From Johto With Love

by Oliver Jasmine

Benjamin had 7 badges when he quit to go to high school and find answers to his questions. About about the legendary pokemon, his telekinesis, and about the strange world he lives in. He thought he had some answers until the accident. Ben thought his pokemon journey ended, but he still has to deal with a crush on his best friend, his ornery bulbasaur, and the secrets of the world.

1. From Sprout Tower

From Johto With Love

Chapter One

From Sprout Tower

"Alright listen up! You three were chosen as our new recruits. I'm sure you have a splendid mastery of Sprout Tower trivia, but do you have the work ethic?" my large bulbasaur made a whip crack sound with a vine. We had rehearsed this.

"Yes, Benjamin." the twelve year olds chimed. Their pokemon, a chikorita, totodile, and a cyndaquil looked up determinedly as they did. The kids' dark pinstripe robes were large on them and billowed dramaticly at the slightest movement. Mine did too, but I'd worked here every summer in high school plus some, and had earned tailored robes.

"Good energy." I grinned "Lets get to work, I want you to sweep the entire first floor entryway. I'll mostly be watching to see how you handle the wild pokemon."

"But that's not fair," said a girl with her hair in long brown pigtails. Her cyndaquil looked accusing too, but with the squinty eyes you could never really tell. "You can't make us do all the work."

I noted silently that she had chosen cyndaquil by her side rather than her bellsprout. She wasn't as comfortable with the newer pokemon. "You got me, Megan" I said, "I'll be over there washing the statues." I had been careful not to draw attention to the fact that she had interrupted. Years of tours here had taught me how to handle people.

The kids got their brooms, dustpans, and bristle brushes from the pile my bulbasaur, Biasam, and I had gathered. One of the boys offered his chikorita a bristle brush. She scoffed and started scratching behind her ear. The totodile tried to copy the gesture, but its large head and heavy teeth unbalanced it and it fell over.

"Hey, your pokemon hurt my totodile!"

"Did not, yours is just to dumb to walk!"

I let them squabble and went to my post washing the two massive bellsprout statues by the main entrance. The arched door was closed for the evening, the building was empty of people except for us. I could see the entire first floor of the shrine easily, a giant wood paneled square with a staircase off to the back. In the center was a massive beam, wider than a car, that slowly creaked back and forth. It was the Sprout Tower from a bellsprout that had grown that large, the shrine Sprout Tower was built around it. I'd learned to hear its steady creak even when the place was full of trainers.

The kids started squawking as a couple zubat swooped by their heads. Cyndaquil spat an ember at them and totodile sent a water gun sailing above them. The zubat were scared off, but the water hadn't missed any of the kids.

I looked to Biasam for judgment. The bulbasaur gave a bit of a shrug from where he lay watching them. I tried not to laugh at the wet kids, just smiled and waved to let them know I thought they could handle it.

"Biasam, who do you think will stay the longest?" I asked my pokemon now that the others were working again.

"I want Daniel to." said my bulbasaur, who I could understand perfectly. Many trainers developed the ability after a few years. I was 19 and had started when I was only a bit older than them.

"You just like the chikorita." I said.

"Yeah so?" he replied.

I got on a step-stool and started on cleaning the wooden bellsprout's mouth. "I think Megan will."

"The first to talk back? Why?"

I had been working on the bellsprout's upper lip, but couldn't reach the top of the statue. "Because shes the only one who actually got a bellsprout."

"I forget you can tell sometimes." he sent a razor leaf at a rattata creeping along the wall and it fled.

"I want people to." I stretched on tiptoe but still couldn't clean the top of the statue. I looked over to the kids. They were occupied fighting a ghastly, with a bit more coordination this time. I focused on my washcloth and used my telekinesis to lift it to the top of the statue.

There was a clatter from the kids. The cyndaquil had gotten an ember into the wash pail and ruined the water. My focus broke and my washcloth was left on top of the statue. I got off my step stool and settled down next to Biasam.

"Chris with the totodile has a rattata, but I don't think it'll listen to what he says yet." I said.

"Hm." he said. My bulbasaur yawned, tired rather than disinterested. I looked around and saw the kids were making good progress. The light from the windows was starting to slant. The reflection from the pond right outside was casting watery shimmers on the ceiling. I yawned too and stretched.

With Biasam recalled, I crept upstairs for another washcloth. Past the open first floor, you had to circle the creaking beam of Sprout Tower every time you had to get to the next staircase up. The blocks of light cast by the windows stretched up the far wall by the time I reached the top. The sun glinted red off the metal supports for the Tower. It never hit the slanted roof no matter how much it swayed, the Sprout Tower was built around it after all. I could have sent one of the kids on this errand, but I liked to watch the sunset from up here.

Violet City was a quiet place. All the houses had sloped roofs like this shrine. The trainer school was in front of the tower after the pond. Further than that was the flying-type gym where I'd gotten my first badge 6 years ago. Past that was dense forest, spring buds held larger bits of ice than the branches around them and gleamed in the sun. Whorls of pale lavender cloud formed dark shadows against the bright reds and pinks and yellows of the sky. This place is my home.

"Ben! Hey Benjamin!"

When I turned around the sun had completely set. The remaining light made Megan's face look white in the shadows.

"I said we're done."

I nodded, then realized she couldn't see me "Sure, let me see."

Her cyndaquil chirped and ran ahead of us. I lowered my voice "Biasam, look intimidating." I released him once everyone was on the ground floor. Biasam looked at the chikorita and didn't do anything. At least he was still thigh high on me, so that was something. The chikorita was looking back from behind her leaf, shyly.

I looked around meaningfully, inspecting cracks in the floorboards and such. I already knew it looked fine. The point was just to have them clean somewhere they could admire their work every time they came in. "It looks excellent you guys! Tomorrow morning, I'll show you how to wax all of it."

There were some groans but they were tired out by now. Everyone dawdled along out and I locked the heavy wooden door behind us. The two boys went off somewhere but Megan tugged on my loose sleeve. "We're going out to the forest. Do you think you need to come and protect us?"

I shook my head. "I'm sure you'll be fine, stay close to the town so the noctowl don't beat up your bellsprout and take the cyndaquil for dinner."

"Hey!" She blinked "But you've never seen my bellsprout." The boys called from over the pond by the school. "Oh, and they want to know why your bulbasaur is so big."

"He was my first pokemon. I got him when I was a bit older than you, when I came from Hoenn. " I realized I'd said more than I meant to after they finally managed to call her away. I sighed and went off into town. I gathered some food from the convenience store, and settled down at the pond by Sprout Tower. I released the rest of my pokemon, the poochyena, Anne, and the vulpix, Matsuri. The low red lanterns cast rippling light on the water. I ended the moment by grabbing an apple from the bag of them before Biasam ate them all.

Anne just about swallowed her dumpling whole and started chasing her tail.

Matsuri was grooming herself when she spoke, "Are you going to tell us how it went today?" the vulpix said. "Becoming an apprentice sage meant so much to you." what meant so much to her was being the pokemon of a renowned psychic. I'm not this.

"I like it a lot. I got invited to the noontime meditation around the tower." I gave Biasam a shove, "He messed up our intimidating show we worked so hard on by crushing on this kid's chikorita."

"Bia has a crush!" Anne yipped. The poochyena started running circles around the bulbasaur instead of her tail.

"Yes, please tease him so he's willing to look imposing again." I replied.

"You don't want them to obey you that badly, it won't be any help." scolded Matsuri. She batted me with just one of her 5 tails, which showed her restraint. She was trying to be happy for me at least.

"This place is my home, I can't get used to being treated like an authority figure all of a sudden just because-"

"Benjamin!" A frantic voice called. A mans footsteps pounding on the decorative bridge.

I looked up. He had blue bird keeper's overalls. He was one of the trainers from the gym. His pidgey was following him but looked injured.

"Some kids are in trouble in the forest. They didn't know about the baltoy swarm."

I got up and dusted my black pants. It had been 5 years since I'd given up being a serious trainer to go to high school, but now everyone knew how powerful I was again. A part of me hated it as I ordered "Lead the way."

We ran out into the woods. It wasn't far, if the quaint town had streetlamps instead of lanterns there would still be some light. Matsuri the vulpix sent out floating flames, will-o-whisps that lit up a very bad scene. The kids were cornered against a tree by several baltoy. They looked like floating dolls or tops but were made of rock and very hard to damage. One boy hid in back cradling his injured chikorita. I could tell the totodile was barely standing. Megan's bellsprout was knocked out and that would have been their last chance at an advantage.

"Annie, hidden power, Biasam, use razor leaf." I noticed Matsuri hanging back from the ground types and directed her to set up some will o wisps to light the path home.

My poochyena growled and spheres of energy formed around her. As they spun around her, they formed into one and she shot it at the nearest baltoy. The purple energy hit with a sound between the splash of a water balloon and shattering ceramic. The razor leaf didn't do much damage, but got their focus away from the kids.

Then Megan yelled "Cinder, use swift!" the cyndaquil squealed and shot bright stars of energy at all of them, then collapsed in exhaustion.

They all turned to her again. The other kids had gotten away safely, but not the cheeky girl in pigtails.

A baltoy made a ringing sound and lifted up stones. Anne jumped in to bite it, but got in the way of another razor leaf and was knocked away.

It flung the rocks at the downed cyndaquil. I saw her shift in the corner of my eye and yelled before she moved, "Megan no!"

"What?!" Biasam startled and lost focus on his attack. In an instant he was pinned, growling, under a psychic dome.

Megan had jumped out to protect the downed cyndaquil and put herself in the way of the attack. If I didn't think what I did would work, I would have jumped out too. I'm an adult, my bones are done growing and hardening, all I'd get would be some bad bruises. She was a child, under my protection, and she would be lucky to have any ribs intact. The damn cyndaquil was fully grown and wouldn't have done worse than me, even if he's small and cute. This evaluation took place in a fraction of a second. I didn't know I could do what I did next, I knew I had to. I reached out and held the stones with my own power before they could hit her. It worked, they stopped and fell harmlessly in front of her.

Anne bit another baltoy, but shattered the ceramic doll's arm before she could throw it away from her. It spun and bashed her into a tree. As Megan looked at the stones I had blocked with wide eyes. I fell to my knees, ears ringing. I needed to call Anne back to attacking from a distance so Biasam could hit more of them again, but there are just too many.

"Jelly, use roar!" called a familiar voice.

"Thank Lugia you're here, Matthew." I murmured.

A manectric roared. The spiky furred lion-like dog lunged onto the field, biting and clawing as many baltoy as he could reach before they scattered. I had never seen my friend look as confident as he did next to his manectric as it returned to his side, victorious. Sparks jumped along his pokemon breeders green overalls.

"Benjamin! Are you hurt?" he was looking down at me grabbing my arm. I hadn't realized I was kneeling still.

"No, they just... Used rock throw on us instead of the pokemon is all." the world swam. I realized Megan was still staring at me in shock. My bulbasaur and poochyena had returned to their balls. Like how Megan could have returned the cyndaquil. Or ran away with the other kids. I feel like I spent my entire time as a trainer running away from something or other, why couldn't she run from one obviously lost battle?

"Geez that's bad." he said. Matthew helped me up and I could feel his manectric's electricity through him briefly. He was unaffected by it, like a trainer close to a fire type won't be burned by the flame on its body.

We slowly got to the pokemon center. I was pretty terrified and wanted to yell at Megan for being bold and stupid. But she seemed to understand it, she was still trembling slightly. Matthew had started holding my hand after I nearly walked into a tree, then a lantern, and then the edge of a house. He clutched the top of his manectric's mane with his other hand like always, his pokemon perfectly heeled.

I was pretty out of it but I was sure everything would be back to normal in the morning.

Then Megan looked at me in front of the pokemon center doors "You're the boy Lugia saved, aren't you?"

It was more of a statement rather than a question. The girl went inside before I was able to say anything.

I looked after her, feeling like I'd been stabbed. I wanted so badly to leave it behind and not have people know. My robes were billowing around from psychic energy I didn't know I had left.

Matthew kept holding my hand. "It's okay, I'm sure shes just scared, not scared of you."

I looked up at him, damn him being 2 years younger than me and still so tall. His holding my hand was making me feel fuzzy and using too much power was making me fuzzy and I felt like hiding under a rock. But... "Everyone's not just going to forget Matt. And even if they did I can't forget, the accident at the Whirl Islands Temple changed me."

"Everything changes you, all the time, now lets go back to your apartment and have dinner, I set the rice cooker and got everything for a nice dinner to celebrate your first day as an apprentice shrine-keeper." Matt was tugging me along to my apartment. I could feel him channeling his therapist some, but didn't object. "Do you want anything to make you feel better?"

I realized I was shaking, tears running down my face. I wished I was Megan's age and Biasam was small enough for me to carry around and hug until he gave up trying to get free. "I don't know what I want! I don't know anything!"

"Of course you do, the master of the Sprout Tower even let you train as a sage after all these years." he was holding my shoulder "You'll do great."

"How can I? I was so sure I'd grow up and have my own shrine. Then I got to actually meet Lugia and I barely even remember." I wiped my eyes and said what I wished I had the will to every single time someone looked at me differently since the accident "They expected me to have some profound insight from it, but I don't even know what happened to me! I just don't know!"

Once I'd stopped clinging to him and sobbing we managed to settle into my tiny apartment for the dinner Matthew had set up. Rice and some curry made from berries was complete with the sake one of the sages had given me after the accident.

I started on the rice with my chopsticks while Matt washed the only fork, which I only had for when he visited. Biasam stretched up on tiptoe of his stubby legs to get at the curry "Matt, I need to go find my vision!"

"You what?" he said, holding a large purple berry from the curry in midair

"I'm going to travel and work until I know it. My vision. The thing so magnificent I have to build my shrine to it."

"Ben, the world you see is so beautiful you could build a shrine just to the sunsets from Sprout Tower." Matt was grinning, longish blonde hair falling over his eyes.

I blushed and looked into my empty little sake cup. He was making fun of me. "You can help me find it." the world swam again. I realized I was falling to one side at some point after I was looking at the underside of my short table.

"I'd love to help you find your magnificent thing Ben. Maybe you'll even make sense telling me about it in the morning. But I take it even if you've been invited to the sages' noon meditation, you'll still do your predawn meditation in the woods."

"Of course." I tried to work out which direction was up, from where I lay on my floor.

"Then you're going to bed. I'll hang around town awhile later because I don't have to be back in Goldenrod until like, noon, tomorrow."

Matt left and I rolled over so I lay on my back staring at the ceiling of my apartment. My vulpix curled up on Matthew's seat cushion. My poochyena climbed onto my stomach and walked in a circle before curling up there, and my bulbasaur just lay his head next to mine.

"We're going to find somethin' to build my shrine to." and I was asleep.