AN/ So this is chapter two, I'm off on Wednesday and Thursday so I'll most likely update at least once on those days. The two shiny Pokémon will be the only ones for a while, there are a few more planned, but not until later in the story. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to rate and review as well.
Chapter 2: Into the woods
The four new trainers started their journey immediately after their Pokémon were healed. It was about a half day walk from the academy to the nearest town and none of them wanted to camp outside on their first night. All of their Pokémon were out with them, though Lightning trailed behind them, she often teleported ahead of them and was passed by again. Astrid found it incredibly amusing and Lightning didn't seem to mind.
Route 1 was a mostly open area with a few trees spread out. They passed some classmates as they went, some had left before them, others were still back at the academy, while some… who knows where they are. Needless to say the four of them had plenty of time to get to know each other.
"So, what's everyone's goal?" Sora asked.
"I just want a bunch of water types," Astrid said.
"I want to be a strong trainer," Ken murmured. Everyone nodded as if he spoke normally.
"I want to eat all kinds of awesome snacks with new friends!" Sora said.
"I…" Tala thought it over and shrugged. "I guess I just want to go where I want to go. Meet new Pokémon and…" They shrugged again.
"Cool!" Sora nodded. "Okay so then we're all doing the gym challenge right? Or did someone want to do contest?"
"Gym," Tala and Ken said together.
"Though I might try a contest or two… if my Pokémon are into it," Tala said.
"It could be fun," Luke nodded.
"It's so awesome you can speak," Sora said.
"I can too," Ken's Ralts – Elizabeth – used telepathy on everyone.
"Well, yeah, but a lot of Psychic Pokémon can do that," Sora said. "It's still cool though… I've heard some Gastly have learned to speak as well." She looked at Spoopy who did a spin in place of a shrug.
"What's the first Gym anyways?" Tala asked. They pulled out their Pokédex. It was the latest model, a hand held rectangle with a large screen, a purple and black case covered it. The Pokédex functioned beyond scanning Pokémon but also as a computer, phone, and transfer system. This model came with a Porygon in it as well, though they weren't developed for battle at all, they functioned as protection from theft and if needed shields for their owner. Sora had the same model, with a blood red and black case.
"Techno," Tala tapped the screen. The Porygon appeared as a little avatar with a pinwheel over him.
"Accessing," Techno's voice came from the Pokédex. "The closest Gym specializes in the Dragon-type."
"What!?" Tala stopped in their tracks. "Who puts a Dragon-type Gym where the rookies start?"
"The Gym is meant is assess the ability of the new trainers. It gives low level challenges to new trainers. Many return near the end of their journey to test themselves against the higher tier dragons the gym is known for," Techno explained.
"Well… I guess?" Tala sighed. "So Ice, Dragon, and Fairy…" They looked at Luke. "Do you think you could learn Ice Punch?"
"Perhaps," Luke tapped his chin, "I'll have to feel Ice-type energy first."
Tala nodded.
"We can handle that later," they said.
Sora brought out her own Pokédex.
"Hey, Hambone, can Gastly learn anything effective?" She asked.
"Gastly can learn the move Dazzling Gleam, but only through TM. There aren't currently any TMs for sale near us. The normal going rate is 10,000 Poké." Hambone answered in a cool female voice.
"Nope!" Sora shook her head vigorously. "We'll just do our best." Spoopy agreed.
"Lightning could probably learn Ice Beam if you really tried," Tala suggested, "and Elizabeth could learn Disarming Voice rather easily."
A ding caught everyone's attention.
Ken picked up a Pokéball and released his new Pokémon.
A Rattata came out.
"Um… why?" Astrid asked.
"He's top percent," Ken smiled like he made a joke. None of them understood.
He shrugged and pulled out his Pokédex. It was an older model, made to look like a handheld game station. It had a green case, but that was the only customization to the beaten up 'dex.
"Rattata, the mouse Pokémon," it read in a male voice, "With their strong capacity for survival, they can live in dirty places without concern. Left unchecked, their numbers multiply rapidly. They are very cautious, listening to every sound even while sleeping. This Rattata is male and has the ability Hustle. He knows the moves: Quick Attack, Me First, Endure, and Endeavor."
"I never want to battle that thing," Sora said. Tala nodded their agreement.
"Imagine fighting Rattata and Lightning together," Tala said.
"No, no," Sora covered her ears. "You shut your mouth."
Tala and Astrid laughed.
They reached Jang Town by sunset.
"I now understand why P.E. was so grueling," Tala sighed while they looked for the Pokémon Center on their map.
"I just want to sleep," Astrid said. Lightning teleported in front of her and tripped her for the fourth time that day.
"Okay," Astrid said into the ground, "return." Nothing happened.
"You have to press the button," Tala said without looking at her.
Astrid groaned as she unclipped her Starter ball and returned Lightning.
"Okay," Tala put their Pokédex away, "it's over here. The Pokémart is next to it. We can stock up tomorrow before going into the forest."
"Sounds good," Sora said. "First, dinner."
Tala was the only one up before nine the next morning, though sleeping in felt very tempting. Their legs and feet were sore from walking so much yesterday, they could only imagine what the others were feeling. Before long they were setting out for Jang Forest. Astrid and Sora were in a stupor as they walked, Ken acted no different… Elizabeth mentioned he was still tired though.
The forest was pretty dense and would normally take two to three days to get through. The four of them decided at dinner they would take more time to train and possibly capture more Pokémon. They worked out their duties as well. Tala and Astrid would switch off on cooking. Sora mentioned she was awful, capable of burning water… and Ken didn't know how beyond instant noodle. Ken would take care of dishes and Sora would handle cleanup of campsites. Whoever didn't cook that night would go find firewood and water if needed.
"So there's many paths in the forest we can take," Tala said.
"Correct, the most desirable path cuts straight through the forest, however given your decision I recommend one of these paths," Techno highlighted three different paths. "This one takes us by a river," he marked the path in blue, "this one goes into the densest part of the forest," that one became green, "and this one is rather unused by most as it has the roughest terrain." That one turned brown.
"The river one sounds nice," Astrid said.
"But the dense forest would be awesome!" Sora said.
"The unused one would have more Pokémon," Ken said.
"Hang on," Tala tranced their finger through the paths.
"The unused one would be best," Tala said. "It has a few ponds around it and the forest is probably overgrown. Like Ken said, there should be a lot of Pokémon there too."
"Sounds good then," Sora said. Ken nodded.
"Fine," Astrid said. "There's no snake Pokémon in there is there?"
"Searching…" Techno hummed, "No Pokémon such as Ekans or Seviper are found in the forest. Common Pokémon types are grass, bug, and flying. A few water types can be found as well. The forest is known for swarms as well, but none have been reported currently."
"Swarms of what?" Astrid asked.
"Dunsparce are the most common," Techno replied.
"We should stop here," Tala marked a spot. "It's close to a pond and still a few hours in. We can set up camp and do some training for the rest of the day.
"Let's go already!" Sora said and marched into the forest.
"Left!" Tala called as Sora continued down the main path.
"Oh! Derp!" She turned and followed the group.
The path held true to its description. The four trainers had to keep supporting each other, making sure no one fell. Trees loomed over them, roots stuck out everywhere, bushes and brush covered most of the ground and obscured the obstacles. Tala almost twisted their ankle on a hidden rock, Astrid tripped over a root, and Sora smacked into a branch she thought was higher up. Ken was the only one that didn't seem to have any problem… he was probably cheating.
"Let's go this way, they said," Astrid muttered, "it'll be fun, they said. There was a nice river path, but nooo, let's go the dangerous way that nobody goes. What happens if we get lost? Or hurt? How will anyone know where to find us?"
"That's… a good point…" Sora said.
"I can teleport for help," Elizabeth assured.
"Not to mention," Techno spoke up, "We still have a strong signal in here. I could easily place a call to the nearest authorities."
"Well… fine, I guess," Astrid sighed. "I'm all for adventure, but really we should've thought this through more."
"Relax, we're ten minutes from the first campsite," Tala said.
"I can't believe we haven't seen any Pokémon," Sora said.
"Oh, I've seen a few actually," Tala said, "most are in the trees. I saw a herd of Deerling about twenty minutes ago."
"And you didn't say anything?" Sora asked. "A Deerling would've been awesome to have!"
"The Sawsbuck with them didn't look like she wanted to battle. I thought it best we avoid stronger Pokémon at the moment," Tala said.
"That's a good point," Ken said.
"Fine!" Sora sighed.
Techno beeped when they reached the first campsite, unnecessary given the pond was quite obvious… and large.
"This is more of a lake than a pond," Astrid said.
"No kidding," Tala nodded.
"Updating," Techno said, "Update complete. I'll ensure the changes to the terrain we find are upload to other maps once we're done."
"Thanks," Tala said. "Let's set up camp then we can do some training."
Everyone went to work.
When camp was done, the four of them decided to split up to do their own training. Astrid decided to stay at camp, pulling out a fishing rod as the others headed out.
"Okay," Tala looked around to make sure no one was nearby. "This should be a good enough spot." Luke nodded his agreement.
"Alright, so Ice-type," Tala closed their eyes to focus. A shiver ran down their spine and they licked their lips before signaling Luke to hold out his paws.
"Powder Snow," Tala breathed and pellets of soft snow shot from their mouth. They hit Luke's outstretched paws. He concentrated on the feeling and when Tala let up he requested once more.
"One moment," they said, working their jaw open and shut. "That's cold." They took another breath and shot more Powder Snow at Luke's paws.
"I think I've got it," Luke said. He focused, his fist glowed light blue for a second before fizzling out.
"Almost. Just keep that up," Tala said. They were about to say more, but a whimper caught their attention. A Weedle crawled out of the brush, now covered in frost.
"Whoops," Tala knelt by it, "sorry, buddy, didn't know you were there."
"I… I… Oh my Arceus it's you," Weedle shook off her body, her large eyes going starry. "I'm fine, really, that was nothing. I've had waaay worse. Anyways, I'm way stronger than my siblings so a little ice is nothing to me. I also have an attack the others don't have. Want to see?"
"Sure," Tala chuckled. Weedle reared back, crackles of electricity built over her mouth then shot out in a web.
"Electroweb!" Weedle said proudly. "I had a Joltik teach me."
"That's awesome," Tala said, "really useful against flying types too."
"Maybe I should learn Thunderpunch as well?" Luke mused.
"Fire punch too, just to have all three," Tala nodded along.
"Well, you know… I could help with that," Weedle said, "If you wanted another teammate that is."
"Sure!" Tala pulled out a Pokéball. "Would you like to battle first?"
"Oh no, no," Weedle shook her head vigorously, "I know you're a worthy trainer."
Tala tapped the Pokéball against her head and with one shake it registered the capture.
"Alright, Stinger come out!" Tala called.
"Stinger? I love it!" Stinger said.
"Perfect," Tala said and pointed Techno at her.
"Weedle, the hairy Pokémon, Weedle live in forest and have powerful stinger full of venom. Their bright color is meant to ward of enemies. Their nose is very powerful, easily distinguishing between leaves they like and dislike. This Weedle is female and has the ability Run Away. She knows the moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, and Electroweb."
"Alright, so while Luke works on Ice Punch why don't we start on Bug Bite for you," Tala said.
"Right," Stinger nodded.
Sora found a nice spot to sit and pulled out her Ekans skin.
"What should I make you into?" She mused.
"Gastly?" Spoopy twisted himself upside down.
"Oh… yeah…" Sora pulled her Pokédex out. "So you know Lick, Nightshade, and Spite… so maybe Curse would be good to deal with strong opponents… Grudge too, but those are for when we need to bring down someone we know we can't beat. Oh, how about… wait how do you learn the punch moves? You don't have hands."
"Gas?" Spoopy looked over her shoulder.
"Pokémon are capable of many things, even if they don't make sense," Hambone explained. "May I suggest Shadow Ball?"
"Oh perfect!" Sora said. She pointed towards a tree. "Use Shadow Ball!"
Nothing happened.
Hambone let out an electronic sigh.
"You must coach your Pokémon in how to do new attacks." Hambone explained.
"Right…" She looked at Spoopy then down at her Ekans skin.
"So…" She trailed off. Hambone pulled up a video titled: How to teach Shadow Ball. Spoopy watched it then went to copy the steps while Sora sat down and fiddled with the Ekans skin.
Spoopy lost interest after five minutes and floated back over to Sora. She pulled out her DVD player and turned on more Beartic's Café.
"Oh I like this episode," she said, "my favorite character, Ursaring comes in and decides Pancham isn't living up to his full bear potential."
"Sewa," A Sewaddle inched her way up Sora's leg.
"Hello," Sora said, "want a snack?" She pulled out bags of chips and cookies, all Pokémon safe, and poured some on a plate. Sewaddle nibbled a bit, but was more interested in the sewing kit Sora pulled out.
The episodes played one after the other, Sora occasionally added her own commentary. Spoopy switched between watching the show, eating, and making small balls of shadow energy. The Sewaddle figured out what Sora was doing with the skin and started to help, using her String Shot as thread.
Ken found a rock to sit on. Elizabeth walked over to a tree and started shouting at it. The Fairy energy built itself up over time. Rattata attacked a stump with his fangs. Both would stop occasionally to listen to Ken, his voice barely audible, then they would continue training using new techniques.
No Pokémon bothered them.
Astrid and Lightning sat by the pond/lake, both of them fishing. She sat with her feet in the water, her shoes next to her.
"There might not be anything in this pond," Astrid said. Lightning yawned. "Good point… nope can't do it… can't talk to you like Tala or Sora…" She laid back, the fishing pole secured on a hold planted in the ground. "Might as well nap." Lightning blinked at her.
"Sur."
"Yup," Astrid sat back up to see a Surskit gliding across the water.
"Okay, that is cool," she said. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a Net Ball. With a well-aimed toss, the ball hit Surskit on the side and sucked it in. The ball sank as it rocked.
"Whoops," Astrid laughed and jumped in the water after the ball. When she resurfaced she released the Surskit on land and dug out her Pokédex.
"Surskit, the pond skater Pokémon, Surskit travel across water as if they were skating. When in danger the secrete a sweet smelling liquid that taste awful to flying Pokémon. This Surskit is male and has the ability Swift Swim. He knows the attacks Sweet Scent, Quick Attack, Lunge, and Ice Beam."
"Oh… you know that attack I'm supposed to teach Lightning," Astrid said. "That's useful. Do you want a nickname?" Surskit twisted his body to say no and went back to skating on the water. Astrid laid back down and took a nap.
It wasn't for a few hours until she was woken up by screaming. After a moment of panic, she recognized it was saying "Ralts" in a very determined voice. Annoyed she reeled in her fishing line. A white and orange Magikarp the size of her palm came up with it.
"How long have you been there?" She asked. The Magikarp just flailed about. Shrugging she pulled out another Net Ball and tapped it against the fish. The ball clicked instantly. Without releasing Magikarp, she scanned it with the Pokédex.
"Magikarp, the fish Pokémon, Magikarp are considered the most useless of Pokémon, however their prowess in jumping provide ample opportunity for predators to catch them. There are some towns that view Magikarp's jumping ability as amazing and have made competitions centered around it. This Magikarp is female and has the ability Swift Swim. She knows the moves: Splash, Tackle, Flail, and Bounce. Note the coloration on this Magikarp is call Calico, an odd coloring that differs from Shiny. Note the small size of this Magikarp suggest a stunted growth."
"I'm going to call you Derp," Astrid said.
Once the sun had set, everyone met back up. Tala brought a bag full of berries with them and set to work on dinner. Everyone debriefed around the campfire.
"This is Jacket," Sora said, holding her arm out to show off her new Sewaddle.
"What's on your head?" Astrid asked.
"An Ekans hood!" Sora twirled to show it off. The head curved over her head while the tail traveled down her back. The neck was split farther open and secured with a button to keep it on her neck.
"Jacket helped," Sora said. "Oh and Spoopy learned this." She nodded to her Gastly. He took a deep breath and started to form little Shadow Balls. They all shot out and struck several trees at once causing mini explosions.
"Well… that's new," Tala said. Luke nodded.
"This is Stinger," Tala introduced. "Luke's almost learned Ice Punch and Thunder Punch." Luke lit up his paws for emphasis.
"Rattata learned Hyper Fang," Ken said. "Oh and Elizabeth learned Disarming Voice."
"We know," the other three groaned.
"I caught those two," Astrid motioned to her new Pokémon. Derp was attached to Lightning's tail while Surskit skated around the pond.
"That is, without a doubt, the smallest Magikarp I've ever seen in the history of forever," Sora said.
"Can you imagine how small she'll be as a Gyarados?" Tala asked.
"The least scary Gyarados to ever exist," Sora said.
"Shuddup," Astrid huffed, "Derp is perfect and will be awesome no matter what."
Derp flopped around happily before splashing back into the water.
"Nobody step on him," Ken murmured.
"Dinner," Tala called and everyone switched their focus to food.