Ch. 3 The Wild
Alex and Adora stepped inside of professor Rowan's lab and made their way to his office. When they got there, they noticed that the door was opened just a crack and they couod hear Cynthia and the professor talking quietly. The two of them sensed that they probably weren't meant to hear what was being said, so naturally, they listened from outside the door.
"What's causing them to behave this way?" they heard Cynthia's voice ask.
"It's not yet clear as to what the root of this problem is," answered the professor. "Nothing appears to be wrong with any of the pokemon I've examined, and it seems that only wild pokemon are acting more aggressively. Any that I've caught returned to normal after a day or two."
"You don't think he has anything to do with it, do you?" asked Cynthia.
"It wouldn't surprise me," said the professor. "We haven't heard anything from him since the incident, and he doesn't strike me as the kind to give up easily".
Alex was intrigued. He wondered who they were talking about and what the "incident" was. He looked at Adora with a questioning look. She only shrugged, so they kept listening.
"Do you think it's safe to send Alex and Adora out?" Cynthia questioned, sounding concerned.
"I'm sure they'll be fine" said the professor. "So long as they don't venture too deep into the wild, there aren't many powerful pokemon in this part of the region."
"Ok" said Cynthia. "But we should at least warn them. As much as I don't want them worrying about this at the start of their journey, it's better that they're prepared."
Alex decided that they might as well go in now. "Prepared for what?" he asked casually, not wanting them to know that he was eavesdropping.
Cynthia and professor Rowan looked at each other as if trying to silently decide how much they should say. Professor Rowan broke the silence by turning to the pair of young trainers and saying, "We were just saying that you need to be prelared for the dangers that may lie on the road ahead. Pokemon are powerful creatures, not to be taken lightly. I would urge you two to be extra cautious though, as there have been reports that wild pokemon are acting increasingly aggressive towards humans."
"It's probably nothing to worry about" Cynthia interjected. "I'd just recommend that you both stick to areas with less powerful pokemon for a while".
Alex simply nodded, still curious about who they were talking about and what the "incident" was.
"What do we do if our pokemon is fainted and we are far from any town?" asked Adora.
"Good question," said the professor, nodding. "I'll give the both of you a few potions to keep your pokemon healthy. As well as that, I'll give you five pokeballs each. You should focus on catching a few extra pokemon as soon as you can to help keep you safe."
Professor Rowan walked over to his desk and grabbed the supplies. "Here you are." he said handing Alex and Adora the potions and pokeballs.
"With that, you two should be good to go," Cynthia said as she pulled Alex into a hug. "I'll be waiting at the end of Victory Road for you. You better not disappoint me."
"I'll be there before you know it" Alex replied with a smirk. "Besides, if I don't hurry, I might miss my shot. I'm sure you'll be retiring soon."
Cynthia punched him in the arm. "Hey! I'm not that old!" She laughed with Alex for a moment then became serious once again. "But seriously Alex, be careful out there. I love you and I'd hate to see you get hurt."
"Love you too" Alex said. "And there's no need to worry about me, I refuse to let myself die before I beat you in a battle!"
"Well if that's true I really dont have to worry" Cynthia said with a devious smile. "It'll be a looong time before you can take me in a fight."
"Whatever" Alex replied. "Well I'd better be off now."
"Have you and Adora decided whether you're going to travel together or not?" Cynthia asked.
Alex and Adora looked at each other, neither of them quite sure what the other wanted to do. Adora broke the silence and said, "I was planning on going to Lake Varity for a little bit to see some of the pokemon there. I'd be happy to have you along if you want to come."
"That's ok," said Alex. "I think I'm going to head up to Jubilife instead. I'll see you around though, and next time I'll beat you for sure!"
"We'll see about that" Adora said. "Maybe by then soon of your sister's skill will have passed down to you."
Alex laughed out of politeness, the comparison to his sister once again getting to him. He then started toward the door. "Goodbye everyone, thanks for all the help professor."
They all walked out with him, saying their goodbyes to each other along the way. when they got outside they all went their separate ways. Alex waved to his sister as she flew past him on Canyon's back. He worked his way through Sandgem town towards route 202. When he got to the edge of the town he decided to let Ceasar out of his pokeball.
The little penguin burst out of his pokeball with a flash of light and looked around, confused. "Where did the girl go?" He asked.
Alex crouched down to be closer to Caesar's level. "Adora and I decided to split up for now" he explained. "I'm sure we'll meet up some other time, but for now, it's just you and me!"
"Are we gonna battle someone else now?" Ceasar asked eagerly.
Alex chuckled at his pokemon's excitement. "Not right now, maybe in a bit if we run into some wild pokemon. For now we'll just be heading toward Jubilife city." Alex started jogging slowly on the route, gesturing at Ceasar for him to follow. "Let's jog for a bit so we can work on your speed. I think if you were faster we might have been able to counter Adora and Darwin's bait and switch tactic."
Ceasar started running alongside Alex. "Why would speed help?" he asked, panting.
"For a couple reasons I think," Alex started. " First, I think that with enough speed you might have been able to land a hit or two without Darwin retreating into his shell. Second, even if he did make it to his shell, you'd be able to dodge his attack better and maybe even do your own bait and switch by sidestepping and attacking."
Ceasar just nodded, he was pretty out of breath already since he had to run a lot harder just to keep up with Alex. He was happy to be with Alex, he seemed like a smart and capable trainer. As tired as he was already, Ceaser was eager to prove to his trainer that he could handle whatever was thrown his way.
Alex could see the determination in Ceasars eyes despite how tired the little penguin looked. Alex was proud of his pokemon for pushing himself and knew that with that attitude, they'd be able to go far together. He ran for a bit longer before deciding to slow down. Alex knew that if Ceasar got too tired, he wouldn't be able to fight off any wild pokemon. The two were quietly walking down the path when they started to hear the sound of running water somewhere just off the trail.
"Let's go find that stream" said Alex. "It's starting to get late anyways, maybe it'll be a good place to camp."
The two walked into the woods towards the sound of the stream. After a short walk through the brush they came across a small stream, shimmering in the scattered sunlight. Ceasar, burst into a run, eager to get to the water. In his haste to get there however, he didn't notice that a bidoof was taking a nap near the bank. Ceasar leapt into the stream, water erupting around him and onto the bank.
The bidoof, got up and shook both the water and sleep off of himself. He then glared at Ceasar and let out a low rumble, clearly not happy about being woken up.
Alex could see that Ceasar was blissfully unaware of what he had just done, and was still splashing about in the stream. Alex watched the bidoof, waiting to see what it would do. When the bidoof shot toward Ceasar, Alex felt a cool electricity shoot through his body and his mind became a whirlwind of thoughts. "Ceasar, look out!" he called.
Ceasar turned around just in time to see the enraged bidoof flying towards him. He dove into the water and narrowly avoided the attack. When he popped back out of the water he looked toward Alex with wide eyes, wondering what he should do.
"Stay in the water," instructed Alex. "You have the advantage there, when he comes at you again, sidestep then use pound!"
Ceasar nodded affirmation, hardening his gaze as he turned back toward the bidoof. The wild pokemon scuttled onto a boulder that was jutting out of the stream, his face fuming with anger. He squared up against Ceasar and once again used tackle. Ceasar waited with tense muscles for just the right moment to strike. Ceasar moved to the side right as the bidoof was about to hit him then used pound to knock the wild pokemon further into the stream.
Alex saw that the bidoof was in fairly deep water now, with no boulders immediately available to climb onto. "Keep him where he's at! Swim under him and use pound!"
Ceaser sprang into the deep water with no hesitation and did as he was instructed. The little penguin whirled around the the struggling bidoof and attacked him from below the water.
Alex called for Ceasar to stop, seeing that the wild pokemon had had enough and watched as the bidoof swam to the opposite bank and bolted off into the woods. Ceasar, for his part, stood on top of a large boulder with his chest puffed out and a very smug look on his face. Alex chuckled at this, amused by his piplup's pride.
"Good job buddy," Alex praised. "You're getting better at battling already."
"I'd like to see Darwin try to take me on by some water next time," Ceasar said pompously. "His little shell trick wouldn't would so well then, would it?"
Alex grinned, "No, I don't think it would. Come on, I see a little clearing just up the stream, let's make calm there for the night"
Alex worked his way up the bank of the stream careful not to fall in while Caesar swam through the water, occasionally jumping up on a rock just to dive back in. They made it to the clearing and Alex started to unload the gear they would be using.
"Why don't you go collect some sticks and we can start a fire," he suggested to Ceasar.
"Ok," the little penguin said as he shuffled off to the woods.
Alex put up the tent and piled some rocks up for a fire pit. As he was pulling out some berries and dried meat from his bag, Ceasar returned toting as many sticks as his small arms could carry. He dropped them by Alex who quickly arranged them in the pit how he wanted them. He helped Ceasar collect more wood so then got the fire started. The two sat and ate their little meal by the fire and talked about the events if the day.
"Did you see how quick I was when the bidoof was coming after me?" Ceasar asked, bouncing excitedly. "He didn't even get one hit in!"
Alex smiled at his partner, "Yeah, you did really great! let's not get too cocky though, I'm sure Adora and Darwin are working just as hard as we are."
"I know," Ceasar replied, still bouncing. "I'll keep working hard too."
"That's good," Alex chuckled. "Let's get some rest for tonight though, we've still got a long way to go before we reach Jubilife."
Alex led Ceasar into the tent he'd set up and showed him the little bed he had for him. The two quickly fell asleep, both content with how things were going so far and tired from the long day.