Tyler headed back to the river, wondering what Peter had in store for him. The Wartortle had said he could help him learn to control water, which would hopefully help him swim better. Tyler had thought he could swim well; in all fairness, he was a lot better than he had been before, but meeting native water Pokémon had changed his perspective. Just evolving hadn't been enough. He needed to learn how to use his new powers properly.
He reached the water meadow and stopped on the bank, looking across the water and plants for the spot he'd met Peter at the evening before. Things looked a lot different from outside the water; Tyler felt a flicker of pride at the realization that he could see more of the meadow now than most Pokémon would be able to. Picking out a likely spot, Tyler stepped into the water and pushed off, making his way there underwater. He got there, fairly sure it was where he'd been last night, but the Wartortle was nowhere to be seen. Uncertain, he looked around a bit, casting about in different directions in the hope that he could find the right spot if this wasn't it.
After a few minutes, Tyler encountered the Wartortle powering his way along the bottom. He followed Peter to a clear spot where they both surfaced. "Good afternoon," Peter greeted him.
"Where were you at?" Tyler asked, unable to help himself.
"Around," the Wartortle said, unconcerned. "Why, were you in a hurry?"
That stopped Tyler. "I guess not," he admitted. "I just didn't know if you were coming."
"Well, I was. Don't worry about me; I came here to help you."
Tyler sighed. "Sorry."
The Wartortle gave him a look, then clapped his paws together. "Good! Now that that's out of the way, let's get started."
"What are you going to show me?"
"Show you, not so much. You remember I said I used to know a Vaporeon?" Tyler nodded. "Well, I know some of the things you should be able to do. I'll work with you on that for a while."
Tyler had a question. "I've never actually met a Vaporeon, except for me when I evolved. Who was it?"
"Her name was Andrea. Still is, as far as I know. That was back when I was in the ocean."
"Wait. Ocean? What's that?" Tyler asked, confused by this new word.
Peter shrugged. "Like a lake, I guess. But much, much bigger. You could swim for days without finding the end of it, and it goes a lot deeper too. There are different Pokémon there. Big Pokémon. If I ever evolve again, I'll probably go back."
Tyler nodded. "Where do you find it?" he asked curiously.
"That's easy enough. Follow a river long enough, you'll get there. Anyway, you were asking about Andrea, weren't you? I met her back when I was a Squirtle, a little before I evolved. We stuck together for a while."
"Why did you leave?" Tyler wondered aloud.
"I wanted a quieter life. Out there, you always have to watch your back. The ocean's a big place. Andrea loved it. She liked taking risks. Although… she wasn't ever in serious danger. She would get kind of superior about it sometimes." Peter stopped to look at Tyler. "Don't you start being like that, do you hear?"
Tyler agreed. Talking about this had made Peter a little abrasive, and he didn't want to get on the Wartortle's bad side. "I won't. So… what were you going to help me with?"
Peter relaxed a little. "You said you want to swim better, right?" Tyler nodded. "And you need to learn how to control the water. Learning how to use water will help you swim, just like it does for us." He paused. "So, what have you done?"
"Not much," Tyler conceded. "I was practicing a few days ago. I figured out how to make ripples."
"Well, it's a start. Tell me, how did you do that?"
"Ummm… I used…" he stopped, a little self-conscious, then pressed on. "An imaginary paw? Like I was touching the water, except I wasn't." Tyler demonstrated by making another ripple between them. "Like that."
Peter nodded, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "All right. Let's see… Well, why do you think of a paw?"
The question caught Tyler off guard. "I… don't know. I guess, because I've always had paws?"
The Wartortle nodded again, his expression starting to clear. "That's all well and good, but why does your mind have to have paws too?" Seeing Tyler's look of confusion, he added "I mean, why can't you use a fin, or a tail, or a leaf or something? If it's in your mind, why do you even need something to push with at all?"
"I don't know," Tyler repeated, wondering if the turtle Pokémon might be right.
"Well, I don't either," the Wartortle chuckled. "But maybe you can give it a try." He turned away.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Tyler asked.
"Around," Peter answered vaguely. "I don't know how to teach you all this stuff. I can give you some ideas, but you'll have to figure it out. When you're ready, come find me. But I think this will take you a while." He gave Tyler a wave and dove beneath the surface, heading out into the meadows. Tyler, slightly frustrated with the Wartortle, took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it. He's probably right anyway. It'll take me a while to figure all this controlling water stuff out.
Finding the water's flow again in his mind, Tyler decided to try envisioning a fin first. He brought it down as before, with about the same effect. Something else occurred to him. When I was practicing on my own, I was going to try this underwater. With this in mind, he submerged and switched to his gills, looking for a deeper spot. It was different, Tyler realized. All this time I've been trying to touch the surface. But there isn't a surface down here. The only thing he could do was drag his imaginary fin through the water. This set off a flurry of invisible swirls in his water sense. Excited, he brought it back to try again – and stopped again as something else fell into place. Maybe that's what Peter meant – that I'm still looking at the water, or my imaginary fin or whatever, like it's part of my body. If it's not attached to me, I don't have to stop it or pull back. Tyler closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't take a breath down here, but he opened and closed his mouth again, letting the water slowly filter across his gills as he started to focus.
Tyler started his imaginary fin moving again, sweeping across in front of him from right to left. As it reached the edge of his field of vision, he kept going, sending it to circle around his side. As it started to cross behind his back, though, Tyler found himself instinctively turning to follow it. Once he realized what he was doing, Tyler stopped deliberately and started over again, this time intent on keeping still. It was hard. Each time, Tyler had to fight the instinct to at least turn his head. If he managed it, he still faltered when he tried to pass the imaginary fin behind himself.
This isn't working, Tyler thought in frustration. He propelled himself back up with a sweep of his tail, shaking water droplets off in a spray and taking a deep breath as his head broke the surface. He wrestled mentally with the problem for a while longer, then gave up. Tyler left the water and went to find a berry, wanting to think about something else for a while. Maybe if I go do something else it'll help me figure this out. Or at least not feel so frustrated.
Despite this, Tyler found his thoughts drifting back even as he found a bush and started to eat. He knew he should be able to make the water move around behind him, but he found it hard to see it that way when he was actually doing it. What am I doing wrong? Again, he remembered Veronica's counsel not to face everything head-on. Water wasn't like that. If I'm going to control water like I'm supposed to, I need to learn to think like that. Like – water. He pondered this, absently taking another bite.
What was water like? Tyler's first thought was an image of the river, but it was quickly replaced by his memory of how it felt in his new sense. He could picture the water now, not a surface like he'd always seen it, but something deeper. A lot of what I sense is swirls and ripples, I think. He combed his memories, but he hadn't been paying attention to the same things he wanted to know now. The only thing to do was to go back and feel the water's flow again for himself. Still hungry, Tyler quickly snagged another berry to take with him as he returned to the riverbank, his enthusiasm coming back.
Tyler stopped on the bank. How should I do this? He laid down on his side, rolling his berry closer with a paw and biting into it. He barely noticed the taste, though; turning his thoughts to the water, Tyler swallowed the mouthful and closed his eyes, touching his energy and opening his senses to the river's flow. This time, instead of just watching them, Tyler wanted to understand the patterns in the water. He watched individual swirls, the way the water passed across a rock and fell into a wave that stayed still even though the water was rushing past. There was something there, just out of reach. Tyler could feel it. If I can just figure this out… I think it'll help me learn how to use water right.
After a while, Tyler stopped looking at the movements in the water and tried following some of the water itself as it washed downriver. The water he'd picked out broke and reformed around branches and small rocks; it compressed and flowed around larger ones, and when it passed a hole, it would fall into one of the swirls he'd seen so often.
He quickly found, though, that it was harder than he thought to track it for long. The water spread and mixed with the water around it, so his neat little spot expanded and dissipated before it had gotten very far. It keeps changing. Maybe that's what I'm missing. He tried again, tracking a larger area. It took a little longer, but soon it lost its coherence too. It's almost like I have to watch the whole river.
Think like water… That's it. This whole time I've been trying to look at parts, but I don't think water has any. It's all the same river. Tyler thought some more. It goes around things too. I think my problem is that I keep thinking of things like paws and fins – maybe I need to think of just water. But how do I push water with water? Letting his energy go, Tyler stared at the river for a while, willing himself to understand. Nothing came except a maddening sense that the answer was so close, floating just out of reach. He set his teeth and suddenly remembered that he still had half a berry sitting in front of him. Still frustrated, Tyler was grateful for something else to think about, and he turned his attention to it, finishing his meal. Then it was back to the water.
Tyler was suddenly tired of thinking about it so much. Wanting to do something physical, he climbed to his paws, backed off a little, and broke into a run, launching himself off the lip of the riverbank. It was a few feet above the water, so he spent a moment in the air, arcing toward the surface. Trying to make as little splash as possible, Tyler held his paws back and in to his body. It was hard; all his instincts resisted rushing into something headfirst, even though he knew the water would give way. Tyler gritted his teeth involuntarily, bracing for impact.
He hit the water, enjoying the feeling as his body, gathered into a point, broke cleanly through the surface. This was something he could do without hurting his head. Opening himself again to his water sense, Tyler changed direction and arrowed into the midstream where the current was fastest. Keeping his paws tucked back, he accelerated downriver with his tail alone, watching exhilarated as the riverbed flashed by below and to the sides. He felt at home here, water flowing smoothly across his gills as he made minute adjustments with his head, fins keeping him in line as his tail pumped up and down, propelling him forward.
Tyler kept going until the rapid pace tired him and he stopped, hanging in the current and gulping water. If he were on land he would have been panting for air right now, but the exertion left Tyler feeling better. After spending so much time focusing on using his energy with so little so show for it, it felt good to do something purely physical. It had taken him a long way downstream, though, and he knew it would take a while to get back. He'd probably have to walk along the bank; swimming upstream wasn't nearly as fast. It was worth it, though. The frustration had burned away, and as his excitement faded as well, Tyler calmed down, opening himself to the river's flow again.
The current was still carrying him along, so he turned to the side, angling a little upstream to maintain his position, and started stroking toward the bank again. It left him free to think, and he used the time to feel the water flowing around him. There it was, again: the feeling that the water's flow held some secret that he was on the verge of discovering. He watched the water as his tail and paws threw out eddies, hoping it would make sense, but whatever it was, it eluded him again. Shrugging it off this time, Tyler pulled himself out of the water and started the trek back along the bank to familiar territory. It wasn't until he was on the bank that he heard the rapids and realized how close he had ended up to them. That wouldn't have been very peaceful. Still everything had turned out all right. He was pretty sure he could have sensed them in time to turn away in any case.
As he headed upstream again, Tyler wondered absently why this was so hard for him to master. I guess changing the way I think wouldn't be easy, after all. What was it? Each time Tyler tried to move the water freely, he had a hard time sending it where he couldn't normally go. He kept having that need to turn and follow it… Like my tail. I can only swing it so far if I'm standing still. If I want to keep going, I have to move. I guess water's not like that… it doesn't have to stay together. It's just… there.
He was getting close to the water meadow again when a breeze swept through, ruffling leaves and branches. It passed through like a wave, creating a front of movement and sound, and Tyler turned to watch its progress, suddenly interested. It was the same sort of thing he had been seeing as ripples passed through the water – Except I can't sense these like I can with water. Wait – that's it! I don't need to watch the water! That's how I can do it. I keep wanting to treat the water like part of my body, or like something I have to see – but when I use my water sense, it lets me 'see' in all directions. I know where everything is.
Fired by this new idea, Tyler plunged back into the river, opening himself again to his water sense. For a long moment, he just watched, flowing his senses as far as they would go, seeing the river around him in his mind. His heart sped up, and he consciously tried to calm down. All right. This is it. Tyler closed his eyes, focusing only on the sense in his mind. All right. Remember, the water isn't attached to me. My energy doesn't need to be either… Again, Tyler had to substitute slowly drawing water across his gills for a deep breath. He would start simple, just swirling the water. Behind him.
It was strange. When his eyes were closed and he just relied on his water sense, it didn't feel like he was watching from his body. There was still a sense of in front, behind, beside, above, below… but it felt almost as if he was watching himself from the water he focused on. Or maybe watching from behind it, looking across to where he actually was. It wasn't the same as seeing with his eyes. Hopefully that's what I need to do this.
That wasn't the only thing he changed. I'm not going to try to imagine something pushing the water this time. I'm using my energy and I know it. Taking in another slow draft of water, Tyler focused, envisioning his energy going into a swirl behind him. He could feel the change inside him as his energy started to flow, and a few moments later he could – finally! – sense the water responding to him.
It worked! Tyler was elated. They were right. I do need to change the way I think. Ever since I found out about it, I've always thought of my energy as something focused on me, he realized. But it's more than that now. I can use my energy to reach out to water around me even when I can't actually touch it myself.
Something else occurred to Tyler. Maybe this is what Mother and Father were always talking about. They said we were lucky to be what we are, because once we evolve we can come even closer to our element than most Pokémon can. This is amazing. I can feel water in my mind now. And I can touch it with my mind too. If this isn't being close, I don't know what is.
What else can I do? Something, some feeling, was welling up inside him now. It was as if that single act had awakened his energy on a new level. It had been calm before, but now it felt alive, racing through him so he could barely stay still. Maybe he should have been worried, but all Tyler could feel was a rush of excitement, a need to act, to exert his new power. As he had earlier, Tyler sent it sweeping across in front of him, but this time the water responded in a rush. Instead of swirls, a current quickly built up, pushing against the flow of the river itself. Tyler marveled. Am I really this strong? He sent his new current into a curve, slowly at first, but getting faster and faster until it whirled around him in a crazy spiral, constantly changing direction, up, down, behind, around, and back again. Finally he stopped, letting his power go, and the current died down again. Once his exuberant outburst was over, Tyler's energy quieted again, but he could still feel that potential there, ready for the next time he needed it.
Tyler took a minute to decide what to do, but he settled on continuing back to the water meadow. He needed to get back and show Peter what he'd learned so far, so he left the water again and started walking back up the bank. He wasn't too far away now, so he arrived while it was still fairly early in the afternoon. Finding Peter gain took a little longer, but Tyler eventually managed to locate the Wartortle trawling through the shallows, chomping on some of the cress the Pokémon here seemed to like. "Hi, Peter. I'm back," he greeted.
"I take it you figured it out?" the Wartortle asked, and Tyler nodded. "Well. Hmmm… Let's see then."
Tyler nodded again, opening his mind and focusing on the river. His pulse quickened excitedly as the water again stirred in response to his thoughts, and he set another current weaving through the nearby plants. Watching the effects on the surface was different, and so Tyler decided to bring his current up. There was a splash and a small spout of water as Tyler's power disrupted the water's surface. He turned to Peter. "It took a while, but I think I figured it out now." He looked at the Wartortle, wondering what was next.
Peter frowned for a moment, then his face cleared. "All right. The next part is, using that for swimming. That's what you wanted, right? With a little practice, you should be able to use your own current to change direction. And go faster, I guess."
Tyler was disappointed. Is that it? I probably would have tried that already if I wasn't in a hurry to get back here. He had to remind himself that Peter wasn't here to train him like Zahna had been. All the turtle Pokémon had claimed was that he was familiar with what Vaporeon could do. He nodded and submerged to try.
Reaching out behind himself, Tyler created a current and sent it streaming forward until it caught him. Tyler launched himself into motion and started swimming, almost losing control of the swell of water that bore him forward. Swimming in the current he'd made was faster, but it felt awkward. For one thing, keeping it with him was hard, especially while he was moving – every other time Tyler had controlled water, he'd been still. Another problem was that it didn't help him maneuver, which is what he'd wanted in the first place. When he told Peter, the Wartortle just shrugged. "That's practice. You'll get better at it." Tyler nodded in disappointment, knowing he was right. Well, there's some time left in the day. I may as well get started.
For the rest of the day, Tyler worked on using his water powers to swim faster. He got fairly comfortable with using them for that, but maneuvering was still a challenge. Tyler tried bringing up crosscurrents, but controlling two currents at once was beyond him. Sending the current he was in into a swerve was easy enough, but staying in it when he did wasn't; Tyler was still mostly limited to his natural agility, which was nowhere near the level that the Squirtle displayed underwater.
With the sun low in the sky, Tyler decided to stop. He was getting hungry, and since Peter had left a while back he was alone. Leaving the river again, he was about to head for one of the nearby bushes, but then on an impulse he decided to visit the one he'd fought the Meowth for – he wanted to see how Ryan was doing before night came.
Ryan wasn't there, though Tyler could tell the Quilava came there occasionally to eat. Pulling a few berries off the plant, Tyler headed off immediately to check the Qulava's other usual haunts. He could eat when he found Ryan. Tyler checked Ryan's scrape and even went down to his training spot, but there was no sign of the Quilava. He returned to Ryan's scrape and settled down to eat, hoping to see him there.
Tyler finished his meal without any sign of his friend. Where is he? Tyler mulled the question over for a while, but then he realized. Aries is leaving soon. Ryan probably went to stay with him again tonight. While he thought about it, a little shiver passed over him. Tyler was surprised; he wasn't cold, and there wasn't anything around that would have caused it. Nevertheless, the shivers came again and again, and Tyler realized it was his fins that were vibrating. What is it now? he wondered. I've had to ask that a lot lately. I guess there are still a lot of things I don't know about myself.
Tyler got his answer a little while later when rain started to fall. It started with a light sprinkle, but quickly intensified into a proper rain. Tyler would have normally looked for shelter at this point, but now the water was welcome. He tilted his head back, letting it stream down his face and enjoying the feeling of rivulets running over his fins, which had quieted now. With no fur to impede it, the water ran down his smooth skin and off his body. Tyler absorbed some of it with a slight effort, noticing that the rainwater seemed slightly different from the water in the streams he'd gotten used to. Cleaner, maybe. Unbidden, the memory returned of the time he'd spent under a tree with the Teddiursa, a few days after he'd set out. They'd discussed not being bothered by weather, hadn't they? And now I guess I'm not. He was right. Tyler took a deep breath, enjoying the sound and feel of the rain as it pattered on leaves, grass, and Tyler himself.
He stayed out in the rain until the sun went down. It had been so long since Tyler had been able to let his cares go and simply enjoy being alive. Worries about his family, his friends, or his own progress and abilities occupied his mind almost every waking moment, and it wore him down. Those cares were still there, but for a few minutes Tyler ignored them. It was late, so he wouldn't be able to do anything else that night, and he was here now. I never would have guessed I'd end up enjoying rain so much.
Ryan, he realized, would also have been caught in the rain. The Quilava wouldn't have any shelter out there, except maybe next to the old Catcher's den – and Tyler doubted Ryan would want to shelter there. I hope he's all right. There wasn't much Tyler could do for his friend now. Next time my fins start vibrating like that again, I'll tell him.
It was getting late and the novelty of sitting in the rain was wearing off, so Tyler retreated to his den to sleep. It was still damp inside, though much less so than it had been the day before. He felt a little guilty about going inside while Ryan had to endure the night, but he knew it didn't make much difference whether he did or didn't. I'll find him tomorrow morning. With that, Tyler slipped inside and lay down, absently listening to the patter of raindrops in the river a few feet away.
By the time morning came, the rain had stopped and the clouds were starting to part, throwing shifting rays of sun across the water. Tyler had slept facing the entrance of his den, and the sparkle on the water woke him. He yawned, shook his head, and slid out into the water to stretch and get his bearings. Let's see… I was going to find Ryan, right? I guess I'll practice after that. Judging by the sun's position, it was still pretty early. Ryan most likely wouldn't be back yet, so Tyler went to get something to eat.
Once he was ready to face the day, Tyler checked the area again for his friend. The rain had washed out most of the scents, and his sense of smell wasn't what it had been before his evolution, but he couldn't make out any sign of the Quilava. He's probably still out there. I think I'll go look; maybe I'll run into him on the way.
With his mind made up, Tyler left the tree line and started crossing the grasslands. The tall, wet grass swished against his sides and legs as he descended the first wide slope. As he crested the first hill, Tyler started to feel caution creeping in. It was the first time he'd actually approached the Catcher town during the day, and as he neared the town, he could tell that there was a lot more activity than he'd seen there before. It reminded him of the forest town – which he'd also watched during the day.
There was still no sign of Ryan so far; that probably meant the Quilava was at Aries's enclosure. Luckily, it was a little removed from the town, and the fencing would give him a little cover from any Catchers that might venture near.
As he'd expected, Tyler found Ryan and Aries by the fence. Both of them looked soaked. Ryan looked up as he emerged from the grass. "Tyler! What are you doing here?"
"I came to see if you were all right. I got worried when it started raining last night."
"It was pretty miserable," Ryan admitted. Behind him, Aries nodded agreement. "Heat, I'm fine with. Rain… not so much."
"Are you cold?" Tyler asked.
Ryan gave a tired laugh, then opened his mouth and exhaled a puff of flame. "Not really cold, no. Still soaked. It's hard to keep a fire going."
Tyler had an idea. "Let me try something." Approaching the Quilava, he extended a paw to touch the other's sodden fur. He drew on his power and started siphoning the moisture out of his friend's coat.
"Ahh… That feels a lot better," Ryan said. Tyler started moving his paw down his friend's side, pulling more water out of Ryan's fur. "Do Aries first," the Quilava told him.
"Actually, I've got another idea," Tyler said as inspiration struck again. He sidled up to the fence, leaning against it. "Aries, lean against me. Ryan, you too." Understanding quickly, the Cyndaquil moved alongside him, pressing himself against the mesh from the other side. Ryan followed, and Tyler started drawing water in again, absorbing it through both of his flanks now. Aries gave a little sigh of relief and turned, pressing his back to the Vaporeon. As they started to dry, both of the fire Pokémon began turning so he could siphon water from the wettest parts of their fur.
Once they were a little more comfortable, conversation started up again. "I know why you're wet, Ryan," Tyler began, "but why is Aries too? There's a shelter right over there."
The Quilava looked across at his younger relative. "Aries decided to stay out here with me. It's… his last day, you know…"
"What?"
Aries nodded now. "I'm going to meet my new Trainer today."
Tyler was lost for words. "How… when will it happen?"
"I don't know. Soon, I guess."
Tyler paused before asking his next question. "How do you feel about it?"
Aries paused as well. "Well… I'm sort of excited… but sort of scared too. I've mostly grown up right here, and I've never been anywhere else." Another pause. "I'm going to miss Ryan too." He cast a glance over at the Quilava, who gave him a nod and a sad smile. "I didn't know I had any family before."
Tyler nodded. "I hope you have a good life." The words felt inadequate, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. He didn't think he could ever quite understand the Cyndaquil; all of his thoughts about Catchers were of how to avoid them, how to get his family away from them – but Aries wanted to be with one. Though they were separated right now only by a thin mesh, sometimes it felt as if Aries lived in another world.
Aries started to reply, but then all three of them heard it at the same moment: a Catcher – no, two Catchers – leaving the den on the other side of Aries's enclosure. "That's them!" He looked back, then scrambled a few paces away from the fence as Tyler and Ryan did the same on the other side. "You don't want them to see you, right? So I have to go now."
Ryan nodded, a brave smile on his face. "Goodbye, Aries. I'm… happy for you."
"Good luck on your journey," Tyler offered.
Aries smiled. "You too. Good luck on yours." Then the little Cyndaquil scampered across to the other fence, where the Catchers were approaching. Tyler and Ryan withdrew to the cover of the grass, but remained peeking out.
There was a young Catcher in green and brown walking next to the tall, white one. The young Catcher was speaking excitedly. When he saw Aries, he ran to the fence and dropped to his knees, extending a hand to touch the mesh. Tyler inched forward for a better view as Aries moved in and appeared to sniff the hand before touching his nose to it. The young Catcher looked up excitedly at the old one, then back at the little Cyndaquil. The older Catcher moved in close and passed something to the young one. Tyler couldn't make out what it was, but a moment later it expanded into the familiar red-and-white shape of a Catcher's ball. Tyler involuntarily withdrew a few inches, but kept watching as the Catcher stepped back. There was a flash and Aries vanished.
A few moments later, the young Catcher turned and extended the arm holding the ball. There was another flash, and Aries reappeared on the ground outside the pen. The ball turned too small to see again, and the Catcher stowed it away in his furs. He knelt down and picked up Aries, cradling the fire mouse to his chest, and the two Catchers started the walk back to the den.
What struck Tyler the most about the exchange was how the Catcher acted. It was nothing like the Catchers Tyler had seen so far; just excitement and happiness. Tyler got the impression that the young Catcher actually cared about Aries – that he didn't see the fire Pokémon as just a tool or a weapon. Maybe Aries would get an adventure after all, instead of the kind of experiences that still haunted Tyler's dreams.
Tyler looked over at Ryan. The Quilava stood with his head lowered, jaw set, and tears leaking out of his closed eyes. There were sparks flickering out from his crest again. Unsure what he could – or should – say, Tyler settled for moving in and placing a paw on Ryan's shoulder again. Ryan heaved a breath, and the sparks decreased until they were gone. He opened his eyes and looked up at Tyler still in tears. "Why did he have to leave? I mean, I know why. But… it's just not fair. Catchers take away everyone I care about."
On that, Tyler thought bitterly, he could relate. Still, he tried to be positive, for Ryan's sake. "I think," he began slowly, "that Aries will be all right. Did you see how that Catcher acted?" Tyler swallowed. The next part was hard to get out; it meant admitting – if only to himself – that Catchers might not all be bad. "It didn't look like he just wanted a Pokémon. I think that Catcher wanted… I think he wanted a friend, too. Aries should be okay." Tyler realized he was trying to reassure himself almost as much as the Quilava.
Ryan nodded a little and closed his eyes again. "I just wish there were something I could have done."
"Why don't you come with me?" Tyler asked him.
"What?"
"I'm going to look for my family as soon as I'm ready. Come with me."
Ryan regarded him for a long minute. "I can't."
"Why not?" Tyler asked him.
"I'm not…" Ryan began. He sighed. "I'm not a fighter like Leo – or like you." Tyler was surprised and a little embarrassed to be compared to Ryan's brother. He didn't really think of himself as a fighter. "I never have been, and I know that. From now on… I just want to stay away from the Catchers. I've had enough of them." He turned to look Tyler in the eye. "I'm sorry, but I can't go with you."
Tyler nodded, a little disappointed. "I understand… I just thought I should ask." He wished that Ryan would come along with him, but something told him not to push it. Thinking about what to do, he suddenly came to a decision. "Well, I'm going back now."
"Where?" Ryan asked him.
"Training," Tyler responded shortly. "I can't wait around anymore." He didn't want to admit it, but watching Aries vanish into a ball, even if it had only been for a few seconds, had struck a nerve with him too. All Tyler wanted to do now was throw himself into improving his abilities, to do something instead of waiting and talking. Without waiting for a response from his friend, Tyler turned and broke into a run, back across the grasslands.
He ran nonstop for several minutes, making it all the way back to the trees before slowing to a walk. Even then, he wasn't that out of breath, and Tyler realized he'd never been able to run that far before. Tyler made his way back to the water meadow. The sun still hadn't reached its midpoint in the sky. Good. That gives me more time. Plunging into the river, Tyler immediately reached out to the water, preparing to use his energy. The day before, he had been trying to learn how to control the water, but now he really started pushing himself, sending fierce currents whirling around him and creating miniature whirlpools on the surface. Maybe yesterday I wasn't trying hard enough. Tyler wrapped himself in another current and went bolting across the river at full speed. As he neared the other side, he made his current curve around, heading upstream this time. He lost touch with it for a moment, but once he completed the maneuver he pulled it close again and started powering upstream, clenching his jaw between drafts of water. With the combined force of the current and his tail, Tyler was able to advance against the river at nearly his normal swimming speed.
After a minute, he started to relax as the morning's pent-up emotions began to lose their hold on him. Tyler slowed, knowing he was wasting his strength like this, especially if he wanted to continue training the rest of the day. He continued more carefully, working to keep a current with him as he wove through different maneuvers. Slowly he improved, the actions becoming faster and more instinctual as the water reacted to his thoughts. As Tyler became more familiar with exactly what he was trying to do and how he wanted the water to move, his thoughts and his control of the currents sharpened. Slowly but surely, his maneuverability was increasing as he learned how to nudge himself to the sides with quick crosscurrents or spin himself around by angling his head fins to catch an opposing flow.
When he stopped to rest at occasional intervals, Tyler stretched out with his senses, watching how the water moved. It hardly ever seemed to 'collide' with anything; the currents smoothly broke and flowed around obstacles. Tyler started learning to use this to his advantage too, watching for variations in the current in front of him to anticipate the direction to go in order to avoid something. Sometimes, he found, he could use a crosscurrent in front of him to sweep things like reeds to one side so he could pass through more easily. Tyler continued training until after the sun had passed its apex. He felt hungry, but he kept pushing himself.
During one particularly long attempt, though, as he focused on coordinating his movements with his energy and the flow of the river around him, though, Tyler looked down, only to make an alarming discovery.
His paws seemed to have dissolved, and the nothingness was steadily eating its way up his legs. Tyler found himself in shock; he would have cried out if he hadn't been underwater at the time. There hadn't been any pain; he hadn't even noticed until he'd looked down. What's happening to me?! In a panic, Tyler reversed direction and sent himself hurtling directly toward the bank. Unsure if he'd be able to walk, Tyler dipped down low, then angled up, calling on the currents to accelerate him until he went flying out of the water in a rushing splash.
Tyler landed painfully on the bank, rolling over as his momentum spent itself. The impact drove the breath out of him, and it took a moment before he could move. Finally, he craned his head, looking down again at where his paws should be. To his relief, they had come back, but his body was quivering from the aftereffects of the shock. Instinctively, he soaked up the water on and around him in a protective action. Tyler glanced back at the river, breathing hard. Maybe I should take a break. Maybe this means I'm pushing myself too hard. Tyler had a brief, frightening vision of simply fading into water, never to be seen again. If that was the case, he'd have to be careful about how he used his power. I think… I'll go find something to eat now. Tyler made his way out into the forest, still a little shaky.
He found one of the less-used berry bushes he had visited and settled down to eat. The action helped ground him again, and he managed to calm down. This was the first time anything like this had happened to him. As far as I know, anyway. As long as Tyler was careful, he should still be safe. He was a Vaporeon, a water Pokémon, after all. He shouldn't need to be afraid of being in the water.
When he had finished eating, Tyler returned to the water's edge, but he was still reluctant to go in. After considering for a few minutes, he decided to look for Peter, without using his powers. The Wartortle seemed at least somewhat familiar with Vaporeon, so he might have an answer. Cautiously, Tyler stepped into the water again, his gaze fixed on his paws. After a few minutes, nothing seemed to have happened, so he slid all the way in and started looking for the Peter.
Without his water sense, Tyler felt as if he'd been blinded to the river. He could see well enough across the surface and a little ways underwater, but his water sense had picked up things that were invisible to him now. Tyler carefully wove his way through the water, checking frequently to make sure his body wasn't dissolving again. He had to ask around the Squirtle and Marill communities to locate the Wartortle, but finally he found him. "What is it?" Peter asked.
Tyler recounted how his paws had dissolved while he'd been training, glancing down worriedly every now and again. Peter's reaction was completely the opposite of what he'd expected. "Oh, great. Not you too."
"What?" Tyler asked. "Is this…"
Peter heaved a sigh. "Yeah… Vaporeon can turn into water."
Tyler's heart lifted. If this was another ability, not a weakness… "Are you sure?"
"Andrea used to do it all the time. She'd brag about it, too. It was one of the most annoying things about her."
"If you knew, why didn't you tell me?" Tyler asked, confused.
"Well… I was kind of hoping you wouldn't. Like I said, it was irritating having Andrea appearing and disappearing all the time, not to mention how she acted like she was so much better than the rest of us because of it."
That didn't seem like much of an excuse to Tyler. "I thought I was dying. And I need everything I can get for what I'm going to do." Another thought occurred to him. "Do I have to be in the water, or does it work on land too?"
"Why does it matter?" Peter groused.
At this, Tyler's patience ran out. If the old Wartortle didn't want to help him, why had he volunteered in the first place? "Catchers took my family." His voice lowered to a snarl. "They took my mother and father, and my brothers and sisters. As far as I know, I'm the only one who ever got away. I need to know because I'm going after them. I'm going to do everything I can to find them and get them back, and I don't think the Catchers are keeping them underwater. I need to be able to use all the abilities and all the power I have, because they're my family. That's why it matters." Tyler was fuming. He couldn't remember ever being as angry as he was now. I feel like… like Zahna. That was enough to sober him. He'd seen – and felt – what had happened when Zahna lost control; had some of her hate left a mark on him?
Meanwhile, Peter had lowered his gaze, chastened. "I'm sorry," he said. "And yeah. Vaporeon can turn into water on land. I think it's harder, though."
Tyler nodded his thanks. "I'm sorry I lost my temper."
Peter sighed. "You might have been right. I'm sorry too."
Tyler was ready to leave, but he had one more question. "Do you know about anything else that might help? Anything I can do?"
The Wartortle shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that's all."
"Well, thank you." Tyler turned and headed out of the water meadow to train again. If turning into water was something he could do, he needed to master how. Something told him it would be important.