Chapter 5: Road to Pewter
Sorry about the dely. It's been a rough couple months. I'll try and get back into this, and I obviously have to work on my battling scenes. I'm not proud of the last one, but the next few should be better. Thanks for reading, folks, and welcome back to The Soldier.
We did it!
Golden eyes splitting open in childish jubilance, the young teen couldn't help the airy giggle that burst through his wide grin as he fell to his knees, hands shivering as the adrenaline wore off.
He knew it was slightly childish and unfair, but he hadn't been able to shake the slight twinge of jealousy he'd felt ever since he'd watched Leaf catch that Pidgeotto. It was a magnificent bird, larger than any he'd seen before, and he just knew that Gary had caught something already. His boastful friend had probably cleared out half the forest!
But as he looked at the motionless pokeball sitting in the soft forest floor, he felt only pride, and he knew his newest capture was better. Even though he didn't quite know what it was, it was special because this pokemon was his. It had chosen him as its trainer, and it was all thanks to his partner Rhaegal.
He looked at the red lizard, meeting his cerulean eyes quickly before leaping to his feet and gleefully grappled the 'mon, hoisting him up into the air and spinning him in circles.
"Way to go, buddy! That couldn't have gone better!"
Rhaegal practically cooed at the attention, swaying his tail happily. He had known his master had been anxious. It was their first battle, after all, and with so much at stake, Rhaegal would have accepted nothing less than success. He was happy that he had taken down his reptile, and he absolutely loved the attention. Sadly, it wasn't to last forever, as his trainer gave him one last quick hug before setting him gently on the floor.
Ash saw the pride he felt reflected in his partner's eyes, and he thanked Arceus above for having blessed him with such a perfect starter. Their first battle had been rough, but their teamwork and understanding had been stellar, and that was what was important. Battling and the refinement of moves could always be improved upon, especially now that they had a sparring partner.
"What do you say, Rhae? You ready to meet our new friend?"
The charmander nodded, waddling over to retrieve their newest teammate, placing the cool sphere in Ash's half-gloved hands.
"Alright, come on out"
From the beam of red, blazing light emerged the bruised and battered form of his newest partner. The pokemon was nursing its right arm slightly, but for the most part its wounds looked superficial.
Likely from the fall, the trainer thought with a slight frown, unstrapping his bag and fiddling for a loose potion. He grabbed an oran berry as well, knowing that potions were very much like human medicines and would sting like hell. When he was young, he refused to have his wounds cleaned because he didn't like the stinging of the medicine, so his mother would always tempt him with food.
Whoever said bribery wasn't a great way to solve problems clearly hasn't worked with kids he chuckled, reaching gently out towards the critters sore arm.
"That was a great battle! I'm sorry we hurt you, but I can make it better, if you let me see your arm really quick, okay? It will sting a bit, but after I'll give you this."
Eying the ripe berry, his newest teammate took a few cautious steps forward, extending a thin, scaled arm outward.
The cut wasn't deep, nor was it very long, but its proximity to the elbow would restrict his movement for a few hours while the potion took effect.
The trainer grasped the appendage gently, surprised at just how different this pokemon's scales were from Rhaegal's. Rhaegal's rough hide was always warm to the touch, with thick scales that narrowed to a sharp point. The thicker scales on his cream-colored chest were bony and thick, offset by thin layers of skin to allow maneuverability. This creatures' scales felt cool and smooth. Its skin was composed of exceptionally fine, droplet like scales that felt like coarse sand offset in rubbery, tacky epidermal tissues. The underside of its fingers were lines with dozens of grippy toepads, identifying it as an exceptional climber. Its red underbelly was also composed of the same fine scales.
Uncapping the potion with his teeth, Ash looked in his new pokemon's large yellow eyes for confirmation, before gently squeezing the trigger and cleaning the wound. With hardly a flinch, the newest member of the team withstood the treatment and eyed Rhaegal curiously.
"Tough guy, aren't you?" he commented, stuffing the half used potion into his bag for later use. Typically, you were supposed to use the whole bottle, but with relatively minor wounds like small bruises and shallow scrapes, it was alright to keep it, at least for a few days.
Handing his new partner the berry it was promised, the pallet native reached around his back pocket for his Pokedex. "Let's give you a scan, okay? I'm not quite sure what you are yet. I promise this one won't sting."
With a shallow nod of approval, the gecko munched away happily on the oran berry, even offering a small piece to Rhaegal who'd scooted over to greet his new teammate.
Good job, guys. I don't know what I'd have done if you two didn't get along
Glancing away from the two reptiles just long enough to make sure he'd pressed the right buttons, Ash scanned his newest teammate.
[{Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. Treecko are able to climb smooth vertical walls and use their thick tail to attack opponents. Since Treecko build their nests in large trees, it is said that those trees will live a very long life.}]
[{This Treecko is a male with the ability Overgrow, and knows the following moves: Bullet Seed, Pound, Absorb, and Quick Attack.}]
He's one of Hoenn's original three starters, he noticed, immensely pleased with his rare capture. This sure makes both the Pewter and Cerulean Gyms way more accessible, though I wonder why he didn't use either Absorb or Quick attack in our battle
Pondering the question, he scrolled through the rest of the dex entry, excitement bubbling in his heart, and deciding that ultimately, it didn't matter. There was so much potential in Faron. If there were issues, they would work on them tomorrow, but until then, Ash would have to contain his jittery jubilance.
"Alright team, since it's just before dark, I feel like we should get ready for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and I want us all rested up, but before that, Treecko, I want to welcome you to the family."
He bent low to meet the pokemon's large yellow eyes. "My name is Ashura, but I prefer Ash. You've already met my starter, Rhaegal," hearing his name being called, Rhaegal swayed into his trainer's side, prompting a few headpats out of the tired teen. "I asked if he wanted a nickname because he is special, especially to me, and since you agreed to join us, I want to ask if you would want one too."
Treecko's thick, two-lobed tail thumped gently in the soil. He quirked his head to the left, scanning the swooning fire type, before nodding slightly, though his eyes hadn't left Rhaegal's baby blues.
Ash smiled brightly. "Alright, cool! Professor Oak, the researcher who introduced me too Rhaegal used to tell me a story of three ancient spirits that used to watch over the earth. They each represented a different pillar of humanity and ruled over three different domains. He named his Charizard Eldin, the spirit of Fire and Power, but my favorite spirit was the forest spirit Faron. He represented both Life and Courage, and was believed to have birthed all the creatures and plants that inhabit our planet. I could think of no better pokemon to carry the name. What do you think?"
The grass type, for the first time that evening, smiled. It was a bright smile, causing his eyes to squeeze tight and his cheeks to widen and reveal a row of small but sharp teeth. "Tree!" he chirped merrily, quickly leaping to grapple onto his new trainer's jacket and climb to a perch atop his hat. "Tree! Tree!"
Laughter erupted from his chest, light and airy against the encroaching dark of night. "Faron it is! Now let's go get some dinner and rest up. We've got training to do tomorrow."
It hadn't taken the trio much time to set up camp in the midst of Faron's old training grounds, especially since Ash's tent was currently housed somewhere between Pallet and Veridian and likely torn to shreds by Spearow. The weather was nice and the stony outcrop was well sheltered, so he would be fine in only his sleeping bag, so long as there was a fire nearby.
Sending the two reptiles out for firewood, the trainer started preparing their dinners. Rhaegal got a cup and a half of pokechow with a few Passho berries sprinkled in. Farron, standing at one-foot-ten, was slightly more complicated and not as large as Rhaegal's three-foot-plus frame. He would get half a cup of chow and half a cup of quartered berries .
Rhaegal was an enthusiastic eater, chowing away at the poor bowl like a starved Snorlax. He gets that from me, the trainer thought, recalling all the times his mother or Leaf would tell him to slow down, else he would end up eating right through his plate. Unlike Ash, however, the Kanto starter preferred his food scorched and melty. Thank Arceus I bought metal bowls. The standard feeding bowls would have been incinerated, and I'd prefer not to set Faron's hideaway on fire.
The grass type, in stark contrast to Regal, was a precise eater. He took smaller bites, seeing as his species couldn't chew, and favored a pattern of one bite pokechow, one bite berry, and rinse with water. The unusual mushy pellets seemed to confuse him.
That reminds me. In Pewter, I need to pick up more specialized pokefood, he notedrecalling his lessons from the professor. Fire types need more oxygen and carbon-based foods with high concentrations of sulfur. I think grass types needed high amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, something to do with the chlorophyll stored in their photosynthetic dermal cells. Should probably look that up again
As for himself, he was finishing off the last of his premade sandwiches. They were slightly soggy, but they were markedly better than what he would be eating tomorrow morning. The pains of being a trainer…
There were, of course, high quality traveling foods that wealthy and seasoned trainers had. Dehydrated traveling meals or fancy meat and cheese packs were staples for trainers with a well-padded wallet, but these were either too expensive of required refrigeration, neither of which were available for someone just starting out. Rookies and struggling trainers had Nutri-bars and Vitamin supplements instead. The vitamin pills were dry, dusty, fruit-flavored chewable tablets that contained all the essential vitamins and minerals an active adventurer would need, which was great because the Nurti-bars had none. Those were candy-bar sized bricks of high calorie brown plant proteins and blended whole grains. They chewed like leather and tasted like dirt, but you only need one a day to meet the caloric need of an average day of exercise, and they would keep for years. They still left you hungry, though.
I'll say it again… The pains of being a trainer...
"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm going to try and catch some shuteye. You're welcome to sleep outside, or I can return you. It's up to you."
Rhaegal, unsettled by the Spearow incident the day before, quickly curled up around the fire, facing out into the forest protectively. Faron was less decisive, switching his wide eyes between his trainer and the forest.
"It's okay if you want to venture for a bit, but don't go too far. If something happens, It's going to be Rhaegal who can best help you, and he doesn't run very well. Not yet, anyways."
The sleepy fire type turned to the two and huffed, sending a small ring of smoke at the two before rolling over and grumbling lightly.
Ash chuckled, waving his hand to clear the air before winking at the forest native, who chirped in amused agreement, before nimbly rappelling himself up a tree and into the canopy.
Satisfied that his team was settled in well enough, Ash unzipped his sleeping bag and settled in for the night, hoping that his second night on the road would be less exciting that the first.
The night had passed quickly and quietly. The early morning sun gave the fog-filled clearing an ethereal silver glow, and dew was slick and cold on Ash's face. It felt nice on his still-healing wounds. There were Pidgey singing their morning songs, and the gently rustling of critters in the distant underbrush. The trainer contemplated laying there for a little longer, just to experience the gentle morning and embrace the day refreshed, when the sharp snap of a splitting branch pierced his daze.
His body went rigid, his eyes snapping wide and alert. Visions of talons and feathers plagued his mind as he craned his neck to look at Rhaegal.
The lizard was braced threateningly against the smoldering coals of last night's campfire, a faint rumbling in his chest, claws and fangs bared and ready. His eyes surveyed the foggy woods, using his developed scencse of smell to try and locate the intruder.
A quiet, throaty chirp quickly caught his ear, and Ash watched as Faron swiftly traversed to the top of the large stone column behind him. Pointing with his rounded nose and chirping in short intervals, just loud enough for Ash and Rhaegal to hear, he gestured to the right side of the forest edge, towards a particularly large spruce tree.
As Rhaegal locked his narrowed azure eyes onto the tree, likely gauging whether or not he could set it alight, the raven haired teen made for the small metal clasp and slowly unzipped his sleeping bag, trying to muffle the metallic "clipping" of the metal teeth. Just as he'd made it to his knees, sparing a short glance at his bag that housed his survival knife, a mighty shout pierced the fog.
"HIYAAAAAAAAHHHHH"
A shadow charged into the clearing, cloaked in thick metal plate and an ornate, horned helmet. He wielded a large curved blade above his head, as if preparing to cleave him in two, bellowing his battle cry into the morning fog
"PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END, TRESSPASSER, BY THE MIGHT OF THE GREAT SAMU -RAAHHH!"
His team did not disappoint. By the time Ash had managed to roll out of his knapsack and grab his bag, Rhaegal and Faron had made for the offensive.
A small, intensely dark cloud of smoke hit the charging figure directly in the eyes, allowing the openly growling fire type to advance quickly, only to be beaten to the punch by a freefalling Faron.
The grass type leaped from the crest of the stone column, flipping once in midair to align his thick tail with the figures shoulder and slamming home with a Pound attack.
The impact was enough to force the attacker into a stumble, and Ash seized the opportunity. "Rhaegal! Go for the sword!"
A clawed hand rose, and the trainer expected a Scratch attack, but was pleasantly surprised when the sharp digits shone a brilliant silver just long enough to slice cleanly through the flat of the blade.
Faron, who'd recovered from his fast descent with a nimble roll, shot a single low-powered Bullet Seed at the back of the aggressor's right hand, freeing the hilt from his hand and into Rhaegal's Jaws, who spat it to the floor and blasted it point-blank with a strong Ember, rendering it useless.
One last swing of Faron's lobed tail to the back of the knees finally took the figure down, sending him sprawling to the floor as the reptiles approached, snarling and hissing.
"Please! Mercy! I don't mean to hurt you, I swear!" the figure whimpered. His voice was watery with fear, but younger than he'd expected from a sword wielding maniac
Calling for his team to hold, the irate pallet native stomped forwards, fists clenched.
"Not going to hurt- You came charging into our camp with a SWORD for Arceus' sake! What else were you going to do with it? Clean your shoes?"
"It's just for intimidation, so that you're unsettled when we battle," the boy explained, nervously eying the two protective starters that pinned him down. "Can you let me go, please?"
"A battle? All of this was because you wanted a battle? Who the hell are you, and what were you thinking, charging someone with a sword? You couldn't have expected anything good to have come from it. We could have killed you!" Ash scolded, returning his two fighters before things escaladed again.
Immediately, the armored child relaxed. "It's a katana, actually, but thanks for returning your beasts. And yes, I want a battle. I was told that there were two more trainers coming from Pallet, and I want redemption from my loss to the first."
"You fought Gary?"
The boy quickly scrambled to his feet. "So you must be one of the Pallet trainers! He told me you would be coming! You must be Leif, though I wonder, the lady Mr. Oak had called 'Ashy' doesn't seem to be around. Have I missed her?"
"It's ASH, and Leaf is falling behind," growled out the now seething Pallet native. I swear I'm one more comment away from throttling the kid.
"Very well, Ash! I challenge you to a pokemon battle, and as the victor, you will buy me a new blade!
"And if I win?" he asked, barely suppressing his excitement. No matter how aggravating this 'Samurai' was, the prospect of fighting his first battle was too much to pass up. Besides, if Gary could beat him, it should be a walk in the park.
Samurai frowned. "I will not lose, but your prize will be my respect and free passage through the forest, uninhibited by me."
It was Ash's turn to frown. That hardly seems fair.
"I want the cost of the blade plus ten percent."
All battles were the forefront of some of the biggest gambling circles in the world. People placed bets on nearly everything during league battles, and battles like this were no different. The default prize amount varied on the level of trainer you were battling. If your opponent was more advanced than you, based on gym badges, time spent as a trainer, or strength of the team, you would win more money based on the gap between tow trainer's skill level. If the higher skilled trainer won, they would receive less, depending on the amount of space between the two. This was to prevent high level trainers from praying on lower leveled ones and stealing all their money. This isn't always the case, as Samurai had suggested. Custom amounts and prizes could be awarded, so long as both parties agree to the terms.
"That's ridiculous! I will not pay so much to a newbie trainer!"
"Then walk away. You want to battle, you accept my proposal. You're the one who though charging me with a sword was a good idea. We protected ourselves. So is it a yes or no, because I've got places to be," Ash drawled, already walking back to his camp to start packing.
The samurai grumbled loudly before reluctantly accepting. "Fine. Let's do this We'll have a two vs. two battle with no substitutions. I choose you, Pinsir!"
His golden eyes widened as the five-foot-tall stag beetle took form, clicking angrily. It's large, bony and serrated pincers glistened in the morning sun. How the hell did he catch a Pinsir! How the hell did he train one?
Pinsir were notoriously aggressive predators, using the immense crushing force of their head mounted horns to crush open the toughest of armors. They were rowdy and dominant, taking a great deal of skill and experience to raise them. Both of which Ash doubted this eleven-twelveish year old had.
He grabbed the first ball on his belt, lightly tossing it in the air.
"Rhaegal, stand. It's time to show the world who we are."
He'd badly wanted to use Faron, but they had yet to work together and Pinsir were dangerous pokemon without the type advantage. Ash couldn't through his newest teammate into such a poor situation, though he was confident they could have gotten it done. Next time.
"Your type advantages will not save you! Pinsir, use Vice Grip!"
The large brown bug lurched forward, charging pincers-first towards the awaiting fire type.
"Rhaegal, use Ember, try and hit his feet! Throw him off balance. If he gets close, dodge to the side."
Hot daggers of fire singed the ground, glowing dangerously at the underfoot of the three clawed foot of the oncoming insect. He stumbled quickly, nearly toppling over, but the stag beetle's thick chitinous exoskeleton buffered it from the worst of the burn. It righted itself mid stride and lunged, slamming it's two large spiny appendages together.
"pin SIR!"
Rhaegal quickly jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the attack, but recoiling as one of the spiny barbs gashed at his shoulder, causing hot blood to ooze into the soil.
"You're okay Rhaegal! Now, use smokescreen and get some space! Dragon Rage when you can!" Ash barked, watching as the hot liquid steamed in the cool midmorning air.
"Char!" The plume of smoke that accompanied the pained cry was thick and dark, masking all but the faint glow of the Charmander's tail, though that too faded out as he hid within the soupy clouds.
It was silent for a few seconds as both trainers tried to see withing the haze. Only the grumpy clicking of Samurai's Pinsir was clear. His heavy footfalls showed that he was just as lost as the trainers.
Ash smiled. Insects of Pinsir's shape and figure tended to have poor hearing, favoring sight and smell in order to perceive the world around them. With Rhaegal's Smokescreen making it difficult to do either, So long as Rhaegal moved carefully and quietly, it would be up to the Samurai to find the fire type.
Suddenly, like fireworks, three large purple bursts sprung from the stag beetle's left, colliding with its pincer, face, and torso.
"PINSIR! PIN!" it cried as another Dragon Rage struck it in the knees, though this attack came from further to the right.
That a boy! Ash grinned triumphantly, recognizing the strafing pattern. It would be hard for the bug to pin him if he was moving. It may seem cheap but wasn't in the mood for fair fighting against the boy who'd charged him with a sword as he slept.
The Samurai growled, watching as his star pokemon was continually blasted from a distance.
"That's it! If that's the game you want to play, then so be it. Pinsir, use Hyper Beam!"
The smile was wiped from his face as the blood drained from his head. Panic set in, and it became impossible to swallow. He has to be joking, right?
Hyper Beam was one of the moves that only the strongest of pokemon could master, and even then, it was draining. He'd watched Champion Lance's team of dragon types demolish their opponents with it. Hordes of angry Gyarados where known to taken out entire cities with it. It was a move that few pokemon could learn naturally. Most would need instruction form tutors or TM's, but the TM for it was incredibly expensive and locked behind a trainer level far to high for someone galivanting throughout the gentle roads of shallow Viridian Forest.
It has to be a rouse, Ash reassured himself, but through the thinning smoke, the telltale white sphere of energy gathered at the pokemon's mouth, his stomach dropped.
"RHAEGAL! Rush him with everything you've got! Do not walk in front of him!"
An attack like that could seriously maim a good portion of pokemon, and a Charmander with not even a week under his belt was certainly no exception. He though about forfeiting right then and there, if only to save his starter from grave injury, but the gleam in the bug types eyes and the aggressive stance of the armored child told him that it wouldn't have helped much. His best bet was to get close and grapple the bug. By sticking close, the beam couldn't be used to sweep the clearing, and by holding to the bug's rigid form, he might beable to avoid it all together.
The smoke had cleared just enough for Rhaegal's unusually strong build to be seen stomping forwards, claws outstretched and glinting faintly in the light.
That's metal claw! They hadn't had much time at all to work on the move, but it was simple enough in concept. By increasing the amount of biotin, keratin, and other minerals and compounds in their diets, pokemon could dramatically increase the strength and sharpness of their claws, armor, and skin. Steel types did this the best, but it was emulated in many species of all different types.
Ash had yet to add any supplements to his starter's diet outside of extra berries and the pills from the Veridian City Pokemon Center, so it had to have been a stroke of luck in the genetics department for his starter. The move wasn't perfect, as the flashing indicated an interrupted flow of nutrients, but it would do just as well if he managed to get close enough.
It was a small blessing that Pinsir was clearly not well-versed in the attack, as the time it took him to gather enough energy to fire was enough to get Rhaegal quite close.
"FIRE DAMMIT"
Samurai's call echoed in the clearing and Ash's level of fear rose considerably. Hyperbeam required and intense amount of focus and will to control. If the user hadn't been able to properly manage the immense amount of sheer power in the attack, it could have disastrous consequences.
"DIVE RHAEGAL!"
The fire type immediately dropped to the floor, his momentum causing him to skid across the rough clearing and into the dirt, but he was lucky.
Pinsir, having followed the orders of his trainer to a T, fired. Two small explosions caused by the premature Hyper Beam sent the stag beetle pokemon airborne. The delayed onset of the actual beam occurred mid-air with enough force to rocket the bug back into the ground with a sickening crunch of exoskeleton on stone. It didn't move again.
"Pinsir! NO!" Samurai rushed to his pokemon, relieved to see him still breathing, though he was clearly unconscious and in bad condition.
Ash paid him no mind, instead rushing to his starter that still lay on the ground.
"Come on buddy, you're okay. I know you are. You're strong." The words repeated, and Ash tried to believe it. Charmander had been far to close to the blast to have escaped unscathed.
Immediately falling to the ground, Ash rolled the rather heavy reptile over, expecting the worst, only to find a panting, smiling lizard grinning up at him with a very chipped tooth. He was covered in dirt and there were grass stains on his remaining teeth, but other than his shoulder, Rhaegal was perfectly healthy.
After a quick hug to reassure himself, a now extremely irate Ash Ketchum whipped around to face his opponent.
"You absolute MORON!"
The Samurai, who'd just returned his poor Pinsir, looked up in fear. The teen's golden pools were alight with anger as he advanced closer, sneakered feet falling heavily.
"I cannot fathom what possessed you to have an untrained, ill-prepared Pinsir use a move banned from field use" he berated, tearing into the boy. "You could have killed us all! I've half a mind to call Professor Oak and report you."
There was a great difference between recreational and professional battles. Professional battles would occur in designated arenas or courts that were monitored by referees with set rules and protective barriers of various kinds that would shield trainers and spectators from debris and stray attacks. This allowed trainers and their teams to battle no-holds barred, but it was limited to high populated, industrial areas like cities or Colosseums. Recreational battles were like the one he'd just had, where two trainers find a space large enough in some clearing, road, or other undesignated space, and do battle.
This, or course, had its limitations; primarily, move restrictions. Because these battles weren't safe, in order to protect trainers and their environment, pokemon weren't allowed to use certain kinds of moves or techniques. They were typically the obscure, powerful moves that only veteran teams could learn, like the hellish Blast Burn, the devastating Fissure, and other such iconic techniques. Hyper Beam was obviously one of them, as the laser like projection could easily bisect a human or vaporize them all together.
There were exceptions, as there are with all rules, but they were rare and very specific. If practicing a move outside of a training facility, the trainer would need to have achieved a specific ranking or receive explicit permission from one of the certified sponsors of the region. They weren't allowed to use the move in recreational battle unless they were inducted into the higher ranks, but even then, they were to be used sparingly and toned down. If these conditions were met, then they could only be used against opponents that were also of qualifying ranking, or with the consent of the opponent. None of these circumstances were met, which means that the honorable Samurai was engaging in illegal activity.
"Please don't! I'll lose my license," the boy cried, wet tears beading at the corners of his eyes. "I just got it, and bought Pinsir when I graduated! I didn't know he couldn't use it!"
Ash's frown deepened, the boy's pleading and explanation deepening his dislike of Training Schools. Pokemon Training Schools were campuses places for parents to send their kid to get their license if they couldn't land a sponsor. They were almost entirely theoretical, focusing on the shallowest of strategy and minimal cognitive training. They were easy and the requirements to pass were greatly inferior to that of a true sponsor, but it could be done quickly. They were the reason why licensed trainers as young as 10 were running around.
Ash really despised these schools because they went against everything he believed as a trainer. You never actually needed to leave. If you stayed long enough, eight years if he remembered correctly, the top students would be given a pass into the Indigo League for free, with each year in school acting as a qualifying badge. Their teams were usually bought, a process that the Pallet native found absolutely cruel and disgusting, and never really had to work for their "success." Gym badges were supposed to be physical reminders of a trainer's accomplishments, and to get them, they had to have passed a test given by one of the regions top battlers, the guardians and leader of their city. To skip past that experience by taking tests on whether water types were weak to ice types seemed disrespectful and unfair to those that worked for their place in the league.
"If you're going to act like this, then you don't deserve either." Ash's voice was hard as he reprimanded the boy again. "Your team is supposed to be able to rely on you, their trainer, to look out for their wellbeing. You are their leader and their guide, and if they can't rely on you to guide them, why should they care what you say?"
He'd learned this lesson form his father. As much as he loathed the man, Ash couldn't deny the love that Red had for his team. He cared more about them than he did himself. He cared more about his team than his wife.
He cared more about them than he cared about me…
Shaking this thought from his mind, Ash gently returned his partner to his ball to rest.
"I'm done here. Get out of my camp."
Indignation flared in the Samurai. He wouldn't be dismissed so easily.
"We're not done yet! I've still got another pokemon and you owe me for my katana! You can't just-"
"I don't care. You broke the rules of battle, and I refuse to put my team in danger because of your recklessness. Get out."
Samurai looked to protest further, but seeing the dangerous glint of self-contained fury in his opponent eyes, he decided against it.
"Fine, but this isn't over! I will find you again, and I will beat you!"
With his last parting remark, the armor-clad trainer scrambled to his feet and rushed into the woods again.
The Pallet native watched as the boy ran deep into the woods. As soon as the loud rustling of foliage disappeared into the forest, he turned to roll up his sleeping bag and clean up their campsite. He didn't want to be here if the swordless swordsman decided to come back.
After everything was returned to their various pockets and containers, Ash called out his two reptiles, laying two bowls of food before them, cleaning and treating Rhaegal's wound with the remaining potion from the day prior.
"You did great, buddy," he complimented, turning to finish up cleaning their campsite before he left. He would have liked to have stayed to train a bit, but he didn't want stay and wait for the fool of a swordsman to come back.
"Alright you two, I think we're going to get a start on the day and tackle a bit of the forest. I'm going to return you, Rhaegal, so you can rest up a bit, but you're welcome to accompany me," he asked the grass type. A happy nod confirmed his travel buddy, and the gecko quickly grappled his way to a perch atop Ash's head.
He returned his starter, put away the bowls, and tightened the straps to his backpack.
"Come on, Faron. Let's get going. We've got some ground to cover."
"Tree! Ko!"
With that, they both took off into the woods, eager to get on the road.
Sorry it's a little short folks, but I've discovered that my passion for pokemon has been squashed relentlessly by the company that owns the IP. I don't support Gamefreak, and I don't support the direction that the Pokemon Company has gone. I don't know when I'll be updating again, but thank you for your support. Peace guy's, gals, and non-binary pals.