Chapter II: Unrealistic Goals

(This next part isn't exactly the most important or exciting sliver of my travels through Johto, but I implore you to listen to it Professor, so that you might get a better understanding of who I was, and what my goals were in the beginning. Skip it, if you so choose, as I certainly will never know, but you wanted the whole story, and this is a piece of it.)

"The City of Fragrant Flowers," or more widely known as Cherrygrove City, was a neat little town tucked between the edge of Route 29's pine forest, and the Goldenrod Bay. The buildings were closely clumped together, and the brick streets that wove around them were more akin to a hiking trail than the asphalt roads of Goldenrod City itself. Flowers of a magnitude of colors bloomed from every apartment terrace, and even more could be see on the distant rolling hills of Route 30. And, if the sweet scented wind was anything to go by, the city was aptly named.

It was still early in the morning, no more than an hour or two past sunrise, and I was sat outside a boardwalk cafe near the Pokemon Center the three of us had bunked in the night before. My view was gorgeous; nothing but the deep blue water of the ocean cresting upon the sandbanks, and the gentle curve of the bay's white beaches are far as my eyes could see. I let out a contented sigh, watching as the condensation from my breath rose into the chilly air. Absentmindedly, I zipped up my red leather jacket.

A snout nudged my right arm, and I knew to lower my shoulder. Cyndaquil's tiny paws clambered up my bicep, and he plopped himself down on my shoulder, letting his body warm my ear. I reached into a small bag and pulled out a fat orange berry. My partner's snout immediately began to sniff the air, and I raised my hand to offer the Magost Berry to him. His front forelimbs grasped it, and he guided it to his mouth.

"Quite the view, isn't it Braun? You think there might be some Staryu in those waters?"

The voice that spoke wasn't mine (obviously). My head turned like a swivel, and Cyndaquil was lucky that I was looking left, else he might have found himself ousted from my shoulder by accident. Even so, his front arms buried themselves in my short brown hair. I assumed he had been steadying himself, but instead he used them to pull his elongated head on top of mine. He quipped a happy greeting to the newcomer.

The man in question was taller than me, (which was only natural as he was also a year older than me) with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue patterned flannel, with black skin tight jeans and combat boots. In one hand he held a half-eaten croissant, and in the other his blue Pokedex, which I assumed he was using to read up on all the Pokemon indigenous to the area. He waved the 'Dex hand in greeting, which I returned with a smirk, and he walked around the table Cyndaquil and I were at and plopped himself down in a spare chair.

"Tyson. You're up early," I said to him, handing another berry to the shrew draped over my head.

"Yeah, Chikorita and Pidgey are early risers, as it turns out."

I had failed to notice the two Pokemon trailing behind him. One was a quadrupedal little thing, with green tinted skin and a leaf on her head. She peeped at me, and I bent over to offer her a berry. Small whips like vines protruded from the green bulbs on her neck, and the took the berry between them, taking small bites out of it. She beamed up at me, clearly pleased with her new snack.

The second Pokemon was a small brown bird with black markings around his eyes. The Pidgey eyed me warily as he hopped on past, and turned his beak away with closed eyes. Apparently he didn't think much of me. He jumped up and fluttered his wings, landing on the table close to his trainer. I set a berry next to him, as a peace offering, but he either didn't notice or didn't care (to this day, he still barely regards me when I'm in his presence).

"You didn't answer my question," my attention was brought back to Tyson, who was staring out at the water, clearly oblivious to his Pidgey's prideful behavior, "think I could find a Staryu if we went down to the shore? If we maybe took a boat out to the center of the bay?"

We'd barely been in Cherrygrove for twelve hours, and Tyson was already raring to leave. Not that I was surprised, or even opposed to the idea, mind you. We were both taking on the League Challenge, but Cherrygrove didn't have a sanctioned Gym where we could earn a badge. Our hopes were to compete in the Indigo Plateau Conference, and after that, against the Elite Four and Champion Lance. In our minds, the sooner we were on the road, the better. Falkner, in Violet City to the North, was our first obstacle to overcome, and if we wanted the Zepher Badge, we needed to be out on the road where we could train and catch Pokemon to add to our team.

In that regard, both Ben and Tyson had a lead over me. With Ben's recent acquisition of Raticate (who refused to listen to him, but that was besides the point), and the Pidgey Tyson had caught right past the wooden fence that lined New Bark Town, I was the only trainer in the group who had yet to add any Pokemon to his team. I was confident that Cyndaquil could hold his own in a proper Gym battle, our match with the much older and experienced Raticate being my cited proof, but I knew he couldn't handle Falkner alone. No, I needed one, if not two, more Pokemon before I challenged the Violet City Gym.

"It's always possible," I said to my friend, "but do you really want to spend money on a rental, just for the small chance of finding a decent Water type? They don't just pop up and out of the water."

"Of course they don't. We would need to get some reels and fish 'em in," Tyson frowned, as if he knew I was going to continue arguing with him.

"A good rod and reel would cost a lot of money, and we haven't earned any yet. Much less enough to justify paying the cost for a trip out on the water. I walked the docks this morning; the fishermen are charging ludicrous prices to take passengers out on the water."

Cyndaquil made a noise in agreement, as if he had a comprehension of what money actually was. Maybe he did.

Tyson sighed in defeat, "I guess my dreams of owning a powerhouse Water type will have to wait a little longer to be realized."

"It's not as if a Water type Pokemon would give you an edge over Falkner anyways," I tried to console him a little, before chuckling and adding, "or do you think you're just gonna catch a Seal who knows Ice Beam without needing to be taught?"

We both guffawed at that, knowing how ridiculous such an idea was.

We sat there a while longer, staring out at the tide silently. As much as I itched to get back out on the road, especially now that Tyson mentioned the idea of catching Pokemon, I still found myself enjoying the brisk air of the calm morning. The chill almost reminded me of home, as morning in the mountains were often just as cold. Then I remembered that "home" came with the pressure of meeting the Dragon Tamer Clan's expectations, while also enduring their general disdain for me, and I banished such thoughts from my mind.

"You're thinking about Clair, aren't you?" Tyson's words made my head jolt towards him, and this time, Cyndaquil had to shift his body to my left shoulder to avoid being ejected, "don't bother denying it, you've got that usual brooding frown on your face."

"Not Clair specifically," I said, gritting my teeth as the name passed by my lips, "but, yeah, I am dwelling on the Dragon Tamer Clan."

"You ought to let it go, we're hundreds of miles from home," Tyson eyed me cautiously, as if expecting me to erupt at the sheer mention of the topic (admittedly, there had been a time when I would have done such a thing).

"How can I?" I asked with a hefty sigh, "Ever since my mom died, they've treated me like some sort of pariah! Like it's somehow my fault that my father wasn't born into the clan like mom was. I didn't ask to be a "half-breed!" I didn't want to-"

I stopped myself. I was about to say that I never wanted to be part of the Dragon Tamer Clan, but Tyson would surely have known it was a lie. I sucked in a breath.

"I'm just tired of being beaten down. They want all of us Clan children to be powerful trainers, like Lance, but they were extra hard on me. I had to work twice as hard just to get half the recognition, if I even got any! Mostly it was just insults and jibes, informing me of just how poor a trainer I was. It's why my dad moved us to the other side of the city. Why he tried to get us away from all of that."

"I just," he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, "I just don't see why you bother. If they didn't treat you right before, what makes you think that competing in the League will make things any better?"

I didn't answer him immediately. I didn't know how to. What could I say to convince him, to convince me, that things would be different? I knew that my prowess as a trainer had nothing to do with the way I was treated; that no amount of progress would have pleased them. Their disdain was with me, and my father, whom my mother decided to marry despite the Elder choosing a Clan trainer as her intended groom. It was the circumstances of my birth that lead them to alienate me, and no amount of fame or power would change that.

Then a brief memory flashed through my head, of a girl with blue hair, three and a half years my senior, telling me that strength was all that mattered. That if I had none, I was nothing. And then the words poured out of my mouth.

"It's not about the League," I said, voice barely above a whisper, "I could make it to the finals and they wouldn't give a damn. But, if I beat their prized trainer, then they would be humbled; they would know that their bloodlines and traditions are nothing more than Ursaring crap!"

Without knowing it, I had allowed my voice to rise to a yell, and the three Pokemon at our table were staring at me warily. Chikorita backed away, a little frightened, but Pidgey really just looked annoyed with me. Cyndaquil quivered and nuzzled against my face, in what I assume was meant to be some sort of attempt to comfort me. I scratched him, looking away from Tyson.

"Lance? Do you really intend to dethrone Lance, just to spite those assholes?"

I let out a snort. I may have felt slighted by the Dragon Tamer Clan, but I wasn't about to throw the political stage of the Indigo Plateau into turmoil just to get some payback.

"Not Lance, I'm not that naive, and the one time he came to the Dragon's Den he was actually nice to me. No, I'm taking down-"

"Clair," Tyson deadpanned, "right, of course, I should have known it was her. You've had it out for her since she took over Lance's Gym. Your know she's only lost to Lance himself, right? That she can even battle the Elite Four on their terms and still win?"

Of course I knew, and that was half the point. Growing up in the Clan, you were taught to idolize Lance, and emulate Clair. She was the golden child, the up-and-coming Dragon Master. Clair was better than the rest of us, and we all knew it. Even she did. But before Lance became Champion, she didn't care. As far as she was concerned, we were all equals, even me, the wayward outsider. I remembered her as compassionate, and always smiling. Clair could have you twisted around her finger with her kind words, and you wouldn't realize it (even some of the adults were caught in her charismatic web).

Then, when she was fifteen, Lance ascended to Champion, and she was left to run the Blackthorn City Gym. That's when she changed; when she became cold and stoic. No longer did she have a use for friendship, or even those followers she had accidentally wrapped around her finger. Clair became haughty, and she lorded her status as "Dragon Master of the Blackthorn Gym" over everyone. Suddenly, she wasn't just the best, she also knew it and acted like it. If you weren't a talented trainer, she belittled you. I had experienced it more than once, being on the receiving end when she would teach lessons in the Dragon's Den, and I had even watched from the sidelines, as she picked apart those who dared challenge her Gym.

I hated her. I hated her more than words could express. But the Clan loved her, and that's why I had to be the one to beat her; to thrash her team outright in a Gym battle. I'd never get the recognition I deserved, or the retribution I wanted, otherwise.

"I don't care," I said, struggling to keep my voice low, "I'm going to break her winning streak. I'll be the first challenger to beat her, you mark my words!"

I let out the rest of my breath. It helped soothe my anger, if only a little. I pulled another berry out of the bag in my lap, and plopped it into my mouth.

"Are you sure this isn't some sort of, like, thinly veiled declaration of love?"

I choked in surprise. Spittle flew from my mouth, and I pounded my chest in an attempt to restore my respiratory functions to normal. Cyndaquil decided to help, and gave me a few good kicks to my back as well.

Once I was able to draw in air once more, I turned to Tyson, who was grinning like he'd just won the lottery.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"What do you mean 'what?' I'm asking you! Is all of this grandstanding the result of some unspoken love for Clair Ryūō? Is this revenge for, I don't know, maybe her rejecting you when you were younger? I mean, I may not have grown up with her, but I've seen her before. She's definitely attractive, with a capital 'A.'"

His grin got even wider, and I didn't even think that was possible.

"First off, she never rejected me, because I never even thought to, uh, bring anything like that up when we were kids."

"Okay, but, do you think she's cute?"

"Second of all," I said, face heating up, "whether I'm attracted to her or not, it doesn't change the fact that she's a haughty, prissy, and demeaning person. How could anyone love someone like that?"

I wasn't going to lie to myself, of course Clair was attractive (I did marry her, after all. But do me a solid Professor, and don't mention this part to her. She's got a big enough head as it is). However, Tyson didn't need to know that, and I would choose to drown over admitting I had a childhood crush on the one person I despised most. (I especially don't want this part being relayed back to her. These words are meant for you alone, Oak.)

"Alright, alright," Tyson clearly wasn't convinced, "if you say so."

He left it at that, and I found myself silently sighing in relief.

"A different question then; what kind of team are you gonna put together? You haven't caught anything yet, so I assume you're waiting to run into some specific species."

Now that was something I was happy to talk about. Strategy and Pokemon were my main interests, and they were shared in the same intensity by Tyson. Glad to be off of the previous topic, I pondered the question for a moment. I hadn't exactly built a dream team in my head, not really. I knew that I wanted a Dragon type, and definitely a Flying type of my own, but I never put much thought into specific Pokemon. I relayed this much to Tyson.

"So, you're telling me, that you've got it in your head that you can beat Clair herself, but you haven't even thought of how you're gonna do it?"

Well, when he put it like that….

"I know how to train Pokemon. That's the one good thing the Clan beat into my head. It doesn't matter what kind of Pokemon I catch; I'll turn them into a team of strong battlers."

"Well, I guess 'a Dragon type and a probably a Flying type' is a better starting point than having no idea at all."

"I knew you'd see things my way," a smirk graced my face.

Taking a look at the watch on his wrist, Tyson stood up from his chair.

"Alright, as much as I enjoy a good conversation, we can finish this chat on the road. Let's go rouse Ben and kick his butt into gear. I wanna hit the Violet City Gym as soon as possible!"

I stood from my own seat, just as excited as he was to get back on the trail. I tucked the berry bag under one arm, and tucked my chair under the table.

"You ready?" I asked Cyndaquil, craning my neck so I could get a proper look at him on my shoulder.

I didn't need to ask. He was always ready.