Danica walked quietly down Route 119 with Torchic trotting along at her feet. The little Pokémon looked around curiously as they walked. Aside from time outside the lab with the Professor in Littleroot Town, he had never really been out in the wild before. The large forest, deep river, and steep cliffs were all part of a brand new experience for him. Danica noticed his curiosity and couldn't help but smile.
"Nervous Torchic?" she asked. Torchic nodded in response and Danica lifted him up into her arms. "I don't blame you. It's my first time out on a journey too. But don't worry. I'll keep you safe. Just like I know you'll help keep me safe too." Torchic smiled and looked at her with his eyes sparkling happily.
"Torchic!" he agreed eagerly. Danica giggled softly as Torchic cuddled into her arms and rested his head against her chest. He clearly felt safe in her arms. She walked a little further until a rustling in the grass nearby caught her attention.
"Is someone there?" she questioned. Her question was answered when a red zigzag stripe seemed to float up right out of the grass and hover in front of her.
"Tor?" Torchic asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"I'm not sure…" Danica admitted. Her eyes suddenly widened when she was struck by an idea. "But I'll bet my new Pokédex does!" she quickly pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the mysterious stripe. Instantly the screen lit up and a picture of a Pokémon appeared just as the Pokédex began its explanation.
"Kecleon, the Color Swap Pokémon. Kecleon alters its body coloration to blend in with its surroundings, allowing it to sneak up on its prey unnoticed. Then it lashes out with its long, stretchy tongue to instantly ensnare the unsuspecting target."
"Oh! It's a Kecleon!" Danica smiled at Torchic. "What do you think? Should we try to catch him?"
"Torchic tor!" he agreed. Torchic jumped out of her arms and faced the still invisible Pokémon.
"First thing we have to do is…um…oh how about we try-" A tongue suddenly appears from out of nowhere and licks Torchic's face, knocking him backward.
"Chic!" he yelped, stumbling backward and trying to shake the saliva off his face.
"Are you ok?!" Danica called. Torchic gave her a small nod, but it was clear he was in some pain from the attack. "Guess I need to try to be faster. Torchic use Peck!"
"Torchic!" he yelled before running towards the floating zigzag. However, with the rest of his body invisible, Torchic could only guess where to aim his attack. He lunged in with his attack but only hit the air. Kecleon took the opportunity to hit Torchic with a Scratch attack, sending Torchic backward again.
"This won't work unless we find a way to make him visible…" Danica muttered to herself, trying to think. It wasn't until she saw Torchic shaking the dust off his feathers as he got back up, that she got an idea. "Torchic use Scratch on the ground!"
"Tor?" he asked as he looked at her in confusion.
"Trust me. This will work." She nodded to him. After a moment of hesitation, Torchic nodded back and started using Scratch on the ground. As he dug his talons into the ground, dirt and dust flew up with each stroke. The flying debris ended up hitting Kecleon and covering parts of his body, making him much more visible.
"Leon?!" Kecleon exclaimed in confusion.
"Yes, it worked! Now hit him with Peck!"
"Torchic!" Torchic yelled. He ran right towards Kecleon and connected a Peck right to his torso, sending him backward.
"Now's our chance!" Danica quickly grabbed a pokéball from her bag and threw it at the Kecleon. The pokéball hit Kecleon on the head and popped open, sucking the Normal Type inside and snapping shut before falling back to the ground. Danica was almost holding her breath as the pokéball shook back and forth several times. And just when she thought she had it, the pokeball burst open and the Kecleon popped back out. "Oh no!"
"Kecleon!" he mocked before letting his tongue out again and hitting Torchic with another lick attack.
"Tor!" Torchic yelped as he tumbled backward to Danica's feet.
"Torchic!" she yelled in concern. The Kecleon stuck his tongue out at them before running away. Danica sighed and kneeled down beside her fallen partner, gently helping him sit up. "Are you ok?" Torchic looked up at her sadly, a look of guilt across his face.
"Torchic tor…" he apologized. Danica smiled at him and began pulling medicine out of her backpack.
"You don't have to be sorry. It was our first battle. We'll learn from it and get stronger." She explained as she began to treat his wounds. "We'll get in perfect sync soon enough."
"Torchic!" Torchic agreed with determination.
"That's the spirit!" Danica smiled as she finished his treatment up. "There! Good as new!" Torchic smiled back at her and nuzzled her affectionately.
"Tor tor chic!"
"You're welcome. Now let's keep going!" she exclaimed. With a nod of agreement from Torchic, they continued on their way. The two walked down the path the rest of the day, stopping to battle and try to catch other wild Pokémon as they went. Once sunset had finally begun, they decided to stop and set up camp for the night. They still had yet to catch another Pokémon, but their skills and coordination were improving by leaps and bounds with each battle. As Danica was setting up the poles for her tent, Torchic had decided he wanted to help her. So he grabbed the tent flap in his beak, trying to pull it up over the poles. His small stature made it near impossible for him to get it more than a few inches off the ground, but his determination was never-ending. Danica smiled as she finished setting up the poles, deciding to allow him to try his best.
"TOR!" he grunted as he pulled as hard as he could. Suddenly, the tarp pulled right out of his beak and made him tumble backward and land in a heap on the ground.
"Torchic!" Danica yelled as she ran over to him. Torchic got back up and shook out his feathers, blushing in embarrassment as Danica helped brush him off. "You alright?"
"Torchic." He nodded. He then smiled at her, hoping he helped her at least a little. Danica smiled back at him and stroked his head.
"You sure did. Let's finish up together." She said as she picked him up. She carried him over to the tent and brought him back down to the tent. "Can you grab it for me?" Torchic nodded and grabbed the tent with his beak. "Got a good grip?"
"Orchic!" he replied, his voice muffled by the tent.
"Alright. Here we go." She smiled, lifting him up along the pole. Torchic hung onto the tent with his beak, guiding it up and into place. The team repeated the routine a few more times until the tent was fully up.
"Torchic chic!" Torchic cheered as he nuzzled her happily. Danica giggled as his feathers tickled her cheek.
"What do you say we get something to eat?"
"Chic!" he agreed. Danica carried him over to the fire and sat down on a log she had placed there earlier. She sat Torchic down in her lap as she pulled out some sandwich fixings for herself and opened a can of Pokémon food for him. As the two ate their dinner, Torchic began to notice how quiet Danica had become. "Torchic tor?"
"Oh sorry. I guess I have a lot on my mind." She admitted.
"Tor?"
"I guess you weren't there for that part now that I think about it. But you shouldn't worry about it. I don't want to burden you with my problems."
"Tor tor Torchic chic." Torchic insisted.
"Alright alright." Danica chuckled softly. "You see, moments before meeting you, I was told that both of my grandparents on my dad's side of the family are part Pokémon. Which means I'm part Pokémon too."
"Torchic…" he whispered, his eyes wide in shock at this realization.
"I told my parents I was ok with it. And on some levels I am…but on others, I'm not. And really it doesn't help that I never really figured out what I want to do on my journey…" she further explained. Torchic listened intently, understanding how she felt. After all his whole life was spent feeling very similar. Once he knew that he would never be able to use Fire attacks, he didn't know what he was going to do. Who he was going to be able to grow up to become was a mystery and still was. Just like Danica, he wasn't sure what his path was. But ever since he met Danica, that didn't feel so scary. She made him feel strong and like he belonged. So he wanted to make sure she felt the same around him.
"Torchic tor tor Torchic chic!" he said, nuzzling her hand with his head. Even though Danica couldn't really understand him, she felt as though she understood how he was feeling.
"You've felt the same way huh?"
"Chic!" he nodded. Danica gave him a small smile and stroked his feathers.
"I suppose that's something else we have in common huh?" she asked almost jokingly. Torchic smiled back at her, his enthusiasm filling her with a sense of hope similar to his. "But I did say we are a team for everything didn't I?"
"Torchic!" he agreed.
"Then we'll find our paths together." She smiled. Torchic smiled back at her and nuzzled her hand. "Thanks, Torchic. I feel a lot better." Torchic was about to respond when a crackle of lightning startled them both. "Eek!" Danica yelped. The rain started to fall almost immediately. Torchic quickly hid his head against her chest, trembling as the rain began to fall harder. Danica held him close to her, protecting him from the rain as much as she could. She quickly carried him into the tent and zipped it up to keep the rain out.
"Tor…" he whimpered.
"Sorry…I forgot how often it rains on this route…" Danica said, grabbing a towel and drying him off gently. Torchic shivered as she dried him off, whimpering each time lightning flashed outside. "Is this your first thunderstorm?"
"Tor...chic..." he said shyly.
"It's okay...I'm here for you..." she said gently, holding him in her arms. Torchic smiled a little and snuggled into her body, eventually drifting off to sleep against her. Soon Danica followed his lead and the pair slept through the night, even as the storm outside raged. The next morning, the storm had ended, leaving a wet, but beautifully sunny morning in its wake. Danica was the first to wake up. As she rubbed her eyes, she realized that the storm was over. Torchic slowly opened his eyes and sat up sleepily.
"Chic…" he said drowsily. Danica smiled and patted his head.
"Good morning." She smiled. Torchic shook out his feathers and then smiled back at her.
"Tor!" he replied. All of a sudden they heard the sound of something rustling around outside the tent.
"Huh...?" Danica wondered. It was at that moment she realized that she didn't bring her bag in the night before when they ran inside. "Oh no!" she realized, quickly unzipping the tent door and looking outside. Torchic followed her lead and the duo saw a little brown Pokémon with spiky fur digging through her bag, probably looking for food.
"Torchic?!"
"Is that a…?" Danica wondered as she pulled out her Pokédex. She scanned the Pokémon and the Pokédex sprang to life.
"Zigzagoon, the TinyRaccoon Pokémon. Zigzagoon is extremely curious and so ends up walking in a zigzag path between things that interest it." The Pokédex explained. Danica put her Pokedex away and ran out of her tent towards the little Pokémon with Torchic hot on her heels.
"Hey! You get out of my bag!" she yelled.
"Tor!" Torchic echoed. Zigzagoon looked towards them and growled. He got into a battle stance charged at Danica with a Tackle attack.
"Eek!" Danica yelped. Torchic gasped and jumped between Danica and Zigzagoon before using Scratch and knocking the Zigzagoon away from Danica. Zigzagoon tumbled backward from the force of the attack while Torchic landed on the ground in front of Danica. "Torchic?!" Torchic looked back at her, waiting for her to give him an attack.
"Chic tor!" he yelled.
"Oh! Umm...use Scratch again!" she ordered Torchic charged in and swung his talons at Zigzagoon, hitting the tiny raccoon in the face and forcing him back again. Zigzagoon shook out his fur and shot a glare at Torchic.
"Zigzag!" he yelled, charging in with another Tackle.
"Use Peck Torchic!" she called again. Torchic charged toward Zigzagoon and the two clashed with their attacks, each taking damage but staying upright. As the battle continued, another little Pokémon peeked out of the bushes curiously, having been drawn to the battle by all the noise. However, she was not noticed by Danica or the other two Pokémon, all of whom were too busy with the battle.
"Goon!" Zigzagoon cried as he went in with yet another Tackle.
"Dodge it!" Danica yelled. Torchic jumped up and dodged the attack. But while in the air he was struck with a realization. He cloaked himself with white light and with a sudden burst of speed he smashed right into Zigzagoon. "What the?!" Danica asked. Torchic landed back on the ground and smiled at her.
"Torchic!" he assured her.
"Was that…?" when she was met with a nod from Torchic, she smiled brightly. "Wow! You learned Quick Attack that's awesome!" The Pokémon in the bushes watched Torchic in awe, her eyes sparkling as a blush formed on her cheeks. "Let's finish this! Use Quick Attack and Peck!"
"Tor!" Torchic ran toward Zigzagoon with Quick Attack and then slammed into him with Peck, powered up by the speed of the Quick Attack. Zigzagoon was sent flying and landed hard on the ground as Torchic made his landing across from him. The Pokémon in the bushes couldn't help smiling as she continues watching the battle.
"Yeah! Way to go Torchic!" Danica cheered.
"Tor!" Torchic smiled. Danica grabs a pokéball from her bag and throws it at the defeated Zizagoon. Zigzagoon was hit on the nose and was sucked inside. The pokéball shakes three times before clicking, signaling the catch.
"Yes!" Danica exclaimed. Torchic ran to her excitedly and jumped into her arms happily. She caught him in her arms and hugged him. "We did it! We caught our first Pokémon!"
"Torchic chic chic!" he replied, nuzzling her cheek. Danica giggled as his feathers tickled her. "Torchic tor Danica!" Danica's eyes widened as she looked at him in shock.
"Huh...?!" she asked in confusion. She could've sworn she just heard Torchic say her name.
"What?" Torchic responded, tilting his head in confusion.
"I-I can understand you!" Danica gasped.
"You can...? Really...?" Torchic asked in astonishment.
"Yes I can..." she answered, almost breathless.
"How…?"
"My parents told me that this happens when a Pokémon bonds with their trainer...but I didn't realize it could happen this fast…or that it would be that strong…" she recalled.
"So…we're friends...?" Torchic questioned, looking at her hopefully. Danica looked back at him and smiled a bright smile
"We sure are."
"Best friends...?"
"Absolutely!" Torchic smiled and nuzzled her excitedly, cuddling further into her arms and causing Danica to giggle. As they were embracing, however, Torchic all of a sudden is surrounded by a blue light and he's lifted from Danica's arms.
"Huh?!" he yelled.
"What the?!" Danica echoed his confusion. Torchic futilely struggled against the force around him as he floated into a nearby bush.
"Danica!" Torchic cried out. Danica grabbed Zigzagoon's pokéball off the ground and ran to the bush Torchic floated into. She pulled away the branches and inside, she found Torchic being tightly hugged by a blushing little white Pokémon with red horns on her head.
"Huh? A Ralts?" Danica remarked curiously. She took out her Pokédex and scanned the Psychic Type.
"Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. It can use the horns on its head to read human emotions. Ralts rarely shows itself to humans, but may occasionally approach when it senses positive or happy feelings." The Pokédex explained.
"Interesting..." Danica said, turning her attention back to the Ralts. Ralts was blushing profusely as she tightly hugged Torchic, who continued struggling in her grip. Danica's eyes widened when she realized just how tightly.
"Let him go! You're choking him to death!" she yelled. Ralts opened her eyes and looked up at Danica in confusion as if she didn't understand what Danica's problem was. "He doesn't want you hugging him that tightly!"
"Ralts?" she asked, looking back at Torchic. When she saw just how blue his face was, she let him out of the hug. Torchic panted hard and shook out his now matted-down feathers. Ralts however pressed herself against him, closing her eyes and blushing. He looked at her in confusion and clear discomfort.
"Hmm..." Danica hummed, beginning to get the picture. Torchic backed away from Ralts and hid behind Danica. Ralts didn't follow, but she still smiled a little as she looked at him, still blushing. "You have a crush on him, don't you?"
"Ral..." Ralts nodded. She then moved to him again and leaned against him, blushing even more profusely.
"Looks like you have an admirer Torchic." Danica commented. Torchic sweatdropped again and moved to Danica's other side to hide again. Ralts looked up at Danica with pleading eyes as if asking for something. "Uhh..."
"Ralts." Ralts explained. She pointed to the pokéball that caught Zigzagoon and Danica suddenly understood.
"Huh? You want me to catch you?" she asked. Ralts smiled at her and nodded. Danica glanced at Torchic, who was still hiding behind her. "I don't know...Torchic doesn't seem to like you..."
"Ral ralts ralts..."
"She says she'll back off if she can come..." Torchic translated. Danica looked at Torchic again.
"Do you believe her?" she asked her partner. He thought for a moment about the question. He didn't enjoy her fawning over him, and he really didn't think her advances were going to ease up all that much. But at the same time, he could sense on some level that she was very lonely, and really needed some friends. And maybe if they provided those to her, she'd calm down.
"Yeah…yeah, I believe her." He admitted.
"Okay then." Danica nodded as she took out another pokéball. "Welcome to the team Ralts." she tapped the pokéball on Ralts's head and Ralts smiled as she went inside. The button flashed three times before clicking in Danica's hand. "Two newly caught Pokémon in one day. We must be on a roll."
"I guess so." Torchic shrugged, giving her a small smile. Danica smiled back at him and then looked at the path ahead of them.
"Hey look!" she said, pointing down the path. Torchic followed her gaze and saw the tops of what looked to be elaborate tree houses.
"Is that it?" he asked.
"It sure is! That's Fortree City!" Danica exclaimed. "We're almost there!"
To be Continued...