The Magmortar ear twitch and it, rolled over to face the two. It then resumed its snoring.
Grin threatening to tear off the lower part of his face, Axel nabbed the Poke ball and rolled it through his palms. Kunsel gestured to the ladder and they sneaked off at a quick pace to and up it, bursting up into a chaos of stirred Pokemon laughing quietly.
"I did it, I got it, I caught it," chattered Axel excitedly, pulling out the Poke ball and dancing in a circle around the Monks.
"Congratulations," smiled Kunsel, who apologized to the Monks.
Axel skipped past them, and for the hell of it, tried a cartwheel. Kunsel laughed, watching Axel's backpack shift his weight off balance in his attempts. "I swear I was never this happy when I got my first Pokémon."
"Well I bet you didn't have to tickle a sleeping dragon to do it," Axel replied. Privately he thought or be chased across town by men wielding swords. "Wow, just wait until my brother hears. A proper adventure. Isn't this just so cool?"
"Okay, calm down kid. You're starting to remind me of my ADHD friend now."
After that Axel thanked Kunsel approximately fifty thousand times, and was directed down to the south route where the Growlithe and Vulpix were claimed to reside. "Only one sort at a time though, they migrate," Kunsel explained. "I'll walk you through it first, unless you're heading back home, since the Pokemon will be too tough for your young Magby."
"Yeah, about that," Axel started. "Why did you have to tell me to catch the baby one? That was so mean. I feel bad for taking it from its family like that."
Kunsel sighed. "Fully-evolved Pokemon often look like good strong team members, but most of the time they'll be feral or untamable, since they've lived all their lives in the wild. Younger Pokémon are easier to train and catch and won't feel as attached to that lifestyle. That's why evolved Pokémon are only recommended for experienced trainers. Unevolved Pokemon you get a tighter bond for your trouble, as you both grow up together."
"Oh." Axel stared down at his Pokeball, which he had yet to release his newly caught Magby from. "What do you think I should do now?"
Kunsel hummed, then in a change of face directed Machoke to take down a Stantler. Axel winced as it thudded on the grass. "If I was you," he continued on like nothing, "I'd head down south to the end of this route until you find a crossroads. From there you go East – " he pointed left. "- until you reach Blackthorn city. Rest up there the night, get used to your new Pokemon, then battle around for a bit. The Pokémon and trainers around should for the most part be around your level. If you need to train your Magby after that, you've got the type advantage over Sprout Tower. Figure out if Pokemon's your thing, if not then go home, end story."
Axel digested all of this. "And that way's East, you say?"
"That way is indeed East. Matthew, you got the— nice shot. Oh, and buy a compass little guy."
Kunsel didn't look like he was going any further. "I guess this is goodbye then." It was funny, because Axel'd never said that phrase in his life earlier and then suddenly he'd twice in one day.
"Hey, it's not forever," Kunsel smirked. "Here, I'll give you my cell in case you get lost or anything. Gotta be careful in this scary old world y'know."
Kunsel grabbed a pen and scribbled down the digits along Axel's arm. "Good luck, kid."
Axel nodded, and somewhat awkwardly, continued on down the route. Feeling somewhat paranoid, after a few paces he let out his new Magby for company, and protection. Kunsel had said there weren't any strong Pokemon around towards where the main pathways connected but Axel still didn't feel quite safe.
"Magby?" Magby questioned, turning its head bemusedly, like it had lost and was looking around for something.
"Uh, hi," said Axel, somewhat nervous. "I'm Axel."
He'd only seen his new Pokémon in the dark ashy corner, and now Axel got to see the salamander-like starter in full light. It looked about the size of a beach ball, and its smooth red skin was a lot lighter red than the new trainer remembered. It had big yellow patches on its stomach and nozzle-like snout, as well as a tail. Its neck was lined with a neat black collar and its paws had tiny silver claws. The most jarring thing about the little fire Pokémon however had to be its strained bulbous head, which look liked it had a pumpkin growing inside it.
"Your new trainer," Axel expanded, just in case.
At that the small red Pokémon perked up, and it warily began sniffing out Axel's boats, jeans, the cut he'd had bandaged up just earlier.
It seemed to come to a decision, and skittered back off away from him with an audible snort.
Not to be disheartened, Axel kneeled down and fished out the mulberries he'd packed for that evening.
Magby chewed, made a face, swallowed. "Okay then," said Axel. "I'm not sure if they're that good for you then, so..." Axel made to put the mulberries back in his backpack pocket, but Magby snatched them away. "Jeez, alright then. Just be careful, I'm not sure if there are any more Pokémon about."
Axel walked, for what felt like hours, slowly followed by the tottering fire Pokemon. The hours of the day ticked on, and Axel ran into a girl with blonde pigtails and a hoodie, flipping her hair importantly about.
"Fight me," she demanded, releasing a Politoed.
"No wait, not yet," Axel requested, scooping up his Magby. He hissed and covered his arms with his sleeves—the pokemon was red hot. "I've never fought a proper battle before, and I was hoping to have some wild pokemon practice before I versed someone.
"Our eyes met," the blonde girl loftily replied, taking out a stick of sugar-free gum. "We have to fight. You're just scared because I have better type here." Politoed dribbled, rolling his tongue.
"Actually, no," said Axel honestly. Magby was starting to burn his arms and needed to be dropped. He muttered: "Let's leg it."
They ran, Magby's little legs flopping as he tried to keep pace. The girl cried out and followed shouting after him "there's no running from a trainer battle!"
"Watch me!"
Axel sprinted, and started when he realised his fire Pokémon was no longer next to him. He ran back, scooped the Pokemon up into his arms again, scorched his unclothed hands in the process. Gum and Pigtails had nearly reached him; Axel panicked, dropped his Magby, and set down his backpack. It was just too heavy to run with; he shoved Magby in and began pulling stuff out.
He carried the rest of it, jogging for his life away from this air head to promptly run into another trainer.
"Oww." The strangely dressed blue-haired trainer raised a hand to his forehead. Axel did the same, this time being careful not to drop his stuff. He'd really gained too many injures for his liking so far on his Pokémon journey.
Gum and Pigtails caught up to them. "There you are."
"Is there a problem here?" The blue-haired boy asked her, straightening out. He was very old, Axel now saw—just not tall.
"Umm, yeah," the blonde girl caught her breath, and then continued. "That weirdo over there refused to battle me. He forfeits, so I should get half his earnings as prize money."
The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes. "What a pressing matter to chase someone for."
"Oh, so you want to fight me then wise guy? I'll take you on."
"It's not wise guy," the blue-haired trainer threw down his first Pokeball, releasing a Haunter. "It's Uryu."
The Pokemon tangled, Politoed launching out with a head-on attack and Haunter backing around it and letting lose a long lick with its tongue. The lick didn't paralyse its opponent, however and the Politoed moved to follow the wild spirit as it warped to another part of the forest clearing. "Not normal attacks, you stupid thing, use water gun."
Haunter reappered behind the Pokémon still searching for its opponent and Uryu commanded "Shadow Ball!" which sent a building sphere of energy rushing towards the Politoed, who couldn't dodge.
It fell, and the blonde trainer willed it back up. "Water gun, right ahead of you!"
The Politoed struck target this time, and the Haunter gasped and recoiled backwards. "Don't give up," Uryu encouraged softly. "Hypnosis."
The blonde trainer caught on. "You use Hypnosis too, Pollyanna!"
Too little too late, as Axel's dad would say. The Haunter zoned in the Politoed and finished it off with a lick to the face.
Axel had considered sneaking off in the midst of the battle but as it concluded he felt glad to stay. "I waive the right to be paid for this match," Uryu said quietly, purposely.
Gum and Pigtails tried to save face. "Well, I waive the right to put up with your company. Return, Pollyanna. And it's Elena."
She spat out her gum and stalked off, pigtails bouncing behind her.
"She totally just copied you," was all Axel could think to say. From inside his backpack, Magby trumpeted, rattling and scratching a small container. Axel opened it, allowing him the whole of the blueberries. Listening to the Pokemon chew, he made a sudden realization. "If she has no other Pokemon apart from that Politoed—and she's walking that way where there are hoards of them – she's going to get swamped!"
"By all means, save the distressed damsel," Uryu said in the monotone intellectual lilt he carried.
Axel grimaced. "I would, but I don't have any proper Pokemon. And she was kind of rude before, she might want more of her prize money from me. Do you think you would be able to?"
Uryu stared Axel down. "I only headed this way because I heard a commotion. I'm not actually headed in this direction."
"So?" Axel said. "She could die."
"I don't care," and with that the blue-haired trainer turned around, large white cape picking up the breeze around him.
Axel clicked the space in front of his Magby, distracting the fire pokemon from his heap of blueberries. "Look, I know I don't know you very well yet," Axel started, "and that this is kind of a big ask. But that girl we just saw now could be in danger, and there's no one else up to save her. Would you be willing to face some really strong Pokémon for me in order to help her?"
Magby contemplated, finished off the berries and squaked his assent. "Good. Now we go." Axel put down his backpack for the Pokemon to crawl into and set off for the road at a run.
Axel prayed that that the girl, Emelia or whatever, wouldn't reached the grassy Pokemon-infested area before he caught up to her. He really hoped. But she must've been walking at a much faster pace than he expected because before he got there he heard a frightened yell.
He ran the rest of the way. And there she was, surrounded by a pack of circling Arcanines.
"No!" Axel yelled and dived in, shooing them away from her. "What did you do to them? What did you do?"
Gum and Pigtails looked almost in tears. A long gash marred her arm. "I was just walking, and I was thinking to myself and it must've just been lying there because I stubbed my toe and trod on it then all of them started swarming on me I really didn't mean to I didn't know there were any Pokémon here."
"Calm down," Axel advised, and an Arcanine lunged at his leg. "Oh fuck, that was close." Axel could feel Magby shaking in his backpack. His heart sank. There was no way he was going up against all and winning... One Stantler maybe, but this? "How did you manage to get them so mad?"
"I stepped on their baby," Elena admitted. "I stepped on a Growlithe cub."
With that revelation the nearest Arcanine lunged, slamming the pair onto the grass and tearing into their flesh. Fear coursed through every fibre of Axel's body and he unintentionally imagined his arm becoming like the blonde girl's, his whole body ripped open to become a bloodied red sore.
His eyes caught sight of his own arm, and the numbers scrawled across it in black pen and with all his strength Axel threw the Arcanine off of on top of him and moved to the blonde girl's, internally begging for her cooperation.
"Please. Phone. Need phone." The blonde girl's dazed gaze met his own and she slipped a mangled hand into her pocket, jerking the silver contraption out onto the grass.
The Arcanines moved to tear into them again, and Axel became aware of the fact that he was going to die before help arrived and as he punched the scribbled number into the keypad he saw Magby, crawling from his backpack, standing up to face the fiery wolves.
"Hello? You got Kunsel."
"Help," Axel pleaded, coughing into the mouthpiece. "Dying. Route 37..." He choked.
"What? Who is this? Axel, is that you? Don't worry buddy I'm there to call backup I'm part of the plain-clothed police, we'll be down right away, you got that? Stay there for me buddy listen to my voice and what I'm saying just don't move."
Axel watched, as his little starter Pokemon snarled at the wolves and got knocked down onto the ground. He spat little embers of fire and raked at them with his claws, bringing little pink marks and dots of blood to their snouts.
It might have seemed stupid to anyone else at that time, but for that moment Axel truly cared about his red starter Pokémon. "You can do it," Axel whispered, tears clogging his eyes. "Move."
The Arcanine looked to be having fun dancing with this small opponent, until Magby stopped and breathed in, drawing air and letting it all out in a breath of hot smoke in an Arcanine's eye. The Pokémon drew back with a wine, hackles drawing.
They all howled then, and the hurt Arcanine let out a long stream of fire from its mouth into the grassy clearing. It caught the tree just beside Axel's head alite, and Axel watched as the flames too quickly spread up into its branches and across the grass plains, and now the Arcanines were fighting each other, fleeing, rolling amongst the leaves with their bloodied teeth beared.
The half- blinded Arcanine stayed.
This time it wasn't going to just breathe fire on the forest, it was going to do its best to kill Axel's new Pokémon with the soft steps it made against the plain ground.
Two shots rang out before it had the chance to strike.
Kunsel and four others rushed down into the clearing and their voices echoed through Axel's ears and he was being yelled at and the blonde girl wasn't moving and tears of worry trickled past his eyes.
"I left my sword in the bush, Kunsel," he kept saying aloud. "I left my sword."