Chapter Two: Meaningful Lessons

New Bark Town was the most obvious place to visit first since that's where the professor's lab was. Trainers generally received their first Pokemon from the man if they didn't already have one of their own. It was a quaint town, and a little too dull for his liking, but his grandfather had made him curious, and that's why he was here now. The match had been an interesting, if not, a somewhat painful battle to watch. Lance was currently crouched behind a couple of bushes, peering through the parted branches, studying the scene before him. The red-headed boy was a pathetic individual. He talked tough, but he didn't have the skills to back it up. The girl Lyra, however, had managed to defeat the boy despite not looking anywhere near as confident as the boy had.

For a trainer who had just received her first Pokemon, she had done pretty damn well to obtain a victory. "It was just beginner's luck," Lance told himself, pulling away from the bushes, figuring he had enough of spying for the day. He turned to his Dragonite, an imposing hard-muscled dragon, who was standing behind a thick oak tree. "What do you say we teach that chump a lesson?" His grandfather had made him come all this way down so he might as well have some fun while he was here.

The dragon nodded, beating his wings causing grains of dirt to fly up around them. Dragonite shared his master's eagerness to fight and was eager to teach that chump a lesson. He chose to stay off the main road, not wanting to run into any trainers. He was the Champion of the region and if he was seen casually walking around, he'd attract attention from unwanted people, namely his annoying fangirls who worshipped him. He knew he was great, but the constant squealing and desire to touch him, was annoying and slightly creepy. Fangirls weren't the only problem he was faced with.

He was a fairly popular trainer, but like all famous people, he had his fair share of haters. His fellow Elite Four members didn't hold him in high regard, accusing him of being selfish, and the gym leaders' feelings towards him were anything but warm and friendly. Some people even claimed he did not deserve the title of Champion because he hadn't achieved the legendary deeds Red had. Fans of Red claimed Lance was simply keeping the seat warm until the one true Champion returned.

But Lance knew Red wasn't returning – he didn't even know where the trainer was, and if he even cared about battling anymore. There was a rumour the legendary trainer had retreated to the peak of Mount Silver, but Lance wasn't sure if this was true or false. Mount Silver was said to be an extremely dangerous place, defended well by powerful wild Pokemon and unpredictable weather conditions. He had never heard of a trainer who had conquered Mount Silver in his lifetime. The door to the mountain was accessible to him, but he saw no need to risk climbing up it. Red had probably left the region to find a place somewhere quiet.

Three years ago Red had claimed the title for himself. Instead of upholding the Champion's oath to protect the region, Red had chosen to surrender the title, giving it to Lance without a fight. Lance had tried to challenge him for the title since it was the right thing to do, but Red had refused. The trainer explained his reasons in a letter, stating Lance would never defeat him in battle because he was single-minded and that his methods of battling were 'rough'.

Naturally, Lance disagreed – a team was only as strong as their master. If the trainer was a weak minded fool then the team too would be weak. So what if his battling methods were a little on the rough side? As long as he won he didn't care. He might have lost to Blue, but he had only been sixteen at the time. Now he was nineteen and far stronger than he had been three years ago. There was no trainer in Johto or Kanto that could match him in power and skill.

So he didn't have much to worry about.

"There he is, Dragonite." Dragonite growled, prompting Lance to smirk. "Let's go and teach him a lesson."

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Silver dropped to his knees and bowed his head before slamming a fist into the ground beneath him. He punched the earth several times over until his knuckles began to hurt. He was a loser. A goddamn loser. He couldn't even beat a rookie trainer. A rookie female trainer. A tear threatened to spill from his eyes, but he managed to fight them back. Tears were for the weak. He punched the ground again. Pain. Pain brought relief. It distracted the mind temporarily from other thoughts. "I will not lose again," he spat, speaking through clenched teeth. "I am strong. I just need more power."

He glanced over to his Pokemon. Chikorita was wobbling, struggling able to stand on his four legs. His partner looked at him with pitiful eyes and Silver felt an overwhelming surge of anger pour through him. Weak. Useless Pokemon. Just like him. A loser. His father had often called him that after beating him down with his fists. No. He tightened his jaw, hands clutching at the grass blades on the ground. The girl had gotten lucky, that's all. Lady's luck… or whatever the hell it was called. Next time he was going to crush her. Defeating the girl would have to wait - Chikorita needed to be healed, otherwise he wouldn't survive.

He picked up his weakened partner and headed towards the nearest Pokemon Centre, carefully avoiding other trainers. They were everywhere – and they would all be crushed by his hand as soon as Chikorita was healed, then he could focus his efforts on beating that girl. Yes, that was a sound plan. He arrived at the Pokemon Centre, stepped inside and hurried over to the counter. The nurse, a pretty young lady with a deep shade of pink hair, smiled at him as he approached the bench.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Centre. We restored your tired Pokemon to full health. Would you like to rest your Pokemon?"

Of course he did. Why else would he come to a Pokemon Centre? Stupid girl, he thought. He placed his Chikorita on the table. "Yes," he snarled.

The woman jumped, taken aback by the sudden harshness in his tone. She gently took his Chikorita, placing him in the miracle healing box, and pressed a big white button. Within a few seconds, his Chikorita had been restored to full health. She gave him his Pokemon back. "Thank you for waiting. We've restored your Pokemon to full health. We hope to see you again!" she smiled at him again, displaying her brilliant row of straight, white teeth.

How many times did that woman say that a day? He didn't say a thank you and simply grabbed his Chikorita and exited the building. Now where to go next? He had spotted a few weak looking trainers on Route 29, so that was probably a good place to start. Chikorita walked right by his side until Silver glared down at it. The Chikorita cowered and took a few steps back until Silver nodded, satisfied. Pokemon were not friends. They were tools, nothing more. Only the soft-hearted and weak-minded made friends with Pokemon.

Not too far up ahead, he spotted a young male wearing blue shorts and a yellow shirt. There were dirt stains on his clothes and Silver noticed he wore his cap backwards. Typical signs of a try-hard. Silver strode towards him, head tilted forward. The kid looked at him, smirking. He reached out his hand and pointed a finger at Silver. "You're going down, chump!"

Chump? Silver glared. The kid was asking for a brutal beating. "Destroy him, Chikorita!" Eager to impress the master, Chikorita leapt forward with newfound confidence, staring down the opposing trainer.

"A Chikorita. How cute. Did your mama get that for you?" the boy teased, throwing out his own pokeball. A purple male rodent appeared from the white light. The rat, which Silver recognized as a Rattata, hissed at Chikorita. "Rattata, use Tackle!" The rodent obeyed and leapt forward with surprising speed. Fortunately, Chikorita managed to avoid the attack by jumping to the right.

"Crush him! Use Tackle!"

Lowering his head, Chikorita charged at the Rattata, then threw his entire weight against the smaller rodent. Rattata stumbled backwards, flinching from the hard hit. He tried to regain his composure, but Silver's Chikorita was too quick. Chikorita tackled again and this time it was enough to knock cause the rodent to faint.

"Oh no, my poor Rattata!" the boy exclaimed.

Silver snorted. "Looks like you are the chump." The battle had made Chikorita stronger; there was now a confident gleam in the creature's eyes. Chikorita pounced on the boy and nipped him on the arm, prompting the stupid to cry out in pain. Silver snickered. Perhaps Chikorita wasn't that useless after all. The boy cried and kicked his feet at the dirt. As if that would drive him off. Stupid chump. Silver held out his hand. "You know the rules. Give me my battle earnings or I will be forced to beat you up." The boy nodded, handing Silver a few crumpled notes.

He cast the kid another hateful glance, then pocketed the notes and headed in the direction of Route 30 which was past Cherrygrove City. There was no point in spending more time with cry-babies, and besides, Chikorita had become too strong for this area. He left the weeping boy behind and ventured towards his new destination when another trainer stepped in front of his path. This trainer didn't look like the others he had seen; he was tall, dressed all in black and wore a funny-looking cape with a red underside. A horror show reject? What a freak.

"Get out of my way unless you want to be crushed as well," Silver threatened.

The taller male arched a brow. "You talk tough for a weakling." He smirked. "That's right; I saw that battle you had with that goofy girl with the pigtails."

Silver growled. "Get him, Chikorita!" Chikorita nodded, standing in front of its trainer. The other guy didn't seem to have a Pokemon; or at least, not from what Silver could see. That thought quickly faded from his mind when a large shadow appeared over the ground before him. Arching his neck back, he spotted a rather intimidating dragon coming in to land. What in the name of Arceus?

The dragon landed beside the cape guy, throwing a glare in Silver's direction. Chikorita seemed so small in comparison to this mighty Pokemon. "I saw how you battled earlier. All the trash talk? You should drop it. Talking tough makes you look even weaker than you actually are. Try being nice for once – your Pokemon might actually become strong."

"Love? Love is weak. There can be no love in war," Silver retorted.

"Pokemon are not tools."

Silver flared his nostrils, spitting at the ground before his feet. "Shut up! Stop trying to lecture me! You don't know a damn thing about me! I don't care who you are, but you will not stand in my way! Chikorita, use Razor Leaf!" Chikorita looked reluctant, but he did as commanded and hurled leaves at the dragon. The leaves simply bounded off the dragon's belly who scratched its stomach, as if the leaves had left an itch.

"Dragonite, use Hyper Beam!"

Opening its mouth wide, the dragon conjured a glowing ball of light. Once the shape had been fully created, the Dragonite threw its head forward, causing a beam of white light to exit its mouth. The beam did not hit Chikorita or Silver, but struck at the space next to him. It was enough to throw Silver off his feet. He fell backwards and hit the ground, wincing as his head smacked the earth. Pain raced through his body.

The amused smirk on his opponent's face had faded. "You will never succeed in anything while your heart is filled with hatred and bitterness."

Silver clawed at the dirt, cringing as another wave of pain came over him. He rolled over onto his stomach and glanced up. "You think… you understand me… you don't know anything…" Forcing himself up from the ground, he spat out a few grains of soil, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Drawing his hand away, he spotted flecks of blood then licked his bottom lip, tasting the salty flavour of blood. "You don't know me."

This time, Dragonite did not attack. The dragon simply stood at his master's side death glaring Silver, although Silver knew the dragon would attack again if his trainer gave the command. Judging by the powerful blast from before, Silver was pretty convinced it would be eager to show its power off again. This trainer was strong. Too strong for him now. But one day that would change.

"If I find you harassing that girl again, I will not hesitate to come after you."

Silver spat at the ground, wincing as another wave of pain rushed through his body. He forced himself to his feet, to defend his honour, but the tamer had already disappeared.

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For the past two hours, Lyra busied herself by testing out Toto's latest move – Water Gun – on a few poor Pidgey's in the grass patches on Route 29. She continued knocking out Pidgey's until Toto had mastered the move. Once Toto had, Lyra focused her efforts on catching a female Pidgey. Her first foray into the world of capturing Pokemon had been a success. Now she had a team of two Pokemon, but she knew she needed a team of six to stand any chance of beating the league. But who to choose? There were so many Pokemon she wanted to train. Ice-type. Electric-type. Fire-type. And even the dragon-type. "Think smart, Lyra," she told herself. "What did your father always say? Train a diverse team to cover your weaknesses."

She thought hard. How many special attackers would she need? Or was it better to focus on defence instead? Perhaps it would be smarter to focus her on special defence training? Maybe speed and health? There were so many ways to train her team to make the most of them, but what was the right path to take?

"Well, Totodile is a water-type, so that means I should probably get a fire-type and a grass-type too. That leaves me with three remaining spots. Electric, psychic and dragon? Or maybe dark, steel and ground?" She looked down at Toto for answers, but received only a toothy grin in reply. She giggled, patting her friend on her head. "You're right. I'll think about my team later." She continued to walk along the dusty path until she came across a male with blue shorts. He looked strangely familiar… those dirt-stained shoes, the backwards cap, the smirk…

"Not weak… I'm not…"

"Joey?" she replied. Joey looked at her. She noticed his eyes were red. Had he been crying? "Are you all right?" She moved towards him, but he stepped back, holding his arms out in defence.

He wiped the tears off his face. "We have to battle, Lyra. Our eyes have locked." Joey certainly didn't look like he wanted to battle, but rules were rules and a battle had to happen. Instead of sending out Toto to take the battle, Lyra decided Pidgey needed some battling time. She summoned her newest friend. Joey summoned a Rattata. "I'm not going to lose this time."

"Pidgey, use Sand Attack!" Pidgey turned her back to the rodent and kicked at the ground, flicking grains of sand in Rattata's face. Temporarily blinded by the sand, the Rattata was unable to aim accurately. He attacked, but missed by a couple of inches. "Now use Tackle!" Pidgey crooned, flapped her wings, and took a running leap at the purple rat.

Rattata could do nothing to defend himself as Pidgey knocked the rat over onto the ground. It struggled to escape, but the bird was too quick. Pidgey tackled the rat again, successfully knocking it out cold. Joey dropped to his knees, jaw dropped open. "I lost again…"

Lyra wasn't too keen on Joey – the guy had always been an impatient, impulsive brat who seemed incapable of learning from his past mistakes, but he had come from her town so she had some respect for him. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Joey."

He looked up at her. "I can't seem to win battles."

"You should allow your partner to gain more experience before challenging other trainers to battles, Joey. How do you expect to win if your Pokemon is unsure of itself?" The Rattata was lying on his side, eyes rolled back in his head. "Rattata is your partner; it's your responsibility to make sure you treat your Pokemon with love and care." She reached down into her bag, and gave Joey a potion her mother had packed. "Take this. It'll help."

Joey took the potion, flabbergasted. "You're willing to give me this after everything we've been through? If I remember correctly, I used to tease you when we were little."

She gave him a smile. "That's in the past. Let me know when you're ready for a rematch," she said, showing him her trainer card so he could write down her number. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm running an errand for Professor Elm." Before she could leave, Joey grabbed her arm.

"You're not just running an errand though, are you? You're setting out on the journey to become the best…" He tightened his grasp. "Make our town proud, Lyra! If anyone deserves to be Champion, it's you. I know you can do it."

She smiled again. Maybe Joey had changed a little. The old Joey would never have shown his appreciation for another trainer… or any person for that matter. "Thanks, Joey. Good luck!" She said her farewells and continued walking down the path. She spotted to other trainers, but decided to avoid them by going through the forest. Toto and Pidgey hadn't had a rest yet and they were both starting to show signs of exhaustion.

Cherrygrove was just up ahead. The city was twice the size of her hometown, and was well-known for its beautiful cherry blossoms. It was autumn in Johto, and the trees had shed their leaves, but in a couple of months they would blossom and the city would look beautiful once again. She made her way down the path heading towards the Pokemon Centre when she was approached by a bald old man with thick grey eyebrows. He was dressed in old-fashioned clothing, except for his shoes which seemed brand new. How odd. He looked her up and down then smiled.

"You're new here, aren't you? Well, let me do you the honour of showing you around the place," he said. She was already aware of what the buildings were, but for the sake of not appearing rude she pretended to be clueless. The old man ran towards a building with a blue roof. For an old guy he certainly could run fast. She jogged after him. "This is the Poke Mart. Come here if you need supplies for your journey." He then ran to a building with a red roof. "This is the Pokemon Centre. You and your Pokemon can rest here. Always make sure to heal your Pokemon after a few battles - they'll appreciate you more." He ran away to stop in front of a shabby old brown building.

"What place is this?" Lyra asked.

"This is my place. It's time for my rest."

She put on a polite smile. What a strange old man.

"You can have my running shoes. They're still warm," he said flatly.

Lyra took a step back, and raised her hands. "Uh, I think I'll pass…"

A wide grin spread across his face. "I'm kidding! I got a free pair of running shoes for you, so take them!" He dashed inside his house, and returned a few seconds later with a pair of white sneakers. "You don't need to thank me! Achieve your goals, young trainer! Best of luck to you." He waved then disappeared inside leaving a dumbfounded Lyra.

"Wow, that was weird," she said to Toto and Pidgey. Both her Pokemon looked like they were going to drop dead. Seeing their exhaustion made her feel tired as well. She stifled a yawn, placed the shoes in her bag and headed towards the Pokemon Centre.

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Exiting the Pokemon Centre, Lyra was overwhelmed by immense heat. The sun ray's were shining directly in her face, blinding her temporarily. She held her arms up to shield her eyes and wandered forward, stopping every so often to wipe away sweat beads from her forehead. Heatwaves like this didn't happen very often in this part of the region, but sometimes they did, and unfortunately a heatwave had to happen today.

The heat dampened her mood and she noticed her Pidgey seemed to be struggling. The bird looked lethargic. To protect her Pidgey, she returned her back to her pokeball. She tried to do the same with Toto but the water-type crocodile Pokemon wanted to play instead. Toto aimed a stream of water at Lyra, knocking her off her feet from the force.

Instead of losing her temper, Lyra giggled. "You sure know how to cool things down quickly, don't you, Toto?" she laughed, patting her Pokemon's head. Toto wagged his tail and cuddled up against Lyra. "I would love to continue playing, but we have to visit Mr. Pokemon," she said, picking herself up from the now wet ground. She shook herself dry then continued moving, her faithful companion tagging along behind her. Route 30 was her next destination.

Lyra didn't cover a lot of ground when she was stopped by some bald adult male dressed in a white shirt and green pants standing outside his house underneath a tree. His eyes rested on her for a few brief moments then he rushed over to her, an excited gleam in his eyes. "Ah yes, you are perfect!"

Lyra wasn't sure what to say, so she just smiled. "Uh, hello?"

"I want you to have something!" Before Lyra could say anymore, the man darted into his house then reappeared with a small brown box. He thrust the item into her arms and explained it. "It's an apricot box! Here, you can have this apricot." He turned to the tree and pointed up, directing Lyra's attention. "That's an apricot. They come in different colours. Collect all the apricots you can and you'll find someone in Azalea Town who can turn them into special pokeballs!"

"Okay… thanks," Lyra said, placing the box into her bag. Did all starting out trainers receive such significant attention from non-trainers or was she a special case? It was all a little overwhelming. She hadn't even earned her first badge yet and people were already giving her gifts, as if she were some household superstar, or the Champion herself. "Um, is this the right way to Mr. Pokemon's house?"

He nodded. "Yup. Keep heading north. You can't miss it. There's only one path there."

She thanked him again and continued on her way. She noticed several grass patches up ahead, but spotted no Pokemon in sight. Perhaps the heat had driven them off? She was a little disappointed because it meant her Pokemon wouldn't gather any experience battling, but there was always tomorrow.

She spotted Mr. Pokemon's house up ahead and sighed with relief. It was really hot now and all she wanted to do was sit inside and catch her breath for a few moments. A cold drink would be nice too. She entered. It was a nice comfortable place with two floors. There were photo frames of various Pokemon on the walls and a torn leather couch in the centre of the room. An analogue television was set up against a wall. She studied the screen for a few moments, watching a group of Pokemon sprinting down a race track.

Lyra pulled her attention away, and called for Mr. Pokemon's name. A few seconds later, a middle-aged man with rosy cheeks came rushing, almost tumbling down the stairs. He glanced at her, face lighting up. "Ah, you must be Lyra! Professor Elm said you would be arriving soon. I have something to give to you and I know you will look after it well."

This was the third person, excluding Professor Elm, to give her something special. She felt like she was the chosen one for being showered with gifts and praise, and she hadn't even done anything notable yet. "What do you have for me?"

"It's around here somewhere… ah, there it is." He hurried over to a couch and picked up a basket. In the basket there was an egg. He picked it up carefully, cradling it in his eyes and walked over to Lyra. "This is a Pokemon egg. I would like to look after it. Eggs only hatch when they are with other Pokemon you see." He handed it over and Lyra took it. Where was she going to put the egg? Would it fit in her bag? She couldn't hold it the entire time. "You'll have to carry it. Don't worry it'll only take a couple of days for the egg to hatch. The more kilometres you walk, the faster the egg will hatch. Sometimes it helps to run back and forth for awhile."

An excuse to do some additional exercise, she thought. She wondered what type of Pokemon was in that egg. "Thank you, Mr. Pokemon." She was about to exit the house when he called her name again.

"Don't go anywhere yet – Professor Oak is dropping by. While you wait, why don't you have a seat and I'll get you something cold to drink."

Lyra nodded. She sat down on the leather couch and made herself comfortable, while her Toto sat on the floor. As soon as Mr. Pokemon returned with a cold orange juice, Professor Oak entered the place. Lyra sat up immediately in awe. She had heard a lot about this man on the radio. This was the same man who started Red on his journey. Red was like her – a rookie trainer from a small town – and he had gone on to become a legendary trainer. Was she walking down a similar path to greatness? Or would her path take her down a different route?

"Lyra, it's a real pleasure to meet you. You know, I started Red on his journey two years ago," he said, giving Lyra a handshake. His hands were calloused, but his handshake was surprisingly gentle. "I know you will make Professor Elm and your hometown proud," he said, smiling. "Before you venture any further, I want to give you a Pokedex."

"Oh, I already have one of those," Lyra said, pulling out her own. "Professor Elm gave me one."

Professor Oak put it back in his bag, and nodded. "If you ever need a new one be sure to give me a call. A trainer mustn't go anywhere without one." He smiled again.

"Okay, sure."

"That's what I want to hear. Go out into the world, achieve your dreams and fill the Pokedex as best as you can! When you are done, show it to me and I'll give you a special gift. Good luck, Lyra!" He waved.

"Don't forget to take your cold drink, Lyra. It's hot outside," Mr. Pokemon said, giving her the plastic cup.

She accepted it and took a sip, feeling refreshed immediately. It was amazing what a cold drink could do on a hot day like this. It was just as effective as a nice massage. She said her goodbyes, exited the house and continued on her journey, her Toto following close behind. "I should probably go back and visit Professor Elm and show him the egg… but I'm keen to progress further. What should I do, Toto?" She glanced down.

The Pokemon gave her a toothy grin then hobbled over to the marker which read Route 31. Lyra smiled. "I thought as much. You are just as keen as me to venture further, aren't you? I'll call the professor later on and tell him the good news." Toto jumped from leg to leg in what Lyra interpreted as a happy dance. Together, they made their way to the next route.

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Thanks to hidgjn for reviewing the previous chapter