Welp, the first chapter didn't do too poorly, so I think I can continue with this little story of mine. Thanks to all those who have left a review as well as those who have helped to update me on who I should avoid.
All future chapters will have a little summary of the previous chapter to help people and myself because I don't think we'd want to read the 5k words again.
With Shawn's introduction to the world of Pokémon training as well as his first few Pokémon, Phoenix the Torchic and a small Raltz thrown aside by a trainer now known as Alive, Shawn finally begins to train them and work towards beating the first gym.
Again, I do not own any rights to Pokémon. All rights for these characters belong to Nintendo. Co.
Legend:
*= environmental sound
Bold = character's thoughts
" = character speaking
Underlined = Environmental description
() = psychic talking
Chapter 2: First Steps
Alice, now fully healed, had decided to join Phoenix on Shawn's head, but since Phoenix puffed out her feathers, there's barely any space on his head.So, Shawn now walked out of the Pokécenter with a feather crown and a little green head resting on his shoulders. Alice seems relatively comfortable standing on my bag, but I'm just a bit concerned she might slip off, but Shawn's concerns were misplaced, for Alice was, in fact, floating on his bag.
"If we want to take on the first gym, I'll need to train you two and maybe get a few more Pokémon." Shawn said as he walked by the gym.
"The worst part is that it's a rock-based gym too, so Phoenix, even with your ember, it'll be a tough brawl in there. One of the easiest ways to train you two is fighting others, but I've always thought the idea of 'Hey, I saw you so let's fight' was a bit bizarre, so maybe first, we should check out what you do well at and areas of possibly improvement."
"Torchic?"
"Raltz."
"Seems like you're new to the idea of training Phoenix. It's a bit difficult to describe because its such a large idea, but what I can say for certain is that it makes you stronger. And from what I can tell, you want to be stronger, don't you?"
"Torchic!" Phoenix responded, sounding a little annoyed, while puffing her chest out
"Good, the training grounds are just up ahead."
And there they were. The training grounds.
The training ground itself had barely any markings. Those that are visible were worn out. There was some semblance of where the fighting was to take place and where the trainers were to stand, but they were difficult to make out. The battlegrounds had a dirt base, which was rather coarse and rough, with gravel and sand in some places and scratch and burn marks on others.
"So. This is it. A humble start if I do say so myself. Phoenix and Alice, you two can go walk around the training grounds while I found out where to stand. If you see another person walking this way, come back to me, ok?"
Both of them nodded in agreement and zoomed off. Phoenix was happily running around while Alice was looking at the little deformations on the ground. Shawn was scrambling to find his place and eventually did. It was marked with what appeared to be little white dots which eventually formed a circle.
After about 5 minutes of waiting and looking around, both Phoenix and Alice had returned to his side. And sure enough, there was another trainer standing on the other side. He appeared to be about 10 and was about a head shorter than him.
"Hello over there! Mind if we battle?"
"S-sure!" Shawn responded. This was his first battle against another trainer. He wasn't very good at talking with strangers and was already very nervous, but he tried to maintain the facade that he too was as prepared and confident as that kid on the other side.
"Alright! You're going down!"
He threw out his Pokéball and, with a flash of bright light, a Mudkip emerged.
"Phoenix, are you up for this?"
"Torchic!" Phoenix assured while positioning himself in front of Shawn. Alice, slightly scared, tried hiding behind Shawn.
"Mudkip! Tackle!"
Mudkip charged ahead at a relatively manageable speed. It wasn't too quick, but it was enough to put someone on the edge. Man, that Mudkip is not as fast as I thought they were.
"Phoenix! Dodge and use scratch!"
Phoenix dodged by throwing herself to the side but wasn't stable enough to land the scratch. The Mudkip missed his attack and tumbled. Phoenix recovered and went over to the Mudkip and performed scratched the Mudkip. It yelped in pain but stood up and headbutted Phoenix.
"Mudkip! Use Water gun!"
A small stream of water came out of Mudkip's mouth. Both Phoenix and the Mudkip were locked in what they thought was a brilliant battle. To the fellow trainer and me, Mudkip was simply a tiny water gun and Phoenix was hoping around, trying to avoid the little streams.
"Let's show 'em some real firepower! Phoenix, use ember!"
Phoenix froze and turned to the little water sprinkler and opened her mouth. A set of tiny red projectile flew out of her and hit the Mudkip directly, leaving a burn mark on its side, causing the Mudkip to release yet another yelp.
After another 3 minutes of the Mudkip spraying water and Phoenix dancing around, the Mudkip finally exhausted itself and fell asleep.
"Welp, I guess you win. Mudkip return! That was a rather awkward battle, but still a good one, nonetheless. See ya!"
The trainer waved his hands and left with his Mudkip. Shawn looked down at Phoenix to see that she was slightly wet and shivering a little. Shawn went over to his bag and pulled out the towel he uses to shower with and dries off Phoenix.
"So, how was your first battle Phoenix?"
Holding her head high and proud with a huge smile, she responded with "Torch!"
"Glad you liked it."
For a few hours, Shawn trained with Phoenix, and slowly he began to see signs of improvement. Her scratching was getting quicker and stronger, she was shooting embers out of her mouth with more speed and strength, and her growl turned from a little squeak to a slightly more menacing squeak.
"Well, I think that's enough for now Phoenix." She trotted over, panting slightly. "You've trained very hard today and made some great progress. It's about time for lunch, so how about we take a break?"
"Torchic!" She responded while pointing her beak on top of Shawn's head.
"Oh, all right. But this has to stop once you evolve ok?" Shawn lifted Phoenix onto his head and placed the slightly more confident Alice back onto his bag.
After lunch, it was Alice's turn. Her fights were completely different from Phoenix's, but that was to be expected with a Raltz. She would confuse the enemy Pokémon and simply dodge and teleport around the area. She never experienced direct contact with them, which was completely different to Phoenix's 'burn-them-all' style of fighting.
It was about 6 pm by the time we stopped training. Phoenix had improved greatly and so had Alice, but in such contrasting ways. They both had learned new moves and showed them off, with Alice being a bit hesitant whenever we tried something new. Alice might be going though something. I should try to find out what. Pokémon usually aren't eager to fight on another, but Alice is on a whole new level.
"Alice," Shawn asked as he sat down next to Alice on a bench, "I know this is a weird question, but are you thinking about something? Is there something you want to talk about?"
She just sat there. Her eyes were blank, she didn't move, she didn't even make a noise. Eventually, she told me something.
(Shawn, my goals are just so conflicting. I want to become stronger so I can defend my friends from people like my old trainer, but to get stronger, I must fight and hurt others.)
Silence for a few seconds, before a loud shrill voice rang through his head.
(I DON'T WANT TO HURT ANYBODY…. I Don't Want To Fight. I don't want to…. I never wanted to…)
The rest is indecipherable, being too soft and too shaky. Slowly, Shawn thought about it. He needed to choose his words carefully or Alice might be hurt mentally for the rest of her life. Hmm, maybe Phoenix has a way of ignoring it? I mean she does plough right throw the other Pokémon.
"Phoenix, do you have any ideas?" Shawn asked as he turned to face Phoenix. Instead of a suggestion, Phoenix appeared to have a rather cute but clear frown on her face. She didn't really look sad since her eyes were still wide open. She looked…. envious. Welp, guess I'm alone on this one. His hands suddenly felt cold and wet. There, right next to his leg, was Alice, crying. She was cupping her face with her hands and emitted a small sniffle once every few seconds.
The sun had begun setting. The beautiful orange tint in the cloud was offset by Shawn's knowledge of Alice feeling blue. I'll need to set the tent up, but if I leave Alice, she might feel even worse.
"Phoenix, could you talk to Alice and try to comfort her?" Shawn said as he stood up.
Phoenix trotted over with that frown on her face but sat next to Alice and tried to hug her. She extended her wings and moved in for a hug, but Alice seemed resistant. Shawn was busy setting the tent up when he caught a glimpse of Phoenix forcing her way between Alice's arms to hug her. The tent had been set up and Shawn called both of them over. Phoenix dashed to Shawn's side and rested her head against Shawn's leg while Alice slowly stood up and slowly walked towards him, with her head facing the ground and her arms limp.
"Phoenix, could you help me start this fire using your ember?" Phoenix simply returned a "Torchic" and shook her head.
"I guess that's a no. Welp, looks like I'll need to do it the old-fashioned way."
From the Pokémart trip earlier, they sat down and ate. Phoenix was chowing down on the freshly prepared meal while Alice was just staring at it. Well, I'll need to think about something soon, but what? I've never really seen Pokémon battles in the same light Alice does.
"Well Alice, how about we go get some rest. Maybe you'll feel better tomorrow."
Shawn yawned before he entered the tent, followed by Phoenix. It is going to be a hard and long day tomorrow, Shawn thought to himself as he lay in his sleeping bag. Once again, Phoenix hoped onto his chest and shifted herself until she was in a comfortable position.
I opened my eyes yet again. 'Welcome back', the void seemed to echo. Though it wasn't all just an empty space as usual. There. A small white light. Perhaps it was a glimmer of hope. I somehow hovered over to it, just for it to get further away. It cried. It wept at my presence. No matter how close I got, it seemed to shift twice as far. It was so odd, to see something in this realm of my mind that wasn't mine. It felt like an outsider, a complete stranger, yet I felt like I had to support it. Help it. Show it compassion. It's ok little buddy. I won't hurt you. It drifted further. It was helpless in a way, but it was because it made itself helpless.
Shawn opened his eyes and lifted his head to see Alice in a corner, snuggled up, with her eyes still red and sore from crying. Phoenix was now next to Alice but kept her distance. I unzipped the tent to see everything from last night's dinner still in the same place. Someone's got to do it. A few minutes of washing and packing up later, Phoenix came out with Alice holding one of Phoenix's wings with both of her hands. She was still sniffing but couldn't cry because she'd already loss all her tears.
"I hope you two have had a good night's rest, because today is the last day we'll train before we head to the first gym. Phoenix, you can get ready, I'll make breakfast soon. Let me speak to Alice for a bit."
Phoenix nodded and chirped at Alice before she let go and headed off.
"Alice, look. I'm probably not the best or most qualified person to give you answers, but what I can suggest you do is that you can paralyze them or knock them out with little to no contact with them. Eventually, you'll evolve into a Kirlia and by then, you'll know moves that can do some real damage. But for now, keep doing what you're doing. I'll if there's anything you want me to help you with, just tell me."
Alice looked up to me with little tears in her eyes and nodded.
"Well, come on Alice, let's go meet with Phoenix for breakfast," Shawn said as he picked Alice up.
During breakfast, Phoenix was still Phoenix, chowing down and burning with passion to become stronger. Shawn was a little conflicted, having to think of a solution for Alice's problem as well as maintain focus while training with Phoenix. Alice was a little more like herself, eating normally, but it was clear the issue plagued her mind.
It was 9:00 am. The sun was beaming down on Phoenix and Shawn as they battled against a Treecko. It was clearly at a disadvantage. In a matter of minutes, the Treecko had been defeated and Phoenix had pocketed another victory. But then, something suddenly struck Shawn. A brainwave.
"Hey Phoenix, let's take a bit of a rest. I want to ask you a question."
Phoenix turned around and hopped over with a curious look on her face.
"Phoenix, I know that you can't tell me exactly how, but perhaps you could tell Alice how you keep fighting these Pokémon and beating them down without a second thought, ok? It's not really a question, but more of a favor."
Phoenix turned her head to face Alice, who was slumped against a tree. She turned back to me, nodded and walked over to Alice, with Shawn following. Alice perked her head up to see Phoenix sitting down to the right of her, with Shawn sitting to her left.
(Why are you here Shawn? Aren't you and Phoenix supposed to be busy pulverizing other trainer's Pokémon?)
"Alice, I've asked Phoenix to come over here to tell you how she keeps fighting. Perhaps this might help you a bit."
Shawn looked at Phoenix, signaling her to begin. Phoenix looked to Alice and began repeating the term 'Torchic' to Alice. Once she was done, Alice looked at Phoenix and turned to me.
(She says that she's not bothered by the damage inflicted on others by her all because she wants to push herself to become the best. To make you proud, just like any faithful Pokémon would. Are you saying I'm not faithful…?)
Tears begin rolling down Alice's face again as her mouth begins to wobble.
"Alice, I'm not saying that you're not strong or unfaithful. I just thought that Phoenix's perspectives might have helped you. After all, she is a Pokémon too."
(True. Maybe I'll try to think of it that way. Thanks for the help Shawn.)
Alice stands up and wipes the last tears off her face and with one last sniffle, she holds a strong stance, looking prepared for anything that may come. Shawn smiles and stands up, followed by Phoenix.
"Just try your best to get stronger, OK?"
Alice nodded firmly. Shawn waltzes over with Alice following close behind, with a fair bit more confidence and energy in her than before. Alice and Shawn stood in their positions, with Shawn's fists clenched in confidence and Alice in a ready-for-anything stance. Her first battle was a major improvement. She dodged gracefully and never needed to lay a single finger in her enemy. All of them would exhaust themselves to the point of fainting, or Alice would confuse them, eventually leading them to knock themselves out. Wow, 15 battles in and Alice is still moving as quick as her 1st. She's got quite the stamina and determination. She's even more energetic than Phoenix. By now, Phoenix would've slowed down, but Alice just keeps going. Shawn was still pleasantly surprised by this sudden revelation by the time Alice finished the fight.
"Alice, you did amazingly well out there. Good on you!"
Alice was smiling, with a great sense of self pride. Finally, she felt like she was doing the right thing. Shawn turned over to look at Phoenix, who was evidently smiling, but keeping her distance. Shawn didn't give it a second thought as he hugged Alice.
Slowly, Alice began to become more confident. Her dodges were more precise. Her movements were more fluid, and even though she was just a Raltz, she was clearly becoming stronger. Alice had final begun to overcome her problem, but Shawn and her knew that it was just a temporary solution. Once she became a Kirlia, she would need to find a more solid solution to her problem. One that would last until she became a Gardevoir and beyond.
The blue sky began to fade and a warm soft glow encapsulated the sky. Shawn and Alice were finishing up their final battle before they called it a day.
"Alice, dodge!"
The Mudkip tumbled after it's tackle and fainted from exhaustion. The trainer thanked Shawn and Alice for the battle before she left. Alice happily shifted herself towards one of Shawn's legs and hugged it.
"Alice, look at how strong you've become. You're only just a Raltz. Imagine what you could do was a Gardevoir!"
Alice too was excited by the thought. She was shaking in her spot, barely able to contain her excitement. Phoenix was happy for Alice, but not entirely. As Shawn looked over to Phoenix, she had a sour look on her face. It wasn't pure hatred, but reeked of envy. She was clearly trying to hide it, but it was evident enough for Shawn to notice.
"Alice, you can go back to out little camping spot. Phoenix and I will catch up with you later."
Alice gracefully turned and skipped back to our camping ground.
"So, little buddy, what's the matter?"
Shawn lowered his head to get a response from Phoenix, receiving only a peck to his face.
"Ow! Hey! What was that for?"
"Torchic," Phoenix blurted as she turned her head away from Shawn.
"Phoenix, I can't really understand you. Why are you acting like this?"
"Torchic!" Phoenix screamed as she pointed her beak towards our camp ground.
"… Are you jealous of Alice? But why? Is it because of her powers? Her looks or something?"
Phoenix was clearly mad about it. She went over to Shawn and pecked him once more before she pressed her face against Shawn.
"…Oh. You're jealous of the attention I'm giving Alice? Well, that's because I'm just really proud of what Alice had accomplished today. Look Phoenix, I try to give both of you equal attention. It's just that Alice had progressed so much from her previous mindset that I'm a bit overwhelmed with glee from her great achievement."
Phoenix was still a little flustered about it, but was slightly more understanding.
"Come on, we don't want to keep Alice waiting alone at camp now, do we?"
Shawn returned to see Alice gazing into the warm fire, rhythmically swinging her legs back and forth. Phoenix sat down a bit further from Alice as usual while Shawn began preparing dinner for the two. It was getting dark. The night sky was lit up by an array of brilliant stars. The milky way's arms could be seen as they stared into space. It was almost as if they were peering into the outside world through a clear window. There was a bit of darkness in the sky, but the stars lit up most of it, giving it a brilliant shade of purple, violet, blue and even a little red and green in spots.
"Such a lovely and calm night sky it is today, don't you agree Phoenix and Alice?"
He got a response, but it was not verbal, nor a shake or nod. They were just too busy observing the magnificence of the universe. Mesmerized by the stars and taken aback by the view. Such nights like these were rare. And what made it even better was that they were in the perfect spot to enjoy it. In the city, nothing to worry about. It was just them, a warm, crackling fire and the stars.
By the time they had stopped feasting their eyes on the night sky, their food was already cold. But it didn't bother them. It was something they were willing to accept as a consequence for staring into the beauty of the cosmos. Phoenix and Alice crawled into the tent as Shawn put out the fire with a little water he got from a nearby stream. For the first time, Shawn was in his sleeping bag, with Phoenix sleeping on his chest and Alice sleeping right next to his head. For the first time, he felt calmed while sleeping with Alice and Phoenix. He could finally drift off into his dreams without worrying about Alice.
And there I was. Lying on nothing, but rather than a black, cold void, it was bright. It felt warm and conforming. Inviting even. He was in a state of tranquility. He didn't think of anything, feel anything or even wish for anything else. He felt calmed, rested. It was almost blinding, but it didn't bother me. I was in bliss. It was completely silent, but it was a good silence. Everything seemed to respond without saying a word or moving. Tomorrow was a big day, and it was perfect to be in this clear and calm mindset. But something was off. Darkness was still there. He was simply within his own bubble, hiding away from the eerie void outside.
To the sound of small rustling in the floral around and the chirping and ambient noises of fauna, Shawn lifted his head, but with a happy-go-lucky mood plastered on his face. Today was the big day. The day he had been waiting for. It was time to get his first badge and truly start his Pokémon adventure. Phoenix and Alice were still sleeping, but this time, Alice was subtly smiling.
Everything had been packed, Phoenix and Alice were by Shawn's side. It was time to finally go and face the first gym. They briskly walked over to the first gym and saw a sign that read 'all Pokémon must be kept in their balls'.
"Well, looks like you two will need to stay in your balls if we want to enter."
Alice and Phoenix nodded before they were returned to their balls. Afterwards, Shawn eagerly walked in and saw the inside of the gym. There, two trainers, which Shawn assumed were the gym's members, as well as a small womanly figure at the end. Slowly, Shawn, with Alice and Phoenix, eventually battled and won against both of them. About 20 minutes and 2 trips to the Pokémon center later, they finally met with Roxanne.
"Hello there! I see you've made your way through my members," she said in a bit of a taunting tone, "so how about we do an actual battle to test your skills?"
"Alright!"
There they were, on the battlegrounds. Roxanne threw out a Geodude and Shawn responded with Phoenix. Though Geodude had the advantage, but as long as Phoenix was fast and at an arm's length away, she was fine. Slowly, Phoenix chipped away at Geodude's health, moving from place to place and using ember. Roxanne was clearly slightly annoyed. After 3 minutes, the Geodude was finally down.
"Huh, you're clearly smarter than you look. But don't let your guard down," she says as she throws another Geodude out into the battlefield, "this time I'll change my style a bit."
Phoenix already looked a little worn out. The previous one had managed to land a hit on her and even though she took it quite well, it was clear it began to tax her. Time to switch, Shawn thought as he pulled out his other Pokéball.
"Alright Alice, let's go!"
Alice emerged from her ball with a battle-ready grin on her face.
"Well, a Raltz this early? You must've gotten really lucky. But luck won't help you here."
The battle continued with Alice quickly confusing Roxanne's Geodude before teleporting to another region of the battleground. The Geodude, though it still had some sense of direction, randomly began hitting the rocks and boulders around the battlefield. Not long after, the Geodude collapsed of exhaustion, with it clearly experiencing pain from punching the terrain and even itself several times. Alice seemed a little bothered by it but decided to shake it off and concentrate on the battle.
"Well, looks like you've gotten quite good at these fights. Let's see how you handle against my Nosepass!"
A bright beam shoots out of her Pokéball and a large, compared to Alice and Phoenix, Pokémon emerges. Looks like I'll need to use something else, Shawn thought until an idea popped into his head. It seemed a small bit ridiculous but he's seen it in shows about high level battles between powerful trainers.
"Alright, Alice, use confusion!"
Alice quickly confused the Nosepass before dodging an small Boulder chucked at her. Shawn quickly returned Alice and took Phoenix out.
"Phoenix, it's time for you share of the fight! Use ember and dodge!"
After firing her small array of red pellets, she quickly sprinted to the side as Nosepass lunged towards her original position and performed a tackle. Similar to the Geodude battle, Phoenix was hopping all over the place, constantly applying pressure in the form of embers. Slowly, the Nosepass began to slow down, eventually to the point where it collapsed from both the attacks from Phoenix, randomly chucking rocks and boulders everywhere as well as expending its energy on attacks that were easily dodged by Phoenix. Finally, the tiny titan was down.
"Well, guess I still have a bit to learn when it comes to strategies. That was a good battle…Shawn, was it?"
"Yes, it certainly was Roxanne."
"Here's your badge! You've earned it." Roxanne then passed Shawn a small little case. Inside was the badge, but it was located at the top left hand corner of the box.
"Thanks, but if you don't mind me asking, why is the box so empty?"
Roxanne giggled slightly before responding. "That's also a small bit of a souvenir from your first gym. We pass these cases out with our badges as a place to store other badges you earn down the line. Good luck on your Pokemon adventure Shawn!"
Roxanne eagerly waved as Shawn left the gym. Once outside, Shawn released Phoenix and Alice and told them the good news.
"So, we got our first badge! Nice work ladies."
(Thank you Shawn), Alice beamed into Shawn's head while blushing slightly.
Phoenix was bouncing around with joy, feeling content with what she had taken part in and accomplished.
Shawn and his Pokémon headed to the local Poké Mart to buy some more supplies for the trip to the next town. Before they left, Shawn did some last minute checks before they headed off. Finally, they took off. The first town with their first badge. For the rest of the entire day Shawn was beaming with pride. Mom an dad would be so proud of me right now, Shawn thought to himself.
The mood among them was almost violently positive. They were all felt equally satisfied for what they had accomplished and had varying levels of happiness. Phoenix was extremely happy, to the point where she was violently vibrating. Shawn had a huge bright smile stitched onto his face. No matter what came next, it didn't seem to bother him. Alice was still thinking about the problem she would have on her hands in the future, but she was nonetheless happy.
Suddenly, a Poochyena emerged for the bushes. It seemed rather small and was quite cute, but it was obvious it had the intention of attacking. Phoenix and Alice quickly came to Shawn's defense and stood in front of him.
Shawn struggled slightly as he blurted out moves for the other to do while trying not to forget about his other Pokémon. Eventually, with a flurry of commands, the Poochyena finally sprints away, whining slightly.
A bright flash emerges from both Alice and Phoenix. Was it finally happening, Shawn could only hope for what was coming. From the flash, emerged a Combusken and a Kirlia. Both Alice and Phoenix stared at their new forms for a few seconds, in disbelief.
"Alice! Phoenix! You've bother evolved!" Shawn ran over to both of them and embraced them. His hard labor had finally begun to bear fruit. Both Alice and Phoenix rejoiced at what had just happened and stood right next to Shawn, with each now being able to hold on of Shawn's hands. He was one step closer to getting a Blaziken and a Gardevoir.
"Well, it looks like we have yet another thing to celebrate tonight!"
Shawn's face light up even more, with Phoenix replying with a cheerful "Combusk!" and Alice letting out a little squeak of joy. Truly, today was a fay worth remembering. Now, he felt more than ready for any other gym. The next city was only a days length of walking away. Oh, they will be surprised by how strong I've gotten, Shawn happily imagined to himself.
So, that was the second chapter, with an introduction into the mindset of Phoenix and Alice, as well them evolving. Thanks for reading once again and have a great day.