I left League Headquarters with my mind a mix of frustration, desperation, and motivation. With all the trials I had overcome to strengthen myself and my team, always being able to look at future challenges with the determination to overcome them, I found myself nearly powerless. Worse still was the knowledge that my powerlessness could further entrench myself and my family in a life of veritable slavery.
There was only one way to avert the crisis that I had unknowingly brought upon us, and I was under no delusions about the challenge that lay ahead. If my team was not well-enough prepared, win or lose they could die in the battle. The challenge was preparing them well enough for the battle to avoid that scenario. The League President likely believed that I might forgo the battle to save my team the danger, but liberty over my own life and that of my team was too valuable to me. The League was backing me into a corner, and by the Legendaries, I would not roll over for them with my tail between my legs!
I knew that I had several hours remaining before I could retrieve my team from the Center, so I headed directly to the training facility. Once there, I released Saraph. Seeing that she and I were the only ones present, Saraph looked at me inquiringly.
"Saraph, we have a problem," I told her. "I need you ready to take on the third strongest Elite in the League in a matter of a few months."
Saraph huffed, smoke billowing out of her nostrils boldly. Her demeanor became purposeful.
"That's what I want to see," I commended her with a smile. "We beat the first Elite, but now I've put our freedom in jeopardy. Everyone else is still healing in the Pokemon Center, but we cannot afford to waste time. We have a month to refine your Firestorm into a battle-effective technique, which means you're going to have a more difficult time than your teammates, so your training starts now."
I felt the air heat up while I spoke as her excitement grew. Small movements like the twitching of her wings showed me her eagerness to begin. She did not view our limited time as cause for despair; contrarily, she viewed it as a challenge to prove her strength.
"Let's start with a Fire Spin. Hold it as long as you can."
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A couple hours later, after exhausting both myself with cathartic isometrics and Saraph with technique-control training, I took a shower and hurried to the cafeteria for a quick lunch. An hour later, the reporter named Beatrice who had met me outside of Victory Road caught me on my way out of the cafeteria. She had a Pachirisu perched on her shoulder.
Beatrice flashed me a smile, which because of my mood, I did not reciprocate. She was not deterred in the slightest by my solemn expression. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed. "The network informed me that your battle footage was just submitted, and that you won! It won't be aired for another couple days, but I'd like to ask you a few questions about it if you wouldn't mind."
I was in no mood for being questioned. Beatrice had done nothing wrong, but my frustration with my interrogation and forced subjugation to an exploitative contract left me with little patience for more questions, regardless of their innocence.
I replied with a curt, "I would mind, actually. No."
Beatrice's expression faltered and immediately turned sour. "Why is it that everyone who wins an Elite battle never wants an interview afterwards!?" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. Her Pachirisu wrapped its tail around her shoulder and dramatically crossed its arms pouting as well. "You'd think that beating an Elite would be cause for a little celebration! But no, everyone is always depressed and antisocial. What gives?" Suddenly, Beatrice's eyes grew wide in alarm and she added, "Oh! I'm so sorry, you didn't lose a pokemon in the fight, did you?"
"No, I didn't lose one of my pokemon," I replied simply, taken a little off guard by her rant.
"Then why aren't you overjoyed that you beat the Elite? I don't get it." she asked.
Even if I wanted to talk about the reasons for my foul mood, which I certainly did not, my contract was classified. "I'm sorry I can't talk about it," I told her solemnly.
Beatrice sighed in acceptance. No doubt she had probably faced the same reaction many times before and knew that continued prodding was not effective. "Well hey," she said, changing topic with renewed hope. "You look like you could use a drink. My offer still stands if you want a free one. I know a bar called Victree-bar and it's close by."
I gazed at her warily. Her Pachirisu had not moved from its pouting position.
She shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I promise I won't try to question you. I just want to get to know you a little better."
My team, with the exception of Saraph, was still being treated, and Saraph was still recovering from our earlier training session. Ipso facto, I had nothing to do. Moreover, a beer sounded very good, though a quick flashback of my mother's past alcohol abuse warned me of the dangers of using it as a coping mechanism. Still, a beer would not hurt.
"Fine," I replied.
"Really!?" she exclaimed. The Pachirisu hopped from her shoulder to the top of her head with an ecstatic squeak. "Fantastic! Follow me."
She turned on her heal and started powerwalking. I kept up with her and eyed the Pachirisu on her head. It scrutinized me with its large eyes. Beatrice noticed and said, "This is Pickles. Cute, huh?"
It pushed its cheeks up in an attempt to look cuter. "Yeah…" I said. Really, the little rodent was indeed cute, but my frustration was a more compelling stimulus on my mood than the critter's charms. The Pachirisu seemed to take my continued melancholy as a personal affront, as its tail went rigid and it hopped on its hind legs a couple times in irritation.
"Oh stop it, Pickles," she said, reaching up to grab the little squirrel. It simply hopped up, landed on her hand, and then ran down her arm to hang on her back where she could not reach it. "Ugh, whatever," she yielded. We walked in silence for about five minutes before she asked, "So, the last time you were here was for the Indigo Conference?"
"Yeah," I told her. "You do your homework?"
She blushed and replied, "Y-yeah. I kinda have to for my job."
True to her word, we arrived at Victree-Bar shortly, which happened to be only a few blocks away. There was a sign on the front door that said, "No Pokemon Over 10 Pounds." It looked like a normal bar with many potted plants as decoration, including a few pitcher plants. Beatrice led me to a booth in the relatively empty bar and immediately ordered a pair of beers.
While we waited for the waitress to retrieve the beers, Beatrice gave me a smirk. Pickles perched on her shoulder and shadowed her trainer.
"So what do you already know about me then?" I asked. We had to start somewhere.
"Well… I know that you won your first match in the Indigo League 2 years ago," she replied. "You were previously a Junior Indigo Champion, you have an unbeaten League circuit record, and that you are from Viridian."
"Is that all?" I asked.
"Well, no…" she replied bashfully. The waiter returned, set two beers down on the table, and left. "I also know that you have a dragon starter – probably the biggest of its species. And that you're a Ranger, but your family has a breeding business in Rapidash and Houdoom."
"Close," I told her, taking a drink. "We do breed mostly Houndour. But our Rapidash business is mostly based on boarding and training."
"Oh, I see," she said thoughtfully. "Well I guess the internet isn't always completely accurate. Why did you choose to breed Houndour?"
"Well, naturally, they were appealing because I have one on my team," I explained. "But beyond that, my family has a history of raising and training Ponyta and Rapidash, which are fire type, so I felt that a fire type would be easier for my family to handle while I pursue pokemon training. I do have a Charizard, but I felt that trying to raise Charmander and Charmelion would be more difficult considering the obstinate and aggressive nature of dragons. Plus, dragon breeding has kinda become taboo in my family after we lost our first business." I left out the detail that I had a natural affinity for dark type pokemon.
"That makes sense," she nodded. "And I suppose that the stronger the Houndoom on your team gets, the more valuable its offspring will get, too."
"That's right," I acknowledged.
"What are they like?" she asked next. "They seem pretty fierce."
"They are dangerous for sure," I told her. "But they have a strong sense of loyalty to their family, or pack. When I have Rufus out of his ball, he hardly ever leaves my side. And he's also a fierce fighter. For a battle pokemon, you could hardly find a better fit."
Beatrice laughed. "You sound like you've practiced that pitch."
I let out a soft chuckle. "I suppose I have."
"So you had a perfect circuit run, and now you're a One-Star Trainer. What makes you better than all the other trainers?" she asked.
I scoffed. "There are plenty of trainers more skilled than me," I told her. "I certainly didn't win the Indigo Conference."
"That's not what I meant," she said, shaking her head. "I mean how are you so much better than others at a similar skill level?"
"I don't know… Hard work? Perseverance? Dedication?" I answered her, not quite sure what she was getting at.
"Many other trainers work hard, dedicate themselves to training, and persevere," she said. Then she leaned forward. "But few, if any, have perfect records. You're special."
I felt a little uncomfortable. "If you say so. I guess I just train harder than my peers." I wanted to say yes, I'm special. I'm one of a handful of Dark-Shifted.
"That and I saw a couple of your older matches, like at the Junior Conference," she acknowledged. "You had more visible scars than any other trainer I've seen in the sport. I can understand why you would get them removed. You must've been through a lot of shit."
I did not say anything. Of course I had. That was not any of her business, though.
"What's the craziest thing you've been through since you started training?" she asked, her curiosity shining through.
My already emotionally compromised mind went to my more traumatic experiences. Memories of the deaths of Raeda and Lazarus, the Meteors, the drug cartels and Trevenant, and my encounter with Zapdos flashed through my mind. None of those I intended to mention. Her prying may have been simple innocent curiosity and flirtatious banter, and had I not just jeopardized my freedom, I would have had more appropriate topics to describe. But at that moment, the memories it brought up were not pleasant.
"You know, you already know a lot about me but I know nothing about you. Where are you from, Beatrice? Tell me about yourself." I asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Beatrice flinched sheepishly behind the table. "Oh, I grew up in Pewter City for the most part. A couple years before I joined the League, though, we moved to Cerulean."
"How far did you get in the League?"
"I was only able to beat the fifth gym. After that, I wanted to change things up and try my hand at reporting." Her eyes then sparkled as she said, "I wanna be one of those reporters showing the world important things like what's happening in Sevii."
"What's stopping you?" I asked. "All you need is a camera, right?"
"It's actually a little more complicated than that. Freelancing doesn't pay well, and the news companies won't just hire anyone to do that kind of reporting. They have to pay those reporters mad bucks because the job's so dangerous so I'm waiting for my shot and getting some experience."
"Is that job competitive?" I asked.
"Very," she nodded. "It'll probably be years before I'll have my shot, and there'll probably be a lot of other people to contend with for it. What are your goals?" she asked.
"I don't really know," I admitted. "For the longest time I wanted to become the Champion, but I don't know…"
"Do you not think you'll be good enough?" she asked.
"That's not the issue," I told her, looking her in the eye. "I have no doubt that if we want to beat the Champion someday, then we'll do it."
Beatrice looked like she shivered slightly and her cheeks turned pink. "Then what's the issue?"
"League politics," I said simply, though it also came across cryptically.
By this point, we had both finished our drinks. The waiter came over and asked us if we wanted more, but Beatrice shook her head and handed him a ten PokeBuck bill. "It's getting late," Beatrice said. "Do you want to come over and have a nightcap?"
As oblivious as I had always been, I was still able to understand her meaning. On the one hand, I was beyond frustrated, and a night with Beatrice might relieve some of my stress. On the other hand, I could not purge the thought of Sheila from my mind. It had been over a year since we were intimate and for all intents and purposes we were no longer dating, but I suppose I had not yet moved on.
"I don't think that would be wise," I told her. "I'm not really looking to get involved with anyone right now."
Beatrice giggled. "I wasn't suggesting a relationship. Maybe just a little fun," she replied suggestively.
I was speechless for a few seconds, but I had already made up my mind. "I'm sorry Beatrice. This isn't a good time for me. I just got out of a relationship and I'm leaving very early in the morning."
Beatrice gazed at me intensely for a moment. "Suit yourself."
"Thanks for the drink," I said awkwardly.
"No problem," she replied, downcast. "Good luck out there."
I gave her a half-hearted smile and left the bar. As I walked to my lodgings, I thought about what had just occurred. My explanation that I had recently ended a relationship was not entirely true, but I was stubbornly holding onto my feelings for her like a toddler refusing to eat his vegetables. He knows they're good for him but he doesn't like the taste. With opposing emotions rushing through my head, I reached my bed and lied down. In the moments before sleep took me, only thoughts of my own stupidity stuck in my mind.
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Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen above the horizon, I was rushing out of my room to pick up my pokemon. Upon my receipt of their pokeballs, I wasted no time buying a teleport off of the plateau.
From the Viridian City transport point, it was a relatively short jump home. Upon my arrival, I sought out my parents. Unsurprisingly given the time of day, neither was inside the house. Pako and Frieda were, and were abuzz at our arrival. When I walked out, Dante to my side, I was greeted with a cacophony of howling.
I believe the fire hound's pack has picked up your scent, commented Dante. I felt curiosity and trepidation from him across the link due to my own mood. I would tell him and my team of our predicament soon enough. My mother came running from the hounds' enclosure soon after with the oldest of our female Houndoom on her heels.
"Zachariah! Legendaries, it's about time you came home!" she exclaimed upon seeing me. I noticed there was no "Do you know how worried we've been." It seemed that my delayed arrival did indeed settle her temper.
"Yeah, well, it takes a lot of time to prepare," I said sheepishly while giving her a hug, referring to the length of time I spent on Victory Road. We released the hug and I scratched the top of the Houndoom Ruby's head, which was lowered reverently.
"We just found out you beat the Elite!" my mother he told me. "One of the hired trainers mentioned it to your father this morning. We were going to watch the match today. Congratulations!"
"Thanks," I said, scratching my neck while trying not to appear impatient. I wanted nothing more than to immediately start training, but politeness and consideration dictated I talk to my parents first.
"What's wrong, Zachariah?" my mother asked, sensing that something was wrong.
"It's nothing," I replied. "I just want to get back to training as soon as I can."
"So soon?" she asked. "I figured you would spend some time resting after such a feat. Didn't you get enough training in Victory Road?"
"Not nearly enough," I told her. "I need to beat the second Elite before Ace Training Camp."
"So soon!?" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Why would you need to do that?"
I could not tell her the real reason why. "Because that's what's needed from me. And it's what I got myself into."
"Those are two very different reasons," my mother said both sagely and disapprovingly.
At that point, my father showed up, running over from the Rapidash enclosure. "Zachariah! Congrats on beating the Elite!" he shouted midstride.
"Thanks!" I called back, smiling.
My father reached us, his chest rising and falling with the strain of his run, and looked at my mother. "What's wrong, Francine?"
"He says he's challenging the 2nd Elite before his ace camp," she told him, eyes narrowed.
"What?" he asked, confused. "Isn't that in less than a year?"
"It was actually moved forward a couple months," I informed them, which was received with blank, silent stares. "…I don't want you to worry," I told them awkwardly.
"Don't' worry?" my father questioned. "Is what you're talking about doing even possible?"
"We've looked into the Elites," my mother added. "Most people take more than a year between challenges."
My parents' concerns were justified. I wanted to tell them that I had no choice, and that the consequences were dire. Unfortunately, like many aspects of my life, the circumstances around my situation were confidential. Though, to be honest, what good would it do to tell them? They could not change my situation, and telling them would only cause them undue concern.
"We're going to succeed," I told them resolutely. "Gym Leader Craul has offered to help me train for it next month, but only if we can keep up."
"Do you think you can do it?" my father asked.
"I believe we can," I told him. Then I added, "We don't have much time to prepare, but I have faith in my team."
"Why must you challenge the 2nd Elite so soon?" my mother asked pointedly.
My face went blank as I tried to come up with an excuse.
"Let me guess, you can't tell me," she continued, beating me to the punch. "What have you gotten yourself wrapped up in?" her voice was more that of concern than reproach.
I obviously could not tell her about the Shift or my other confidential dealings with the League. But just thinking of that gave me cause for panic, for I realized that I had used the Phantom State in my Elite battle. I needed to see the video of my match.
"My team is strong enough to cause massive widespread damage and harm, so I have to abide by certain layers of responsibility and checks and balances," I told them, trying to be tactful and sound reasonable in order to curb future questioning. "Why don't we watch my match? I think you'll understand when you see."
My parents seemed unconvinced, but nodded. My father gave one of his employees a quick call to inform him that he would be back after a bit. He obviously thought that it was important enough to take a break from their responsibilities instead of waiting until later.
In a few minutes, we were seated around the television with my mother bringing up the video of my match from the net. The Numel and Combusken were milling about excitedly. Dante and Rufus were seated next to me while Ruby was sitting next to my mother. I raised an eyebrow at her, to which my mother said with a smile, "Ruby and I've taken a liking to each other, so I decided to take her off the market and keep her."
I nodded, smiling as well. "I'm happy for both of you." For breeding purposes, Emy, Tope, and Ruby were retired since their offspring were of mating age. So, selling them was the natural next-step of the business. However, I had no problem with my mother choosing to keep one of them. In fact, since Ruby was no longer a part of the breeding team, there was no reason for my mother not to keep her.
My mother finished pulling up the video and started it. As expected, commentary was overlaid onto the video, giving my record and noteworthy achievements.
When the match started, I could sense my parents' awe and anxiety. Seeing Rufus utilizing his fire skills so devastatingly and incredibly drained some of the color from their faces. I also saw, for the first time, the sheer awe-inspiring ferocity of my Houndoom from a birds-eye view. It showed the full breadth of Rufus's abilities, which I could not appreciate from the view behind him.
Luckily, I noticed during the first match that the video never showed footage of me while I was in the Phantom State. The camera rotated around the arena, getting different angles of the match, but any time I appeared was while I was phased out.
As my parents watched Dante and Titus fight, their faces continued to drain of color. By the time Gilles and Azrael were fighting, they had sunken into their seats with a type of horrified amazement. The entire fight was devoid of footage depicting me in the Phantom State. It should have come as no surprise that the League had edited the video.
There was one positive outcome came from us watching the video, as far as I was concerned. My parents were so shocked by the raw might of my pokemon that I did not hear another word of doubt regarding their skills – though they did express fear of the 2nd Elite's strength. It was one thing to see a Gym battle, or novice Indigo Conference battle, and another thing entirely to see a fully-fledged Elite battle.
- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -
When I told my parents that I needed to start training immediately, I received no pushback. When my father and mother returned to their respective tasks, I took Rufus and Dante to the area in which we had trained before our Victory Road expedition. My team held true to their resolve when I informed them of our situation, while Saraph took it a step further and openly roared her approval. It was her chance to prove that she was a strong, valuable member of the team, and she could not have been more excited for the opportunity.
From that point on, I instituted training sessions three times a day, focusing entirely on their custom skillsets at the exclusion of all other battle traits. They needed to be experts in their techniques. It needed to be virtually effortless for them. If they could do that, then I believed that they could keep up with Aoro's team.
Titus had it the hardest as I had yet to develop a technique that was truly geared to his strengths. However, I had developed an idea that would utilize his general dependence on close-quarters combat and other unique battle traits. When I discussed it with him, I palpably felt his drive intensify. He wanted something unique to call his own.
Our training was off to an intense start. Everyone was hyped up and extra motivated due to the pressure of our rushed timeline. Their fervor was admirable, but due to the short timeframe in which I was operating, I sought out additional means of strengthening my team. During the first break in our training, I spoke with my father and researched the kinds of supplements that have an alleged, legitimate and substantial effect on pokemons' bodily growth.
Interestingly, there was a lot of contention around the use of those supplements. The results gained from using the cheaper products were often attributed to training and the supplements were mostly seen as a placebo. The amount of negative reviews of the supplements on net forums indicated that the cheaper supplements were a scam.
Conversely, accounts of the League-approved products indicated that those who had used them frequently with intense training saw marginal results. The drawback of those products was the price. There were not nearly as many reviews for the products, given how few people could afford them, but the few that I found were positive. However, given the cost of some of the supplements, even those reviews saw extended use as unsustainable.
Of the different types of League-approved nutrients that I found in my research, I learned that certain high-end food supplements allegedly contained the correct mixture of protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and Magnesium to affect a pokemon's endurance and strength marginally. I used the success stories as a guide and ended up ordering a custom mix in pill form of varying sizes appropriately suited for my team members, favoring Magnesium to increase my team's intrinsic endurance. It was very expensive, but in the end, it was well-worth the money.
I fast-tracked the shipment and it arrived three days later. I immediately started feeding the pills to my pokemon. Every day, half an hour before practice, I gave each of them one pill. They ranged from an inch in length to a foot. With the amount that I purchased, my stock lasted me two weeks. If I had not seen such a change in my team's abilities, then I would have passed on another shipment. However, in those two weeks, being supplemented with the specialized nutrients, Saraph and Titus reached the rough skill level that the rest of my team had been at the time of our 1st Elite battle. Similarly, the rest of my team became able to gracefully perform their battle techniques while employing their terrain control with ease.
Now, I believe that my training regimen was strenuous enough to attain acceptable results, and the fervor of my pokemon no doubt contributed to their quick growth, but I believe – technically without being able to prove it – that the nutrient supplements propelled their growth far beyond what could have been expected by our efforts. That is why I reached into my cartel money stash for 35,000Pb to buy another three weeks of supplements. In total, I was supplementing my pokemons' diets for five out of the six and a half weeks before Aoro's training.
At one point during the first week, Marcus called me to congratulate me on my victory, but the tone shifted significantly when I informed him of my intent to challenge the 2nd Elite. Unsurprisingly, he expressed a healthy amount of trepidation and incredulity, but he resignedly accepted my resolve with few objections. The objections that he did raise were those of a concerned friend.
I also visited a jeweler during the first week to appraise the stone that I found in Victory Road. After spending a few Pokebucks, I was told that I had found a Dusk Stone, and with a proper polishing it could be very valuable. Of course, I had no idea how to polish and cut such a stone, so I paid them to do it for me.
They gave it back to me two days later and it had changed from a rough, dull grey stone to an ovoid, deep black one. It was very beautiful and I was captivated by it. Afterwards, I sought the gem's value. Since it had few ambiguous uses in pokemon training, the jeweler told me that he would give me the price that the company was willing to pay based on its aesthetic value. Given its size of two inches by one inch, and its professional cut, they were willing to offer me 900Pb. I told him I would think on it, and then left.
I kept the stone for a couple of reasons. As far as money was concerned, the stone was worth so much more than 900Pb. Judging by the typical markup and some prior research, the stone was probably worth more than 2500Pb for its rarity and aesthetic value, let alone its value to trainers. It was not a common stone to use, but I knew that it had something to do with Murkrow evolutions and even some ghost types. Financially, it was a horrendous deal, though I guess that was the reality of supply and demand.
Personally, I felt that the infinitely deep black color of the stone made it more valuable as a keepsake than as a paycheck. It was possibly the most beautiful stone I had ever seen, and I wanted to keep it. That reason alone was enough to reject the jeweler's proposition.
So, I never returned to the Jeweler. Instead, I returned home and worked on my own training. While my team gradually augmented their skills, I was making some progress on my own. I had nearly mastered the art of vocal projection, and could send my voice along minimally dense currents of Noxmiasma, allowing me to give orders to my team much more quickly and easily.
Since I was making so much progress with my abilities, I decided to try my hand at physical projection. It did not go very well. In essence, I had no idea what I was doing. After a day of trying to create human shapes in the Noxmiasma and getting nowhere, I messaged Juliette and asked her how. She responded that she was not going to hold my hand through everything, and that I should figure it out myself.
I really should not have been surprised. So, I went back to refining what I knew while mulling over potential technique concepts. To project sound, I had to manipulate the Noxmiasma to carry sound in a stream. But, no matter how hard I tried to manipulate the Noxmiasma into a human shape, I continued to fail. The more I tried, the more I felt that it was a matter of time and practice. Juliette had said that it was a very advanced technique, so it would make sense that I could not do it on my first attempt. With that in mind, I continued in perpetuity with my attempts to project a mirror image of myself.
- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -
The month and a half between my battle with the 1st Elite and my competency deadline went by both quickly and slowly, but in different ways. On one hand, the passing of every day kept me in a progressively rising state of anxiety, which made the time fly by faster. Furthermore, clearly seeing the continual progress of my team on a weekly basis made each week fly by in mental montages of sweat and strain.
On the other hand, training was monotonous and tedious. Working with a wide variety of training areas kept things new and somewhat novel, but training three times every day on the same thing quickly became an unenthusiastic grind, only broken up by our occasional hunt.
By the time the end of July came, my team was exhausted and beginning to lose motivation despite how much progress they had made. That's why, on the 29th, I cancelled our plans and dismissed my team. I had done this once before – given my pokemon the option of leaving and pursuing their own desires. Last time it had been for a week and a half, but I only had a couple of days to give them this time. Similarly, I told them that they were free to roam at their leisure, but to stay out of trouble and to be back the following night.
I was touched when none of my pokemon wanted to leave. They chose to stay with me despite being given the opportunity for a brief bout of freedom. Being humbled by their loyalty, I spent that evening and the next day giving each of my pokemon a few hours of my undivided attention.
First, I spent some time flying with Azrael. We left the Grotto and flew west, away from Viridian City to avoid creating a public scare. Atop my massive Garchomp's back I rode, controlling our flight speed through our link alone until we reached the boundless slopes of the Silver mountain range. We then altered our course northward to avoid heading too deep into the towering slopes. But even at our distance, we attracted a flock of larger avian predators which we sped up to avoid. What looked like either Pidgeotto or Staraptor closed in on us but dispersed as Azrael bellowed a challenge.
Through our link, I felt invincible. Other creatures feared our presence and fled our arrival. Azrael knew of his superiority and simply reveled in his status. Only when a lone Pidgeotto did not hide or flee did Azrael take notice. He was not forgiving. We descended upon the arrogant raptor faster than it could escape when it realized its mistake, and Azrael caught it between his jaws. Flurries of wind rocked Azrael as the large bird of prey attempted to defend itself, but they had no effect.
Azrael crunched down with his jaws and severed a wing from the Pidgeotto. With a few more chews, he had swallowed most of the bird. The remaining bits of it fell to the forest floor. A feeling of smugness and delight crossed our link, causing me to smile unconsciously. No other pokemon made that same mistake.
We returned home just as the sun was beginning to set. As soon as we arrived, I gave Azrael a pat on the neck and turned my attention to Rufus. I instantly knew exactly how I was going to spend my time with him. I felt through our link a desire to hunt. So, I donned my black gear and tanto, and walked with him into the woods.
Together in a pack of two, my Houndoom and I surged into the forest outside of the Fire Grotto. As we moved together, I picked up on his focus as he perceived the world through scent and sound. Before long, he picked up the scent of our prey.
We spent the next hour tracking our target, growing closer and closer until we both slowed down. I felt his ability to hear the foliage shifting; to smell the pungent scent of dirty fur. Without thinking about it, I phased into the Phantom State and expanded my consciousness until I found a herd of three Stantler. We were silent; their rudimentary psychic abilities could not detect us.
As we stalked them through the trees, I trained my focus on one in particular: the one bringing up the rear. Rufus intrinsically did the same.
We acted together, without commands. We both melded into the darkness and shot forward, the only evidence of our passage being our footprints in the dirt. I led our charge and cut through the herd. I shot beneath the deer and slid the edge of my knife across the tendon behind its front right leg. In less than a second, I disappeared into the foliage as the other Stantler let out cries of alarm. At the same time, Rufus interrupted their attempts to psychically incapacitate their attackers by issuing a Blackout zone that only encompassed the now-injured member of their herd.
Now unable to detect or target their stalkers, the other Stantler bolted into the woods. We could have easily hunted them as well. In fact, Rufus might only have needed to use a single Fire Blast to take them all out in a single attack, but he wanted to feel the thrill of the hunt.
In the Blackout, we were invisible. The hamstrung Stantler cried out as it repeatedly stumbled in an attempt to escape, bucking its antlers erratically. Rufus moved in like a ghost and sunk his fiery teeth into the deer's left leg before quickly letting go and disappearing into the blackness. The bite left a smoldering gash, further injuring the Stantler. Quickly thereafter, I rushed in from the front as the Stantler bucked its antlers back in self-defense, and slashed its other front leg.
The Stantler crumpled to the ground, and without a moment's hesitation, I backed away from its defensive bucking and Rufus shot in from the side. He sank his fangs into the deer's neck and jerked, easily breaking the bones with his powerful jowls. The ambush ended almost as soon as it began.
Rufus dropped the limp Stantler and looked to me. I methodically removed the antlers and then gave him a nod, signaling my consent for him to dig in. He greedily obliged, tearing into the Stantler's soft belly. Meanwhile, I carefully used my knife to remove the psychic orbs from the antlers. I kept the antlers as well; Rufus would enjoy gnawing on them later.
Rufus ate about a quarter of the deer, stopping only when his stomach bulged and he could not eat anymore. Not wanting to leave the carcass to rot, though I was sure a scavenger would most likely have picked it off eventually, I grabbed one of the deer's legs and began dragging it back. When we eventually reached the wall, I passed through, deposited the carcass on the dirt, and looked at Rufus expectantly.
Rufus let loose a long, loud howl that echoed in the night, causing insects to halt their nocturnal melodies. A few seconds later, we were answered by a cacophony of distant howling which gradually grew louder. Several minutes later, three Houndoom and two Houndour bounded into the open. Seeing us, their tails unconsciously began to sway back and forth happily.
Rufus and my consenting gazes were all the hounds needed to descend upon the carcass. Within a few minutes, they had torn it apart and were hauling the meal back to the larger pack. Rufus and I then split off and left the Grotto to walk together back home. The hunt was over and the simplicity of walking in silence, feeling each other's satisfaction through the link, was the perfect end.
Upon our arrival, Rufus and I made our way into the burrow and settled in for the night. Before I fell asleep, I thought of different ways to make my time spent with my pokemon meaningful.
- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -
I awoke early and walked into the house via the makeshift basement-to-cavern door that we had fashioned. There, I surfed the internet while I ate breakfast, looking through trainer forums and ranger advisories. There were warnings from a wide array of trainers, but I was mostly interested in those issued by rangers. Those would be more legitimate.
I passed over warnings for over-powered Butterfree and Beedrill swarms until I found a warning for trainers traveling Route 15 to steer clear of a certain area of the trail. Apparently a Typhlosion had taken up residence while a Quilava was raising their young. Typhlosion are territorial and vicious on the best of days, let alone when protecting offspring. In other words, this was a great chance for Saraph to get in a quality battle, which is something I knew she would love.
Foreseeing a very high probability of proximal fire hazards, I planned to bring along Ceto. As soon as I finished my breakfast, I let my parents know that I was leaving some of my team while I was gone, and then donned some of my ranger gear and returned to the cave. Most of my team were now awake and lounging.
I called Saraph over to me and she ambled over, never having grown comfortable in the confines of the underground burrow in spite of its size.
"I got something special planned for you today," I told her. "I think I know where to find a tough pokemon that's been terrorizing trainers, and the rangers don't seem to be able to handle it. Think you're up for the job?"
Saraph's mood changed from nonchalant to ravenously eager in a split-second. She stretched her wings and rolled her arms while puffing smoke from her nostrils in anticipation. Her physical reactions were dwarfed by her emotions, which were so potent and compelling that I was suddenly ready to sprint out of the burrow myself in a hurried vigor. I kept my emotions in check, though; one of us had to keep a level head.
"Ceto and Dante, you're coming along too," I told the other two, brandishing their pokeballs. Their moods were similarly affected by Saraph's and mine, so they were only too happy to oblige.
With Saraph and Ceto in their balls, I had Dante transport us to the ranger station that had issued the warning in a series of psychic jumps. Upon arrival, I knocked on the ranger station door and entered with Dante. A Furret greeted us with a wary growl.
"Calm down, JoeJoe," came a voice belonging to a young corporal. When he saw my rank, he immediately saluted.
"At ease, Warner," I told him quickly, eying his nametag. "I'm off duty."
"Oh, ok then." He lowered his hand, confused. "Why're you in uniform, then?"
"I'm here for the Typhlosion," I said succinctly. I didn't want to waste time chatting or proving that I was trustworthy.
"I see," he said in understanding. "I suppose you'd like to know where it is, then."
"Correct," I replied with a nod. "As well as any useful information on it."
The corporal walked over to a map on a wall. "It's made its den about seven miles down the trail proper towards Route 14, about a quarter mile from northern wilderness." He pointed to an area of light woodlands. "It's a nasty piece of work, but it hasn't killed anyone yet. Though it has injured a few. Lot of burns and a few bad gashes. We believe it's a previously-trained Typhlosion due to the fact that it seems to understand human cues. It's chased everyone away who've come too close and wrecked any pokemon that trainers have used to defend themselves."
"Anything else?" I asked when he paused.
"Hmm," he thought. "That's about it, but if you don't mind me asking, what do you plan on doing? Y'know, just so we know what's going on out there."
"Don't worry, corporal," I told him. "We're just going to drive it away off-route, and get a good workout in."
"That sounds good," he responded, smiling. "Though unless you got some powerful pokemon, I think you'll find your workout a bit taxing."
I thanked him offhandedly and then exited the lodge. Outside, I returned Dante and released Saraph. Her appearance was accompanied by a rush of excitement that sent my adrenaline pumping. As I placed my saddle on her dark red, scaly back, ranger Warner balked at us.
I looked at the trainer with a pithy smirk. "I know what I'm doing, corporal." Then I displayed my elite badge on the inside of my lapel so that he could see it. The ranger nodded in understanding.
I felt Saraph's impatience starting to take an aggressive quality as she looked at the ranger who was holding us up. I patted her muscular back placatingly and hopped into the saddle. We do not need any dead rangers today. With a rough idea of where to go based on the map, I directed Saraph into the air through the link, and with three bounding steps, she surged upwards with several flaps of her powerful wings. She was much more agile and quicker in short jumps than Azrael on account of her size, but she had nothing on his top speed and raw might.
We cruised at a height of roughly 250 feet, following the route. When we were about a mile from the target area, Saraph announced her presence with a roar of challenge. There were small clusters of woodland in the sea of waving grass, into which we descended with a jarring whumph! Saraph bellowed once more for good measure before I dismounted.
Her saddle was quickly removed and we quickly headed to the hazard zone. Saraph's giddy impatience easily spurred me on. As we walked, I told her, "When we see it, I'll tell it to move its nest. It probably won't listen. Fight it at a distance first; use whirlwind to throw it away from you if it gets in close, and follow up with an Air Slash. Be prepared to switch tactics though if need be."
Saraph raised her wings and held them at the ready, and forged ahead. In preparation, I released Ceto behind me and said, "Our foe will be fire type. I need you to contain any wildfires that start, ok?" Ceto nodded happily.
We trekked into the woods for nearly ten minutes before we came across our target. It announced itself suddenly and without warning. Saraph was walking roughly 30 feet ahead of us, and I heard a rustling in the tall grass. Saraph heard it too, and turned to look at the source. She saw a blur of bright red and dark grey fur before the large fiery badger crashed into her chest with a Quick Attack.
Saraph reacted quickly and arched her neck to grab her assailant. With a jerk, she wrenched the fire-type away from herself and threw it several yards away while it slashed at her muzzle, ripping off a couple smaller scales. Then she reared back and sent a powerful gale of wind with her wings that blasted the Typhlosion back about twenty more feet. She quickly followed up by sending a sharp line of air with her wings that hit her opponent, sending small flecks of blood flying from its thick fur.
Instead of immediately attacking, the Typhlosion paused and looked around as if to assess the situation. In that time, I called out to it. "It's time to move your nest off-route, friend! We can do this the easy way or the hard way; your choice!" If it was a formerly-trained pokemon, it would understand me.
The Typhlosion bared its teeth in response. "The hard way it is!" I declared. "Dragon Claw if it gets close," I told Saraph. While I spoke, the Typhlosion crafted a ten-foot-tall roiling wheel of flames and sent it shooting towards Saraph's left side. She moved to the right to dodge the wheel, leaving me in the fire's path. I scurried to the side as well, though Ceto "stepped" in and created a strong Twister which intercepted the Fire Wheel and consumed it.
In the meantime, the Typhlosion had bolted forward to Saraph's right side while the wheel surged to the left. By the time I dodged the fiery wheel, the Typhlosion slammed into Saraph with a heavy Double-Edge, staggering her for a second, and then ducked under Saraph's retaliatory slash to retreat to a safe distance. There it started to lift large rocks the size of volleyballs out of the earth.
"Move!" I yelled, and Saraph leapt into the sky, nearly clearing all of the boulders that were launched at her with the exception of one that hit her tail. "Dragon Rage, Aerial Ace, Dragon Claw!" I yelled.
Saraph muzzle flashed purple with draconic energy as she hovered twenty feet in the air, and she released a small purple-fiery pulse of energy that rocked the Typhlosion back. Saraph then spiraled through the air towards the Typhlosion like a graceful diver and crashed into the ground, barely clipping the fire badger who leapt to the side. The force of the blow threw the Typhlosion's rear end around, and Saraph attempted to swipe at her foe as she regained her footing, only to hit air as it darted away.
As the Typhlosion retreated, it threw a bunch of tennis ball-sized rocks at Saraph, hitting her in face and chest. "Fire Shield," I called, and she roared in response, pouring fire from her maw simultaneously. She whipped the fire around herself and it started swirling around her at a distance of ten feet. The Typhlosion ran up to the edge of the flames and in front of it rose a wave of earth.
"Jump!" I yelled. "Inferno-Release!" Saraph leapt into the air once more and cleared the top of the ten-foot Bulldoze. I followed up with, "Aerial Ace!"
Saraph's Fire Spin followed her into the air and I felt a rush of glee and adrenaline surging through my veins, imitating Saraph's emotions. In the air, fire poured around Saraph and discharged away from her towards her target like a pseudo-comet, picking up the fire from her Fire Spin and intensifying to a head nearly 30 feet in diameter. The fire poured over the Typhlosion doing minimal damage, but it kept her opponent busy while she spiraled through the air towards it and landed a direct hit.
Saraph struck the large badger with the force of her entire mass, sending her and the Typhlosion rolling into a ripping and biting ball of mayhem. Meanwhile, Ceto was dousing the wildfires springing up in the aftermath of Saraph's fire attack.
Eventually, Saraph kicked the Typhlosion away and it rolled to its feet, breathing heavily and bleeding through its fur. Saraph was breathing heavily as well and blood was leaking from beneath some of the scales on her neck and face.
The Typhlosion regarded us angrily for a few moments before it hissed at us, and then bounded away with a slight limp. The Typhlosion's retreat was marked with a roar from Saraph – a final challenge in case the Typhlosion still had some fight left. Then, pride and joy overcame her and she roared a second time in triumph, feeling pride from me as well through our link.
The heat from the fires was almost oppressive, but the mist from Ceto's dousing spray was refreshing. She just about had it all under control. Saraph was so happy with herself that she bounded back to me and sat down in front of me proudly. I gave a whoop and sprayed Saraph with a Super Potion, closing up her most serious cuts. The pain did nothing to dull the raw satisfaction emanating from my dragon.
When the fires were put out, I placed the saddle back on Saraph's back and recalled Ceto. Within moments, we took to the sky in a show of victory, complete with intimidating roar and jets of fire. We did not pursue the Typhlosion – no need to beat a dead Ponyta. It would move its nest to avoid any more trouble. Probably. We returned to the station so that I could inform the officer that the Typhlosion was taken care of, but I told the ranger to check again in one day to ensure that it had left.
Ranger Warner seemed surprised that I was back so soon, but not too surprised since I had shown him my Elite pin. He asked me if I believed the Typhlosion had been previously trained and released, and I told him that I did. The Typhlosion seemed too level-headed and observant of the battle to be wild. It also seemed to understand what I was saying to it, pointing to the probability that it had interacted with people before.
With Saraph's opponent vanquished and the ranger informed, I had Dante teleport us back home. Saraph was satisfied and we had gained some bonding time together, so it was now time to give my time to another one of my teammates. I knew who was next, and I knew where we were going to go.
When I arrived at my parents' home, I returned everyone to their pokeballs and had Dante teleport us to the beach south of Pallet Town. The late July air was hot and the smell of saltwater assaulted my senses as I walked onto the beach. Cheerful conversation and laughter reached my ears from the numerous people sunbathing and walking about the beach. Pokemon were also interspersed amongst the people.
I looked around and found a shack that was renting rope-led surfboards. The ropes detached with a small handlebar to hold on to, and the board itself had feet holsters. I paid the small fee, grabbed a black and dark red board, and then walked away to look for an uncongested portion of the beach. Everyone seemed to be laden with people, so I found an empty spot roughly 50 feet in diameter.
Since nowhere large enough was clear for my team to relax, I released Azrael next to me. Of course, though there were no people standing directly next to us, this caused a fair number of gasps and wary looks from people in the vicinity. Much of the laughter and conversation died, and we were left in awkward silence while I placed the saddle on Azrael's back. As I did, I noticed Azrael's claws curling in the sand; he loved the feel of it.
After a couple of minutes had passed, the saddle was ready and I climbed up into the base of Azrael's neck. Azrael took to the air, creating miniature sandy whirlwinds in his wake. To the chagrin of a few unlucky beachgoers nearby, some of the whirlwinds were large enough to spray them with a thin layer of tan powder. Despite their irritation, they did not rebuke us. I knew from our link that Azrael enjoyed the fearful reverence paid to him by the people.
We flew along the coast until we found an uninhabited stretch, and then landed in a spray of sand. I wasted no time in releasing all of my team so that they could enjoy the beach while I spent time with Ceto. Everyone's mood seemed to immediately brighten, with the exception of Gilles who hid in the largest shadow he could find: Azrael's. Even Titus seemed delightfully curious – I believe he had never been to the beach before.
While my pokemon made themselves comfortable, I grabbed the surfboard and looked at Ceto with a nod towards the ocean. I did not need to tell her how we were going to spend our time. She squeaked happily and I jogged with her to the ever-ebbing and flowing waves. Then I attached the rope to Ceto and detached the rope from the board.
With the rope and board in hand, I waded into the ocean up to my waist and laid the board down, the cold water leaving my skin rugged with goosebumps. I then lied down on top of the board and allowed Ceto to drag me further out. Once we had reached a point where the ocean was deeper than I was tall, I rolled off of the board and placed my feet in the holsters.
After a couple failed attempts to stand up, Ceto and I eventually achieved a balance on the surfboard. I gripped the handlebar and allowed Ceto to lead, using the waves she created behind her to surf. As Ceto sensed my comfort level growing, she progressively moved faster and farther out towards larger waves. For a first-time surfer, I did not do too bad… I only wiped out a handful of times, but Ceto and I enjoyed every minute of it.
After about an hour and a half my muscles were growing sore, so we took a ten-minute break on the beach. Azrael was buried halfway under the sand, gently dozing in the hot, humid air while Dante sat cross-legged on his back. Gilles had moved to Saraph's shadow since she was still above-ground, and she had her wings spread to absorb as much sun as she could. Rufus was laying on his back in the sand, legs up and likewise enjoying the sun's heat. Titus, on the other hand, did not seem to be enjoying himself. He was eying the sand around him with disdain, and was taking refuge from the hot sun in the cold water.
We returned to the ocean after I felt good enough to return, and this time we tried doing some tricks in the water. Ceto used her control over the water to form large waves beneath me which carried me high into the air, and then used a surge of water to propel me into the air, whereupon I tried to perform a flip, only to back-flop in the water painfully.
I quickly recovered and tried unsuccessfully to land a flip twice more. I eventually settled for some high jumps, sans tricks. Every time I landed one, Ceto sent a stream of bubbles into the air. Then, she would propel herself into the air, roughly twice as high as I was, and somersault multiple times in the air before diving gracefully back in. My insincere deadpan at her skill made her shake with laughter. Overall, spending time with Ceto was fun and we both had a great time.
It was a little past noon when I decided to bring us in. Ceto was a little disappointed since she was having such a good time, but she happily swam back to shore with me nonetheless. There, I plopped myself down next to Azrael and let my muscles relax. Ceto used a Hydro Pump to create a small trench nearby, and then used Surf to fill it with a large wave of ocean water. Titus had been sitting in the shade of the trees at the edge of the beach, but moved over to the trench and submerged himself when Ceto finished.
I dozed off against Azrael's side for half-an-hour. Afterwards, I stood and stretched, and looked around. We were still alone on that stretch of beach. Surely the sight of Saraph and Azrael deterred anyone from traveling this far out.
Dante was next in line. I did not know what I wanted to do with him for a couple hours, so I left the decision up to him. He was delighted that I was giving him the decision. He thought about it for a few moments and I felt a small amount of embarrassment coming from him.
J'Khan, we have fought together before, he told me. You were not in a position of guidance, but in camaraderie. We were almost as one.
"I remember. It was surreal. I don't believe I had ever felt that before," I acknowledged. "I don't think Julien appreciated it, though."
Dante was fairly amused, but said, I wish to feel that again.
"Hmm," I said, in thought. "If I'd known, I would've researched more difficult wild pokemon to fight."
We do not need to find a wild one to fight, he told me, to which I raised an eyebrow. I saw you fight the steel giant before his transcendence, and I wish to have the same privilege.
"You want to fight me?" I asked. My fight with Titus was to establish dominance more or less; it was not exactly a friendly cross of the blades. Dante nodded. "You know, I may be shifted, but I still wouldn't stand a chance against you."
I felt Dante take pride in that comment, but he responded, Nevertheless, I wish to have the honor.
I was uneasy about fighting one of my teammates, but also intrigued. Dante wanted to spar me, so I would oblige. "Alright then, Dante. I will spar you." I stretched out a little and donned my hunting knife while Dante descended from Azrael's back.
We faced off away from the rest of my lounging teammates who watched us intently. I gripped my knife lightly and gazed at Dante. The sun reflected off of his blades and he rolled his shoulders expectantly.
Then Dante made the first move. He lunged forward, slashing horizontally at head-level. I quickly ducked the attack, noting that I had seen Dante move much faster in battle before. I then jabbed my knife towards his midsection, holding back in case I went too far. He effortlessly sidestepped and angled a round-house kick at my ribs, which I blocked with my forearm. The blow was firm but not over-done. He then backflipped away and landed softly in the sand.
We were both gauging how much effort to put in. I made the next move, putting more effort into hitting him than in our first round. He dodged my slash with ease once again, and I realized that my chances of hitting him were slim even if I were to try my hardest, so I decided to give it my all. Besides, as long as I didn't imbue my attacks with Noxmiasma, I probably would not even harm him even if I managed to hit him.
I surged towards Dante as fast as I could with a left-handed hook and followed up with an upwards slash with the knife. Dante blocked the first blow with his forearm and sidestepped the second, but I felt his entertainment grow as he actually had to put in an effort to dodge.
Dante slashed at me again and I deflected the blow with my knife, and then retaliated with a front kick and a flurry of martial blows with both hands. Dante sidestepped the kick and both blocked and dodged my remaining attacks. He issued his own attacks every now and then, but I managed to block or dodge them as well. After about five minutes of this, Dante landed a blow to my side with an open palm that sent me sprawling. I quickly returned to my feet and continued fighting. The blow did not hurt as much as it looked. I was enjoying myself and I could feel the same from Dante.
At about the ten-minute mark, I felt Dante psychically probing my mind so I let him in. Our minds linked and we began the sparring anew but at a faster pace. I intrinsically felt what Dante was going to next and vice-versa. Our fight became a whirlwind of slashing, dodging, kicking, blocking, and flipping. We became mentally synchronized and I felt the same sense of harmony that we had achieved during my last encounter with the Banette where we had almost killed Ayer's apprentice. However, this time my mind was clear enough to appreciate it.
As the sparring progressed and my stamina fell, the intensity of the fight lessened until I caught my breath, and then it picked back up. The intensity wavered back and forth for nearly half an hour before our fight came to an end. I had landed no hits on Dante, but he had only landed one before we linked our minds.
As soon as we stopped, I sat down in the sand out of breath. Dante sat down as well, though his chest was rising and falling at an easy rate. We sat in silence, simply enjoying each other's company and the satisfaction of our fight for another ten minutes before I stood up and put a hand on Dante's shoulder.
No words needed to be spoken. I could feel his satisfaction and I felt that much closer to him. Content, we both returned to our team. At that point, Gilles rose out of Saraph's shadow and chuckled expectantly with his arms crossed. "You're turn then, Gilles?" I asked.
Gilles nodded crisply and gradually rose higher into the air. "Ok, then. What would you like to do?" Gilles pointed, and I followed his clawed finger to the woods at the edge of the shore. "Alright, let's go," I said, and then nodded at Dante.
When we reached the tree line, I stopped and looked at Gilles. He cackled and merged into the shadows of the trees. He peeked out with just his head, twin glowing red orbs in the dim lighting. Then, he sank into the shadow. I felt a ghastly feeling of playfulness through our link and I had the sense that he wanted to play a game. Perhaps my "fight" with Dante elicited a desire in Gilles for competition.
"Alright," I said out loud. "What is the game?" No answer. I phased in and Gilles was nowhere in sight. "Gilles, where are you?" I called out. Still no answer, though I heard a distant cackling.
I started walking, expanding my consciousness until I found him hiding behind a tree about 200 feet away. As I grew closer, I saw him perk up and zip through the shadows to the back of another tree farther away. I see, the name of the game is hide and seek. I had roughly an hour and fifteen minutes of unstrained phantom state stamina and a little under 20 minutes of phantom state stamina with heavy exertion, so I used as little effort as possible.
I moved quickly and quietly, wrapping the Noxmiasma around my feet to muffle my footsteps. As I saw Gilles move through the shadows to peak out from behind the tree, I moved around to avoid his gaze. Eventually, I reached the other side of the tree behind which he was hiding and stretched my arm around the side from which he was facing away, and grabbed his back. He shrieked in alarm and pulled away while I ran off yelling, "Your turn to find me!"
I wrapped myself in Noxmiasma to hide myself and hid behind a tree. The shadows were dark enough to obscure my image, but not to hide me completely. I expanded my mind to find him sailing through the air down the path that I had fled. Silently and relatively invisibly, I moved to another tree, seeing him checking behind the one that I left behind. I saw him draw in a deep breath and cackle with triumph in gaining my scent.
Gilles swooped towards my location and I retreated to the back of another tree, but as soon as I rounded the tree, Gilles' face showed up in front of me and shrieked, causing me to flinch. Simultaneously, he smacked my arm.
With a cackle, Gilles' image faded and he darted away. I dropped the Noxmiasma foot-muffler and watched Gilles soar up into the tree branches. It was smart; I could not use Noxmiasma effectively where it was weakest, such as in the sunlight above the treetops.
I waited for a minute and then saw him descending slowly into a bush from a tree 300 feet away. Not wanting to waste my stamina, I surged forward to his bush, cloaked in Noxmiasma and as I was about to tag him, he shot out of the bush with a hideous giggle and rose into another tree. I immediately phased out to conserve my energy and waited several minutes for Gilles to return.
I phased back in and broadened my consciousness until I found Gilles 100 feet away behind a tree, watching me. I phased in, rounded a tree so that he could not see me and then wrapped myself in Noxmiasma. I moved low to the ground, making as little noise as possible and approached Gilles in a wide circle.
When I was close enough to see him without any obstructions to my view, I used the Noxmiasma to send a noise to his right while sneaking up on his left. The noise echoed and Gilles turned away from me. Two seconds later, I grabbed his arm and he shrieked in shock. I then darted away feeling good about myself.
The game continued for about an hour until I was unable to maintain the Phantom State. Gilles insisted we continue, so we played for another ten minutes, during which time he easily avoided me and spent his turns pranking me with cracking twigs. While I struggled to use small bouts of my phantom state as it replenished, I also tried seeing the Noxmiasma without being phased in. Juliette had told me that I could eventually reach that point of proficiency, but it was not this day. I faintly felt the touch of the Noxmiasma like a wind on the hairs on my arm, but nothing more than that.
Gilles eventually settled for his win and motioned for me to follow him, so I obliged. I walked next to his floating form for nearly 20 minutes, weaving between trees and randomly changing direction. We simply enjoyed each other's company, which was not as easy to do with a sadistic ghost as it was with more normal pokemon. But I managed to keep his emotions in check, and in return, we were able to have a peaceful walk with mutual contentment.
At the end of our walk, we emerged on the beach a few hundred feet away from my group. It was afternoon and the sun was overhead. I felt fatigued from Gilles's game despite our walk, so I sat down next to Azrael and dozed off once again.
- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -
I awoke after 5:00 to the sensation of Azrael's throat vibrating in warning. I stood up and looked where he was gazing to see a couple of people about 300 feet away. They were two girls who appeared to be in their mid-teens.
"Excuse me!" one called out. "Are you Zachariah MacAfee?"
"Who's asking?" I called back, only somewhat surprised that they knew me.
"We just want to talk!" they shouted back.
I looked at Azrael and said, "It's alright. I'll be right back." I then strolled over to the visitors with Rufus plodding beside me. "What do you want?" I asked when I reached them.
"That's Rufus isn't it?" one asked. She was short, blonde, and had a face full of freckles. I stared blankly at them, waiting for an answer.
"We saw your match against Cody Jayden," the other told me. She was brunette, tall, and skinny, and was eying Rufus with trepidation.
"Yeah, and my friend posted that someone with an enormous dragon landed on the beach this morning. She posted a picture, too. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was you!" the blonde one explained.
"Can I help you?" I asked impatiently.
"Well we were thinking about paying your business a visit," the brunette one responded. "We're both going to be trainers next year."
"I already have a starter – a Prinplup – and I think a Houndour would be a great second," the blonde answered.
"After seeing what Rufus could do, Shannon just had to have one," the brunette chimed in.
"And I'd like to know who you are if I'm maybe going to buy one of your Houndour," the blonde – Shannon – answered.
"I see," I replied.
"May I see Rufus?" Shannon asked.
"…how so?" I asked distrustfully.
"I just want to take a closer look at him," she responded.
"You sure you're interested in buying one of his pups?" I asked. "Or is this just an excuse to get a closeup look at my pokemon?"
"I've researched the price of your pups, alright? They're not cheap. 30,000Pb for your last male Houndour. Who does that if they're not interested?" she asked annoyedly. "I've even done a little more research than that. I know that mating season is coming up and I would like a newborn pup. I can afford it and I'm interested."
She seemed convincing. "Alright. You can look, but I would avoid touching," I told her. She smiled and walked up to Rufus, who bared his teeth at her defensively. A small bout of fire licked at his lips. Shannon flinched, but the brunette gasped in fear.
"Be careful Shannon!" she exclaimed. "I told you they were scary."
"Calm down Rufus," I told him, to which he grumbled sourly and lowered his lip. Then I turned back to Shannon. "I would highly recommend not touching."
Shannon moved forward again and loomed over Rufus with a critical eye. "You sure you want one of those?" the brunette asked. "He seems dangerous."
"You're correct," I interjected. "He is dangerous. A bit of advice: If you want to do well in the League, you're going to have to become quite familiar with danger. Trainers die on the Routes every year because pokemon are dangerous. Pokemon die in the ring every year because they are dangerous. If you want to survive in the wilderness and do well in the ring, then you're going to have to raise pokemon strong enough to defend you. And Rufus is very dangerous. That's why his offspring are a good investment."
"C'mon, it can't be that bad," the brunette said. "Yeah pokemon and trainers die, but that's because they're careless. Bad trainers."
"Do you think I'm a bad trainer?" I asked her. She scoffed. "I've almost died many times. Some of my teammates weren't so lucky." My voice fell when I mentioned my fallen friends. "There's only so far careful planning and good training can go. The rest is luck and how well your pokemon can protect you."
They were silent for a few moments, humbled by my tone. "Rufus has saved my ass many times," I added. "His breed is loyal, dangerous, and reliable. It's why I breed them. My battle with Elite Jayden is proof enough. And on a side note, if you didn't already know, Viridian Forest is rife with grass and bug type pokemon. Fire is very effective against them."
My sales pitch brought a covetous grin to Shannon's face. "I told you they'd be worth the money," she said to her friend.
"Like that's a problem," the brunette scoffed. "It's not like you are paying for them."
"And where did you get your Abra?" Shannon retorted. "That's what I thought," she followed up with when the brunette did not reply. Then she turned to me and said, "I want a newborn."
"Here's the deal," I told her. "I will be breeding Rufus with higher pedigree females now that they are of age. They will be more expensive than the Houndour I have at the Grotto."
"How much more?" she asked.
"The males will be 35,000Pb," I told her. "And if I evolve any of the females before mating season, then their offspring will be 40,000."
Shannon brushed it off and replied, "What if I want a female?"
"…Depending on how many we have, they will be a lot more," I told her. "Females are worth more because they can produce offspring. So, I would say probably around 47,500Pb. 53,000 if she's birthed by a Houndoom."
Shannon did not even bat an eye. "I think my parents can work that out," she told me confidently.
"Then tell them to visit the Fire Grotto," I told her. "We can draw up a contract if you're serious."
"Will do!" she said cheerfully.
"Great, then if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my team," I told them dismissively.
"Not at all!" Shannon said waving. She started furiously tapping away at her phone in her hand as she left.
On my way back, I said to Rufus, "I'd say we have about a fifty-fifty chance at seeing her at the Grotto." I still half-believed that she was insincere and only wanted to see one of my pokemon up close.
I reached my team and sat back down with them. I still had Titus to spend time with, but I was waiting until dark to do so. He would undoubtedly want to spend his time with me at night.
Not even ten minutes later, more young people started approaching from a distance, triggering Azrael's territorial growling. I saw cameras aimed at us and realized that Shannon and her friend had probably broadcast our identity and location to all of their friends. I sighed. "Well I guess it was good while it lasted." Then I stood up, stretched, and returned everyone except Azrael.
I heard groans of protest from the distant mob as I saddled Azrael for flight, but disregarded them. Azrael's annoyance easily made mine worse. If I was not careful with my emotions, they might exacerbate Azrael's, and he might actually attack them for disturbing our peace. With a series of powerful flaps from Azrael's wings, we left small sand cyclones beneath us as we climbed into the sky. At least up in the air Azrael and I could be alone.
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The day turned out to be fairly eventful. Shannon had not been bluffing about her parents' willingness to buy her what she wanted. They wanted to make sure she was as safe as possible on her journey, and of course I was only too happy to reinforce the sentiment, and that my hounds could ensure that for her if properly trained. I was delightfully surprise when the Brunette showed up with her parents to draw up a contract for a newborn pup as well. The two girls wanted siblings, and Shannon had her heart set on a female.
The contracts were drawn, they each set down a 1,000Pb deposit, and then they left after visiting the female Houndour with whom Rufus would be mating.
It was after dark when I brought Titus aside to ascertain his wishes for our personal time. "So, Titus, what would you like to do tonight?"
Outwardly, Titus showed no emotion. His black and dark golden face remained stoic and his arms were crossed. Inwardly, I felt anticipatory relief and joy. He released a metallic hum and turned towards the woods near the PokeWall. "Alright, lead the way."
We walked together towards the trees. Titus's footfalls were noticeably quieter than they should be due to his weight – compliments of our training regimen. The deep maroon, black, and dark matte gray of his armor and blades reflected traces of moonlight and starlight. As soon as we reached the cover of the trees, the reflections died and left him looking like a massive deep black shadow to anything that could not see in the dark. The only sound was Crickitot chirping in the distance.
Titus suddenly broke into a run, maneuvering his bulky form between trees as he went. I kept up with him, since he was not running as fast as he could. We jogged for a few minutes before I heard Titus's footfalls grow silent and felt glee over our link. I looked over to see him continuing to run, though not making any noise. Ordinarily I would have been impressed and would have continued following him, but I thought it was peculiar, especially when it was accompanied by his particular emotional spike.
I was struck by the idea that he may be playing a game. "Where are we going, Titus?" I asked. He did not even acknowledge my question. He just kept quietly running. "Hey!" I called out, reaching for him. "Where…" I trailed off as my hand passed through his steel body. He had created an illusion of himself and had effectively fooled me.
I slowed to a standstill as the image faded, still running. I felt continuous glee through our link, though I could not see Titus despite looking around. I eventually phased in and used the Noxmiasma to locate him hiding behind a large section of brush. I phased out and ran to him. He took off again, this time making no noise from the get-go.
I followed him, feeling his amusement increasing even more. I reached out to touch him this time to make sure I was truly following him, and my hand once again passed through his hard skin. "Damnit!" I exclaimed, and phased in. He was still in the brush from before.
I phased back out and ran to him. I realized now the nature of the game. It was a bluffing game – and that of skill for him. He took off again, remaining silent again. I phased in briefly to make sure I was following him, and found that he was in fact running. His ability to remain relatively silent when running was impressive.
As he ran, he picked up his speed and began to change directions randomly. Outside of the Phantom State, I was forced to listen for the faintest noises and to look for signs that he had sent out a mirror image of himself so that I could resume chasing him. I tried to only use the Phantom State when I believed that he had already misdirected me so that I could find which direction he went in.
At one turn, I heard the smallest noise to the side as he angled away, and slid to a halt while phasing in. He had indeed changed direction, and then I phased out to continue chasing him. In the next ten minutes, he fooled me twice more, and then I phased in and simply chased him while in the Phantom State.
I saw as he was about to change direction, the Noxmiasma streamed around his back like a wave of water flowing around an underwater boulder. The Noxmiasma formed a visually solid image, taking his running form, and then he wrapped himself in the flowing Noxmiasma and switched directions. It was nearly seamless, and looked to take some concentration on his part.
I followed his true form without so much as a glance at the spectral decoy. He changed directions twice more before he realized that I was locked on to him in the Phantom State, so he used Double-Team instead of the Noxmiasma-based illusion. The main differences between the two are that Double-Team lasts much longer and can do more than one or two actions. The Noxmiasma is much more limited in its uses but can imitate sensory phenomenon when used with enough skill.
The use of Double-Team changed the nature of the game. Now I phased out and Titus attempted make me follow the wrong image of himself by sending Noxmiasma to create small noises or cancel out noises to trick me. I found myself having fun immediately. The effort of using Double-Team to create only one image was minimal, resulting in Titus using the technique often.
After another ten minutes, Titus started making the game more complex. He used two or three mirror images diverging from himself to throw me off, and it worked many times. His former training with Juliette, along with his previous month of intense training alongside Rufus, had helped him develop an adeptness with misdirection.
Titus spent the next half-hour switching up his speed and making some of his images perform more complicated actions such as hiding in foliage or leaping away, though he could not muffle the thud of his landing. It was all I could do to keep up with him. I was tricked multiple times and needed to catch back up with him each time. At the end, he used his full effort to combine his control of Noxmiasma with the complex Double-Team tactics to hide himself or heavy-sprint away while misleading me.
The only way I could keep up with him at that point was to use the Phantom State continuously until my stamina gave out. At that point, I was also physically exhausted. I slowed to a stop and Titus realized that I had reached my limit, so he returned to my side, beaming at me in the darkness.
I looked up at him with admiration at his development, and he soaked in my pride. I patted his large metal arm, noting how the past hour of heavy activity had left it hot to the touch. He probably needed to cool down before he overheated anyway. So, we walked at a leisurely pace back to the house, which turned out to be very far from where we were. We had put more than a few miles between us and the house with our game.
For the next hour and a half, we marched through the forest. When we finally reached the house, we joined the rest of the team in our burrow and passed out. Tomorrow was a big day; we would finally find out if our training had been enough.
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"Zachariah," Aoro stated pointedly. "I trust ye've had a busy two months since we last spoke?"
"We have," I replied.
"Good! Then hop on yer dragon and let's get goin'," he said animatedly. He grabbed a bag and marched towards the gym exit.
"Wait!" I exclaimed. "Aren't you going to test us?"
"Do you think yer ready?" He asked.
"W-well, yeah, I do," I stuttered, confused by Aoro's demeanor.
"Then I'll take yer word for it, for now," he replied. "Let's go!" he added firmly.
I was confused. We had spent the last month and a half busting our asses in preparation, and he was not even going to give us the test. On the one hand, my nerves were suffering whiplash from the sudden lack of pressure. On the other hand, I felt like we were owed a match… As ironic as that was.
"But… Don't you want to see for yourself before you take me all the way out there?" I asked.
"Zachariah," he sighed in exasperation. "Do yeh want me to train yeh or not?"
"I do!" I told him resolutely.
"Then get your ass in gear!" he said loudly, nearly shouting. "Let's go!"
"Yes, sir," I replied crisply and followed him out. He had apparently let his Fearow wait for him outside, and wasted no time mounting up. I released Azrael, who appeared with an intimidating roar as he was expecting to be released to a fight. I sent calming emotions his way and said, "Hold on Azrael. We aren't fighting apparently. We're actually heading out."
Azrael sent a mix of confusion and outrage through our link. Apparently, he was looking forward to the battle. I put the saddle on Azrael's back and hopped up. When I was firmly in the saddle, we joined Aoro in the sky heading north. When we reached the clouds, Aoro flew up adjacent to us so that he could speak to us.
The wind was whipping past us, making me strain to hear him, but he was not known to speak quietly. "Zachariah, first of all, we aren't skipping the test. We're just going to do it at camp." Azrael felt reassured upon hearing him. "I'd rather not have any interferences from the League. Second, I really do trust that you'll deliver when you say you're ready. I'm happy that ye've taken this seriously and haven't capitulated to the League's attempts at pushing you to despair."
"I appreciate your support," I yelled. "But maybe you shouldn't be so trusting. Isn't that how the League gets you?" I asked facetiously.
"HA!" he exclaimed. "Cheeky as per usual I see! Well let's just say that you have to trust someone or the world is very lonely place."
"I trust my pokemon," I told him. I left out Marcus for the sake of my glib point.
"As yeh should!" he replied. "Can't say I would trust a trainer who didn't trust his own pokemon."
Listening to Aoro's casual banter gave me nostalgia for the times I spent with him before he lost my complete trust. It put me at ease and made me forget that there was anything to worry about.
"Anyway," he continued. "I'm sure yer dragon can outfly my Fearow without breaking a sweat, but we're going to the old campsite. There's no real rush; enjoy yer time takin' it easy on the way there because yer not gonna get another opportunity to do so for a while!"
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Current PokeDex Update
One-Star Trainer: Zachariah MacAfee; KA523VI979E; Sergeant, Ranger Corps.
Active Pokemon:
Azrael – Garchomp
Gilles – Gengar
Rufus – Houndoom
Ceto – Seadra
Dante – Gallade
Titus – Bisharp
Pokemon in Preparation:
Saraph – Charizard
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Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry it took so long. Along with a new job and vacation and general sense of not having a lot of time to write, I have been going through a bit of writer's block because of… reasons. However, the good news is I've fixed that! I don't expect the next chapter will take as long ;)
So I apologize if it seems like this is a bit of a filler chapter. There were things that had to be done and other things were not as important in the long run, but I felt they were necessary to narrate. Specifically, the use of nutrients – basically I made up one to help with overall stamina – like PP Up, which understandably doesn't exist in this story. Also, personal time with his team. I feel like it was a long time coming given the amount of time he spent away from them in rehab.
Anyway, next chapter is Aoro training! Hold on to your butts! And thank you for the support – I read all of my reviews even if I don't respond to them.
