Salamence: The Dragon Pokemon.
Gaining the wings desired from birth as Bagon and Shelgon, Salamence turns into a flying, sweeping tempest upon its evolution. The majority of which is a brash, proud, and often hot-tempered kind, although there are always more docile exceptions.
Their habitat is mainly that of rocky badlands or secluded mountainsides, dwelling alone and away from humans in general. Territorial when settled, Salamence are often considered menaces or in some cultures, guardians, because if angered, they become uncontrollable, to the point of devastating its surroundings to charcoal.
They sometimes migrate in flocks, called a 'boom' of Salamence, as their cruising speed can reach up to supersonic velocities, causing loud eruptions of sound when accelerating to their limits.
Several notable trainers have managed to catch and tame wild Salamence, including Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four and Red, the Champion of the Kanto League. Others often go the long (and easier) way out and start with Bagon, grinding up experience and a bond with their Pokemon.
It was in the blackest night of nights, gales of wind ripping up white powder with the strength to uproot trees, the cold biting in with the tenacity of Zubat swarms, numbing every extremity, that I met my match.
Although I had thought about leaving this blasted rock ages ago, it was only until a sudden series of events, starting with the appearance of he, that unexpectedly prompted me to leave, in search for another adventure.
This is my story after Mt. Silver, upon my word, as Pokemon Trainer Red.
Now let me emphasize this, runt: it is definitely not easy to reach the summit of Mount Silver, especially in the full brunt of winter. There are deep caves full of blood sucking Golbat, treacherous stalactites and icicles, threatening to fall at the very tremble of the slumbering Moltres in his chambers, and snow. Lots of snow. Enough to bury the tall evergreens, cause city-sized avalanches, drown Kyogre. And yet this kid managed to hike through buried trails, fight off abnormally strong Pokemon (even in winter, the Donphan and the Ursaring still fight each other over land), and reach the top, which was literally engulfed within an all-encompassing, torrential blizzard.
As for me, well, I've sat there for about twenty minutes with almost nothing on. I have like, an eighty percent cold resistance by now after living in the forsaken place.
"..."
"Red? The Champion?" The boy's voice was lost in the storm, swallowed up and ripped apart by gusts and gales.
"..."
"Hello?"
"..."
"Hello? Is this guy dead or something?"
He stepped forward in the fierce wind and stopped.
"...!"
I stood up gingerly, crimson jacket flapping back and forth, wind rippling down my black shirt. To him, it probably seemed like a giant was looming overhead, as tall as a tower and as stolid as Rhyperior, but in reality, I was probably freezing my butt off.
I didn't turn around. No, I couldn't. My shoes were stuck to the icy ground…So the boy did something incredibly stupid. He went up right behind me, and yelled. Soft voices are sucked into the vortex of the blizzard, but loud things are spat out, like rejected trainers with not enough badges at the Indigo Plateau. And up here, at the peak and within the midst of the storm, they echoed. A lot. Should I say, enough to cause an avalanche and bury a remote town at the base of the mountain?
Thus I shut him up with a pokeball to the face. A brilliant throw from behind, with a near perfect accuracy even without sight.
That might've been a dumb mistake in hindsight.
Let's just say my isolation from humanity in one of the most unforgiving terrains on earth left some odd quirks. One of which was having an extensive sense of awareness and danger perception, and the other was learning how to battle in the oddest and most disadvantageous positions, whether upside down, buried waist deep in the snow, *cough*, at the top of a mountain.
I ended up starting a battle at the worst possible place, damnit!
I'd like to note that I went out for a jog about half an hour ago -yes, in the snow. What did you think I was here for?- and was admiring the nice view of….well, the blizzard? I don't remember what I was looking at, don't patronize me!
"Hey! What was that for, I just wanted to challenge you! I'm your successor of the Johto League, Gold!"
While he was yakking on about how I screwed over his entire region and just disappeared like a Misdreavus until he came along, my Pokeball opened in a flash of light, revealing the shadow of a giant Pokemon, blotting out what little light passed through the stormy clouds. It landed with a thud, shaking the earth with it's enormous weight. Avalanches were definitely rolling down the mountain range right now. Sorry, wildlife. I wasn't thinking.
Gold was definitely startled at the sight of my partner, stumbling back against the snow in a panic. He reached behind his back for a Pokeball and expanded it, tossing it forward.
"Is that how it is? Go, Weavile!"
After his Pokemon burst out, snarling at the menace before it, claws and feet digging into the ground with its eyes narrowed. Leaving no time to move, I commanded,
"Snorlax. [Body Slam]."
"Weavile, dodge it!"
With astounding agility, Snorlax stomped on the ground and jetted towards Gold's Pokemon. Leaving nothing to chance, it spread its arms wide, roaring with a terrible loudness, echoing off the peak. But as it fell upon its prey, Weavile scraped against the ground, spraying snow like a blanket, disappearing from sight. It reappeared behind it, escaping the behemoth's grasp.
"Now, [Icy Wind]! Freeze it up!"
"Snorlax, jump! [Earthquake!]"
As streams ice breath streamed towards Snorlax, the Pokemon suddenly tensed, exploding upwards in a cloud of powder snow. At a terrifying height, it fell down, and upon hitting the floor, whipped up an enormous wind followed by an even larger tremor. Everything shook like mad; the mountain was shivering in its stolid state. Sounds of rumbling aftershocks resounded deep underground, and I knew that the caverns were in a complete frenzy.
The Weavile appeared extremely shaken as the cloud dissipated, knees quivering and clinging tightly on the ground. It couldn't even stand up after bearing [Earthquake]. Snorlax lumbered up to it, already prepping another [Body Slam], but a trick movement appeared at the edge of our vision. All too late, Weavile struck back.
"Weavile, [Faint Attack!]"
"Jump back, Snorlax!"
Both moved in an instant, but Weavile caught up to the larger Pokemon and planted a sucker punch to the forehead. A small shock wave emitted, and it was clear that this Weavile was much stronger than it looked. I couldn't recall Snorlax in this snowstorm, so it was exasperating to watch the shadow swiftly barrage my partner in a flurry of kicks, hits, and punches.
"[Ice Punch!] Again! And again!"
Snorlax roared, and tried to grasp at it, but the nimble pokemon evaded with ease. Another bellow, a fierce critical hit to the head, and the larger combatant hit the ground, thrashing about until it fainted.
"Recall."
I strided forth and tapped the ball on the head, sucking Snorlax into it and glared at the perpetrator. He was watching intently, his Weavile still in fighting stance. It was; however, panting roughly, so the super effective [Earthquake] had certainly put it reeling to almost the point of unconsciousness.
"...!"
"What? I'm ready for anything you throw at me. Bring it!"
Hmm. Could I have met my match, a true competitor other than deadbeat Blue and villain-of-all-villains Lance? ...Nah. I just screwed up badly right there. Even terrain would be easy bait win.
"...Come."
I strode past him down the peak. Battling here would be a mistake, in that it was bad conditions for me and that I might destroy a national habitat underneath us. Plus, I'm freezing with just these light clothes.
I winded down the snowy mountain at a quick lope, a huffing and shivering trainer trailing behind me, who was uttering curses to the air. We passed fallen drifts, buried treetops, and tons of loosened boulders strewn across the landscape. All the way down the valley...sweeping over the edge of civilisation. Uh… I think we did a lot more damage than that [Earthquake] afforded. Note to self. Stay away from the Mt. Silver ranger squad for a year or two.
It was about half an hour later that we arrived at a log cabin, sunken underneath at least ten feet of snow. All that remained to identify the dwelling was a partially uncovered wooden top, snowmelt running down a smoky pipe. I kicked aside the piles blocking my doorway, eventually able to pull the door open. Inside, a yellow friend perked up from a cushion before a small fireplace.
My abode was a quaint cottage, only the size of an apartment room, with no amenities, and stuck in the middle of the stark wild…..Yeah. Not so quaint.
A kettle was boiling within the fireplace; the fragrant scent of fresh mountain water and a little pinch of special herbs wafting around. I retrieved it out and poured myself a cup of tea, sitting gingerly by a small oaken tabletop.
The kid was just standing outside the open doorway, huffing.
"Haah… haah… you… what are… you doing!"
"...Tea?"
"...What the heck?"
"...?"
"...!?"
One staring contest with a red faced, angry bundle of fur later, Gold was sitting by Pikachu, rubbing its head while drinking my exquisite (and naturally free) tea. He had taken off his bundles of cloth to reveal a red and white sweatshirt, and knee length black sweatpants. I, well, didn't really need to take off anything, wearing my favorite matching blazer and hat, and the usual blue jeans. Although I was wearing almost nothing in the cold, my locks were damp with sweat.
Gold put down his tea with a clack against the floor.
"...Uh...about that battle…"
"...?"
I looked at him questioningly. I just want to go back to bed and hibernate, damnit! What else does this guy want from me?!
"Are we going to finish that battle we started?"
"..."
Yup. As expected. All these trainers never change. All of them are freaking battle junkies! The last time I was challenged, collecting potluck ingredients down in the valley at the time -yes, I can cook, thank you very much, you lowly, impertinent grunt- the guy, a veteran dragon tamer, was beaten down black and blue. But he showed up at my door the next day, the bruise where his Dragonite landed on his face still showing, demanding a rematch. He'd show up the next day and the next, even though I threatened to report him to the Kanto police force. The tamer just laughed it off, and I did call the police -I'm very serious about my personal privacy- and had him dragged off to the slammer. I won't be seeing him for a good while yet.
You know, I'm a quiet guy. I just want to live in a monster-infested hideout in peace, you know?!
"Hey? Silent treatment again? Do you even have any friends, Mr. Champion?"
Ouch. That hit a nerve. I ought to thrash this guy to a millimeter of his life with my Charizard. Fry him up and toss him in the air a couple times, at 5000 meters above sea level. Over a cliff. Yeah.
"...Of course I do."
"Sorry about that…"
*knock knock*
Me and Gold turned towards the door, hands tensed on our pokeballs. Another person today? That's pretty rare circumstances. The doorknob rattled a bit, and the muffled voice of an annoyed acquaintance yelled beyond the door.
"Hey! Red, you lazy introvert, I know you're inside! Open the door or I'm busting it down, pronto!"
"..."
"...Do you know the guy outside?"
"He's a friend."
I unlocked the door and it creaked open slightly, one eye peering out at my longstanding rival. His boot was held up, as if he was about to kick the hinges off the door. Hey! This thing is expensive, you know! Don't just go vandalizing other people's property, just because I left you outside in the snow! He stopped, startled, and put his foot down. A grin rose to his face as he smirked in his black corduroy shirt. A Pidgeot was also standing outside, steam rising from its plume of feathers as it settled down.
"About time, boyo. Any longer than this and I would've been stoned to death by the cold." He shivered. "Anyways, let me in already!"
"...Blue." I swung the door open, and Blue recalled his Pidgeot, stomping in. Oi, you're leaving muddy trails on my floor! He stripped his shirt and stepped out of his boots, to sit on my chair and begin pouring himself a cup of my tea... Stop it now before I get really mad. I don't see you for years, and you walk in like you already own my house?
I glared intensely at Blue for a good couple of minutes, hoping he would get the hint. Nope. Just the pompous, egotistical, insensitive, cool guy, airhead I've always known. If only Old man Oak beat some sense into him while he was working at his lab as a researcher…
He finished all of my tea, and strode over to Pikachu and Gold, rubbing the little rodent's head. "So who's this guy?", pointing at my guest.
"Challenger."
"...Tight lipped as usual, huh." He yawned and stretched his arms, diving into my mattress. As if sensing the Pokeball in my hand, containing my Charizard, he held up a hand. "Give me a moment, I flew all the way here from the Mt. Silver Pokemon Center."
"..."
"..." (Gold)
"...zzz" (Blue)
"Aight. Someone let me in, what's going on? Red, are we finishing our battle?"
"Not right now. I'm pissed.", sitting on Blue in the process, who groaned under my weight.
I moved over to lean on his head, and he muttered, "Ok, ok, sheesh. How unwelcoming of you to treat an old pal like that."
"How welcoming of you to vandalize my place like that." The sarcasm dripped out like Arbok venom.
He opened an eye. "Gramps wants you. I don't know for what, but it was enough for him to harass me to go and get you." He bent forward, pushing me off him. "Aight. Let's go."
"...Huh? Wait just a moment, I was in the middle of something right here, right now. If you're taking my chance to beat my rival, then I'll just have to beat you down."
Blue sneered, an eyebrow raised in an arsenic smirk. "Your rival? You've gotten it all wrong, little boy. As the former champion of the Kanto league, I'll take you up on your offer and whip your ass while I'm at it." He took out a pokeball and expanded it, a Tyranitar nestled menacingly within. Huh? Wait, are you two thinking of duking it inside of my cabin? I'll kill you, you know. I'll slaughter you two and bury your bodies underneath the ocean…
"...!" I brusquely whacked my rival in the head, and with a fluid motion, called upon Pikachu to electrocute the other. "Out.", I commanded, all the rains of hellfury and spawn generated by the raging titans of lava and sea above my head like a raging thunderstorm. Blue looked alarmed at my sudden change in mood for the extreme worse, and shelved his pokeball.
"Let's talk this over, shall we, Red?" He grimaced.
"...Get your Pidgeot ready, we're going to Pallet."
"Huh? We're going? What about that one, over there?" Blue looked at the knocked out, smoking trainer slumped against the floor.
"Take him too."
"...We're already at kidnapping?"
"Don't worry, I'll tell Oak it was your idea."
I retrieved a tarp from underneath my bed, and with the help of Blue, extinguished the embers in the fireplace. Going outside, I called Charizard, and with an aptly aimed [Flamethrower], wiped off the remaining ice from the roof and flung the tarp over, sticking some picks into the revealed bedrock of Mt. Silver.
If I didn't do at least this much, by the time I come back -if I come back- the whole place would be encased within forty feet of blocky ice.
Dressed in a dark parka, I boarded Charizard with my necessities and bundled Pikachu, who was sneezing all over, and with Blue and his unconscious luggage, took off to the skies. The accursed mountain of where I had spent residency for three years, diminished in height but still remaining conspicuously large, ranges branching to the north and south horizon with no end in sight. Note to self. Attempt aerial painting of Mount Silver on return.
Away, away from solitude and seclusion, from the freezing cold and rampaging Pokemon of the wild, away from the deadly avalanches and grueling training!
I breathed a sigh of resentment and relief, before a thought struck me with utter horror: How do I communicate with society again?