Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. As if that wasn't obvious already.
Whenever you wake up, do your eyes feel crusty and heavy? Because that's exactly how I felt.
I felt a weight between my shoulder blades, pressing down on my skin and causing a slight bit of discomfort. The only positive part came where there seemed to be a minor source of heat as well and it was dulling the pain caused by the weight. I dimly remembered the trek I'd traversed to get to the current residence I was at.
I remember arriving at Mr. Pokemon's house late at night, exhausted. I was invited inside, and then, I felt sleepy. I was given the couch to sleep on... and I fell to sleep in seconds.
The night's sleep that I got was brisk as it was refreshing. For the first time in awhile, I had no dreams. It was odd, even though people aren't able to remember ever dream that they have, upon waking up.
"Urrg..." I mumbled, the feeling of sleep still cocooning my mind. My vision blurred as I came to see a couch cushion blocking my view of all else. I was laying on my stomach on a couch; that much was for sure. But I still didn't know the weight between my shoulder blades.
I blinked a few times, trying to get the blurriness to fade. Groaning, I put my hands on my sides, and pushed upward. Though the fatigue lingered, I rose into a sitting position. And as I rose, the weight between by shoulders was lifted as if...
Oops.
"Cynda!" The undignified cry of my partner caused me to chuckle as I saw him squirm on the floor. His nose wrinkled as he came to a halt in a sitting position similar to mine. Glancing down, I saw that I was still wearing a dirty pair or black jeans and my red shirt. My hair was messed up; but that was kind of to be expected since I passed out face-first on a couch.
"Looks like someone is finally up!" A cheery voice said from across the room. Rubbing my eyes, my vision began to return and I saw two men sitting at a table, one looking over to me.
I wanted to say something, but I had no idea of what to say. So I cradled my head in my heads and groaned. It was as if I was having a hangover... not that I'd ever had one... before...
"Are you hungry?" The man who I assumed to be Mr. Pokemon asked aloud. As soon as he said that, the aroma of waffles and fruit hit my nose like a Hydro Pump to the face. Hunger filled my body quicker then I thought possible, and I actually thought I was going to be sick for a moment. Taking a breath to settle my stomach, I looked up at Mr. Pokemon and the other man and nodded with a smile.
I stood up and Cyndaquil was quick to get over his pout-session. He scampered to get by my feet and walked with me over to the table. The second I got within sights of the second man, my eyes widened. I recognized his hair and face almost immediately. Then again, how could you not recognize one of the greatest Pokemon Professors in all the regions?
Despite his age, I could tell by the crinkles near his eyes that he enjoyed smiling and having... well, fun. Just because someone is old doesn't mean they don't enjoy having fun.
"Ah, and who might this lad be?" Professor Samuel Oak asked, sparing me a smile and pulling out a chair for me to sit down in. I was taken by such surprise and awe, I almost missed the chair as I went to sit down. Though I didn't look, I'm pretty sure Cyndaquil snorted at my awed expression.
"This is Kyle. Mr. Vin and Professor Elm both sent me e-mails about him," Mr. Pokemon said, passing me a bowl of strawberries. I hesitantly helped myself to some of the fruits and berries and also to 2 waffles. I drizzled syrup along the flaky exterior and smiled at the smell. Cyndaquil, not wanting to miss out, lept onto my lap and took a seat on my knee. He stared intently at the waffles, and I sighed.
I hated sharing. Especially my waffles... but we were a family now. It's not like I could starve the little guy.
Cutting a portion of the waffle, I took the cut pieces and put them on a separate plate that remained out. I smiled as Cyndaquil happily cried and began to dig into his meal. Following suit, I began to eat as well, savoring the taste. The last time I had waffles this good... well, it was quite some time ago. Not even my mom made waffles this good. Not like she really tried.
"Well, well," Professor Oak said, catching me by surprise. I peered up, hoping he wasn't smiling at the syrup that most likely covered my face.
"I can see that you are great friends with your Cyndaquil, aren't you?" He asked, and I looked at the small Fire Mouse Pokemon. He was too busy digging into his food to notice my glance, but I felt my face warm up a bit. I definitely hadn't had him very long, and we certainly hadn't had any huge bonding experiences... but we were getting along really good and I did care for him a ton.
I really hoped we would be great friends...
Seeing my glance, Professor Oak merely smiled to himself and turned to Mr. Pokemon to discuss some trainer who had recently gone to the Unova region. Part of me wondered who and if they'd yet battled Helgi's mom. Skyla, Helgi's mom, was actually extremely young still. She was 31, but looked 25... it was pretty amazing.
"... Oh yes, I think he'll be fine! After all, he does have Pikachu with him. Those two are inseparable; and I wouldn't worry a bit. They'll be fine. If anything, I worry more for opposing trainers!" The two men laughed. A Pikachu? An electric-type that hadn't yet evolved to its more powerful evolution in Raichu... odd.
There was only one trainer I'd seen on television that used a Pikachu and that was Ash Ketchum. But he wasn't going to the Unova region... was he?
"Well, at any rate, I should be going. I have the interview in Goldenrod City, then I need to be back to my lab. Tracey is a great assistant, but Muk will get to him in my absence. It was good to see you again," Professor Oak said, standing up. I watched as the two men exchanged a handshake, a laugh and then Mr. Pokemon waved to him as he walked out. Then he turned to me.
"How'd it feel to meet someone as prestigious as Professor Oak?" Mr. Pokemon asked brightly. I just shook my head.
"Overwhelming, that's for sure..." He laughed and I finished off the food in front of me. Mr. Pokemon walked over to the television and flipped it on. Suddenly, I remembered my purpose of coming here was to get help with Cyndaquil and his inability to use fire-attacks.
I tapped Cyndaquil, who had finished eating, and motioned for him to come with me. We walked over to the television and took a seat next to Mr. Pokemon. He was thoroughly interested in the battle taking place on the screen. I spared a glance but all I saw was a Pidgeotto.
"Mr. Pokemon?" I asked, trying to think how to phrase my request. He wasn't a trainer after all, so asking would be a bit strange.
"Hold on one second, this is where things get interesting!" He said, a smile at the screen. I curiously looked back at the screen and my eyes widened as I saw Lyra and her Chikorita on the screen. The crowd was cheering, but the cheers were mixed between Falkner, the gym leader of Violet City, and Lyra.
"... And what a hot battle we've seen here! Lyra, the challenger from New Bark, has yet to give an inch. Her Chikorita has taken a beating though; does she have enough left in the tank to capture the badge?"
"Lyra?" I asked aloud, my shock and confusion amusing Mr. Pokemon.
"Oh yes, you know her, don't you? Seems she's been busy recently, hmm?"
I didn't even need to answer that question.
"Use Razor Leaf!" Lyra shouted, and Chikorita cast a sideways glance before throwing razor-sharp leafs with the leaf on its head. Falkner just smiled.
"Gust!" He shouted at Pidgeotto. The tan bird cawwed and outstretched its beautiful wings. Using its powerful muscles, Pidgeotto flapped twice sending almost visible shock-waves flying through the air. The waves of wind smashed through the leaves and sent them twirling to the ground. But instead of having Chikorita dodge, Lyria grinned as if she'd just won the Pokemon League Championship.
"What's this? It seems as if Lyra is going to allow the attack to connect! We've seen some strong strategies today; such as the previous challenger, also from New Bark Town, where he and his Eevee made perfect harmony and executed some terrifying combination attacks. Are we going to perhaps see another?"
So Helgi and Eevee had already won their Zepyhr badge... wow... I knew I was lacking behind, but I mean... that far already? By the time I had my third badge, those two would probably already be challenging the Pokemon League. It was at that moment where my resolve only got stronger- we needed to train and get stronger- pronto.
"Okay, Chikorita, get ready!" To say that Gust was powerful was a bit of an overstatement, but the flying-type attack definitely struck the small grass-type. I saw Chikorita's feet dragging in the dirt, her leaf being thrown about in the wind. Finally, the attack ceased, Pidgeotto needing a quick breather.
Lyra took full advantage of that.
"Chikorita, now! Razor Leaf, all out!" The second Chikorita pulled its head back to throw those dangerous leaves, I knew it was over. Yes, Pidgeotto was a flying-type, but facing reality, it was also a horrid Pokemon defensively and it looked as if it had already taken a few strong hits. Probably from Tackle a few times- and that was going to leave a mark. So yes, Chikorita had a disadvantage, but its stats were still better and it had the element of surprise.
'Kudos to you Lyra... guess one of us had to be successful' I thought to myself. I kind of revoked that once I said it though. Helgi was obviously successful too; so technically, I was wrong in saying that.
The leaves made direct contact with Pidgeotto's chest and wing area, causing the bird to cry out in pain. He, at least I assumed it was male, fell from the sky, crashing heavily on the dirt-covered ground. His eyes were clamped shut and dust began to settle around his body. Falkner stared in disbelief and the crowd was silent as they anxiously awaited Pidgeotto's arise. But after a few seconds of nothing, the referee needed to call it match.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle! The winner is Chikorita! The battle goes to the challenger: Lyra of New Bark!"
The crowd went wild, to say the least. I was stunned when everyone stood up and began to holler loudly and cheer with enthusiasm. Lyra, taken by surprise, melted into the fame by smiling and waving as she addressed the crowd. Chikorita, too, was taken by storm and began to show off for the rambunctious spectators. Despite Falkner being surprised as he lost to a grass-type, he smiled softly and walked over to his fallen Pokemon.
The T.V. didn't air what he said, for it was too soft for the microphones, but it was probably something comforting. Pidgeotto was recalled back into his Pokeball in a red light, before the cameras zoomed in on Lyra for an interview. No longer needing to see anymore, I turned to Cyndaquil with a grimace on my face. We'd fallen farther behind; was there even a chance at catching up?
"Hey, buddy..." I said softly, peering down at Cyndaquil. He'd been on the floor, staring intently at the television- probably trying to learn something about battling.
Now that I think about it, Cyndaquil actually isn't an awful battler. He certainly isn't a Machamp, but he does seem to have adequate strength and terrific speed. His defenses, not that I'd tested them yet, were probably lower. Most fire-types are notorious for having weaker defenses. The few exceptions of that rule are Torkoal and... Macargo. Both though, are incredibly slow as well. It's a trade-off.
Anyways, Cyndaquil seems to have a good Tackle-attack. It's pretty accurate and seems to be able to take out Weedles and Pidgeys in two to three hits, depending on their awareness. Other then that, Growl was probably as good as it could be... I mean, after all, it was only a growling... But other then that, I don't think Cyndaquil can use anything.
Ember would be extremely helpful, but that would require a fire. Smokescreen, as well, would be great. That required just a few smolders of heat and enough burning combustion to produce a thick, black smoke. Neither of which were accessible.
"Cynda?" Cyndaquil mewed. Yes, mewed. It sounds like something a Meowth would do, but young Pokemon do it too. I guess he could've cooed. Despite that, I couldn't help but smile.
Standing up abruptly, I caught Mr. Pokemon by surprise.
"We're going to go get some training in," I said determinedly. Without waiting, I walked outside and took positions in the small field right by Mr. Pokemon's house.
"Okay, Cyndaquil, let's see that Tackle!" I shouted, and Cyndaquil followed my command. Running at full speeds, Cyndaquil turned its body at the last second and delivered a strong body hit to an Apricorn tree next to the house. The leaves shook and a few stray Weedles fell from the bark. That's when I spied a Kakuna.
"There!" I cried. "Cyndaquil, use Growl!" My goal? I don't really know. Maybe, to knock down the Kakuna? I knew they were valuable experience if you managed to defeat it. It's not like they were powerful... they're just really, really defensive and their Harden is super annoying.
A throaty growl emitted from Cyndaquil's mouth and caused the tree to tremble a slight bit. Not enough to knock down the Kakuna. Scrunching my face up, I realized the only way to take down the Kakuna, was to tackle the tree. Not bad training, but it could get mildly painful if I wasn't careful.
"Fine, Cyndaquil, use Ta-"
"Wait a second, lad," Mr. Pokemon interrupted, cutting off my call for a Tackle. Cyndaquil, caught by the interruption, crashed into the tree with no effects done. Cyndaquil winced and bounced off the hard bark, landing on its backside.
"Oi, if you're going to interrupt, make sure it's not when I'm commanding an attack!" I told Mr. Pokemon with a hint of annoyance. I know, blah, blah, respect your elders, blah, blah. Well, hey, respect my Pokemon. That could've been bad.
"Sorry!" Mr. Pokemon said hastily, but I suspected he wasn't too sincere. He seemed too involved with something glowing in his hand. "Try giving this to your Cyndaquil," He said, holding out his hand. Unwrapping his fingers, his palm gave sight to a milky white-rock that emitted a soft white glow. I was mesmerized the second I saw it.
"Wow... what is that?" I asked. Cyndaquil hobbled over and was taken by its beauty as well.
Mr. Pokemon smiled. "This, is yours. This is going to help you a ton. This, is an Evolite."