Chapter 13: Chapter 13 - Ben, the Pokémon Ranger
Inside the house, at the living room, Ben was given a glass of mineral water, which he accepted it, as if he was thirsty and in need of a drink. As Ben took a sip from it, Rico started the conversation, "Before we start, I just want you to know that in this region, we drink mostly mineral water, but my father always drinks from the faucet."
This fact shocks Ben a lot, who then spit out his water in response.
Alerted by this, Rosario asked Ben, "Are you okay, kid?"
Wiping his mouth with a towel, Ben answered back, "I'm fine, sorry, I'm alright."
"Are you sure?" Rico asked him in response and with concern.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Ben then finished wiping his mouth and told Rico to start the conversation.
"Oh, okay then," Rico responded back. He then cleared his throat and restarted the conversation, "Okay, what brings you here in the Philas region?"
"I'm here in search of the Pokémon Pinchers," answered Ben back a bit boldly and seriously, "and I just found out that they had a base somewhere outside of this city."
"Really?"
"Yes, and their plan is to brainwash Arceus."
"Really?" Rosario gasped at this revelation.
"Yes, and I think they are now in the beginning stages of their plans."
"I see then," Rico responded back in getting what Ben had said. "Well, I hoped they won't mess my career as a Pokémon Trainer."
And then, Riolu and Pichu looked at each other for a few seconds, before responded to each other in greeting.
Watching this, Ben commented positively to Rico, "Wow, your Riolu is so cute."
"Yeah, I became a Pokémon Trainer yesterday," responded Rico back positively. Riolu then responded back positively.
Later at dinner time, with Lucas being at home, they all at the dining room eating dinner. Lucas and Rosario are more than happy to let Ben stay at their home for the night, since Ben and Pichu had been living in a tent at the beach in the outskirts of the city.
"Thanks for letting me stay here for the night, Mr. and Mrs.," Ben thanked them gratefully and politely.
"Oh, you don't have to call us like that," Lucas happily responded back, "just call us Mr. and Mrs. Cruz."
"Yeah, and I'm Rico Cruz," Rico introduced himself to Ben nicely. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too, Rico and Mr. and Mrs. Cruz," Ben positively replied. "I'm Ben, a Pokemon Ranger."
Later at 8:41 p.m., Ben and Rico, alongside Pichu and Riolu, are at Rico's bedroom laying down separately. Rico was on his bed, while Ben was on a mattress. Riolu and Pichu are playing on the floor. The atmosphere around them was peaceful.
Rico's bedroom was a semi-big and modern one. It had a bed made of dark oak wood and a bookshelf made of oak wood. It had a desk and chair complete with a desk lamp. It also had a Poké Ball-style rug on the floor, a nightstand next to the bed, a wardrobe adjacent to the bed, and a guitar stand for Rico's guitar.
And as they relax, Ben suggested to Rico, "Hey, Rico."
"Yes?" Rico responded back positively.
"I was thinking," Ben said to him, "since you are now a Pokémon Trainer, how about I'll give you a little training?"
Thinking about this, Rico answered back, "Sure, I probably needed some help with my training."
"Great! Let's start tomorrow morning."
The next day, at 5 in the morning, Rico, Ben, Riolu, and Pichu are at the beach for their first day of training.
Ben called his Staraptor, a Normal and Flying-type Pokémon, and it entered into the scene with seriousness.
Rico and Riolu then got amazed by its size and appearance. Rico then pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it towards Staraptor; his Pokédex then responded, "Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Starly. A Normal and Flying-type. It has a salvage nature. It will courageously challenge foes that are much larger."
"Wow, so amazing and cool," Rico commented in mild and low amazement. He then put his Pokédex back in his shoulder bag and said to Ben, "Okay, let's do this!"