Tia meets an interesting Trainer on her way to Viridian Forest.
When Tia was little, she had asked her parents what their favorite Poke Balls were. Her mother said Net Balls, while her father said Dive Balls.
The story behind their responses was simple. They had first met at the Poke Ball Factory in Mossdeep, when they were assigned as production leads for the Net Ball and Dive Ball assembly lines, respectively. Their friendly rivalry in Poke Ball production eventually turned into love when they both switched from Devon’s Production department to Research and Development. So, in a way, those two Poke Balls were what brought her parents together.
It was so cute to think about, and sometimes Tia wondered if her Poke Ball research would lead her to someone special…
Tia shook her head and laughed to herself. How did she end up on this train of thought? She was sitting in the middle of the Viridian Pokemon Center, and doing nothing but daydreaming. She looked down at the Net Balls in her hand, and chalked it up to her remembering her parents’ love story.
She tapped through a few pages in the Pokedex, trying to distract herself. “Hmm… the Viridian Forest is nearby, so there should be more than enough bugs to use these Net Balls on…”
“Is that so?” a voice asked. Tia jumped in surprise and looked up. A young man was looking over her shoulder at the Pokédex.
“Oh! Sorry if I startled you,” the man replied. He sat next to her, smiling. He looked about Tia’s age, and had messy black hair. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Just got in?”
“Yeah,” Tia replied, “I just got here today. Research trip.”
“Really?” the man asked. “Could’ve fooled me. With all that gear you’re carrying around, I thought you were a Trainer!” He looked at her, interested.
Tia smiled. “No, definitely not. I’m researching Poke Ball functionality.”
“Sounds interesting,” he replied. Then he saw Naito perched on her shoulder. “Your Natu looks pretty unusual. Those colors…” Naito gave him a curious look.
Tia nodded. “I caught him in the Hoenn Safari Zone when I was ten. I haven’t seen another Natu like him since.”
“I see. Oh! Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet,” The man held out his hand and smiled. “I’m Aidan.”
Tia reached for his hand and shook it. “I’m Tia. Nice to meet you!” Then, she asked, “Are you a Trainer?”
Aidan was silent for a moment before he answered. “You could say that,” he said, “I research Pokemon rumors and legends, and I’m always on the lookout for unusual Pokemon. It’s why I noticed your Natu here.”
Tia was about to reply when she suddenly remembered the time.
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” Tia told Aidan, “Have to get to Viridian Forest and catch some bugs before sunset!” She smiled apologetically. “I guess we could talk again sometime.”
Aidan smiled. “Sure. See you!” Tia waved back to him, and picking up her pack, headed out of the Pokemon Center.
He seems like a nice guy, Tia thought, but she wondered why he hesitated when she asked him if he was a Trainer. Never mind, she said to herself, We probably won’t see each other again, anyway…
The treetops of the forest cast long, dark shadows over everything, and it was hard to see. Thankfully, this forest wasn’t infested with Paras like the Ilex Forest was, so it was a nice change of pace, to not have to keep running from homicidal Pokemon while trying to conduct her research.
In no time at all, Tia had caught enough Bug-type Pokemon to fill more of the Pokedex and get a good average capture rate for the Net Ball:
Caterpie x 5, Weedle x 5, Metapod x 3, Kakuna x 3
Levels 6-9
Gender: Male/Female
Type: Bug
Average Capture Rate: 2.96
It was almost too easy. Tia wondered if she should press her luck and stay a little longer, and catch what she could before the sun went down.
Or she could return to the Pokemon Center. Maybe Aidan was still there…
Tia tried to erase that thought as she packed up her workstation and left.