AN: Sorry for the delay! Lots of... stuff happening in my personal life. It's mostly dealt with now, so chapters should be coming up faster!
Stella's new partner, Xyler the treecko was perched upon her shoulder as they waded through the tall grass, ready to protect the human from any harm. Suddenly, he sprung off her shoulder, with what could only be described as a hiss coming from his mouth. A pokemon must be near.
A wild zigzagoon jumped out of a shrub, growling in what it must have thought was a threatening way and rammed itself viciously into the body of the treecko. Xyler flew back into a tree, with some scratches on his smooth scales. A teeny trickle of blood rolled down his torso. However, the treecko just smiled up at his trainer. "Watch this, lady!" he chuckled.
What happened next made Stella a bit sick to her stomach. Her seemingly innocent pokemon crossed his hands and out stretched his arms. He made what looked like a treecko version of "come hither" with his paws and closed his eyes, looking slightly strained. Suddenly, the zigzagoon yowled and doubled over in pain. Xyler stopped, letting out a soft sigh and smiled. The cuts on his chest have healed and the bruises from his fight earlier that day have faded. The other pokemon looked sick and scrawny all of the sudden, as if he hasn't had a good meal in weeks. Stella realized with horror that this must have been the attack absorb. The gravity of what she was going to be doing hit her like a ton of bricks. These pokemon are made to be killing machines. She could die. Her pokemon could die. Xyler, the adorable wood gecko pokemon, could kill.
"X-Xyler!" Stella gasped as the zigzagoon got visibly more and more drained of his life.
He seemed to know what she was thinking "Lady...these pokemon will not stop short of killing you. I will not allow that to happen." And then the zigzagoon slumped to the ground with a pitiful groan. "I will try to not have blood on my hands, lady, but if I must... and don't worry, the zigzagoon will live." And with that, Xyler hopped onto her shoulder and curled around her neck like a scaly green scarf.
There was a long silence between the two as the passed through Oldale and onto route 103 for what would be their first trainer battle.
"Nervous?" Stella whispered to him, feeling a bit ill at ease herself. He just nodded his response. "Alright... let's get it over with."
Brendan was at the very end of the route, looking at various articles in his pokedex. He looked up from his device and Stella noticed the colour of his eyes, a nice deep maroon. "Oh, hey!" he smiled warmly up at trainer and pokemon. "Oh, my dad gave you the treecko? Awesome. How about a quick little battle?"
He pulled a pokeball off his belt and tossed it. With a flash of red light, a small red and orange chick stood there. He fluffed up his feathers and looked up at Xyler. "Ooh, how ya doin' Xyler?"
Xyler hopped down and faced the little bird. "Hey there Syd, ready for a real battle? A no-death match, of course."
The torchic, Syd, chuckled "I couldn't ever kill you. But I'm not going easy."
Stella and Brendan smiled at each other, overhearing their pokemon's exchange.
"Alright, Xyler, pound attack!" Stella barked out, once again, feeling that surge of confidence.
"Gotcha, lady." He nodded, smiled and leapt into the air, smashing his heavy tails down hard across his opponents head. He also felt that in-battle rush. He felt invincible.
"Peck!" and upon hearing Brendan's command, Syd drove his beak hard into one of his tails. Xyler grumbled and rubbed his bleeding tail.
With a hiss and a glare, he charged at him, ready to swing his tails again to pound him.
The torchic fluffed his feathers up a bit more, giving a throaty growl. Xyler seemed surprised that such a frightening noise could come out of something so small and in the result of his shock his pound attack didn't hit as hard as it could have.
"Don't catch yourself off guard, Xyler!" he grinned tauntingly.
"I won't." Suddenly, Xyler did a backflip, smashing both tails into Syd's chin, knocking him backwards. Blood dripped out from his beak as he coughed, sprawled out onto the ground.
Brendan gasped in panic and quickly returned his pokemon, holding the ball close to his chest and whispered to it quietly. He then looked up and smiled warmly. "Wow, Stella, you're not too shabby!" He grinned "Let's go back to my father's lab."
Stella pulled awkwardly at her baggy sleeves as Brendan animatedly explained the events of their battle to his father. He merely smiled and nodded at his excited drabble, scratching his bearded chin.
"Well, Stella... I must congratulate you on your victory. Brendan has an extensive history as a trainer and by his account, you defeated him easily!"
Extensive history as a trainer? Stella felt her blood run cold. He only has a young torchic... he must have... She shook her head as if to rid herself of the grim thoughts.
She didn't pay much attention to what Professor Birch was saying, just nodding when she felt appropriate. Stella thanked him courteously when he gifted her with a pokedex and some pokéballs.
Brendan and Stella both left the lab and he smiled warmly at her. "It's more fun to have lots of pokemon." He said "I'm going to go catch some. See you later!"
Mrs. Varley was standing outside her house, planting a garden under the windows to make it seem a bit homier. She looked up and saw her daughter, standing there in front of her with a pokéball clasped in her left hand and her bag thrown over her shoulder.
"Stella, you look so much like your father..." A smile spread over her lips. "Are you going to take the gym challenge, like he did? You'll have so much...life experience, it'll be good for you!"
Stella rubbed the back of her neck in her awkwardness. Did her mom really want her to do this? Well, she let her husband, right?
"What pokemon do you have there, dear?" She got up and examined the pokéball. "It's been a long time since I held one of these... wow."
She pressed the button and examined the Xyler who stared up at her.
After a long gaze between the two, Xyler finally spoke "I'm Xyler"
"Kathy Varley, cutie" She smiled at him, than up at Stella. "He's a lot like you. And he's strong too. I know you always wanted to go on an adventure through Johto like me and your father did when we were young..."
"How did you know that!" She gasped.
Her mom just smiled that smile moms have when they know more about you than you do. "You're a sleep talker."
Stella blushed and smiled.
"Take an adventure through Hoenn then. There's the gym challenge, contests, and all kinds of great things!"
Xyler tugged on his trainer's sleeve. "Let's do it." His voice had a confidant edge to it. She nodded in response. Her mother merely smiled and waved them off. The power of their silent exchanges and permissions was strong.
Stella set foot onto route 101 for the third time that day; this time, with a purpose.