Last chapter opened up with Will and Pyro waiting for a snowstorm to die down before heading home, where we learned that Will has a somewhat pessimistic view on things and that Pyro seems to be the opposite. We then jumped to his last dinner with his family before his journey with Pyro begins. After a tense dinner with his parents, Will and Pyro head to bed before the big day, where we learn that maybe Pyro doesn't know Will as well as he thought.

I'm a firm believer that music helps to set scenes when reading and writing, so I'll occasionally have songs that I recommend listening to while reading. For this chapter, whenever Will and Pyro say goodbye to their parents, I think that "In the Hands of Fate" from Explorers of Time and Darkness is a good fit. Enjoy!

Dragon's Blaze: I'm not sure what you meant by weird, but I hope that this chapter clears up whatever confusion there was. I'm also not sure what you mean by "I don't think anyone does." If there was any confusion in my AN, I apologize. I just mean that Pokemon will be major characters, just like the humans. I personally don't think that happens often, especially on the level that I have planned. Thanks for the review!

DeltaRL: It's good to hear from you! Been a while. I'm glad that you're liking the twist and are excited for what's in store. I do have a lot of plans for the Pokemon to have their own time in the limelight, and I think that everyone will enjoy them :) As to SYOC, though, probably not. If I need an OC, I always just ask. But I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for the review!

St Elmo's Fire: We've already spoken quite a bit, so all I have to say is thank you for the grammar and storyline help and being available via PM for questions :) Thanks for the review!

Istwill56: I appreciate the feedback that you gave, and I'll try to keep some of it in mind. Thanks for the review!

TheGreat0ne: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad to see that you're really enjoying what I've written :) As to what happened to Lily, I've taken her out of the story unfortunately. In my opinion, she was going to take more away from the story than she could've added. I have another character that reminds me of her in certain ways, so I hope that she'll help to fill that void for you! You've some interesting guesses for teams, and some of your overall ideas were correct, even if not the exact Pokemon. Lastly, I hope to keep up the quality that you're enjoying! Thanks for the review!

BouncingFish: Thanks for the comment about being repetitive. I know that we've talked about this before, but it's still an issue for me in literally anything I write. My English professor told me the same thing this past semester lol. I'm going to keep working on that, though. As for why, how, and where Will got Pyro, I think your questions will be answered in the next few chapters. Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate the feedback more than you know! It's the best way for me to improve! Thanks for the review!

Will's Team:

-Pyro (Torchic): Scratch, Growl, Ember

After grabbing his sling backpack from beside his bed, Will brought the strap over his head and put on the pack. After taking a shower and getting ready, Will was finally preparing to leave. The only thing he was waiting on was for the mail to be delivered so that he could grab his trainer's license and say goodbye.

Will looked around his bedroom with a stolid expression. To almost anyone else, the room would have looked barren. There was only his bed, Pyro's bed, a dresser, a desk and chair, and the posters on the ceiling. To Will, however, this was all that was needed. He didn't like to have anything more than he needed in life, and his material possessions reflected that belief.

"Will!" His mother's voice came from downstairs, Will knew. "The mail just arrived, and you have your package!"

With his backpack on and ready to go, the soon-to-be-trainer pivoted, turning back towards his bedroom door. Then, without a single glance backwards or ounce of hesitation, Will left his bedroom and headed into the hallway. Unlike his room, the rest of the house was decorated brightly. As he walked down the hallway towards the stairs to the ground floor, he passed by a multitude of pictures of he and his family—including Pyro—all smiling and huddled close together. However, all of the pictures showed a much younger Knight family, with Will being younger than ten. Not a single picture had all members of their family together that was more recent than those.

Will walked down the stairs into the carpeted living room where he knew his parents and Pyro were watching the news on T.V. As he went down, Will could begin to see his family, with his father sitting in a black recliner, Pyro sitting on the tan carpet, his gaze set on the T.V. directly in front of him, and his mother laying on the black couch looking through letters. When they heard him come down the steps, Douglas and Pyro turned and smiled before turning back to the news, and Leanne stood up and walked over towards him, her eyes sparkling as she smiled widely at her son.

In her hands was a brown package that was about the size of two tissue boxes with Will listed as the addressee from the Pokemon League. He already knew what was inside; all packages for new trainers were the same. The lack of surprise did nothing to deter Will, though. He grabbed it, set it on the table, and ripped off the tape that was sealing the box, revealing its contents. Inside was a set of ten Poke Balls, five Potions, and last but not least, his trainer's license.

The Poke Balls and Potions didn't attract his attention whatsoever. They sat at the bottom of the box as Will grabbed the small piece of plastic out from beside them. His trainer's license wasn't elaborate. It had his name, address, his trainer identification number, the date of the beginning of his adventure—that day, and a picture of himself that he sent in a few weeks prior. While it may not have been overly fancy, it was everything that Will had been waiting for years to come, and it was finally in his hands.

Will felt as though he could have stared at the license for hours more, but just then, the news had a breaking news story. There was a loud siren-like sound effect coming from the T.V. that drew the attention of Will and his mother to it, just like Douglas and Pyro. His mother, being closer to the T.V. was in front of him, leaving no one behind Will. They all watched as the news anchor listened in to his ear piece and the news ticker at the bottom of the screen began to reveal what had just happened.

"In Eterna Forest, only a few hours ago, a young trainer by the name of Jackson Brown was mauled to death by an Ursaring after straying from the path and entering his habitat, his traveling companion, Alton Ashley explained." The anchor looked upset by the news that he was reading off, but he did not appear too shaken by it. This wasn't the first time he informed the community about a death via attack, Will knew. "Pokemon Rangers are investigating to make sure that the path does not interfere with the Ursaring's habitat, and the Ursaring in question has been put down."

Like many human murderers, Pokemon that take lives are put down. It's a highly divisive issue, however, with many protestors arguing against the practice as Pokemon are not yet given the chance to argue their innocence in court. The debate had been coming up more and more frequently with the rising number of deaths of trainers. However, while captured Pokemon are often seen as equals, more people think wild Pokemon are not.

"There is a group protesting against the Ursaring's punishment at the Pokemon League outside of the Champion's office." The anchor continued, speaking about the issue impartially. "They believe that he, the Ursaring, should have been given a chance to prove his innocence, rather than killed by the Pokemon Rangers at the word of another young trainer, but…"

The news anchor kept speaking about the incident, but Will didn't hear any of it. After he heard about the death of the trainer, he froze. While he had never heard of the trainer before that moment, hearing about his death visibly disturbed him. Will's eyes were wide, he had difficulty breathing, and his entire body was shaking. Will, sucked into his own world, no longer heard anything from inside his home, be it the T.V. or his family. All that he was heard was the same sound, over and over.

POP! POP! POP!

Will remembered himself running away and hearing that sound cut through the air all of those years later, and he found himself flinching at the thought of it, feeling as though he had no control of his body. He continued to shake, but neither of his parents noticed as they were complaining about how Pokemon are never given a fair chance to explain themselves. Pyro, however, got up from his spot right in front of the T.V. and turned around just in time to spot his partner in all of his discomfort.

I can't keep reacting like this, Will thought miserably, infuriated at his lack of control over his emotions. Accidents happen. There was nothing I could do to help. It's not Mauville…There was nothing I could do to help this guy…I wasn't even there.

Will, finally calming down, ceased his shaking. He felt in control of his emotions again just in time to spot Pyro staring at him with wide was watching his partner with a look of what he perceived to be pity, knowing just how much Will hated his attacks. However, the reaction had the opposite effect of what Pyro intended.

I don't need pity, Will thought, growing angry again. Having others worry about me accomplishes nothing. He looked down towards his hands as he balled them into fists, clenching tightly. If I can't do this—if I can't grow strong—then I'll just continue to be weak and need protection from everyone else.

Pyro spotted Will stiffen and instantly knew that he didn't get his intentions across to his partner correctly, so he began to walk over towards Will. Leanne and Douglas, though, caught the movement coming towards them and stopped staring at the T.V. All the while, the news anchor continued speaking about the protests at the Pokemon League and the Ursaring attack. Will's parents' eyes followed their second son as he walked towards Will, wondering what was going on. Meanwhile, time seemed to slow down for Will as he watched Pyro come towards him.

No, Will thought definitively. I won't allow anyone to feel like they have to worry about me anymore. His fists were clenched so hard at that point that they were turning white from the restricted blood flow. If I'm never able to be strong on my own, I'll never be able to stop myself from being hurt, let alone others. No. It's time to stop letting others worry about me.

Just before his parents' gaze reached him, Will suddenly stopped clenching his fists. In a single moment, he allowed his arms to lay freely by his sides, relaxed his shoulders, and most surprisingly, smiled slightly with the right side of his mouth. He bent down and picked up his license that had fallen as he heard the news. Pyro stopped suddenly, still a few steps away from Will, and blinked several times in disbelief. He—and only he—had seen the complete change in Will in that moment and could not figure out where it came from.

Will's parents, however, saw only the final part. The sight of Will smiling—even if only slightly—brought tears to his mother's eyes. She and her husband noticed their son holding his license and smiling: a sight that they waited years to see. Now that it was finally in front of them, though, they could hardly believe what they were seeing. Before either of his parents could say anything, however, Will broke the silence. The small smile left his face as he spoke, his gaze set right on his parents.

"Pyro and I need to go train; I hope to beat the Gym Leader here within a few days." Before he finished, Will broke the eye contact. Looking towards the floor, he continued. "So we need to get going. I'll make sure to call you both occasionally to let you know how we're—"

Before Will could ever complete his thought, his mother ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight embrace. The few tears she had shed earlier upon seeing Will smile were nothing in comparison to the wet trails sliding down her cheeks at that moment. Leanne said nothing as she hugged her son, just silently sobbing into his shoulder. At the same time, Douglas walked towards his wife and son and joined the embrace, hugging them both. Unlike Leanne, though, there were no tears streaming down his face, just a sad smile.

Pyro stood a few feet away watching the scene. It had been a long time since Will let either of his parents hug him, let alone both at once. It was certainly a sight to see for him. He opened his beak to say something, but after a moment's thought, said nothing. His eyes shining, Pyro decided to give them a little longer before they left.

Despite his parents' and Pyro's obvious pleasure at the embrace, however, Will's mind was racing in the opposite direction. He was deep in thought, barely even recognizing the group hug he was at the center of.

This is the first step, he thought. If they don't feel like they need to worry about me, I can become strong. No. I will become strong. I won't ever let anyone else get hurt.

Just then, Will's parents released their hold on their son, and after another moment of smiling at Will, they each turned towards Pyro and bent down on one knee. They then grabbed their adopted son in another embrace, with Leanne full-on crying by that point.

"I know I've told the both of you this probably a million times," she said, exaggerating between sobs. "But please stay safe. I don't know what I would do if either of you were seriously hurt."

Douglas said nothing further, but the grown man nodded his head, a small tear finally falling from his right eye as well. Pyro, from within his parents' embrace, nodded his head with a sparkle in his gaze.

"Nothing will happen to us," he promised. "We'll stay safe."

Seemingly pleased with the response, both Leanne and Douglas released Pyro and stood back up. They turned back to face Will as Pyro walked over to stand by his side. Meanwhile, Will turned around back towards the package he had received, slipped his trainer's license into his wallet in his back pocket, and grabbed five Poke Balls from his bag. He placed the first half of his new Poke Balls on his belt then grabbed the remaining five capsules and five Potions into his backpack.

He looked down towards Pyro and simply nodded his head. Will knew it was time to leave, and his partner agreed. With the unspoken communication, they began to move towards the front door behind their parents.

"We've gotta get going. We'll talk to you soon, mom, dad," Will said quietly as he walked through them, not ever looking at either directly.

Pyro nodded his head in agreement but said nothing. Instead, he just smiled at his parents as he passed them, reassuring them once again. Douglas smiled back, but Leanne wasn't quite ready to let her sons leave. As Will stepped out of the threshold of their home with his partner, his mother leapt from her spot and dashed to her son. Will, taken aback at the sudden stomp on the ground from his mother, stopped in his place on the outside of their home right next to Pyro.

He turned around to face his mother, who stood on the inside of the house in the doorway. Her eyes were wide and staring directly into Will's own eyes. Rivers of tears were flowing down her face as she reached out across the entryway towards her son.

"Will…" She began to speak with a shaky voice, never once breaking eye contact even as she continued to cry. Will, for his part, stood silently outside his home in the cold as his mother stayed inside the warm house, making no movement back towards her. Continuing between sobs, she said, "I'm s-so s-sorry that you ever got hurt…I just d-don't want it to ever h-happen again!"

Leanne extended her arms out towards Will as her husband came up behind her and placed his hand on her right shoulder. He simply stared at his son with a stolid face as she brought her hand towards her son. Leanne was hesitant and shook as she moved slowly across the house's threshold towards her son. Meanwhile, Will stood stiffly with clenched fists as he watched his mother reach towards him. Time once again slowed down for him as he became lost in his own thoughts.

I can't let them worry. No good will come from it. As Will thought, the tension in his body felt as though it was flowing down through him into the ground from his feet. If they are constantly worrying about me, I can't ever get stronger. And if I can't get stronger… Will's fists released, and his palms—finally relaxed—laid outstretched at his sides as his mother's reach had made it to him. I won't be able to stop others from being hurt like—

"My beautiful boy…" Leanne trailed off as she combed her hand through her son's hair, interrupting his thoughts. Despite being about half a foot shorter than her son, she was able to reach the top of his head and play with his long hair like she did when Will was younger. "Please, just come back home to us, alright? We love you unconditionally, but we just want you to finally be happy again."

Douglas nodded his head in agreement with his wife but said nothing. Leanne had said what they were both thinking. Will, though, said nothing in response for nearly ten seconds. Instead, he just stood still and stared back at his parents with a steady gaze and furrowed brow. Throughout the entire scene, Pyro watched from the side, agreeing with his parents but saying nothing. He just hoped that his partner would actually say something before they left to put their parents' minds at ease.

"…We'll stay safe," Will said finally, his tone even as he continued to stare directly at his parents. His body language read calm, as he was still visibly relaxed, but Pyro knew there was much more to the exchange going on in front of him than met the eye. "And we'll both come home."

With that said, Will simply turned around, not waiting for his parents to respond. His face was stone as he walked away, confusing Pyro. Pyro was confused even more by Will's desire to leave so suddenly when seeing their mother so visibly worried but went along with his partner. With a quick final smile to reassure the man and woman that cared for him for so long, he left with Will, leaving to go train for their upcoming journey.

It wasn't until their house was completely out of sight behind them on their way to Acuity Lakefront that Pyro noticed any reaction from Will. In one brief moment, from his spot just behind the new trainer, Pyro thought he spotted a single glistening tear fall from Will's cheek. It hurt him to see, but Pyro knew that nothing he could say would help at the moment. He knew that the only thing that he could do to help would be to train, just like Will wanted.

So, with that, they walked in silence towards their destination with nothing but the supplies they carried in Will's backpack, their journey beginning in earnest.

So, this is another shorter chapter, but we're still in the introductory phase of the story. I guarantee longer chapters will come (And relatively soon), but this chapter got across what I wanted. Any longer would have been unnecessary and repetitive in my opinion: a problem I've been trying to fix in my writing. I also want to apologize for how incredibly long this chapter took to finish. I hope to write more quickly in the future now that my schedule is less busy. :) Thanks for reading!

1. Does my writing feel repetitive? I've been trying to solve that problem for a while, so I'd love some feedback on it.

Next Chapter: Polar Prankster!

When a surprise hailstorm strikes during a training session, Will and Pyro decide to take a break and run for some cover. However, when the hailstorm mysteriously follows them, they know something is up. Who's behind this bizarre weather!?

Strength Arc:

Snowpoint City:

Chapter 4: The Rookie Among Rookies

Chapter 5: Left Cold!

Chapter 6: Warming a Cold Shoulder

Chapter 7: A New Dawn!

Chapter 8: Avoiding the Avalanche!