Danica and Torchic ran happily as they finally arrived at their first stop, Fortree City. True to its name and heritage, most of the houses and buildings were set high above the ground in treehouses. Most of the people that were out and about walked with their Flying or Grass Type Pokémon at their side, all of whom looked right at home in the dense forest area.
"Wow! This place is so cool!" Danica exclaimed. Torchic walked over to the base of one of the trees and looked straight up its truck, craning his neck to try and see the top.
"Tall…" he commented. Danica smiled over at him and chuckled.
"Come on Torchic. Let's stop by the Pokémon Center first." She suggested.
"Ok!" he smiled, running back over to her. She picked him up in her arms and carried him over to the local Pokémon Center. Inside she found a nurse who looked remarkably like the nurse they had at the Pokémon Center back home. But most around the region already knew why this was, and Danica was no exception to that knowledge.
"Hi, Nurse Joy." She greeted politely.
"Good morning. Welcome to the Pokémon Center." Nurse Joy replied.
"Would you be able to heal my Pokémon? They could all use a good rest."
"Of course. I'd be happy to." Danica recalled Torchic to his pokéball and placed it, along with her other two pokeballs, on the desk. Nurse Joy picked up the pokeballs and carried them into the back. Danica decided that while she waited, she could use her Pokénav to find out what there was to do around this city. She plopped herself down on one of the couches in the lobby and opened up her Pokénav. Of course, she already knew there was a Gym in this city, but she was surprised to find out that there was something called a "Secret Base Guild" in town.
"What's that?" she wondered aloud.
"You mean the Secret Base Guild?" someone beside her suddenly spoke up. She looked over in surprise to see someone a few years older than her sitting beside her. He was a bit lankier than the other people around but had some good height to him. His hair was pulled back into a short ponytail and his clothes were a bit baggy for someone in the Hoenn Region.
"Yes actually. I've never heard of it." Danica admitted. "Do you know anything about it?"
"Sure do. My name is Marcus. I help run the guild." He explained, offering his hand to her which she accepted.
"I'm Danica."
"Can I assume you're a trainer?"
"Yeah. I just started a few days ago." Danica elaborated.
"Then can I also assume you've never built a Secret Base before?" Marcus asked.
"Never. I never even know that was something that people could do." She answered.
"There are plenty of people who informally make bases or find spots to train in, but that's not what we're all about. We help teach people how to build bases that will attract other trainers so they can have battles and learn from one another." He said.
"Oh wow. That sounds really cool." Danica smiled.
"I actually have to get back to the Guild right about now." He remembered. Marcus took out a business card and handed it to her. "If you'd like to learn more feel free to drop by."
"I might just do that. Thanks." She nodded, taking the card from him. Marcus gave her a small wave before heading on his way. Danica punched in the address on the card into her Pokénav and got the directions. "It's pretty close by."
"Excuse me." Nurse Joy's voice suddenly caused her head to turn. Danica got up and walked over to the desk as Nurse Joy set out her three pokeballs. "I'm happy to inform you that all your Pokémon are fully healed and fighting fit." As if on cue, Torchic's pokéball opened up and he appeared in front of Danica.
"Danica!" he cried happily as he jumped into her arms. Danica caught him and laughed as Nurse Joy smiled.
"Thanks so much, Nurse Joy." She replied, picking up her other two pokeballs with her free hand. She put them back in her bag and headed back to the lobby. "Hey, Torchic."
"Yes?" he asked, tilting his head.
"What do you say to trying something new?" she questioned.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard about this place called the Secret Base Guild. And I thought it would be cool to check it out." Danica explained.
"Sure!" he grinned. She smiled back and carried him outside. Following the instructions on her Pokénav, she found her way to one of the treehouses with a large banner across the top of the door.
"This must be it." She concluded. She held Torchic to her chest with one arm and climbed up the rope ladder to the platform with the other. Once up on the platform, she went inside the treehouse to find it bustling with activity. Employees were working with customers to pick out furniture, learn techniques, and even pick locations for their Secret Bases. As Danica looked around, a familiar voice called out to her.
"Glad you could make it Danica!" Marcus called her. Danica smiled and walked over to him.
"Thanks for inviting me." She replied before she noticed Torchic looking at Marcus curiously. "Oh sorry. Torchic this is Marcus. He's the one who invited us to come. Marcus, this is my partner, Torchic."
"Nice to meet you Torchic." Marcus greeted him, which made Torchic smile.
"This place sure is impressive." Danica commented.
"It was started a long time ago by a man named Aarune. He loved exploring and adventures and he wanted to share that with others. So he set up this Guild so that anyone could come and learn how to build secret bases with his techniques." Marcus explained.
"Wow. That's amazing. I'd love to learn how to build one of my own." Danica replied.
"I'd be happy to show you." Marcus offered.
"That's great! Thanks so much!" she smiled.
"Of course. Let's head outside and I'll show you." Danica nodded and followed him back outside onto the platform. Once outside, Marcus tossed a pokéball, revealing a Dustox.
"Dustox!" the Bug Type exclaimed.
"Oh wow, a Dustox!" Danica smiled as she pulled out her Pokédex and scanned Dustox.
"Dustox, the Toxic Moth Pokémon. And the evolved form of Cascoon. Dustox is drawn toward bright light. When flapping its wings, it will scatter a cloud of poison dust." The Pokédex explained.
"See that big tree over there?" Marcus asked, pointing to a large tree just outside the city full of vines and sturdy branches.
"Yeah." She nodded.
"Places like that are ideal for building Secret Bases. Trees and bushes with a lot of support are able to support even the heaviest Secret Base. And they're kept hidden from everyone but the most observant trainers. And there are even small caves that can be broken into that can be turned into Secret Bases."
"That makes a lot of sense." Danica agreed.
"There's a special Pokémon move that will cut down vines that you can use to climb trees or break open some openings in bushes or rock walls." Marcus explained further.
"What move is that?" Danica asked curiously.
"The move is called Secret Power. Ready Dustox? Use Secret Power!" he called.
"Dus!" Dustox nodded as he flew to the tree. His body began to glow with a light pink sparkle and he used his wing to slash through a few of the branches and vines in the tree, dropping one down to the ground.
"And that's all there is to it." Marcus smiled.
"Cool!" Danica agreed. All of a sudden something flew by quickly and struck Dustox, sending the Moth Pokémon crashing to the ground. Danica gasped in surprise as Marcus clenched his teeth.
"He's back…" he said grimly.
"What is?" she questioned him. As if to answer her question, the Pokémon that attacked Dustox flew back up into the sky flapping the giant leaves on his back, allowing both of them to get a good look at him as he smirked.
"That Pokémon has been knocking down Secret Bases around here for weeks. It's all just a big game to him." Marcus replied. Danica took her Pokédex back out and pointed it at the large Pokémon.
"Tropius, the Fruit Pokémon. Tropius can fly through the air by flapping the leaves on its back. It grows stronger in bright sunlight and its fruit is a popular snack." It said.
"He has no right to do that." Danica commented.
"Yeah!" Torchic agreed.
"Can't someone do something to stop him?" she asked.
"The Gym Leader could but he's been out of town for a while now. And none of the rest of us are strong enough to make him leave." Marcus told her.
"Hasn't anyone tried just finding out why he's doing it? It couldn't be that he's just being mean." Danica suggested.
"I don't see how we could." Marcus admitted. Danica looked down at Torchic in her arms and he looked back at her. They gave each other a nod at the same time and looked back to Marcus.
"We'll talk to him." She declared.
"What?!" Marcus asked in shock.
"I have a…special connection to Pokémon." She explained. "I might be able to figure out why he's doing this."
"Or he could attack you both and get you hurt." Marcus countered.
"We at least need to try." She argued. Marcus was quiet for a few moments before sighing and nodding. He recalled Dustox and then followed her down the ladder. They ran on foot to the tree that they saw Tropius in front of before and were surprised to find him still flying nearby, almost like he was waiting for them.
"Trop!" he smirked at them.
"Tropius why are you doing this to these people?" Danica asked, approaching slowly. Tropius cocked his head to the side curiously. He was expecting an attack instead of a conversation. Intrigued by this young girl, Tropius slowly descended and landed on the ground in front of her.
"Tropius?" he questioned her.
"I don't believe that you just want to hurt these people. So why are you destroying their hard work?" she asked again.
"Yeah, why?" Torchic piped up. Tropius looked at the two of them suspiciously, for some reason believing she might actually be able to listen to him, though he wasn't sure why.
"Trop Tropius trop." He explained. Even though Danica still couldn't understand him clearly, she could feel his intentions, and they weren't ones of malice. Just the opposite in fact. She felt Tropius almost had…a respect for trainers.
"If you don't hate trainers why are you destroying their hard work?"
"Ius trop trop." Tropius replied. Danica was able to sense his emotions and suddenly understood.
"Oh! That's it!" she exclaimed, making Torchic and Tropius both smile and just left Marcus confused. The Pokémon could sense that Danica understood on a level that normal humans just couldn't.
"What is?" Marcus asked, looking at them all in confusion.
"Tropius is bothering the trainers to try and get someone to battle him. He has great respect for the power trainers can draw out of Pokémon. And he wants to test his skills against that power." She explains as she looks back at Tropius.
"Tropius." He agreed with a nod.
"That's it…?" Marcus asked, completely stunned.
"That's it." Danica replied before looking at Tropius. "I'll battle you if you want. But I'm a new trainer and my Pokémon aren't at your level yet. So how about two of my Pokémon against you?"
"Trop." He nodded before taking off into the air again.
"Ready Torchic?" she smiled.
"Ready!" he said before jumping out of her arms and landing on the ground.
"And I'll also use Zigzagoon!" she added, throwing her pokéball. Zigzagoon popped out of his pokéball and landed beside Torchic, ready for a battle.
"Tropius!" Tropius suddenly yelled, flapping his wings hard and creating a Gust that slammed into both Pokémon.
"Stand your ground guys!" Danica called out. Torchic dug his talons into the ground to keep from moving as Zigzagoon did the same with his claws until Tropius finally stopped his attack, switching to a Razor Leaf quickly. "Torchic give Zigzagoon a boost with Quick Attack! Zigzagoon hit him with your best Tackle!"
"Get on!" Torchic called to Zigzagoon.
"Zig!" he nodded, jumping onto Torchic's head just in time to avoid the Razor Leaf. Torchic summoned all his strength and used Quick Attack, using the burst of speed to launch himself and Zigzagoon into the air. Once they were as high as they could get, Zigzagoon jumped off Torchic's head and put his whole body into a Tackle attack that connected with Tropius's chest knocking him off balance as both Pokémon landed on the ground.
"Use Growl Zigzagoon!" Danica ordered. Zigzagoon nodded and let out a loud Growl, knocking the already stunned Tropius even further off his flying course. "Now Peck Torchic!"
"Take this!" he yelled before jumping as high as he could and connecting his beak with Tropius's head.
"Tropi!" Tropius cried out. He regained his composure quickly and launched another powerful Gust attack, hitting Torchic close range and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Torchic!" Danica called out. The word had barely left her mouth when Tropius came soring down towards Zigzagoon and crushed him into the ground with a Stomp. "Zigzagoon!"
"Zig!" Zigzagoon cried out, struggling to get out from under Tropius's foot. Torchic meanwhile was getting up off the ground, shaking the dust and debris off his feathers.
"Pius!" Tropius cried out triumphantly, preparing to hit Zigzagoon with a Razor Leaf.
"Torchic help Zigzagoon with Quick Attack!" Danica ordered.
"Hang on Zigzagoon!" Torchic yelled. In a burst of speed, Torchic ran to Zigzagoon and pulled him away from Tropius just as Tropius let loose his Razor Leaf, hitting only the ground in front of him.
"Use Tackle and Scratch rapid fire!"
"Ready!" Torchic replied, charging towards Tropius with Zigzagoon right beside him. The two Pokémon split up near Tropius and started attacking on either side of him over and over again. Torchic used Scratch on Tropius's right side while Zigzagoon repeatedly used Tackle on the left. Tropius cried out in pain as he struggled to get out of their path. He finally managed to take off into the sky again, believing he had left them behind on the ground.
"Take a look behind you Tropius!" Danica yelled. Tropius looked behind him and was shocked to find both Torchic and Zigzagoon riding on his back.
"Trop?!" he gasped.
"Torchic use Peck! Zigzagoon use Tackle!"
"Take this!" Torchic smirked as he jumped up and landed his Peck square on Tropius's back.
"Zig!" Zigzagoon echoed as he too jumped and landed his Tackle right beside Torchic's Peck on Tropius's back. The force of the two attacks forced Tropius down from the sky and crashing into the ground below. Both Danica and Marcus shielded their eyes from the dust that billowed up from the landing until it slowly began to clear. Once it did, they saw Torchic and Zigzagoon standing on top of a defeated Tropius.
"You guys did it!" Danica cheered happily. Both Pokémon echoed her excitement as they jumped into her arms. She hugged them both happily as Marcus looked on in shock.
"Amazing…he was so much stronger and yet you still won." Marcus commented.
"Everyone gave it their all. I would've been just as happy and proud of everyone if Tropius had won." Danica smiled, earning a smile back from Marcus.
"I guess you weren't kidding. You really do have a gift for understanding Pokémon."
"I couldn't agree more." A new voice suddenly spoke up. Both Danica and Marcus turned around to find a new person had made his way over to them. He had light purple hair and was wearing a leather flight jacket. Flight goggles dangled around his neck and his pokeballs were attached to holders on his belt.
"Huh?" Danica asked.
"And I think that Tropius has picked up on that too." The newcomer continued, gesturing to Tropius. Danica looked back at Tropius curiously.
"Tropius?" she asked as the tall Pokémon got up and shook off the dust clinging to his body.
"Trop." He replied. Danica smiled a little and approached him.
"You know, there's bound to be a lot more battles out there on our journey. It'd be nice to have a nice big strong Pokémon like you out there with us. If you'd like to come with that is." She suggested, offering her hand to him.
"Sure would!" Torchic agreed.
"Zig!" Zigzagoon waved. Tropius thought for a minute until he gave a small smile and rested his head against her palm, silently saying his yes.
"Welcome to our little family Tropius." Danica smiled.
"I'd like to see how you two would do in a battle against me." The unknown trainer suddenly said. Danica and Tropius looked at him in surprise as Marcus looked at him curiously.
"You want to battle them, Gym Leader?" he asked the stranger.
"Gym Leader?!" Danica gasped. The newcomer smiled at her and nodded.
"That's right. My name is Homer, Gym Leader of Fortree City." He introduced himself.
"W-Why would you want to battle me…?" Danica stuttered, trying to regain her composure.
"As Marcus said, you've got a real gift for understanding Pokémon on a different level than most people. I'd like to see how that translates into a battle with a Pokémon that you only recently met." Homer explained.
"But I…I don't even know if I want to collect Gym Badges on my journey…and this would be my first ever Gym Battle…" she informed him.
"What better way to find out than in a battle? It'll be a simple one-on-one battle." Homer smiled.
"Tropius!" Tropius suddenly said, nudging Danica's hand.
"You want to give it a try?" she asked in surprise.
"Trop!" he nodded eagerly. After considering it for a few more minutes, Danica took a deep breath before looking at Tropius.
"Alright. We'll give it a try." She agreed.
"Glad to hear it. I'll be waiting at the Gym. Go ahead and get yourself and Tropius ready." Homer grinned before heading off back into town. Danica gulped a little as Marcus approached her.
"I need to get back to the Guild. But as thanks for helping us out, I wanted to give you this." He said, handing her a little disc.
"What is this?" Danica asked curiously.
"That's a Technical Machine, or TM, that can teach a Pokémon the move I showed you before, Secret Power." Marcus explained.
"Whoa…you're really sure it's alright to take it?" she questioned him.
"It's the least I can do after you helped save all our Secret Bases." He nodded.
"Then thank you very much." Danica smiled a little.
"You're welcome. Good luck in your match." He said, waving before heading off himself. Danica recalled Zigzagoon before officially catching Tropius and then taking them all back to the Pokémon Center. Once she got them all back, she ate dinner and went to bed for the night. Or at least she tried to. But every time she felt like she was able to fall asleep, she would start thinking about her match in the morning and the worry would keep her awake. Eventually, she got out of bed and pulled Tropius's pokéball out of her bag. As she left the room, Torchic began to stir in bed and slowly opened his eyes.
"Danica…?" he asked sleepily. After realizing she wasn't beside him in bed anymore, he jumped off the bed and began looking around for her. Eventually, he found her outside on the Center's battlefield in the back just as she let Tropius out of his pokéball.
"Trop…?" he asked, stretching his wings tiredly.
"Sorry, Tropius. I didn't mean to wake you but I've been stressing so much about this battle tomorrow…" she apologized.
"Danica…?" Torchic asked, slowly approaching her. Danica turned around in surprise.
"Oh. I'm sorry Torchic I didn't mean to wake you up." She apologized again.
"I didn't know you were this worried about that battle…"
"I didn't think I would be…but I just can't get it off my mind. I want to do well. Both for myself and for Tropius…" she explained, stroking Tropius's head. Tropius nuzzled her hand gently as Torchic nuzzled against her leg.
"All you can do is your best right?" Torchic offered.
"Tropius." Tropius agreed.
"But what if I'm no good at it?"
"So what if you aren't? Then maybe battling in Gyms isn't for you. There's plenty of other things that we can do on our journey. Things that we might not have even thought of yet!" Torchic smiled. Danica gave a small smile back and then looked at Tropius, who nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, guys. You really are the best." She replied, hugging them both. "Since we're up anyway, how about some last-minute training?"
"Pius!" Tropius agreed.
"We could use your help too Torchic." Danica smiled. Torchic smiled back at her and nodded. The three of them spent the night working hard and before they knew it, dawn had come. After a bit of rest and a quick breakfast, Danica was soon walking into the Fortree City Gym with Torchic in her arms.
"Welcome! So glad you could make it!" Homer smiled at her.
"Thank you for having me." She replied, giving him a nervous smile back.
"Are you ready for our battle?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Then allow me to introduce my partner." He said, tossing out a pokéball. Out of the ball came a small yellow and black Pokémon with wings beating so fast that they looked almost invisible.
"What is that?" Danica asked, pulling out her Pokédex.
"Ninjask, the Ninja Pokémon. And the evolved form of Nincada. Because of its swift flying velocity, it can become impossible to see." The device explained.
"Alright…" she said as she put Torchic down and pulled out Tropius's pokeball. "Here we go Tropius!" she yelled, throwing the pokeball and releasing her newest Pokémon.
"Tropius!" he cried out, flapping his leaves to take off from the ground.
"The challenger always has the first attack."
"Tropius use Gust!" Danica ordered.
"Trop!" he agreed, flapping his wings quickly to drum up the powerful attack.
"Dodge!" Homer called. Within a blink of an eye, Ninjask had flown up and out of the way of the entire Gust attack, leaving it level with Tropius. "Now use Swords Dance followed by Aerial Ace!"
"Nin!" Ninjask buzzed. He clicked his claws together and flew around in a circle, raising his attack power. Ninjask then flew right at his opponent, slicing across Tropius's chest with lightning-fast speed.
"Ius!" Tropius yelped in surprise.
"It's so fast…!" Danica said under her breath.
"X-Scissor!" Homer ordered. Ninjask once again moved quick as lightning and hit Tropius with his glowing green claws, slamming the Fruit Pokémon into the ground.
"Tropius!" she yelled. Tropius got back up to his feet and took off into the sky again, determined to continue. "Try using Stomp!"
"Trop!" Tropius nodded, flying above Ninjask and coming down quickly in an attempt to connect with his foot.
"Dodge it Ninjask!" Homer called. Ninjask easily moved out of the way of the attack, causing Tropius to crash into the ground, unable to stop his attack in time.
"Oh no! Tropius are you ok?!" Danica gasped. Tropius got up again and nodded, but it was clear all the damage he was taking was starting to add up.
"You can do it Tropius!" Torchic cheered. Danica bit her lower lip, trying to think of something she could do to land a hit. Homer, however, didn't wait long at all.
"Aerial Ace again!" he said.
"Ninjask!" the Bug Pokémon replied, heading for Tropius even faster than before.
"Stop him with Razor Leaf!" Danica quickly countered. Tropius let out the biggest Razor Leaf barrage he could to try and give Ninjask nowhere to dodge. To his surprise, Ninjask flew right through the Razor Leaf, deliberately dodging every leaf before slamming into him.
"Tropi!" he cried out in pain. Ninjask flew back away from Tropius as the Grass Type managed to get up again. It was at that moment that Danica suddenly had an idea.
"Tropius!" she called out. Tropius looked back at her and they both seemed to share a sudden understanding of the plan. "Use Razor Leaf one more time!"
"Pius!" Tropius nodded, firing off as many leaves as he could at Ninjask.
"Seems you've run out of ideas. Oh well. Finish up with Metal Claw!" Homer ordered. Ninjask once again flew towards the Razor Leaf attack, diving right in and dodging the leaves. However, the dodging of the leaves was just enough to slow Ninjask so Tropius could see his movements.
"Now Tropius! Secret Power!" Danica yelled. Tropius took off from the ground as fast as he could. His body glowed a pale pink and sparkled as he flew through his own Razor Leaf and slammed directly into Ninjask, knocking him out of the sky and sending him crashing to the battlefield. "Yes!"
"Tropius!" her Pokémon replied.
"Not a bad move." Homer commented as Ninjask got back up. "But I think it's too little too late. X-Scissor let's go!"
"Nin!" Ninjask echoed, allowing his claws to glow green, and flew towards Tropius, only to find himself going a fraction of the speed he was before. "Ninjask?!"
"What the?!" Homer gasped.
"Tropius use Gust!" Danica smiled. Tropius obeyed her command and launched a powerful Gust, hitting Ninjask hard as he tried to dodge. Ninjask slammed back into the ground on Homer's side of the field as Tropius landed safely.
"Of course…" Homer suddenly realized. "On a regular battlefield Secret Power can cause paralysis…that's why Ninjask's speed has been cut."
"It worked perfectly Tropius!" Danica complimented.
"Trop!" he agreed.
"Go Danica! Go Tropius!" Torchic cheered as he jumped up and down excitedly.
"We don't need speed to finish this battle! Ninjask use Aerial Ace!" Homer yelled. Ninjask got back up and flew at Tropius as fast as he could.
"Secret Power Tropius!" Danica countered. Tropius flew right at Ninjask as his body once again glowed pink. The two Pokémon collided in center field, creating a massive explosion. Both Danica and Homer shielded their eyes from the blast, trying to see what had become of their Pokémon. Finally, the smoke cleared and Ninjask was on the ground fainted, as Tropius was flying above him.
"Unbelievable…" Homer gasped.
"Yes! Tropius we did it!" Danica exclaimed. Tropius smiled at her and landed beside her, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck in a big hug. Torchic happily jumped onto Tropius's back and nuzzled them both. Homer sighed and smiled as he recalled Ninjask.
"You were wonderful my friend. Thank you." He told his partner before putting away his pokéball and walking over to Danica. "You battled very well Danica. I'm impressed at your closeness with your Pokémon even after only one night."
"Thank you so much, Homer." She replied.
"I can't say for certain how you do it, but it's a skill that will serve you well."
"Yeah…" Danica smiled as she gave Torchic and Tropius a knowing smile. "Yeah, it will."
"As proof of your victory, I'm happy to present you with the Feather Badge." Homer said, holding out a small metal pin in the shape of a single wing. Danica carefully accepted the badge and looked at it in shock.
"Whoa…a real Gym Badge…" she whispered in awe.
"And you've earned it." Homer smiled. Danica smiled back and gave both her Pokémon another hug.
"They earned it." She corrected him.
"Has this experience helped you at all in finding your path on your journey?" he asked. Danica thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Yes, it did. And while I had a lot of fun, I don't think Gym Battles are for me. I want to do something that can show off everything great about my Pokémon, not just their battle prowess." She explained.
"Nothing wrong with that at all." Homer nodded.
"All I need is to find it." She agreed.
"If it's the variety you want, you should consider going to Lilycove City." He suggested. "It's not far from here and there are all kinds of things to do. You might just be able to find something that fits what you're looking for."
"Lilycove City huh?" she wondered, pulling out her Pokénav and looking it up. She then looked up at Homer and smiled. "Thank you, Homer. I think I may just do that."
"Then I wish you luck in whatever you choose to do." He smiled, offering her his hand. She accepted his handshake before heading off on her way. After a quick stop to the Pokémon Center to heal Tropius, Danica climbed onto his back and held Torchic securely in her arms.
"Ready guys?" she asked.
"Trop." Tropius nodded.
"Yeah!" Torchic agreed.
"Then let's hit the road again." Danica replied. Tropius flapped his leaves and took off with them into the sky, leaving Fortree City behind.
To be Continued...