Author's Note: Sorry that it's been so long since my last update! Writer's block makes for terrible company. But here it is, the next chapter! Enjoy!
Shout-Outs: Thank you RamenKnight for your reviews! I hope that Ghost hasn't come across as freakishly big, though. But he is above average by houndour standards, as most runts usually are! And there may or may not be a benefit to this later on... ;)
Chapter Four: A New Kind of Family
The weight of the knapsack felt good on his back as Zayn stepped out of the research lab and back into the midday sun. It all still felt like a dream, and having the bag strapped securely to him and the feel of the pokédex in his pocket served as his link to the reality of it all. He was an official pokémon trainer now.
Ghost padded along next to him as they headed toward the gate to Route Four. Before he had left, one of Professor Sycamore's assistants had given him five empty pokéballs and pointed him in the direction of Santalune City. It was no more than a two days' walk, and it would be the starting point for his Kalos gym battles.
His path loomed before him as Zayn halted just before the gate opening. Beyond the cobblestone walls lay a dirt road and a sprawling forest, two stepping stones to the adventure of his lifetime. Zayn glanced over his shoulder at the city where he had spent the last four years of his life, and a moment of uncertainty took hold of him. This was the first time since his mother's death that he would set foot outside Lumiose City's walls—was he really ready for this?
Zayn shifted his gaze to Ghost, who looked back up at him with surety, and a surge of confidence rushed through him as he brushed a finger over the pokéball at his belt. He had his first pokémon and his best friend at his side, how could he not be ready?
"Well buddy," Zayn said as he adjusted the knapsack on his shoulders. "We better get going!"
The houndour let loose an excited bark and bounded ahead. Laughing, Zayn stepped onto the dirt path that led out of the city and followed the pup down the road. After all these years, his past was finally behind him.
It was nearly dark by the time the duo made it to the edge of a river that snaked through the center of the route, marking the halfway point for the first of many legs to their journey. It had been a quiet, uneventful walk, and by the last hour Zayn's legs had started to cramp up. As the sun sank lower in the sky, Zayn secured a spot next to a large boulder close to the riverbank and began to set up camp.
Or, at least, attempted to. The houndour it seemed had other plans.
"Stop!" Zayn ordered as Ghost pulled loose one of the sticks he had collected for a fire. The houndour barked and bounded to the river, the stick clenched firmly between his jowls. Zayn abandoned his unfurled bedroll and chased after the pup. "Ghost, drop it!"
Ghost stopped a few paces ahead and cocked his head to one side, his stubby tail wagging enthusiastically as Zayn crept closer. "Good boy," Zayn whispered, holding his hands up as he carefully edged nearer. "Give me the stick."
Just when he was within reach, Ghost jumped to the side and dashed back to their campsite, leaving Zayn stumbling in his wake.
"Damnit, Ghost!"
Zayn turned and started to take off after the pokémon when his foot was snagged by an upturned tree root. Losing his balance, he fell to the ground hard. "Damnit!" He beat his fists on the hard-packed earth in frustration as he forced back the tears for his throbbing chin. This was definitely not how he wanted his journey to start out!
"Squirtle?"
Surprised, Zayn looked up to see the little blue turtle standing over him, violet eyes glimmering in the fading sunlight. How did...?
His hand fiddled for the pokéball that should have been strapped to the waistline of his pants, but his fingers groped at nothing but air. A quick glance to his right revealed the red-and-white ball lying open next to him. It must've come loose when I fell!
"Squir!" Squirtle grinned and patted the top of Zayn's unruly curls, almost sympathetically, with a tiny clawed hand. Zayn blinked, confused, before he realized that the squirtle was actually asking him if he was OK.
Laughing, Zayn pushed himself to his knees and nodded. "I'm fine, thank you."
Squirtle beamed up at him. "Squirtle, squirt!"
A low rumble behind them drew his attention, and Zayn's heart sank in his chest. Ghost was standing next to their campsite, his eyes narrowed and fangs bared, the stick he had stolen during play lying forgotten at his feet. Shit...
Zayn stood up warily as Squirtle turned around and began to argue with the houndour. "Ghost," he cautioned as the two bickered back and forth, but the pup paid him no mind. He decided to try his luck with the turtle. "Squirtle, stand down!"
No response, not even an acknowledgement from either of them.
It was hopeless, Zayn realized with a sigh as both pokémon continued to argue. These two were just not going to get along. He felt completely lost in that moment. They were supposed to be a team, the three of them, and yet his pokémon could not stand the sight of each other! How was he supposed to fix this? How could he fix it?
"Trouble in paradise?"
Zayn turned at the sound of the familiar voice, a shy whisper barely audible over the quarreling pokémon. The girl from Professor Sycamore's laboratory was standing several feet behind him, both hands clutching at the satchel dangling over her shoulder as the froakie she had chosen for her starter sat next to her, surveying Zayn's bickering team with contempt.
Anger boiled under his skin, coloring his cheeks a deep red as he crossed his arms defiantly. "I have it under control." The last thing he needed was for this girl to tell him how he should run his team!
Angel pointed to the two just as Squirtle was charging at Ghost, one clawed hand extended in an attempt at a scratch. "I can see that."
Zayn turned and ducked just as a fireball blasted by him, scorching the thin tree that he had been standing next to. Damnit!
"Ghost!" He boomed as he made his way to the pokémon. "Squirtle, stop!"
He reached the two before they could retaliate, one hand clasped firmly at the scruff on the back of the houndour's neck and the other pushing against Squirtle's shelled chest. "Stop this!" Zayn roared, more forcibly than he had originally intended. But the two pokémon backed down, although they were not above exchanging icy glares as they fumed in place.
Zayn glanced back at Angel, who continued to watch him with a disturbingly judgmental sort of interest, before leaning in closer to Ghost. The houndour stared up at him, his eyes portraying an emotional mix of shame and confusion. "You can't keep doing this, buddy," Zayn murmured as he relaxed his grip. Squirtle nudged against his hand and Zayn glanced over at the turtle. "I can't do this with you two fighting like that!"
The two pokémon glanced at each other and then looked away. Zayn sighed. "This is an adventure," he said as he slowly let them go. "Our adventure! We're all in this together, whether we like it or not."
Ghost grunted, displeased, and Squirtle hissed back. Zayn felt his blood boiling again. "Get over it," he commanded, "both of you! Or I'm sticking you both in a pokéball!"
Behind him, he heard Angel tsk. Zayn whirled on her. "Why are you still here?" he hollered, fighting back the hot tears that stung at his eyes. The last thing he wanted right now was an audience; he already felt incompetent, he didn't need to be reminded of it.
Angel gazed at him pointedly before shaking her head, her crimson pigtails swaying with the motion. "A trainer who can't control his pokémon will not get very far out here." Next to her, the froakie croaked in agreement.
"I can handle my team without your help!" Zayn exclaimed, giving Ghost a sharp jab when he attempted another growl. "I have my boys under control!"
"If you insist." Angel shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave. "Just so you know, your squirtle is a female."
Zayn was about to retort, but instead he clenched his jaw. A female? He glanced down at the tiny turtle in disbelief. How did I not know?
"Before you try and act like you know what you're doing," Angel said as she bent down to pick up her froakie, "do a little research first. You might actually learn something." And with that, she disappeared into the growing darkness.
Zayn stayed crouched between his pokémon for a while longer, Angel's words echoing in his head. Do your research.
He wiped his eyes with the back of a hand and looked between Squirtle and Ghost as they stared up at him expectantly, their gazes never lingering upon the other for too long. How am I supposed to do that?
With a grunt he stood up and stretched, scratching his head as he eyed his partners warily. They remained where they sat, avoiding eye contact with one another beneath the light of the rising moon. He had to do something to stop this, and soon. "Research, huh?"
Curious, Zayn withdrew the pokédex from his pocket and pressed the button. The top half slid upward and a picture of himself appeared on the holographic center.
"Zayn Darius Harker from Lumiose City of the Kalos region," it began, the animated voice catching his pokémon's interest. "This pokédex serves as authorization that Zayn Harker is a registered pokémon trainer, as regulated by the—"
"There, you see!" Zayn interjected. Squirtle and Ghost glanced up at him. "I'm your trainer. You have to listen to me!"
Ghost barked excitedly, nudging Zayn's leg with his nose as he cast Squirtle a smug glance. Squirtle rolled her eyes and huffed, unsatisfied with this resolution. "Hey, come on!" Zayn urged. "As your trainer, it's important to me that y'all get along."
"Squirtle!" the turtle exclaimed, gesturing towards Ghost fervently. Ghost bristled and yapped back. Zayn shook his head, confused. "I don't..."
"Houndour, the Dark pokémon. Houndour travel in packs and communicate though barks in order to surround their prey," the pokédex blurted as a picture of a houndour appeared in place of Zayn's image.
Zayn grinned and turned the pokédex so that Ghost could see it. "Hear that?" Zayn asked. Ghost flicked an ear in his direction. "You're a pack pokémon! And Squirtle here," Zayn explained as he motioned towards Squirtle, "is a member of our pack now!"
Ghost snorted and shook his head. "Dour!"
"Squirtle, squirt!"
"By nature," the pokédex spoke up as the two pokémon began arguing again, "fire-types hold an aversion to water-type pokémon. The two types will almost never get along."
Zayn cursed under his breath as he turned off the pokédex and shoved it back into his pocket. "Well I'm out of ideas, here!" Disgruntled, he held up Squirtle's pokéball. "Return, Squirtle." He then glared at Ghost, who gazed up at him, tongue lolling out of his mouth in what Zayn could only assume to be the pup's attempt at a grin.
"This is not going to continue," he told the houndour. "Eventually you'll have to learn to get along."
"Houndour!" Ghost barked, wagging his stubby tail.
Zayn rolled his eyes and walked back to the campsite. It was already dark, he was sore and hungry, and his pokémon absolutely hated each other. What more could go wrong on this journey?
{{{{-]-]-]-]-][-][-[-[-[-[-}}}}
He had not slept well.
The ground beneath his bedroll was hard on his back, causing him to toss and turn throughout the night in hopes of finding comfort, and there were too many sounds in the surrounding forests. As morning broke, Zayn yawned and reluctantly opened his eyes, feeling more exhausted than when he had fallen asleep. A glance to the left of the charred fire pit told him that Ghost had not found any trouble sleeping at all.
Stifling another yawn, Zayn sat up and stretched. Ghost stirred from his slumber, and together they ate some prepackaged breakfast sandwiches and gathered up their supplies. "If we start early," Zayn explained as he rolled up his bedroll, "then we'll make great time getting to Santalune."
"Hou!" Ghost barked in agreement.
After splashing his face in the river Zayn changed out of his pajamas and, shouldering his knapsack, kicked loose the pile of sticks he had burned for a fire and started back to the road. His first night out in the world had left many thoughts running through his mind. Namely, he concerned himself with how he was going to get Ghost and Squirtle to work together.
"I know y'all don't get along," Zayn mused aloud as his houndour padded next to him. "But this adventure is important to me, Ghost." He ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch. "I know it's been just you and me since..." His voice trailed off as he glanced down at the studded leather band strapped to his wrist. Since the train station...
Stubbornly, he shook his head. "But that won't be enough to get us very far," he continued as they trudged through the thicket. "We have to rely on our team, buddy. We're not alone anymore."
Ghost sneezed as he looked up at Zayn, his yellow eyes meeting the trainer's, and for a moment Zayn thought he saw understanding in the pup's gaze. And in the next second, that moment was gone as Ghost averted his gaze and narrowed his eyes, a deep rumble rising in his throat as he took a cautionary step forward.
Zayn rolled his eyes, defeated. "Why do I even bother?"
But then, he heard what Ghost was hearing.
Shouts and cheers reverberated off the surrounding trees, seemingly coming from every direction. "What the—?"
And then Ghost was off, bolting down the path ahead of them with a yap. It took Zayn a while to catch up, jumping over fallen tree limbs and crashing through thorny bushes, all the while praying that he did not trip over himself.
"What the Hell, Ghost!" he exclaimed once he emerged through the trees and into a small clearing. It wasn't like the houndour to run off like that. But as Zayn looked up, he immediately understood why.
A small crowd was gathered around the edge of the clearing, whooping and cheering as two kids stepped into the center. Zayn recognized the overly-energetic Harry as one of those kids, his fists pumping excitedly in the air as he worked himself up, but the other kid was a stranger to him.
"What's going on?" Zayn wondered as he watched the two boys exchange words. Ghost sat down next to him, observing the commotion with interest.
"It's a pokémon battle."
Zayn turned to see an older girl of about seventeen standing next to him, her blonde hair sweeping well past her shoulders. She was clad in a purple-and-white swirled tank top that stood out boldly in contrast to her pale skin, slim-fitting jeans and plain white sneakers. Strapped behind her was a dark purple backpack, and around her waist was a white belt with a pokéball hooked in place. The thin silver watch around her right wrist shimmered in the morning sun, and her chocolate brown eyes reminded Zayn of the playful skiddos that frequented the streets of Lumiose City.
When he didn't respond, she turned to look at him. "Haven't you seen one before?"
"O-of course I have!" Zayn blurted, turning away so she would not see the blush that colored his cheeks. "I've actually been in some."
She glanced down at Ghost and tsked. "Illegally, I bet. I wouldn't go around bragging about that if I were you. People might call you a cheat."
"How would you know?" Zayn shot back, slipping the knapsack off his shoulder and sitting on the ground next to his houndour.
The girl took a seat next to him, indifferent to his change in tone. "Because a houndour isn't a starter pokémon, which tells me that you weren't a trainer when you two battled. Illegally."
"What are you, a cop?" Zayn crossed his arms. "Besides, how d'you know I'm not a trainer from somewhere else?" He cast her a sidelong glance in time to see her raise an eyebrow.
"You're kidding, right?"
"Let's do this!" Harry's shrill statement cut through the tension between Zayn and the girl like a knife, drawing their attention back towards the center of the clearing. Ghost's ears perked up as the other boy, a tall kid with broad shoulders and thick shaggy brown hair, smirked and tossed out a pokéball.
When the red light subsided, an orange reptilian pokémon with a small flame burning at the end of its slender tail blinked and gazed back at its trainer. Zayn sat forward, digging out his pokédex. "What pokémon is that?"
Next to him, the girl tsked again and muttered under her breath, "Newbie."
"Charmander, the Lizard pokémon," the pokédex stated as Zayn held up the screen. "Charmander's health can be gauged by the fire on the tip of its tail, which burns intensely when it's in good health."
Zayn lowered the encyclopedia and turned his gaze to the charmander's trainer. "So he must be one of the other starters, then."
"His name's Jared," the girl informed him, hugging her knees as she leaned back against a tree. "His cousin's the champion of Sinnoh, I think. At least that's what he says." She shrugged. "I guess we'll see how good he is pretty soon."
Zayn glanced over to where the two onlookers were standing. The one with the crimson pigtails and the gray vest he recognized as Angel. He gestured to the other stranger. "So who is she?"
The girl shook her head and pressed a finger to her lips. "Introductions after. The battle's about to start."
Zayn looked down at Ghost as he leaned up against his knapsack. This is good, he thought as Harry sent out his chespin. These are my rivals, we need to study their battle styles.
"Alright, Rook, let's take him down with Tackle!" Harry hollered.
His chespin, Rook, glanced back at its trainer nervously. "Pin..."
The girl leaned into Zayn as Harry urged his pokémon on. "That poor chespin doesn't stand a chance," she commented as Rook hesitantly lowered its head and charged at the charmander, the spikes on the shell around its face stiffening to deadly points.
"What d'ya mean?" Zayn asked, his eyes never wavering from the battle. The charmander narrowly dodged the incoming blow, pivoting on its clawed feet to deliver a forceful Scratch as the chespin struggled to regain his balance. The attack glanced harmlessly off of Rook's green shell.
The girl shrugged. "It's fire against grass. Generally, fire will win."
Zayn remained silent as he glanced at Ghost. We've beaten those odds before, he smirked to himself as he stroked the houndour's scarred back. Ghost wagged his stubby tail at the affection. We've beaten a lot of odds together.
"I'm Morgen by the way," the girl said, interrupting his thoughts as she extended a hand. "Morgen Gedeon."
Zayn shook her hand, his eyes still fixated on the battle. "Zayn Harker."
"Charmander, intimidate him with Growl!" Jared ordered, his voice surprisingly deep for a kid his age.
The orange salamander planted its feet firmly on the ground, narrowing its blue eyes as it let loose a tiny roar at the chespin. Rook visibly shuddered and stumbled a few paces back, shaking its armored head and muttering wildly at Harry. Next to Zayn, Morgen tsked. "The poor thing doesn't even want to battle."
Harry pointed at the chespin as he shouted more commands. "Tackle again, Rook! Hit him hard!"
Rook chittered angrily at the young boy, defiant, while the charmander scratched its head and glanced at its trainer uncertainly. On the other side of the makeshift battlefield, Jared laughed. "Give up yet, kid?"
Harry waved a fist in his direction, just as defiant as his chespin. "You kidding? We're just getting warmed up!"
From their spot on the sidelines Ghost barked unexpectedly, drawing all eyes toward them for a brief moment. "Hey!" Zayn hissed, blushing as he flicked the houndour's ear. "None of that!" Across the clearing, he saw Angel shake her head and his blush deepened as their conversation from last night replayed in his mind. "A trainer who can't control his pokémon..."
"Hey, Zayn!" Zayn looked up to see Harry waving enthusiastically at him. "I'll take you on after I whip this guy!"
Zayn sighed. Was this kid ever not excited?
Morgen bumped his shoulder, smirking as the battle resumed, much to Rook's reluctance. "Gotta admire the kid's confidence."
Zayn nodded, patting Ghost's head as the houndour lay next to him. "How'd he even get his license, anyway?" he asked. "Don't you have to be at least sixteen?"
Morgen shrugged. "The League can grant special permissions if the proper forms are filled out and the right fees are paid. You also have to get two recommendations from people other than your parents, like a teacher or something." She glanced at Zayn. "It's all in your pokédex."
Zayn turned his gaze back to the battle, watching as Harry flailed his arms and barked a string of commands at Rook. "Maybe his parents couldn't take his enthusiasm?"
"Dodge his attack, Charmander!" Jared hollered, interrupting their conversation as the chespin charged at Charmander again. Charmander jumped to the right, pivoted, and then leaped into the air. "Knock him out with Ember!"
The salamander's tail blazed intensely as Charmander released a spray of red-hot flames from its mouth. The unsuspecting chespin turned a second too soon as the blast smacked it square in the chest, sending it flying backwards.
"Rook!" Harry shouted as he ran to his fallen pokémon's side, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose as he knelt down. "You did good," he whispered as he scooped up the chespin in his arms. He then glanced up at Jared and smirked. "We'll be ready next time!"
Jared scratched his head as he returned his charmander back to its pokéball. "Sure, kid," he muttered as he fiddled with a pendant dangling loosely from his neck. "Next time."
"Well!" Morgen exclaimed as she pushed herself to her feet. "That's enough excitement for one morning."
Zayn stood up, stretched, and picked up his knapsack. The sun was climbing higher in the sky, and he still had a long trek to Santalune City. Turning to Morgen, he nodded as he shouldered his bag. "It was nice meeting you, but I should get going." Next to him, Ghost whimpered.
Morgen raised a brow and motioned to the group as they gathered their things. "We're all headed the same way, Harker," she said as she slung her backpack over one shoulder. "Might as well travel together."
Zayn shook his head. He never did well in a big crowd of people; it was uncomfortable for him. "I'd rather travel alone, it's eas—"
"Do you know what they call trainers who start in the fall?"
Zayn turned as Jared strolled up, his hazel eyes flicking between him and Morgen. He was a tall kid, dressed in a plain orange t-shirt and loose-fitting jeans with brown hiking boots strapped to his feet and a silver charizard pendant hanging around his neck.
Angel and the other girl stepped forward, forming a semicircle around him.
"They call us Fail Starters," Harry piped up, adjusting the straps of his backpack as he hugged Rook to his chest. "As in, most of us who start this late are going to fail."
I don't plan on that, Zayn thought as he glanced down at Ghost. The houndour returned his gaze, head cocked to one side as he waited for Zayn's next move. They'll only bring us down.
"Look, you can do what you want," Angel remarked, drawing Zayn's attention. "We're all rivals here, there's no illusions to that. We're also the last ones of the year to start our journey. Everyone expects us to fail. We might all stay together, or we might eventually go our separate ways." She shrugged. "Either way, we all have the same goal: to win."
The girl next to Angel nodded and shot Zayn a toothy grin. Her wavy ginger hair was tucked neatly beneath a bandana as blue as her eyes, and the sleeveless blue-and-white striped top she wore brought out the freckles that were specked across her cheeks. "I wasn't too fond of the idea either," she explained. "But the way I see it, we're all stuck with this sort of stigma hanging over our heads. The best way to overcome it, I think, is to help build each other up. We have a long way to go to catch up with the spring and summer starters, and six heads gotta be better than one, right?"
Morgen nodded. "I agree with Pepper, here." The redhead shot her an icy glare—"It's Iona!"—but Morgen waved it off. "We're all like one big family! Think about it, kid. Where else will you find both your main competition and your biggest support group?"
Zayn sighed. He really didn't want to travel with a group, this was never how he envisioned his journey going. I can't be slowed down, he reminded himself. But then a small voice in the back of his mind, no louder than a tiny echo, spoke up. Would it be so bad?
After several moments in silence, Zayn finally nodded. "OK," he mumbled. "I'll tag along."
Grinning, Morgen thumped his shoulder with her fist. "Well, Harker, welcome to the Sensational Six!"
"We never agreed on a group name," Jared interjected, strolling next to Morgen as they headed out of the clearing.
"I thought we were going to be called something cool, like Fall Winners!" Harry beamed as he stumbled after them, tousling an unconscious Rook around in his arms.
Giving Zayn another nod, Iona trailed after them. "We're not naming ourselves, that's just weird!" she exclaimed as she bounded after the trio.
Before turning to leave, Angel looked Zayn up and down, her brown eyes glowing with a curious interest. "You still have a lot to learn," she said, her voice low as she studied him. "I hope this group can help with that. I'd like to see what you might be capable of when push comes to shove."
Zayn hung back for a while, watching as Angel disappeared behind the tree line. He had never heard of rival trainers traveling together, but then he was new to this—to all of it. With one last look around the clearing, Zayn beckoned to Ghost and together they set out to rejoin their unusual acquaintances. What did I just get myself in to?