Ah, Pokémon… such majestic and wonderful creatures, they are. True, some are more destructive than others, but that is only in their nature, especially when they are defending themselves or others.
Most of us Trainers understand this. The Rangers know it as well, which is why they protect Pokémon from harm.
Pokémon live their lives in peace. Those who choose to travel with us see it as an honor, either that or they see us as worthy travelling companions. It is a mutual choice between Trainer and Pokémon to travel together, grow together, and live together.
Yet there are some… who choose to ignore this.
Those who see Pokémon as tools, weapons even; those who see Pokémon as no more than prizes or money; those who use them for achieving great power or creating mass destruction, all for their own personal gain.
And they have the audacity to claim it's for the greater good…
People like Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, and Team Galactic… all who have been defeated by the infamous Ash Ketchum and his allies. Villains such as Zero, Pokémon Hunter Jay, and the Iron-Masked Marauder, have been locked away or defeated for good, and even others beyond them.
Evil's existence is dwindling.
But it is not so easily put down…
The crowd was cheering him on from the crowded stadium, the roar of their cheers ringing in his ears. He had just defeated Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh League. Her prized Garchomp had done its best, he could not deny this. It had put up an excellent fight against his own, beating it right back to him in defeat, but it was no match for his well-trained Torterra.
They met at the center of the battlefield. He bowed to show his respect, then got up and shook her hand.
"You fought valiantly, Cynthia. Your efforts showed your glorious care for your Pokémon," he said, his voice echoing across the stadium from the hovering cameras receiving his voice. "I would gladly accept the title of Champion, but that position in the League is rightfully yours. I shall remain on my journeys as the Wandering Hero. You must remain where you are, as were you chosen to be."
Cynthia smiled, her eyes sparkling with joy and affection. He wasn't quite sure, but it looked to him as if she was…
Blushing…
She was about to say something, but was interrupted by…
The camera?
Off to his left, a camera had hovered close to catch the conversation. And all of a sudden, it started…
Beeping?
A subtle beep-beep! beep-beep! was emitting from the camera lens, which didn't look like a camera lens at all. It looked like…
"A watch face?" Cynthia asked aloud. The new Champion stood thinking for a moment. Then it hit him.
"I get it," he said, and pushed a button on the side.
It was his Poketch. The alarm was going off.
"I get it, I get it," he muttered as he shut it off. "Time to wake up." He got out of his tent and stretched. There were some rain clouds in the distance, and he could see a group of Tailow flying the opposite direction. "You guys be careful, you hear? If that thundercloud gets over you, get to shelter as soon as possible!" he shouted to them. They cried in response and went on their way.
Jethro Striker was a living legend throughout the world. Locally from the Hoenn Region, he and his primary Pokémon Blaziken traveled around the globe. They were admired and respected by Trainers and Pokémon alike. He was most famous not only for defeating the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and recently Sinnoh Leagues, but for traveling throughout the world and helping anyone with anything along the way. He was more than happy to accept challenges from any Trainer, even if they were full of themselves or in over their heads. He would always give kind words of wisdom or advice after a match. He made several friends along the way, and never forgot them.
As he finished packing his tent away, Jethro looked back at the thundercloud. The rumbling sound of thunder was unmistakable… and all too familiar.
"Hello, Zapdos," he said, "it's been awhile." He was certain that the legendary bird Pokémon of lightning was in the thundercloud somewhere, watching the world below. The distant cry he heard a few moments later confirmed it. Jethro smiled to himself and double-checked his gear after packing the tent away.
"Okay, tent, backpack, Poketch, Poké Nav, Pokémon, multi-tool… sword, cooking supplies, medicine, yeh, deh-deh, deh-deh… shoulder armor… shoulder armor… where'd I… oh, here they are… I believe that's it." He looked down the trail ahead of him. "Another new day," he said. "Let's get to it."
The rain had started to come down rather hard, but, as always, Jethro was prepared. He pulled out his jacket and put it on, pulling his hood up to stay warm. He then brought out his umbrella and continued his journey. As he made his way down the trail, he saw a group of Shellos gathered in a small hole in the trunk of a tree. He smiled and waved, and they smiled back. Jethro felt a little warmer inside every time a Pokémon smiled back.
A while after meeting the Shellos, Jethro met up with another group, this one a bit familiar.
"I see you took my advice, Tailow! Keeping dry, are we?" he asked the Tiny Swallow Pokémon. They chattered to him, and one flew down to him and perched on his left shoulder. "Well, hello, little one," Jethro greeted, "you look concerned… not to mention a little wet. Something on your mind?" The Tailow pointed to the tree his friends were perched in and told Jethro its worries. "You have a point… trees aren't exactly the safest place to be in a thunderstorm… yes, moving would be a good idea, but I'm not sure as to where. All the nearby crevices in the cliffs seem to be occupied. Let me think…"
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, the thunder rattling the tree. The Tailow were severely startled, squawking and flapping wildly.
"Calm down, little ones, you're alright!" he tried to reassure them. He looked up at the sky.
"Zapdos must've moved on," he said aloud. Then an idea hit him.
"Torterra, assistance please," he said, as he called out his large friend. Torterra stood beside Jethro, looking at him with its usual friendly smile. "You wouldn't mind if these Tailow took refuge in your tree to wait out this storm, would you?" he asked his friend.
"Torterra," replied the large Grass- and Ground-Type as it shook its head, as if to say, 'I don't mind at all'. Jethro smiled.
"Thank you, my friend. Alright, Tailow, let's go!" he said. The Tailow on his shoulder flew to Torterra's tree, inspected it, and cried out to its friends the okay. They flew from their tree to Torterra's in an organized line, one following the other. One Tailow lingered back, shaking. Jethro reached up, extending his hand.
"No need to be afraid, little guy. This storm won't last forever. It'll be alright, my friend and I will take care of you," he reassured. The little Tailow looked at Jethro and then at Torterra. Torterra smiled and nodded, and Tailow hopped into Jethro's hand. "Ooh, you're shivering something fierce, aren't you? If you want, you can stay in my jacket's chest pocket for a while." The little Tailow nodded, and Jethro lowered the little one down to his pocket. Tailow hopped in, snuggled up, and within seconds, was fast asleep. Jethro looked at Torterra, who chuckled and shook its head.
"Oh, come on, I know you think it's cute," Jethro said. Torterra rolled its eyes at him. "Come on, fess up, you know it's cute," Jethro persisted.
Torterra hung its head. "Fine, I admit it, it's cute… you don't have to rub it in, ya know."
Jethro laughed softly. "Well, how else am I supposed to know, Torterra?" he asked.
No, Jethro's Pokémon do not talk human. In fact, he merely understands their language.
*in other words, he is a translator… much like Team Rocket's loudmouth Meowth… in a way…*
After the storm had passed, most of the Tailow flew off into the afternoon. A few remained behind, seeing as though Jethro was going to the next Pokémon Center down the road, and they needed a bit of care from Nurse Joy. Jethro agreed to stay and make sure they were taken care of, and then continue on his journey as soon as they all regained flight.
The doors opened wide to the traveling group. Jethro and Torterra walked up to Nurse Joy, who was standing, as usual, behind the front counter. Her eyebrows rose the second she saw them.
"Jethro Striker! It's an honor, sir!" she said as she bowed in respect.
"Oh, please, Nurse Joy, you're embarrassing me," Jethro said. "Now, I usually stop by these Centers for my own benefit, but this time, it's for some friends of mine. You can help these Tailow, of course?"
"Right away, Mr. Striker! Follow me," Joy said and, along with her Blissey, carried the Tailow from Torterra's tree to the back room for healing. Jethro turned to his Torterra.
"Make sure no one, and I mean no one, gets through, alright?" he ordered. Torterra nodded its head and stood in front of the door.
Jethro pursued Nurse Joy to the back, carrying the Tailow from his jacket pocket carefully in his hands.
"You know, I can take care of that one for you," Nurse Joy said over her shoulder.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to care for this one myself," Jethro replied.
"I understand," Joy replied. Jethro looked down at the Tailow in his hands. It was very cold, and hardly breathing. Jethro got an idea.
"Burner, I'll need your help with this one," he said. The Poké Ball highest on his backpack strap opened, revealing his prime Pokémon, a Blaziken. The martial arts master of
Jethro's entire arsenal stood proudly, holding the door for the three of them. "You got any feathers that you don't need anymore?" Jethro asked.
"Don't I always?" Blaziken retorted.
"Good, now follow me," Jethro said, and they both followed the Pokémon Center caretakers.
"Is there a table we can use by ourselves, Nurse Joy?"
"Right over there, Jethro."
"Thank you. Let's get to it, then, Burner."
Jethro gently set the ill Tailow down on the table and got out his medical kit.
"Let's just hope you've brushed up on your feather transplanting lately, or else this may not work," Blaziken muttered.
"Thank you, Burner, for that wonderful reminder," Jethro muttered back. "Feather, please, nice and warm." Blaziken pulled a somewhat loose feather from its abdomen and handed it to Jethro, who had equipped himself with a pair of glasses that acted as magnifying glasses and small pair of tweezers. He took Blaziken's feather and examined Tailow's back, looking for a feather to replace it with. He found one, and very quickly and deftly removed it and put Blaziken's feather in. The brilliant yellow feather was smartly placed smack in the middle of Tailow's back. Smart style and incredible attention to detail were two of Jethro's most recognizable talents. Blaziken brought out two more feathers, these ones a brilliant red, that Jethro used to replace the feathers on the tips of the Tiny Swallow's wings. The next three feathers, tan in color, were transferred from Blaziken's chest to the Tailow's.
Each feather contained a special heat generated from the inside of Blaziken. The plan was to give additional body heat to Tailow in attempt to revive it. Seeing as though he had not done this for some time, Jethro was trying his best not to make an error… or cramp up.
"Just do the best you can, Jethro. You may be a bit rusty, but I believe you can do this," Blaziken told him. Jethro gave his star Pokémon a side glance, grinning. He reached back and patted Blaziken on the back.
"I will never understand how you do that, Jethro," Nurse Joy said from across the room. Blaziken turned, jumping slightly, while Jethro remained focused.
"It's simple," he said as he transplanted a rather damaged tail feather with another one of Blaziken's yellow ones, "you just take one feather out, and immediately–"
"No, no, not the transplanting, the way you can talk to Pokémon," Joy clarified. Jethro turned around, smiling.
"Just an awesome gift I was born with, I guess. One heck of a blessing, you could say," he said as he turned back to Tailow.
"And then there's the times it can be a curse," he joked as Blaziken gently punched his arm. Nurse Joy laughed and turned back to the rest of the Tailow.
Jethro had finished his work in a small amount of time. As he put the Tailow on another table underneath a lamp to regain its warmth, a few of the other Tailow flew over to make sure it was alright. Blaziken sat down next to the table to watch and make sure it recovered fully. It had started breathing regularly, so that was a good sign. Now it just needed to awaken and take flight.
"You guys sure you don't wanna catch up to your flock?" he asked.
"Tailow! Tail, Tailow!" a Tailow replied.
"I see," Jethro said. "Well, whatever works for you, I guess."
"What did it say?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Well, it turns out that they discussed a plan to rendezvous a short distance up the road from here before we arrived. That, and these Tailow chose to leave all together or not at all," Jethro explained.
"I see. So how's the Tailow over there–" before Nurse Joy could finish, there was a crashing sound from down the hallway. Jethro and Blaziken poked their heads out the door.
The hallway was empty.
"Go check it out," Jethro said. Blaziken nodded and started walking slowly down the hall. Jethro went to double-check Torterra. It was still standing guard, though the crash had caught its attention. "Not sure," Jethro answered Torterra's concerned look. "I'll let you know." As he turned back, he opened the Ultra Ball at the bottom of his backpack strap.
"Garchomp, assist Blaziken." The Dragon- and Ground-Type nodded and went off to find its companion. Jethro went back into the surgery room. "Hang tight, folks, our program will resume shortly. In the meantime, I suggest you grab some popcorn, a drink… and maybe a secluded spot to hide in," he said.
You'd think that two 6-foot, 2-inch tall Pokémon wouldn't be too skilled at tip-toeing down a freakishly silent hall without making so much as a whisper at first glance, but these two were trained by a Pokémon Master. People learned to expect the unexpected with his Pokémon.
As Blaziken and Garchomp made their way down the hallway, something caught Garchomp's attention.
"What is it?" Blaziken asked. "What do you see?"
"A food bowl," Garchomp replied quietly. Blaziken blinked a few times, and then put a hand to its face.
"Dude… seriously?"
"No, no, I'm not interested in its taste… primarily… what has me focused is how out-of-place it is." Blaziken peered into the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a bowl of food sitting squarely in the middle of the counter. Too perfectly placed. The Pokémon looked at each other and nodded. They went back-to-back.
"How stupid are we supposed to be to fall for that?" Blaziken asked.
"Very," Garchomp replied as it took a bite out of a pear.
Blaziken looked back. "Where'd you get that?"
"Zipped right in and grabbed it from the food bowl." Blaziken looked in disbelief at Garchomp and then the food bowl. Sure enough, there was a gap where the pear had been.
"You know, you never cease to amaze me," Blaziken said as its partner swallowed the core.
"Well, my name ain't Garchomp for nothing, now is it?"
"Good point." Garchomp let out a small belch. "Well, excuse– whoa!"
A few of the fruits in the bowl had tumbled off, apparently triggering a net trap. The two stood in shock as they watched it all happen.
"And that is why I never go for the open food bowl," Blaziken said. Something caught his attention. He could feel something move above him. He looked up.
"Whoa!"
A Lucario was concealing itself above the two where the wall and ceiling met. What brought it to Blaziken's attention was its soft growling in frustration. It leapt down between the two taller Pokémon, and prepared to fire two Aura Sphere attacks at them. Preparing for a battle, the two took fighting stances. Suddenly…
"Hey, wait a minute… Burner, don't we know this guy?" Garchomp asked. Blaziken looked closer, and noticed something familiar. The eyes were wary and battle-worn. The fur was brushed smoothly, and its stance was smartly poised.
"You know, I think you're right!" Blaziken said, surprised. All of a sudden, an idea hit the both of them. Lucario's grin wasn't making them feel any better.
"Aw, crud," Blaziken muttered. All three of the Pokémon bolted down the hallway.