1.
FORMING A FRIENDSHIP
The sun blazes high in the Silvari sky, its heat radiating down upon the many creatures and plants that inhabit the world below. A swift yet gentle breeze ripples through the air, catching the back of my neck and soothing it pleasantly against the heat of the sun. I pause for a moment to feel its warmth against my skin, and tilt my head backward slightly to stare into the bright blue cloudless sky. The perfect day for the start of a journey, I think to myself.
After a moment to enjoy the sun, I give a reluctant sigh and lower my gaze once more, before continuing along the grassy trail that links my hometown of Tranila to the neighbouring town, Busell. This town is the home of my best friend Elliot, and it is down to his summoning me there to meet him today that sees me now strolling through the tall grass that links our two small towns together.
The heat of the morning sun continues to glare down from above, and I stop for a moment to take some rest. I remove my backpack and slump down next to a large tree stump a short way off the trail. The grass is bone dry, all the morning dew evaporated hours ago by the heat of the sun. I tilt my cap down further over my eyes, which I close, simply relaxing in the heat of the day. It isn't long before I begin to doze, my drowsiness no doubt induced by the ever-persistent heat.
A moment later, my senses are aroused by a rustling noise in the grass near me. It isn't particularly sharp, but it alerts my interest. I remain motionless with my eyes closed for the moment, until a second rustling noise, undoubtedly closer this time, sounds. Slowly, I open my eyes, and behold a truly wondrous sight.
A creature, about two feet tall, stands in the grass no more than a yard away from me. Its skin is a blue colour, with a dark blue stripe across its eyes, which are large and inquisitive. Its nose is pointed, like that of a fox, and its long ears hang down either side of its head. It is simply standing in the grass, looking at me with its inquisitive eyes. I remain motionless, awestruck. I've never been this close to a wild Pokémon before.
Pokémon are not unusual in Silvari. Many of my friends and classmates at school have Pokémon of their own, and friendly battles and sparring matches between them are common. Even Elliot has his own Pokémon, given to him as a gift by his father on his last birthday. But I don't have a Pokémon of my own. Between studying for school and taking care of mom at home, I've never found the time to go out and actually catch one.
This Pokémon, however, is something new, something I've never seen before. Most of the Pokémon I know are pretty common in these parts, particularly on this trail: Pidgey, Rattata, Spearow, Sentret, Starly… I've seen them all countless times. But this one, I have no idea what it is. It's certainly cute, there's no denying that. And it seems so bold, coming so close to a human.
I raise my head slightly to get a closer look, but this proves to be a mistake.
"Ri!" The Pokémon gives a short cry of surprise and dashes off into the distance, away from me, and into the shade of the trees on the other side of the trail.
"No, wait! Please! I won't hurt you!" I cry, getting to my feet and slinging my backpack back over my shoulder. I run after the little Pokémon, across the trail and into the trees, chasing after it. I have no Poké Balls, so there's no question of me trying to capture it. I just want to get a closer look. I've never seen this Pokémon before, and am fascinated by it.
After a while, however, my pace slows to a walk, and I sigh deeply. Looks like it got away. I was such a fool, scaring it like that. What was I thinking? If I had just let it be, I might at least have been able to find out its name…
Under the trees it is much cooler than out in the sun on the trail, and the grass is still wet with dew, which is beginning to slowly seep into my running shoes as I pace my way through the tall grass. I'm still annoyed with myself for letting that Pokémon get away before I had a chance to really get to know it. But what's done is done – there's nothing I can do about it now, and I need to accept that and focus on getting back on track and meeting up with Elliot. So why am I still pacing this forest in the vague hope that something might happen?
"Ri! Riiiiiiiii!"
I stop dead in my tracks. There's no mistaking that cry. It's the same Pokémon as before!
I whip my head from side to side, listening intently and trying to make out which direction it came from. Eventually, if I concentrate, I can hear a muffled screeching and calling and rustling noise coming from a fair distance away to my left. I turn in the direction of the noise and begin to run again, dodging left and right around trees as I head for the direction of the noise.
The cry this time does not sound as it did on the roadside before. This time it is a cry of fear. The Pokémon is in trouble, and somehow I know I have to help it if I can.
I snag my shoe in the root of a tree and tumble to the ground. My right knee scrapes against the sharp edge of a rock, tearing a hole in my jeans and cutting the skin beneath. I press my hand to the wound and feel the sting of the dew from the grass as it contacts with the gash below. But this is not the time to be worrying about myself. I pick myself up, dust myself down and begin to run again, all the time heading in the direction from which the terrified Pokémon's cries continue to issue.
Finally I come upon a clearing, and stop, beholding the scene with horror. The Pokémon I have seen earlier stands alone, in the centre of the clearing, its small paws clasped over its head. Surrounding it are at least half a dozen Spearow, flapping their wings furiously to stay airborne, and every now and then darting down and pecking furiously at the poor Pokémon in the middle. From my own experience, I know that Spearow can be a bad-tempered and vicious Pokémon, but seeing so many of them attack a lone, defenceless Pokémon like this fills me with rage.
"Hey! Knock it off!" I shout, calling to the Spearow. As one, the Spearow stop their dives, and turn in my direction. The little Pokémon in the middle remains motionless in the same stance, bracing itself against the attack, which it clearly feels will resume imminently.
"Spear? Spearow?" one of the Spearow shrieks.
"I said, leave that Pokémon alone!" I cry, picking up a nearby rock and tossing it towards the Spearow that made the noise. It flits easily out of the way and stares at me long and hard, a steely glint in its eyes.
"Spear…" it cries quietly, clearly seething with rage. I take a step back. Uh-oh, I think to myself.
"…rooooooooow!" The Spearow suddenly emits a frighteningly loud cry, and the rest of the Spearow join in, filling the clearing with a cacophony of noise. The lead Spearow darts towards me and I manage to dive out of the way just in time. The Spearow misses me and collides headlong with a tree behind where I was formerly standing, before slumping to the ground unconscious.
I have no time to savour this small victory, however, as before I know it, the rest of the Spearow have surrounded me and are pecking away at me, just as they did to the little Pokémon mere moments ago. I throw my arms up over my head as they continue to peck and tear away, ripping holes in the arms of my jacket and barely missing my face.
One particularly close dive makes me overbalance and fall to my knees. The Spearow are relentless, continuing to peck away at me, and I curl up to try and reduce the impact of their beaks.
"Riiiiiiiiio!"
I hear the sound of impact from beside me and open my eyes to see one of the Spearow swatted aside. I look in the direction of the impact and see the little Pokémon standing beside me, with a determined look in its eyes. It aims a palm strike at another Spearow and connects, sending it flying across the clearing and away from me.
By now, the other Spearow are realising that they have a more resistant foe to deal with, and are beginning to fly higher in preparation to dive bomb the little Pokémon. I look up at the Spearow, then down at the Pokémon fearfully, as the first Spearow aims its dive.
"Watch out!" I call. The Pokémon braces itself, then aims another palm strike at the incoming Spearow. Again it connects, and the Spearow is easily bashed aside. The other two Spearow look at one another, then dive down together, intending to take their opponent by surprise. But the little Pokémon deftly dodges out of the way, and both Spearow crash into the floor, before the little Pokémon launches into them and tackles them all the way out of the clearing.
For a moment there is silence. I remain in the same position for a moment, staring in wonder at the little Pokémon I thought I had scared off earlier. I had intended to save it from being attacked, but actually, as it turned out, it had saved me.
I change my stance so that I am sitting on the grass, and the little Pokémon turns to look at me, its big eyes nervous yet curious at the same time. I hold my hand out.
"Hello," I tell it. "My name's Luke." The little Pokémon looks at my hand for a moment, then back up at my face. I smile and nod, and it seems to smile too. It reaches out its paw and puts it in my hand. Its fur is smooth and soft to the touch.
"Ri! Ri!" it chirps happily.
"Thank you for saving me," I tell it gratefully.
"Rio! Ri, rio!" it continues to chirp. I think about this for a moment. Pokémon can only say their own name…
"Is that your name? Reo?" I ask it now.
"Rio!" the Pokémon replies simply, jumping up in the air out of delight. It stretches out its tongue and licks my face, making me chuckle. Its tongue is warm and tickles slightly.
"I'll take that as a yes. It's nice to meet you, Reo."
Suddenly, Reo stops. It becomes still and motionless, and a fearful look enters its eyes once more.
"Rio!" it cries, before removing its paw from my hand and dashing across the clearing and into the trees on the other side.
"No wait, don't go!" I cry pleadingly, but to no avail. Again, I sigh and slump down on the grass. I've let it get away from me again.
Then I hear a rustling noise in the trees behind me. I get to my feet and turn around to see a group of four men enter the clearing. They are all dressed very oddly, each in a matching black boiler suit with the letters SPF in gold text across the chest. The three at the back are each wearing a tall, black, cylindrical hat, and two of them carry what look like bug nets. The leader has no net and no hat, and his bright green hair spikes out in all directions. I glance at his belt and notice two Poké Balls set into it.
The lead man stops facing me, and I look up into his face. It is disapproving, as though I am a piece of dirt on his shoe.
"Out of my way, boy." His voice is nasal and unpleasant. Without warning he shoves me to the side, and I overbalance and fall to the grass behind me. The men behind him chuckle in a dopey fashion, and the leader allows himself a sly grin of his own before turning away and making to walk off.
"What was that for?" I call after them. "Where do you get off being so rude?"
The men halt once more and, as one, turn to face me. The leader moves round so that he is at the front once more, and looks down at me disapprovingly.
"You should show us some more respect, boy," he snarls.
"Well, you're not really ones to talk about respect," I retaliate, getting to my feet and scowling at the leader. "Who do you think you are, going around shoving people aside like that?"
"Who do WE think we are?" the lead man retorts incredulously. "Is that a serious question? You've got some nerve, boy, talking to us like that. But since the whole world will soon be asking the same question, I shall humour you with an answer."
The man raises his arms and looks towards the sky. "We are the Silvari Pokémon Force, or Team SPF for short. Our mission: to take all the Silvari Pokémon by Force. We make no distinction: wild Pokémon, trained Pokémon, it doesn't matter. We take them all."
"You mean you steal Pokémon from other Trainers?" I ask, disgusted.
"That's right," the man replies. He pauses, and looks down at me with an evil leer on his face. "You…have a problem with that, boy?"
"Of course I have a problem with that!" I shout, my hands balling into fists. "Stealing Pokémon from others is… Well, it's despicable!"
The four men of Team SPF laugh. "Despicable? Nice word. I am Greson of Team SPF. Despicable is my middle name." Greson leers down at me once more. "And besides, if we are going to steal other Trainers' Pokémon, what are YOU going to do about it, boy?"
I pause. If I had Pokémon of my own, then I'd teach this thug a thing or too.
But Greson doesn't wait for this response. Quick as a flash, he detaches one of the two Poké Balls from his belt and holds it up. "If you intend to defy Team SPF, then this is what happens! Go, Sandile!" he cries, hurling the Poké Ball into the air. Instinctively, I take a couple of steps back.
The Poké Ball contacts the ground and opens, and there is a blinding flash of light. When it clears, it reveals the contents of the Ball, a small, brown, crocodile-like Pokémon with black stripes across its back and black markings around its eyes. As I watch, speechless, it opens its mouth to reveal a row of sharp teeth.
"Sandile," it cries.
The members of Team SPF are now guffawing appreciatively, and Greson allows himself a chuckle at my dumbfounded expression. "So what now, boy? Are you going to try and fight back, or what?"
"I… I don't have any Pokémon…" I mumble meekly.
"What?!" Greson cries out in horror. "NO Pokémon? You're not even a Trainer?" I turn my head away slightly, embarrassed.
But Greson begins to laugh again, much harder this time. "This is ridiculous! This little pint-sized punk wants to stand up to us, but he doesn't even have any Pokémon to battle us with! What a loser!"
My anger is building once again. I'm desperate to prove I'm not a loser, desperate to battle him to prove I'm better than he gives me credit for. If only I'd had some Poké Balls, I could've caught Reo earlier when I had the chance. Heck, even one of those Spearow would do – just something to help me teach this cocky good-for-nothing a lesson.
Greson has just about calmed down by now, and looks over at me with a devilish expression on his face. "Well, if you have no Pokémon then I guess there's nothing else for it."
"So I'm free to go?" I ask hopefully.
"No, of course not! I mean I'll just have to have Sandile battle against you instead!"
"Ah!" I look at Sandile, who opens its mouth once more, showing off its sharp teeth. Though small, I don't fancy my chances against those.
"Come on then! Sandile, Bite attack!" Greson cries, sending his Pokémon into battle.
"Sandile!" Sandile narrows its eyes, opens its mouth wide and launches itself at me. I throw my hands over my face instinctively to try and protect myself and brace for impact.
"Rio!"
I remove my arms and open my eyes tentatively to see Reo standing in front of me defensively, in a battle pose of its own. A smile breaks across my face.
"Reo! Am I ever glad to see you!"
Across the clearing, Greson, Sandile and the other Team SPF members look dumbfounded. "What on Earth is that?" Greson wonders out loud. "Kid, is that…your Pokémon?"
Reo nods in response. I feel a thrill of excitement pass through my body. Did Reo just agree to be…my Pokémon?
"I thought you said you didn't have any Pokémon?" one of the Team SPF members questions me.
"I didn't when you asked," I confirm. "But Reo always shows up on time. He never lets me down." I look down at Reo and he looks up at me, and I see him smile at me once more. I smile down at him again before returning my attention to Greson and Sandile.
Greson has recovered his composure. "Well, if you do have a Pokémon, then I guess that makes things a little fairer. So, let's get this battle started properly now."
"Bring it on," I challenge. My voice is a lot braver than I feel. I've never had a Pokémon to battle with before, so I have no practice at actually battling. I don't even know what moves Reo might have, but if he's my Pokémon now, he'll be waiting for me to give him orders…
"Let's go!" Greson cries out, pointing ahead and giving Sandile the order to charge.
Come on Luke, think fast, I think to myself. If you hit him now you'll catch him off guard. Think! What kind of move can lots of Pokémon learn that Reo might be able to use?
"Reo, Tackle!" I command, picking the first move that comes into my head.
"Rio!" Reo nods, then dives at the charging Sandile. The move catches the opposing Pokémon completely unawares, and sends Sandile flying backwards across the clearing.
"What?!" Greson cries in shock. "How did you do that? Grr, Sandile, show 'em who's boss! Bite attack, now!"
"Watch out, Reo!" I call, as Sandile charges once more, teeth bared. A thought enters my head. "Endure it!"
Reo closes its arms around its body and shuts its eyes, preparing to use its Endure move. Sandile leaps and its teeth latch around Reo, who flinches slightly but does not show any real pain. Sandile leaps backward off Reo, who comes out of his stance visibly unharmed.
"Nice going, Reo!" I call in encouragement.
"How is this possible?" Greson wonders out loud. "What kind of Pokémon is this?"
"Boss! Should we get out of here?" asks one of the Team SPF members.
"And forfeit the match?!" Greson retaliates. "Never! We are the Silvari Pokémon Force! We cannot lose! We will take all the Silvari Pokémon by Force!"
Something clicks in my brain. Force. That palm strike move I saw Reo use earlier… There's only one move I can think of that looks like that.
"Go, Sandile!" Greson commands. Sandile gets to its feet once more. It looks weary, and I realise that now's our chance.
"Come on, Reo, finish it!" I call. "Force Palm!"
Reo claps his paws together and faces the charging Sandile once again. Sandile draws nearer, and at the last moment Reo reaches forward with his right paw and strikes Sandile with his palm. Sandile is sent flying across the clearing and lands in a crumpled heap at the feet of Greson, who looks on in disbelief, but has no choice but to recall his Pokémon.
"You did it, Reo!" I cry out triumphantly, and reach down to pick up the little Pokémon and hug him.
"Rio! Rio!" Reo responds happily.
"This… You… I can't…believe it…" Greson says hoarsely. After a few moments, he straightens up and speaks again, his normal manner now resumed. "You got very lucky this time, boy, but mark my words: we shall meet again, and next time, you will feel the full wrath of Team SPF!"
With that, Greson turns on his heel and runs out of the clearing, pushing past his Team SPF colleagues, who look at each other for a moment, flabbergasted, before blindly following behind.
I wait until their footsteps have faded, then set Reo down on the ground and kneel next to him. "You were brilliant, Reo," I tell him proudly. "You saved me again. Thank you."
"Riooo," Reo says quietly, nuzzling against my arm.
"You know, Reo…" I pause, nervously. "You and me, we make a pretty good team. I don't suppose… You don't want to…come with me, do you?"
"Rio!" Reo jumps on the spot, nodding vigorously.
I can't believe my luck. "Are you sure?" Reo continues to nod, bouncing happily on the spot. "Reo, you're the best!"
I pick Reo up and hug him once more. I still can't quite believe it. I've got my first Pokémon, and my first battle victory to boot. I'm now officially a Pokémon Trainer. The road to my success on the greatest stage of all has begun! Just wait until I tell Elliot…
I gasp out loud, and Reo turns to face me in surprise and concern. "Oh, no!" I say out loud. "Elliot!" I set Reo down on the ground and turn around. "Come on Reo, we have to go!"
From behind me, I feel Reo scurry up my leg to rest on my back, where he puts his paws on my shoulders to hold on tightly. I look behind me and see his face, and he smiles at me. "Rio," he chirps encouragingly.
I smile back at him. "Right. Now, let's go and meet Elliot. He's going to be really worried because of how late I am. Just wait until he sees I've got a partner Pokémon of my own now. Will he ever be surprised!"