, but what made you want to be in charge of a Skiddo ranch?

Old Man: Remember how I mentioned my granddaughter? She wanted to have a Skiddo on her team, but for some reason could never get one to battle her. So I decided one day that it would be the next best thing to build this ranch for her. That way, she can visit with the Skiddo whenever she likes.

Maria: That’s amazing.

'''Jon looks at his Skiddo, who is extremely happy. Maria sees Jon’s blank expression.'''

Maria: Jon, are you okay?

Jon looks at Maria and smiles.

Jon: Yeah, I was just thinking of something.

Maria: It must be amazing to look after a ranch.

Jon: Tiring too, since I have a ranch in Hoenn with my Parents and brother.

'''Eventually, Ryan finishes his drawing. He shows it to the Skiddo and Bulbasaur.'''

Ryan: What do you think everyone? Do you like it?

'''The Skiddo and Bulbasaur smile with glee. Suddenly, Jon’s stomach growls.'''

Jon: Guess I’m hungry.

Kyle: You didn’t each as much as you usually do for breakfast.

Ryan: Yeah, I could eat as well.

Old Man: I’ll cook something for you if you want.

Ryan: Thank you, we would appreciate that.

Ryan takes Jon aside for a moment

Ryan (whispering): You think we’re able to split your Pokemon food? I ran out while feeding Lapras last night.

Jon: Yeah that’s fine. How much did you give to Lapras then?

Ryan: I ended up giving the last share to Lapras, but I was running out either way.

'''Chespin looks pissed off it didn’t get the remaining food.'''

Jon: How about I give you, Bulbasaur and all the Skiddo a big bowl.

Chespin grins at the news.

Ryan (Grinning himself): Yeah, that’s Chespin for ya. I keep telling it, it can’t eat like it does, otherwise it’ll get too plump to battle efficiently.

Slightly offended, Chespin bops Ryan on the head.

Ryan: Ow! Well it’s true! Anyway, let’s go. I’m starving.

'''He stands up, closing his sketchbook and tucking it under his arm. Jon gets a few Pokemon bowls out and puts loads of Pokemon food in them for all of the Pokemon. Jon and Ryan head over to the table, where Maria and Kyle are already sitting. The Old Man brings out some soup for them.'''

Jon: It looks lovely.

Kyle: I haven’t had soup for ages.

Ryan: Me either.

'''Everyone digs into their food, praising the old man for his cooking skills. After everyone had eaten their fill, Ryan began to squirm.'''

Ryan: Where’s the bathroom?

'''The old man shows him; it’s down the hall, past a window. On his way, Ryan looks out the window. He gasps loudly. He’s able to see the area where they had first seen the Skiddo, and In the time they had been eating, it had been totally trashed. The fences had been broken, and the Skiddo were in a panic. Ryan ran back to the dining area.'''

Ryan: Guys, we’ve got big trouble. I was passing a window, and saw the Skiddo being terrorized by something! I couldn’t see what it was, but we need to help them!

'''He runs outside, stopping a little ways away from the commotion. He sees an outline of something, gasping. The others catch up a second later. '''

Ryan: I don’t know which it is, but I’m fairly certain it’s a Pokemon.

'''He spots a rock on the ground. He picks it up'''

Ryan: Hey you big bully, leave my friends alone!

'''He chucks the rock at the unknown Pokemon. It hits, pissing it off. It is revealed to be a Pyroar.'''

Ryan: Okay that was stupid.

Kyle: That's a Pyroar.

Maria: It's the evolved form of Litleo.

'''The Pyroar unleashes a powerful Overheat towards Ryan. Suddenly, Jon’s Skiddo gets in the way taking the hit. '''

Jon: Skiddo!

'''Jon’s Skiddo looks at him saying everything is fine. '''

Jon: That's a relief. Skiddo, you ready to battle?

Maria: Skiddo is weak against a fire type like Pyroar.

Jon: Doesn't frighten us.

Skiddo nods in agreement.

Jon (looking at Ryan): I could use your help with Chespin.

Ryan: Right

Maria: Why Chespin?

Jon: I've found out that a Pokemon's most inner strength comes out when they are fighting something they won't usually beat. Ready Ryan?

Ryan: Yeah. Ready Chespin?

'''Chespin seems ready and stands next to Jon’s Skiddo. '''

Jon: Right, Energy Ball!

'''Jon’s Skiddo fires Energy Ball, doing little damage to the Pyroar. Chespin curls up into a ball, charging at the Pyroar. It makes contact, but also does little damage.'''

Ryan: Alright Chespin, another new move! Rollout!

Jon: That’s great. Now, use Zen Headbutt!

'''Jon’s Skiddo runs towards Pyroar using Zen Headbutt. Pyroar attacks using Fire Fang. This causes a lot of damage to Skiddo, causing it to get launched into the air and land near Jon.'''

Jon: Skiddo!

Jon’s Skiddo gets up weakly.

Jon: I knew you could do it.

Ryan: Chespin, charge at Pyroar with Tackle and use the momentum for a Rollout!

'''Chespin runs forward, the speed of the Tackle attack rising. A few moments before Chespin reached Pyroar, it curled into a Rollout. Chespin slammed into Pyroar, but while it hurt Pyroar a little, all it really did was send it skidding back a few inches.'''

Ryan: Man, what’s with this Pokemon!?

He turns his attention to Jon’s Skiddo

Ryan: Are you sure you’re up for this battle? That fall looked like it really hurt. Not only that, but I don’t think you should push yourself over the edge.

Jon’s Skiddo huffs at Ryan.

Jon: Skiddo is fine. Now, use Bulk Up!

Skiddo uses Bulk Up and then increases its physical attack and its physical defence.

Jon: I need a distraction.

Ryan: No problem.

He reaches into his pocket, but finds it empty

Ryan: Oh yeah, I left my stuff inside.

'''A pulling at his trouser leg grabs Ryan’s attention. Ryan sees it’s Froakie'''

Ryan: Alright Froakie, use Water Pledge on Pyroar!

'''Froakie uses Water Pledge and pillars of water burst out of the ground heading for Pyroar. Pyroar uses Overheat and destroys the Water Pledge. Without Pyroar, or Ryan, noticing, Jon’s Skiddo is behind Pyroar.'''

Jon: Now, Zen Headbutt!

'''Skiddo uses Zen Headbutt and sends Pyroar flying towards Jon, Ryan, Chespin and Froakie. Jon’s Skiddo races next to Jon.'''

Jon: Ready for a double Vine Whip?

Ryan: Totally.

'''Both Chespin and Skiddo use Vine Whip. Pyroar, who is still in the air, gets hits and disappears over the hill, out of sight. The other Skiddo run over and see Jon’s Skiddo, Froakie and Chespin and thank them.'''

Maria: That’s good.

Kyle: All we need to do is fix the fences.

'''Later on, Jon, Kyle, Maria, Ryan and the old man have finished fixing the fence. Ryan notices Jon, who’s once again blankly staring as his Skiddo started to play with the wild Skiddo again'''

Ryan: Jon, I can tell you’re thinking about something. What’s up?

Jon: Oh um. I’m thinking about leaving Skiddo here.

Maria overhears this and runs over.

Maria: Why?

Jon: Just look.

Jon, Maria and Ryan look at Jon’s Skiddo and the other Skiddo playing together still.

Jon: What do you see Ryan?

Ryan: Just a bunch of Skiddo playing and being happy together.

Comprehension dawns on his face.

Ryan: You’re thinking Skiddo might be happier here with them.

Jon: Yeah.

Maria: That can’t be right. Yes Skiddo looks happy, but Skiddo chose you near the battle chateau.

Ryan: Not to mention you’d have to be downright nuts to think Skiddo’s not happy with you. I may not have known you for very long Jon, but I can still see that you’re a great trainer.

Jon: I’m not saying Skiddo isn’t happy with me, I just think Skiddo would be happier here.

'''Jon’s Skiddo walks up to him. Jon gets out Skiddo’s Poke Ball.'''

Jon: You’re happy here Skiddo, I can see that. And it would be selfish of me to take you with me when I see you happy here.

'''Jon’s Skiddo understands but taps the Poke Ball and gets returned into it. Kyle and the old man saw everything.'''

Old Man: I see Skiddo values its friendship with you over being with the other Skiddo. A bond like that is something you should be proud of.

Ryan: Yeah Jon. It’s nice that you’re looking out for Skiddo, but sometimes it’s best to have a friend. And I’m sure Skiddo considers you a great friend.

Jon: Yeah. Thanks. Come on, we are nearly at Coumarine City.

'''Ryan’s Chespin and Froakie go onto his shoulders. Kyle returns his Bulbasaur after it says goodbye to the Skiddo.'''

Kyle: Ready?

Ryan: Let’s go.

Ryan and Jon lead the group as they leave the ranch.

Ryan (to Jon): It’s great that you’re caring about your Pokemon’s feelings, but you shouldn’t let stuff that get in the way of things, like you did today. What I mean is, it’s one thing to care for Pokemon, but it’s a whole other thing to try feel for them...that came out wrong. You get what I’m trying to say though right?

Jon: Yeah, though as a Pokemon Trainer you can’t be selfish. You have to think more of your Pokemon’s feelings. I was thinking of Skiddo’s feelings and gave it a choice.

Ryan (Smiling): Exactly.

'''Our heroes continue their journey to Coumarine City. The screen freezes.'''

Narrator: Our heroes arrived at a Skiddo Ranch and decided to look at the ranch. Jon’s Skiddo enjoyed its time there and Jon considered leaving Skiddo at the ranch. However, Skiddo decided to continue its journey with Jon. Now, our heroes continue their journey to Coumarine City.

Characters
Jon Spencer

Kyle Winterman

Maria Winterman

Ryan McCrimmon

Old Man

Jon

 * Skiddo

Ryan

 * Chespin
 * Froakie

Kyle

 * Bulbasaur

Wild

 * Skiddo (x20)
 * Pyroar