The sun took its time in its descent from the sky. Light was not a problem for the group of humans and Pokémon in the woods. A fire was crackling merrily beneath the trees, giving off enough light for the nine creatures to see what they were doing. A low whimper came from one as two of its friends picked thorns from its fur.
"Ugh... I hate bug types," Callum groaned. "Why do they always pick on me?"
"You are a dark type, so they are more likely to attack a Pokémon of your type than a type like Pyro," Animus responded through a telepathic link. Daren and Naomi grinned at this, as they also shared the link with the Abra.
After fighting with Team Magma the group decided to train in Petalburg Woods. Daren's Pokémon and Pyro were the ones fighting, while Tide listened from sidelines in an attempt to pick up some battle techniques. They soon realized that Naomi's only partner was Animus. He didn't like to fight, and Naomi didn't force him to. He preferred to give advice to those who were battling, which was often useful. After several gruelling hours and many defeated wilds, they set up camp for the night.
"Do you think we'll ever understand Sam?" Daren asked suddenly, picking another green thorn from his Mightyena's hide. Naomi looked up, confused by this sudden question.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Daren shot a glance over to where Sam had been sitting. The scarred boy was nowhere to be found. Pyro and Draco were also absent. He figured that they were going off to find some more firewood or something.
"The kid claims to not be a trainer, yet he was the one who suggested we train," Daren explained. "I don't get him. He doesn't have a set personality."
"I'd put that on the concussion," Naomi said, scraping off more of the barbs. "People who suffer from concussions tend to experience mood changes and complete personality changes. As for the sudden urge to train his Pokémon, I think that comes from the ability to communicate with his partners."
"How do you figure?" Daren rested his arm on his knee and started at the redhead.
"He can talk to his partners like they're people," Naomi began. "That builds a whole new level of friendship when you can talk to your Pokémon like equals. Knowing their names made you closer to your Pokémon, didn't it?"
"Yeah, you're right," Daren agreed and resumed picking out spikes. "I've been travelling with them for two years and Sam comes along and tells me their names on his first day. I'm not going to lie; I am a bit jealous of his ability. I wish I could talk to them."
"You do realize he nearly died to receive his power, right?" Naomi reminded him. "You think you'd want those scars on his face and brain?"
"You know what I mean..." Daren mumbled and checked Callum's fur for anymore spikes. He couldn't find anymore and told the Mightyena the good news. His Pokémon stood up and stretched, satisfied that it was no longer in pain. He gave his trainer an affectionate lick and joined Marla, who was chatting with the blind Magikarp.
Daren was just about to relax when a yelp of pain came from deep in the woods. Panic rose inside of him, but it disappeared as he heard laughter shortly after. He laid back in the grass and began to wonder how much of a stronger bond he would have with his partners if he had Sam's powers.
"How did you manage to do that?"
Pyro's face was burning in embarrassment as Sam and Draco continued to laugh at his accident. His trainer was crouched by the Charmander, examining the fire type's paw. It was bleeding from the cut that ran across the length his palm, which Pyro had cut when he fell on an exposed rock. Normally, a cut like that wouldn't be a problem, but this one was filled with dirt and other rubbish, which posed a threat of infection.
"My foot got tangled in a bush," Pyro mumbled, hating the taunts. "it could've happened to you too."
"Yeah, but it didn't, which makes it so much funnier," Draco said, chuckling a bit which caused the firewood they had put on his back to wobble dangerously. Sam had stopped laughing, though the grin that remained on his face showed that he really wanted to continue.
"Come on, it's not that bad, you big wuss," Sam said while standing up. "We got enough wood for now so we can head back to camp. Maybe you can get Marla to clean you cut."
"Hell no!" Pyro exclaimed. "There is no way I'm telling her what happened so she can taunt me. She does enough of that as it is."
"Then I'll just tell her for you!" Draco yelled and broke out into a run.
"Draco, don't run!" Sam shouted, "We'll lose all the firewood!"
The Shelgon whined a bit, but listened to Sam and skidded to a stop.
"How come I got the job to carry all the wood?" he complained as they trotted through the woods.
"You got that job because you don't have any hands to pick it up," Pyro explained in a mocking tone. Draco glared at him but didn't respond. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the campsite. The Shelgon shrugged the wood on his back onto the ground in a heap.
"Hey, Marla!" he called out to the water type. She looked over at them. "Pyro has a boo-boo and wants you to clean it for him."
Pyro was wearing the most horrified expression as soon as the words came out of Draco's mouth. His shock quickly turned to anger and he punched the Shelgon before it could get away. However, the damage was done and Marla was already making her way over to him, a wide grin on her face.
"What did you do now?" Marla scolded. Pyro groaned and held up his injured hand, "Wow. That's what you were complaining about? How did you even manage to do that?"
"I tripped and fell. I swear, there must've been a knife hidden in the grass to slice my hand open like this," Pyro protested, but the bigger water type didn't buy it. Still giggling, she sat the Charmander down and shot a jet of water into the wound.
Sam didn't watch his Pokémon howl in pain and instead walked over to his other human companions.
"You guys turning in for the night?" he asked. He was answered with a yawn from Daren and an already snoring Naomi.
"I think she answers that question," Daren said with a chuckle. Sam smiled unrolled his sleeping bag onto the grass.
This would be his first night sleeping under the stars in his whole life. He was always kind of a shut in, never liking to go outside much. Most of his days were filled with video games and TV. His dad wanted to take him camping, but always turned down the offers.
He rested his head on his bag so it acted like a pillow and tried observed the night sky. It wasn't long before Pyro joined him. The Charmander curled into a little ball next to him and fell asleep instantly. Tide was with Marla, both of whom were snoring peacefully on the other side of the clearing.
Sam quickly checked around and noticed that everyone but him was passed out. He closed his eyes and tried to follow their example. However, no matter how hard he tried, his brain refused to shut down. That was odd. He was drained from the day of hiking and his body was pleading for some rest. Why was unable to fall asleep in an instant like he used to.
He remembered the nights after the initial concussion. Most of them he had the same problem, including the night before he started the journey. The only real nights of rest he had gotten since then was when he had been knocked out cold and after being sick on the first day. Maybe his sleeplessness had something to do with the injury. He resolved to ask Naomi in the morning.
Sam stared at the night sky and began to count the stars. Like counting sheep, he figured it would help him get to sleep. That didn't work and he just closed his eyes, hoping that he would just fall into a slumber.
"Get up," said a voice, followed by a weak kick to Pyro's ribs. He opened his eyes, squinting in the bright morning daylight. It was cool, but a little cold never bothered the Charmander.
"Sam, it's the crack of dawn," he mumbled, rolling back over. "We can sleep some more."
"Just get your lazy ass up," Sam said again, kicking his first Pokémon a little harder.
"Screw you," Pyro growled, sitting up to glare at his trainer. Sam glared right back at him. He was in worse shape than his partners, and he didn't even fight. His face was weary, bags under his eyes and the eyes themselves were bloodshot. He walked away before Pyro could do anything.
"What's wrong with Sam?" Tide said from the ground. "He sounded grumpier than yesterday."
"I don't know. You see anything wrong with his face? You know, other than the scars?"
"Pyro?"
"Yeah."
"You do remember that I'm blind, right?"
Pyro looked at the Magikarp with disgust. The water type's milky blue eyes didn't notice his hateful glare. Why would Sam let such a weak Pokémon like Tide join the team? It seemed like an insult to the Charmander, who had so much more potential than the blind fish.
"You coming or what?" Sam shouted from across the campsite. Only then did Pyro notice that everyone else was awake and mostly ready. Daren was double checking his supplies while his team goofed around, Naomi was having a chat with Animus and Sam was covering the remains of the fire.
"Come on, let's go!" Tide said, wiggling slightly with excitement. Then again, all he could do was wiggle slightly. "It's a new day and a new adventure!"
Pyro rolled his eyes at the Magikarp's happy tone. He started to walk away when Tide called out to him.
"Uh, can you carry me?" he asked, sounding a little embarrassed.
"Are you serious?" Pyro questioned, hating the water type more and more.
"I can't walk," Tide mumbled. Pyro stared at him incredulously before groaning and picking the smaller Pokémon up. He carried him over to the group, which went unnoticed by everyone except Sam.
"Oh, thanks, Pyro," he said, holding out his arms for Tide. Pyro threw the water type into Sam's chest, causing the human to stumble back. The Charmander stomped off, leaving Sam confused and a little angry.
"What was that all about?" he wondered.
"Have you not noticed that Pyro is kind of mean?" Tide answered.
Sam looked down at the Pokémon in his arms, then up to the Charmander waiting by a tree. "No, I am well aware of that fact."
"Is everyone ready to go?" Daren shouted. He was fully supplied and ready to go. Everyone murmured in agreement. "Alright then. Let's get started."
He trekked off into the bush, his Pokémon following closely behind. Pyro shot Sam a resentful glare and followed Daren. Sam looked down at Tide, and then back up at the rest of the group. He had a long, restless night, and was tired from the past few days. Something told him that this day was also going to be as tiring as the day before. Not wanting to get left behind, Sam ran to catch up with his new friends.
After many hours of walking and fighting wild Pokémon, the group finally cleared the forest and found an asphalt road. A few kilometres away, they could see the skyline of Rustburo peeking above the tree line. The weary group stepped onto the road and resumed their journey to the city, fueled by the prospect of a goodnight's sleep.
Unknown to them, a figure clad in black watched from bushes. Dark sunglasses and a black cap covered most of his face. He held a two-way radio in one hand, next to his mouth.
"Target had been spotted," he whispered into the mic. "Awaiting orders."
The other end crackled to life in a small burst of static. "Collect the package at all costs," said a gruff voice, distorted by the radio. "Use any force necessary."
"Roger that. Rocket one, out."
The man put the radio in his back pocket. The boss said any force necessary. He grinned at the thought and melted into the shadows.
A/N: sorry for the long wait and measly chapter. I've been spending most of my time on my other stories, because I kinda got writer's block on this one. The last chapter I literally wrote in a day, yet this one took me over two months.