"Char char, mander!"
Once outside Dirk's little rock house I was tackled to the ground by a gleeful Charmander who went on to happily hop atop and around me. I tried to sit up but the orange lizard decided to settle itself on my chest, its flaming tail waving behind it as it inspected me.
"Haha! Tobius, meet your first Pokémon, Charmander, son of Pyrus!"
"What?" I forced myself up and the Charmander toppled to the ground and giggled.
For the first time I looked around Dirk's 'backyard.'
Firstly, to say it was huge would be an understatement. Secondly, there were a number of intimidating Pokémon staring at me. On the cliff-fence's side were the Pidgeot from before and an Altaria standing over what looked like the biggest nest I'd ever seen. Further along stood a motionless Xatu that seemed to be staring in my direction but not directly at me or anything else. On the ground I saw a Nidoking, Rhydon, Primeape, Slowking, Ampharos, Tyranitar and a Charizard. Everyone looked at me, but none did so in the same way that the Charizard did. Its eyes took in my every detail and movement.
"Are they the Pokémon from the photo?"
"Yup, and the rest are mine," Dirk said with pride.
"Why do you have them?" Wouldn't they go to Mom or something? Well, I actually wondered why they didn't come to me, but I guess that was silly. Dirk chuckled so I assume he'd guessed the latter of what I had thought.
"I met your father three months after I started my trainer's journey. He was struggling with a stubborn Charmander and an overly needy Caterpie. At the time I had no idea what I planned on becoming, I just wanted to raise the strongest Pokémon I could. Todd had only been travelling for a few weeks, but he knew from the start he wanted to be a Flying-type trainer."
That caught me off guard but I immediately realized that all my father's Pokémon had been Flying-types. And here most of them were, all except—"Where's the Butterfree?"
"When you're father was killed Pyrus eventually led the team to me. I suppose I was the only human they'd had respect for besides your father. There are areas where particularly powerful Pokémon gather, but they chose to come here instead. My Pokémon are at a high level and continue to battle and train regularly. I'm guessing everyone except Notch wanted that. As far as I can tell he decided it was time to retire. I wouldn't be surprised if he found himself a pretty little mate and settled down somewhere."
"I thought you said something about training to become a breeder?"
"Oh yes, that I am. I'm a more unique kind of breeder. Most just get the Pokémon they want, teach them the moves they need them to pass on to the next generation, and breed them. Here my three pairs have offspring when they wish and lead lives of retired fighting Pokémon the rest of the time. Trained Pokémon get bored and destructive if they don't battle regularly and stay in shape. That makes for the strongest offspring you can ask for." He smiled proudly at the Pokémon around him. "I believe that's the other reason Pyrus led your father's team back here, I think she always had a thing for my Tyranitar, Colossus." The Tyranitar gave a loud roar. "The other pairs are Caelum and Cirrus, and my Rhydon and Nidoking, Terra and Rex."
After that I was introduced to all the Pokémon. Most of Dirk's Pokémon weren't that interested in me but all of my father's old team seemed to want to examine me in every way possible.
All the while the Charmander followed right behind me, so close that it would walk into my legs at times. Its little claws sometimes grasped my pant legs, which it would pull when trying to attract my attention. When I looked down it would give me a hug or preform some trick such as balancing on its tail or trying a handstand.
What had Dirk said about it being mine? There was way too much to take in.
I met Pyrus last in what I was sure was a deliberately dramatic move on Dirk's behalf. When guessing heights I used my own 5'7'' and I could tell this Charizard must be over 7 or 8 feet at her shoulder. She made no effort to make herself less intimidating; stretching out her wings and towering over me with her long neck while her powerful tail swayed behind her. She kneaded the ground with her frightening claws and breathed loud, hot breaths that disturbed my wind-swept hair.
"Pyrus, here's the long awaited Tobius Wright," Dirk bellowed happily. "What do you think? He's a little on the skinny side, but that's nothing a few months in the wild won't fix, eh."
Pyrus made a sort of growl in her throat and flexed her wings. I wanted nothing more then to take a few steps backward but I stood my ground, be it mostly out of terror. Most trainers' Charizard were 8'-12' from head to toe. Pyrus could easily take out most of those Charizard.
"I knew you'd approve of the boy. You're little one's gonna be in good hands."
"Char char!" The Charmander hopped on the spot.
"Umm, what do you mean? So this Charmander is mine?" I was too surprised to show any emotion. Not only did I get a Charmander—a rare and potentially powerful Pokémon—but it was some kind of super powerful Charmander because of its awesome parentage. I was totally dumbfounded, a feeling I'd never known before. "... I don't get it."
"A while back Kilik – your father's Natu that evolved several years ago – foresaw a need for this yet-to-be-born Charmander to stick around. It wasn't long before I figured you must be getting close to the age of being able to apply for a trainer's license and I called your mom to tell her that I had a Charmander prepped for you. She told me you wouldn't be going on a journey but I knew better. I made her promise that your first Pokémon would be the son of your father's starter."
"Char char, mander char!" The lizard hopped a few times and then hugged my leg tightly.
"He's been waiting for you. This little guy's been bouncing off the walls since I sent Caelum to get you," Dirk said, bending down to pat the Charmander on the head.
"Ya.. but..." I hesitantly pulled out Nyx's Pokéball and expanded it. From the corner of my eye I saw my father's Pidgeot murmuring something into the Altaria's ear. The Altaria, Cirrus, stiffened.
I'd better get this over with quickly.
I let my Murkrow out and, in her usual manner, she started flying around and crowing at the top of her lungs. This stopped immediately when she realized there were a dozen menacing pairs of eyes watching her. Flustered, she flapped down to me and perched on my shoulder and tried to mold her body to the back of my head.
That was a first.
My back was to Pyrus but I felt her every move. I heard her wings pound the air and I felt the ground tremble as her body hit it right behind me. I flinched. Nyx froze, to terrified to turn around and see what monster loomed over us. We both felt her hot breath expelled on us as she gave the most frightening growl I'd ever heard. I couldn't help but wonder how much of my body Pyrus could fit in her mouth in the first bite.
"Oh, you have a Pokémon already. That's a surprise..." I saw Dirk look at the Xatu from corner of his eye. The totem like bird was preening itself; that seemed to annoy Dirk.
On my shoulder Nyx was shaking violently. I looked up to see Pyrus' head was directly over mine. She was still growling, though more quietly. Then her attention shifted, I looked down too. The Charmander's entire body was shaking violently with what I knew was fury. Then without any warning the fire lizard shot a Flamethrower at my shoulder. I ducked out of the way; luckily Nyx had had her claws dug so tightly into my shoulder that she didn't fall off. Pyrus tilted her head out of the attack's way and seemed rather amused at her child's actions.
"Well kid, I suppose this might be for the best anyways," Dirk mused.
"WHAT?!" I'd pulled Nyx into my arms and was dodging a slew of Flamethrowers. The Charmander seemed to be trying to avoid hitting me so I ended up running in circles with the little fire lizard following me.
Why did this keep happening to me?
"Well," Dirk shouted as the Charmander had started screaming, "the Charmander/meleon/izard family have a habit of turning on trainers that didn't battle and catch them. Something about earning respect as Todd used to say. Go on, use that bird of yours."
The Charmander stopped running after us and, still shaking, bent as if ready to pounce.
"But we've never battled anything before, not even wilds," I said in a pleading tone.
Nyx seemed to once again try to mold herself to my body. Still, I knew he was right. Many young trainers in the Kanto region that started with Charmander developed problems, especially after the Pokémon evolved. Even captured ones had obedience problems; it was common among a number of Fire and Dragon types. More then a few times arguments had been made as to whether Charmander should continue to be given out as starters. It was mostly in the name of tradition that the starters order remained the way it always was.
"Char char chrrrr." That sounded like a challenge.
"Umm, Nyx? How about it?" I loosened my grip. She looked at me, looked at the Charmander, and flew into the air. I was just about to give a shout of excitement but she landed behind me and started scratching at the ground. I felt myself flush red as a number of grumbles of amusement came from our observers.
"Well kid, you're gonna have to earn respect now."
He was right. The Charmander had stopped shaking and was now just observing me with an expression as if it had raised an eyebrow.
Great.
"Okay Nyx, you have to get in there," I said in a forced kind voice.
"Mur," she said as she turned her head away from me.
"Please?"
"Mur." She puffed up, still not looking at me.
"Go!"
"Mur." She then kicked flecks of dirt at me. That—combined with the embarrassment—did it.
"Get in there now!" I grabbed my little feathered friend by the tailand literally threw her at the Charmander. With a lot of frantic wing beats Nyx caught herself and flew upwards. The Charmander blew another Flamethrower at her but she easily dodged.
"Murkrow!"
Apparently her flying advantage gave her a confidence boost. From an altitude high enough to easily dodge oncoming Flamethrowers she crowed what I took to be insults and taunts at the Charmander.
Definitely not the brightest move.
"Chhhaaarrrrrr!" With that the fire lizard started shaking again, but this time something was different. This shaking was more like a vibration running through the little creature's entire body. I thought it was an attack until the Charmander started to glow. Glow and grow.
Crap.
"Charmeleon!" it roared as the light faded away. Apparently it had also inherited some height from its parents, too. I was pretty sure that it's head would be at my shoulder if it stood up straight, but like all Charmeleon it hunched a little forward most of the time. A raptor ready to spring.
With a now more menacing "Charrr" it let out another Flamethrower that went much higher this time. Nyx just barely dodged and continued to do somersaults and dives in the air to avoid the streams of fire. With another crow she flew away from us, in the direction of the house.
I had just started to think that a forfeit might be for the best anyways when a new more powerful blaze blocked her escape. Pyrus had let loose the most powerful Fire Spin I'd ever seen, the flames were far above my head but I could still feel the heat. Nyx flew to the center of the circling flames where she looked at me with large scared eyes. We both looked at Pyrus when she stopped her fire trap and started speaking in roars, growls and grunts. I couldn't be sure, but I think she was threatening my Murkrow. For a moment longer after Pyrus had finished Nyx just flapped in the spot, I couldn't read her expression so I decided to try to continue.
"Nyx, use Astonish!"
I didn't think it would work but to my surprise Nyx went into a steep dive, did a circle around the Charmeleon, then came up behind him and screamed.
"Drill Peck!"
The Charmeleon had flinched and Nyx flapped up then came down hard. Critical hit. The red reptile waved its flaming tail at her but she was able to gain some height again.
I suddenly understood why my father had preferred Flying-types; they're awesome!
Unfortunately the next Flamethrower caught Nyx's wing. She wasn't down, but she screeched in pain and lost some height.
"Use Pursuit."
She landed another direct hit but this time the Charmeleon was ready for her. With surprising speed he swatted her to the ground with his tail. I saw another Flamethrower was coming but the adrenaline had pushed my brain into fast-forward.
"Confuse Ray, quickly!"
Nyx didn't listen. Instead, she tried to get away. She was able to get a few feet into the air quickly enough but the Flamethrower hit her hard in the back. Direct hit. To my amazement she was able to flap away, but another hit like that would be the end for her.
"Nyx if you want to win this you have to listen to me," I shouted.
She fell out of the way of another Flamethrower and looked down at me. She then looked over at the Charmeleon, then at me and nodded. It looked like her eyes were full of tears.
"Okay, now Confuse Ray."
The beam of Ghost-type energy was launched successfully but the Charmeleon easily dodged it. "Again." The next one was canceled out by a colliding Flamethrower. I could tell there was too much distance between the two; Confuse Ray just didn't move fast enough.
"Nyx, you have to get closer."
"Mur!" She didn't shake her head but I knew that was a no.
"Fly down and launch Confuse Ray while circling Charmeleon."
"Krr..." She didn't have time to think before another attack forced her to dive anyways.
"Keep going!"
She did. Beating the air hard she flew around the Charmeleon as fast as her singed wings would push her. The first Confuse Ray missed, but so did the following Flamethrower.
The Flamethrowers were also getting weaker; he was running out of steam.
"Confuse Ray again!"
The following two missed but then Nyx landed a nice clean hit. Something in the Charmeleon's eyes seemed to shift and he launched a Flamethrower at the ground in front of him and most of the flames bounced back at him. He seemed to try to wave them away but scratched up his face in the process. Here was my chance.
"Here's your opening Nyx. Use Brave Bird!"
I knew we'd need a strong move to take out the Charmeleon, and Nyx seemed to understand that to. She closed her eyes and seemed to talk to herself while she flew up. She started glowing with a faint blue Flying-type energy. I was amazed and then saddened when I saw the expression on her face; she was in pain.
She dove, though not directly at the Charmeleon. She pulled up when close to the ground and the energy seemed to triple. She wavered; she was losing control. I realized I'd been an idiot; Nyx knew the attack but probably had only used it once. She knew the attack, but she had yet to master it. She was almost at the stumbling Charmeleon when she screamed in pain and hit the ground beak first. Still glowing with white hot Flying-type energy she sort of bowled into the Charmeleon's head. It wasn't a direct hit, but it was enough to send him to the ground.
I felt my body freeze as I watched my black bird roll to a stop. She was still for a short moment then stirred and looked at me, apparently trying to say something. I ran over to her but was afraid to pick her up. It took a lot of effort but she lifted her wing and 'pointed' at the fallen Charmeleon. He was shaking but otherwise not moving that much. She then put on an extremely cross face and screeched at me before falling down.
She wasn't knocked out, but she definitely wasn't going to move immediately.
Your spunky little friend wishes you to 'throw that Poke-catcher you blockheaded land dawdler' as she put it.
I was shocked at the echoing voice that seemed to be in my head, not my ears. Before thinking too much about it I got up and threw my Pokéball. The Charmeleon was trying to push itself up when it got sucked in. As the ball shook I noticed the observing crowd was moving in closer. In the blink of an eye the Xatu was right beside me. It bent over and lightly brushed Nyx's feather hat while mumbling something softly in its Pokémon tongue. It then looked up at the Pokéball and I followed its stare, the light on the front blinked one last time and went out. The Xatu then turned its wise and somehow aged-looking eyes back to me and tilted its head.
Well, looks like you're going to have your hands pretty full.
