Took a while to get this chapter done.
It is up to all you readers to decide whether this chapter is good or not.
Chapter 5, illuminate.
The Sun rose from behind the mountains that enclosed a populated area which was widely known as the Stone Grey City. The gradually noticeable sunlight was slowly pushing away the blanket of darkness that enveloped the city. It was as if the forces of darkness were retreating in fear from the forces of light. It was a new day for the residents of the city as most of them began to awaken from their slumber and resume their journey through life that was as brief as a candle.
A pair of turqouise-coloured eyes was looking down at the city below from atop a hill. The striking pair of eyes belonged to a boy of twelve years. Said boy had silver hair which parted slightly on the left side of his head with the bangs spiked upwards. The individual's choice of clothing was also rather unique. He wore a short-sleeved, ghost white jacket with a silver stripe going along his shoulders to the ends of his sleeves. The jacket's collar was rather high and was ash grey, as were the ends of the sleeves and the bottom hem of the jacket. There was a black kanji symbol, which carried the meaning 'salvation in light', prominently displayed on the left breast of his jacket. He also appeared to be donning a black undershirt, as well as black pants and white sneakers with what appeared to be a blackish trim on the bottom.
The boy diverted his gaze from the citiy to the rising Sun. "Our fateful encounter draws ever so near, denizen of darkness," he soliloquized.
Without another word, he slung a bag over his shoulders and descended down the hill and into Pewter City. With each step, his bright green eyes gradually faded into a platinum tone.
Levitas expected to wake up in a confined space. The Pikachu vaguely remembered going into his Pokeball once his attempt to make Seishiro reconsider his plan to travel at night failed miserably. Instead, the first thing that Levitas saw when he opened his eyes was a green tarpaulin above him. Still feeling sleepy, Levitas groggily raised his body to a sitting position so that the Electric-type could better observe the surroundings. The Mouse Pokemon noticed that he was in a tent and the zipper was already opened.
"Seishiro and Noctis must have woken up earlier," Levitas thought.
Since his brain did not have sufficient oxygen, it sent a message to Levitas' jaw muscles, causing the Pikachu to yawn loudly. Levitas then stood up and began conducting a series of stretches before ending his new morning routine with twenty press-ups and twenty sit-ups. Though Levitas would have preferred to laze about during this time of the day, the Pikachu knew that he must do all he can to catch up with Noctis. The Electric-type did not require a brain stem to figure out that Seishiro's training sessions were always intense. Satisfied with his morning exercise, Levitas took a deep breath and exited the tent.
As soon as Levitas set foot outside the tent, he was immediately attacked by the cool and fresh morning breeze. He giggled as the wind caressed his yellow fur. It was as if the wind was blessing him and wishing him luck in facing a new day. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end as Levitas was once again splashed with freezing, cold water. He stared through half-lidded eyes at the perpetrator, who was Noctis, as his joyful mood took a turn to 'gloomsville'.
"Was that really necessary?" Levitas yelled exaspeartedly. "I'm awake, aren't I?"
"Not early enough," Noctis calmly replied. "Unless you can wake up at the same time as me and Seishiro, you'll find that your fur shall always be soaked every morning. On a side note, the cold water helps get rid of lingering sleepiness." The Umbreon then made his way to Seishiro, who was sitting on a nearby stump and cooking breakfast, after he concluded the lecture.
Grudgingly, Levitas trudged after Noctis.
After filling their bellies with a moderate breakfast, the trio sat down facing each other in a circle. Seishiro had his eyes closed in deep concentration. His two companions, Noctis and Levitas, waited patiently for their Trainer's next course of action. Finally, Seishiro opened his eyes and addressed his two Pokemon.
Seishiro took note of their surroundings. "We are currently in Viridian Forest," he stated. "Under normal circumstances, I would prefer we just past by this area. However, the circumstances today are anything but normal. This setting provides a suitable and peaceful place for me to train you guys, especially you, Levitas."
The Pikachu sheepishly scratched his head in embarassment at the mention of his name.
Seishiro propped an elbow on his lap, rested his head on his hand and looked at Levitas. "According to Dexter's scan," Seishiro started, "you are primarily a hit-and-run type of battler. This is evident as your speed and agility are quite superb despite your young age. However, your stamina level is simply atrocious and your other essential battle stats like offence, defence and special attack are very undeveloped." Ignoring the depressed look on Levitas' face, Seishiro continued, "To counter your shortcomings, I have prepared a special three-day training regime especially for you. We will be focusing on improving your stamina and special attack power over the next three days."
Levitas nodded, eager to start his training right away. Still, he could not shake this sense of worry that he won't be all that jovial by day's end.
Seishiro promptly stood up from his sitting position and dusted himself before explaining, "This meadow that we are currently standing in is fairly large. The ground here is also flat so you should not encounter any difficulties." Sensing Levitas' confusion, Seishiro elaborated, "The first thing I want you to do is to jog at least twenty laps around this meadow. This is just a warm-up to the actual training so I do not want any complaints, do you understand?"
Levitas feebly nodded. The Pikachu was not quite sure whether or not he could pull this off this feat but those thoughts were completely erased once he thought of the events that had occured over the past few days. Images of his meeting with Seishiro and his battle with Noctis flashed before his eyes, the latter memory being more vivid than the former. His determination sky-rocketed as he replayed the image of Noctis slashing his face again and again. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Levitas started his first lap without as much as a 'go' from Seishiro.
Noctis observed the determined Pikachu jogging around the meadow. "The three-day training regime..., you used to put me through those back when I was Eevee," the Umbreon stated contemplatively. "They were always brutal, those regimes. Whenever I successfully endured one, I felt that my body would cease to function at any moment. It was as if I was suffering from haemophillia. Therefore, I am curious, Seishiro. Do you honestly think that Levitas is capable of braving through this trial?"
Seishiro gave Noctis a wry smirk. "To tell you the truth..., the chances of Levitas successfully completing this training regime is less than 10%," Seishiro said honestly.
"Then why did you force this upon him?" Noctis prodded.
Seishiro's answer was immediate. "The reason is because he has one thing that allows petty things like chances and odds to be disregarded."
"And that would be...?" Noctis prodded further.
Seishiro turned his gaze to Levitas, who had just completed his fifth lap around the meadow. "Resolve," Seishiro answered. He added, "It is the one thing that allows us to overcome even the hardest of trials. So long as we have resolve, nothing is impossible." He then looked at Noctis. "Levitas has you to thank for giving him that resolve."
"Why is that?" Noctis asked, even though the Umbreon already knew the reason.
Seishiro played along with Noctis' act. "When you gave him that scar," Seishiro began, "you also gave him a goal. At that moment, you challenged Levitas to surpass you. You see him as your successor. Even though Levitas still can't comprehend the reason behind you giving him that scar, I am sure he made it his goal to defeat you in a rematch."
"Unless he has amazing discipline and growth rate," the Umbreon stated stoically, "my defeat shall forever be an unattainable dream for him."
"We shall see, won't we?" Seishiro chuckled.
Noctis said nothing but silently agreed.
Levitas completed his first warm-up exercise under Seishiro's guidance ten minutes later. His fur was slightly soaked with sweat which added a bit of weight upon his shoulders but the Pikachu could care less. As far as the next phase of training was concern, Levitas was eager to tackle it head on. And tackle it head on he did.
"Now that your body is all warmed up," Seishiro observed as Levitas drank some cold water, "it is time for the real training to commence." Seishiro immediately drew a thin line on the ground with his foot. He explained, "I want you to sprint from this point to that large boulder at the other end of this meadow. Once you reached that boulder, return back to the starting point and repeat the process fifty more times."
"F-F-Fifty?" Levitas stammered, disbelief etched across his face.
Seishiro tilted his head. "Is there a problem, Levitas?" he innocently inquired.
Levitas took a step back at the tone Seishiro was using. "N-No, nothing's wrong," Levitas stumbled with his words. He then exclaimed, "I-In f-fact, I can do a hundred, no sweat."
Seishiro stared blankly at Levitas. "Okay, then please do a hundred," he ordered with a firm tone.
Cursing himself and swallowing his pride, Levitas started his journey through hell.
It was midday when Levitas finally completed his first stamina-building exercise..., or torture in his opinion. As soon as he crossed the starting line which was also the finish line, his body chose to declare mutiny and thus, Levitas ended up sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. The Pikachu was finding it very difficult to breathe. It was as if an Arbok was practically squeezing the life out of him. Levitas shuddered as he once had a bad experience with an Arbok. He then heard a small 'thud', as if something was being placed in front of him. The Electric-type feebly raised his head and a bottle of isotonic fluid entered his field of vision.
"You have exceeded my expectations," Seishiro remarked. "When you said that you could do a hundred laps, I thought that you had just dug your own grave but you proved me wrong. You've got a commendable resolve." Seishiro then removed the bottle cap before announcing, "We shall be having lunch now. After that, you have one hour of leisure time before we resume your training."
Levitas barely even acknowledged Seishiro as the Pikachu was busy taking huge gulps of the rejuvenating drink.
Unlike Levitas, whose attention was only focused on finishing his drink, Seishiro was always on the alert and thus it was thanks to that alertness that he sensed a foreign and... vibrant aura signature spying on him and his companions. Seishiro stood up from his kneeling position, dusted himself off and sighed.
"There is really no point in you spying on me for your knowledge," Seishiro announced. "I've detected your presence about thirty minutes ago so why don't you show your face? I'm curious as to what soul has the bravery to interrupt us."
On cue, a rustle sounded from behind the nearby bushes. Seishiro, Noctis and Levitas turned to the bushes, slightly interested in knowing their peeping tom. The individual that emerged from the bushes made Seishiro question humanity's sanity. The individual, who was a girl, had fair skin, ultra violet eyes that had a mysterious glint to them and icy blue hair put up in a ponytail and held together by a Cherrim hair clip. She wore a moon and star pendant on her neck besides a Lunar Wing bracelet on her left wrist. Her choice of attire was just... grotesque in Seishiro's opinion. She was donning on a cyan miniskirt, which had a giant sea blue ribbon on the rear along with some laces, and a vivid pink frizzled blouse which had Cherrim patterns on it. However, all of this was nothing when compared with her footwear which was a pair of bright orange boots.
"First a Zigzagoon-eyed girl and now I have to deal with a freak of fashion," Seishiro muttered under his breath. "Grandfather must surely be grinning from ear to ear in the afterlife."
"What did you say?" the girl asked with a high-pitched tone which leaning closer to Seishiro. She then exclaimed, "If the words that you're saying can't be heard by anyone near you, then you shouldn't bother saying anything at all."
Seishiro's left eye twitched. "Loud and obnoxious as well. How exciting," he thought exasperatedly. The sapphire-eyed boy forced himself to take a deep, long breath before addressing the girl, "To whom may I have this displeasure of meeting on this ruined day?"
The violet-eyed girl flipped her hair..., or at least attempted to as her hair was quite short, before announcing,"I am beautiful, self-confident and super powerful. My name is Alice Lunar Midnight. Nice to met'cha, Mr. Black-and-White."
Seishiro simply stared at the hyper girl in front of him with a stoic expression after her introduction, clearly unimpressed. The girl too stared back at Seishiro. A gentle breeze blew in between them. It was truly an awkward moment for Alice.
Alice noticed the silence and jabbed a finger at Seishiro's face. "Hey, what's with that stone face?" she asked in frustration. "That wasn't how you were supposed to react."
Seishiro innocently raised an eyebrow. "Oh," he began, "so I am supposed to be impressed by that introduction of yours? You make me laugh. Who goes around saying 'I am beautiful, self-confident and super powerful'? Those prideful words mean nothing if people do not feel the same way." Seishiro then raised a finger before continuing, "My Grandfather said this, 'First impressions are key towards achieving success in life'. Unfortunately for you, I see your first impression as being rather atrocious and grotesque."
Alice narrowed her eyes at Seishiro after he insulted her. "Now you listen here buster, I-"
"That's beside the point," Seishiro cut her off abruptly. He then added, "I could really care less if you are angry at me but I am curious as to why you had been spying on me for the past half hour. Care to explain?"
Alice gazed at Seishiro for awhile before realization dawned upon her. "I remember now," she stated. "I came to chastise you for treating your Pikachu so badly."
Seishiro shook his head at her choice of words. "Do you even know what 'chastise' even means?" Seishiro questioned her. Before she even got a chance to reply, Seishiro explained, "It means to punish or reprimand severely, especially by beating." He then regarded Alice with an amused expression before challenging her, "Are you sure that you can punish me? Your small frame really does little to convince me that you are capable of such a feat."
Alice immediately countered, "Are kidding me? I know that I can't punish you physically so I've settled with beating your high and mighty ego. Let's have a battle right now."
"Before we get to that," Seishiro began, "what gave you the impression that I was treating my Pikachu badly?"
Alice looked shocked at his question. "Are you blind?" she mocked Seishiro. "Have you seen how torturous your so-called training is? Just look at your Pikachu. He is extremely exhausted and fatigued. Don't you feel any remorse for putting him through all that?"
"No," Seishiro deadpanned. "My Pikachu knew what he was getting into when he allowed me to capture him. He knew that my training was very tough and intensive. He wanted to endure this training so that he may become stronger. My Grandfather said this, 'To progress through life, one must experience pain'. It is only through pain that my Pikachu can tap into his inner potential."
"At what cost?" she objected vehemently. "Your Pikachu could die from all this training. Did that possibility ever crossed your mind?"
"If he dies, then he would die knowing that he tried his best in his pursuit to realize his dream," Seishiro replied monotonously.
Alice threw her hands in the air. "You are unbelieveable," she exclaimed. "Enough talk. You. Me. Battle. Now."
Seishiro thought a moment before sweeping a hand through his hair. "Let's make it a little interesting," he said. "The loser has to cook lunch for the victor. What do you think?"
Alice stared blankly at Seishiro. "What has that got anything to do with this matter?" she inquired.
Seishiro shrugged as he announced, "I'm feeling rather famish and so are my Pokemon."
Alice sweatdropped at the casual tone he was using. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Fine," she agreed. "Not only will I defeat you but I will also be getting a free lunch. This is my lucky day."
Seishiro smiled mysteriously. "Luck never favours those of the foolish," he whispered under his breath.
Alice retreated about thirty steps to ensure that there was adequate space for their Pokemon battle. She then unclipped a Pokeball from her waist belt before enlarging it. She took a deep breath and toss the Pokeball into the air before exclaiming, "Light, time to shine in battle!"
The white light that burst from the Pokeball materialized into a Fire-type Pokemon. The Fire-type's top half of its body was blue in colour while the lower half was cream-coloured. It also had triangular ears with red-coloured insides, a small, rounded nose and five red-coloured spots on its body; two in a somewhat exclamation-mark shape on its forehead and three lined up horizontally on its rear. Its eyes were open, revealing its red irises.
"Quilava, the Volcano Pokemon and the evolved form of Cyndaquil," Dexter conveniently beeped from Seishiro sling bag..., which happened to be about twenty metres from the site of battle. "It intimidates foes with intense gusts of flames and superheated air. Its quick nimbleness lets it dodge attacks even while scorching an enemy."
"Hmm, Dexter sure covers a wide range," Seishiro remarked.
The black-haired boy felt a tug on his pants, prompting him to look down. Levitas was looking up at him with an eager expression. Sighing, Seishiro knelt down before Levitas.
"I know that you are eager to have your first battle but you risk further exhaustion and even injury by doing so," Seishiro stated in an apologetic tone. "You wouldn't be able to continue your training if that happens. Just be patient. You shall get your chance when the time comes."
Levitas was disappointed but he saw the reason behind Seishiro's argument. "Alright," he accepted. "Just don't make me wait too long 'kay."
A faint smile crossed Seishiro's features as Levitas retreated back while Noctis stepped forward to challenge Light, as if the Umbreon had heard their conversation.
Speaking of conversations, the two battlers were having their own pleasant conversation.
"...You seem quite strong," the Quilava, Light, mused, "but you don't look like a battle-hungry Pokemon like those I fought in the past. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Noctis inclined his head a little in a show of respect. "Likewise," the Umbreon replied. "Your eyes reflect those of a seasoned battler. Have you been travelling in other regions besides this one?"
Light nodded. "Yes," the Quilava confirmed. "My trainer and I have braved through Johto and Sinnoh but she doesn't have the desire to compete in Pokemon Leagues there. It's rather frustrating but I respect her decision."
"I am sorry for my insensitivity," Noctis apologized.
Light shook her head. "Think nothing of it," she dismissed. "You can make up for it by giving me and my trainer an enjoyable battle."
"We plan to," Noctis announced.
A second after the Dark-type and Fire-type concluded their conversation, the battle initiated.
"Use Dig, Light," Alice commanded, taking the initiative.
Light heeded her Trainer's call as she jumped up and burrowed deep into the ground. Noctis' eyes darted left and right, scanning the ground for any vibrations. Predictably, a small tower of pebbles toppled behind the Umbreon. Tensing his leg muscles, Noctis leapt upwards. A second later, Light emerged from the ground with a wheel of flame surrounding it. Out of sheer instinct, Noctis readied two Metal Claws and struck the Flame Wheel with all his might. Though the fur on his forepaws were slightly singed, the Dark-type's wager paid off as the Flame Wheel was sent hurtling back towards the ground.
Alice smirked. "This match is in the bag," she announced. "Light, cancel your Flame Wheel and end it with Eruption."
The Fire-type promptly uncurled herself, cancelling the Flame Wheel in the process and landed on the ground, directly below Noctis. The Quilava then spread her legs apart and channelled her aura to the five red-coloured spots on her body. She gave a cry as her whole body glowed red and a geyser of ash and lava shot from her back, heading directly for Noctis. Unfortunately, the Dark-type was still airborne and could only watch as the lava engulfed him.
Alice did a little 'happy dance'. "Hah, I told you we would win," she boasted. "I want some steak for my lunch. Make it medium-rare."
Seishiro regarded the events that had occured before him with an impassive gaze. The boy then closed his eyes and swept a hand through his hair before stating, "The battle is not over yet."
"Huh?" she mouthed. She diverted her attention away from Seishiro to the subsiding geyser of ash. When the smoke particles completely dissipated, her eyes grew wide with shock. Instead of seeing a charred Umbreon, she saw nothing. It was as if the Umbreon had disappeared into thin air.
Alice's gaze fell on Seishiro again. The boy casually snapped his fingers. On cue, Noctis reappeared in front of Seishiro, a static sound preceding his reappearance. Also, the Umbreon looked practically unharmed, save for the singed fur on his forepaws.
"H-How?" she stammered. "Your Umbreon was up in the air. It's impossible for him to dodge unless he has a pair of wings."
Seishiro nonchalantly flipped his hair before he simply said, "I shall leave it to your imagination." He then commanded, "Noctis, ready yourself a Metal Claw and employ a hit-and-run strategy."
The Umbreon closed his eyes as his forepaws once again took on a metallic sheen. The second the Dark-type lifted his eyelids, he immediately disappeared in a buzz of Volatus and reappeared in front of Light. As Light was not expecting this attack, she was smacked across the face and sent sliding to the side. Unfortunately, the Quilava was not gifted the opportunity to recover her composure as Noctis deftly vanished and reappeared beside her in a split second, repeating the pattern for several times.
Alice swiftly came up with a solution. "Light, use Fire Spin to defend yourself."
Though the Quilava was being battered, she could make out her Trainer's words as she increased her grip on the ground and skidded to a halt. The Fire-type then released a spiraling fire from her maw into the air. The spiral of fire suddenly grew fierce as it practically enclosed Light in a pillar of fire. The strategy proved to be successful as Noctis halted his attack to avoid the scorching hot flames.
"It is rather amusing to see that some people think alike," Seishiro mused as he remembered that Rowan employed a similar strategy in their battle. He then cautioned Noctis, "Keep your guard up. Your opponent's actions are unpredictable just like yours. In short, she is an all-rounder."
Noctis nodded as his eyes were locked on the twister of fire. As it died down, Noctis expected to see Light standing in the center. Instead, he saw a deep hole which meant that the Quilava had used Dig. Before Noctis could change his stance into a more defensive one, Light emerged from below Noctis and slammed into his gut, launching the Umbreon into the air.
"Flamethrower, now!" Alice hastily commanded.
The flames on the Quilava's head quickly flared up as she released a spiraling vermillion-coloured flame towards Noctis. As with the earlier situation, Noctis was one step as he used Volatus to avoid the Flamethrower and reappear in front of Light, who grew wide-eyed again.
"Shadow Claw, Noctis," Seishiro ordered calmly.
The Umbreon held out its paw to the side and channeled some dark energy into it, creating a large black claw which was swung at Light, scoring a hit just above the Quilava's left eye and sending her sliding backwards.
Alice clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Don't let that Umbreon push you around like that," she encouraged her Pokemon. "Use Swift to counter."
Light knew that if she had skidded to a halt, it would give Noctis time to come up with a counter-strategy. As this was the case, Light chose to leap backwards into the air and fired yellow stars from her maw towards Noctis.
Swift was generally an unavoidable attack so Seishiro simply told Noctis, "Endure it."
Noctis boredly sat on his haunches and closed his eyes, grunting as the yellow stars struck his body.
"Light, are you okay?" Alice called out in concern.
'Okay' was not exactly the best word to describe the Quilava. Blood was oozing out of the cut above her left eye and messing with her vision. Light looked around and noticed that the ground was slightly muddy. Thanking Arceus, she scooped up some mud and applied it to the cut above her left eye. It was not a bandage but at the very least it stopped the bleeding. Light then ignited the flames on her back to show her Trainer that she was fine, albeit just barely.
"That's a relief," Alice exhaled. The girl scanned the battlefield and noticed that Noctis still had his eyes closed shut. She quickly ordered, "End this with Fire Blast while your opponent is still immobile!"
An instant after Alice issued that command, Light's red irises turned bright orange and her whole body became surrounded in a fiery aura. The Quilava then took a deep, long breath before releasing a monumental stream of flames which took on the shape of a kanji that carried the meaning 'big'. Though the flames were inching towards Noctis, the Dark-type did not flinch nor seemed concerned about them. Instead, the Umbreon simply stayed put. When the flames were just inches away from hitting their mark, Noctis tilted his head to the right, causing the flames to harmlessly pass by him and struck a random tree, engulfing it in a blazing inferno.
Though Noctis was fortunate to avoid the flames, the inhabitant of the tree was not. The inhabitant of the tree was a Pidgey, which had just finished cleaning its nest. All of the Pidgey's hardwork ammounted to nothing as the nest was instantly reduced to ash when the stray Fire Blast struck the tree. The Pidgey did not escape unscathed either. The Dual-type's body, especially its left wing, was completely burnt. The once-clean brown and light brown feathers were reduced to a grey tone. Also, the pain that the Pidgey felt was truly excrutiating to the point that it actually fainted and fell to the ground with a 'thud'.
Both pairs of Trainer and Pokemon heard the 'thud' and recognized its source. Alice had her hands over her mouth and Light's eyes were wide open. Both of them were speechless and just plain shocked.
"W-We didn't mean to do-," the female Trainer stammered.
"Save it," Seishiro cut her off. He then stoically commented, "What heartless individuals you both are. Even in the heat of battle, one must always keep in mind his or her surroundings to avoid any... unnecessary casualities."
Alice and her Quilava looked down in shame.
Thinking on his feet, Seishiro swiftly withdrew an empty Pokeball on his belt and threw it at the motionless Pidgey. The dual-coloured ball struck the Pidgey on its right wing and predictably sucked the injured Pokemon inside the Pokeball. The capsule did not even shake as the Pidgey was unconscious and too tired to even put up a struggle.
Although Alice was still shaken by what had just happened, she still found the audacity to criticize Seishiro. "You should not have take advantage of it like that. Instead, we should've postpone this battle to treat it and then release it back into the wild."
Seishiro regarded Alice with a lazy eye. "It does not matter whether I took advantage of it or not. What matters is that I seized an oppurtune moment with the least amount of effort," he said. He added, "Do you think that the Pidgey's wounds were superficial? You should get some spectacles. Given the state of its injuries, it would take at least a day for me to treat those injuries. That is why I captured it. If I did not, then the Pidgey shall realize that it is still a wild Pokemon and try to escape even though its injuries are not fully healed yet."
Alice meekly nodded in understanding. "It seems that I may have misjudged you," she admitted.
Seishiro waved his hand dismissively. "This is not the time for apologies of any sort," he stated bluntly. Unbeknownst to Alice, Seishiro put his other hand behind him and snapped his fingers. On cue, the Pokeball shot from the ground into his hand. The black-haired boy really did not want to explain to Alice how he had been bestowed with the power of telekinesis(1).
"Let us resume our battle."
Alice perked up and punched the air. "Just you wait, I will be getting my steak," she announced enthusiastically. She then ordered, "Light, use a full power Fire Blast!"
"Noctis..., Dark Pulse," Seishiro commanded in an ominous tone.
Once again, Light's red irises turned vermillion and her body became surrounded in a bright fiery aura. The Quilava was not the only one to be surrounded in aura as her opponent was being enclosed in a frightening and ominous purple-coloured aura. With a cry of determination, Light fired a steady but powerful stream of flames towards Noctis. Unlike the Quilava, Noctis stayed silent as he slowly opened his maw and released a beam of black and purples circles imbued with his dark thoughts which began to push back Light's Fire Blast when the two attacks connected. Though Light tried to push the two attacks back at the Umbreon, the overwhelming power of Noctis' darkest thoughts was too much for the Quilava. Still, the Quilava deserved credit for holding out long enough for the two attacks to explode a few feet in front of her. The force of the explosion sent Light sliding backwards and caused debris like sharp stones and twigs to be launched into the air.
Alice crossed her arms over her face to prevent the ash from entering her eyes while Seishiro simply hovered his right hand over his face. The smoke gradually subsided, giving both Trainers a clear view of the battlefield. Light, Alice's Quilava, was barely standing and her body was marred with multiple bruises. The wound above Light's left eye had opened up again and blood was oozing out of it. In comparison, Noctis... was gone. There was not a single trace of him on the battleground. Alice's eyes darted left and right, searching for the absent Umbreon. Her eyes finally fell on Seishiro who had a somber expression on his face.
Seishiro closed his eyes. "Is est terminus(2)," he announced. He then faced away from the confused Alice and ordered, "Dark Pulse."
What Alice saw next shall be forever burnt into her eyes. A Dark Pulse shot from underneath the ground and struck her Quilava's gut, sending the Fire-type several feet into the air. Through sheer will, Light managed to manoeuvre her body and rolled to the side,watching as the Dark Pulse travelled higher into the air. Unfortunately, she had no energy to make a safe landing so the Quilava landed on her back. The Fire-type moaned as waves of pain washed over her.
Every thought in Alice's mind was completely erased as she raced towards Light. She scooped up her injured friend and sighed in relief when she saw that the Quilava was still breathing. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she hugged the Fire-type. Though injured, Light still found the energy to comfort her human friend as the Quilava tiredly licked her cheek. Both of them smiled at each other.
The relieved Trainer suddenly heard footsteps coming towards her. She looked up and saw Seishiro and Noctis, who had just emerged from one of the holes made by Light, gazing at her silently. She too stared at the pair before her silently. The gears in her head were not turning due to the shock of seeing her Quilava in pain. Finally, she was broken out of her reverie.
"Follow me," Seishiro said as he and Noctis walked away from her.
Still at a lost for words, she complied with Seishiro's request and followed the pair of Trainer and Pokemon.
Seishiro once read a book about Pokemon behaviour. He had found a section on the behavioural patterns of a Quilava. According to the book, the cries of a Quilava can be heard a mile away. That theory was proven correct as Light was giving out cries and hisses of pain that could have shattered glass when Noctis applied some antiseptic on the Quilava wounds before bandaging them up. As Noctis inflicted those wounds upon Light, the Umbreon felt that it was his responsibility to treat them. Though Noctis was a..., for lack of a better word, ruthless battler, the Umbreon also possessed a high degree of knowledge regarding first aid. When you have travelled with someone for three years without any purpose, you tend to have loads of free time and Noctis used them wisely by reading lots of medical journals, with Seishiro's help of course.
Alice stared in awe as she watched Seishiro's Umbreon treat her Quilava. "Wow," she began. "I didn't know that a Pokemon is capable of first aid. It's... astonishing."
"There are a lot of things that humans do not know about Pokemon," Seishiro drawled. "Most of them can't accept the fact that in some fields, Pokemon are better than them. Of course, when compared to me, Noctis still has a long way to go if he wants to pursue a career in healthcare."
"What is it with this guy and his inflated ego?" she thought vehemently.
A thought suddenly triggered in her mind. "All that aside, there's one thing I'd like to ask you," she started. She then exclaimed, "Why the hell do I have to cook you lunch anyway? Shouldn't you be pitying me instead of treating me like a servant?"
"I pity only Pokemon and not humans" was Seishiro's casual reply.
"Fine, whatever," Alice spat. She then slammed a plate that had a fish-shaped charcoal on it in front of Seishiro. There was also some mayonnaise splattered on the charcoal in a way that it resembled a skull and a pair of crossbones.
"Hope you like mackerel," she said grudgingly.
Seishiro stared at the dish in front of him. He then announced, "It's a chunk of ashes."
Alice's eyebrow twitched as she pointed a spatula at Seishiro. "Now you listen here buster," she began her tantrum, "despite the fact that I hate your guts, I put my soul into making that dish for you so the least you could do is-"
She was cut off in her tirade when Seishiro dropped a lighted match onto the fish-shaped charcoal and completely burning it to ash. "Perhaps I should have said that it was garbage instead of a chunk of ashes," Seishiro mused as he stood up and walked away.
Alice collapsed on her knees as she watched her cooking burning away. This really did not help in her low self-esteem.
Alice was still in the same position thirty minutes later. Her cooking had been reduced to actual ash about ten minutes earlier but the trauma of seeing her own cooking burning away like that was too much for her. It was as if she was a robot in need of dire maintenance. And dire maintenance was what she received.
A beautiful aroma suddenly stimulated her sense of smell. Alice hesitantly looked up and saw Seishiro standing there with a plate.
"If you want to try claiming you cooked something," Seishiro advised her as he set the plate down on the ground in front of her, "at least make it this good."
"What is this?" Alice asked. The dish was mostly made up of broccoli and pasta.
"It is Millerighe Alla Panna Con I Broccoli," Seishiro said as he placed three bowls of food in front of Noctis, Levitas and Light.
Alice had half a mind to burn the dish to give Seishiro a taste of his own medicine but the appearance and smell of the food convinced her otherwise. She picked up the spoon on the plate and scooped up some broccoli. Tentatively, she ate the spoonful of greens.
All of her worries disappeared in that instant as the broccoli stimulated her taste buds. It was as if she was floating freely in the sky without a care in the world.
"This is...HEAVENLY!" she exclaimed as she started to gobble up the remaining content of the dish.
She was not the only who was having a 'heavenly' time. The bowl that Seishiro placed in front of Light had some grilled chicken fillet and wild blueberries. The moment the Quilava swallowed her first bite, she felt as if she was transported to the other end of the universe.
"This meal is superb," Light commented. "This dwarfs the 'charcoal' food I had to eat up until this point." The Quilava then looked at Noctis before asking, "Does every meal your Trainer cooks taste this good?"
Noctis offered Light a mysterious smile. "Some of his dishes taste even better than this. My Trainer's Grandfather said this, 'Each meal only happens once in your life, so make each one the most important'," the Umbreon copied Seishiro's tone.
"Have you figured out the meaning behind that saying?" Light prodded.
"That saying does not exactly have an actual meaning. Each soul on this planet may have their own unique interpretation of it," Noctis replied.
Light chuckled at Noctis' impersonation of his Trainer. "You and your Trainer are like two peas in a pod," the Quilava remarked.
Noctis frowned a little. "I would much rather not be compared with Seishiro. He is his own person and I am mine. He has his own faults while I have mine. It is as simple as that," Noctis stated impassively.
Light raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude but chose not to comment. It was not any of her business anyway. Instead, she focused on savouring and finishing her splendid lunch.
"Ah..., that really hit the spot," Alice said blissfully as she licked her plate clean. "Thanks for the food."
Seishiro disregarded her being grateful to him. Instead of a usual 'you're welcome', Seishiro said, "I would appreciate it if you would leave us now."
Alice looked like she was about to throw another tantrum but managed to keep her emotions in check. She took control of her impulsiveness for once and thought deeply. Satisfied with her brief but meaningful thinking, she turned to Seishiro.
"I understand," she accepted. "I've interrupted your training session for too long, haven't I?" When Seishiro nodded, she continued, "I'm sorry. It's just..., I can't stand seeing a Pokemon suffer. I really thought that you were torturing your Pikachu. But if you can cook food as tasty as the one I had just now, then you actually do care for your Pokemon. Once again, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you."
Seishiro smiled faintly at Alice, glad to see that the girl was exhibiting hints of maturity. "Just don't go around judging books by their covers. You may regret it," Seishiro advised her.
Alice nodded, appreciative of Seishiro's advice. She stood up, dusted herself and returned Light into her Pokeball. "Welp, she ya later, Feraligatr," she said as she happily skipped away.
"The imp finally hops away," Seishiro sighed in relief. The black-haired boy then turned to Noctis and requested, "Would you mind supervising Levitas' training for awhile?"
Wordlessly, Noctis stood up, dragged a grumbling Levitas and pushed him into a large lake.
Chuckling at the sight of Levitas flailing in the lake, Seishiro unclipped the Pokeball that he used to capture the Pidgey from his belt and gazed at it. "There's a patient in need of my attention," he said with conviction.
Pidgey blearily opened her eyes. She honestly did not know what had occured. She was just busy cleaning her nest when she felt an excrutiating pain throughout her body. After that, everything went blank. As she was always the cautious type, she took a moment to scan her surroundings. The Dual-type's heart was filled with relief as she realized that she was still in Viridian Forest. The only thing that raised a question in her mind was the sight of an Umbreon shooting Shadow Balls towards a Pikachu, which was in a lake and trying desperately to avoid them. Pidgey chuckled at that sight before deciding to examine herself. Her body, especially her left wing, was expertly bandaged up. The bandages did not affect her movement at all as she strecthed out her wings. Whoever it was that treated her, she was eternally grateful.
"I see that you've awaken. That's good," a voice sounded from behind her.
Pidgey calmly turned around to see the person who had saved her. Said person pushed a bowl of water towards her and retracted his arm.
"You must be thirsty. Here's a bowl of water to help you quench your thirst," Seishiro offered.
Chirping happily, Pidgey dipped her beak into the water and drank her fill. After that, the Dual-type flew up and perched herself on Seishiro's shoulder. She noticed that his hair was rather unruly so she decided to preen it with her beak, eliciting a chuckle from Seishiro.
"I see that you put emphasis on cleanliness," Seishiro observed. He then asked the Dual-type, "Do you have a name?"
Pidgey thought for awhile. Finally, she shook her head.
Seishiro raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You do realize that you require a name if you're going to be travelling with us," he told Pidgey. "I can't call you Pidgey. It is as if you do not have your own identity."
Pidgey tilted her head in confusion but soon understood what Seishiro meant when she spotted a Pokeball beside the spot where she was resting.
"Guess that means I'm captured," she thought. She then shrugged. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner than later anyway."
Seishiro repeatedly tapped his chin, thinking of a suitable name for his new Pokemon. After some time, he snapped his fingers and asked her, "How about Solvo Divum? It carries the meaning 'free sky'."
Pidgey, now dubbed Solvo, chirped enthusiastically. She honestly did not care what her name was. As long as she had a name, she could care less what meaning the name held. Still, the fact that her name was associated with the sky, it just filled her with a sense of joy.
Seishiro nodded, stood up and walked away from Solvo. He then called out over his shoulder, "Want to meet your new teammates?"
Solvo immediately flew to Seishiro and perched on his shoulder. The pair then made their way towards Noctis and Levitas. Solvo's fate was now and shall be forever intertwined with the trio's.
Three days past by without a hitch. Levitas' three-day training regime had officially ended. After the first day had concluded, Levitas wanted to give up but the Electric-type was glad that he persevered. The fruits of his labour were evident as his stamina level had increased by 40% and he had learned and successfully mastered Thunderbolt. The Pikachu had also put on a bit of weight as his muscle mass had increased but this did not affect his speed or agility at all. Levitas was slightly disappointed that he was unable to master Iron Tail but he figured that he would overcome that hurdle once he had gained enough experience.
Since Solvo was still injured, Seishiro just gave the Pidgey some light training. It was not anything too drastic. Seishiro just worked on her speed and special defence. Though her progress was not as commendable as Levitas', the Dual-type did well for an injured Pokemon.
However, the combined intensity of Levitas' and Solvo's training was nothing when compared with the intensity of Noctis'. Since the Umbreon was already a balanced battler, Seishiro focused on improving all of his stats. That meant destroying boulders, two hundred sprints per day, dodging attacks from both Levitas and Solvo and many more. Despite all this, Noctis' battle performance only progressed a fraction but the Umbreon strangely did not feel disappointed at all.
"Improving one's stats is simple but maintaining them is a journey through hell" was the only thing Noctis said to his inexperienced teammates when they queried him.
Seishiro was proud of his Pokemon but he did not express it openly. He wanted to avoid planting the seeds of arrogance within Levitas and Solvo's hearts. In Noctis' case, both of them agreed that Seishiro should avoid praising Noctis for the Dark-type's teammates' sake. Noctis did not want any favouritism to exist within the team.
The black-haired boy sighed as he exited the forest. He was a step closer to earning his first Gym Badge in Pewter City. Though a Pikachu and a Pidgey were not exactly the best choices, he wanted them to gain experience as soon as possible. Unlike Noctis, Levitas and Solvo had yet to experience the true nature of battle so Seishiro would not mind if he lost on his first try. However, his pride greatly outweighed his sensible side as he sweetly promised Levitas and Solvo increased training sessions should they lose. Levitas and Solvo visibly paled after learning of their present.
Having already ignited their resolve, Seishiro, with his three Pokemon in tow, continued onward towards Pewter City.
(1) - Ability to move objects with the mind
(2) - This is the end
I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter.
My only regret is that I could've made the ending a little bit better but oh well.
For those of you that have read this story from the start, you could probably guess who that was in the starting of this chapter.
A special thanks to ShugoPoke13 for lending me your OC.
Leave a review 'kay. :)
Arigatou and sayonara.