Ryder finished wrapping Pikachu's torso up in bandages and giving him a few Sitrus berries to help with the pain. Buneary nuzzled him lovingly, hoping it would help. It didn't help much, but he enjoyed the affection from her.
Ryder placed his med kit away and pulled his hood down. "I suggest you don't do too much moving for a while. You got pretty banged up back there."
Pikachu chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, not my best move. But I'm just glad all of you are doing fine." They smiled. He then frowned. "I just hope the others are doing alright…"
Ryder narrowed his eyes in concern for his friend, then offered a friendly smile. "Hey, I'm sure they're doing alright. They obviously haven't been captured yet, which is impressive on its own. We just need to stay positive." Pikachu smiled.
"Thanks." He glanced at his egg, which Buneary held in her lap. "Can I hold it?" She smiled and handed it to him. He cradled it in his arms, making sure not to hold it too close to his chest. "I still can't believe you brought it here…" He didn't sound mad, just disappointed.
She frowned. "I'm sorry…I didn't know what I was thinking. I was worried about you, but I didn't want to miss our egg hatching…it was a very emotional day for all of us yesterday."
He placed his arm around her. "Hey, don't let it bring you down. We've both made mistakes before. Our egg is still alright and that's all that matters." She smiled and nodded.
Ryder smiled at the mates, then frowned. He pulled out the picture of him, Ryan, and Jade. Seeing those two together made him miss his girlfriend even more. He could feel tears brimming in his eyes. How he missed them so much…
Piplup looked over his shoulder. "Whatcha' looking at?"
He nearly fell over and dropped the picture. "Uh, uh…it's nothing!"
The penguin smirked at his erratic behavior. Whatever it was, it must be good. "Come on, let me see!" He reached over his shoulder to grab the picture.
Ryder held it away from him and pushed him back. "I said it's nothing!"
"If it's nothing, why don't you want me looking at it?" He jumped over him to swipe it away, but he grabbed him and carefully pinned him to the ground with one arm.
"I just don't want you to see it, that's all!" He felt the picture slip from between his claws. "Hey!"
Oshawott held it in front of his eyes and examined it. "Let's see…whoa!" Ryder released Piplup with a defeated sigh.
The others, minus Pikachu, looked over his shoulder to see. In the photo was a teenager, possible young adult, with messy, dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a kind hearted smile. He wore a white t-shirt, brown jacket, black pants with two large pockets on the side, and black boots. The Pokémon next to them was a shiny Flaaffy, leaning against Ryder.
"Whoa! Who's the Flaaffy?" Piplup asked, greatly interested.
"My girlfriend…" Ryder answered with a warning growl.
The penguin suddenly felt cold. "Uh…she seems nice!" he nervously exclaimed.
He sighed and took the picture back. Buneary asked, "Was that your trainer?"
He stuffed the photo away. "Yes…Ryan Hayashi. He taught me a lot about fighting, in ways that Pokémon don't normally use." He walked over to his cabinets. "He taught me martial arts, weapon usage…even aura."
"He sounds like an awesome trainer!" Piplup exclaimed.
He chuckled. "Trust me…he can be a pain when he wants to be. His training methods were either crazy or painful. Sometimes both."
"Yikes…" Pikachu commented. "Glad Ash's training isn't like that."
"We went on a lot of journeys together. Met a lot of Pokémon that soon became our teammates and family." He smiled. "Techno, Slick, Tsunami…Jade…" He shook his head, feeling tears in his eyes again. "Anyway, you all want to know about my history?"
"More than that, actually," Buneary spoke up. "I would like to hear about your family."
"And I want to know why you know so much about Pikachu," Snivy asked with a suspicious expression.
Pikachu blinked in confusion. "Okay, what the heck did I miss while I was gone?"
Oshawott explained, "When he was interrogating that imposter, he asked a bunch of stuff about you, stuff even we didn't know. Like about Ash, your favorite food, even a gym battle of yours…"
This made the mouse curious as he looked at Ryder. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Right…I have some explaining to do about that part…"
Before he could explain, Piplup decided to come to his own conclusion. "I know! You're spying on Pikachu for some sort government experiment, aren't you?!"
Silence filled the room as they stared at the penguin with blank expressions. Snivy face-palmed and gestured to the agent. "Continue."
He nodded and sat down. "When I was younger…I used to live in Professor Oak's lab. A lot of people didn't want to pick me because…well, I was incredibly shy and timid back then."
To say everyone was surprised is an understatement. "YOU used to be shy?" Oshawott exclaimed.
He rubbed his head. "Still kind of am, but yeah." Pikachu scratched his head, feeling this sounded familiar to him. "I didn't get along well with the other Pokémon. I usually just hung out in the lab, watching TV. I've lived there for many, many months, wondering when someone would choose me."
Buneary frowned. "You had no friends?"
He shook his head. "I had one. A Pikachu who…didn't particularly trust humans at the time."
The mouse's eyes widened. Come to think of it, he did know a shy Charmander during his time at Oak's lab. And…he never did get along with humans during that time. But, did that mean…
"You're…that Charmander?" he asked cautiously.
He smiled. "Yep…"
The others were in stunned silence. Pikachu stared with widened eyes, with a feeling similar to the brain giving up on a complicated puzzle and drifting off. He can't believe he was actually talking to an old friend of his from the past. It was unreal. How couldn't he have known? Then again, it has been so long. He completely forgot that Charmander he knew had the same green eyes as him.
Piplup broke the silence. "Hold up! You knew Pikachu?"
He nodded. "He was like me. Didn't like talking to anyone. We became friends rather quickly from that fact alone."
"I can't believe it's really you…" Pikachu was still in shock. "I thought I'd never see you again, but this…this is incredible…" He shook his head, trying to calm himself down.
Snivy crossed her arms. "How did you two meet?"
Pikachu scratched his head. "You know…I can't really remember. It was so long ago." He looked at Ryder for an answer.
"I found Pikachu in a storm, being attacked by a…wild Pokémon." Snivy noticed that he hesitated on 'wild'. "I brought him back to Oak's lab. Oak said he suffered a case of memory loss. I tried asking him where he came from, but…"
"I didn't have the slightest clue," he finished. "I didn't know why I was even near the lab. Pikachu don't normally like going near humans."
"It was a mystery for all of us."
Buneary tilted her head. "Well, what attacked him?"
Ryder looked away, not sure he should tell them exactly what he saw. "Um…I'll get to that soon." Snivy narrowed her eyes. He was hiding something.
"Still, it's incredible that I get to see you again!" Pikachu exclaimed happily. Then he frowned. "But…what happened after all these years? How'd you go from that shy Charmander I knew into…this?"
He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. It would be next to impossible to find the other Pokémon after the condition Dark Pikachu left him in. Still, if they managed to hold out for this long, he was sure they could hold out for a bit longer. Besides, he needed to get some things that were bothering him off his chest. "How about we start from the beginning?"
*Flashback*
Charmander rocked back and forth excitedly as he watched the battle unfold on TV. The two competitors, a Blastoise and a Rhydon, were incredibly strong. But, of course, the Blastoise got the upper hand and took its opponent down.
"Woohoo! Yeah!" he cheered, falling back on his back.
Pikachu, sitting next to him, rolled his eyes. "You get way too excited over this stuff."
He sat up and rubbed his head. "Sorry, I can't help myself. It's just so cool watching these Pokémon battling each other. Their trainers and them act like they're in sync with each other."
He shook his head. "Well, just calm down. I don't feel like getting your head bandaged up after last time."
"How was I supposed to know I was that close to the edge?" he asked innocently. Pikachu smirked and shook his head again.
Oak came to the back with bowls of Poke Food. "Ah, there you two are. Lunch is ready." Pikachu looked away with a huff. The professor sighed. "Pikachu, you are going to have to warm up to people eventually."
Rather than acknowledge his statement, he took his bowl from him and ate with his back turned. Charmander and Oak looked at each other and sighed.
They heard a knock on the front door. Oak frowned a bit. "Oh boy, that must be a new trainer." Recently, two trainers got their starters, a Squirtle and a Bulbasaur. As usual, they weren't too interested in Charmander because he was too nervous to even look at them. "You two eat up while I greet them." He walked off to the front.
Charmander rubbed his chin and jumped off the table, prompting Pikachu to raise a brow. "What are you doing?"
"I just want to see who this new trainer is. It's only for a minute." He quietly walked into the lab. Pikachu shook his head and decided to follow him.
They peeked from behind a door and watched as Oak let the trainer in. A young teen with messy brown hair, blue eyes, white long sleeve shirt, black vest, jeans, and black boots. This confused the two Pokémon as they were used to seeing ten year olds entering the lab. This guy looked about thirteen.
"Well, I assume you're finally ready to start off on your journey?"
The teen nodded. "Yes sir."
"I'm surprised you didn't start earlier. You were eligible to become a trainer at ten years old."
"I'm aware of that, sir. But my grandfather wanted to give me some training before I headed off. He knows how dangerous the world is, so he only wanted me to be safe."
He nodded. "Understandable. You really look up to him."
He ran his hand through his hair. "When, he is my legal guardian." He sighed a bit sadly.
Oak frowned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, don't worry." He shook his head and smiled. "A-Anyway, I want to get started on my journey as soon as possible. So, where are the starters?"
Oak bit his lip. "Oh, uh…about that…"
"Is…something wrong?"
He sighed. "I'm sorry Ryan, but all we have left for a starter Pokémon is a Charmander, and he has been here for months."
"What?" He briefly glanced toward the door, which he was sure just closed by itself.
"Yes. He's really shy. A lot of trainers felt he wouldn't be good enough as a partner. Poor thing has lost a lot of confidence in himself."
Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Not good enough, huh? I'll be the judge of that."
"If you say so. Charmander, can you come out here, please?"
The timid Charmander shook behind the door, worried about meeting the trainer. What if he didn't like him? It'll just be another disappointed trainer as usual. He probably can't handle another round of rejection. He'll be stuck in this lab forever…not a particularly bad thing, but still.
Just as he looked like he was about to run away, Pikachu stopped him. "Don't you want to meet him?"
Usually Pikachu was against humans, so this was pretty surprising. He replied, "What if he doesn't like me?"
The mouse rolled his eyes. "Oh please, didn't you hear him? He obviously wants to give you a chance."
"But…"
He grabbed his shoulders and looked him right in the eyes. "Listen Char, you and I both know I don't trust humans. But you do. And, while I think the idea of being with a trainer is kind of stupid, that doesn't mean I want you to miss on this chance. Now, go out there and introduce yourself!"
He stared at his friend with a surprised expression. After taking in his words, along with some calming breaths, he opened the door and walked into the lab with his head down, trying to avoid eye contact.
Ryan looked at Oak. "Is this the Charmander?" He nodded. The teen smiled. "Cool." He crouched down. "Hey there, little guy."
Charmander squeaked and jumped away. "Ch…Char…(H…Hi…)"
He chuckled. "I'm not going to hurt you, don't worry." He slowly reached his hand out, trying not to spook him. Charmander backed away a bit, but stopped after a few steps. Ryan reached for his neck and gave him a little scratch. The lizard's eyes widened a bit before he closed them and smile, letting the teen scratch him affectionately. "See? Told you."
Oak was impressed. "Hmm, he doesn't normally allow people to touch him."
"I worked a bit on my cousin's egg farm over my summers. I have some experience with timid Pokémon."
"I'm sorry he's the only choice you have."
Ryan smiled. "That's okay, Oak. This little guy is perfect." Charmander looked up at him in surprise. "He looks strong, determine, loyal, he is perfect."
The young lizard couldn't believe what he was hearing. That's the nicest thing any trainer has ever said to him. Unable to contain himself, he let some tears loose as he jumped up and hugged him. Ryan chuckled and hugged him back.
Oak smiled. "I assume you made your decision?"
"Oh yeah!"
"Well, that's good. Let's get you your Pokedex."
Ryan set Charmander down. The lizard looked at Pikachu with a grin, but frowned when he saw his sad expression. He walked over to him and said, "Um…guess I'll be leaving."
He sighed. "Y-Yeah…going to miss you."
Charmander gave an uneasy grin. "Hey, maybe I could visit sometime…"
Pikachu shook his head. "No…this is what you wanted. Don't let my feelings interfere with yours. You wanted to go on a journey. I'll be fine here."
"You sure?"
He nodded. "Who knows? Maybe I'll eventually warm up to humans. Maybe I'll get a trainer. Again, who knows?" He hesitantly hugged him. "Take care, Char."
He hugged back. "Later, Pik."
They hugged for a few moments, unaware that Ryan and Oak were watching, making sure not to interrupt them. They eventually pulled back, with Charmander walking towards Ryan, giving Pikachu one last look. He smiled and waved him goodbye. He smiled back and waved as well.
Ryan picked him up and placed him on his shoulder. "Thank you, Professor Oak."
He nodded. "Take care, Ryan."
They walked out of the lab, with Charmander giving one last wave to Oak and Pikachu. Charmander sighed sadly, something Ryan noticed.
"Hey, cheer up. We'll visit the lab again. Not sure when, but I promise you we will." He smiled at his trainer. He rubbed his chin. "You know what? You need a proper name. One that suits you. Calling you Charmander seems kind of standard. I want you to be special."
He did like the idea of having a name. With a happy tail wag, he cheered, "Char, Charmander! (Yeah, that sounds great!)"
Ryan smiled. "Great." He rubbed his chin. "Now, what exactly should we call you?" He rubbed his head, trying to come up with a good name. One name in particular came to mind. He liked the sound of it. "How about…Ryder?"
Charmander pondered the name in his mind. Ryder had a nice ring to it. He smiled and nodded. "Char! (Yeah!)"
Ryan chuckled. "Ryder it is."
Ryder screamed in pain as he was being crushed by Onix's Bind attack. The gym leader, Brock, watched with an expressionless face while Ryan stared with worry. Watching his poor Pokémon being hurt like this was horrible.
"Please, stop! You're hurting him!" Ryan begged. Brock looked up at his Onix and nodded. Onix released the Charmander from his bind and let him drop. Ryan dashed over and caught him. "Ryder!"
"I suggest you get him to a Pokémon Center," Brock advised.
Ryan glared at the gym leader. "This isn't over…" He carried his injured partner out of the gym and straight to the Pokémon Center.
An hour past for Ryan as he waited worriedly in the waiting area. He should have known bringing a Fire-Type to a Rock-Type battle was a bad idea. He just wished he realized that sooner. Heck, there was a Water-Type gym after this one! How were they going to counter that?!
He heard the sliding doors open and saw Ryder being wheeled out by a Chansey and Nurse Joy. "All done. Ryder should be good to go with some bed rest."
He sighed with relief. "Thank you, Nurse Joy." He picked up Ryder, who looked a little glum. "Hey buddy, it's just one loss. We'll win next time." This didn't help the Charmander's mood. Ryan sighed and thanked Joy again before heading to his room.
Ryder laid down on the bed, his expression never changing. His first battle and he messed up badly. He should have known. He rolled onto his side and murmured to himself.
That's when he heard someone else muttering to themselves. He rolled over and saw Ryan, with his jacket off and wearing green pajama pants, at a desk with the lamp on. How he didn't notice that light, he'll never know.
The trainer groaned and crumpled up the piece of paper he was writing on. "No…" He tossed it into a bin, which was full of crumpled paper. "Ugh, this is getting me nowhere…"
Ryder pushed himself out of bed and walked over. He tugged on his pant leg. "Char-Mander? (Why are you up?)"
Ryan shook his head and looked down. "Oh, sorry Ryde. Did I wake you?" He shook his head. He picked the little guy up and placed him on the desk. "I was just trying to come up with a strategy to beat Brock and his Onix." He continued with his work. "With you and Spear at a type disadvantage, it'll be difficult to take out that giant rock snake. Spear was barely able to take down Geodude. There's no way he could last a minute with Onix. And you had trouble landing hits on him." He saw the fire lizard frown. Ryan recoiled nervously. "N-Now hang on there, I didn't mean you're worthless! I just mean we need a new plan of attack!" He calmed down and scratched his head. "We're both still learning, buddy. It's just one loss. Eventually, you'll be the strongest Pokémon there is."
Ryder smiled at his words. "Char…(Thanks…)" He climbed down the desk and prepared to head back to bed.
Ryan scratched his head before saying, "Hey Ryde. I want to show you something."
He turned around and gasped as his trainer flipped and landed on one hand, supporting himself with ease. "CHA! (WHOA!)"
He chuckled. "Pretty cool, huh? My grandfather taught me a lot when it comes to survival. Near perfect balance, athletic training, that sort of stuff."
"Char-Char Man Char! (I want to try and do that!)" He bent down and pushed his legs up into the air. Almost immediately, he fell on his back. He frowned sadly.
Ryan chuckled and got back on his feet. "No one gets it on their first try, trust me. I fell on my back quite a few times before I got it down." He sat on the ground and helped him up. "It's the way I was trained. I grew up learning to jump across trees and balance on beams. Plus, I've learned how to fight. Some other stuff, too…" Ryan's eyes wandered a bit as an idea seemed to bubble in his mind. "Huh…I think I know how to beat Onix…but you will have to put up with some harsh training."
Ryder narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists with a determined grin. "Char Man Char! (Throw whatever you got at me!)"
Ryan grinned. "Great! We'll get started in the morning!"
A week has past and Ryan and Ryder went back to the Pewter City gym to challenge Brock again. This time, though, they were prepared. Soon, the battle got underway
"Spear, use Peck!"
"Geodude, use Rollout!"
The Spearow and Geodude rammed into each other and knocked each other back. Ryder was cheering his friend on. "Der Char Cha! (Come on Spear!)"
"End this with Fury Attack!"
"Use Rollout again!"
Spear and Geodude collided with each other, creating a dust cloud. Once it died down, they were on the ground, unconscious.
"Both our Pokémon are unable to continue. This match is a draw," Brock stated as he recalled his Geodude.
"You did good, Spear. Take a rest," Ryan said as he recalled his Spearow. He sighed and looked at Ryder. "Ready, buddy?"
Ryder nodded. "Char. (Yeah.)" He walked onto the field.
Brock pulled out a Pokeball. "Onix, you're up!" He threw it into the air and summoned the rock snake onto the field. "Let's take these two out again."
Ryan smirked. "Sorry Brock, but you'll find that Ryder is much stronger than he was before. Right buddy?" He sweatdropped when he saw his partner's knees buckling in terror. Dang it, Ryder!
Brock smirked back. "Oh yeah, I can tell."
Ryan crouched down and whispered, "Ryder, you have to focus. I know you can win this time." Ryder shook his head frantically. His trainer groaned and rubbed his face. He was worried something like this would happen. "Come on, Ryde. After all the training we did over the week, I'm not letting you quit now. I know you can do this. Just calm down and take a deep breath."
Ryder nodded tensely and did as told. He breathed rapidly, still feeling panic overtaking him. But, the more he breathed, the less stressed he began to feel. Even his breathing eventually became slower. He could feel his nerves calming down. He didn't feel as scared as he did when he first faced Onix. In fact, he didn't look as intimidating anymore.
He looked at Ryan, who gave him a thumbs up. With a grin, he nodded and returned his attention to Onix. "Mander! Charmander! (Alright! Bring it on!)"
Brock was surprised to see the Charmander far more relaxed. But this didn't hinder his focus. "Onix, use Rock Throw!"
Onix roared and slammed his tail down, sending rocks flying at Ryder. But he didn't cower this time. He stared them down. "Alright Ryder, charge into the rocks!" Brock recoiled in shock as the fire lizard ran through the field of flying rocks. He dodged and sidestepped them to the best of his ability as he inched closer. "Now use Ember!"
He fired a flurry of embers into Onix's eyes. While they didn't do much damage, it greatly impaired his vision, making him roar in pain. "Onix, calm down and use Bind!"
The rock snake shook its head, removing the embers, and threw his tail at the lizard. "Ryder, jump onto his tail and run up his back!"
Ryder did so, dashing up him with a determined glare. Onix tried to headbutt him off, but Ryder was quick to react. He dodged his strikes and eventually made it to his head.
"Now use Scratch!"
Ryder scratched the top of his head repeatedly, digging his claws deep into his head. Onix desperately tried to whack him off. He could feel the cracks in his head growing. "Onix! Smash your head into the ground! That should get him off!" Onix nodded and threw his head down, smashing Ryder into the ground. He coughed as he pushed himself up. He gasped as he felt the snake's tail wrap around him. "Now squeeze him!"
Onix started squeezing the Charmander, who screamed in pain. Ryan clenched his fists. Not again, he thought. He was about to call it quits again to save his buddy when he heard Ryder's screams die down. He looked unconscious. "Ryder!"
Brock crossed his arms. "You've gotten stronger, but not strong enough."
"Ryder…we lost again…" He dropped to his knees and covered his eyes. "No…"
The gym leader sighed and looked up at his partner. "Alright Onix, put him down."
He nodded and loosened his grip on the lizard. That's when Ryan smirked. "Ryder, now!"
Ryder's eyes snapped open and he jumped out of his binds. "What?!" Brock gasped.
Ryan stood back up and clenched his fist. "Fire Smokescreen into his mouth!" Ryder inhaled deeply and fired a jet of smoke into the poor rock snake. He coughed and hacked on the smoke, feeling it difficult to breathe. "Let's wrap this up! Ryder, take him down!"
The Charmander, using as much force as possible, rammed into the Onix and toppled him to the ground. Onix hit his head against a rock and fell unconscious. Brock gasped in shock. "Onix!"
Ryan raised his hands in the air. "Woohoo! Ryder, we did it!"
"Char! (Yeah!)" He ran over and hugged him. They spun around and laughed.
Brock sighed and kneeled down. "You did well, Onix. Return." He recalled Onix to his Pokeball. He walked over to Ryan and Ryder, chuckling. "I'll admit, I didn't expect you two to pull a fake out like that."
Ryan chuckled. "Well, that Bind of Onix's was the tricky part for us. I figured, if Ryder could endure long enough to fake a defeat, we could get the upper hand."
He nodded in approval. "Very creative idea. You two proved to have come far in your training." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge. "For that, I present you with the Boulder Badge!"
They gasped in delight as Ryan took it. "I can't believe this. Look Ryder!" Ryder smiled happily and hugged him. He then winced and rubbed his arm. "You okay, buddy?" He noticed the large bruise on his arm. "Yikes…"
"You better get him healed up. You both deserve it. The next gym will be in Cerulean City. You better be prepared for that one."
Ryan bowed. "Thank you, Brock. I hope we meet again soon."
"I'm sure we will." He waved to them as they left the gym. He chuckled. "Hope to get more trainers like him in the future."
Four badges. After their long journey through Kanto, they've collected four badges. Six months of traveling and training really have sharpened their skills. They've made many new friends and captured new Pokémon for their team.
Ryan stretched and yawned. "Man, I'm exhausted. Hey Ryder, you want to take a break and set up camp?"
Ryder, who laid lazily on his shoulder, nodded. "Char…(Yeah…)"
They found a small clearing in the woods and decided to rest there. Ryan placed his gear down and pulled out five Pokeballs. "Alright gang, time to set up camp!"
Emerging from the Pokeballs were Spear, who has evolved into a Fearow, a Squirtle, a Grimer, a Mankey, and a Sandshrew. They stretched, having been in their Pokeballs for quite some time.
"Okay, you all set up camp while I can dinner together. Sound like a plan?" They cheered in acknowledgement. "I'll take that as a yes," he said with a chuckle.
The Pokémon grabbed the gear out of his bag and started setting up. Ryder and the Sandshrew pitched the tent while Spear went to collect some berries. Grimer, Squirtle, and Mankey worked together to collect firewood and start a small fire.
Ryan was setting up the bowls and pour some food into each of them. He smiled with satisfaction. "Alright gang, food's ready!"
Once they were done with their tasks, they ran over and started munching down on their food. Ryan chuckled and went over to the fire to cook something for himself.
Ryder lightly nibbled on his Poke pellets. "Mmm, after a long day of traveling, this is well worth it."
Squirtle rolled his eyes. "Oh please, all you did was lay on Ryan's shoulder." Ryder rolled his eyes.
Grimer shook his head. "No need to start a conflict, Tsunami. At least you got to rest in your Pokeball."
"Well, I prefer to do some walking from time to time. Don't you get tired of sitting around all day in it?"
He looked up in thought. "Well…sometimes, I guess. But hey, I'm not the fastest walker out of all of us. I would just be slowing Ryan down."
Sandshrew nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Most of us can't exactly relax on Ryan's shoulder the whole trip."
Tsunami rolled his eyes. "Whatever…" He reached for his food, but saw it was missing. "What the?!" He glared at the Pig Monkey Pokémon, who stuffing his face with some extra pellets. "Hey! That's my food, Kaiser!"
The Mankey snorted. "Hey, I was hungry!"
"You didn't have to take my food, you lousy monkey!" He jumped on him and wrestled with him.
"Get off me, you stupid turtle!"
Ryder tried to separate them. "Knock it off!" He got kicked away, with Grimer catching him. He growled and rubbed his head. "Can't these two ever get along?"
"You really think Tsunami is going to listen to you? He's not exactly very fond of you."
Ryder sighed. Tsunami had a bit of a grudge against him ever since he beat him in a fight. He practically made him his rival from that fact alone, which is why he convinced Ryan to join their team. Tsunami hardly listened to anyone and was always trying to pick fights. Doesn't help that Kaiser loved to eat everyone's food if they weren't paying attention.
Ryan boiled some noodles over the open fire when he heard the shouts of his Pokémon. "What the…" He set the pot to the side and ran over to find the two at each other's throats. "Tsunami! Kaiser!" He reached down and separated them, holding them by the shell and fur respectively. "What's going on?" They started chattering angrily, trying to tell him what happened. This didn't help the human at all. "W-Whoa, hold on! Slow down! One at a time!"
"Squirtle Squirtle Squirt! (This joker snatched my food from me!)"
"Mankey Man-Key! (I was hungry for crying out loud!)"
Ryan groaned. What he would give to understand the intricate language of what is Pokémon. He felt Ryder tugging his pant leg. "Ryder?"
Ryder started performing some actions to simulate what happen. He imitated Tsunami talking to him and Grimer. He then imitated Kaiser stealing his food. Then finally, the fighting.
Ryan nodded. "I see. Tsunami was busy talking to you, Dune, and Ploot while Kaiser took his food." He sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" He glared at Kaiser, who narrowed his eyes in shame. "Kaiser?"
"…Man…Key…(…I'm…sorry…)"
Knowing he said yes, he smiled. "Good." He set them both down. "Now, no more fighting, alright?" They nodded. He nodded back and went back to his noodles.
Later, the gang were in bed. Ploot and Spear slept outside, as they took up a lot of room in the tent. Tsunami was retracted into his shell for the night. Dune curled up on Ryan's sleeping bag. Kaiser slept outside, preferring to sleep in the trees.
Ryder slept on Ryan's sleeping bag as well, snoozing soundly. However, the sound of his trainer muttering to himself caught his attention. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't even in the tent.
He walked outside and saw Ryan messing with his Pokedex. "Squir…tle…ugh, what does that even mean?"
Ryder crossed his arms and walked over. "Char Char-Mander? Mander…(What are you doing up? It's late…)"
Ryan looked down at him and smiled. "Woke you up by accident?" He nodded in response. He sighed and patted the ground to his right, gesturing the Charmander to sit down. "I couldn't stop thinking about that fight between Tsunami and Kaiser." Ryder raised a brow in curiosity. "I mean, I know Kaiser is genuinely sorry. But I feel like I should talk to him about it. Counsel him or something. You know what I mean?" Ryder nodded.
He sighed. "I was trying to see if I can learn how to understand Pokémon. But it's so…confusing. Most of the chatters don't even make sense to me. I can pick up on a few words, but nothing makes sense to me." He shook his head and laid down on the ground. "I'd probably have an easier time teaching a Pokémon to speak English. They understand the darn language, after all. Shouldn't be too hard to teach. I just want to get to know my Pokémon better."
Ryder rubbed his chin in thought. Ryan really wants to help us out. Hmm…teach a Pokémon English? He's not wrong, that would be easier than learning our language. That's when the Charmander smiled in realization. That's it!
Ryan felt his partner shaking him vigorously. He sat up. "What's wrong, buddy?" Ryder did some gestures and poses to hopefully get his point across. He tried to simulate words coming out of his mouth. "Uh…are you sick?" He face-palmed and slid his hand down his face. He moved his lips and did gestured sound coming out of his mouth. "You…have an idea?" Eh, close enough. Ryder did a 'so-so' motion and continued to simulate speaking English. Eventually, he got his point across. "Wait…YOU want to learn English?" He nodded happily. "Ryde, I was only kidding about that! There's no way I can teach you to do that! You can't even make most of the sounds from the alphabet."
The Charmander crossed his arms and stomped his foot. He wasn't going to give up just because of a simple language barrier. He could learn to make the sounds. "You sure?" He nodded again. Ryan smiled and shook his head. He patted Ryder's head. "Your willingness to learn new things meets no bounds. Alright, we'll start in the morning." He nodded with clenched fists.
Morning came around and Ryder and Ryan were up early. He wanted to get a head start on teaching Ryder English. He spent a good chunk of the night writing up some flashcards for him. There was no telling how long this would take, but they weren't going to give up until they get this thing down.
"Okay Ryder, welcome to your first ever English class. You may refer to me as Mr. Hayashi." Ryder didn't look amused. "…okay, joking aside." He pulled out the flashcards. "Now, before we can teach you how to speak full sentences, we need to work on sounding out the other letters. We'll start with 'A'."
He nodded and cleared his throat. "Cha…Chaaaaa….Chaaaaaaaa…"
"Okay, you got it down. Just try and separate the 'ch' sound more."
He nodded and tried again. "Chaaaaaaaa….aaaaaa...aaa…A…"
Ryan smiled. "Good job. Okay, now for 'B'."
This took up a good portion of the day for them. Four hours were spent on the alphabet and Ryder only managed to say letters A through H. He felt lightheaded from sounding out some many letters for so long. He still had trouble sounding out a few, even if he managed to sound them out before. The other Pokémon stared at the two in confusion, unsure what they were doing. Ryan ensured them it was nothing and told them to train on their own for the day. They shrugged in response and decided to do some practice battles with each other.
Three more hours have passed and Ryder managed to sound out letters I through O. If he was having this much trouble with something a preschooler could do, he wasn't looking forward to forming sentences. Thankfully, he could take breaks if he felt he was going to pass out.
He drank some water from Ryan's canteen. He didn't mind, as there was a nearby stream. "Okay, this is taking longer than I expected. You sure you're feeling alright?" He gave him a thumbs up to ensure he was fine…for the most part. He sighed and rubbed his head. "What was I thinking? Teaching you to speak English? It's impossible. You can barely say the letters we already covered."
Ryder glared and shook his head. He stomped his foot, showing him he didn't want to quit now. He wasted seven hours trying to pronounce fifteen letters. No way was he turning back now.
Ryan chuckled. "Of course you still want to go for it." He sighed. "Alright, we'll pick up on this later. You need a break. Go hang out with the others while I go make everyone a late lunch." He got up and went to his bag.
Ryder looked at the flashcards he left behind. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed them before scurrying up a tree.
A half hour later, everyone was eating their lunch. Ryan made himself another batch of instant noodles. He finished about half of the bowl when he saw that Ryder wasn't eating with the others. In fact, he wasn't sure where he was. "Ryder?" He looked around and groaned. "Where did that Charmander run off to?" He stood up and searched around the camp.
"Ryder? Ryder?" He noticed the flashcards were gone as well. "Don't tell me he…" He heard the sound of snoring in the trees. He climbed up them and saw Ryder laying on the branch, passed out with the cards over his face. He smiled lightly. "Oh Ryder…" He picked up the cards and stuffed them in his pocket before picking up the snoozing Charmander. "I told you that you needed a break…" He went into his tent and laid him down. "Get some rest, buddy."
About an hour later, Ryan was busy training with the others. His methods were a lot more different than most trainers. "Kaiser, Karate Chop!" The Mankey jumped high and threw a chop at him. The trainer back flipped away from the attack. "Spear, Drill Peck!" He saw the Fearow soaring down at him, spinning like a drill. He sidestepped and slammed his palm into his side, knocking him of course and into Kaiser. "Come on guys, put some effort into it!"
Ploot fired a Sludge attack at him, forcing him to jump back. But this was what they wanted. Tsunami fired Water Gun while Ryan was still in the air, blasting him into a tree.
He shook his head and grinned. "Nice! Keep up with that!" He jumped up and dashed at them.
Dune jumped up from the ground and slashed him in the chest. He fell and landed on his back, but not before grabbing Dune's head with his feet and slamming him into the ground. "Heh…got me there, Dune." He saw that they were getting worn out from the training. "Alright gang, that's enough for today."
They nodded and collapsed in exhaustion. They knew traveling with Ryan met having to train like this. They were caught off guard at first when he wanted them to attack him, but they got used to it soon after.
Ryan walked over to the tent to check on Ryder. He was still asleep, but the food bowl he left by his side was half empty. Guess he ate quite some time ago. He chuckled. "Silly Charmander…"
Another hour passed and Ryder was fully up. He stood up and stretched before running outside, seeing the others chatting with Ryan. "Okay, that'll be our strategy for when we confront the Celadon Gym. Got that?" They nodded. "Good." He saw that Ryder was up. "Oh, hey buddy. Sorry I didn't wake you. You needed your rest after a long day. I was just going over our strategy for the next gym."
Ryder smiled and shook his head, implying he didn't mind. He did, however, want to continue with his English lessons. He was wide awake and ready for more, something Ryan found humorous. "You're not going to give up on this, are you?"
Ryder smirked. "Nnnnn….ooooo….Nnnnoooo…"
Ryan nodded. "That's the kind of determination I like to see!"
Three days have passed and Ryder has been greatly improving. He managed to pronounce the entire alphabet and managed to construct simple words and sentences. It was tough work, leaving him exhausted from time to time, but it'll be worth it in the end.
"Okay Ryde, trying saying my name again."
He nodded. "Rrrr…yyyy…aaaannnn….Rrryan…Ryan!"
He chuckled. "Nice job, buddy. Now say your name."
"Ry…der…Ryder!"
"Well, that was a bit easier. You're use to saying 'der' after all." The Charmander rolled his eyes playfully. "Okay, now say 'Ryan and Ryder are friends'."
"Ryan…and Ryder…are…ffffriends…"
"Nice. You're doing a lot better. Soon, you'll be able to talk full sentences without any problems."
He smiled. "T…anks…"
He chuckled sheepishly. "Still need to work on that 'th' sound, though."
A few more day have passed, continuously trying to teach the Charmander English. When night came, Ryder would stay up and continue to practice. It would leave him drowsy in the morning, but it'll be well worth it. He'll be able to help Ryan and even have conversations with him, instead of having to translate an entire sentence through multiple gestures.
The last day of the week came, where the gang started to pack up for Celadon City. However, Ryan and Ryder had a bit of a surprise for them. Once everything was packed, Ryan said, "Alright, before we go, Ryder has a bit of an announcement to make." They directed their attention at the Charmander.
He took a moment to breathe before smiling. "…what do you t-ink, guys?" Still had trouble with that 'th'.
Still, they were shocked by what came out of his mouth. "Grime Grimer?! (Did I hear that right?!)"
He nodded. "Yep…I can speak…somewhat fluent English…"
They cheered in excitement and ran up to Ryan, wanting him to teach them to speak English. After a quick translation, Ryan jumped back in shock. "Oh no! I'm worn out from teaching one of you! There is no way I'm teaching my entire party!" They frowned. "Look, sorry guys, but I taught Ryder specifically to help with your disagreements. Kind of defeats the purpose if I teach all of you. Plus, I don't think I can handle going through that again."
While disappointed, they nodded in agreement. Both of them looked pretty tired. Ryan gave a quick thanks and recalled them into their Pokeballs. Ryder climbed up his shoulder. "To…Celadon City!"
Ryan laughed. "This is going to take some getting used to." They traveled down the path and made their way to Celadon.
Ryan wiped his brow as he traveled down the steps. He felt like he was walking into a volcano. Wouldn't shock him in a place like Cinnabar Island. Ryder walked by his side, taking in the hall. They tried looking for the gym for the longest time, but there were a bunch of tourists misguiding them and asking them to check out some of the local attractions. Honestly, they gave up and went to the hot springs, finding the gym by complete accident.
"Man, I know Cinnabar is a nice place to vacation, but there is way too many tourists!" he complained.
Ryder sighed. "What did you expect? I wouldn't be surprised if the gym gets closed down because of this."
"I'm sure it won't."
They made it to a metal door. Ryan went out to reach it, but Ryder stopped him. "Hold on. The door's hot."
"Good call." He reached into his bag and pulled some protective gloves out. When training with Fire-Types, you need to have a way to protect yourself from heat. He put them on and grabbed the door. Once it was fully opened, they gasped in shock.
The battlefield was suspended over a pool of lava. What the heck?! the partners thought in shock.
"Surprised, I see?" They looked up and saw a man walking into the gym. "I see you managed to find the gym. You must be serious about battling here."
Ryan shook off his shock and clenched his fist. "Yeah! I'm here for the Volcano Badge!"
"Char!" Ryder exclaimed. He made sure not to speak English in public, not wanting to scare anybody or get crowded by them. Last thing he needed was to be asked a bunch of questions about him speaking.
The man smiled. "Excellent. I always look forward for a trainer ready to test their might." He walked onto the battlefield. "I am Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader."
Ryan took his side. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Ryan Hayashi."
Blaine pulled out a Pokeball. "Well Ryan…prepare for a battle! Ninetales, let's go!" He summoned the nine tailed fox on to the field, who crouched into a battle position.
"I figured he would start with a Fire-Type." He reached for a Pokeball. "Alright, go Dune!" He summoned the newly evolved Sandslash, who slashed the air to prep himself for battle.
"A Ground-Type. A fine choice. Ninetales, use Flamethrower!" The fox fired the stream of fire at him.
"Dune, use Defense Curl!" He curled up and let the flames bounce off his body. "Now use Slash!" He uncurled and charged at Ninetales.
"Dodge, then use Flamethrower again!" Ninetales jumped over the attack and blasted him in the back. Dune skidded to the edge and, fearfully, dug his claws into the field to keep him from falling.
"You okay, Dune?" Ryan shouted in concern. He nodded, showing he was alright as he got up. But it didn't last long as Ninetales got behind him and blasted him with Flamethrower once more. "Dune!"
Dune bounced across the field and fell unconscious. "Ninetales wins," Blaine stated
Ryan recalled Dune to his Pokeball. "You did well, Dune." He swapped out for another Pokeball. "Go, Tsunami!" He summoned Tsunami to the field. "Water Gun!" He fired a jet of water at Ninetales.
"Ninetales, Flamethrower!" It fired the stream of fire and easily powered through the Water Gun, much to their shock. Tsunami ducked and let the fire fly over him. Blaine laughed. "My Ninetales has taken out many Water-Types before. Yours will be no exception."
Ryan and Ryder glared at the man before the trainer said, "Don't listen to him, Tsunami. Use Rapid Spin!" He nodded and withdrew into his shell, flying at the fox.
"Dodge it, now!" Ninetales jumped over him.
Ryan smirked. "Now use Water Gun from behind!" Tsunami came out of his shell and fired Water Gun into its back, slamming it hard against the ground. "Now Rapid Spin, again!" He withdrew and slammed hard into its back, taking it out of the fight.
"Ninetales, return!" Blaine shout as he recalled it. "Alright, go Rhydon!" He summoned the Drill Pokémon to the field. "Use Horn Drill!" The bipedal rhino's drill spun quickly and it charged at the Squirtle.
"Tsunami, dodge!" He moved out of the way as the horn struck where he was standing. "Use Water Gun!" He blasted a jet of water in his face.
Rhydon shook it off and roared. "Good boy! Now use Horn Drill again!" His horn spun again and he charged.
If that attack makes contact with Tsunami, he's done for. He clenched his fist and tried to come up with a solution. Ryder tugged his pant leg. "What?" He kneeled down and let the Charmander whisper something in his ear. "I like that." He stood up. "Tsunami, withdraw into your shell and fire Water Gun everywhere!"
He nodded and did so, firing Water Gun from each opening in his shell. The field became slippery, causing the rhino to slip and fall head first into the ground. "Now Tackle!" Tsunami charged and slammed his body into Rhydon, knocking him toward Blaine.
"Return, Rhydon!" He recalled him to his Pokeball. He chuckled. "I'm impressed. You've trained your Squirtle well."
Ryan smiled. "If you think he's good, you should see Ryder in battle."
Blaine smirked. "I plan to. Alright Magmar, you're up!"
But rather than summoning him from a Pokeball, they looked down at the lava, which bubbled. A shadowy figure fired out of it and landed right on the field. The Magmar stared at Tsunami, who was slightly surprised to see his opponent jump out of the lava.
"This is my Magmar. And my strongest Pokémon."
Ryan clenched his fist. "We'll see about that! Tsunami, use Water Gun!" He fired the attack, but Magmar wasn't even fazed. "Oh crud!"
Blaine chuckled. "Magmar, end this with Fire Blast!"
Magmar fired the attack, which was in the shape of a five point symbol. Tsunami didn't have enough time to dodge and was consumed by the attack. Once it subsided, he was on the ground, scorched and unconscious.
"Oh man, Tsunami!" He ran over and picked him up. "That was some attack!"
The gym leader laughed. "I told you. My Pokemon can take out strong Water-Types with ease."
Ryan glared briefly before pulling out Tsunami's Pokeball. "You did well. Return." He recalled him and looked at Ryder. "Ready buddy?"
Ryder smiled and nodded before take the field. Ryan got back onto his side and narrowed his eyes at Magmar.
"So, this is Ryder, huh? Well, let's see how tough he is. Magmar, Fire Punch!"
Magmar charged with his fist engulfed in flames. "Ryder, dodge!" Ryder waited for Magmar to get in close before jumping right over the punch. "Flamethrower, let's go!" He fired the attack into his face. But Magmar wasn't fazed, much like how the Water Gun didn't affect him. "Crud!"
"Magmar, Fire Punch!" With Ryder in the air, he couldn't dodge the punch. He was sent flying near the edge, but stopped short of it.
Ryan sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Alright Ryder, use Slash!"
Ryder charged at him with his claws extended. He got in close and slashed Magmar in the face. He stumbled back, but didn't look visibly affected. In anger, the Charmander used Slash back to back, trying to tire out the Spitfire Pokémon.
In response, Magmar slapped him away without much effort. "Alright, use Fire Blast!" He fired the attack directly at him.
"Get out of the way!" Ryan shouted.
Ryder narrowed his eyes and jumped over it. However, he was met with a Fire Punch to the face. He slid towards the edge, but again stopped himself from falling over.
"Okay, use Dragon Rage!"
Ryder's eyes glowed as he charged up an orange ball of energy and fired it. It rammed into Magmar and, surprisingly, pushed against him. He held the attack back as it shoved him closer and closer to the edge.
"Magmar, forget it! Take the hit!" He nodded and released his grip, tanking the explosion that followed.
"You can't be serious?!" Ryan exclaimed.
Oh crud…Ryder thought worriedly.
Magmar slowly walked out of the smoke, with only a few scratches. Blaine smirked. "I'm impressed. That Dragon Rage was obviously full of power. You trained Ryder well. But this battle ends here. Magmar, use Fire Punch!" He charged at him. Ryder tried to get out of the way, but the Dragon Rage wore him out. He got nailed in the gut. "Now Fire Blast!" Ryder's eyes widen as he saw the attack blast in his face.
"RYDER!" Ryan screamed as he was shot right into the lava, creating a large splash. "NO!" He dropped to his knees, shaking heavily. "Ryder…"
Blaine rubbed the back of his head. "A little overkill, Magmar." The Spitfire Pokémon shrugged. "You better go get him before he drowns." He nodded and jumped down into the lava. Blaine looked at Ryan, who was in the verge of tears.
"No…Ryder….he can't be…"
"Relax, Ryan. Fire-Types have a high tolerance to heat. The worst that could happen to him is drown…not the best choice of words, now that I think about it."
It didn't help the trainer calm down as he stared down at the lava. That's when he took notice of the bubbling. Perhaps Magmar saved him. Well, that's what he hoped. What he didn't expect was for Magmar to come flying out of the lava and landing harshly on the field.
"Magmar?!" Blaine exclaimed in shock. "What happened?!"
More bubbling appeared in the lava. Another figure popped out, one that was glowing in a white light.
Ryan blinked in shock. "R…Ryder?"
The Charmander started changing in form. He landed on the field and crossed his arms as the evolution was almost complete. Magmar pushed himself up as Ryder stared him down. The white glow disappeared and, in place of the small Charmander, was a fierce, determined Charmeleon.
Ryan stared in amazement. "Ryder…you evolved! This is amazing!" he cheered.
Ryder glanced at him and smiled. "Yeah it is!" Even his voice has changed, being a bit deeper. However…
"Did he just talk?" Blaine asked in confusion. Ryan and Ryder blinked and face-palmed. Rather than react, he shrugged. "Eh, I've seen stranger. Still, a little evolution won't stop my Magmar."
Feeling he had no point holding back, Ryder smirked. "We'll see about that. Bring it on!"
Blaine smirked. "Alright! Magmar, use Fire Blast!" Magmar fired the attack.
"Ryder, dodge!" Thanks to his evolution and his training, Ryder managed to swiftly avoid the attack and dash at Magmar.
"He's a quick one!" the gym leader exclaimed.
"Use Slash!" Ryder jumped up and slashed Magmar across the face. Unlike last time, this actually made him flinch. He stumbled back and rubbed his eyes. "Use Flamethrower!" He blasted him onto his back.
"Magmar, get up and use Fire Punch!" The Spitfire Pokémon rubbed his jaw and got up, throwing a flaming punch at him.
"Ryder, dodge, then full power Dragon Rage!" Ryder sidestepped and fired the ball of orange, draconian energy into his face, blasting him into the air. "Alright, let's wrap this up. Ryder, use Slash!"
Ryder jumped after him and got above him. He made an 'X' shape slash and shot Magmar straight into the battlefield. Once the dust cloud cleared, Magmar was found unconscious. "Magmar!" Blaine shouted.
Ryder landed next to Ryan, who immediately hugged him. "Ryder, that was incredible!"
He laughed. "Yeah, I know, right?"
Blaine sighed, then chuckled in amusement. He walked over to Magmar and patted his head. "You did a fine job, old friend." Magmar nodded at him. He got up and walked over to the duo. "Very impressive, you two. You have exceeded my expectations."
Ryan rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks Blaine. We tried our best."
Ryder nodded. "Yeah."
He smiled. "It's impressive how you managed to teach your partner such a useful skill. Makes him unique like that."
He laughed sheepishly. "Quit it, man. You're embarrassing me."
The old man chuckled. "Well, allow be to bestow you with…" He reached into his pocket and presented Ryan's reward. "The Volcano Badge."
Ryan took it and bowed, along with Ryder. "Thank you, sir."
He nodded. "No trouble, young man. I only wish there were more trainers like you."
"I'm sure there will be in the future." He looked at Ryder. "Ready to go?" He nodded.
"Well, if you're on your way, may I suggest Viridian City? You should find the next gym there."
The duo looked at each other and smiled. "Yeah!" they exclaimed together.
"Remind me again why we're taking THIS route?!" Ryder shouted over the blizzard.
The duo was currently trekking through the mountains as they journeyed toward Viridian City. They were in a blizzard, which was hitting them hard. Ryan was wearing protective snow gear while Ryder was wearing a tan cloak.
"Well, the Kanto League isn't for a while. I figured, why not go trekking through the mountains before our next gym battle?"
The Charmeleon narrowed his eyes. "We could get killed out here."
He laughed sheepishly. "No need to sound negative about it. Besides, we'll be fine. I've done some training in cold environments before. This is nothing compared to that."
He rolled his eyes. "If you say so. Anyway, who exactly is the next gym leader?"
Ryan rubbed his chin. "From what Blaine told us, his name is Giovanni. Not much is really known about him, though. All I know is that he has some strong Pokémon at his side." He clenched his fist. "I'm looking forward to meeting this guy!"
Once again, Ryder rolled his eyes. "You get way too excited for battling."
He smirked. "I recall you mentioning you had a fondness for battle back at Oak's lab."
He looked away with a blush. "I was younger back then."
"It was nine months ago, stupid," he said jokingly.
"Shut up…" he replied with a smirk. He stopped suddenly with his eyes widened.
Ryan noticed this and stopped. "Something wrong, Ryder?"
He looked towards the mountains with narrowed eyes. "I could have sworn I heard someone scream 'Help!'." He closed his eyes and concentrated on the surrounding area, desperately trying to block out the sound of the blizzard. Ryan did the same, trying to help locate the sound of this supposed distress call.
They stood there for roughly two minutes. Ryder almost passed it off as his imagination when suddenly they heard a faint sound, yet it was definitely a call for help. "There it is!" they shouted as they raced towards the sound.
They ran through the snow as hastily as possible, hoping the victim was still alive. They came across a cliff to a dark ravine. Ryder looked around. "I don't see anything!" He noticed Ryan has his eyes closed and his hand out. "Huh?"
His eyes clenched tightly before they snapped open. "He's down below us!" He knelt down and reached into his bag.
"How did you…?" Ryder questioned.
He pulled out a climbing rope and threw one end to Ryder. "Climb down and rescue him!"
"Hold on, why me?!"
"I'm stronger, you're lighter, and you're the better climber! Now get moving!"
"Okay, okay!" He tied the rope around his waist and, after making sure it was securely fasten, jumped down the ravine. He kept his eyes peeled as he descended into the black void. When he saw he passed a tan blur, he dug his claws into the side of walls and stopped himself, loose gravel falling into the deep unknown.
He scaled up the wall and came to a ledge. Once he was up there, he saw, laying curled up and freezing in the snow, a Meowth. He looked pale. The more horrifying feature was the condition of his body. It was battered and bruised, along with some bite marks. Ryder reached out and checked his pulse. He growled. "He's developing hypothermia!" He grabbed the Meowth and tugged on the rope.
Ryan pulled them up and grabbed the Meowth. "Oh man, he doesn't look so good!"
"I think he has hypothermia! Aren't there any log cabins or something nearby?!"
Ryan desperately tried to recall passing one. "Yeah! I saw a lodge not too far from here! We can make it if we hurry!" The Charmeleon nodded and they raced towards the lodge.
They eventually made it and practically kicked the door open, shocking the lodge owner. While Ryan took care of the Meowth, Ryder paid for a room for them to use. Shocked from seeing them break in and the fact a talking Charmeleon was asking for a room, he hesitantly handed him a key for a room.
They got situated and quickly started to help the shivering cat. He shivered badly as they wrapped him up with blankets. He wasn't thinking straight, clearly. Ryder used a light version of his Flamethrower to dry him off. Ryan pulled out his usual jacket, which was dry thankfully, and placed it on him for extra warmth.
"Stay strong, little guy," Ryan whispered as he reached out to rub his head.
Ryder slapped his hand away. "Don't. If you touch him, you could make things worse." The Meowth's breathing was still weak, but not close to anything disastrous.
"Poor guy looks terrible."
"What do you think he wasn't doing way out here? Meowth tend to avoid harsh weather like this," Ryder muttered puzzlingly.
"Which means something got him separated from his pack." Ryan stood up. "I'm going to ask the owner if he has a warm compress we can use. Make sure he stays warm." He walked out of the room."
Ryder narrowed his eyes at the cat in pity. "You're going to be fine. My friend and I are going to help you." He wasn't sure if he could hear him or not, but he continued. "I know you're scared, I get it. But you need to remain calm. We won't let anything bad happen to you. We're going to save you." The Meowth continued to breathe heavily.
Ryan came back in with a warm compress. He applied it to his head. "There. Now all we can do is wait."
"You sure he'll be alright?" Ryder asked.
He nodded at his partner. "My grandfather taught me a lot about handling emergencies like this. Just never expected to actually put those lessons to the test."
"Your grandfather sounds like a wise man."
"He is, but he's usually busy working. I only really get to see him on the weekends, but he's gone during the weekdays." He sighed. "Still, he's like a father to me. He means the world to me…"
Ryder narrowed his eyes with concern. "You okay?"
The trainer found some tears welling up in his eyes, so he wiped them away. "Yeah, I'm fine…" He shook his head. "Alright, here's the deal. We're gonna take shifts watching over him until his condition becomes stable. I'll take the first shift."
Ryder nodded. "Right…and for extra measure…" He got into the bed and position his tail flame near the cat.
His trainer smiled in approval. "Nice…"
He yawned. "Night Ryan…" He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
He gave a short wave as he sat against the wall. "Night, Ryde…"
Morning came sooner than expected as Ryder yawned and sat himself up. Ryan took the last shift of the night, so he managed to catch up on some sleep. He checked on their sick friend and saw he was breathing normally now. He checked his vitals. They were stable as well. He smiled in relief.
The feel of claws against fur did, however, wake him up. The Meowth yawned and opened his eyes. What immediately caught Ryder's attention was the color in his right eye. While the left was the normal blue color, his right was golden with a metallic like sheen. It almost looked cybernetic.
"Wha…whe…where am I?" he asked drowsily as he looked around.
"You're in a lodge," Ryder explained. "My trainer and I found you on a ledge nearing death. You had a pretty bad case of hypothermia. Fortunately, we managed to get you here in time."
He sat up and held his head. The compress fell into his lap. "I fell on a ledge?"
"Yeah. How did you get there?"
The Meowth's eyes widened briefly before shifting into a glare. "Those jerks…"
"Excuse me?"
He threw the covers off of him. "Look, thanks and all, but I need to pay my old pack a visit."
Ryder held him down, taking notice that his claws were unsheathed. "Now hold on there, buddy! My trainer and I just saved you from dying in the cold! You can't leave quite yet!"
"Just watch me!" He pushed him out of the way and made his way to the door. However, he was stumbling pretty badly and ended up tripping over his own legs. "…ow…"
Ryder sighed. "Tried to warn you." He helped him up and got him back into bed. "Seriously, you need to stay in bed, for your own good."
He looked away with a glare, but not at him. He stared out the window with eyes filled with hatred. "If I ever find them…"
The Charmeleon pulled up a chair and sat in it. "Look, just tell me what happened and maybe I can help."
He didn't respond immediately, weighing the option of telling him or not. With a sigh, he gave into the former. "…what I originally thought as searching for shelter turned into betrayal. I was considered an outcast in my pack for my mismatched eyes."
"Seems like a harsh reason…"
"It wasn't just that. My pack absolutely despised humans with every fiber of their being. Me? Heh, I took great interest in their technology. It was truly fascinating in my eyes. Heck, even during some of my searches, I self-taught myself some basic skills in engineering. Guess I have a knack in machinery." He sighed. "When my little secret got exposed, they wanted me out of the pack. But our leader wanted to do it in the most brutal way possible. He led us to the mountains to search for a shelter because they lied to me saying there was going to be a sweep in the town we hid out in to get rid of us. Next thing I knew, I was clawed at, bit, blasted, you name it. I eventually blacked out and fell over. I was lucky to regain enough consciousness to call for help."
Ryder crossed his arms. "Judging from the condition we found you in, it looked like it happened roughly half an hour ago. You were lucky to survive that long in that state you were left in."
He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm special like that."
The Charmeleon glanced at the clock to his left. "So…where do you plan on going once you recover?"
"Don't know. But I do plan on paying those jerks a visit…" he growled with a venomous tone.
He shook his head. "With all due respect, there is no way you can last a round with those guys. You were beaten pretty badly. Plus, I doubt you could last more than a half hour on your own."
"I can survive just fine!" he shouted.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah! I can get my own food just find…I can…find shelter with no problem…and…uh…" He didn't know how to continue on with this conversation.
"Yeah…that's what I thought." He sighed and leaned closer. "Listen, I get that you want to get revenge. But revenge is never the answer. You can't survive without your pack."
He looked away with a glum expression. "Well…what am I supposed to do?"
"Come with us." They looked at the doorway and saw Ryan, who had a tray of hot cocoa. He listened in on the conversation for a while and got a pretty good idea what the Meowth was saying. He walked over and set the tray down. "You can come with us. It'll be no problem."
Meowth narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why?"
After a translation from Ryder, Ryan answered, "Well, you did look like you wanted to get stronger. Maybe if you were to come along with us, you can pick up on some stuff to help you become stronger."
He rubbed his chin. "Tempting offer. But what do I get out of it?"
Ryan looked at Ryder for an answer. He scratched the side of his head in thought before saying, "You said you like to tinker with machinery, right?" He nodded. "Well, maybe if you come along with us, you can improve on those skills. Think about it, you can learn a lot faster with us than using garbage on the streets."
His offer did peak his interest. Plus, they did save his life. He was told by his pack never to trust humans or captured Pokémon. But, he wasn't going to take those words to heart. No, he'd rather ball them up and throw them into the trash. He smiled. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."
Ryan didn't need a translation to know he was in. "Great! Now we just need a name for you."
Meowth looked at Ryder. "Name?"
"He has a habit for naming all of his Pokémon," Ryder explained.
"You don't say?" He scratched his head and smiled. "You know, there is one name I kind of like."
"Really, what?"
He pounded his chest. "I would like to be referred to from now on as Techno, the Master of Machines!"
Ryder translated and the trainer laughed. "The last part seems like a bit much, but okay then. Techno, from here on out, you'll be part of our team. And we won't let anything bad happen to you. You have my word."
Techno smiled. "Thank you…"
Ryan and Ryder stood in front of the Viridian Gym with smiles on their faces. "This is it, Ryder. One last gym before we make our way to the Kanto League."
He nodded. "Yeah. I'm so pumped for this!"
"You ready?" With a confirmed nod, Ryan pushed the doors open. "Hello! I'm looking for the one known as Giovanni, the Viridian Gym Leader!"
The room was dark, almost empty even. They walked in as the doors shut behind them. Ryder shivered. "Geez, and here I thought Sabrina's gym was nerve racking."
Ryan shouted once more, "Hello! I'm looking for a guy named Giovanni!"
A light cut on, revealing a balcony over the battlefield they were standing on. Sitting in a chair over the field was a brown haired man wearing an orange suit with a white shirt under it and a tie. Sitting in his lap was a Persian, who glared down at them with a sinister look. It even hissed at them.
The man stroked his large cat as he stared down at them with narrowed eyes. "That would be me."
Ryan was taken back by his expression before clearing his throat. "Ahem, well, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ryan Hayashi. I'm here to challenge your gym and win the Earth Badge!"
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "Is that so? Well, Mr. Hayashi, let's see what you can do." He snapped his fingers.
They stared as a metal door opened up. To their surprise, an Arcanine stepped out of the doors, growling viciously. They were sure this was a Ground-Type gym. Why was he using a Fire-Type like Arcanine? What really confused them was its attitude. It stared at them like it was about to kill them.
"This will be a one on one match up. I advise you use your strongest Pokémon."
"Strongest Pokémon, huh?" He looked at Ryder, who smiled and nodded. He nodded back and looked at Giovanni. "Very well." Ryder stepped forward with his arms crossed.
"And…begin," the gym leader said with a snap of his fingers.
The fiery hound's eyes widened and it charged at Ryder, shocking them. He jumped out of the way of its Bite attack. Ryan glared. "Hey! You didn't even give it a command!" Giovanni ignored him as he watched Ryder dodged the vicious mutt's attacks. The trainer glared angrily and shouted, "Okay, fine! Ryder, use Smokescreen!"
He glared and hid himself in a cloud of smoke. Arcanine stopped and tried to sniff him out. Ryder jumped overhead and slammed his fists down on his head. He figured if he was allowed to attack him without command, why should he have to hold back?
Arcanine growled and blasted him away with Flamethrower. Despite being a Fire-Type move, it did a significant amount of damage to him. He trained his Arcanine well! Ryder thought as he jumped back. However, he could have sworn he saw something unusual in its eyes. A certain expression.
Giovanni watched attentively at Ryder's movements. "Your Charmeleon was raised brilliantly. Not many people can avoid Arcanine's attacks with such ease."
Ryan smirked. "What can I say? I'm one heck of a trainer! Alright Ryder, let's use Slash!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ryder dashed under its legs and slashed them painfully. The Legendary Pokémon winced and nearly fell over. But it snarled in anger and fired Flamethrower. He saw it coming and landed on his hands, pushing himself into the air to avoid it. He fired Smokescreen to hide his tracks again.
Arcanine crouched and waited. He was in the air. There was nowhere he could pop out of the smoke without being seen. He had him now. However, a moment passed and nothing came out of the smoke. Was he floating inside it or something?
"Ryder, now!" It looked up and saw Ryder jumping off the ceiling. He landed a swift kick against his head. "Now finish this up with Dragon Rage!" He charged up the draconian energy and blasted Arcanine right into a wall, knocking him out.
Giovanni raised a brow, clearly impressed. "Intriguing…"
Ryder ran over to his trainer and gave him a high five. "Alright, we won!" Ryan cheered.
"Yes, very impressive," Giovanni acknowledge with a bored tone. He snapped his fingers and a column rose from the ground next to him. The top opened up and revealed the Earth Badge. "Take your badge and go."
"Really? That's it?"
He stood up from his chair. "I'm a busy man, Mr. Hayashi. I have other important matters to attend to."
"Well…alright. Just make sure your Arcanine gets better soon. Ryder did a number on him."
He looked at them with a serious, almost dark expression. "Oh, don't you worry. I'll take care of him." He pulled out a Pokeball and recalled him before walking away with Persian, who gave a taunting meow.
The duo looked at each other in confusion and decided to leave. "Okay, out of all the gym leaders we faced, he was the strangest."
"Agreed," Ryder said as he looked back at the gym.
Ryan noticed he looked a little tense. "You okay?" He didn't respond. "Hey, chin up. We at least one the match."
"A little too easily, honestly." This caught the trainer's attention. "Ryan, that Arcanine wasn't fighting at full strength."
"What do you mean?"
"When I attacked him, I could see that he had taken some severe damage prior to the battle. Almost as if he was fighting multiple Pokémon beforehand." He narrowed his eyes. "Not only that, I caught a good glimpse of his eyes. He looked…depressed."
"Depressed?"
"Yeah…and in pain. That vicious dog act was all an act. Almost like he was forced to act like that."
Ryan narrowed his eyes. "But why would it be forced to attack so violently?"
"I don't know…" He glared at the gym that housed the suspicious gym leader. "But there's something about Giovanni that we don't know…"