Chapter 2: Many Meetings
The Starly glared at Dawn and Crest with all the dignified pride of Entei atop a volcano. Its sodden and ruffled feathers indicated that it had been in battle recently. Dawn didn't have to guess where.
"You're the second Starly that attacked us earlier, at the Lake," Dawn accused. At her side Crest puffed up his chest and shrieked in tandem with Starly as the two Pokémon stared each other down. "Come back for a rematch?"
Starly gave its answer in the form of a quick dive from the tree branch where it had landed only moments ago, wings glowing as it threw itself at Crest. Just watching the move gave Dawn a sense of deja-vu from their morning battle.
"Crest, same plan as Torch!" Crest heard Dawn's yell just in time to lean out of the way of the Wing Attack.
As Crest began to blow Bubbles all over the battlefield in an attempt to both catch Starly and reel it in closer, Dawn swung her bag over her chest so she could root around inside. She had wanted to catch this Starly during their battle earlier. Now that she had her license with her, she could follow up on that resolution.
A red-and-white Pokéball was primed and waiting in her hand when Starly was finally lured in for a close-range attack. Landing on the ground for a split second to dodge the Bubble barrage, Starly leapt at Crest with both wings gleaming white in a powerful Quick Attack. Crest lunged forward in the same moment, stubby wings glowing with the power of Pound. Driving both wings into Starly, he expected the little bird to be thrown into the mass of Bubbles behind it just like Torch had been earlier.
Instead, his glowing wings found no resistance as the body of the Starly burst and disappeared when touched, his wings passing through nothing at all.
"Crest, that's Double Team, keep it away or you'll be swarmed!" Dawn yelled, too late as Crest was bombarded from all sides by illusory Starly. Only one was real and Crest could feel the harsh impact on his right side as he was sent sprawling, but when he looked up, he couldn't deduce which of the ten Starly swooping above was the real one.
"Bubble net! Make it hit something before it hits you!" Dawn ordered. Crest tried his best to comply, foregoing standing in favor of spewing Bubbles all around his prone form. The Starly swarm descended again, ignoring the floating hazards in favor of all-out attack. In the confusion of copies disappearing all around him, Crest was once again hit and unable to tell which of the three remaining Starly was the culprit.
However, unlike Starly, Crest had an ally looking out for him. "Hit the one on the right!" Dawn said, pointing on the correct Starly. She could see what Crest had been too busy to see. Crest immediately spat out a stream of Bubbles faster than ever before, the pain in his sides and decreasing energy giving him an intense desire to finish this battle quickly.
Starly shrieked with rage as the Bubbles impacted, knocked back a few feet as the copies dissipated. It beat its wings with as much power as it could muster, clearly trying to gain altitude and escape Crest's limited range.
"Oh no you don't!" Dawn yelled as she threw the primed Pokéball with all her might at the rising Starly. She hit Starly right in the back, where Crest's attack in their last battle had tossed it into the woods. Her days of throwing stones to practice alongside Barry and Lucas had finally paid off. The ball opened and sucked the Starly inside in a stream of red light, falling to the forest floor with a dull thud.
For ten tense seconds Dawn and Crest stood stock-still, watching the ball roll from side to side and shake at odd intervals as the Starly tried to break free. After ten seconds the ball stilled and a faint click sounded, indicating a successful capture.
"Yes! We did it! Our first new teammate!" Dawn knelt down and swept Crest up in a hug, too overjoyed to worry about his fragile pride or their budding friendship.
Crest didn't mind, too proud of himself over beating the flying-type twice to bother with his human's strange behavior. This whole team thing was working out better than he had expected actually, without his human he wouldn't have defeated Starly nearly as fast. Of course, he would have beaten it, but not as fast. There was something to be said for that. Maybe he would stick around longer than he had originally thought.
After a moment Dawn let Crest down from her arms and walked forward to pick up the Pokéball. Only a few seconds with her first caught Pokémon and she was already strategizing on how best to train her new partner. Not bad tactical sense and it clearly likes to battle. Hates to lose, as seen by the fact it came back to challenge us not long after the first defeat… I'll need to train it not to gain altitude the moment it gets hit, that's far too predictable and gives an opponent an opening… She knew that the moment she sat down she would have to start a new section in her journal, just based on this one battle.
That reminded her, more information would certainly help her analysis. Dawn removed her Pokédex from an outer pocket on her bag and scanned the Pokéball.
Starly, the Starling Pokémon. Starly travel in great numbers, so a single individual is hard to pick out of a crowd. Though small, they flap their wings with great power. They flock around mountains and fields, chasing after bug Pokémon. Their singing is noisy and annoying. This Starly is male, with the ability Reckless. It knows the moves Tackle, Quick Attack, Wing Attack and Double Team. It has ability to learn the egg move Feather Dance.
Reckless? Isn't that a rare ability? Although that might explain why Starly thought rushing in only hours after getting his tail kicked was a good idea… Dawn made a note to look it up later before sliding the Pokedex into her pocket, docking the new Pokéball on her belt and turning to Crest. "Well, shall we get going? I'd like to make it a few more miles before nightfall…"
Without so much as a squeak Crest began trundling down the path, Dawn falling into step behind him. He might have decided that his human would be a good enough companion for now, but that didn't mean Crest would leave all the decisions up to her.
#
Route 202 was not particularly well-traveled, so Dawn and Crest did not meet anyone as they walked, instead enjoying one another's company and the view of the wide flower fields they wandered through. By the time the sun hit the tops of the distant trees Dawn and Crest had found a campsite, little more than a fire pit and some neatly piled cut branches a little way off the road. Dawn would have preferred somewhere more sheltered from the elements and passerby, but the sky was clear, and no one was likely to disturb them tonight. Once they were further from Sandgem Town she would have to think about setting watches. When they hit a real wilderness area like Mt. Coronet or the Eterna Forest, sentries would become an absolute necessity.
In a few minutes Dawn had a cheerful fire going, her dinner warming up beside it, her tent set up and her notebook open. She didn't want to train Crest too hard tonight, eyeing the bruises that marked his body from the battle with Starly, but it would be a good idea to get started on some basic exercises. Starly would remain in his Pokéball so they could meet their new teammate when all were rested.
"Hey Crest, ready for some training?" Crest looked up from where he had plopped down a little distance from the fire with interest. Struggling to his feet he waddled over and chirped enthusiastically. She had a feeling that enthusiasm wouldn't last much longer with what she would have him doing.
"Great, we'll start off with some movement and endurance training then move on to ability training." Picking up one of the precut pieces of firewood, Dawn walked a decent distance from the campsite, set it down, then returned, placing another piece of firewood right in front of Crest. "You're going to run as fast as you can from this piece of firewood to the other piece and back until you're too tired to go on. When you are, stop and squawk at me. I'll give you a break then you'll get right back to it."
Crest nodded and set himself up at the closer end, then began waddle-sprinting for the other piece of firewood. More than once he almost tripped and fell beak-first on the ground, his wings flapping furiously as though attempting to hold him up. He wasn't fast by any definition of the word, but Crest made it back and forth between the branches at a decent clip for around five minutes before he stumbled to a stop at the closer branch, making a sound that was closer to a whine than a squawk.
"Three-minute rest," Dawn told him cheerfully. The water type collapsed to the grass, breathing so hard Dawn could hear it from her spot on the other side of the fire. When Crest had imagined training, he had imagined great battles and himself destroying his opponents, working hard to perfect powerful combos that left his opponents speechless and stunned as they lay defeated. He hadn't imagined running back and forth so much that he felt like his lungs would collapse and his feet would fall off.
Far too soon Dawn yelled, "Time's up!" and Crest was back to running. The repeated the exercise four more times, shortening the amount of time Crest had to run slightly after the first time. Dawn noted with satisfaction that the little penguin was already stumbling less even after two rounds, and more of the stumbles were from tiredness then true clumsiness on land. If he improved at this rate for another two days or so she would add in obstacles for him to jump over or avoid. If Starly joined them they could even add evasion training into the routine.
Once Crest couldn't run another lap without passing out Dawn switched tactics and had him practice his accuracy. By having him spit Bubbles so that they would linger at a specific place between the two branches Dawn taught Crest how to control where his Bubbles would go. Once Crest had better aim, she could work with more complex strategies than trying to entrap an enemy or knock them into where the Bubbles were. She also had him work on how many Bubbles he could produce, how fast he could produce them and how powerful they were individually. At some point he needed to learn Bubblebeam. If they did the groundwork now it would be much easier to learn later on.
Both Crest and Dawn were dead on their feet by the time the sun had gone down. Dawn's dinner was pleasantly warm from sitting by the fire and Crest dug into his Pokémon food with gusto after Dawn doused it with some water (he refused to eat it dry). As soon as their food was finished Dawn put out the fire and curled up inside her tent, Crest claiming a corner of the tent for his own. He had refused the offer to sleep with her but didn't want to sleep in his Pokéball or outside, so Dawn offered him a blanket. Crest had taken the opportunity to make a little nest out of the blanket. Dawn's last sight before sleep claimed her was Crest snuggling into his blanket nest, eyes already closing.
#
Dawn threw the Pokéball high, releasing Starly straight into the air. Crest had to crane his head far back to catch sight of the normal type soaring high for a moment before coming down to land in front of Dawn and Crest. He didn't look too angry; there were no shrieks or attacks prepped. Starly simply stared at the two who had vanquished him.
"Hello Starly," Dawn began, "I'm Dawn, and this is Crest. I caught you last night. You know what that means. Are you willing to join the team?"
Starly looked over the pair for a moment. They had beaten him twice, even when he revealed his secret weapon. He had attacked them in the first place in order to grow stronger. They were stronger than him. Wasn't that all there was to it? He wanted to get stronger, the human could make him stronger like the Piplup by her side. Plus, harsh battles and free food. What more could a Pokémon ask for? Starly nodded his agreement.
"Great! I promise that I'll make you strong, as strong and you can possibly be and much stronger than you ever imagined you could get. Would you like to take a nickname?" Starly thought for a second than chirped cheerfully. A new name, one that would mark the stronger version of himself. Yes, he liked that.
Dawn began to run through names, though it didn't take long for Starly to pick one. He didn't seem very picky, but Dawn liked the one he chose all the same. "Welcome to the team Zephyr! We're about to set out, but I bet you'd like some food first…"
After a quick breakfast, the trio set out together, Crest walking at Dawn's side and Zephyr flying above them on the chilly morning breeze. Only five minutes down the path, Dawn's Pokétch began to buzz with an incoming call. She looked down to see her mother's phone number and missed a step on the path, stumbling for a moment before she caught herself. She'd forgotten to call her mother in the excitement of yesterday. Oh no…
Dawn pressed the button with no small amount of trepidation and prepared to shock a lot of Pokémon awake as they walked on toward Jubilife City.
#
"Whirlwind!" A blast of air smacked the poor Bidoof ten feet away, sending it rolling into the grass with a pitiful cry. Dawn sighed but smiled at Zephyr as he came back down to land on her shoulder. "Good try Zephyr. Keep at it, I'm sure you'll get it soon."
With two full days of walking and training behind him, Zephyr had a rudimentary idea of Whirlwind down. He could produce a mighty gust of air from his small wings, enough to cause any small enemy to go flying, but he hadn't managed to make it spin the way a proper Whirlwind should and he couldn't conjure up nearly enough power to make it effective against anything but the lightest enemies. Zephyr had proven that time and time again as he tried out the new move on anything that moved.
Over the past two days Dawn had gotten to know both of her teammates much better, in part because there was nothing better for team bonding than complaining about waking up to a torrential rainstorm on their third day out of Sandgem Town. Plodding through the rain and mud together brought out the best and worst in her teammates.
She now knew that Crest would always remain cool and calm, undeterred by any obstacle no matter how small. Even flopping over in the mud and remaining stuck for five minutes hadn't caused him to lose his aloof demeanor. But when he was uncomfortable or dirty his pride acted up; it had taken five minutes to get free of the mud because he refused to let Dawn or Zephyr help him in any way.
Zephyr in many ways was the exact opposite of Crest. He was always loud and cheerful no matter what, even when stuck riding on Dawn's shoulder for hours due to the downpour. He stuck close to Dawn, showing her and Crest affection by snuggling close in the rain or sitting on her lap during their nights by the fire after training was done. He'd gotten over his capture quickly, acting as if Crest and Dawn were friends he'd known all his life.
His cheerful personality made Dawn's spirits rise during the long third-day slog, but the other side of his personality caused no end of trouble. Zephyr had an insatiable lust for battle. Zephyr tried to attack every wild Pokémon they met or rare Trainer they encountered the moment he saw them. As far as Dawn could tell, Zephyr wasn't being territorial, prideful or hated other Pokémon; he just loved the thrill of battle. He shrieked his heart out through every skirmish no matter how small or quick, finding new and creative ways to use his small movepool to extend the battles. Every night after Dawn had pounded both he and Crest to the ground through endurance, power and move training he tried to hassle Crest into battling him. Crest never obliged but it didn't stop Zephyr from pecking, screeching and nudging Crest in an attempt to make him break. Dawn supposed it was lucky she wasn't a Pokémon or she wouldn't get any rest either.
At first Dawn thought he was just hyperactive. In order to get him to calm down and use that energy more productively, she began teaching him Whirlwind and instructed the normal type to practice while they walked. Zephyr just took the command as free reign to pick even more fights, as long as he used his new move.
After researching the ability Reckless Dawn saw she had to come up with a new strategy. Apparently, the ability Reckless wasn't rare for the Starly line but was rare above the Starly level for one reason: Starly with this ability often killed themselves picking fights they couldn't win or using recoil moves too often so that the enhanced damage they took from those moves killed them. A Starly with this ability couldn't be convinced not to battle; they could only be taught to take better care of themselves and to choose their opponents wisely.
Dawn had to move on to a new tactic: he could fight others only if the target agreed to battle. She convinced him it would help him improve faster to have willing opponents. Zephyr had a much more open idea of what "agreeing" to battle was than Dawn did (for example, walking across the road in front of the party counted) but for now she took it as the best she was going to get. At least it would help him master Whirlwind faster.
Only a couple hours past lunch on their fourth day of walking Dawn began to see the tall skyscrapers of Jubilife City in the distance. She unconsciously picked up the pace, so much so that Crest had to nearly jog to keep up with her. Zephyr picked up on the energy as well, flying high above the trees ahead to explore these new buildings from the air.
The transition from path to city was gradual. After an hour of walking the dirt path became a pitted and cracked but paved road. Houses began to appear along the edges, starting with worn, smaller houses that slowly became bigger and more modern as they walked. The buildings became taller and more closely packed, the road in better condition, and people began to appear. People walked on the streets and Pokémon walked by at their sides until the streets were so congested it was hard to walk sometimes and the skyscrapers loomed overhead. They had reached Jubilife City.
Dawn had never spent more than a day in the city, but it was familiar from a few trips in her childhood. The congested streets, tightly packed buildings and bright lights assaulting her senses reminded her why she had hated those trips. Bright neon signs lit up the streets, proclaiming their businesses and shops set into the towering skyscrapers penning the citizens in on all sides as citizens and tourists mixed on the streets, shouting in many different languages. Far ahead she could see the famous globe on top of the Global Trade Station. Next to it the sharp spire of the Jubilife TV Tower lit up the sky with blinking lights that warned planes away. The quiet noise of Pokémon in the fields and trees were left behind long ago, ceding to the combined roar of street vendors hawking their wares, construction machines building new skyscrapers and citizens chattering as they muscled their way through the throng crowding every street.
Jubilife City was the biggest city in all of Sinnoh, its proximity to the southern coast allowing the weather to stay warmer longer than most of Sinnoh and its centralized location drawing in many businesses. What had once been a collection of houses much like Twinleaf Town had grown into the home of Sinnoh innovation and modernization in the modern era. To Dawn, who had grown up in the forest with only familiar faces around, trying to muscle her way through the streets was close to a nightmare. Crest and Zephyr were already in their Pokéballs, unwilling to face the crowds Dawn was shouldering through.
Dawn's frantic search for the bright red roof of the Pokémon Center came to an end half an hour later, when the glaring lights of the city gave way to the comforting white double doors and standout red roof. Dawn tumbled in through the doors and dove to the side to avoid the crush of traffic coming in and out. The Jubilife Pokémon Center was enormous, nearly tall enough to be considered a skyscraper and twice as long as most of the buildings surrounding it. It made sense that the Pokémon Center for such as city had to be large to accommodate all the extra traffic.
Dawn collapsed on a chair and waited for the tension to drain from her muscles, trying to ignore the chatter of trainers waiting in line and the reporter on the giant TV droning on about some missing scientists. She was so focused on the task of calming herself down she didn't even notice the figure next to her until he grabbed the end of her sleeve and pulled. Dawn nearly jumped five feet in the air, recovering only when her brain processed just who was standing in front of her.
"Not even going to stop to say hello?" Lucas asked with a mock wounded expression on his face.
"It's not like you stand out much in this crowd," Dawn told him as she pulled him into a brief hug. She hadn't expected to see him in Jubilife, for all that he'd said he was coming out this way. She wasn't intending to linger for more than a single night and she'd left before him. Dawn could only guess that Professor Rowan was here as well and had teleported or flown them to the city.
"It's too crowded for a proper reunion in here. Want to go out back? We can finally have that battle we promised each other," Dawn offered.
"Lead the way," he said, joining her in forcing the crowd aside as they walked across the expansive lobby towards the double doors that would lead them to the small battlefield in the back courtyard of the Pokémon Center.
Walking outside Dawn saw the sun again, hitting the tops of the buildings as it slowly sank towards the horizon. It lit up the Pokétch Company headquarters with a golden glow, casting the derelict building behind it into shadow.
Jubilife City had once had a Pokémon Gym like most of the other cities in the region; a clan of Normal-Type Masters had founded the gym in the heart of the city, all but ruling their own little fief until others discovered how wealthy relocating to a position between three major cities could be. Her mother had told her the story last time she came to the city: how the gym leaders fought the growing interests of businesses who wanted to control the flow of money in the city and how they had failed and been forced to give up their ancestral land and control as more and more people flooded into the valley. Now only the shell of their mansion remained, a ruined sentinel of older days watching over the city it once ruled. Dawn thought it was an inauspicious place to battle, under the ruined remains of the heart of Pokémon battling in Jubilife.
It didn't appear to bother Lucas, as the second they stepped out onto the manicured grass and saw the hard dirt carefully painted with white lines in front of them he turned to her with a small smirk. "Ready to battle?"
"I'm almost offended you had to ask." Dawn grinned wildly and took up her position on one side of the battlefield, waving away the trainers hanging around while Lucas took up the spot on the other end. The other trainers settled in to watch on the outskirts, with one trainer striding forward to referee the match. He turned to Dawn and Lucas to check if they were ready, and receiving a set of nods said the traditional words:
"Battle, start!"
"Atlas, let's go! Absorb!" Lucas called as threw his Pokéball. Atlas began to glow green the moment he appeared, a pair of thin vines emerging from under his brown shell to stretch towards Crest.
"Crest, come on out! Pound them away and approach!" Dawn yelled. She'd been planning for this battle ever since she first got Crest but type disadvantage meant she couldn't take too many risks. Everything would come down to precision.
Crest's wings glowed a familiar white and he Pounded the vines away as he began to run forward. In mere moments he was right in front of Atlas, slamming a Pound down on his brown shell. Atlas groaned and backed up, sending his vines in again to keep Crest busy while he recovered. Atlas wasn't fast or particularly powerful at this stage but he could take a hit well.
Lucas looked somewhat astonished at how fast Crest could move on land now, watching the water type knock back Atlas' vines with ease. Competition and a battle-hungry partner had done wonders for Crest's need to improve and opportunities to do so.
"Atlas, Bite and Absorb! Take a hit if you have to!" Lucas' command got Atlas moving again, making Dawn internally curse. Lucas was a much harder opponent than Barry. Not because of type advantage (at least solely) but because he used his head much more than Barry. Lucas had probably thought about how to win this battle as much as she had.
Well, it was time to see if she knew Lucas as well as she thought she did. "Crest, charge! Hit Atlas with Bubble then Pound at close range!" Lucas frowned at the command and Dawn could see his thoughts in his expression. Her tactic was stupid, without a chance of success; Atlas had already shown off the ability to nearly shrug off Pound at close range, so a hit from Bubble at long range would do absolutely nothing, especially with a type disadvantage. Sending Crest in close when Atlas' best moves were close range and without the element of surprise like last time was almost suicidal. All the Bubbles were doing was tearing up and soaking the ground they hit, creating muddy puddles all over the battlefield.
"Atlas, Withdraw!" Dawn's smile broke out unintentionally as her guess proved correct. Lucas was being cautious, trying to get her to unveil the secret behind her tactic and get away with minimal damage to Atlas. Despite her mother's wishes, Dawn had never been good at staying cautious.
"Crest, do it! Peck!" Atlas hadn't had time to kill enough of his momentum to complete Withdraw, pulling to a stop just in time for Crest to burst into range. Crest's beak was glowing a faint blue with flying-type power that would hurt Atlas enough for Crest could defeat him with a few more blows. The flying-type move wasn't near complete yet, but it worked well enough to hurt Atlas more than a simple Pound or Bubble. Her crazy plan had worked!
It all went wrong in a fraction of a second. Crest hesitated just inches from Atlas, bleeding momentum as he dug in his feet to stop himself from digging his beak into his opponent. Atlas snapped all his limbs into his shell, glowing a brief blue as his shell hardened. The remaining momentum sent the shell crashing into Crest, knocking the two of them towards Dawn's feet. A moment later Atlas' head popped out and his teeth dug into Crest's downy blue feathers, their bodies glowing a fierce green as the grass type sucked the energy out of his foe. Crest shrieked and thrashed but after a few moments of Absorb Crest slumped to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Atlas let go and stepped back as the referee lifted a hand to announce the winner of the battle. Dawn didn't hear his words as she collapsed to the grass and pulled Crest in close, cradling his limp body. "You did great Crest, don't worry," she whispered as she heard Lucas walk over. "We'll beat them next time." She recalled Crest in a flash of red light and looked up to see Lucas' hand extended.
"I'll just have to crush you next time," she told Lucas in a falsely cheery voice as she grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet.
"I won't make it easy," he promised. He looked at her with a flicker of concern in his eyes for a moment before shaking his head and gesturing towards the Pokémon Center behind them. "Let's go get these two healed," he offered.
Nurse Joy promised Crest would be good to go soon so Dawn took a seat to wait in the expansive lobby, claiming one large couch in the corner of the room for herself. She couldn't quite convince herself that there was no reason it was as far from Lucas as possible. She sat down and scrolled through her Pokédex, pencil and notebook in her lap but hands and mind curiously unwilling to write. Normally she spent a long time editing her training plans after a battle, reporting on what she thought Crest and Zephyr had done well, what they had not and what strategies their opponent used. Right now, it was all she could do to keep her eyes on her Pokédex as she scrolled. Her mind kept flying back to the moment of hesitation, Atlas' teeth around Crest's body and his pained cries, the limp body cradled in her arms.
She was so focused on trying to avoid the intrusive memories that she didn't notice the figure who had come up behind her until he moved to block the light. Dawn looked up to see a man with spiky blue hair and a stern face looking down at her. His features were curiously blank of any emotion.
"Hello? Can I help you?"
"Your Pokémon. You lost that battle because it hesitated."
"Excuse me?"
The man sat down on the other end of the couch Dawn sat on, intense gray eyes still trained on her face. "Your Pokémon hesitated at the crucial moment and couldn't regain momentum fast enough. That decision cost you the battle. Do you know why it stopped?"
Dawn thought back to that moment. Instead of mourning the loss, this time she tried to think about why Crest had hesitated. Atlas hadn't been able to fight back at that moment so it couldn't have been that Crest was scared of attack or pain. Maybe he was scared his Peck wouldn't work? No, he'd started the move and it had been strong enough to at least deal a little damage, she could remember the glowing blue beak. Then what was it? Did he not trust that her plan would work? Maybe, but it wasn't likely. He'd trusted her judgement in battle when they'd known each other for only a few seconds during their first-ever battle…
Looking down at her own feet in their heavy boots was what made it click. Her boots had mud crusted around the edges. The battlefield had been wet and muddy from Crest's Bubble. Crest was afraid of falling in the mud at his feet and had hesitated! He was prideful, she had known that from the moment they met, but until now she hadn't though about how that might affect him in battle. He spent hours grooming himself every morning, plucking at his feathers until they were in the perfect position and so clean they gleamed in the sun. Of course he wouldn't want to get muddy!
Dawn realized the stranger was still waiting for an answer. "I do. We'll do better next time."
"Your Pokémon lost the battle because it hesitated. It lost the battle not because of you but because it didn't follow your commands. It lost because it listened to its own desires over your own."
"I guess, though I think it was more because I didn't understand him well enough to command him well. We'll become better partners in the future so that it won't happen again." Dawn really didn't know where the man wanted this conversation to go. Something about him put her on edge; maybe it was the way his eyes never left her or his white-knuckled grip on the couch, like this conversation meant more to him than he was letting on. Whatever it was, all she wanted was for him to make his point and go away. She had training to do.
"You should not need to. If your partner had listened to you and not its own emotions, you would have won. Would it not be a better world, a more complete world, if there were no emotion, no spirit to fight against? If you could trust that when you gave an order, your Pokémon would do it every time without fail?"
What? This conversation was only getting stranger. More and more she wanted to get out of here, to stop talking. "Of course not. We lost today because I didn't know my partner well enough to help him overcome his opponent. Learning from our mistakes and growing together is what makes us stronger. If Crest listened to every command perfectly, he wouldn't be a Pokémon, a companion, partner and friend. He'd be a robot."
The man didn't appear to be listening that closely. His eyes were still fixed on her face but had a faraway look, clearly paying attention to his own thoughts instead of her answer. "Without emotion, without spirit, there would be no mistakes, no strife. All would be perfect, as it was when space and time began. Spirit brings nothing but pain, loss and grief, as when one chooses to follow their feelings, they cause nothing but sorrow to all around them…" The man refocused on Dawn again, holding her gaze for an endless moment.
"You have helped me confirm on my course of action. Thank you." He stood up, digging something out of a pocket and handing it to her. "My name is Cyrus. Remember it." Without another word, he turned and walked away.
The business card was a simple rectangle of white paper. The words "Cyrus, Galactic Research Company, CEO," was printed on the card over an image of a blue planet with a yellow ring. It nearly fell out of Dawn's limp hand as she collapsed back on the soft couch cushions, unease draining out of her body. The tension in the air had dissipated now that Cyrus was gone and she felt so much more tired than she had before.
At least the stranger had been good for something. Dawn sat up and opened Strategies and Training Plans, Vol 1 to her section on Crest. She began to write new notes, emphasizing how to work around or help him overcome his vanity so that they wouldn't lose this way again. She had lost this battle, to a rival no less. She didn't plan on losing any others because she didn't understand her partners or refused to learn from a battle. Next time they battled, Lucas wouldn't know what hit him.
#
The soft sounds of the forest on Route 203 were a welcome relief from the loud, crowded streets of Jubilife. The sun shining through the trees cast dappled light on the path as Dawn stepped off the paved street and headed for the wilderness. Her bag was heavy with all the supplies that she had bought in preparation for her journey through Route 203 and especially the Oreburgh Gate. Flashlights, batteries, rope, Pokémon Repel, everything she could possibly need for the days she would spend wandering in the dark. It was times like these that she almost regretted not choosing Chimchar as her starter; a constant source of light and warmth would be invaluable in the caves that led to the mining city.
But she could never give up Crest, who had already proven to be Torch's match and more. He was walking at her side as usual, eyes fixed on the road and quiet except for the occasional chirp or squeak to alert Dawn to something on the path. Zephyr was zipping around the trailhead, hopping from branch to branch to Dawn's shoulder before zooming off to enjoy the thermals created by the warming air above. The thick cloth of her jacket's left shoulder was already beginning to show signs of wear and tear from his constant takeoffs and landings.
The sound of something thudding to the ground and the shriek of a Starly up ahead made Dawn pick up the pace for a second, Crest moving in perfect sync with her. After the last few days with Zephyr they both knew the signs of the flying-type getting into a fight and she wanted to head him off before he exhausted himself not five minutes down the trail. She was quite happy that he hadn't yet learned any moves that caused recoil damage, or his Reckless ability would probably have already knocked him out many times over. It showed up enough in his personality already.
She got a surprise when she rounded the corner. Rounding the bend, she saw not one Starly on the ground but two, each attempting to rise from the dusty path and glaring at one another, trading high-pitched shrieks. However, the true surprise was who was standing behind the second Starly. Barry stood only a few feet down the path, bent over to help his Starly to its feet while Torch looked on from his place next to Barry.
"Barry! Zephyr!" Dawn hurried over and carefully picked up her own Starly before turning to grin at her rival. "New catch?"
"Huh? Hey Dawn! You were being so slow I thought I'd have to wait until Oreburgh City to battle again so I was heading out! Tell me you got a little tougher!"
"Of course! You?"
"Me? Do you even need to ask? Of course I got tougher! Come on, let's battle it out!"
Dawn grinned in anticipation and sped up her pace as Barry led her a few meters off the side of the trail. Crest looked up at his trainer hopefully and Torch danced around Barry's feet in excitement.
"One on one?" Dawn asked. "I'd like to test out my new partner but not have to go right back to Jubilife and wait three hours to get going."
"Sure! We can test which Starly really rules the roost! Come on Zip, let's get going!" His Starly shook itself then slowly flapped into the air, circling above its master's head in a long, lazy spiral. Zephyr in contrast zipped up to hover above Dawn and shrieked a challenge, his eyes fixed on his opponent.
They waited for a tense second, then the battle began. "Zephyr, Wing Attack," Dawn ordered. Zephyr shot forward with a heavy downward thrust of his wings, shooting for one of Zip's wings. Zip dodged out of the way by a hair and went to gain altitude. Zephyr shot after Zip and soon the two flying-types were exchanging blows in a dancing aerial duel that was almost impossible for Dawn or Barry to follow. Dawn could see that she was just going to have to trust Zephyr to know what he was doing in the air since she couldn't be up there with him. What she could do was point out any openings she saw.
Zip was not nearly as aggressive as Zephyr, preferring to avoid blows by small margins and strike in the gaps Zephyr's overzealousness left behind. Zephyr's complete lack of restraint and ability to ignore injury if it meant he could attack his opponent back meant by the time five minutes had elapsed both Starly were covered in small wounds. Zip was losing altitude with every wing flap and Zephyr was panting so loud that Dawn could hear it even twenty feet below them. This last strike would be the decider and Dawn had every intention of helping her friend win.
"Zephyr, Whirlwind!" Zephyr's wings glowed white and he sent a current of air at his struggling opponent. Zip cried out as the current made her loose balance in the air and she began to fall. Zephyr dove after his opponent, coming in close with glowing wings to finish his opponent in the air instead of letting gravity do his work for him.
"Zip, Fury Attack!" Barry was grinning widely, sure that this time he'd gotten the drop on Dawn.
Zephyr wouldn't pull up and let Zip get away. It wasn't who he was. Dawn knew this, so she had to adapt her strategy. What could she do? He couldn't attack without being taken down… wait that was it!
"Zephyr, grab the attack and throw!" Zephyr's talons locked around Zip's own outstretched talons. With a mighty flap and heave Zephyr changed the course of Zip's fall, sending her down at a harsh angle with more than a little bit of extra momentum added in.
Both Starly hit the ground, sending up puffs of leaves and dust. Only Zephyr could drag himself back to his feet and raise his wings in triumph.
"What? I lost?! What do you mean I lost?! Again!" Barry recalled Zip, his expression somewhere between distraught and disbelief. After a second it morphed into determination. "Well that's it! That's the last time I'll ever lose, especially to you Dawn! I'll be the world's strongest trainer and you know it! First thing to do is take on the Oreburgh City Gym Leader. You'd better be tougher the next time we meet, or I'll have to beat you and fine you! Later!" Moments later Barry was off down the road, mouth moving a mile a minute as he chattered to Torch about his plans until he was out of sight.
Zephyr chirped a challenge before flying up to land on Dawn's shoulder once again. His grip was less painful than normal, and she could tell he was tuckered out when he decided to stay and regale Crest with the story of his victory instead of flying off to find a new battle as they set off down the road. For her part she just listened to the cheerful chirping and stroked the Starly in congratulations as they walked down the forested path towards their next victory.
Crest rolled his eyes at the silly flying-type. Zephyr was loud and annoying and didn't know when to shut up, but that had been an impressive victory. Was it because of their trainer or because he was just naturally good? Crest still wasn't sure. They'd lost his last battle, but they had won every other battle. Perhaps was time to leave the human behind. If he wasn't winning battles this partnership wouldn't be worth it, lowering himself to working with a human. But it hadn't been that long yet and while the workouts weren't fun, he could tell they were working.
Crest decided that the next few hard battles he had would decide it. If the human could help him, truly be an asset in a battle where he had the disadvantage and wouldn't win without her and her training, then he would stick by her for as long as it took to become strong. If not, if he could win without her or lost because she was there, then he would be gone. Still, Crest felt a twinge of something he couldn't identify at the thought. Eyeing the normal type asleep on the human's shoulder and the human in her white hat, blue eyes watching him with fondness, he tried to convince himself that it wasn't regret, that he wouldn't miss them.
He wasn't particularly successful.
#
If the wide-open flower fields and sparse forested patches of Route 202 had been a change of pace, a real sign that she was at last on her journey, then Route 203 was like walking home. The tree-lined path, thick canopy overhead and the crunch of leaves under her feet were as familiar to Dawn as her own name. If she didn't pay attention to the Starly flying ahead or the Piplup at her side, she could convince herself she was walking home to Twinleaf Town after going to see Lucas in Sandgem.
Unlike Route 201 and Route 202 there were a significant number of trainers walking between the Oreburgh Gate and Jubilife City. Almost all the trainers were happy to battle her. Dawn defeated them all reasonably easily; she found that most trainers on this route were also fairly new and most didn't use any strategy when they fought. Dawn had quite a bit of fun picking them apart and she could see Crest slowly adapting to her favorite strategies. After the first few battles on the road, she could give much vaguer directions and see the exact result she wanted. Every time she saw another Bidoof or Starly unconscious before her partner she knew that they were becoming a better team and she couldn't ask for more. Their first gym battle was fast approaching, a true test of their skills. She knew that her first partner was more than ready for the challenge.
Zephyr didn't take to her strategic bent with as much enthusiasm as Crest but he was slowly learning new tactics and the importance of not rushing in. He still took far too many hits but Dawn had plenty of time to help him improve. With his type disadvantage he wouldn't be a star player in her first gym match though he would inevitably fight. Without the ability to teach him super-effective moves at this stage, all she could hope for was that he could take down an opponent before falling himself.
In the last three days rocks had begun to appear more frequently and the trail began to get steeper. She was approaching the foothills of the Coronet Range and her legs complained ceaselessly about the extra work. Crest was surly the first night after they began climbing, his short legs meaning he felt the increasing slope even more than she did. The only sign that Zephyr noticed their ascent into the foothills was the increasing amount of time he spent flying high above them, playing in the cool mountain winds.
Watching him gambol about in the air had helped Dawn come up with a new training exercise they could do on the road. Whenever Zephyr dove down low enough, Dawn would throw acorns or small stones at him while Crest blew Bubbles at him. He wasn't great at dodging at first but by the end of the second day he was using his size to his advantage and learning how to avoid the projectiles. On the third day Dawn set an additional challenge: Zephyr had to dodge the thrown objects then catch them before they hit the ground. Crest's Bubble was getting stronger and more accurate as competition stoked his need to be the best and he strived to reach and hit Zephyr. Zephyr in turn loved to dodge and pop the slow Bubbles. All in all, their training sessions during the long walks helped both improve and let Dawn spend more time on move training when they had their nightly training sessions.
Her teammates were progressing and she could see them getting stronger by the day. Crest's stubby wings had begun to grow longer and the feathers on his wings darken into a more royal blue color. She thought it would still be a little while until he evolved but she had high hopes that it would happen before she reached Eterna City. Zephyr was growing steadily larger; the extra nutrients in his Pokémon food and constant work had helped him become nearly twice the size of the average Starly already. As he grew ever closer to evolution she knew to watch out for the increased aggression that came about as he stored energy and began to produce the hormones necessary for evolution.
On the fifth day of their journey down Route 203 Dawn was interrupted from a memory of Flint and Cynthia's most recent battle by Crest trilling and pulling on her pants leg with his stubby beak.
"What is it Crest? Trouble?" Crest nodded, his wings held out from his sides a little as though preparing to use Pound. A moment later Zephyr came rocketing down the trail from where he'd been exploring up ahead, shrieking a warning cry. Instead of landing on her shoulder Zephyr grabbed a backpack strap in his beak and pulled, joining Crest in tugging Dawn behind a rock outcropping a little way off the path.
"What's going on you two?" Neither Crest nor Zephyr answered, just pulling her down until the rock hid them all from anyone on the trail and waiting in silence. Deciding to trust the superior senses of her partners Dawn waited patiently for whatever threat they had noticed to reveal itself.
After a minute or two of silence the small trees and bushes along the side of the road began to move and shake, slowly parting to reveal a large black head. It turned and Dawn caught a glimpse of a Luxio for the first time. The serious face was somewhat at odds with its large round ears, but she didn't doubt that if they moved too much it would hear them or smell them. That would be a big problem, especially as Dawn saw the forms of other Luxio and some smaller Shinx appear from the undergrowth beside the leader. They looked up and down the path before continuing on their way, aware that this path was often walked by humans.
Around twenty-five electric types crossed over the road to continue into the woods, all eyes and ears alert and wary for any interference. The road crackled with the excess electricity flowing between the pack. All electric types could communicate using electricity but the favored form of communication between the Shinx line was to release electricity from their claws and into the ground where another could receive the incoming charge.
Dawn gave Crest and Zephyr a congratulatory stroke as she watched the pack move past. Packs of Shinx and Luxio were fiercely loyal and territorial, to say nothing of the fact that humans or Pokémon who walked too close to a pack would find themselves fried by the excess electricity produced by their communication.
The procession of Luxio leading their cadre of Shinx kittens went on for about ten minutes before they had passed fully out of sight. Dawn waited another ten behind the rock to make sure it was safe before she led Crest and Zephyr back onto the road. Just as she stepped out from behind a rock, a pitiful mewl made her turn towards the road again.
A lone Shinx stumbled out onto the road, looking around in every direction. Electricity crackled along its blue body, making it glow even in the bright sunlight. Its head turned this way and that, nose sniffing the air nonstop while electricity crackled into the ground. The glowing body couldn't hide the dirt and dust streaked all over its pelt as it stumbled slowly across the path, ignoring the human and Pokémon in its way.
An electric type would be a great addition to her team and she had always admired the Shinx line. They were powerful hunters that excelled at close combat and their electricity gave them multiple ways to incapacitate and overcome opponents. Just aside from the tactical advantages catching it would bring the team, she wanted to help little electric type looked lost and alone. Perhaps it had gotten lost from the pack up ahead? No, it wasn't to far behind to catch up, even exhausted as this one appeared to be. If it hadn't caught up by now it was by choice. Perhaps it had been thrown out for some reason? She didn't know, but she did have a solution that would hopefully benefit them both.
"Crest, we're going to catch this one. Hit the ground in front of it with a Bubble, I don't want to attack while its back is turned."
Crest looked up at his trainer then did as he was told. Inside he was burning with excitement. Finally, here was a chance to prove he was better than type advantage. This would help him decide which path he would take, to go on his own to grow stronger or stay with the human.
His Bubbles flew straight and true, cutting off Shinx just as it was about to enter the forest. Instead of hopping back in surprise like most Pokémon would Shinx froze, slowly turning its head to face its opponent and his trainer. It took a moment to study them closely, the worried look had worn previously melting into something colder and harder. Dawn recognized the look in its eyes. It was analyzing them with the cool calm of a warrior. That was the expression Dawn had seen on the TV on Champion Cynthia's face many times, the eyes that she desired to bear one day when she faced her foes. She was more determined than ever to see this Shinx join the team.
Shinx turned its body to face them, dropping into a crouched position that would help it take off running at the slightest provocation. Crest moved to face it and for a moment silence reigned as they watched one another.
Shinx's body lit up bright as the sun, stunning Crest for a second just as the electric-type sprang. Dawn blinked away the spots in her vision in time to see Crest bowled over by Shinx. The Tackle didn't appear to carry any electrical energy at least, or at least not yet. Shinx attempted to bite down but Crest used his free wing to deliver a Pound that forced Shinx to get off of him.
Shinx prowled just out of reach as Crest got to his feet, bright eyes never leaving the water-type. Electricity began to crackle along its claws, then all over its body and Dawn had to bite back a curse. "Don't let it get close Crest! It's using Charge, if it touches you, you'll be shocked." Crest nodded and puffed up, spitting a stream of Bubbles towards Shinx.
It proved a good move as it forced Shinx to avoid them or lose the charge building in its coat. Shinx dodged the move and raced in, leaping for his opponent. Crest stumbled backwards, not expecting the burst of speed Shinx displayed that allowed it to close in for close combat. Pound was out of the question because he would hit the charging electricity and Bubble would be just as dangerous to Crest as Shinx if he tried it now. What should he do? What could he do?
"Peck!"
Crest didn't think; he just did, generating the spiraling air current around his stubby beak that elongated it, thrusting forward into Shinx's side. Shinx hadn't expected the move and was thrown to the side, allowing Crest time to realize what had happened.
Although Peck appeared to use the user's beak to attack the foe, it actually worked by summoning flying type energy to wrap the user's beak in a thick spiraling wind current. This wind current was what actually hit an opponent, not the beak itself. Air was a poor conductor of electricity, allowing Crest to hit Shinx's Charged coat without shocking himself.
Crest didn't waste the opportunity, spitting a large Bubble at Shinx and drenching it as multiple bubbles exploded against its side and cancelled out the Charge. Shinx was still scrambling to stand when Dawn threw the Pokéball.
It wobbled frantically for five seconds before slowly losing speed until it stilled, a faint click sounding their victory and the advent of a new partner.
Dawn's exuberant laughter rang through the trees as she ran towards Crest and the Pokéball at his side. She knelt down and grabbed the Pokéball off the ground before turning to give Crest a quick hug. He didn't push her off of himself like he normally would if she tried to touch him, so she considered it progress.
Deciding against going on for the rest of the day, Dawn walked back towards the rocks where they had taken shelter earlier. She found an area that was big enough for training and a small camp only a few paces away. Setting down her bag, she pulled out her Potions and a few Oran berries before turning to Crest and Zephyr.
"Be alert but not hostile, we want to make a good impression. Shinx is likely scared and alone, we want to show it that it can be a part of our family now," she instructed. Crest and Zephyr nodded then watched Dawn hit the button and Shinx appeared in front of the team.
Shinx was shaking and barely able to stand when it appeared, cringing and backpedaling when Dawn knelt down to its eye level. Only the offered Oran berry got Shinx to come close enough to touch. Shinx sniffed the berry and began to eat, allowing Dawn to spray potions on its wounds while Shinx tore at the berry. Once Dawn's Potion was all used up and the Oran berry eaten, Shinx looked up at Dawn, wariness and curiosity battling in its eyes.
"I caught you Shinx. That means that you now have a new home, with us. Are you willing to join us? We can give you a family, teach you to be stronger and better than ever before. We'll support you in bad times and celebrate together during good ones. We'll become the strongest, together. Are you in? Will you join us?"
Shinx looked around at Crest, standing silently at Dawn's side, and at Zephyr perched on her shoulder. When Shinx still looked unsure Zephyr gave an encouraging chirp and Crest squeaked and trilled a quick few words.
Shinx looked up at her as Crest ended his speech, fixing bright yellow eyes on Dawn's blue ones. He gave an affirmative mewl and stretched his body into a long bow in what Dawn knew to be a sign of submission between members of the Shinx line.
"Thank you, I promise I won't let you down! But there's no need to bow, we're all equals on this team. I'm your trainer but I'm not your superior in any way," Dawn assured the electric type. Shinx cocked his head to the side, as though it couldn't understand the concept. Shinx packs ran off a strict and rigidly enforced hierarchy from what Dawn remembered from her studies.
Well, she had an easy way to find out more. "Do you mind if I scan you Shinx? It won't take long, and it won't hurt. It'll just tell me a little bit more about you," Dawn reassured her new friend. Shinx shrugged and sat down, watching her pull out her Pokédex and activate the scanner.
Shinx, the Flash Pokémon. The muscles in its forelegs generate electricity when they flex. Its fur glows brightly when it senses danger. It flees while its foe is blinded. This Shinx is male with the Ability Intimidate. It knows the moves Tackle, Leer, Charge and Baby-Doll Eyes. It has the ability to learn the egg move Ice Fang.
With that moveset Dawn guessed that Shinx wasn't too much older than Crest, a few months old at most. Her best guess was that the male Shinx had been thrown out of his pack by an older male Luxio who wanted the females all to himself. "You're pretty strong Shinx!" Dawn praised, causing Shinx to preen a little at the compliment. "Would you like a nickname?" Hopefully a nickname would help him forget the trouble of his old pack and help him integrate with his new one.
Shinx nodded, beginning the litany of names. Shinx didn't seem too picky about his name but Dawn put lots of thought into the ones she suggested, trying to find one that fit the quiet kit before her instead of just throwing out options. It took four tries before they found one that fit.
"Welcome to the team Ion!"
#
All the responses to the first chapter made me catch the writing bug so here's the next chapter! I hope that you enjoy it. The team is starting to fill out a little more and we've almost reached the first Gym Battle. The next chapter probably won't be out quite so quickly, but I'll keep working as fast as I can!
Thanks, and see you next time!
