Preview Chapter 1 - Enter Beans

Timas walked up to me as I was sitting at the Safari Zone Gate. He briefly looked around and sat next to me. "Jenna and Bella have left to get the potion to Jasmine," he said. "And you did beat Chuck without another loss. You've done well."

"Have I? Have I really?"

Silver came up next to me, floating steadily.

"Of course you have," he said. "You beat Chuck in grand fashion and have saved the life of a pokémon in need."

"Yeah...but at what cost?"

Body Count - 3

From where I was sitting, I could easily see Amy (my Poliwhirl) and Serenity

(my Quagsire) playing on the shores of Cianwood. Timas and Silver were sitting not too far, chatting with Nick (my Tauros). AgentSmith (the Magneton) hovered over to me.

"You Need To De-Stress Some."

"Easy for you to say. You aren't...um...well...um..."

"Go Ahead. Say What You Will. I Know What I Am."

"You are just a bag of bolts, technically. No offense."

"None Taken. I May Be A Bag Of Bolts, But Do Not Forget That I Am Your Bag Of Bolts. And I Would Not Want It Any Other Way."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"Do Not Mention It. Or Do. Your Choice."

Nick and Timas started heading our way while Silver flew over to the females still in the water.

"Hey," Timas said, "We were thinking...you could use a break. You've been going for a while without much free time and I think that you deserve a rest before these next two gyms."

"And don't even think of arguing," Nick said. "It will do you good and you will do it. End of discussion."

"Okay guys," I said, "I can see there would be no point arguing. So where should I go?"

"Well," Silver said, flying back with Amy and Serenity in tow, " you are sitting on the Safari Zone Gate. You could go there."

"But Baoba hasn't called me yet."

"Yes He Has," AgentSmith said. "You Recieved A Call From Him While Battling Chuck. It Is On My Voicemail. You May Access It Whenever You Are Ready."

"And your didn't tell me this before because...?"

"It Is Not My Fault If You Do Not Notice My Screws Blinking." I looked. Indeed, the screws were all blinking.

"Well...I guess I should listen to that."

"Hey Quennel, this is Baoba. My Safari Zone has just about to open and I would love for you to be one of the first visitors. I am sure that, by the time you get here, we'll be ready to open the doors. So hurry on down to the end of Route 48!"

"So it's settled, I guess," I said.

"It certainly is," asserted Nick. "And you can catch more team members on the way there too."

We walked through the gate and soon made it to a beautiful seaside cliff. There were a few trainers, but Nick and AgentSmith handled them all very well. We went through a short cave where AgentSmith mauled a Golbat before getting to the end of Route 47.

"There are some trees here," Serenity said. "Should we try for something from them?"

"I don't know," I said. "Amy, how does the water look?"

Amy, who was swimming in the stream next to us, jumped back on to the land. "I am seeing a lot of Tentacool. Some Seels too...but they are scarce. And...Magikarp. There will always be Magikarp. There are some other pokémon toward the bottom, but I am not sure how likely you are to get one of them."

I turned to Serenity. "Headbutt away."

Joeseph, LEDYBA (male)

Early Bird; Mild (+ Sp. Atk., -Def.)

Lvl 17, Route 27.

"Still No Heracross Quennel."

"Too bad," I responded.

"Wait a sec," Nick said. "Do you...smell that?"

"Smell What?"

"It smells like...I don't know." Serenity looked puzzled. I stuck my nose up and sniffed. I smelled it too.

"It smells like...BEANS!"

"And you know what tham means," said Timas excitedly. "Someone's cooking something good!"

"Quickly," Nick said, "follow that smell!"

The seven of us quickly ran through some grass on Route 48 where we came across the source of the smell - a small Vulpix roasting a can of food with a small flame.

Beans, VULPIX (female)

Flash Fire; Hardy (N +Atk. -Atk.)

Lvl 24, Route 48.

"It wasn't a meal," I said, "but I'm still glad we found it."

"I must agree," said Timas, "but I still have a question."

"Yes?"

"Why did you name her Beans? Just because she smelled of it?"

"Allow me to speak some insight," Beans said, hopping out of her pokéball. "Did you know that the great Roman lawyer and orator, Cicero, had a name that, if translated, means Garbonzo Bean? He is simply following in suit."

"Really? You Mean It Is Not Because You Smell Bad?"

She glared at AgentSmith and her eyes flared with fire. "Excuse you?"

"No. Excuse You."

I chuckled. "AgentSmith, while we appreciate your unique brand of electronic sass, I think I am going to put you back in your pokéball before you get roasted alive."

"Ah. You Mean Before I Am Roasted Like Beans."

"No," Beans responded. "Before you are roasted by Beans!"