Pokemon SilkWhite: Journey through Johu

Chapter 3: Penrith City

Brandon was stuck in an argument he couldn't win, against somebody he didn't want to piss off. Not exactly an ideal situation. He looked back at Kyle as Charlie continued lecturing him, and Kyle grinned.

"Maybe be nice to people now, Bran," Kyle whispered. Somehow, Brandon found it amusing, and chuckled at Kyle.

"Is something funny?" Charlie asked, her eyes lighting up in annoyance. "I'm just asking you not to be such a jerk when you're talking to people. I get it, she was an ass. But that doesn't mean you have to be an ass to her, too. Just treat people with the respect they give you, okay?" She didn't sound angry, but she sounded like she knew what she was saying was correct.

Brandon didn't like being talked to like a little kid, but he knew she was right.. again. "Sorry. I know I'm being a jerk," he admitted, putting his hand through his hair as he tried to recollect himself. "I'll try to stop being so mean. But I refuse to apologize to Sofie."

"That's fair," Kyle admitted, grinning, "She was a jerk anyway. We just knew to hold our tongues, unlike you." He pointed towards a clearing at the end of the woods. "We're done here, finally!" He called as Brandon started walking towards the grass.

Brandon held his phone up towards the grass and nodded.

"Sandshrew. It burrows deep underground in arid locations far from water. It only emerges to hunt for prey."

"They must be pretty rare, then," Kyle grinned. "I don't plan on any battles anytime soon, my Mareep is tired. Pass on the Sandshrew."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, me too. I already have a ground type. You can have it, Bran."

He tossed a Pokeball at Sandshrew, who effortlessly dodged.

"Looks like I'll have to battle it," he smiled, as Marill shot bubbles at Sandshrew. It managed to stay up and used Defense Curl, but it was already a win for Brandon.

"Nice!" He picked up the Pokeball after successfully catching Sandshrew, and put it in one of the slots of his belt.

"My parents never understood why you had a belt with Pokeball slots if you were the reason we were never going to be able to go anywhere," Charlie laughed.

"Always prepared," Kyle joked. "It's the Brandon style,"

"And look like a jerk doing it?" Charlie replied, smiling. This was the group dynamic they had had for a while, and it was nice to feel a more laid back atmosphere. "Now let's get out of here," she walked out of the forest before they could reply.

"She sure is in a hurry," Brandon looked at Kyle, who was scrolling through the Pokedex.

"Yep. I'm going to stay here for a little while, I've almost got all the Pokemon here registered into the Dex. Just need Diglett and I'll meet you in Penrith."

Brandon nodded. "Alright, see you later," he replied, walking through the clearing into Penrith City.

"Nice city, huh?" He spoke aloud, to nobody in particular. He had last been to Penrith as an 8 year old, and it was still a developing city without a gym at that point.

"Yep!" A voice cheerily replied. Brandon froze. That wasn't Charlie, and Kyle was in the forest.

"Who the he- who are you?" Brandon asked, reminding himself not to piss off random people.

"I'm Marla. I lead the Penrith Gym. Professor Spruce told me you would be here soon. Luckily for you and your friends, I just lost a battle, so I need some time to prepare the gym for another battle," she told Brandon, smiling.

"Who did you lose to?" He asked, not really interested, but attempting to be nice anyway.

"Can't remember her name, girl with a Totodile and a Nidoran," she said.

Brandon nodded. "Sofie?" He asked, not sure of the relevance of this discovery but confident it would be of some use.

Marla nodded.

"Cool. Well, I'm off, my friend ran in here and disappeared. Any idea of where somebody would spend their time in here?" He asked.

"Battle House? Three or four trainers set up a battlefield in their house, win and they give you a prize. If your friend enjoys battles, I'd bet she's there," Marla told him, walking away to the gym.

"Thanks!" He called out, looking around. "I didn't ask where the Battle House is," he groaned. "I'm an idiot."

"You are, but, how is that relevant?" Charlie grinned. "Don't call me on it, your words, not mine," she replied, running up to him.

"Just was planning on going to the Battle House," he told her, but she wasn't listening.

"Isn't that Sofie over there?" She asked him softly, pointing towards an unmistakable girl near the exit of the city.

"Yeah, she was here to battle Marla," Brandon replied.

"Marla?"

"The gym leader," he told Charlie, who's eye twitched.

"Cool," she replied. "Did Sofie win?"

"Yep, she must be better than we thought," Brandon replied.

"Found Diglett!" Kyle called from the forest clearing, running up to them. He stopped, pushing his glasses up his face.

Charlie smiled. "I haven't even tried filling the Dex yet."

"Yep, Kyle is way ahead of us. Nerds rule the world. I knew it was true," Brandon joked.

"Alright, still want to go to the Battle House?" Charlie asked as Brandon nodded.

"Yep, let's go."