A New Adventure

by warriorseadra

All trainers walk their own path. Each has their own beginning and faces their own hardships. Yet they continue walking along side their pokemon and grow. Follow the tale of this rookie trainer as he aims for the pokemon league championship.

3. Week Three

-Begin the third week-

"Class, as you all know, we will be having a test today. I hope you have studied your "Pokemon: Field Studies" text. You may begin at once and have until the end of…" A professor spoke.

'A test!' Adrian panicked, 'Shoot, I completely spaced.'

Calming himself, Adrian wrote his name on the exam and looked at the first question.

Question 1: When approaching a wild pokemon, you should?

"... Approach from downwind to avoid detection."

Question 2: In order to attract specific wild pokemon into a vicinity, you should?

'Bill and I did this yesterday...' Adrian recalled while writing, "First gather food that the pokemon likes and then make a food trail into the desired vicinity."

Question 3: Considering the time of year is important because…

"Certain pokemon migrate or hibernate depending on weather patterns." Adrian wrote while thinking 'I found this out the hard way. Strange, I thought this test would have been harder.'

Question 50: How are the chances of finding a pokemon affected by nearby bodies of water. Please list examples of pokemon that could be found.

Confused, Adrian reread the question.

'This... is a trick question.' Adrian realized. He proceeded to write his answer. "Non-water pokemon will approach lakes and rivers for drinking water. Because of that, it is helpful to search for non-water pokemon near those two bodies of water. Salt water will have pokemon that prefer living in salt water, although those same pokemon can be found in fresh water as well. Conversely, fresh water pokemon can tolerate salt water, they refuse to live in salt water for long periods of time. Gyarados live in all three bodies of water. Pokemon that prefer salt water include Horsea and Staru. However…"

'Done' Adrian silently declared. Standing, he approached the desk and asked, "Excuse me, should I just leave the test on your desk?"

"Yes, right here is…. Adrian, you're done with your test?" The professor exclaimed in surprise.

'She doesn't have to act so surprised.' Adrian lamented while replying "Yes."

Looking around, Adrian realized he was the first one to finish.

"Are you sure? If you read it again, maybe something will come to you." The professor insisted.

'Well, her heart is in the right place.' Adrian sighed "No, I finished."

Adrian, forcing himself to smile and not get upset, turned in his exam.

"These answers… they're correct. No, more than that, they also thoroughly answer my questions." The professor gaped as she glanced at the paper.

"Yeah, it was pretty easy." Adrian chuckled.

"Easy! This test is impossible!"

"You cheated!"

"Yea, there is no way you could have answered these questions!"

"Cheater!"

Adrian's classmates complained at Adrian's accomplishment.

"Thanks for the support… I'm just overwhelmed by the amount of confidence you have in me." Adrian replied.

"Silence! Back to work!" The professor snapped.

"But professor…"

"Enough, if Adrian cheated, I would have known."

'Some sort of pokemon surveillance.' Adrian mused.

"Any how, run along Adrian, you're dismissed."

'I wish everyone else would stop staring at me with those dumbfounded expressions.' Adrian silently complained while leaving the room.

In the hall, Adrian returned to his room and fed his pokemon. Afterwords, he checked his schedule for the rest of the week.

"Tomorrow I have an exam in Pokemon Caring, nothing special on Wednesday other than the usual trainer battles, Thursday is the pokemon field tracking exam, and Friday is a half day with an assembly.
…..

'Yesterday's caring exam was easy. Feeding, exercising, and what to do when they're ill. The same I already do with my pokemon.' Adrian thought while waiting for his turn to battle.

Adrian's turn came and he entered the ring. "It's Caitlin." Adrian noted as his opponent also entered the ring. 'One of the few friends I have in this academy.'

"Good luck Adrian, you're going to need it against my Butterfree." Caitlin called out.

'Butterfree… She's been using that pokemon a lot lately.' Adrian noted while relying, "Thanks, but Ekans feels like a winner."

'Strange, this just feels wrong.' Adrian thought as he revealed his pokemon.

"Butterfree, use stun spore!" Caitlin called.

"Ekans!..." Adrian cried. He then breathed in relief realizing Ekans used dig. Adrian used the moment to create a plan. Instead he came to a new realization, 'I don't want to battle.'

"Butterfree, behind you!" Caitlin cried out bringing Adrian to his senses.

Ekans had grown tired of waiting and attacked on its own.

"Butterfree, double team!"

As fake Butterfrees filled the arena, Caitlin shouted, "Now, take down!"
'Dig! Why isn't he moving? Ekans, dig!' Adrian commanded. 'Shoot, I'm not talking, I'm thinking!' "Ekans!"

"Match over, the winner is Butterfree." the professor declared.

"Wow Adrian, were you even trying? You were worse than usual." Caitlin asked after the match.

"I was, but I couldn't get into it. Odd..."

"That's so weird; you're always psyched about battling, even if your pokemon don't listen. Did something happen?"

"Possibly." Adrian replied while thinking 'These academy pokemon... Battling with them feels wrong.'

"Well, I hope you get this sorted out soon. Good luck with the rest of your matches."

"Thanks, later."
…..

"Well, that's over." Adrian said as he left the gym and walked towards his dorm. Along the way, he stopped by a tree and seated himself on a rock.

'I know I've never won a match before, but I've never lost like this. After class, the professor even came asked me if really wanted to train pokemon. Of course I do, but I want to train my pokemon!' Adrian sulked. 'Pokemon is in my blood. Everyone in my family has attended a pokemon academy and graduated with spectacular results. Fmo this academy, my sister graduated at the top of her class. All my life I've been told about how amazing she is. When I came to this academy, the professors had high expectations because of her.'

Slowly, Adrian was angering. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and declared, "Well, I'm me, not her! They can just drown in their disappointment!"

Finished, Adrian sat back down whispering, "I want to learn about pokemon, but not like this… not like this…"

…..

'Yesterday's field exam was simple. Go into the woods, find a Medapod, secretly take a picture of it, and return within two hours. That's very easy considering its those woods we use for training.' Adrian mused as he waited for the assembly to begin.

"Hey, did you hear, today is the day."

Adrian overheard a classmate say. Curious, for he didn't know what the assembly was for, he decided to eaves drop.

"Yeah, it's time to separate the elites from the masses."

'…The elites from the masses?' Adrian pondered.

"Look it's starting."

It was then Adrian understood why the assembly was being held.

'Oh... today is that day. The day the top ten students of our grade are named and rewarded for their accomplishments. Tch, knowing that I won't be called ticks me off.'
"…rigorous curriculum weeds out the top from the best." Adrian heard as he began listening, "We gather here today to reward those that managed to take the top position. However, this is not the end. For those of you not named today, you may still enter these ranks as well. Remember, the top is never out of reach, so continue until you claim your own place here among them. Now, for those of you being honored today we present your own pokemon. For what has been almost three months, everyone has participated in academy run trainer battles. During this time, you have fought alongside various academy pokemon. Yet as time progressed, you have found yourself drawn into using a specific pokemon more so than the others. In order to encourage this growth of trust, and to aid your participation in the League Challenge, we will give you that pokemon. Rest assured, your pokemon will be cared for by the academy as you continue your studies and attend class..."

'So that's how they do it.' Adrian recalled his perceived dilemma of academy students partaking in the league with random pokemon.

"… I shall now name the ten students selected to receive a personal pokemon. From tenth to first, please congratulate: Kayla Jay, Houston Rutledge, Brett Marshall, Ryan Taney, Alexis Taft, Alex Stone, Olivia Warren, Freddy Burger, Caitlin Rehnquist, and finally our top student. This student has struggled to reach his position. Therefore, I feel this situation appropriate to present him with one more gift. Samuel Roberts, not only do we present you Machop, but we also give you a Pokedex. The Pokedex is a rare and wonderful tool for all serious and dedicated trainers. The most basic function is the built in pokemon encyclopedia. Added to this is a pokemon habitat finder. Here, the Pokedex tells its owner where specific pokemon can be found within the region. Some other functions include recordings of pokemon cries, a pokemon identification tool, and a pokemon area recorder. With this, pokemon research is made possible anywhere. To aid in this research the Pokedex has a very important tool, the note book. Here trainers and researchers may record their findings, theories, or even diaries. I sincerely hope you will use this tool to further pokemon research and live to your potential as a future member of the Pokemon League. Thank you, everyone is dismissed."

'At least it's a half day.' Adrian sulked while leaving the auditorium. 'Now we can go see Professor Oak. If I remember the map correctly, we just need to travel southwest threw the forest until we reach a route. From there, it's a strait path south. But first, I should congratulate Caitlin. She is one of my friends...'

…..

"Guys, I know I said we were going to Pallet Town, but Pallet Town doesn't have any pokemon centers for us to stay at. For now, we'll have to stay in Viridian City and head to Pallet Town in the morning. Pallet Town is only a few miles down the road, so getting there won't take long. For now, though, let's go train on route 22. After all, the league is our goal."

…..

Adrian walked up a path stopping at a door, "Guy's," he said to his pokeballs, "we are finally here. Professor Oak's lab is right behind this door. All we have to do is knock."

'I'm going to meet Professor Oak.' The phrase kept repeating itself over in Adrian's mind.

The door opened, "May I help you?" a voice said.

"…You're not Professor Oak…" Adrian responded dejectedly.

"No, Professor Oak is away on urgent business. I, however, am his aid. I watch over the lab while he is away."

"I see, do you know when he will be back?"

"If all goes well, Professor Oak should return some time tomorrow. Why, do you need to see him?"

'I think he's starting to get annoyed.' Adrian thought before responding, "Bill asked me to deliver these fossils to Professor Oak. Also, I was hoping I would be able to assist you this weekend."

"I see. Very well, come this way." The aid replied leading Adrian into the lab. "You can start by feeding our pokemon in the stables. After that, I'll need you to look at lake ten. Something seems to be bothering the pokemon there. Then while you're out, the Gyarados in lake seven are starting to get restless. Play with them and return them to their pokeballs. Once you finish, come find me."

"Sure, this will be fun." Adrian commented as he handed over the fossils.

'The stables.' Adrian noted as the structure came into view. "Looks like they have Ponyta, Rapidash, Doduo, Dodrio, and Tauros. Makes sense, ranch like pokemon go in the stables."

Near by, Adrian saw a barn. 'That must be where they keep the food.'

Adrian entered the barn emerging moments later carrying hay and grains. Entering the pasture, he saw a watering hole. 'That solves that problem.'

After finishing the first assignment, Adrian continued to lake ten.

"It looks fine..." Adrian trailed of as he examined the water. "But, there aren't any pokemon."

Adrian stared at the water a moment longer before sighing, "Next, I should see if there's more information..."

Adrian then knelt and submerged his hand. In jolt, he ripped his hand back out of the water.

"Arhh! Electricity..." Adrian confirmed. "But, where is it coming from?"

"Spearow!" Adrian called out his pokemon, "Can you fly around lake? Something is electrocuting the water."

"Crawww!" the pokemon responded flying off.

…..

"Craww!" Adrian heard while examining a map of the area.

Looking up, Adrian called out, "Just lead he way Spearow!"

"Crawww!"

The pokemon led Adrian to a foot thick cable submerging itself in the water.

"Bellsprout, I need your help." Adrian called another pokemon. "Can you lift the cable out of the water with your vines?"

"Bellsprout." From underneath the leaves, vines emerged and gently lifted the cable out of the water.

Once the cable was placed on the ground, Adrian could see it had been cut apart purposely exposing the inner wires.

Adrian and his pokemon then followed the cable to a generator of sorts.

"Odd, according to the map, there shouldn't been a generator here... Let's report this after we deal with Gyarados."

…..
Adrian walked towards lake seven when the road exploded. Quickly, he emerged from the bush he had flown into.

"A fire ball!" Adrian exclaimed. Looking up, he saw more flying in his direction. Instinctively, he dove to the ground.

"""Grrrrraaaaawwwwwwwwwrrrr!"""

Adrian uncovered his head to see various attacks firing in random directions.

'Are those the Gyarados?' Adrian questioned, 'This isn't restless, it's a war zone.'

Adrian rose to his feet, "Come on out everyone. Looks like we get to battle today after all!"

…..

"Guy's tactical retreat!" Adrian called his pokemon back a minute later.

"Next time, I'm asking for more information." Adian grumbled under his breath while running away.

…..

"Ok, you three understand the plan?" Adrian asked his pokemon

"Kachu."

"Craaaa"

"Sprout."

"Then let's go! Who would have guessed the anti-gyarados tactics we created for Misty would come in handy here?"

With the wind to their backs, the team began hearing gyarados roars as they approached the lake.

"Spearow your up, just be careful."

"Craw" the bird cried flying off into the distance.

Soon after, the attacks from the gyarados were all being fired upward.

"Ok Bellsprout, we need to hurry."

"Bell!"

The two quickly took off towards the lake.

"Spearow, it's time for phase two. Bellsprout, stun spore!"

The wind mixed with Bellsprout's powder blanketing the gyarados. The gyarados submerged themselves attempting to wash off the powder.

"Pikachu, thundershock!"

"Kachuuuuuuuu!" pikachu cried sending as much electricity as it could into the lake.

Adrian closed his eyes exhaling. A sense of relief washed over him.

"""Grrrrrrrrrrr!"""

Adrian turned to see a gyarados assaulted by electricity and leaves.

"Good going guys!" Adrian praised as the gyarados sank back into the water. He then grabbed the two pokemon and dove to the side. Turning, they saw that the ground they had been standing no longer existed.

Upon the sound of clamping teeth, the trio looked up to see Spearow flying around the gyarados that had attacked them. At the same time, more gyarados began emerging from the water.

"Bellsprout, sleep powder! Pikachu, thundershock!"

The two pokemon continued to send their attacks while dodging more fire balls.

Mean while, Adrian recalled as much as he could about gyarados while weaving in between the fire balls.

'Serpent like, strong, scary, rampage a lot, always angry... Wait always angry. This isn't a fire ball!'

"Guy's this is dragon's rage!" Adrian exclaimed his epiphany. "Spearow, mirror move! Bellsprout, use razor leaf, and create some cover."

Spearow looped in the air, engulfing itself within a fire ball before launching it at a random gyarados.

"Pikachu, thunder shock that gyarados!"

Pikachu zapped the gyarados. The process was repeated until all the gyarados rested at the bottom of the lake.

"You three take a break!" Adrian recalled his pokemon into their pokeballs.

As Adrian was putting the pokeballs away, another gyarados breached the lake water directly in front of him. Frozen, Adrian could only stare at the pokemon before him as it charged it's attack.

"Chuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

Adrian blinked, "Pikachu left it's pokeball... to protect... me."

The tiny pokemon was placing everything it had within that bolt of electricity.

Adrian then saw that some more gyarados were breaching the lake as well.

"More!" Adrian cried reaching for his other pokeballs.

"No," he stopped, "They're in pain..."

Adrian looked over to Pikachu and saw the mouse pokemon was still attacking.

"Whatever you're doing Pikachu keep it up. You are one amazing pokemon.

Pikachu stopped and pass out once the gyarados sank beneath the surface.

Adrian craddled Pikachu before walking off to find professor Oak's aid.

…..

"Oh, you've returned. Most volunteers run away."

"I wonder why…" Adrian dryly replied.\

"So, are you in need of help?"

"No, the Gyarados are resting at the bottom of lake ten. In lake seven I found a power cord from a generator in the water. The generator wasn't on the map you gave me. Bellsprout pulled out the cord and I turned off the machine."

"Well, I am impressed. Let's break for lunch and then you can start your next tasks. These will occur indoors."

…..

"Wake up, time to start working again."

"Uhhh, I'm going, I'm going." Adrian moaned.

'I guess I could call this lucky. Thomas, that aid, let me spend the night here. Professor Oak should also be returning today. I'll just stay here until he returns. I hope he doesn't get back around nine, That would make returning to academy so annoying.'

…..

"I say, what are you doing down there?"

The sudden interruption annoyed Adrian. Not bothering to turn around, he replied, "I'm looking for an escaped pokemon. She's injured and ran off before Thomas could heal her."

"Thomas ehh, anything else? What pokemon is it, where is it injured? Or do you not know?"

"Tch, after yesterday's events, I asked. All Thomas did was look at me and say, "I told you all you need to know, it's an injured pokemon. Bring her back without using her pokeball.""

"Sound like Thomas alright. Tell me, what did you mean by yesterday?"

"Oh nothing much, I only played with the Gyarados."

"Hahaha. No wonder Thomas told you his name. Your abilities as a trainer sound quite commendable."

"I didn't do anything, Pikachu saved us all!" Adrian snapped, "When that gyarados surfaced in front of us, Pikachu was the only one who acted… It was like thundershock, but stronger. Pikachu didn't have that much power before… Now you're saying I'm a commendable trainer!"

Adrian turned around shouting, "I'm worthless!"

Finished, he found himself face to face with Professor Oak. The encounter left him frozen.

"I see, yes. Well this is exactly why you're commendable. You acknowledge your pokemon by giving them credit for their actions, a clear sign of respect. Not only that, but when the Gyarados appeared, your Pikachu acted and unleashed more power than it had before, if I understand correctly. This means your Pikachu reacted to you being in danger, and became stronger just to protect you." Professor Oak then placed his hand on Adrian's shoulder and continued, "It's this bond between you and your pokemon that makes you commendable. Not your battle strategies or special talents. No, this bond that allows you to become stronger for each other is something all trainers need to be successful. Now, you were telling me that you were looking for an injured pokemon. What have you found so far?"

"R-Right, well looking at the tracks around the lab, I noticed a set that seemed strange. Like something was dragging itself along the ground."

"Good, an injured pokemon will have trouble walking and may resort to dragging it's injured half."

"Well, I didn't figure out why it was like this, but I decided to follow the tracks."

"Those are good instincts. Have you figured out what pokemon it is yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well, judging by these tracks, it's a small pokemon, walks on four legs, and has a tail. Now, by looking even closer, the prints reveal that it's a Sandshrew. I take you realize this pokemon will be startled when it see you. You must have something in mind to calm it down. Maybe something to do with that violin."

"Yes, I figured the pokemon must be frightened so I could calm it with my violin. If that doesn't work, then I could ask Bellsprout to use sleep powder."

"Excellent, you even have a backup in case your original plan doesn't work. Now, let's put it to the test."

…..

"Ahh, Professor Oak, welcome home. I see you've met Adrian, he has been quite helpful. He even brought the fossils from Bill. Here, I'll take that Sandshrew. Well then Professor, I'll leave Adrian in your care."

"Well then Adrian, come with me."

"Now tell me about yourself. But please, start by explaining your violin."

"Well, I just started training Pikachu, Bellsprout, and Spearow a few weeks ago. When I first caught them, they refused to listen to me. I'm pretty sure they hated me too... Anyway, I then met someone who taught me a trick. She said all I need to do is gain their attention. Since then, I've been playing my violin for them almost every night. So I bring it where ever we go."

"Clever, well now…"

…..

"I see, so that is what happened. I wonder if everything is interrelated and what the objective is. Adrian, I need a favor to ask of you, could you deliver these documents to Mr. Fuji in Lavender Town? I feel that any other method would be too dangerous. Plus, as a trainer, you could protect them from harm."

"Lavender town… Yes, the delivery would be my pleasure. Although, by when do you need it delivered?"

"It doesn't have to be any time soon. In fact, it would be better if you wait a week or two first."

"Perfect."

"Great, now let me see your poke-gear for a moment. I'll register my number for you. I'll call you again if I need your help."

"Please do, we would love to help out."

'This is so cool. I have both Bill's and Professor Oak's phone numbers.' Adrian silently cheered.

---

So I started a job as a tour guide. My job involves speaking about caves and driving boat that seats 20 through narrow passages. I'm starting to get it figured out and don't crash as much anymore. I've also started playing soul silver, my team includes Totadile, Leafeon, Charmander, Flygon, Beldum, and a blank space for the hm pokemon. Caught them all at level five outside new bark town. These have been the reason my writing has been a bit delayed... Until next time.