Chapter 6: The White Beldum

Well, I'm back with another chapter! And boy oh boy, I was not expecting the great response I've gotten so far. 109 people have read this already! That's crazy! An extra big thanks to YaBoiKurama for following this story! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Verra2: Thank you so much for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story. It means the world to me that people like you are actually interested in this! I hope that this next chapter's just as enjoyable as the previous ones.

Disclaimer: It's on fanfiction, people. I would think that it would be blatantly obvious that I don't own Pokémon.


As she stared up at the top of the cliffs high above her, Sapphire had only one thought running through her head.

"Why on earth did I think that this was such a good idea?" The trainer wondered as she searched for the steep path that supposedly led to the top, clambering onto tiny rock ledges as she hunted for the best route up the cliff face. "If I fall here, I might as well drag myself back to my mother instead of going to the hospital."

The black haired teen sighed and shook her head before reaching up to grasp the trunk of a tree growing out of one of the cliffs, shimmying up the wooden plant to observe the surrounding area. There, just a bit to her left, was the path, just a tiny bit flatter than the near vertical cliff faces that the girl had been crawling up. Returning to terra firma, the girl carefully made her way over to the start of the path.

"I suppose I should see what kind of Pokemon this Beldum is." Sapphire mused to herself as she began hiking up the path. Spying a little clearing surrounded by tall thick swatches of grass, the girl directed her footsteps towards the open area. Here she would be concealed somewhat from the prying eyes of trainers that would seek to challenge her to battles, and allow her to meet her newest partner in peace.

"Alright then, come on out!" With the time-honored cry that most Pokemon trainers used to call upon their partners, the girl threw the completely red Pokeball high into the air. The device split open, allowing a burst of white light to shoot out of it. The glow gradually resolved itself into a rather strange looking beast.

Beldum had the appearance of a single clawed arm growing directly out of a head. It was angular - even the sphere had edges and faces - with a single red eye that stared curiously at her. The body was a very light gray, so light that it could have been mistaken for the color of new-fallen snow.

"Beldum." They said. Yes, Beldums were often referred to as theys; for the species had no gender, and it was wrong to refer to intelligent creatures as its.

"Hi Beldum." Sapphire replied as the Pokemon floated around the clearing. "My name's Sapphire, but I occasionally go by Alpha. It's nice to meet you."

"Bel, beldum." The girl tilted her head to the side, studying her new friend curiously.

"So, I don't really know anything about you." She admitted. "Do you want to do a training session? You know, that way we can start formulating strategies?"

Beldum nodded once, as well as a floating head attached to a clawed arm could nod. Sapphire sighed in relief. In truth, the girl had half expected the Pokemon to ignore her. She was, after all, flying blind. Never before had the Johto native heard of a person just randomly giving a trainer a Pokemon and expecting nothing for it in return. It was one thing to trade Pokemon, it was another to just give one away. But Beldum seemed willing to listen to her, a rather good thing in her book.

"Okay then." Sapphire said. "Let's see what moves you know first, and then go from there.


Three hours later, when the duo finally finished their impromptu training session, Sapphire had discovered that Beldum knew Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Iron Defense, and a move that acted similar to False Swipe called Hold Back. That would be especially useful since Sapphire had decided to catch more Pokemon. She was no fool, the girl had to realize that if her father came after her she would need Pokemon to help defend herself.

Sapphire was still very much set in her ways, which was a nice way of saying that she was stubborn. The girl was going to return to Johto if it killed her. But traveling with only three Pokemon was a bit risky, especially if she ran into May and Brendan again. By her best guess, Beldum was definitely a Steel type, and possibly a Psychic type as well since the Pokémon knew Zen Headbutt. Combined with Shade's Ice type and Swampy's Water type their Treecko and Torchic had advantages over all her Pokemon. If the two were properly trained, that could spell some serious trouble for the runaway.

So it was back to Oldale Town, where she stopped by the Pokemart to buy some Pokeballs to build up her supplies. Rodriguez had been ecstatic to see her, and she had left with ten more of the capturing devices and a Premier Ball as an added bonus. The trainer then picked up Shade and Swampy from the Pokemon Center, her other two teammates happy to see their friend. After that it was back to Route 103, where they were introduced to Beldum. Now the three were doing another training session.

It was getting late at night, but Sapphire dared not got back to town. In big cities where hundreds of trainers lived and passed through, a girl who called herself Alpha would not attract attention. Out here in the boonies, however, she stood out like a sore thumb.

Eventually they called it quits on their training session, and her Pokemon relaxed as their trainer began preparing the evening meal. A small fire was kindled, and soon the smell of roasting berries filled the air. It was a rather tempting smell, and soon the undergrowth began to rustle, thick clumps of tall grass parting to reveal a snarling Poochyena.

The little black wolf pup was rather small, probably the runt of a litter that had been cast out by its mother. The Dark type had to be rather tenacious to survive, and the Pokemon appeared to consider this part of Route 103 his territory for he wore a ferocious snarl on its face. He let out a ferocious howl before springing forward in a rather powerful charge.

Swampy ended up taking the full brunt of the Tackle attack. Shade responded by using Scratch, though the wild Pokemon nimbly evaded it. Swampy growled before running forward with his own Tackle, though it appeared to not be as powerful as normal. Shade moved to follow, but a word from his trainer held him back.

"Hold on, Shade." Sapphire said. "I was hoping to catch a new Pokemon, and this little fellow seems to be quite the fighter. Besides, we should let Beldum and Swampy get some more experience battling."

"Sneasel." Shade didn't sound happy, but he backed off.

"Alright. Swampy, use Growl again. Beldum, use Hold Back!"

Her Pokemon obeyed without hesitation. Swampy growled again, though the Poochyena drowned out the sound by howling once more. Sapphire's eyes narrowed as she watched the Poochyena's fangs begin to glow, flames abruptly breaking out as Beldum struck the Pokemon, being careful to not use their full strength.

The super effective Fire Fang clamped down around Beldum's claw, and the Steel Type cried out in pain. Swampy acted instinctively, and a quick Mud Slap forced the Poochyena to let Beldum go. The gray Pokemon retreated, flinching a bit from the pain of the flaming bite. Concerned, Sapphire checked for a burn but found none.

Swampy was still Tackling the young pup, but a word from Sapphire stopped him. Poocheyna seized his chance and landed a critical hit on the Water Type.

"Beldum, use Hold Back, quick!" Sapphire suddenly ordered. Beldum, by now having recovered from the earlier hit, shot forward, landing a solid blow in the pup's blindspot. This one had a noticeable effect, sending the target reeling. Thinking quickly, Sapphire lobbed a Pokeball at the Dark type, watching as the Pokemon was sucked into the device. It landed on the hard packed dirt, shaking slightly, before eventually the struggles ceased. There was a soft click, and Sapphire let out a breath she had subconsciously been holding in.

They had done it. Sapphire had caught her first Pokemon with the help of her teammates.


Finished! So, was this chapter good? If it was, I highly encourage you to leave any comments, constructive criticisms, and compliments in a review! Flames will be frozen solid by Shade's Ice Beam!