=Chapter 1, The Journey Begins=
=With a Book, a Battle, and a Ralts=
(Recap)
After the Snagem Raid Jacob was placed in the local Littleroot Orphanage, and despite the best efforts of many of the townspeople, none of them could help Jacob climb out of the hole he seemed to have fallen into after the death of his mother. Yet weeks after the incident, he seemed to have regained some step in his walk, and eventually he got over the depression he had fallen into. Nobody could explain why the sudden change occurred, at least none who didn't know the truth. People often tried to follow Jacob to try and talk to him, but every attempt ended in failure as he seemed to vanish near the stretch of woods where they often saw him heading toward even before the loss of his mother.
People asked how he was doing, and the only answer he gave was 'I'm going to become a Pokemon Trainer, I can't let myself be depressed because my mom would have wanted me to keep learning.'
The truth that Jacob kept a secret even after all that happened was that he was still receiving his lessons from Arceus, his teacher. Arceus was keeping his promise to Jacob, and was teaching him everything about Pokemon he could hammer into Jacob. He taught him everything his first year of lessons and second year had covered, revisited subjects they had covered, learned tricks and other notable pieces of knowledge, and everything else that he could. Included with his lessons were those that his mother might and would have taught him.
He first learned to cook human food, learned how to speak to different levels of human society. He learned how to wear a suit for formal occasions, how to wash his own clothes, how to pitch a tent, how to prepare supplies for traveling, taught him the correct utensil positions and usage for formal dinners, and how to even sew. He taught him about money, how to count and sort it, how to save and how to make sure he was not being scammed. Arceus covered so many subjects that Jacob couldn't count on both hands even if he had twice the number of fingers. All in preparation for the day he turned eleven and was old enough to become a trainer.
All through his lessons, Jacob never once asked how he knew so much. He often questioned how he could know so much, but after four years of learning from the Pokemon, he didn't need to ask it. Arceus had given Jacob so much that it didn't matter where he learned all he taught, Arceus was Jacob's closest friend, his father figure, his mentor, and he trusted the Pokemon to share his knowledge if it was required.
As for Arceus, after four years of knowing the boy since he first spotted him being chased by a pack of Mightyena, and spending every day of those four years isolated with the boy, made him grow to truly care for the boy. Each day he made sure the boy was safe, using one occasion when he was so tired from his lessons that he fell asleep while practicing mending a burn to add additional protections to the bracelet he always wore. Now as long as Jacob was near Littleroot he would be invisible to any Pokemon or Human that had malicious intent toward him. Yet as the day that he became a trainer grew closer, Arceus knew that their time together was coming to an end. Yet at the same time as he worried for the day he would leave his care, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the boy.
Soon all he had taught him would be put to the test, and his plan to maybe change the picture of the world that he saw might come to pass.
=A Book=
(Jacob's PoV)
"Very well Jacob, here is your Pokedex and five Pokeballs." Professor Nomel said, handing him a red Pokedex and five small Pokeballs. "I wish you luck and safety in your travels, and I hope you do well to fill out the Pokedex as completely as you can. Remember that by simply seeing them and searching for them in its database will give you adequate data, but if you want more complicated data you need to capture them and register them in the Pokedex. This is true for all Trainers in order to learn more about the Pokemon they use; you need to capture a Pokemon of the same type."
"Thank you Professor." Jacob said as he took the Pokedex and the Pokeballs.
"Now it's time to select your Starter." He said, though Professor Nomel looked a little upset as he led him over to a table with a single Pokeball, with a leaf symbol adorning it. "I'm really sorry but, if you would come at another date I could have more of a variety for you to select from. The only Pokemon I have left is the grass type Treecko. The trainers that came before you the day before took the fire type Torchic, and the water type Mudkip. So I'm afraid all you have to select from is the Treecko."
"That's okay Professor Nomel; I wanted Treecko to begin with." Jacob said with a smile, glad that the Pokemon he had hoped for hadn't been taken. "Is it okay if I meet him before I actually choose him?"
Professor Nomel nodded and said he could, so without any delay he picked up the Pokeball and tapped the little button on it, calling out the Pokemon inside. The Treecko, a green gecko-like Pokemon with a large green tail appeared in a flash of light.
"Treecko!" It shouted as it fully appeared from the ball.
"Hello there Treecko, it's nice to see you again." Professor Nomel said to the Pokemon. "I bet you know why you are out of the ball tonight! A trainer has decided to choose you as his starter!"
Treecko looked excited at these words, but then looked deflated as it saw that its ball was the only one on the table.
"Hey there Treecko, my names Jacob, Jacob Beryl, glad to meet you." Jacob said, bringing Treecko's attention to him. "I just wanted to first meet you and ask if you'd like to become my starter."
"Tree?" Treecko said, pointing at itself.
"Yea, you see I always wanted to start my life as a Trainer with a grass type Pokemon!" Jacob said with a smile. "I'm just glad nobody picked you before I could meet you."
"Treecko Tree?" Treecko asked.
"Yea, I couldn't come in yesterday because I had to meet with someone special before I came here to pick up my Trainer's license." He said. "So by the time I could, the lab was closed so I had to wait until today. Now I haven't picked you yet because I just wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to join me as my first Pokemon. So what do you say?"
"Treecko!" Treecko said happily, jumping into Jacob's arms and giving him a tight hug.
"Well I guess you both chose each other than!" Professor Nomel said, handing Jacob Treecko's Pokeball. "So are you going to name him?"
"Hmm, how do you feel about the name Harold?" Jacob asked his new Treecko. "Would you mind if I called you Harold?"
"Treecko!" Treecko said, nodding happily as he accepted the name.
"Alright your name is Harold!" Jacob said with a laugh. "Glad you like it Harold. Thanks again for keeping him safe Professor Nomel."
"You don't need to thank me Jacob, just raise him well and do your best on your journey!" Professor Nomel said.
Jacob nodded and returned Harold to his ball, deciding it was now time to head over to visit someone very important before he began his journey. As he left the lab and walked through the town he stopped when he neared the local convenience store that was just receiving a batch of some small mirrors because it was really the only store in town. As he noticed the mirrors he looked at his reflection, and noticed just how much had changed in nearly four years since he first met his mentor.
Four years ago he stood maybe four feet tall at most, wore a pair of green shorts and a red short, with dark black hair that was always unkempt if someone didn't make him comb it. Now he stood a little over five feet, wore blue green jeans, a light red shirt, and added a lightweight green jacket, as well as a western style leather hat dyed green. He sort of looked like those Pokemon wranglers that work on Moo Moo Milk Ranches. And now he had a belt with six Pokeballs wrapped around his waist to add to his appearance, as well as a Pokedex in his jean pocket.
So much has changed since then, but the one thing that remained the same, at least for him, was his eyes. Though he never bothered to pay attention to them before, he had emerald colored eyes. People often said he was always more in touch with nature because of those eyes, sometimes even saying that he could see the nature first past all of the technology of the day. But Jacob didn't seem to think that way; he just felt that he saw things that nobody else would see at first.
He snapped out of looking at the image of himself in the mirror and resumed walking through the town. Half an hour later he was near a section of the forest where, covered in yellow daffodils, was a single grave, with the name 'Amanda Beryl' embedded on its face.
The town didn't burry her in the normal graveyard, only making its decision because she was the only casualty of the Snagem raid two years ago. He had attended the funeral, cried a lot because of it, but he was past the tears now. His sorrow had ended years ago, replaced by determination to make the memory of his mother proud of him.
He took Harold's Pokeball and released him in front of the grave. "Hey there Harold, before we go I just wanted to show off to someone special." He said with a small smile.
"Tree?" Harold asked.
Jacob nodded and pointed at the grave, which made Harold look between Jacob and the grave, as though he were trying to put two and two together. "Yea… that's my mom." He said sadly. "In any case, we won't be long, but I just want to tell my mom something as well as introduce her to you."
"Treecko…" Harold said sadly, nodding as though he understood why Jacob was doing this.
"Hey mom, I know it's been a while since my last visit… but I just wanted you to meet Harold, as well as hear the big news." He said with a grin. "Actually instead of me, I'll let Dexter tell it…"
Jacob stepped forward, pulled out the Pokedex and activated it, punching in the command to recite its owner's identity and trainer ID number, before turning it around to face the grave. [I AM DEXTER; A POKEDEX PROGRAMMED BY PROFESSOR NOMEL FOR THE POKEMON TRAINER JACOB BERYL OF THE TOWN OF LITTLEROOT.] It said. [MY FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE JACOB WITH INFORMATION AND ADVICE WITH POKEMON AND THEIR TRAINING. IF LOST OR STOLEN I CANNOT BE REPLACED! MY TRAINER'S ID NUMBER IS 05105-421-L6]
Jacob closed his Pokedex and put it back in his pocket, before looking at his mother's grave again. "Yea mom, I'm a trainer now, I bet you'd be proud of me now!" He said with a smile. "I have a long journey ahead of me, but now that I have Harold with me, I know I'll do you proud and come back home a really great trainer! I promise I'll make a lot of friends, and learn even more about Pokemon then I ever did before! So mom, watch over us and keep a seat ready on the couch, because you might just see us on the big screen."
"Tree… Treecko Tree!" Harold said to the grave, and Jacob guessed he was probably saying he would do his best for Jacob.
Jacob nodded and returned Harold to his a Pokeball, giving one last smile at his mother's grave before turning and heading in the direction of the orphanage to pick up something. He still had one final destination before he could leave Littleroot for the first time in his life.
=One hour later=
Everyone had wished him luck at the orphanage, throwing him a goodbye party, and saying they'll be watching for him on the Pokeleague TV station. He was happy that they would be watching for him, and as he reached the section of the forest where the tall grass was so thick, and the trees so clumped, that nobody could enter or see past their leafy wall. You couldn't enter unless of course you knew where the grass permitted entry into the Sanctuary.
Jacob walked through the grass slowed down only because he had to be careful not to trip over anything, and once through the grass, saw the wonderful place that had become a second home to him. Fifty feet wide from side to side, with a pond of fresh water to drink, trees that bore fruit and berries to eat, and comfortable cushions of varying sizes scattered around, the Sanctuary was a paradise for him. It had been here that he had learned about Pokemon and everything else that he had learned over the last four years.
Yet it was the solitary Pokemon that stood ten feet tall, watching him enter with his reddish eyes, not having aged or changed at all this time, which captured his attention. His mentor, his adopted father, and perhaps closest friend in the world, Arceus, or as Jacob always called him, Arky.
Arceus watched him enter, sitting down on one of the cushions, giving off the air of one who was wise and powerful. (Did you get it?) He asked in Jacob's head.
Jacob smiled and pulled out his Pokedex, flipped it open, and pressed the buttons to once more give its trainer's identification. [I AM DEXTER; A POKEDEX PROGRAMMED BY PROFESSOR NOMEL FOR THE POKEMON TRAINER JACOB BERYL OF THE TOWN OF LITTLEROOT. MY FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE JACOB WITH INFORMATION AND ADVICE WITH POKEMON AND THEIR TRAINING. IF LOST OR STOLEN I CANNOT BE REPLACED! MY TRAINER'S ID NUMBER IS 05105-421-L6]
(Congratulations Jacob, you are finally a Pokemon Trainer!) Arceus said, smiling the only way he could express it visually, with his eyes. (Your mother would be proud of you.)
"Yea I know Arky." Jacob said, replacing the Pokedex in his pocket. "Would you like to meet my Pokemon? His name is Harold and he's…"
(A Treecko.) Arceus said in a matter of fact tone. (I knew you'd pick Treecko Jacob.)
"How, I never mentioned it in my lessons." Jacob said, wondering how his teacher could possibly have guessed.
(When we started learning about Pokemon types, you asked me to go over grass types first.) Arceus said with a smile, motioning with his head for Jacob to walk over and sit with him on the cushion. (When you asked to learn about them, I knew you had an affinity for grass types. You always were more connected with the realm of nature around you; as such a grass type is a perfect match for your first Pokemon. You made a wise and good choice for your starter, but I hope you won't just use Harold and grass types in general.)
"Oh I have no plans of just using Harold or grass types in general in my travels Arky." Jacob said, leaning heavily on his teacher's side. "I wonder what we'll encounter when we go on our journey. You think one day, you can show me more of the world besides Hoenn Arky?"
Jacob waited for Arceus to respond, and when he didn't Jacob looked at his teacher. "Arky?"
Arceus looked back at Jacob, and this time he felt the sadness in his tone. (I'm afraid Jacob that its time that we parted ways.) He said sadly. (This is your journey to take, not mine. You must find your own path on your own, and learn about this world on your own. I cannot walk along this path with you. I've taught you everything you've learned, and I've taught you how to live off of the land and care for yourself.)
Jacob watched as Arceus looked away, staring at the sky as he usually did when thinking deep thoughts. (We both know that you must stand on your own eventually Jacob. I have done all I could to prepare you for this day, now it's up to you Jacob Beryl… the world is yours to explore now. I have done my task and taught you everything I could; it's up to you now to use what you've learned in your journey.)
Jacob nodded, and tears welled up as he looked at his teacher, knowing that Arceus could not be there forever for him, just like his mother. He had to learn on his own from now on about the world. "Thank you for everything Arky." Jacob said, giving his teacher's neck a hug. "I promise to make you proud and not let you down. I really wish you could come with me though, I've never left Littleroot so… well you know."
Arceus nodded in understanding. (I know, but don't worry about it; in fact I have a gift for you…) He said.
"A gift?" Jacob asked.
Arceus stood up and moved aside to reveal a book, about seven inches tall and five inches wide, colored purple with a large black 'A' on it. In front of the 'A' was a yellow symbol with four green spots, mimicking that golden wheel Arceus had wrapped around him.
"What is it?" Jacob asked as he picked up the book, noticing that the front and back covers were about five centimeters thick. When he opened it he saw that there was only one single page stuck to the back cover and a special yellow pen in an open slot embedded into the book's front cover.
(That is my book that I created for you today.) Arceus said. (This book is a special book, but rather than explain it you'll see for yourself if you write in it. Just write how you're feeling about this book and what you think it does.)
Jacob nodded and took the pen, and started writing about how he was thoroughly confused as to why Arceus gave him a book with only one page. As he wrote, Arceus turned away, apparently so he wouldn't see what Jacob was writing.
After he finished writing and replaced the pen where it was, Jacob watched in amazement as the words he had just written started vanishing, leaving the page completely blank. At the same Arceus seemed to close his eyes for a moment, before opening them and turning to face Jacob, smiling in the only way he could. (You just wrote about how confused you were, wondering why I gave you a book that only had one page.) He said.
"How did…" Jacob asked.
(You see, this is a special book that I spent all night creating just for you.) Arceus said, using his powers to hold the book in thin air before Jacob. (This book has a direct connection to my mind, whatever you write I will hear and whatever feelings your feeling as you write it will be felt by me. This way even if I cannot be there to help you through the coming trials, I will still be there to experience them, as if I were with you. The pen I also created, it will only work with this book and the book's power only works with this pen, so nothing you write with another writing tool will appear or be felt. The pen will never run out of ink, so you don't have to worry about refilling it or running out of ink.)
(I know I can't be there with you, but this is my way of saying that I'll be there with you in spirit.) Arceus said, handing the book back to Jacob. (Do you like it?)
Jacob nodded and thanked Arceus for his wonderful gift. "I love it, and I promise I'll take good care of it Arky."
(Promise me you will write in it each day, or at least when something happens that is noteworthy?) Arceus asked.
"You bet I will Arky, I'll write in it every day I bet!"
(Just one word of caution, do not let another write in the book.) He said seriously. (This book is meant for you, and only you. If another writes in it, I will assume something terrible has happened to you, and you require my help. This is also my way of finding you if you need my rescue. If anyone but you writes in it, I will think the worst is happening and rush to rescue you. I promised your mother I would keep you safe, and I mean to keep it.)
"I will Arky, I will." Jacob said, knowing that he had two treasured gifts from his teacher.
One was his bracelet, and now he had this book.
(Now… as for your journey… I have one other gift for you, one that every trainer needs!) He said, turning around and lifting one of the cushions with his powers, revealing a large green backpack, apparently stuffed to the brim with supplies, and even had a tightly rolled up sleeping bag strapped beneath it. (Your backpack, I've already gone ahead and provided you some basic cooking tools, medical supplies, food and drink from the Sanctuary, and an all-weather sleeping bag for the outdoors. There's a map of the Hoenn region buried in there as well, and the backpack has multiple pockets to hold other items that you may happen to come across. And I know you said to not worry about money, but I've given you enough to get on your feet and get going in your travels.)
Jacob looked at Arceus with a surprised look. "You gave me money to start my journey with Arky?" He asked, impressed at his teacher's thoroughness. "Where did you get money from Arky?"
(Uh… places…)
"You made it didn't you?" Jacob asked with a grin.
(Maybe…) Arceus chuckled.
"Arky, have I ever mentioned how cool you are?"
(On occasion.)
"Thank you for everything Arky, really." Jacob said, picking up the backpack and strapping it to his back.
(It's my pleasure Jacob.) Arceus said, watching as he put the backpack on to see how it felt and looked. (Well look at you now Jacob, four years ago you were just a small boy running from a pack of Mightyena. Now look at you, a true Pokemon Trainer, ready to take on the world.)
"Yea… let's just hope I don't go starving the first week!" Jacob said as gave one final shrug with the backpack to make sure it would sit tight and snug.
(I'm sure you won't Jacob.) Arceus said. (Remember Jacob, the Sanctuary is your home and will always be your home. If you want to stay here for any reason, you may do so, you are always welcomed here. As for me, I'll stay here and watch over the Sanctuary.)
Jacob knew Arceus was trying to stall to prolong the time they had together, and that above everything warmed his heart to his teacher. Nodding at his teacher's declarations, he leaned forward and gave Arceus one final hug around his neck. "Wish me luck Arky." He said, giving the message that it was time for him to go.
Arceus nodded in understanding, knowing it was time to let Jacob leave his nest. (No… I wish you safe travels.) He said. (Go now Jacob… the world awaits you…)
Jacob nodded and let go of Arceus before walking away from him. He turned and looked at his teacher, still standing where he was, not moving away or looking away from Jacob as he left the Sanctuary.
Parting is always hard for two individuals who have grown attached to one another. For Jacob, it was leaving the father he wished he had all his life, for indeed Arceus had done so much for him in four years that was only rivaled by his mother, as though he had taken up the parental position that had been abandoned by his real dad and he had lost in his mother. For Arceus, it was watching his student leave his care and safety that he had provided for over four years since he first met Jacob running for his life. He may not have imagined that he would become so attached to the boy, but somewhere deep down he didn't mind.
They parted today, but thanks to a book, they'd always be together.
=A Battle=
Jacob looked up at the evening sky as he settled down in a spot near Oldale town, unpacking his pack to check on the supplies that Arceus had provided for him to start with.
As he emptied his bag he sorted everything out in front of him. He had several basic small pots and pans to cook over a fire with, as well as several fire starters. He also had several cooking spoons, forks, several bowls, some other utensils, and a cooking tripod. For food, he had about two dozen fruits and fifteen small bags full of berries from the Sanctuary's trees, as well as some herbs to cook the fruits in if he and his Pokemon prefer soup. He also found several bottles of fresh water, each of which clearly came from the Sanctuary's pond. The next thing he checked was the 'money' that Arceus said he had given him.
It turns out that Arceus hadn't given him money, at least in the sense that Jacob knew, instead it was something just as valuable. Inside one of the pockets were two small gold nuggets, glistening in the sparkling sunlight as the sun began setting. Knowing the value of such gold nuggets, Jacob guessed he had about ten thousand Pokedollars to spend at the moment for supplies.
After he checked his financial situation, he examined the sleeping bag he had been given. It was a really large sleeping bag; capable of fitting at least two large individuals, extremely warm, waterproof, and even had a zipper that could enclose whoever was inside to keep them from getting wet. This meant that barring the worst of weathers, he didn't need a tent.
As for clothes, somehow Arceus had managed to supply him with a complete selection of clothing, including shirts, shorts, pants, undergarments, socks, all stuffed together and rolled into tight bundles. Included with the clothing bundles were several washing soaps for him to use, as well as for his clothes, along with toothpaste, a toothbrush, wash cloths, a towel, a box of matches, and miniature umbrella.
Finally he checked the medical supplies that his teacher had supplied him with, they were basic medical supplies for Pokemon such as antidotes, poison cures, burn heals, paralysis heals, a few potions and even one Full Heal. For him or other humans, there were some bandages, cough drops, some rubbing alcohol, and other supplies he might need.
"Wow, he really did think of everything!" Jacob whispered to himself as he even found the map of Hoenn buried in one of the pots. "Arky, you are the best…"
He decided that he would take his first night as a trainer there, not deciding to walk through the night toward Oldale. So far he had yet to encounter any wild Pokemon, which was unusual considering that many trainers would have run into one or two by the time they reached Oldale. As he started packing everything back into the backpack, he left only the fire starter and he box of matches so that he could cook a small meal with the fruit and a few berries for him and Harold.
Once he had all the supplies, the cooking tripod, the small pot, two bowls, knife, spoon, one of the Sanctuary fruits, and a handful of berries, he took out Harold's Pokeball and released him. In a flash Harold appeared and gave his cry.
"Treecko!" He said, looking around at Jacob.
"Hi Harold, we've just been traveling and it's almost getting dark, so I figured I might as well start cooking us up some dinner!" Jacob said as he replaced the Pokeball back on his belt. "Would you be willing to help me gather some firewood while I prepare the soup?"
"Treecko tree!" Harold replied, giving a salute as he ran away on all fours to gather sticks.
An hour later, a wonderful aroma of berry and fruit soup mixed with a special herb for flavor filled the air around the two's campsite, as a small fire heated and cooked the small pot of food in the night. Thanks to his lessons he knew how to prepare the food and even the fire to make sure that it didn't spread. He had gathered stones and cleared the area for the fire, making sure to prepare it properly. After Harold had gathered enough fallen branches and sticks from around the area while Jacob cut, sliced, and sprinkled the ingredients into the pot, he started the fire and began cooking their first meal.
It wasn't too bad either, he thought to himself as he and Harold dug into his cooking, thanks to his lessons from Arceus. Although it took him most of a year to finally learn how to cook properly, he had to admit that everything he had endured was finally paying off. He remembered his first attempts to cook, and all the wasted food and burn smells that resulted from his inexperience. Arceus had to take a lot of his attempts outside the Sanctuary in order to Hyper Beam them out of existence.
The memory made him laugh.
"Tree?" Harold asked curiously as he finished his bowl.
"Nothing Harold, I'm just remembering how my cooking now compares to what it was before." He said with a grin.
"Treecko?"
"When I started learning how to cook, all I could ever manage was, well let's just say the results were always black, smoking, smelled terrible, and needed to be removed from reality via my teacher's Hyper Beam."
"Treecko ko ko ko!" Harold laughed, rolling onto his back and clutching himself.
"Hey I had to start somewhere!" Jacob said, blushing with embarrassment on his face as he drank the last of his soup.
After they finished eating, and talked a bit more about the food, Jacob asking what Harold thought about his first meal, before he returned Harold into his Pokeball for the night. Then he put out the fire using a lot of dirt, leaving a smoke trail as he unrolled his sleeping bag for the night. As he settled into the sleeping bag, he decided to pull out Arceus' book.
He pulled the book open and found that the book had a special feature that his teacher clearly neglected to share. The moment he opened the book, the golden pen that came with it, and even the paper itself, glowed brilliantly in the night. The pen gave off so much light off that he could clearly see everything around him within a few inches, but no further.
"Goodness Arky, you were holding out on me." He said as he took the pen and began to write about the day's events, only saying that he wished he had his teacher to make sure he wasn't using too much of his ingredients. After that he closed the book and slid it somewhere in the sleeping bag and placed his hat alongside it, before he closed his eyes and slept through the night.
The next morning he rolled up his sleeping bag, holstered his backpack, and headed off to Oldale town.
The town was almost like his hometown of Littleroot, except it had a real Pokemon Center, a proper Pokemart, and a lot more trainers wandering through it then he had ever seen in his days in Littleroot. Many of them were conversing with each other, others examining maps, and some running around doing whatever agenda they were following. There were a few showing off their Pokemon as well, he saw two trainers comparing Mightyenas, one showing off a pair of Wurmples in his arms while a third crawled around on his back, and another letting her Shroomish bounce along behind her as she skipped through the streets.
"Wow, look at all the Pokemon and Trainers!" Jacob whispered to himself as yet more trainers walked into view, some showing off their Pokemon as well.
While it was true that he should expect this kind of image after finally leaving Littleroot, a town not very well known for its Trainer Population, or known for its lack of, but it still amazed him at just how many trainers he was seeing just from entering the town. There had to be at least a hundred trainers just in the small section of the town where the Pokemon Center and Pokemart were located.
However as he walked through town, deciding to sell one of his nuggets for money in case he needed to buy supplies later on down the road, he noticed something taped to the wall of a building surrounded by police bikes, which was clearly the Oldale Police Center. As he walked by the station he saw a sign pasted on the building wall, one that brought up bad memories that he really didn't need to be reminded of so early in his journey.
[Wanted: Team Snagem, Any sighting of individuals with the following symbol on them should be reported IMMEDIATELY to the nearest Police Center!]
Below the wanted notice was a picture of a purple hand clutching a purple Pokeball, the universal symbol of Team Snagem's members.
Remembering it brought up memories of the attack on Littleroot, the burning of his fire, and most importantly, the loss of his mother. As he stared at it a pair of trainers passed by, both talking about the very topic he was staring at.
"Did you hear in the news, a couple of Snagem members were captured and arrested in Lilycove City?" A female trainer said to her twin.
"Yea, but the rest got away; I hear they stole a lot of Pokemon from the nearby Safari Zone." The twin said.
"Why do they have to steal from a Safari Zone?" The first twin said. "It doesn't make sense though, first stealing from trainers, then from a Safari Zone? It doesn't make sense…"
They left at about the same time as Jacob turned and left, ignoring the sign and trying to ignore the suppressed anger inside of him as he remembered all of the bad thoughts he had about Team Snagem.
He hated them for taking his mother away, for hurting his town, and especially for ruining his young life. The only silver lining was that he was still able to receive his lessons from Arky. If it weren't for that, he would have lost all will to keep going with his dream of becoming a trainer.
*Arky taught me not to use my newfound status as a trainer to seek revenge, fighting one evil by performing another evil does not equal a good ending for me.*
It took a long while, but eventually he banished the thought of using his trainer life to hunt down Snagem from his mind. He wanted to see the world, see and learn about every kind of Pokemon he could, and above all keep his promise to his teacher and someday teach what he learned from Arceus to others.
"Yea… I'll let the law fight the unlawful, but if Snagem tries anything near me, then I can fight them." He said to himself as he headed to the Pokemon Center, remembering something about registering himself for the new Pokemon League Challenge.
After he registered at the center by Nurse Joy, one of many in her family she told him, he had Harold checked out to make sure he was healthy. She informed him he was at the peak of health, and to simply keep feeding him on a daily basis to keep it that way. Afterwards he consulted his map and decided that his next destination was Petalburg City. Before he left though, he headed to the Pokemart and sold one of his nuggets from Arceus and purchased a few canned food supplies, knowing that his supply of fruit and berries would only last so long.
However he only purchased enough to last a few weeks, knowing that unless he was absurdly slow, the journey from Oldale to Petalburg would take at most two or three days.
However just as he began to leave Oldale for Petalburg, he heard a voice he instantly recognized.
"Hey there Slowpoke!" The voice of Jessy Garnet declared as he just about reached the edge of town.
He turned to his left to see Jessy walking toward him with the clear swagger of self-superiority she always seemed to illuminate whenever she talked to him. Even after four years, she had changed very little on the inside; however the outside was another story. She had grown to just a few inches below five feet, wore a scarlet red bandana over her natural brown hair, having stopped dyeing it two years ago. She also wore a yellow shirt with a red light jacket and sported a dark red set of pants. Yet just like Jacob, one thing that had not changed about her was her ruby red colored eyes, looking as though they were burning her eyes up.
"Hello Jessy." Jacob said when she was close enough.
'Well look at you, finally left our old nest that is Littleroot huh?" Jessy said with a grin, clearly poking fun at the fact that he had never once left their home. "Well pull it out; let me hear your Pokedex say the magical words."
Jacob sighed as he pulled his Pokedex out and pushed the buttons to have it state his name, its purpose, and his Trainer ID. "Satisfied now Jessy?" He asked as he put it away.
"You bet I am Jacob, I mean how long did it take for you to get here to Oldal?" She said with an excited squeal. "I got here two days ago; I've been waiting here for you to show up so we could start our own little competition. I was starting to wonder if you actually wanted to become a trainer."
"Hey it just took me a little while longer okay?" Jacob said, trying to at least save some face in front of his childhood friend. "I had something to do with Arky and by the time I was finished Professor Nomel was gone, so I had to wait until the next day to get my trainer license."
"I'm guessing Arky was going over some lesson or something with you, am I right?" Jessy asked with an annoyed look. "Really Jacob, even after four years you never once introduced me to this Arky. I'm wondering if he even exists at this point."
"Oh he so exists, in fact he gave me my entire backpack." Jacob responded, pointing at the backpack as proof.
Jessy folded he arms with a grin and looked at him out of the corner of one eye. "Alright then you and I can finally settle that old score that we've had." She said with a smirk. "I seem to recall us never being able to prove once and for all who had the better teacher in terms of Pokemon. Well we both have our starter Pokemon, so why don't we have a little battle to see who had the better end of their teacher's lessons?"
"You are on!" Jacob said with a smile, confident that at this point, he could easily hold his own against his rival since childhood.
They both left the town together and started drawing attention of all the trainers who watched started fallowing behind them, clearly knowing a Pokemon battle was about to start. After they were a short distance from the town, they separated and gave each other a large space with which to see the entire battlefield and so that their Pokemon wouldn't hurt anyone nearby. Meanwhile a small crowd of about ten or fifteen trainers had gathered to watch the newbies for their first battle.
"You ready Jacob?" Jessy said, pulling out a Pokeball from her belt and holding it ready.
"Whenever you are!" Jacob called out, taking Harold's ball out and holding it at the ready.
"Then let's get this started!" Jessy shouted as she and Jacob both threw their Pokeballs at the same time. "Come on out Flare!"
"Harold, you're up!" Jacob shouted.
At once both balls opened up and released the Pokemon inside of them; first to materialize was Harold, who appeared with a resounding "Treecko!"
Next to materialize was Flare, and as soon as he heard the name Jacob instantly knew he was at a massive disadvantage, because the Pokemon that materialized was a Torchic, a fire type Pokemon. The Torchic, Flare, looked like a small orange, flightless bird with small yellow puffs of fur for wings. "Torchic!" It chirped with a determined look.
*A fire type, oh man this is going to be hard.* Jacob thought as both Pokemon stared at their owners.
"So you got Treecko huh, I figured as much." Jessy said with a smirk. "We always were the nature boy and pyromaniac of Littleroot, it's only fitting that we both start out with our respective Pokemon natures."
"So it seems Jessy." Jacob said as watched both Pokemon seem to listen in on their conversation to understand why they were about to battle.
"Well Jacob, I hope this Arky that trained you did a good job, because I'm not letting my dad's lessons go to waste!" Jessy said, assuming an aggressive stance with her Flare following her example. "Show me what you learned Jacob!"
"You know I will!" Jacob said, mimicking Jessy's stance with Harold following him.
"Flare start this battle off with Peck!"
"Torchic!" Flare shouted, rushing at Harold, beak jabbing forward as it ran.
"Harold counter with Pound!" Jacob shouted quickly, knowing from his lessons that peck required momentum to be effective.
Instantly Harold obeyed the instruction and charged Flare before turning to use his green tail to smack his opponent. The two Pokemon separated and waited for their trainers instructions.
"Not bad Jacob, but don't think Flare is going down that easy." Jessy shouted.
"Harold isn't a wimp either Jessy!" Jacob shouted, confident that he at least stood a chance, remembering his lessons with Arky.
They had only been trainers for at most a few days, there was no way she had an advantage over him. Sure she had the type advantage, but both Pokemon were still too young and inexperienced to take full advantage of that difference. At most they could probably only peck and smack each other, with maybe a leer or a growl, but nothing more than that.
"Well why don't we turn up the heat then?" Jessy said with a smile. "Flare, EMBER ATTACK!"
"What?" Jacob shouted in disbelief as Flare opened its mouth and sent a quick burst of fire at Harold. "Harold, dodge it now!"
Harold barely avoided the attack at the last minute, but the flames had caught him off guard as well.
"Flare, give him another Ember!" Jessy shouted again, not losing her stance as her Torchic opened its mouth and sent yet another quick burst of flame at Harold.
"Uh… d… dodge it!" Jacob shouted quickly, trying to figure out how to fight this sudden change of a battle.
Harold hesitated at the order and once again barely dodged the attack, but it was a near miss again, the ember had singed part of Harold's leg.
"You can't dodge forever Jacob, Peck attack!" Jessy shouted.
"Torchic!" Flare called out as it ran toward Harold, jabbing its beak forward like before.
"Harold, counter it with Pound again!" Jacob yelled out, trying his best to remain calm and keep his head clear.
Harold nodded and raced forward, tail ready to smack Flare again. The next scene played out like before, with Harold bringing his tail to smack Flare heavily in the face, but this time Jessy smirked.
"Gotcha, Flare use Ember attack one more time!" She shouted.
Flare nodded and opened its mouth to let off a point blank Ember attack, one that Harold couldn't dodge. "Treeeeee!" Harold shouted in pain as he was blasted back to Jacob in a small ball of flame. "Ko!"
As Harold landed heavily in front of Jacob he instantly grabbed and held him before returning him to his Pokeball, knowing he had to get him to the Pokemon Center to heal him. Meanwhile Jessy was congratulating her Flare before returning the Torchic back into the Pokeball. After a round of applause from their spectators they both headed to the Pokemon Center to heal Harold and Flare. While Nurse Joy was treating their Pokemon he finally spoke to his rival.
"How did your Flare learn Ember so quickly, if you two just started working together two days ago?" He asked Jessy as she pulled out a soda from her backpack.
Jessy waited to take a sip before she told him. "Just because you didn't do any training with your Harold doesn't mean I didn't do any with my Flare." She said. "Believe me you fought well, and it was an honor to battle you, but you need to wake up, just because you learned about what Pokemon are like doesn't mean you understand how to fight with them."
Jacob remained silent as he waited for Jessy to continue; clearly she had more to say but was only pausing to drink her soda. "After I got Flare I went here to Oldale to wait for you, believe me I wanted our first battle to be more even then it was back there." She said. "However, Flare and I got tired of waiting after a whole day with no sign of you and doing nothing but sitting and waiting, so with my help she learned how to use Ember. We were training on the route to Petalburg yesterday all day when it happened. A Tailow was attacking me as I tried to prepare us lunch, so to protect me Flare used Ember and scared the Tailow away. It's not the way I had imagined her learning Ember, but then again we weren't expecting to be ambushed by a Tailow while trying to eat lunch. So I'm guessing that battle was your very first battle with Harold?"
"Yea, I didn't run into any trainers or wild Pokemon on the way here from Littleroot, and I started late so by the time night came I was still not near Oldale town." Jacob answered. "Now I feel like a loser, I was so hoping to prove you wrong about Arky being a bad teacher. Yet you ended up making me look like a fool, in front of a crowd no less. I'm almost glad Arky wasn't here to see me fail so badly, I feel like I'd let him down after all he taught me."
"Hey Jacob, don't sweat it, just consider that a practice run for our REAL battle." Jessy said with a smug expression as Nurse Joy called for her. "When we really battle, and I mean REALLY battle, it will determine who the better trainer is and who had the better teacher. Besides if what I've seen from that fight, you were taught quite a lot. So don't take it too hard, and when we battle again, make sure you have some strong Pokemon, because I won't go easy on you next time!"
Jacob nodded as he watched Jessy walk away to collect her Pokemon before waving him goodbye and heading out of the Pokemon Center. "You call our first battle going easy on me?" He whispered silently as he started beating himself up yet again for letting Harold get so hurt.
=A Ralts=
[Torchic, the Chick Pokemon, Torchic is said to attack by spitting out balls of fire that it forms in its stomach. It is also said that it hates darkness because it cannot see its surroundings.]
"So that's what a Torchic is huh?" Jacob asked as he absentmindedly walked down a dirt road near a field full of wild grass where some trainers were battling and training their Pokemon.
Several hours after his battle with Jessy, Jacob decided to continue on his journey to Petalburg City. Before he left Oldale however, he wrote in the book Arky gave him, and talked about the battle, apologizing for losing his first important battle. Then he released Harold from his ball, apologized to him for letting him get hurt, and treated him to another meal for doing so well in their first battle. After that he left and headed down route 102 to Petalburg City. The trip would take him about two full days to make, but he didn't mind how long it would be.
As he traveled down a dirt road, the first thing he thought of was the kind of wild Pokemon that he would encounter. He checked his Pokedex as he walked, ignoring some of the trainers who he happened to encounter, including a really enthusiastic boy wearing shirts and a t-shirt. According to the Pokedex the majority of Pokemon were Tailow, Poocheyena, with their occasional, but almost never seen, adult Pokemon forms, Swellow and Mightyena. There was also another Pokemon that was registered to be in the area of Route 102, but before he could check what the Pokemon's name was he was brought back to reality.
"Hey there!" A female voice called out to him as he was about to enter the command to inquire about those Pokemon's identity.
He looked up to see a teenaged girl walking toward him with a smile on her face and juggling a Pokeball in her hand. "Hi, can I help you?" Jacob asked.
"First tell me, how many Pokemon do you have and are any of them a Wurmple or Poocheyena?" She said.
"I only have one and it isn't either of them." Jacob said.
"Then yea, you can help me get my trainer's itch settled with a battle." She said with a grin. "I haven't had a single battle all day and all these other trainers have nothing but Wurmples and Poochyena."
"I'm guessing you don't like Wurmples and Poochyena?" Jacob said with a grin, taking Harold's ball out in preparation for the fight.
"No, I just don't like fighting the same Pokemon over and over again." She said with a grin. "Let the bug enthusiasts and silly pooch lovers have their fun, I prefer to battle different types of Pokemon! So tell me, you feel like sating my itch for a fight?"
"Only if you tell me if I'm on the right road to Petalburg City!" He said.
"Deal, now let's get this battle started!" She said, tossing her Pokeball into the air. "Ziggles, rise to the challenge!"
In a flash of light a short, four legged Pokemon with a brown and white zigzag pattern on its body. "Zigzagoon!" It shouted as it materialized.
"A Zigzagoon huh?" Jacob said, knowing all about the Pokemon thanks to his lessons. "Well here we go, you're up now Harold!"
He released Harold from his ball and a second later he materialized with his battle cry and a look of determination.
"Well a Treecko, never seen one before, now this is a battle I can dig!" The girl said with a fierce laugh. "Well let's get this fight started, Ziggles, Tackle attack!"
"Harold Counter with Pound!" Jacob shouted right after.
"Zig!" Ziggles shouted as he ran head first at Harold, while Harold waited for him.
At the last moment Harold jumped and smacked its tail into the Zigzagoon's face, causing it to backflip. However it recovered and landed on all fours, looking even more determined than it did before.
"Ziggles isn't going down so easily kid, so don't count us out yet!" The girl said. "Ziggles use Tackle one more time!"
Ziggles nodded and charged once again at Harold.
"Harold use Leer to throw it off!" Jacob shouted quickly, coming up with a plan.
"Treeeee..CKO!" Harold said as its eyes glowed brightly for a split second, causing Ziggles to slow down for a brief moment.
"Now Harold, Pound attack one more time!" Jacob said quickly.
Harold responded by jumping forward, using Ziggles' own momentum to decrease the distance and maximize the damage he inflicted. In one move, Harold brought his tail down and smacked Ziggles in the head, causing the Zigzagoon to collapse, its eyes spiraling around, a clear indication it was defeated.
"Ziggles return!" The girl shouted, taking the Pokeball and returning her Pokemon to the safety of its ball.
"Return Harold." Jacob said, recalling his own Pokemon back. "Hey is Ziggles alright, I didn't think Harold's attack would hurt that mu…"
"That was SO MUCH FUN!" The teenaged girl said happily, grabbing Jacob's hand and shaking it rather roughly. "I can't believe how much fun that battle was, first I was like 'Whoaaa' at the sight of your Harold, then you were like 'Whoa' when Ziggles came out on the attack, and then we both like 'Booya' when we started to really battle!"
"Wait you're not upset, even though you just lost?" He asked.
"How can I be upset, I just had an amazing battle? Sure it was short but it was still amazing!" She happily shouted.
"Uh… is Ziggles okay?" He asked.
He was confused at how this trainer could be happy after losing and really not understanding where she got all of her spunk.
"Oh Ziggles, don't worry, he's alright!" She said, still shaking his hand like a jackhammer. "Believe me you just caught us off guard with that leer, but he really enjoyed the battle, in fact he enjoyed it a lot more then you realize. You see we've only ever fought Wurmples and Poochyena and the occasional Tailow, but man when I showed him your Harold I could FEEL how pumped he was to fight! We were getting so bored fighting a bunch of boring bugs and puppies, now your Harold was an exciting match and I can't WAIT to see another Pokemon like yours again! Ziggles loves to fight, really loves to get in there and take on any Pokemon we come across, but we never could fight anything that wasn't a Wurmple or a Poochyena, it's like every trainer we come across only has those! Leme ask, no don't tell me, you just started and that was one of those super cool, not really easy to find around these parts, starter Pokemon that Pokemon Professors give out to starting trainers right?"
"Uh… yea… I think?" Jacob said.
"Oh wow no wonder Ziggles and I didn't have a chance!" The girl said excitedly. "Now I NEED to know your name, come on tell me, my name is Karen by the way!"
"My name is Jacob, Jacob Beryl…" He said. "You really are okay with Ziggles getting hurt like that? It looked like it was really painful."
"Oh don't worry, like I said Ziggles is just fine getting hurt!" Karen said, brushing off Jacob's question as though her Pokemon getting beat was a normal thing. "He just needs a few hours rest and he'll be fine! He's a lot tougher then he look, believe me I've had him for a while now and we know each other inside an out!"
"Okay… I just figured…" Jacob started saying before Karen once again grabbed his hand and shook it like a jackhammer.
"Don't worry about it, tell ya what I'll head back to Oldale Town and have him treated at the Pokecenter just to ease your worries!" She said with a grin. "In fact I'll head there now, hope to see you in the future someday, in fact I know I will because you look like your taking on the Pokemon League Challenge, just like me! Maybe we'll meet in a tournament or something."
"Okay…" Jacob said, watching as Karen left, heading back to Oldale Town and giving him a parting wave. "Arky was right… there are just as many different trainers as there are different Pokemon."
As he decided to resume his trek to Petalburg City, he suddenly had the sensation that he was being watched.
He looked around, but couldn't see anything. He could have sworn that the sensation he felt was familiar, but he couldn't think of anything from his lessons that could lend him insight. *Perhaps it's just me being cautious.* He thought to himself as he turned and continued walking down the road.
(Four hours later, 8:42 PM)
"Now tell me this doesn't smell like a good meal!" Jacob said to Harold as he took a whiff of his latest culinary creations.
They didn't get very far from where they had the battle with Karen, since they started so late in the day to actually travel to Petalburg City. This meant that about two hours of walking after they battled Karen meant they had to set up camp for their last meal before bed. It took another hour to gather the wood and prepare the food for cooking, and now one final hour later, the results turned out to be yet another masterful creation on Jacob's part.
"All those cooking lessons are definitely coming in handy now." He said as he dug two bowls out and a spoon for him and Harold.
Today's dinner was a mix of Oran Berries that he had found while walking, and some special herbs and spices he had purchased from the Pokemart back in Oldale Town, and had one of the Sanctuary's fruits as a main ingredient for the soup. Both of their stomachs were quite empty, and battling the occasional trainer every ten or fifteen minutes after his bout with Karen had made them both ravenous.
Yet still he and Harold had yet to encounter many wild Pokemon, which was quite odd because by now he should have encountered some by now. Still even without the wild Pokemon to battle against, or even to capture or learn about, Harold had learned a new trick thanks to the battles with the trainers he encountered, Absorb. Now Harold could use his new attack to siphon off some of his opponents stamina to increase his own during a fight.
They had decided to make camp and eat lunch right next to the tree line, mostly because he wanted to avoid encountering anymore trainers during the night, but as he looked out across the route and seeing multiple little dots of red and orange lights spread out across the field away from them, they seemed to have similar feelings.
"Treecko!" Harold said, eagerly digging into his meal after Jacob placed a fair amount in a bowl for him.
"You said it Harold, now let's…" Jacob said, but a moment later he felt a strange sensation in his head, as though he suddenly had a slight headache, but at the same time he felt a feeling he hadn't been feeling before.
It was though he was afraid of something, no someone.
"Huh…" Jacob whispered as he felt that sensation growing in him.
He didn't know what the sensation was, but it somehow felt familiar, or at least felt familiar to something he had felt before. Along with the sensation of fear was another feeling, one of worry, as though it were trying to judge whether or not to trust its fear or its worry.
"Harold do you feel weird?" Jacob asked Harold quietly, the night sounds weighing heavily around them for some reason.
"Treecko…" Harold said, already almost finished eating as he shook his head.
Jacob tried to ignore the feeling in his head, but as he was about to collect some food for himself, he again felt that strange headache, only this time there was a ravenous hunger that was desperate to be sated. Yet still the worry and fear combined seemed to overpower the hunger's voice.
That was when he remembered from his lessons, in particular the ones concerning a specific type of Pokemon that Arky had warned him to be weary of, but not afraid of. "A psychic type."
Knowing that the Pokemon was obviously close by, otherwise he wouldn't have felt the feeling in his head, he stood up and looked around, trying to spot it. "Hello?" He called out nervously. "Is anyone out there?"
The feeling suddenly shifted; apparently the psychic type wasn't fully experienced with its powers because it suddenly felt frightened at being discovered. Yet at the same time, it seemed happy and hopeful at the same time because it was discovered.
"It's okay, you can come out, if you're hungry there's plenty of food here for you!"
It took a few minutes but eventually the Pokemon trusted enough of Jacob's words, or at least calm enough to approach Jacob's small campfire. Once it entered the light of the campfire, Jacob saw a foot tall, white Pokemon with a green helmet like hair, and two pink horns poking out from its head.
"Ralts…" The little Pokemon said quietly, eyeing the food in his bowl with a pleading look.
"Hey there little one, are you hungry?" Jacob asked kindly, taking his bowl of food and presenting it to the little Pokemon.
"Ral…" The Pokemon asked him, repeating that first word, which Jacob assumed was called a Ralts because of what it said.
"Yea, it's alright, there's enough food here for everyone." Jacob said.
Harold watched as the little Ralts waddled closer to their little camp, and it was then that Jacob noticed a big reason why the little Pokemon was so hungry. Its stomach looked thin, like it had barely had a decent meal for a long time. Still he could feel the feelings coming from the little Ralts, and while it definitely had a fear of humans in general, it seemed to trust him as it carefully took the bowl from him. One whiff of the food along with a tentative lick however, and it dug into the bowl, within seconds the food was all gone.
"I'm guessing you were hungry?" Jacob asked curiously as he picked up the bowl and refilled it with what food remained, deciding that the little Ralts needed it more than him.
"Raaaal…" The Ralts said quietly as it graciously accepted the bowl of food.
"So what's the matter, why are you all alone?" He asked the Ralts, but only got a nervous feeling from the little psychic type.
"Ralts… Ralts." The Ralts said, pushing the now empty bowl back to Jacob with a short bow.
"Man… what I would give to know what you were saying." Jacob whispered to himself as he took the bowl and saw that it had been licked clean.
(Thank… you… mister… nice… trainer!)
Jacob looked shocked as he heard the words said in his mind, it was almost exactly just like how Arky talked to him. "Did you just talk?" He asked, wanting to make sure.
(Yes… I… did.) The Ralts said, looking at him, and this time the voice sounded more feminine.
"Why were you out here?" Jacob asked as Harold handed his bowl back, looking between Jacob and the Ralts in confusion.
(I… was… really… hungry.) It said. (And… you… felt… nice… trustworthy… kind… nothing… like… those… other… humans!)
"Treecko?" Harold asked him, trying to understand what was going on.
It took the female Ralts a good few hours to explain everything, mostly because she was only comfortable speaking through its telepathy with Jacob. Even when she spoke to him, her words were broken, having only learned a few words to talk with in her few weeks since hatching from an egg in the forest. Jacob himself only knew what it was thanks to his lessons on psychic Pokemon with Arky. However he and Harold learned of the Ralts' journey and how she came from living deep in the forest to being in their camp.
She was only two weeks old, and both her mother and father, a Gallade and Gardevoir, had been taken by a group of humans capturing wild Pokemon deep inside the forests, deeper than any normal trainer would have ventured. She had been too young and her parents had hidden her before they could see her, but they were captured, violently taken away, despite how strong they were. She didn't know what it was, but something about those humans frightened her, they were not normal trainers and they weren't average humans. At least none like her parents described them as when she asked about humans. When she tried finding her parents again when they left, she couldn't even sense their feelings anywhere near, and without their help she wandered the forest without food for so long. Even the local berries were hard for her to get, since most Pokemon and trainers either eat them or take them for their own uses before she had a chance to get to them. Then earlier when she was desperate for food that she wandered near the edge of the forest line was when she felt his and all the other trainers emotions.
She didn't trust any of the other trainers mostly because she sensed hostilities from them, especially those that resented losing and wanted desperately to win. However she did feel him from the bunch, and she felt his happiness as he watched his Pokemon perform so well, even when Harold lost. She was desperate for help, food, and anything that when she felt him she followed along behind him in the forest as his pace was five times as fast as her short waddles for hours.
(I… so… alone… didn't… want… to… die…) The little Ralts said to him alone while midnight ticked close, Harold had retreated back into his ball to rest.
Jacob held the Ralts close to him, wanting to give the poor thing some measure of comfort as the little fire he made began to die out. "I'm so sorry for your loss Ralts." He said soothingly. "If it makes you feel any better, I have no parents either."
(Your… parents… taken… away… to?) She asked him.
"Yea… you could say that." He said to her, his eyes very tired and itching for reprieve. "Snagem took my mother, but I know she wouldn't want me to mourn her forever. In any case, what do you want to do now? If you want I could help you find food so you won't starve in the wild in the morning and…"
(You… won't… capture… me?) She asked him nervously, and he could tell that she was worried.
"No, you're too young to fight and I would never capture a Pokemon that doesn't want to be captured." He said gently to her. "You should be free to live as you want, I won't force a Pokemon to fight if it doesn't want to."
(You… mean… that!) She said, and it was more of a statement then a comment. (May… I... ask… you… favor?)
"Sure, what is it?"
(Can… I come… with you?) She asked him nervously. (But… no… capture… I don't… like… those… spheres… they… scare me…)
"If you really want to come with me, sure it's alright." He said with a small smile. "And I won't put you in a Pokeball if you don't want to. I'm sure you have you reasons, but if you prefer staying out of the Pokeball entirely then I won't force you into one. Now… do you want a name?"
(Name?) She asked him, confused.
"Yea… you see most trainers sometimes name their Pokemon." He said with a smile. "Like Harold, he's a Treecko but I prefer to call him Harold, so that's his name. Do you want one like that?"
(Yes… please… I would… like… name!) She said happily.
"Hmm…" He thought for a moment, his eyes screaming for sleep but he ignored them to make sure the name he picked was good. "How do you feel about the name Sara, do you like it?"
(Yes… I love… it!) Sara said happily, giving him as close to a hug as her small form could manage.
"Okay Sara… well let's get to sleep, I'm really tired after walking all day."
The two went to his sleeping bag, him placing his Pokeball belt alongside his hat on one side, while he and his new traveling companion lay down on the other. Sara slept next to him, curled up and already fast asleep by the time he pulled out Arceus' book from the folds of the bag.
Wanting to be quick, he opened the book, pulled out the pen and began to write his message to Arceus.
"Arky, I battled a few more trainers today, and won a few of my matches and even Harold learned how to use Absorb. It was a much better day then I first thought when I last wrote to you. Also, I made a new friend and traveling companion, a girl Ralts I named Sara, she doesn't like being inside Pokeballs so I decided to not capture her officially. Instead she's just going to tag along on my shoulder; I was really worried about her, after hearing her story about strange trainers that captured her parents deep in the forest. I don't know why they were so deep, but she seemed so afraid of them even as she talked about them. In any case, I'm so tired, must sleep.
Write you tomorrow."
He put the pen back, closed the book and took one last look at the sleeping Pokemon next to his head, before he finally let his eyes rest and sleep take over him.
(Arceus' PoV)
Arceu watched the night sky, looked at all the stars glistening high above him as he felt the words and feelings of Jacob's latest message. He thought about everything that he had mentioned and only closed his eyes to reflect on their meaning.
(A Ralts huh… Jacob… I wonder... do you know just what kind of friend you made… befriending that Ralts?) He asked himself, picturing his Jacob sleeping next to that little Pokemon. (Perhaps not now… but in time you will Jacob… a true friend is one who shares a journey with you… alongside you… I honestly wish I could be there with you right now.)
He turned to look down at the ground, staring at the picture of himself that he had taken of Zarak years ago. Crudely drawn as it was, he found that he really liked the picture, masterpiece or not. (Well… at least you have Sara and Harold now… Perhaps they'll keep you safe.) He said to himself as he sighed. (It sure is quiet here… without you…)