The Swablu which had perched down comfortably, being petted by Bridget returned to Yoni's shoulder and climbed into the nape of his neck, settling comfortably there and warming both himself and the trainer. There was, Yoni thought, probably something to be said about the way the Swablu liked to nozzle but as it settled down Yoni felt it best to say nothing, just enjoy the closeness. He had other things on his mind anyway…

"Blackthorn? Isn't that where Dragons usually hang out?" Yoni had lived closed enough to Blackthorn to hear rumors of dens of dragons and strong trainers coming from the city. Though there was much separating his (or Yoni thought his parent's) farm from Blackthorn things like, thought, a whole range of mountains it was still closer than Mahogany. Funny how those things worked out.

Yoni had heard there was a mysterious path through the ice that led from near his farm all the way to Blackthorn but even though he had often explored the snowy fields he had never thought himself brave - or reckless - enough to try and find it, much less cross it. Still, even if he had never met anyone from the city he had heard rumors.

"Among other things" the old man said and Yoni accepted it without any sort of doubt. He wasn't about to question the man, what did he even know about Blackthorn? Quite clearly geographical proximity hadn't really translated to knowledge, or even acquaintances, he wasn't about to question it.

"...but it's also home to other stuff," Yoni nodded, not saying anything. The truth was "stuff" was such a vague general concept that it could apply to plenty of things. Of course Blackthorn had more than dragons, he imagined it at at least homes.

He didn't want to make fun of the man, not even while just accepting his words as fact but something about the way he glanced at the man probably revealed his confusion because the man didn't take long to elaborate.

"The truth is that Blackthorn is pretty much quiet. You'd think think that as it's so close to so many dragons and dragon tamers it'd be filled with noise but that's not really the case.", the man's eyes seemed to gloss over as if he were recalling a particularly distant memory and even Yoni, Yoni who didn't really much mind waiting couldn't help but get himself distracted. The Swablu at his neck seemed to nuzzle him and the moo moo milk - the one he had taken quite a few good gulps from - was rapidly disappearing in gulps as Prim and Ventisca, as well as the Munna and the distrustful Pidgey drank from it. Yoni did not mean to be disrespectful but as the man had gone quiet Yoni had taken to observe those facts.

"...Yes, I imagine that you, as a Johto youngster yourself know how at peace the region tends to be", the man said starling Yoni out of his distracted state. "...Well I mean unless you're from a big city, but just between you and me I've never been one for places like Goldenrod…"

Yoni could relate to that. Johto to him was not the Johto of big cities, or shopping malls and ports, it wasn't this big noisy place comparable to Rustboro and now Dewford…

No, it was exactly as the man described it, quiet, peaceful, above all else vast. Yoni hadn't doubted that the man helmed from Johto - his accent and mannerisms were clue enough - but just the pleasant but accurate way he described the region were clue enough to prove it.

Yoni felt a lump in his throat, not quite like he was about to cry but enough to make him realise he was homesick as the man stared at him. Though thankfully the man's eyes did not glaze over again Yoni could tell that he too, thought warmly of Johto. Seeing someone coming from around the same zone - Blackthorn was not so far off after all didn't do as much to alleviate how much he missed it as he had thought, in fact it kind of made it worse. The man and his expression showed nothing but empathy, Yoni truly felt as if the man knew what Yoni was feeling.

"Yes, you know Johto. Rather well I might expect, I can see it in your eyes that though you've started your journey in Hoenn you still feel as if Johto is your home", Yoni couldn't help but feel that the man had gone straight to the point. He could only say one thing, ouch. Still nostalgia for a region he had left barely a few moments ago aside he still felt as if the polite thing to do was listen to the tale of the old man.

Yoni didn't even have to try and convey that, something about the way he stood, the way he gently turned his head, openly inviting the conversation to keep going was enough to get the man to continue. Maybe they truly understood each other and had a secret non verbal language that only Johto folks could understand. Or maybe Yoni was being obvious on his intent.

"Blackthorn is literally carved out of rocks...to the North of it, mountains! To the East of it...more mountains, to the west...well you get the idea. Even approaching it from the South isn't really feasible what with how steep the climb is…"

There was a pause during which the Swablu by his neck gently pressed down on his shoulder providing some sort of padding to his neck. Yoni wasn't sleepy but he had to admit that felt good, below him Prim looked with dissatisfaction, the moo moo milk had ended.

Smiling as he dealt with that - which given he didn't have any more Moo Moo milk left only meant collecting the bowl and, making sure not to disrupt the Swablu at his shoulder as he put his hand in reach of Prim's claws, always a scary prospect, and smiled at all his Pokemon Yoni kept listening.

"So Blackthorn has this very peculiar culture to it. I mean to most extent that's the Johto attitude towards life, work hard, get up by the crack of dawn and relax in the evening right? You must know that, given how strong your shoulders are I take you for some sort of farmer, or son of a farmer?" The man looked ahead as if to confirm his guess, hoping to get an answer to the question he had asked. It could have been as simple as a simple nod from Yoni, more of that non verbal but near universal to Johto communication but when he glanced Yoni was down on his knees, close to his Pokemon. It was heartwarming to see, but it also raised the question of whether the boy had heard him at all.

Luckily if Yoni hadn't really been paying much attention to his words, as in internalising them he had at least been aware enough of his surroundings to notice the sudden silence. While carefully navigating his hand so all Prim gave him were looks of disgust and not claws to the skin was an important task so was listening and replying to the conversation?

"How did you know?", he said barely looking up, bowl now back in his hands. There was an assumption to be made that the one characteristic he had mentioned, the broad shoulders had been the tell tale clue but Yoni really did not think of himself as broad shouldered at all. He thought himself to look pretty normal. Not sleek, maybe, but above average.

"Years of experience and observation. While I was in Blackthorn at the time, came from the North through an icy road, I spent many a year exploring Johto.", the man looked at Yoni who was trying to put the bowl back into his overstuffed backpack all the way navigating the droplets of milk still on it. "Everyone settles down, finds something to do at some point, but when I was young I too went on a journey."

That aligned with Yoni's views perfectly. Everyone had to settle down eventually and while he had been granted the opportunity to go on a journey, even though he sometimes felt like a walking billboard rather than a trainer, he knew that at some point he would have to do the same. Though a more pressing question came to his lips.

"So...what about Blackthorn? What were you doing there?", normally Yoni wouldn't interrupt someone, normally he would let the conversation flow naturally and see where it lead both him and the other person talking but the conversation had been circling around Blackthorn a bit and he was curious. Maybe he should have just let the man have talked and not interrupted, but it was too late for it now.

"...Ah Blackthorn...yes, well.", the man looked embarrassed for a minute, no doubt aware that he too had gotten sidetracked. "Well you know of course about dragons but that kind of isolation...it does things to people. In a way it tend to bring excentrics...people who are not exactly common…", Yoni looked at the man drinking his words. What about excentrics? He couldn't believe he had never seen Blackthorn, so close yet, he had to admit, so far. He wanted to hear more. "...It already takes a pretty strong trainer to reach Blackthorn if they're not born there, a trainer with a purpose and well…"

The man seemed to ponder his words. It was as if he was carefully trying to lay a point across and was thinking of how best to do that.

"Maybe an example would be best! You know Lance?", the man had only to glance for half a second to figure out Yoni did know him. "Right, of course you did, idiotic question! Who DOESN'T know Lance? Well he's from Blackthorn", the main said as if that were enough to settle down any arguments.

Yoni believed the man, isolation did weird things to people. Yoni thought he knew that better than most. In his farm, contact only occasional he had developed an obsession with Pokemon Cards. Sure it was as healthy a method of dealing and coping with loneliness as he could find but the fact he could still name cards not by the Pokemon on their sleeve but by their production number, a totally useless skill spoke depths about it.

He was just about to comment that, to confirm and drive the point the man was making home when he noticed the man still had words left in him. He still had something to say and that, more than anything brought his finger down. As the Pidgey pecked at the ground near them he thought he'd better listen.

"Well as I went on my journey Blackthorn was this almost mystical place. You know how the league challenges used to be kept a secret, the Indigo Plateau only whispered about?" To Yoni's look of confusion the man shook his head, before mumbling that it was before Yoni's time. "Blackthorn held this sort of mystery around it, like sure people visited it, I'm sure they did, but besides the fact that there were dragons - because dragons are so hard to hide everyone sort of knew that - not much was known. Ecruteak has always been the sort of spiritual center of Johto but then Blackthorn...Blackthorn was something else."

Before Yoni could ask the man about how his journey had gone, if he had defeated the league or if he still kept his Pokemon the man changed the topic, almost as if he was only diving into old pleasant memories and not exactly trying to teach Yoni a moral. Yoni would be fine with him, analysing all words said to him for hidden meanings had proven useful and a good choice considering he had dealt with Wallace, but it did tend to get him stuck on his head.

Before he could do just that and start thinking about the implications of such a decision the man spoke, the sudden change of topic capturing Yoni's interest…

"They say there are dragons around these parts too, you know?", the words came out almost like a whisper, softy uttered which in no way reduced how much the old man, Yoni had yet to learn his name and he was starting to regret that, seemed excited by the fact. Really Yoni wasn't dragon crazy, though that was a phase everybody went through, no he was more Pokemon crazy in general but it seemed the man hadn't outgrown his fascination with dragons. It was sort of cool, Yoni hoped that when he grew older he would be just as excited about his Pokemon as this man, old in his age, was about dragons.

"In fact though I could tell you tales about green lizard like dragons that according to legend roam the sky…" and before Yoni could mention anything the man said louder, as if he was used to being interrupted at that point. "...which are NOT Flygon no matter how many people tell me they are!", chuckling the man looked at Yoni's figure. It was weird, rather than being stared at in the eyes it seemed as if the man was looking down instead. Yoni wondered if his fly was unzipped or something, though the man's eyes seemed focused somewhat above…

"Of course you have a dragon of your own, don't you?" The man said and Yoni could only stare at his Pokemon in confusion. Sure a Pidgeot would be noble and mighty, whatever the heck his Swinub evolved into, he had never gotten the full card set, would be glorious, and Prim the only one of his Pokemon who had evolved looked amazing after evolving, but unless the man meant the Munna - which Yoni rather doubted - then he had no idea of which of his Pokemon would be a dragon.

He was about to open his mouth to question the man, ask him what he meant when he felt the softest of touches against his neck. The flurry of feathery comforts so light he had barely noticed it.

Yoni was hesitant to touch the Swablu, clearly so comfortable in its position, and he didn't want to scare it, not when it stood so close to him displaying full confidence and trust on Yoni, but he didn't have to. As soon as the man noticed that Yoni's gaze had settled on his Swablu he smiled.

"Yes! I mean him…" There was a pause as the man took another long look at him, seemingly examining him. "Of course..you'd have to train it up to that point...I wonder if you're up to the challenge?"

It was a question as well as, Yoni couldn't help but feel, an insinuation. It questioned his skills as a trainer. It wasn't as if the words had deeply hurt or offended Yoni, he understood why the men would have reservations about him training dragon types, dragon types a type of pokemon meant for masters and experienced trainers, heck he had to admit that he himself didn't know if he was ready for it.

But he was going to try, the soft little feathery bird by his shoulder might have seemed fragile and soft, but if a dragon truly lurked within it then Yoni would bring him out, no long how long it'd take.

Finding open ground to train in hadn't been a problem, what with the way Slateport was set up and build but as he looked at the space ahead, his Pokemon all around him Yoni had to admit that he had doubts.

If Yoni could consider himself a trainer, which he guessed traveling around with Pokemon and having a Gym badge had qualified him out to call himself that then that he had to train was a no brainer. It was literally in the name, trainers raised Pokemon feeding them, maintaining their well being and making them stronger. A trainer and a pokemon were a duo, a team that mutually benefited one another pushing each other towards betterment. Yes, though the relationship of trust and warmth between him and his Pokemon was, to Yoni the most important thing he had to admit that a part of him liked to battle.

It was a part of him that was so unlike him, a part of him that turned all contemplation into aggression and all thought into hunger for victory that calling him part of himself would perhaps not be fair. It was as if his body was inhabited by a whole different personality.

Yoni thought he had heard about some kind of character like that. Something about cards, and pyramids? Yoni did not know, he had remained loyal to his Pokemon cards.

But his loyalty to his Pokemon cards was nothing compared to the loyalty he had to his Pokemon. As long as they had been traveling together, which ok was literally less than a week for some of them, he thought to have connected with each and every one of them. The Munna that had started trusting him, Prim that treated him like he not too smart, the Swinub, his first Pokemon, the Swablu that cuddled up to him…

The pidgey. The pidgey that...Yoni was honest, he hadn't really interacted much with. It seemed fine enough, a nice addition to the team...Yoni was certainly grateful to have released him.

Even if it had cost him so much. Despite the moo moo milk he had drank, the dandy little bites at bitter berries and the way he was determined to eat he could admit to still feeling pretty hungry. Maybe he should look into a Pokemon Center, Slateport was bound to have a few and see about communal meals.

That didn't seem to matter too much, from the way Prim looked at him and the way even the Swablu stood in front of him, having had left his shoulder not too long ago he knew that they expected orders.

Yoni knew himself too well to figure those orders to be top tier or even competent despite the way the old man that had told him of the Swablu's potential dragon figure had spoken highly of him but as it with most everything in his life he thought he had to try. He shared a bond with his pokemon and while he wasn't entirely sure he had really planned things...he had to admit to mostly have coasted and let things progress as they did with little to no input of his own he could at least see that his Pokemon...his friend became stronger.

Yoni stared at the Pokemon that stood near him and thought of how to best organise them. Should he pit them against each other in a series of mock matches? Should he have them practice their attacks on nothing? Should he test them on their stamina or strength?

Yoni had no idea but he felt that he had to at least try and do something, only the Munna and Ventisca didn't look him in the eyes, but that was more because they were not really visible than the fact they were not interested or so he assumed.

Many of them he hadn't even seen fight. If one were to think of him, with a gym badge as an experienced trainer who had had dozens of battles and who knew how many wild pokemon encounters then that person would be wrong. Sure that was the path of most Pokemon trainers but the truth was he had avoided fighting for the most part.

He didn't even know if they would be willing to fight. Prim was quick to reveal her claws and Ventisca was good at headbutting things - especially Yoni when he had berries - but what did he even know about Pidgey or Swablu? He assumed they could peck but other than that…

Not to mention the Munna, she trusted him, which was good, but that didn't mean she would want to fight would she?

Yoni sighed. Whatever he chose to do to test their skills it would probably be best to start, no matter how Prim stretched herself or the Swablu turned its head he knew they had to be growing impatient. Seemingly coming to a decision Yoni spoke.

"Ok, so I want everyone in rows", at the looks the Pokemon gave him, either of pure confusion or just contempt he rushed to exemplify. "So you're 5 and…"

Yoni stopped, realising the problem, Prim, Ventisca, Munna, Swablu and Pidgey. They were an uneven number, how could he put them in equal rows? As much as he would like to put them in simulated matches, where they honed their skills one had to stay out.

Yoni couldn't help but feel that his Pokemon were smarter than him, after all this had to be the reason that they hadn't obeyed. Yoni sure would like to think that, at least. It couldn't just be that they didn't respect him, could it?

Yoni could get lost in his mind while asking that very same question, Yoni could wonder for ages and ask it again and again but that wasn't what it was important right now, right now, what was important was training his Pokemon.

"Look, I'm not going to force anyone to battle for me, ok?", Yoni had put a knee to the ground in order to be level with his Pokemon. Such a declaration might have come out of nowhere but he had a plan, or at least a general feel for what he was doing.

It didn't mean it'd work, but Yoni could hope.

"I'm serious", and Yoni's honesty seeped through every pore, truly revealing itself. "You're my friends above my Pokemon and I respect you enough to take your decisions into account." It was a business like tone the one Yoni used, one probably copied from how he imagined Roxanne spoke, but still the sentiment was true. "So with that said, who wants to train?"

His Pokemon all responded with various levels of enthusiasm but not one of them stepped away which he took as a good sign.

Maybe he was overthinking it, maybe he should just get to practice their attacks. Then again maybe he was underthinking it and he should have prepared a strategy, Yoni somehow felt like both were valid hypothesis.

It was hard to evenly match his Pokemon so they could face each other, and not only in battle, it was hard to put them in direct competition on every other aspect., They were unique in their own way. It was something Yoni really appreciated but that made things difficult for him.

Maybe getting them to practice their moves would help? Or strengthen their weakest elements? Yoni had to consider.

Not that he got the chance for long, the more time he took the more his Pokemon looked bored. Pidgey even had a very Prim like stare at him, along with a very owl like head nod towards Prim, as if asking if Yoni was always like that.

Prim's meow seemed to confirm it.

"Ok, so…", Yoni figured anything was better than nothing so he said the first thing that came to his mind for every one of his Pokemon.

He pointed towards a pretty sturdy looking rock in the green space. Maybe destroying it would be vandalism but somehow Yoni did not think anyone would care, anyone except perhaps his conscience.

But there were worse things to destroy, he felt, as if trying to justify it to himself. Pointing a finger to the rock he ordered the team to attack it.

"Prim, run and claw, Ventisca charge at it, Munna try using your mind, birdies, um...Peck it, I guess'"

Five on one, especially when that one was a rock was hardly fair but even so Yoni wasn't overconfident, he was sure that, as this was the first time training some setbacks would occur, and indeed they came almost immediately.

The first to move was Prim, who so gracefully leaped from lying sideways that it looked to the world as if she rolled. Prim had already been fast but it seemed her new form had made her even more so. Swinub had barely faced himself in the direction of the rock and *rim was already upon it, claws shining in the sun light.

Prim's claws would probably not have been enough to break the rock, just mark it but the Pidgey was right behind. Clearly not a big fan of Yoni's idea to peck it hovered instead close to the ground, swiftly beating his wings in front of him. Yoni didn't get get it at first but when the push of dirt in the ground became less a wind and more of a swirly shape he understood, Pidgey was using Gust!

Yoni would have been enamored by the ability of the Pidgey, as he would consider it useful, and very similar to his process of uprooting weeds but there was something stopping him from celebrating the discovery; Ventisca, still charging was headed right into the way of the gust!

Yoni knew yelling would be all but useless. With how wide a turning arc Swinub normally did avoiding the gusts of wind was out of the question, instead all he could hope for was that Ventisca was strong enough to withstand it.

Yoni probably imagined it but when he told that to Ventisca his prickly and tough skin seemed to harden even more so. It was already uncomfortable enough for Yoni not to hold Ventisca often, something which the height of the Swinub didn't help with, but his hide seemed to glow for a moment. Yoni did not know if it was the sun playing tricks on his eyes or if Swinub was secretly half Metapod but either way as Ventisca confronted the invisible, but quite fierce air that dragged dust around Yoni bit his teeth.

Prim observed the scene with disinterest, her claws already pushed back into her paw and several whip like incisions on the rock proof enough of her power but as the gust approached she raised her tail. Whether it was in warning or in fear Yoni did not get the chance to find because at that moment the Swablu choose to make its attack.

Perhaps besides being cuddly Swablu was wise beyond his years, whatever they were, because he awaited until pandemonium had set, Ventisca struggling to maintain himself on the ground, a gust of wind throwing both dust and Pokemon and Prim threatening air before he made his move. With how attached he was to his shoulder and with how rarely he had seen it not perched near the ground he had assumed it didn't like to fly high. Granted nothing had given him that impression, or disproven it, it was just a silly assumption but still Yoni's mouth hung open. Doing a steep curve to the left the Swablu, which had started his attack at the same as everyone else avoided the confusion and dove for the other face of the rock, the one currently unmarked by Prim.

It wasn't that the Swablu wasn't as fast as the others it was that he had taken a longer route, while the Gust was finally taking effect on the rock, mostly by impacting Ventisca's hardened back against it at relatively high speeds the Swablu attacked decisively. In the speck of time where most Pokemon would attack once it swiped at the stone, as if furious.

Prim, who stood on top of the rock and had dug her claws into it didn't seem to want to leave her perch, which she ruled as if she were queen. Yoni was reminded of an animated movie he had seen once, truth be told, but maybe the comparison would make people think he was even more of a dork so he didn't open his mouth to comment. Not that there was much of a crowd paying attention to his session. With that many trainers in a city it must be routine, no?

With chaos set in and most everyone involved all Yoni had to do was look for the Munna. It hadn't moved, not really. It stood in the exact same spot it had when Yoni had ordered the attack and the only visible change was that her hue was considerably redder than the normal pink. Yoni assumed her to be trying to use psychic powers but he wasn't sure if the one or two pebbles moving near her were the result of that or after effects of the gust of wind created by pidgey.

It didn't matter anyway. Though the rock stood intact Yoni had gotten something out of the impromptu challenge, he had got to see how his team worked.

Sure there were flaws and things to be fixed. Even if Yoni wasn't a master he could see that Munna would need either a shield around her when attacking or she would need to start to dodge. Pidgey would need to actually obey his orders - though the gust attack had been impressive in its scope it had still put the other Pokemon in danger and Ventisca should probably have at least attempted to evade the tornado like construction.

But it had been Swablu and Prim that had really impressed him. While Prim had displayed a huge increase in speed and agility, something she hadn't lacked as a Skitty her power had surprised Yoni.

As for the Swablu...well it had managed to do so much with so little. Yoni did not know if it was proximity to his shoulder and so his head but he had to admit the intelligence of the little fluff-ball. While his order had been super vague the Swablu seemed to at least consider the options and whether or not there was danger ahead. Same couldn't be said for most others.

Though Yoni felt he was at fault, pointing to a large object and telling them to charge. What had he been expecting, if humans were messy while charging in group, of course Pokemon would be. It was probably something with a real scientific had studied and that had a name but to Yoni it was the "herd dynamic theory", how being in a group changed a Pokemon personality.

Yoni had read it in a book and while it had taken him a long time - literal years - to understand that the Pokemon in the children's story were meant to represent humans and that peer pressure was bad no matter what species one was perhaps there was some truth to the group. Like a big preservation over immediate goodies?

Yoni shook his head, just because he had read books, his father's books even after he had taught him to read that did not make him capable of speaking about Biology, pokemon or otherwise. The comparison was a bit ridiculous in that sense…

But Yoni had to admit one thing. As much of a disaster as it had been, as much as the goal was completely ignored, and the Pokemon's personalities shone through several things were already evident to Yoni. Things he could work with.

Yoni once more got to his knee and spoke, not that there was much need, the Pokemon, still fighting over who lay on of the rock were almost as his eye level anyhow. Even with them distracted by such a simple thing, much like skitty are distracted by wild ribbons and want to pull on them Yoni couldn't forget to compliment them. It was his first training session and he was just as much of a newbie as his Pokemon but he had to at least compliment everyone who had worked hard.

"Good job everyone, I can already feel us getting stronger", Yoni wasn't lying either, though strong was a sort of relative concept anyhow he had felt them bonded and powerful. Yoni looked at all his Pokemon who, now instead of being in a row in front of him had glued themselves to the park. There was only some more words left to say. Not only if he wanted to get a Dragon type for his team, if the old man hadn't been lying but also to raise the spirit up. "Every time you do an attack you get better! And this is pretty much repeating attacks 101...or at least it is now - Yoni wondered whether things would get harder to balance once his Pokemon knew more moves. Were Pokemon memories limited so they couldn't hold all their attacks? He did not know.

But one thing was certain, he was enjoying the training, and while he didn't have elemental attacks he had considered joining as himself , play to the inner Pokemon Furry inside of him. Yes any step closer and he'd start wearing pajamas in the shape of animals.

But training? Getting better and thinking of strategies with what to beat trainers if challenged? Or purely stealth? despite how gray the power meter works as a measurement , Yoni would enjoy the training very much as well. Enough to make it a daily staple of their lives.

He should still probably find a place to sleep and some food first however.