Disclaimer: Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company and was created by Satoshi Tajiri et al. any recognizable content is credited to the original creators. The author earns no profit for this fanfiction.

Also, for those of you who may recognize the title as one that Stephen King used, you're right! His book On Writing is excellent for any aspiring author.

On Writing

For Exposition

"Hey, mom."

"Oh, Ted, I'm so happy to see you!" After returning to the Pokécenter I got on one of the public video chat monitors and called my mother, Veronica, back in Lumiose City. As fortune would have it the time zones between our locations allow for decent periods to call, being night here and afternoon there, "How was your flight?"

"It was fine. We had layovers in Unova and Orre, and there weren't any problems with flying Pokémon. I arrived yesterday and got my Traveler's Starter." My mom is a black-haired woman in her mid-forties, only a few inches shorter than me. I got her hair, but not her blue eyes. Mine are brown, inherited from my father.

"I'm glad. What Pokémon did you choose?" She'll love this. Her own Pokémon are psychic, since that's her specialty.

"You're not gonna believe it. You remember how I told you that I planned on finding a Ralts at some point? Well, it turns out she was one of the choices." I lift her up from the floor at my feet, waiting for this moment. The others are on either side of me, looking at the screen too.

"She's adorable!" she gives a little squeal and coos at Ralts before turning back to me, "Aw, that's great Ted. Di– did you have the dreams?" Even though she's a psychic-type trainer, my mom never did manifest any psychic abilities.

"Yeah. Yeah I did. They were really intense, and definitely from Ralts' point of view."

"This is . . . wonderful, honey! I know it's only been a day, but are you feeling any different? Any kind of sensation that doesn't seem right? You need to be really careful, you know that there have been times that psychics have lost control, if it seems like there's any sort of build-up of anything you make sure to go to a Pokécenter right away, okay? Oh do you remember everything I told you about your grandmother? This is so amazing, she would be so proud . . ." She's speaking a bit fast, a little over-excited I think.

"Mom, slow down, it's okay. Everything has been normal, I was having a little difficulty with mentally dissociating from Ralts this morning but I'm fine now. It only lasted for a few hours. I don't know yet what my powers will be, but we were prepared for this eventuality when I picked Fennekin. It'll be alright."

"I know, dear, I'm just so worried. I don't want anything to happen to you, especially after . . . Well. Just promise me that you'll be careful, please?"

"Of course mom. Aside from that, how have you been doing?" My mom and I have become really good at avoiding certain subjects over the years.

"A little of this, a little of that. You know how it is," she's sighing, relieved, I think, "I was actually spending time with the ladies for a while just this last weekend. They're a bunch of gossips, I tell you," with a lighthearted laugh she continues on, "I did some training with Meowstic, Espeon, and Gothitelle, too."

"Have you completed that three way technique you'd been telling me about?"

"Not just yet, Espeon and Meowstic have been working well together, but when I try to have Gothitelle do her part we can never get it quite right. I might just be going about this the wrong way. They can all synchronize as much as is needed, but whenever Gothitelle adds her own energy the whole maneuver just falls apart."

"Hm . . . just keep working at it, I'm sure you'll get it soon."

"Thank you, I certainly hope so. I don't think you ever told me many details, but what are your plans there in Hoenn?"

"Well, I decided that I would travel through doing the regional gym challenge and along the way talk to as many people as I can–especially the gym leaders–about their relationships' to their Pokémon. I'll need as much information as I can get for my book to be worth anything. I also figure that if I join the Pokémon league, and even if I don't win, it could help in getting the attention my book will need to make good sales."

"That's a good plan, I hope it works out for you. I know you could've completed the gym challenge here in Kalos, but I also understand your reasons for going to Hoenn," my mom's sad smiles have always tugged at my heart, "I'm really missing you." It has been a while since I left home. I started out my journey a little less than half a year ago, and before leaving for Hoenn I stayed with my mom in Lumiose for a week, but that's not very long at all.

"I know. I'm sorry it's been so long since we've really seen each other, but I need to do this. Hey, mom, I kinda need to get going, I'm gonna be busy tomorrow and I need to get to sleep. It's pretty late here."

"Well alright. Thank you for calling me Ted, I really am glad that we got to talk. Goodnight, son. Love you." She gives me one last smile and cuts the connection. It sucks that it's like this.

From there I return to my room with my Pokémon and we all go to bed. It's tricky now that there are four of us, but I wouldn't have it any other way. We quickly fall asleep.

It is the next morning, and I'm headed to Fern's lab. It's probably better to see what she wants sooner than later, I'd rather not worry about it once I am ready to leave Lilycove.

"Hello, Samantha, is Professor Fern busy?" The blonde is once again sitting at her desk, fiddling with a paperweight and looking a little bored.

"Mr. Blackwater! No she's not, she's just in the back if you'd like to see her." I feel bad for her, she probably doesn't have much to do in a lab like this.

"Thank you," I move on and find Fern in the back looking at a screen on one of the machines, "Uh hello, Fern, I'm here like you asked the other day?"

"Oh, Mr. Blackwater, hi. I was wondering when you would come in, why don't you take a seat? This won't take too much of your time."

"Thank you," I sit in the chair in front of her desk, looking for a comfortable position, "Um, you can call me Ted by the way, it gets a little tiring being so formal all the time."

"Then you can call me Alice, Ted," she sits down and moves aside a few papers making a clear space, "So I'd asked you to come in again because I needed to get a little more info on why you're here in Hoenn, and what your plans are. You'd said on the phone before leaving Kalos that you were going to do the gym challenge, is that correct?"

"Yeah, it is. I also plan on taking part in the Ever Grande Conference."

"Okay, have you applied yet?" I let her know I haven't, "Well then we can do so now! If you could just hand over your Trainer's Card and I'll have it finished in a second," she grabs a tablet on a stack of books, entering the ID on my card, "Alright, there we go. You're a little late in entering the competition but I'm sure you can make up for it along the way. So, I know Kalos doesn't practice giving standard gear like a PokéNav Plus to their trainers and I thought I'd give you one of those myself. It's preloaded with my number and Professor Birch's number, so if you have any questions feel free to call either one of us. Birch is normally very busy, but I'm not."

She hands me an orange, square device with two parts opening on a hinge. The upper-half includes a screen and an L-shaped attachment that's white along the top. Maybe it's an antenna of some sort? The bottom-half has a blue coat on the outside with white surrounding what looks like an orange Pokéball in the center. The middle of this is a blue touch-sensitive pad (haptic technology has really improved over the years) with four other keys in the cardinal directions beside it.

"This PokéNav Plus includes several different functions. If you press the key on the top, you'll get a map of Hoenn," I do so, and it shows a rather cartoon-y map with several red and green nodes denoting significant locations and orange lines for the routes "If you hold that button it'll show satellite images instead. The button on the right switches to a free broadcast from Mauville TV that televises important information to the region, pertaining to traveling Pokémon trainers for the most part. On the bottom is your DexNav, it's a feature that allows you to see detailed data on Pokémon spotted within your current location, if you link it to your Pokédex it'll tell you whether you've captured any of those Pokémon before. Finally the last button is your contact list. This functions the same as a phone, allowing messaging or video calling, although messaging does not work very well. The keys just don't lend themselves well to using a virtual keyboard, y'know?

"So, do you have an idea of the route you'll take through Hoenn?"

"Uh . . . no, actually. I know that I want to go to Mt. Pyre first though, it's a part of my research."

"Right. Well there's a rail transport system connecting Lilycove, Mauville City, Slateport City, Rustboro City and a small junction off of Mt. Chimney but using that would mean missing Fortree City, home of the flying-type gym. What I suggest is after going to Mt. Pyre you head north to Fortree and then south to Mauville. From there you should go to Slateport and take a boat to Dewford, where you'll find the fighting-type gym. After another boat to a small port west of Petalburg, you can take the normal-type gym challenge and then go north through the Petalburg Woods, which is south of Rustboro. The rock-type gym is in Rustboro. From there you have several different options but I think this plan is good enough for now. Are you satisfied with that route?"

"Yeah, I mean it's better than what I have. Which is nothing, I guess . . ." she laughs, smiling in amusement.

"You're a funny guy, Ted. I'm glad you like my plan though. I think that's it for any sort of official business. Beside all that, I just wanted to say some things to you about personal topics. I don't need to go over all that I said on Monday again, but I want to touch back on it.

"I've always believed in the idea that Pokémon are on the same level as people. They are sentient beings, and they have feelings, families, and friends just like we do. Now, they aren't the same as people, obviously, but they have rights like any other person.

"I think you feel the same way. I've put a lot of research into this, and communication in particular, but in my opinion you're doing the work that will change the people's minds. I want to work together with you on this. I want to help you with everything that you're doing here in Hoenn. This, is very important to me. Do you think we can do that, cooperate in changing the world?" she's staring at me, and I can't help but fidget in place.

I sigh, and look back at her. This is difficult for me. Since Annabelle I have avoided interacting with people. I write as a faceless body, sending in articles to many different companies to avoid the social atmosphere of the workplace. I rarely ever talk to people, always just finding information and leaving it at that. I have no human friends. My only companions are sitting in a little extra-dimensional space listening in on the conversation (I love that feature of the Pokéball) right now. Fern is asking for something that I do not give.

"Fern, I understand what you want, it's just . . ." I think she gets where this is going, judging by the down-turned lips and sullen eyes.

"Stop. I'm not asking for you to marry me for Arceus' sake," how does she tease me so easily? That damnable smirk is there again, as I blush, "You don't need to get close to me. This isn't me asking you to be my friend, not that I think we couldn't be, but I just want your help. I've looked you up, I know a little about what happened with your sister, I get it," she doesn't, but I'd rather avoid talking about that anyway, "We don't need to be close. But will you, please, just consider what I'm saying here?"

She's persistent. And as much as I don't want to, I agree with her. There really is a problem today in the way that people treat Pokémon.

"Okay. Fine. Say that we do partner up, what does that mean? What does that look like?"

"That means, that you just keep doing what you're doing. Right now we really don't have a clear idea of what's separating us from Pokémon, why they are the way they are and why we're so different. It's clear to me that they're all sentient just like us, but why? There's a huge variety of Pokémon each with a distinct biological system, and they are all intelligent. Many of them don't even have brains! The end-all be-all of human intelligence! At least as far as we understand. Why are they different from simple animals and plants? How is there such a thing as a Beldum?

"From what I know your work isn't intended to answer many of these questions. But it starts with the ones that you do ask. That's why, when you're at the end of your journey, and you've discovered all that you can about what the Human-Pokémon bond really is, I'd like you to come back here and share what you've found."

"Okay . . . I can do that."

"Oh thank you Ted! I really do appreciate this and I promise that this is not gonna be as terrible an experience as you might think. I don't bite," there's another huge and very infectious grin, "I swear. So, before I send you on your way, is there anything you wanna tell me?" I really don't get this woman. Is she clairvoyant?

"Uh, yeah, actually. I believe I'm psychic. The night you gave me Ralts I had a paranormal dream, as well as mental effects yesterday morning. They've passed by now, but it's possible that I'm psychic. My grandmother was a psychic so it's probably hereditary."

"As are most cases. Well, I'm glad you told me that, and I'd like it if you'd contact me at the end of the week to tell me the results. I get this strange feeling that nothing bad will come of it, though," why does she mess with me like this? The wink is definitely not necessary, "so I think you'll be very happy."

"I'm sure. I'll be leaving Lilycove once that's done. So, anyway, thank you, again, for all you've done, Fern. Yes, I will be back once everything is through with my journey, and I will work with you. I'll call you if anything comes up." I get up to leave, and she stops me for a moment.

"Thank you, too, Ted. And call me Alice, this is an equal relationship, yeah?" her laugh is too cute for such an overbearing woman, "Good luck in everything, and be safe. Can't lose my partner before he contributes anything, now can I?" I roll my eyes as she gives me a pat on the arm and sends me on my way.

Professor Fern is definitely, odd.

It's Saturday now. A little early, but it's definitely appreciated that my newest ability has finally settled. Different than I expected, too. Not that I really knew what I was getting into. Although the process is the same, the results are always varied from one to the next. That's probably one of the most mysterious things about psychic abilities (In reality there is so much we don't know that it's impossible to unanimously define some of the simplest of aspects).

Trying to give an explanation for a power such as mine is like trying to describe a color to a blind man. It's like having a set of eyes that were closed for your entire life, and then you find them opening for the first time. It's like you have always been deaf, and you can finally listen to a song that no one knows. The world, is different. Where before I could happily look my Pokémon in the eyes and take a guess at what they are feeling, now, I know exactly what that emotion is. They can't hide it, and I can't shut it out.

Even for the people and Pokémon around me that I don't know, I get a sensation, a niggling feeling that if I were to just focus, they would be an open book. Not that I am typically in the mood for reading, but not that I resent my access to these otherwise private details either. I'm only human, and I've always been curious. My Pokémon can tell, I think (Ralts, in contrast, is a whole nother animal . . . er, Pokémon), when I'm looking at them with these newest eyes. And, oddly enough, they seem to enjoy it.

My ability is interpreted in my mind in two different ways. There is the vision (My actual eyesight is in no way affected by this power), and then there is the hearing. From afar and near, sounds of undeniably alien sources come to mind. Something that's not quite the vibrations in the air, nor the frequency determining whether those vibrations can even be perceived. It's something else entirely.

In the silent moments, and when I'm not thinking about anything at all, something is scratching against my head. It's desperate for attention, and I feel that I will never have an empty moment in my life again in part because of that. Because of the hearing I can turn to a direction and tell you if there is any intelligent life that way. It never really goes away, to be honest. If I reach out, I will know if it's human or Pokémon. And with just a little mental exertion, I can look, too.

More than all of this though, and as excited as I am that this extraordinary exteroception is so attuned to my own desires, I'm also a little worried. At what point do I stop? How do I keep from seeing? All those emotions, impressions of personal experience that I otherwise wouldn't know. If I just take a peek, I'll know right then a little more (and in certainty) about that individual than they would have ever wanted. It doesn't fit in the natural order of things, except–I guess–for Pokémon. But they have always seemed other-worldly (in some cases literally). As integrated as they are into our cultures and societies they are still those beings that are just not the same. And now, I'm a little more like them.

Out of everything, the best to come out of this is the effect that it has had on my relationships to my Pokémon. I'm proud, as a trainer, of how well I knew my Pokémon. In my eyes, I was closer to them than any other person could possibly be to their own. And, it wasn't all bluster and hubris, I did have a fairly exceptional understanding of Pokémon in general. But everything has changed.

For most, if I take a look, I'll know what they are feeling in that moment. I get a vague idea of what current situation they are in. It's never perfectly clear and it takes a bit of guessing to understand, and I don't know if my conclusions are correct. But my Pokémon are the exception. They're permanently in my head for one, I know all their feelings and thoughts (these thoughts have slowly been transitioning to actual words in my mind; I think my brain is adapting to their mental workings), and I always know their exact position in relation to my own, without any visual or audio aid.

The sight of them is different. It's like I can look into their very souls and see their greatest desires and fears. Qualities and details that I had never noticed before are now available to me. Braixen has this inner determination, one that in hindsight is now quite obvious. She wants for me to look at her and say, You are like no other. The very best. In sincerity and without any doubt, of course. Frogadier, on the other hand, has a poignant desperate desire to never let anyone she loves to die again.

As a psychic-type, my connection to Ralts is on another level. For all else, there's a separation. I'm looking through a window, and hearing through a wall (speaking of physical barriers; they have no effect on my senses) but for Ralts . . . at times our thoughts and feelings seem to mix and scramble in ways that leave me wondering when Ted will take me training again. It's not uncontrollable, though. This only happens when I've relaxed my hold on my psychic awareness. By now we've experienced it twice, but we've not had any trouble returning to normal in either case. If I'm not careful it will occur, but a little concentration to prevent it is a small price. And, to be clear, it's a pleasant event. Because of this, she knows me, like I do her and the other two.

Ralts often thinks back to that moment on the beach, at our second introduction. She's happy then, and she's content. That was the first time that she wished something would last forever.

Explaining all of this to Professor Fern was a pain in the ass. She understood but I didn't know how to put it into coherent words, at first. Something so new and alien to everything else I had experienced in life isn't conducive to communication.

So, with my psychic developments under control, I finally began my journey into Hoenn.

Setting out on Route 121 is like leaving Lumiose City with Fennekin and Froakie only five months ago. Then, I knew a little less about what I was doing, and I certainly didn't have a world changing psychic-type with me, but it was similar. Both fill and left me brimming with anticipation and apprehension. I've done this once before though, so I'm a little more at ease than the first time.

Route 121 is a trainer path along the water. On the opposite side of the waves, to the southern bank, you can see the railway that Fern told me about, where it leads into Lilycove at the spot that the estuary tightens and subsequently opens up into the ocean. That railway doesn't actually go onto Route 121 at all.

For the path that I'm on, it's rather ridden with green growth. Up ahead, after about 30 minutes of walking from Lilycove, you can see a pier jutting out over the water, and across from it, on the land, is the Safari Zone. Towering over the steady waves of water is a mountain on the inlet island, Mt. Pyre. Overall, Routes are usually pretty clear of the obstructions that prevent a trainer from traveling without stop. Route 121 is no different even with the tall grass attempting to overtake the clear road.

With such clarity I can see the other trainer headed my way. There's something about a Pokémon trainer that you can tell by their look that they're contenders in the Pokémon world. And, with my newly found senses, it's more obvious than ever. I can hear his single grass-type Pokémon (every being has many differences, and if I listen closely I can tell one from the next) in spite of the Pokéball it's encased in. There is a limitation that Pokéballs present though. I can't look into one and read the mind of the Pokémon (but, again, my own Pokémon are the exception). From what I can tell, it's strong, but I don't know any more than that.

"Hey! You there! You up for a battle?" as we get closer to one another I can see a wide grin on his bearded face, enthusiastic as all hell.

"Uh, yeah sure. Conditions?"

"How about 1 v 1, 'til the last fainted Pokémon, 1000 Pokédollars pot?"

"Winner takes all, it is, then. My Ralts won't be participating, she's new, ya see?"

"Alright, no problem. Let's do this!" we step back a few paces, giving ourselves room for the battle. If the road had more traffic we would go and find a clearing off to the side, but that's not the case. We release our first choices at the same time (he only has one on him anyway), all of this standard rote for the both of us.

What comes from his 'ball is a monstrosity.

Jokes aside, the green creature is taller than I am, and it looks like a bipedal gecko, if you squint. It has yellow eyes with pin-point pupils and a red chin. There are two crests flaring upward and backward along the sides of a head sitting on the top of an elongated neck. On its back I can see yellow spheres, whatever those might be, and at the end is a tail that might be described as sort of like a palm tree branch, if the fronds on a thicker stem went in four parallel directions.

The plant gecko also has a red band across its belly and two sharp extensions from each wrist. So, overall, it's deadly. I hope Braixen is prepared.

There's something you will probably want to know about Pokémon battles. The most important is that . . . structure is something you'll rarely find. Sure, there's the frame of the battle: the decisions made on how many are fighting, when the match is considered done, and finally how much money is earned over the fight (it is always about the cash) but other than that . . . little else.

Early on from the formation of the Pokémon Alliance there was an attempt to categorize and give names to all the different possible moves of Pokémon. At best, what they learned from that plan was that there are two types (not Pokémon typing; each type tends to use moves common to their kind) of moves: Physical, and Special. Physical are just that. It gets confusing because there are times when a Pokémon enhances its standard attacks with Special characteristics, so even then that system doesn't really work. Regardless a Special move is something that you might consider magical.

Right now no one really knows how they are able to use these Special moves. The biology of some of the creatures point to reasons why they're capable of defying nature, but there's no explanation that fully covers the topic.

What's known about the Pokémon's Special powers is that a trainer's contribution is almost entirely dependent on the relationship between the two. Every Pokémon has limits that cannot be pushed past and the simple act of conveying ideas from one to the other is a huge wall. For some the trainer is unable to help their Pokémon learn moves more complex than sending out a few embers, or if they are a water-type, a simple–if powerful–stream of water. Pokémon can learn these moves on their own, but the trainer is a partner that's invaluable if they know what they're doing.

You also might think that you could watch another trainer with your Pokémon and copy what they do, but there are subtle nuances to each technique that require a better understanding than the visual of the results alone. For example, my Braixen's own technique of creating a circle of fire is dependent on her ability to compress (highly pressurized air rises in temperature) and contain the air surrounding her while providing a flammable gas from her own body. Fire-types are able to use the air in that way, even though you might not think so at first glance. Of course, every Pokémon is different and using moves like that is determined by how clever and tenacious the trainer is.

Teaching Special moves to your Pokémon requires a . . . special kind of logic. It was understood after a lot of deliberation and studying that Pokémon have an energy of sorts that allows them to break the laws of physics, and even defined rules in our study of Pokémon. As a backward and convoluted twist, the use of the energy, at least at its very best, is reliant on reason and knowledge in the related subjects. The trainers that are above all the rest are those that manage to manipulate that rationale to its limits and also have a perfect rapport with their Pokémon. Because, for all the logic of the most intelligent trainer, if there's no trust or understanding, that Pokémon learns nothing.

I don't know what type of trainer I am facing now, but I know that this will be difficult either way.

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy my second chapter! I know it's a lot of exposition and dialogue, but there is a promised battle next chapter! Anyway if you like this, let me know. I've put a lot of work into overhauling pretty much everything about Pokémon and I really want to read your guys' thoughts on it. See you next time!