It was early in the afternoon when Aaron walked down the sidewalk of Jubilife City. He was expected to arrive to Oreburgh City early in the evening. There was a large white building that was full of people. Several of them wore blue polo shirts with a pokeball printed on the front of each one; they seemed to be helping customers. Aaron looked into the glass window and saw the inside of the modern looking store. Someone saw him and waved him inside. Reluctantly, he walked inside the building.
"Looking for a Pokétch? They're all the rage." The woman smiled motioning for him to look around the room.
"Would you mind if I saw one first?"
"Of course. We have a demo counter over here." She led him over to a bar table where several people were already trying on Pokétch. "Just try one on and see if you like it."
Aaron picked one of the watches off the counter and held it in his hand. He looked at some of the applications on it. "Not interested." He hopped off the counter ready to leave the store.
"Any reason you don't want a Pokétch?" A man asked holding a clipboard in his hand ready to take notes.
"It's not worth my while or the trouble." Aaron walked out of the store. His Emolga popped its head out of his bag and said something. "Technology complicates things. Besides, I have my book and my best friend to guide me and help me on my journey." He smiled scratching it behind the ears. "Get comfy. We have a bit of a walk before we get to Oreburgh City."
He was just at the edge of the city when a boy ran up to him. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you a trainer?"
"Technically." Aaron responded.
"Good. That means we can have a battle."
"I don't have time." Aaron stepped forward only to have his path blocked by the boy.
"Battle me."
Aaron looked into his bag. "You up to battle?" His Emolga nodded his head hopping out of the bag. "One on one, right here, right now. I don't have time to go to a battlefield." He dropped his bag on the ground and stretched out a little bit. "Emolga, let's do this, fast." His Emolga nodded its head.
"Chimchar, you're up." The boy smiled tossing his pokeball. "Where are you from? I haven't seen an Emolga before."
"Unova, are you going first?"
"You can since you're in a hurry."
Aaron smiled a little bit at the boy's statement. "Emolga, acrobatics!"
"Chimchar, protect!"
"Quick thinking. Emolga, iron tail. Don't let up." His Emolga's tail glowed growing hard. It jumped up high ready to strike the Chimchar.
"Protect again!" The protect was weaker, but on the second strike, the Chimchar fell back.
"You need to tell it to dodge as well. Electro ball, full strength." His Emolga began charging a large sphere of electricity. It hurled it at the Chimchar.
"Chimchar, dodge it with flame wheel." The Pokémon nodded its head and ran engulfed in flames dodging the attack and striking the Emolga to the ground.
"Impressive." Aaron smiled a little bit. "Acrobatics once more."
"Let's go on the offensive too. Use thunder punch!" The Pokémon charged at each other. Both of them had fire in their eyes. A large cloud of smoke formed from the collision. When it vanished, Aaron's Emolga was still standing; Chimchar laid on the ground unconscious. "Chimchar, return." The boy sighed recalling his Pokémon.
"That was a good battle." Aaron smiled. "Just keep training. That's how I got to be where I am, and I'm not stopping." He opened his bag and let his Emolga hop inside before putting it over his shoulder and walking off.
"I will. I promise!" The boy shouted waving him off.
"Let's get to Oreburgh City." He scratched his Emolga behind the ears.
…
The sun outside was just setting when Aaron entered the city. He walked down the street of an older district all the way to the end. An old sign hung above his head with a faded picture of a sword on it. Aaron knocked on the door. He heard metal clatter. The door creaked open; a younger man ushered him inside. Aaron took notice of the soot on his face and clothing and the brown apron he wore.
"Alva sent me." Aaron said watching the door close behind him. The room was dimly lit, but swords, armor, and other weapons and items clearly decorated the walls.
"Yes, my mentor is expecting you. I'm his apprentice. Come along." He walked behind the counter and behind a closed curtain. Aaron followed him. Behind the curtain, Aaron saw a man hammering a heated piece of metal on an anvil. "Sir, this is the Wielder, Aaron."
The man gave the metal one more hit before sitting it in a pool of water that erupted into steam. He removed his gloves and his mask. "Alva's boy! I'm Trevor." He smiled giving Aaron a hug.
Aaron pried him off and brushed off some of the soot on his clothes. "Do you have my gear?"
The man smiled nervously turning around. "Unfortunately, I do not. You see, your armor requires a special metal that I currently do not have."
"Can't you just give me something off the rack?" Trevor scowled hitting Aaron on the head. "What the heck?"
"Young man, as a Wielder, you must learn not to take shortcuts. That armor is for customers and is not fit for someone like you." He pointed to a bin of broken molds. "After every creation I make, I break the mold because I believe in no shortcuts and quality over quantity."
"So you want me to get the metal?"
He smiled. "Indeed." He grabbed a book off the table and opened it to the page he was looking for. He held the book up to Aaron. There was a picture of what looked like a large egg. "This is the metal. It's found in a secret cavern on Iron Island. It's so durable, so flawless, so flexible, and so lightweight. It's perfect for a Wielder like you."
"How do I get to Iron Island?" Aaron asked rubbing his head in frustration.
"There should be someone in Canalave City who can take you there. Before you go though, you can stay here tonight."
"Anything else?" Aaron asked still a bit frustrated.
"I need to take your measurements. While you're out gathering the material, I can make your molds." Trevor grabbed a measuring tape and a notebook. He measured Aaron from head to toe recording everything in the notebook. When he was finished, he closed it. "All done."
"Great, I'm going to the Pokémon center for a little bit." Aaron grabbed his bag and walked off.
"Is he okay?" The apprentice asked.
"He's fine. He just needs to blow off some steam." Trevor said grabbing the blade from the pool of water. He gave it a small swing and brought it over to a table. He grabbed a roll of leather and some other pieces and began finalizing the weapon.
…
"Can you heal my partner?" Aaron sat his Pokémon on the counter.
"Yes, absolutely." Nurse Joy smiled while her Blissey grabbed his Emolga and walked off. "I'll call you when he's ready."
"Thank you." Aaron smiled briefly taking a seat on one of the couches. "Come out Sewaddle." The Pokémon crawled into his lap expecting affection that Aaron gave. "We're going to have to do some training at some point. There's no shortcut to getting strong." He smiled until he realized what he said and what Trevor told him. He sighed. Sewaddle looked to his master to see what was wrong. "It's fine. I just realized something."
A girl walked up to him watching him pet his Pokémon. "Do you and your Pokémon want to battle?"
"Sewaddle, do you want to battle? It will be good experience for you." It gave a nod and a determined look. "Let's do it." Aaron followed the girl outside to the battlefield. Aaron found his place and instructed his Sewaddle. "You stand on the field for the battle. I don't know your moves yet, so I'm going to trust you. Okay?" Sewaddle nodded its head.
"Go for it, Starly!" The girl threw her pokeball calling out the Pokémon.
"I'll go first. Sewaddle, attack!" It shot a stream of silk from its mouth. "String shot, nice."
"Starly, dodge and use peck." The string shot barely missed. Starly picked up speed charging Sewaddle.
"String shot, again!" Aaron watched it get tangled in silky string and fall to the ground. "Okay, Sewaddle, attack again." It gave Aaron a nod and ran forward tackling Starly who was still struggling to break free. "Tackle, noted."
"Starly, break free and use peck." It nodded its head emerging and flying high. It charged at the Sewaddle and sent it flying on to its back. "Starly, let's finish this with gust!"
"Sewaddle, if you have anything left, do it." Aaron watched Starly create a small burst of wind. It hurled it at Sewaddle who was concentrating. It let out a cry and a blast of wind. "Silver wind." Aaron watched the two winds collide and fizzle out into a cloud of dust.
Starly flew up high to regain its vision. "Starly, clear the dust and use peck!" Aaron watched it flap its wings and clear the dust. His Sewaddle was still trying to regain its vision. By the time it had, it was too late. Starly charged and Aaron watched his Sewaddle fall to the ground unconscious.
Aaron picked it up and held it in his arms. "You did great, especially for a first battle." It smiled at him. "Let's go get you patched up." He looked to his opponent. "Thank you for the battle." He walked inside and dropped off his Sewaddle.
Once all of his Pokémon were better, he left the Pokémon center and returned to Trevor's shop; it was night now. "Did you have a nice time out?" He asked seeing Aaron walk inside.
"Yeah, I'll go to Iron Island and get that metal tomorrow. Now though, I need to rest."
"Room upstairs, far right." Trevor instructed watching him walk upstairs.
…
Aaron was up early the next morning. Trevor was making breakfast. "Early Starly gets the Burmy." He set down some eggs on the table for Aaron. "Eat up. You have a big day ahead."
"Any advice or gear you can give me?"
"Advice, be careful. Gear, I have a bag that should be able to carry the metal without tearing and an old pickaxe you can use."
"Let's get going then." Aaron cleared his plate and stood up. Trevor retrieved the items and handed them to Aaron. He put the empty canvas bag in his bag and holstered the rusty pickaxe to his back.
…
A walk back through Jubilife City was less than pleasant for Aaron who was trying not to attract attention to himself. Then there was the under construction bridge to Canalave City; construction workers paid him no attention drilling and blasting while he walked through the dangerous area. Nonetheless, he made it to Canalave City early in the afternoon.
He saw a fishing boat preparing to leave and started running towards it. "Any chance you guys are headed towards Iron Island?"
"Sorry lad. We don't have time for stops." The fisherman got on the boat with his crew and set off.
Aaron tried another boat. "Sorry, but the Pokémon aren't biting up there." He tried boat after boat with no luck.
He walked off to a concession stand and bought a soda pop for himself, one for his Emolga, and one for his Sewaddle. "It doesn't look like we're getting to Iron Island anytime soon." He sat down on a bench and sat the other bottles next to him. His Emolga crawled out of his bag and opened it taking a sip. He let his Sewaddle out and opened the bottle for it. "Cheers." They clinked their bottles. Aaron set his bottle down and grabbed his book from his bag.
Good things come to those who wait.
"This book has been a fortune cookie lately." He closed it and put it away.
Meanwhile…
Trevor sat at a desk. He crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it aside. His apprentice walked in with a pot of tea. "Sir, what are you doing?"
"Trying to break the mold, do something original." He snapped his pencil in half and tossed it into the pile of discarded sketches.
His apprentice walked over and looked at the worktable. "If this armor needs to be light and flexible, why does the majority of it have to be metal?"
"There's an idea." He stood up and walked into the storage room without another word.
…
A man walked down the street being greeted by several people recognizing him as Canalave City's Gym Leader, Byron. He waved and smiled at them. He took notice of Aaron sitting on the bench with his Pokémon. They were all on their second bottles now. He saw the pickaxe nearby and walked over out of curiosity. "Where are you headed young man?"
"I'm trying to get to Iron Island. Unfortunately, no one's headed my way."
"I can take you. I was headed there for some training. I have a cabin on the island."
"That would be great." Aaron stood up recalling his Sewaddle while his Emolga hopped into his bag.
"Where are you from young man?"
"Unova."
"A bit far from home to go mining."
"I'm going for something special." Aaron responded.
"Okay, let's get going. No use in waiting here to talk about it." He pointed to one of the boats docked in the harbor. Aaron nodded his head climbing aboard.
On the water…
"Couple of waves." Byron chuckled watching the boat rock. Some water splashed aboard along with a Pokémon. "Just a Qwilfish. I can take care of it."
"No way, I've wanted one of these things since I was a kid. The aquarium back home had them. They were so cool. Emolga, let's go." It hopped from his bag ready to fight. The Qwilfish looked at him and then hopped back into the water.
"I guess it didn't want to battle." Byron chuckled putting an arm on Aaron's shoulder. "Don't feel bad. We're almost there."
Neither of them knew it, but the Qwilfish was keeping its distance behind the boat.
The sun was setting when they arrived on the island. Aaron stepped off noticing the entrance to the cave. "When you get out of there, just come to the cabin. We'll rest here tonight and go back tomorrow." Aaron nodded his head walking to the cave entrance.
He disappeared inside leaving Byron behind. "It's in a secret cavern." He mumbled to himself grabbing his flashlight. A few lanterns hung along the walls illuminating the path, but Aaron wanted to see everything and anything that might lead to the secret cavern. He walked around the cave for what felt like hours. It was when he came across a small pile of boulders that his book started to glow. He opened it only to be met with blank pages. He put it away and started moving the boulders out of his way until he could walk inside.
He walked inside the small cavern which was well lit. He turned off his flashlight and put it away. Sitting in the center of the room was the metal egg that Trevor had told him about. He picked it up and held it in his hands. The metal showed his reflection clearly. For the amount of metal that it was, it was light." He reached into his bag and pulled out the canvas bag and put it inside. "I don't know why he gave me the pickaxe if it was this easy." Aaron walked to the exit only to feel the ground rumbling beneath him.
One of the walls burst revealing a large Pokémon. Dots on its face blinked as it let out several noises. "Registeel." Aaron trembled dropping the bag to the ground. His book was glowing again. He grabbed it and read it.
Fight.
He closed it and put it away calling out his Emolga and Sewaddle. "Emolga, shockwave. Sewaddle, silver wind." Both Pokémon attacked while Registeel simply took the attacks taking very little damage. "Let's go." Aaron grabbed the pickaxe and charged swinging with all of his might not even making a scratch on it; the pickaxe broke. Registeel grabbed his arm and threw him against a wall. Aaron forced himself up. "Okay, have to do this smart. Sewaddle, use string shot to slow it down. Emolga, shock wave again." Aaron grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it at Registeel. "Bring it." Registeel did not hold back charging at Aaron with its superpower attack. He ducked to the side avoiding the attack. His Sewaddle covered its feet in sticky silk temporarily rendering it immobile while his Emolga shocked it. "Come on, let's try it again." He taunted Registeel. This time it used flash cannon damaging one of the walls sending rocks tumbling down; a few of them hit Aaron knocking him down. "I have an idea." Aaron grabbed the metal from his bag and hurled it at Registeel who grew enraged. Aaron knew something happened when he heard the loud clanging sound. It charged again with superpower hitting the wall sending rocks tumbling down on itself. "Sewaddle, seal it in with string shot." It covered the rocks in the sticky string binding them together. "Emolga, shock wave, just to be safe." Aaron's breathing grew heavy as his Emolga hit the rocks with a blast of electricity. Aaron grabbed the metal ready to leave the cavern.
Unfortunately, the rocks burst open and went flying. The blast knocked Aaron against a wall of the cave. "Emolga… shock wave, again and… again." Aaron said breathing heavily. He stood up and tightened his empty fist. Registeel took attack after attack until it fell to the ground. "The metal is… mine. I… can… leave." He spit out a little blood recalled his Pokémon and started to walk to the exit. Registeel did nothing to stop him. It only held up a hand letting a small bit of light escape. It floated over to Aaron who instinctively grabbed it. He looked in his hand to see a metallic, oval-shaped stone in his hand. "A power stone." He walked out of the cavern navigating his way out of the cave. Outside, he saw Byron standing by the cabin tending to a small campfire. "I did it." Aaron said dropping his stuff on the ground. His body shook exhausted. He fell off a small cliff into the water.
"Hang on!" Byron ran over to see where he fell. He saw the Qwilfish from earlier in the day swimming nearby. "Where is he?" Byron jumped in diving after Aaron. The Qwilfish led Byron to Aaron and helped him to drag the boy to shore.
