The Trainer's Bond



byTremor3258



Quest for heaven's light!



Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, in any of its myriad incarnations. This work is intended merely for fun, not profit.



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Pokemon and humans had lived in uneasy truce for millennia before the powerful creatures began to be domesticated, or rather, agreements began to be reached. Perhaps because of proximity to the creature's energies, or merely natural selection in action, Pokemon and some humans had the ability to understand each other far better than an observer would realize, with complicated battle strategies reduced to a few short commands. That bond between trainer and Pokemon made the team far stronger than the wild counterparts, and the indications of strength that could be attained started more and more Pokemon to seek human attachment.



The rule of six Pokemon was a holdover for those days, a general guideline to indicate the limit where a human could no longer truly work with all their Pokemon. The Poke ball made capturing an easier business than those days, but still, people with an empathy and bond with their Pokemon rose to the top. Most people had an empathy with one type, or a certain sort of style of Pokemon personality-wise, generally rising to be gym trainers or Leaders. Very, very few people had the affinity to work with all Pokemon and unlock their potential, and they became Masters. However, they usually were so busy with the many types of Pokemon to be unable to work on maintaining the path between humans and Pokemon, leaving the masters of type to be the leaders.



"This meeting of the Pokemon League will now come to order!" said Lance, master of dragons, and leader of the League. Dragon was the rarest affinity of all, and typically, when the trainer had mastered himself as well as Pokemon, one of the most powerful. Lance, however, was rarely called into battle now days. His skills at negotiation, as well as the other powerful trainers of the Elite Four, meant it was rarely necessary. However, those who wanted to make it to the hall of champions rarely made the mistake of underestimating him and winning the match. Despite not receiving as many challenges as he used to, Lance was still one of the greatest trainers who had ever lived, and one of Pokemon's greatest defenders.



Yet even he had to respect the combined forces that were gathered in the room before him. The room was huge, an old gym battling floor that had been converted to the League's council chambers, with walls, floor, and ceiling of black granite. Several small windows set in the walls looked out on the harsh, mountainous landscape, but the room was made far cozier by the addition of great tapestries depicting many of the world's legends, as well as statues of famous trainers from long-ago days. The center of the room was dominated by a tier of semi-circular tables, focused around a central podium, where Lance stood. Seated in the chairs was most of the League Council, including the entire Elite 4 and the Kanto Gym Leaders, as well as lesser-skilled trainers who filled most of the League's administrative roles. The group was startled from reading the compiled reports Lance had presented, and looked grimly at the Council leader.



It was difficult enough to collect a majority of the Council when things were quiet throughout the League. However, with the training season getting into full swing, Lance had to resort to bribery, and in the case of the reclusive Blaine, outright threats to get the Gym Leaders in attendance. He seriously doubted though, that any regretted coming right now.



Team Rocket had recently been found to be busy gathering Pokemon, experimenting at enhancing them, as well as outfitting them with TMs. Several trainers, operating as League 'black ops' had managed to find the creches and free the young Pokemon. Blaine had declared them fit, and then the League had worked at dispersing the Pokemon into good homes with young trainers.



However, yesterday at the Pewter City gym, one of those Pokemon, a Dratini, had gone berserk when placed on the gym's main battling ground, and could have injured the spectators, before its trainer managed to calm it down. Operating under the auspices of providing care, a quick examination had shown chemicals in the bloodstream similar to those of Rocket manipulation, that hadn't been there at its last treatment in a Pokemon Center. The Rockets latest attempt at overthrowing the League involved using the League's own young trainers to unleash their weapons.



"First, our thanks to Brock for his quick work in bringing our primary matter for this meeting to our attention," Lance began, "We thought the Rocket's latest scheme had failed with our operatives actions, but it turned out to have a second part that was far more subtle than we expected the Rockets to be capable of in their disorganized state."



"It's entirely possible," Sabrina, mistress of psychic Pokemon, interrupted, "that the Rocket's apparent chaos following the loss of Giovanni's position is actually part of his plans. Giovanni's insecurities are sufficient to ensure he continues to seek... substandard operatives, but he himself is quite cunning and dangerous," she finished smoothly, though Lance knew that Sabrina's training ensured that she would not act surprised if the Legendaries dropped by for a snack.



"They have fallen quite far from their strength at their take-over of Saffron, Gym Leader," Lance said calmly, "But events have shown we should evaluate the situation. Team Rocket's assault on Cinnabar was impressive in size, and the fact they managed to continue their normal operations indicates that not only have we underestimated their size, but Giovanni is willing to let us know that he has a great deal in reserve."



Karen, current master of dark and ghostly Pokemon, said, "I believe that Giovanni's willingness to reveal his reserves indicates that this latest plan was not a fluke. The Dratini, according to Professor Oak himself, acted completely like a normal Pokemon of its level, albeit a rather well-trained one. Obviously he has found a way to bury indoctrination far deeper than we thought possible."



Blaine continued, "Not only that, but these Pokemon have been trained to use their sensitivity to detect the latent power within the gyms themselves. Giovanni is evidently hoping that the young trainers will lose faith in our teachings and make it easier for him to manipulate them to his standard, or possibly destruction of the gyms."



Janine, recently appointed to head of the Fuchsia gym, asked, "Perhaps an attempt at assassination. A sudden poison attack..." she trailed off, inviting comment, but the room was silent for a moment.



Bruno, former head of the Pewter gym, grunted, "If any of US get caught by a low-level attack like that, we deserve it." Koga, former Fuchsia leader, ninja, and master of poison Pokemon, nodded in agreement.



"Perhaps we should get to a more critical issue," Lance said, cutting through the bourgeoning discussion, "Is there some way we can counter this without relying on a trainer's sheer presence, and, naturally, without putting down any Pokemon?"



Gary, another recent gym leader, commented, "Psychic Pokemon might be able to mimic the gyms and test the various Pokemon for reactions. I've also seen reactions similar to this before on my training journey. It could be some sort of surgically-implanted, one-time use capsule. A deeper scan than usual at the Pokemon Centers may be able to find it. Team Rocket also might have records."



Lance shook his head at the implicit suggestion to launch attacks, "I'm unwilling to plunge the world into a guerrilla war, Gary Oak. We keep those bases intact to have better track on Team Rocket's activities. And recent events have shown that we do not have the intelligence we should have. Giovanni could be gambling with the numbers he has, but if he is not, I doubt we could mobilize forces quickly enough if we pulled out of our usual defensive posture."



"A raid then. In and out for the information," compromised Gary, "I believe we could probably gather a group not directly affiliated with us from our trainer records. For one thing, children have a remarkably good record at that sort of thing," he smirked. Gary had pulled off some astonishing one-man army wins against Team Rocket in his day. Nothing compared to the current League Champion, but still impressive.



Lance nodded, "Agreed." The dragon master gave a rare smile, "Now, with that business ready to be taken care of, we can't start talking about reassignments of gym resources with the new threats..." Lance continued on, the Council taking notes. Minutia from this could end up saving hundreds of lives in the next few months.



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There were several reasons why trainers preferred the Mount Moon tunnel complex, lava tubes created by an ancient meteorite strike, than finding their way over the mountain's foothills. Though the primary reason was that the tunnel path was a bit shorter, there were plenty of little things. The tunnel terrain was better than slogging through foothills, and there was typically enough of a pressure difference to create a gentle breeze, plenty for the wary trainer to continue in the correct general direction, despite generally bad Pokegear reception within the complex. As time went by, the smallest village to Mount Moon even built a Pokemon center next to the tunnel entrance. However, the reason trainers said they were in the area was that many of the extremely strong rock and ground types of Pokemon made their homes within Mount Moon, and it was relatively simple to stumble across a potential powerhouse.



However, many trainers didn't realize that Mount Moon's slopes were, in many ways, a better training ground than the tunnels, even if the slopes were mainly bereft of Pokemon. The constant wind, chilly temperatures, dry air, and high elevation combined to give quite a workout.



"So, really, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go up there, Diana," John said for the third time, "It's not quite safe. It wouldn't be THAT hard to wait a while longer," he urged.



Diana shrugged and said, slightly bitterly, "Nice of you to keep track of your research project's health, huh?" The two were standing in the tiny hamlet by the Mount Moon Pokemon Center. John, despite having a variety of Pokemon with the capability, lacked Pokemon with the Flash technique. More involved in research than training, he'd neglected to hunt down a Flash HM in southern Kanto. The two had been busy training in the area, while on the lookout, but it didn't seem any HMs were available currently. Diana, not wanting to lose more time, was willing to try the moderately safe option of walking over the mountain.



John blinked in surprise at the sudden acid, "What does that mean?"



Diana rolled her eyes, "We've spent almost a week in this area, and every hour or so, you come up with some other way to try and ask me what I did to calm Dratini. I really don't know, and I'm just glad it worked for Dratini's sake, and I'm glad she got the badge for me." Diana paused, and said in a confused tone, though smiling slightly, "Come to think of it, I've been the one busy working on training, you haven't been doing a lot more than talking with your Meowth, and having your Butterfree fly around a lot."



John smiled, and proclaimed, "To the average observer, I suppose it wouldn't look like much. But, if we run into a trainer today, you'll see what I managed to learn from reading some magazines when you were stuck in the hospital. My team's been with me long enough to get pretty high-level, but considering my Magnemite lost to a reasonably wimpy Geodude, they really need some battle practice, so we have come up with some strategies that will ensure I continue to get badges and gather data on the trainer experience." John started to strike poses that were probably meant to be martial-art katas.



Diana smiled, though mainly on the outside. Diana had been traveling alongside John, taking advantage of some human company and his extensive knowledge of Pokemon and regional data, in exchange for a few tips she'd picked up in Pallet Town. However, she'd found it relatively easy to refocus his attention away from her when she needed privacy. Though the constant questions were annoying, his incredulity at her controlling the battle field so well in her first match back in Pewter City hurt a bit.

Diana had considered her sister's success, and from her sister's ability to quickly find, isolate, and take out targets in the midst of a large battle, Diana had decided she probably had at least a degree of that talent. Though the greatest Pokemon trainers had surprisingly few common traits, a very good sense of the battle field and how to use it was one of them. Putting together the various factors so quickly really couldn't be taught, as it was really more of just how you handled information.



Diana realized John had stopped talking, and was looking at her expectantly. Diana rewound the last minute of conversation back in her head, and asked, "Well, you have been busy working these last few days, and your Pokemon are still stronger than mine, so you shouldn't have as much problems as I've been having." Diana winced in remembrance. Out of six battles in the last few days, she'd done fairly well, with five wins and a loss, but two of the wins had been frighteningly close.



Still, she was happier being out making a destiny, and her Pokemon were much happier to have the chance to stretch somewhat. John would note that their levels had been rising much faster out here on the road, but Diana was also able to devote more attention to her friends journeying than she had back home. With another wave of frustration coming over her, Diana started walking towards the edge of town.



John started walking beside her, "You're not going to be talked out of heading up Mount Moon?"



"Well," Diana admitted, "Heading through Mount Moon would be better, but I suppose I could do that later after I can find a Flash HM somewhere." Diana winced in remembrance, "Though I'm not sure how well Dratini will take rock Pokemon in close proximity after that scare. But I definitely don't want to sit here and wait for a spare Flash HM to show up."



John was silent for a moment on the walk through the town, and then sighed, "Very well. There will be Pokemon on the slopes, I suppose. And I don't want to get concussed by heading through Mount Moon without a light."



Diana said, sounding overly cheerful, "That's the spirit, well... sort of. Anyway, there are probably more Pokemon up top with trainers working their way through the tunnels all the time."



John smiled suddenly, realization striking, "Hey, it's only a week after the season opened. Half the local legends are a result of the northern ranges, so who knows what might wander down to Mount Moon once in a while. People have seen Zapdos up there." John started to jog, shouting, "What are you waiting for? Time's a-wasting!"



"Then again," Diana mused, "Maybe I don't understand him." The young trainer continued on steadily. She was eager to get on her way, but not eager enough to injure herself.



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Mount Moon's slopes were a mix of boulders from ancient rockslides and trees struggling in the harsh climate. Erosion was getting a bit of a boost today, however. Brad, training his Beedrill and Sandshrew, was suddenly enveloped in a dust cloud, dropping them all into a coughing fit, as rocks skittered down among them, along with the sharp 'crack' of rock exploding. Listening, he could hear the rattling of something moving above him. "Watch it up there!" he called, annoyed, "You could bring the whole mountain down!" With another hand, he motioned Sandshrew forward. Sandshrew chittered and raised its claws, ready for combat. The work of the day was to get around the whole problem of the dim caves... so at least the sand meant he didn't have to spend time scuffing with the dirt rather than claw jabs.



The rattling ceased, revealing an elderly looking gentlemen wearing khaki-colored safari clothes. Pushing his glasses up the nose, the man exclaimed, "Oh, goodness gracious me! I was unaware anyone else was in the area. I do apologize young man. My Kadabra and I were preparing for the journey ahead." The psychic Pokemon, looking contrite, popped its head into view.



Brad shrugged, claiming, "It's not a big deal, I just hate having my vision cut off like that." Brad stared at the Kadabra, "It looks pretty healthy, so the weather won't bother it, and there's not much that can stop a psychic Pokemon in this area above or below ground."



The man looked confused for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Removing his glasses, he wiped at the tears of laughter running down his face. As the fit passed, the older man nearly broke out again at seeing Brad's angry expression. Holding up a hand, and gasping for air, he quickly explained, "Lad... this Pokemon was originally trained as a circus performer. He has some excellent juggling tricks, but he lacks the raw offensive power typical of his species. It's nothing that important, really." The Kadabra, looking abashed, hung its head. The man turned around to get back to work.



"Too late for that excuse," Brad muttered, "If it's capable of smashing rocks into dust after card tricks most of its life, then there's some great techniques up there!" Brad bent down to conspire with his Pokemon, who leaned in slightly. "Let's check it out guys. That's the sort of attack that would fit right in with our strategies! If nothing else, he can't refuse a Pokemon battle and I can see it there, and I bet WE can block it." The Pokemon nodded in agreement. All four of Brad's Pokemon worked well with quick, devastating attacks, and were worked heavily for defense.. Brad recalled Sandshrew before turning to Beedrill.



"Beedrill, head on up and start watching the training!" he commanded. Beedrill buzzed uncertainly, and Brad said, slightly irritated, "I know I can't understand everything. Yet. But gestures should do it for training right?" Beedrill buzzed more happily and shot up the slope, as Brad began climbing the ridge, teeth bared slightly in anger. Diana's little episode with the Dratini was disturbing his Pokemon, and he'd seen a few sidelong glances. First place WAS the only place to be in the training game, and they understood that, but they did wonder. Brad couldn't blame them. Diana had some ideas that didn't mesh with training, but he envied that sort of rapport.



"Hey, what the? Get out of the way!" shouted the old man frantically, counter scored by Beedrill's usual buzzing becoming more angry. Brad hauled himself up faster. Beedrills were hive creatures, and that close proximity of minds made them easy bait for mental attacks.



"I hope she didn't just wander into the middle of whatever he's doing," Brad prayed momentarily as he got to the top. Cresting the ridge, Brad sighed with relief to see Beedrill was intact, and was actually away from the pitted portion of Earth, instead hovering several feet behind an irritated looking older man and a Kadabra, which waved its spoons about menacingly.



"Wait a sec..." Brad said, eyes narrowing, "Beedrill's just there... and they haven't launched any more of the attacks." More loudly, Brad poured on the charm, "Sir. Are you all right? I'm sorry if my Beedrill frightened you." Brad detected a slight grin on the man's face, but continued smoothly, "She doesn't mean you any harm," he insisted, "We were interested in your training. Judging by all that shrapnel, you've been doing an excellent job, and we wanted to observe."



"Not easily dissuaded, are you boy?" the old man said, still sounding angry. Then he sighed, and looked him over. "Well.. I suppose I could use your help," he said, and gestured towards the devastated area. Beedrill and Brad moved forward a few steps, alongside the other trainer and Pokemon pair.



Brad whistled when the target area came into view... softly glowing blue veins of metal were clearly visible in the cracks leading from the crater that psychically charging the rocks had created, though the ground seemed broken up a bit even inside the crater, oddly. "I've seen that in science class," Brad explained to Beedrill's curious buzz, "That what goes into Pokedex memory banks.. and the engrams that store the techniques inside a TM. Except I didn't think any of it still existed in Johto.. and this stuff is almost refined." Brad looked over at the man and smiled cheerily, "That Kadabra must be really powerful to hone in on a load like this... you're sure to get some commendation and probably a finder's fee from the Pokemon League for finding this."



Brad later swore the air temperature dropped several degrees as the man spoke again. "What are you talking about, by a finder's fee?" the old man said, biting off each word.



Brad looked over, feeling a little confused. "Oh, relax sir, I don't want any part of that. I'm far more interested in that technique!" Brad said, excited now, "Honing in on such a valuable location, with some difference in power, could open up all sorts of abilities. But for a finder's fee... I mean, only the Pokemon League has the resources to be able to handle this sort of material on any large scale for refining, from what I've heard. There's more in one of those cracks than even a dozen TMs could use. And the masters of the Hidden Techniques use a different system."



The old man shook his head... "Stubborn, ignorant, and loyal to the League, a three-fold death sentence. Kadabra!" The Pokemon growled, holding forward its spoons and letting loose a flare of light. Brad brought his hands up to guard his eyes, yelling in surprise. Beedrill buzzed angrily as compound retinas went white from overload.



"Beedrill... cover fire with pin missiles!" Brad snapped after a futile moment trying to clear the afterimages from his eyes. Beedrill made a quick coughing sound as dozens of small needles spat from its mouth toward the former positions of the opponents. Brad hoped it would at least buy time for his vision to clear.



But when the spots faded from his eyes... the ground was littered with spent needles... however the Kadabra and his trainer were completely unmarked... despite being in the same position as before the flash. "Oh come on! We did not miss a circus animal!" he exclaimed, hoping Luck would at least listen. Beedrill buzzed angrily in denial of its miss.



"Sideshow attractions can be more dangerous than they seem," the man said smugly, "Carnivals often comes with fireworks, as it were... and you pick something up. But you've shown some more spunk than I figured from a kid... so let's make it a match rather going straight for the throat, hmm?"



Brad grinned, "All right.. I've got some surprises on my own... and I'd much rather do that than injure one of you two permanently..." Beedrill folded its stingers and nodded in determination.



*Besides,* he thought, *Another user of cheap tricks... this couldn't be better.. especially since it's time to save the day." Brad grinned... "All right... choose your Pokemon, and let the match begin!"



To be continued.





Author's Notes... A year... yikes. Um... nothing much to say to that. The first half (the political situation) was much easier to write than the road block, which has been slow going... I was going to include this big battle sequence, but I figured I had a chapter right here and could save it for next time....



Sorry to my readers. All craftsmanship takes work, but I admit this was ridiculous.