Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon

Chapter 11: Gotowe

Desperately trying to quiet her panting, Fara lay huddled beneath the dense underbrush. She slowly moved her head in order to get a good look around her. Previous experience had taught her slow steady movements were less likely to attract her foes attention. All the while she listened while she looked. So far she was unable to see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Holding in the violent shivers she continued to scan her surrounding.

She was soaked and muddied from the artificial river. Her clothing was torn and her body covered in scraps and gashes. Most of all she was exhausted. John's 'Dodge' game was beyond difficult. For ten nights she had been hunted and caught by the superior predators time and again until John gave them the red light. This usually gave Fara less then two hours of sleep a night. However she was getting closer to her goal.

Fara had learned how to hide her scent from the Houndoom and Persian by slinking through the muddy waters. Her ability to hold her breath in said waters had increased as well. This helped disguise herself from the bird's keen night vision. Situational awareness had gone up as well.

Fara had never felt as close to her instincts as she did these days. She had learned to listen to the silences that foreshadowed a predator's presence. The faint breezes above that signaled her feathery opponents. All of this knowledge had been hard earned. Again and again she had raced through this course and not once had she succeeded.

Tonight was going to be different. So far she had dodged the land predators and the usual signs of their presence were missing. Pidgeot was in the area though. The full moon had given away her ghostly presence away. Noctowl was still missing and she was worried about that. The bird was her toughest opponent with his psychic awareness and night vision.

The full moon also put her at a disadvantage. It was unusually bright out and Fara was sure to stand out if she ventured in the open. This is why she lay in the brush. She needed to spot Noctowl so she could strategize to get around him. Her new internal alarm told Fara that she had less then six minutes to get to the finish line. She was feeling the pressure.

So she looked and listened. Her sleep addled gaze had difficulty seeing into the nights shadows even with the bright moon but she kept looking. Just as she felt like giving up she saw a shadow move. Slowly moving her head to focus on the area she waited and watched the dense brush of an ancient Maple tree.

Suddenly she spotted him. Noctowl was on a heavy limb behind leaves. His head was swiveling to and fro looking for her. Grinning Fara slowly reached over to an almost invisible string that was beside her. Rather than relying on luck Fara had decided to use some tools to assure victory. The string ran out side of the bush about fifteen feet to the waters edge before going along it. It then ran just above the surface to the end of the artificial river and back up the bank again. It was connected to a small stick that held up a few stones. It wasn't an architectural master piece but it would do the job of distracting the owl pokemon. Pulling it would cause the stones to fall in the river; making enough noise and movement to prompt investigation.

Holding her breath Fara quietly moved to the edge of the brush, just where a small opening was. Once there she gripped the string tightly and tugged. A quiet plop sounded behind Fara and she watched as Noctowl focused on the sound before taking off towards it. Just as the bird passed to about 30 feet behind her Fara bolted.

Unfortunately her speedy exit had made enough noise to catch the owl's attention. He turned and started towards her. Ignoring that, Fara focused on her oncoming destination 20 feet in front of her. Panting she pushed her legs as hard as she could but before she got there she was forced to drop as Persian jumped at her. Cursing she grimaced as her hard drop torn skin and jarred her roughly.

However she didn't stay down. With practiced ease she rolled and got back on her feet before running again. Persian whose leap had taken him past Fara turned as well and started for her. Lungs screaming and heart pounding Fara ran. Again she was forced to dodge at the last minute as Noctowl came in at her. This time it was the bird that got smacked into the ground.

His attention had been so focused on Fara that he failed to notice Persian leaping at the same time. A resounding crash sounded as the pokemon tumbled to the ground. Fara just ran and suddenly she was there. She was past the finish line. Gasping she fell to the ground and rolled to her back. Gulping in air she just panted.

As her breathing settled she couldn't help but giggle. It had taken ten days and countless attempts but she had beaten the predators. It was while she was still on the ground that John arrived. Obviously tired, he squinted at the giggling child before clearing his throat to get her attention.

Fara looked over and smiled at the man.

"I did it."

A smile lit the stern man's face.

"You did. Now go home and come back at six. We'll talk about what's next then."

He reached a hand out and helped the trainer up from the ground. With effort, she started to walk back to the center. Unable to resist John patted the passing girl's head causing her to stop and stare.

"You did good Fara. I really didn't expect you to succeed so quickly."

Fara swallowed thickly and turned her head away. Tears were burning at the corners of her eyes. Trying to shake it off she started towards the road.

"Thanks John."

The man just smiled at her back as she walked away. After a minute he looked over to the Houndoom.

"Watch her back will you? I'll have some food ready when you get back."

The large canine nodded at the Breeder and disappeared into the shadows after Fara.

It was just after dawn the next day, at six, when Fara reached the Aviary. She was still exhausted and sore but couldn't help but feel excited. Being able to complete the obstacle course and receiving praise from John had given her a sense of contentment. Even Nurse Joy's fussy attention to her injuries that morning had done nothing to dampen her spirit.

Smiling she entered the small cottage. The smell of coffee was prevalent and told Fara that her mentor was still in the kitchen. Reaching the room quickly she was greeted by her mentor's sour face hovering over his cup of coffee. Stifling a giggle that would surely provoke the sleepy man, she sat the table after getting herself a cup of coffee herself.

When she sat down John finally looked up and grunted a greeting. Knowing it best to wait, Fara contented herself on drinking her beverage and looking around until John became coherent. The kitchen was a medium size filled with warm oak cabinetry. Stainless steel appliances and light gray walls that complemented the design. A glass door led to a porch with sturdy perches for John's avian pokemon to roost.

A closer examination of the kitchen brought the borrowed Persian and Houndoom sleeping on large cushions. A quick look told Fara that Noctowl was probably in the main Aviary building where John's pokemon slept. Sleepily, Fara turned her attention back to her coffee and tried to stay awake.

Ten minutes later John cleared his throat and Fara looked to him.

"We're going to change the pace of things today. I won't need you to do the obstacle course or as many chores. We have eleven days to train your pokemon and you. After that you will be going back to Pallet Town to speak to the Professor about a few things."

Fara frowned. "What does the Professor need me for?"

Snorting John looked at the trainer with amusement.

"You forgot about those Thunder Stones didn't you?"

Those words hit the trainer like a lightening bolt. By Arceus, Fara had forgotten. The events leading to the accident were still fussy for the trainer. Stunned she just stared at the Breeder.

John startled to chuckle and Fara struggled to speak. Taking pity on the girl John spoke.

"Professor Oak took your Thunder stones to his lab after you were admitted to the hospital. He didn't want you to worry about them being stolen or lost. He's on that expedition in Viridian right now but will be back to his lab in a week or so. He wants to talk to you about what you want to do with the stones."

"Do?" Fara asked dazedly.

"Yes do. Like sell or keep them. You have a Pichu so I'm sure keeping one would be the smart thing to do but selling the other one may be a good idea. You'd get enough money to fund your next year of traveling at least."

Looking at John Fara tried to do the math. A year of traveling, if done frugally, cost between 5 and 15 thousand poke dollars depending on the trainer. Things like the quantity and physiology of pokemon one had, amount of time camping verses staying in rented rooms, and supplies could make that total vary. This wasn't even factoring specialty supplies such as clothing, pokemon potions and premium camping gear. Curious Fara spoke.

"How much is a Thunder stone actually worth?"

John's became pensive.

"From what Professor Oak told me a premium stone like the ones you were given is worth about 25,000 poke dollars."

Fara almost swallowed her tongue in shock.

"You're kidding right?" she said.

"Afraid not kid; there's a high demand and low supply for Thunder Stones in the market. The Clan's only put 12 out this year for sale, at least in Kanto. There are some more in the other Regions but the cost goes up with international taxes and transportation costs."

John face hardened. "Fara I need you to understand how dangerous your knowledge of the Pikachu den is right now. You can't say anything about having a stone at all. There are people out there that would kill to have control of a Elemental Stone reservoir like the one at the den. Never speak of it unless you are given explicit permission from Oak."

Swallowing Fara nodded her head. John relaxed.

"Good, now we need to talk about the training schedule."

Nodding at the man Fara waited and listened.

Ten days later Fara was sweating as she ran along the path of Viridian City's perimeter. Poocheyena and Pichu ran at her side while all three followed the fearsome Houndoom John had on loan.

Part one of Fara's training consisted on stamina building. Along with her mammalian pokemon she wore small weights and jogged every morning for five miles. Slowing down and stopping was prevented by the lead canine's Ember attacks. While they never hit the rest, the sight of them proved enough motivation to speed up.

It was exhausting to Fara and her pokemon. All of them were unused to the long distance runs but John had told Fara it would help them all in the long run. It would help Fara rebuild her lost muscle tone and wear out her energetic companions.

Once done with the run they would go back to the Aviary and run a new obstacle course. This one was similar to the one Fara had used in Dodge. The difference was that it was designed to help train her pokemon how to maneuver in various terrains. This would help them build strength and teach them to move their bodies in different ways and use their environment to their advantage. John said it would help with future pokemon battles tremendously.

While Fara, Pichu, and Poocheyena sweated in these activities Pidgey joined his mother and others in John's flock for morning flights. Rhapsody, while a sweet pokemon, was a powerhouse who trained religiously. Pidgey struggled to keep up with his mother's slower pace through the forest and skies. Pidgey, like the others, was forced to improve his agility and reflexes while doing fast flights through densely wooded areas.

On top of it his mother and other flock members would randomly attack the small bird in an effort to raise his situational awareness. John wanted Pidgey to be the central guardian to Fara and her group. His keen gaze, breeding, and fierce loyalty already made him an optimal protector but John wanted him to go above and beyond. Fara had agreed after an intense discussion.

After these morning exercises were completed for all of them the individual training began. Fara was put to a desk and forced to study in depth about her pokemon and their species capabilities. Theoretical battle discussions with John were often a central part of these study sessions. He had also started focusing on help Fara out together a potential team for her to train. She now had some ideas on what pokemon to capture in the future but left those plans open. Since she was till undecided on a career keeping her options open was a necessity.

Poocheyena spent this time with Houndoom. The pup was still young and the female Houndoom was giving him tough love lessons he would've been given with a pack. Things like nipping and jumping were viscously discouraged by the Fire/Dark type. Houndoom also took the infant on small hunting excursions where he learned the basics of tracking prey. While still inexperienced in hunting he had quickly picked up tracking and even learned, to Fara's joy, Order Sleuth in the process.

Pichu didn't have a pokemon of similar species to mentor under. Compared to the other two pokemon he was older and more experienced. His agility was high, something common with his species, and he was able to use Tail Whip and Charm. He was even able to keep himself from shorting out and shocking others as often as other Pichu might. John, who had struggled to design a plan, had been surprised when Persian became the mouse's mentor.

While different species, Persian was able to do electric attacks; something that Pichu lacked. His control in preventing short outs didn't mean he could use it offensively yet and Persian helped in resolving that. The big cat patiently taught him to externalize his electric energy in to a Thunder Shock attack. In addition Persian would playfully hunt the mouse pokemon. Pichu was rather traumatized by these 'playful assaults'. He often was twitchy in the cat's presence and Fara silently wondered if he would ever recover his nerve. However, his situational awareness went up tremendously and he remained unharmed so Fara let the cat's mentorship continue.

Finally, Pidgey spent his time expanding his move pool. His Peck and Tackle were as good as they could be with his conditioning and size so his mother focused on other abilities. Quick attack was progressing quickly so they also focused on the ability, Tailwind. This attack was a specialty for those of Rhapsody's line. While other flying pokemon could use the skill, Rhapsody had mastered it to such a degree that instead of just increasing her speed, she was capable of slowing down opponents. In addition her mastery of the wind gave her almost unmatched maneuverability in the air.

John often gloated that her skill was what got him to the top eight despite the tough odds he faced. Fara had been excited to learn Pidgey was learning that from Rhapsody. John was stingy with his tips and letting other flying pokemon mentor with his Ace. Pidgey was proving to be his mother's son and had started to use the move. However, it would take years of training and physiological development for him to master it like his mother. Though once mastered, John stated learning moves like Twister and Hurricane would be easier. Wind control was a necessity in these attacks.

The rest of the day was spent helping John doing the evening feed and swimming. Fara loved the water and she patiently taught Pichu and Poocheyena to swim with her. Her pokemon soon picked up her love and the three would spend afternoons playing with each other as Pidgey watched close by. The swimming became an important bonding time for Fara and her pokemon.

Now as Fara followed the Houndoom for her last of training she couldn't help but feel excited. While not where she was physically before the attack she was much better. Her pokemon had grown as well. She could see confidence in their movements and they had all settled into a family group. Pidgey had softened to their new companions and the group dynamics had settled.

Pidgey was the Guardian. Always vigilant, he kept watch and warned Fara of any dangers. Poocheyena was still quite the baby but he had calmed down and, like Pidgey, kept a close eye out for dangers. He had also become Fara's teddy bear at night; sleeping in her arms or cuddling at every chance. Pichu was the little helper. He often tried to help Fara with chores and other activities like shopping. Their companionship and devotion had given Fara a closeness that was unmatched to her other relationships. That love made her content and more confident then ever.

Smiling, Fara trudged along. She was ready to start her journey again.