"And here were are", you spoke with gravitas, "Route 2!"
It was the morning of a new day, and your stride was full of pride, with a team, stronger than ever! In the morale department, at least.
"Wooooah", Racer exlcaimed, baffled by this. "Route 2. The elders whispered of this, with hushed voices in the long nights of winter. We younglings just never believed them, and now I feel like, like, I have to apologize at the grave of my late ..."
"And now", Annie chirped in, "it is already over." For you had stepped through the patch of grass and stood at the entrance to Ercu Forest.
"Woah. Sorry, Grandma."
Ercu Forest was a maze, green and full of shadows. It was also full of Insect-Types and bug catchers, as you learned soon enough. But that was nothing to fear, not with a Volcano- and a Sky-Type by your side. It was a perfect training ground, and even if it went against Annieīs ultimate plan - that was, leveling her alone -, you shared the experience. And you took a lot of money from a lot of kids. Put a funny hat on them, and they could be Beasties, too. Alas, you were one yourself, so why bother? Your finances were on a high, with the victory over Rick yesterday especially. Even though you had visited the Mart to fill up your stock on potions and whatnot. Shortly, you had a field day.
A little later, you came upon a Weedla.
"Awww. What a derpy little fella are you!" You were head over heels for this one, even though it was a boy, not a girl. "You have a nice hat." It was a horn. A needle. Full of poison, as the BeastDex informed. You took a step back after that.
The Weedla was a naga-like creature, with the body of a snake instead of legs, but human upper body. In this case, it was more worm than snake. The little guy stood there, anxious under the eyes of your Heatguana and Pudgy.
Annie looked to you, fearing the worst. "You want him?"
"Yes."
"Jeez." Annie was unhappy about that, but determined to make up for her behavior yesterday, and so she stopped with the snappy wordplay.
"I love bugs", you exclaimed, as Annie proceeded to sling the Weedla through the bushes. "Donīt hurt him too much!"
"I would love to, but he is such a squishy."
Lastly, you rescued the Weedla in a BeastCube, and let him promptly out. "Hello, new friend! Say something!"
"Pain", he croaked, battered and bruised, "so much pain ..."
You took out a potion, and spraying him with the healing liquid, his wounds slowly closed. He took a deep breath, sitting up. He still looked anxious about the three faces around him.
"Now, time for the naming ceremony?", Annie asked.
"Josh", you answered hearty.
"Yes?"
"No, his name will be Josh!"
Annie frowned at that, but Racer greeted the new comrade right away, friendly tapping around him and playing with her cloak. "Hello Josh, welcome to the team! The humans call me Racer when they sing about me in their live-boxes, but you might know me under my wild name, Sky Terror, Death From Above!"
Annie lifted a hand to point something out, but you grabbed her arm and pulled down.
"But she just said -"
"Let her."
Josh meanwhile was in awe upon this. "Woah! The Sky Terror! You were the bird which beat the dark clouds a few days ago, defeating the storm gathering above us!"
"Why, yes, that might be." Racer didnīt even flinch. "I beat my wings pretty often, it just happens naturally when I fly."
"You killed twenty of my people with your roaring stormy winds. But their perish was not in vain, so donīt feel bad about it."
"Uuuh, if you say so? Letīs be friends!"