Back again with another update! We're finally out of Nuvema town, and our journey has officially started! As always, constructive criticism, suggestions or just general feelings about anything pertaining to the story. I can assure you, if you make a thought-provoking suggestion, there's a very high chance I'll at minimum consider it.
Anyways, enjoy the update!
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step - Lao Tzu
Robin's heart pounded in his chest, blood pumping so fast that he could feel the heat of it even in his ears. It was a feeling of anxiousness mixed with anticipation, thrill and adrenaline, somehow exhilaratingly free and simultaneously suffocating.
Cheren seemed calm and collected on the surface, but Robin could tell he was feeling the same, though where Robin had a bit more thrill & excitement for the battle, Cheren had a bit more of a resolute, narrow-focused feeling on it all.
The question of who would beat the other in a Pokemon battle always lingered in the air between them, and today, they would finally get the answer. For all of their differences, Robin and Cheren shared one quality in abundance, and that was their competitive nature.
The two of them have kept each other in cheque and served as each others' outlet for this trait since their early years, but it has all culminated into this one, singular battle.
Perhaps that is why, when Bianca's hand shoots down, neither of them do anything. The weight of it suffocates them from truly acting, leaving a long, drawn-out pause of just staring.
"I would have thought you'd have made a move by now.." Cheren states slowly. He has a calculating look to him, studying every inch of Eevee's stance, whilst Snivy points its nose up at its opponent, clearly assuming itself automatically superior in status to the other Pokemon.
"Where's the fun in that?" Robin responds with a smirk, though the adrenaline of excitement peaks through his voice. "Every good show needs a build-up of suspense beforehand, it'll make the conclusion so much more cathartic."
"No amount of wit is going to mask your fear from me," Cheren says as he adjusts his glasses, his eyes still trained deeply on Eevee.
Where Cheren was still as a statue and laser-focused, the lack of any action only served to build up the suspense even further in Robin's mind, just as he had said, ultimately boiling over as the rush of it all took him.
"Fear?' Robin asks incredulously before breaking out into a more eager smile. In that moment, Eevee sensed her trainer is about to spring into action, and her stance shifted slightly in anticipation. This did not go unnoticed by Cheren.
"I think you have my feelings mistaken for excitement! Eevee, use sand attack!"
"Snivy, duck underneath it!" Cheren says almost instantly, Eevee's preemptive stance shift putting him on guard for Robin's outburst.
Eevee digs her paws into the ground and once more throws out a volley of thick sand, but Snivy deftly ducks underneath, charging gracefully at Eevee.
"Snivy, use vine whip as you close the gap!'
Surging forward at extreme speed, two vines shot out from Snviy's whilst it ran forward, the vines careening mid-air towards Eevee.
"Use quick attack to intercept!" Robin calls out. "Intercept with your vines!" Cheren calls out instantly in response.
"Dodge that!" Robin retaliates. In the blink of an eye, Eevee darts forward with brilliant speed amplified by a white hue as Snivy brings his vines slamming down on the ground to try and intercept, forcing Eevee to veer off to dodge, skidding far off to the left as first surges up from the impact.
"Now, use wrap!" Cheren capitalizes instantly, and Snivy darts at Eevee whilst she's still skidding to a halt. Before Eevee can react, Snivy coils around Eevee and begins constricting her, including her neck. Muffled cries of pain let Robin see that Eevee's position has been completely compromised.
In a manner of a few moments, Cheren managed to predict Robin's moves, counter-attack, close the distance, and instantly control the flow of the battle, putting Eevee in a terrible condition. Robin could only bite his lip in frustration in response.
"Eevee, hang in there!" He called out, with Eevee letting out a pained sound that Robin thinks was supposed to be a cry of assurance, though it had the exact opposite effect.
Cheren's face displayed no emotion, his eyes still locked in complete focus on the scene in front of him.
"Snivy, constrict tighter around the neck!" Cheren commanded coldly, and Snivy obliged. Eevee looked to her trainer desperately as her neck received further pressure, desperation to do something written clearly on her face as panic began to take over. That same panic spurred Robin to act without hesitation, instinct taking over completely.
"Eevee, use bite on Snivy's tail!" Robin commanded, and Eevee just managed to crane her neck and chomp down on Snivy's leafy plumage, making Snivy release Eevee in shock as it cried out in pain.
"Snivy! Slam it on the ground!"
Snivy's face contorted in pure, seething rage, almost in utter disbelief that Eevee dare insult him like this, but Robin wouldn't let Snivy respond in time.
"Swift whilst you still have him!"
Snivy slammed Eeevee onto the ground with his tail, but Eevee continued biting down on his tail despite the pain, and dirt flew up everywhere from the repeated bashing Snivy was giving as he slammed Eevee into the ground over and over violently.
Blue light started appearing around Eevee's mouth, and Cheren's eyes widened. Snivy frantically swapped from bashing Eevee to trying to throw her off his tail, flinging her to and froe in the air, but Eevee held on before opening her mouth and spewing out a large number of energy stars.
At such close range, Snivy couldn't fully dodge, and he only managed to leap backwards, but the move was too slow to fully avoid the speedy attack, the stars exploding in contact and sending the Pokemon flying back.
"Snivy stick the landing!" Cheren called out.
Snivy obliged and flipped mid-air, landing on its feet with a pained expression. Cheren didn't waste any time. "Close the distance, use leer followed by tackle!"
Snivy's dexterity was formidable, with its snake-like movements letting it slither around in such a way that surpassed Eevee'e own speed. Snivy's eyes widened in an emotion filled with cold, raw killing intent, and Eevee shuddered in response, allowing Snivy to swoop in with its extreme speed.
"Eevee, don't be afraid, charge ahead! Use tackle!" Robin called out unfazed, but Cheren was ready.
"Dodge and capture her with vine whip!"
True to his command, the two Pokemon charged forward only for Snivy to deftly swerve out of the way at the last second, coiling around Eevee before turning around and shooting out two more vines in accordance with Cheren's plan.
"Dodge the first vine and bite the second!" Robin commanded, and Eevee followed without delay. The first vine shout out with great speed, but Eevee just barely managed to leap away as the vine crashed into a table, shattering it in two.
The second vine shot out almost right afterwards, but Eevee managed to bite down it successfully, earning a surprised gasp from Cheren.
"Now, throw Snivy in the air and follow with swift!"
Robin's new partner did just that, hurling the Snivy high up in the air before shooting out a flurry of energy stars.
Even with Snivy tumbling through the air, the grass type managed to quickly flip mid-air to upright itself and use its momentum to swing its vines into the swift, the two attacks colliding into an explosion of yellow and green. Snivy masterfully landed on its feet, and Bianca audibly gasped at the beautiful collision of stars and vines.
Cheren's eyes narrowed. "To think of that plan so quickly in response to my vine whip." He thought to himself, though an epiphany dawned upon him, causing him to shake his head in the negative.
"No, he's not making plans, not like me. He might have a general idea of what he wants, but he's not planning, he's..he's reacting on instinct alone!"
Cheren's realization was spot on. Where Cheren was making plans and setting contingency for future attacks like a game of chess, Robin was responding with zero delays, the rush of battle heightening his instincts, thereby halting any thoughts in his brain and their lag time, with Eevee simply reading the wants of her trainer as they came.
The coordination they had was already remarkable, thanks in no small part to Eevee's uncanny insights into her trainer.
"Now, use quick attack!"
"Ward her off with your vine whips!"
Eevee once more began charging with heightened speed, though Snivy respond by wildly flailing his vine whips at Eevee, forcing her to keep dodging, spacing her away. The wild swinging of vine whip crashed into all manner of furniture, shattering everything they came into contact with.
Eevee settled on encircling Snivy over and over as she deftly leapt over, sped around, and ducked under the onslaught of vines, thanks entirely to her quick attack heightening her movements further.
Eevee managed to slide under a horizontal vine slash and find an opening to charge forward, with Robin giving an arm signal as the go-ahead. Eevee wasted no time in speeding forward, but Snivy managed to leap over Eeeve beforehand, flipping in the air once more and spinning around to send out a nasty vine whip that whipped through the air and connected, sending Eevee tumbling into the fence with a sickening crack of the whip. Even with a quick attack on the table, Snivy was simply too dexterous.
"Good job Snivy!" Cheren said with a hint of a smile, and Snivy smirked cockily in response. Eevee glanced at her trainer, assuring him she still intended to win, and Robin nodded in understanding.
"So this is what it feels like to be a Pokemon trainer….." Cheren called out to Robin. "I didn't think I'd enjoy this so much, but I suppose beating you has always been fun.."
"Then I'm going to have to apologize in advance for robbing you of your fun! Eevee and I don't intend on losing any time soon!" Robin called out with a rush of battle lust. Eevee made a noise of determination in response, fully agreeing with her trainer.
"Well, maybe I should be the one apologizing then, because I have the upper hand, and I don't intend to lose it!" Cheren responded before giving out a command for a tackle, Robin responded with a command for bite almost instantly, hoping to curtail Cheren's plans before they came to fruition.
Eevee and Snivy lunged at each other, with Snivy curling around a bite and throwing its body at Eevee, only for Eevee to use tail whip in response to a speedy call out from her trainer, forcing Snivy to duck underneath and abandon the attack.
"Spray Snivy and the area with a large sand attack!"
At such close range, Snivy would be hard-pressed to dodge, and at once Eevee threw up a large amount of sand at Snivy, causing it to leap back away from the area. Snivy backflipped away and sent out a vine mid-retreat, prompting Eevee to roll to the side before shooting out a blast of swift.
This time, Snivy attempted to dodge, but the energy stars were too quick and too accurate, and Cheren told Snivy to abandon evasion and intercept with a tail whip, causing Snivy to only receive moderate damage.
"Swift is extremely difficult to dodge if the user is in the same realm of speed as their opponent. Don't bother dodging it, just intercept," Cheren called out cooly.
"Then you can keep intercepting!" Robin called out. No further explanation was needed, and Eevee continued her stary assault, prompting Snivy to block each star with a flurry of vine whips. Every collision of star and whip produced brilliant sparkles of green & yellow, painting the air with marks of their battle.
Eevee's assault began to slow, and Robin could see that her injuries were more severe than what Snivy had endured. Robin knew at once that should the battle continue like this, Eevee would give in first.
"Use a combination of quick attack plus scratch Eevee!"
Eevee abandoned her stary assault and charged forward with another quick attack, this time with white, charged-up claws ready to tear through her opponent.
"Block with more vine whips!" Cheren commanded. Snivy began once more assaulting Eevee with whips, only this time, Eevee was able to slash through with her scratch attack, augmented in power by the momentum of her quick attack.
"Push on, cut right through Snivy's attack!"
Like a speeding scyther on a rampage, Eevee cut through the onslaught of vines by Snivy on command, and before long Eevee was upon Snivy, with Snivy weaving through scratch attempts as it attempted to dodge every swipe.
"Tail whip, low to the ground!" Cheren responded, and Snivy swept his tail to try and take Eevee down to the ground by sweeping the feet out from under her. Eevee leapt over the attack, but Snivy simply continued using his momentum to swing back around and whip the mid-air Eevee with his tail.
Eevee responded with her own tail whip, and the force of the two attacks sent the two Pokemon back a few metres, both skidding to a halt on the ground. Both Eevee & Snivy were panting heavily, neither side ready to give in.
Eevee glanced back to her trainer once more, and Robin received her message immediately, This was their last attempt at ending the battle, Eevee didn't have any more energy left after this. Robin nodded understandingly before the adrenaline surged back up in him in anticipation of this battle's end. That too did not go unnoticed by Cheren.
"This is their last onslaught, Snivy!" Cheren called out. "Do whatever needs to be done to survive, and victory is ours!"
"Eevee, zig-zag towards Snivy with quick attack, and bite the moment you get the chance!"
Eevee wasted no time in zipping forward, darting in a zig-zag line and kicking up dirt behind her as she raced towards her enemy, her heavy breaths of fatigue drowned out by her battle cries, using her last energy to push through.
Snivy got down lower in anticipation, and he just managed to dodge the attack. Eevee sped past him, yet she course-corrected almost instantly and shot back out, with Snivy barely ducking under a lunge in time, only for Eevee to bounce back and try again.
"Now Snivy! Tail whip!"
Snivy spun around like a green blur as Eevee darted to him, whipping his tail at her in an effort to KO the Pokemon.
"Swift!" Robin called out, and Eevee shot out more stars whilst mid-air, barreling towards Snivy. Snivy's tail slammed into the swift as Eevee charged ahead, and a large explosion engulfed them both, causing Bianca to scream and throw her hands up in front of her face.
Neither Cheren nor Robin flinched, too invested to care enough to tear their eyes away.
The dust and smoke began to settle, revealing Eevee and Snivy to be panting heavily, locked in a staring contest to see who'd drop first. With heavy breaths and a small breeze washing over them, it was Snivy who moved first, dropping down to one on one foot.
Eevee smiled softly, and Cheren stiffened. Yet before long, it was Eevee who fell down to the ground completely, too tired to continue, whilst Snivy remained on one foot with a defiant look, seemingly too stubborn and too prideful to give in.
"I think that's the match!" Bianca called out. "Eevee is unable to battle….. I think? So Cheren is the winner!" Bianca called out.
The adrenaline of the battle washed off of Robin in an instant, and a small frown adorned his face. He recalled Eevee into her Pokeball, muttering an apology as she entered the device. He didn't know if she could hear him from inside the Pokeball, but he hoped she could.
Robin usually didn't take any losses to Cheren too seriously, but this was different. This had been a battle that truly meant something to the both of them, and he came up short. Never mind the fact that Robin didn't like losing much in general. He dealt with loss fine, being able to spring back and use it as motivation, but he didn't like dealing with it in the first place, and this particular loss would sting more than usual.
In a weird way, there wasn't really anyone else he'd like to lose to besides Cheren, but at the same time, there wasn't anyone else he would hate losing to more than Cheren.
Cheren thanked his partner and recalled Snivy, who shot Robin a glance of superiority before being recalled back into his ball.
"It was a good battle," Cheren said with a relieved sigh. "I'd be disappointed if it wasn't a hard-fought one, so thank you for making my first battle a memorable one."
Robin couldn't help but smile, partially to hide his disappointment, but partially also in the weird feeling of acceptance in losing to Cheren. It sucked, but it also wouldn't feel right had he lost to anyone else. It seemed contradictory, and perhaps it was, but emotions rarely slot neatly in place with logic anyways.
"What good is a win if it's easy?" Robin responded. "And anyways, I can't say I didn't enjoy myself. I didn't think I'd find battling this much fun."
There was no lying there, Robin was genuinely surprised by how much fun it was. Losing himself to the thrill of it all, acting in sync with his Pokemon…it was a rush like no other. Not to mention he was quickly realizing just how great it was for reading into people and their true character.
Battling with Cheren almost felt familiar, even if they'd never done it before. Battling confirmed everything Robin knew of Cheren; he made calculated decisions after deep analysis, never letting his emotions compromise his logic. Robin got to actually feel that side of him in a way he couldn't otherwise, and that it lined up with how Robin has known him for years only further served to deepen his understanding of what he already knew.
Cheren might not vocalize it, but Robin was certain he felt the same way.
"Uhhh, guys. I was wrong about what I said before. The backyard did get way worse.." Bianca said, trailing off. Cheren's eyes widened with Robin's as they looked around.
More furniture was broken, and the fence was in shambles. Parts of the ground were sinking in from all of the running and sand attacks, with the backyard looking more like an old warzone than Robin's childhood play area.
"We…..we should probably go apologize to your mother, Robin," Cheren said with a deep sense of shame. Bianca chuckled nervously whilst fidgeting with her bag, and Robin simply sighed deeply.
This might be an issue.
The mess was not, in fact, that big of an issue. Elise White was much like her son, understanding and empathetic. She somehow was able to wave off the damages as "natural for children" who just received their first Pokemon, which Bianca couldn't believe, coming from a much…different parental background.
"I also was a Pokemon trainer, remember? This almost reminds me of my first battle, all those years ago…" She had said wistfully as she stared off at her destroyed backyard with a soft smile.
She did still chide Robin in the end, more out of principle than genuine anger, and told him he'd have to send her some money to help pay for the damages once he made some on his travels. She could handle the costs on her own, but the principle of the matter was what counted. Sometimes, she reminded Robin a little of Cheren, in certain ways.
The trio had decided to spend one more day in Nuvema town to get their affairs in order and say their goodbyes, which left Robin one more day with his mom. Elise took to Eevee in an instant, and the two bonded over dinner.
"Eevee almost reminds me of you, Robin," His mom said thoughtfully as she cleaned the dishes. Eevee was napping in the family room, prompting Elise and Robin to speak in hushed tones.
"How so?" Robin asked curiously.
"When you were a child, you always had a way with understanding people. It's why you were the first one to befriend Cheren, because you understood him enough to look past his cold exterior back then…"
Robin remembered that well. Cheren was a bit of a teacher's pet back then, and had often lectured others if they didn't meet his standards of greatness, which were quite high. Even some of their teachers had failed that standard, and they weren't exempt from his critique.
"You understood where he was coming from, and even as a little boy you understood how it might be lonely at the top," Elise finished the dishes and whipped her hands as Robin glanced at an old photo of him, Cheren & Bianca.
"Eevee is similar, she perceives things in a way not many do. She noticed how my expression changes every time I walk by a picture of your father, for example. That's something even your friends haven't noticed, and they've been over more times than I can count.."
Robin tensed slightly at the mention of his father. His mother didn't like talking about him, the tragedy & pain of losing her husband was still too deep even after all these years. Robin didn't know much, beyond that he died around 3 years after his birth, leaving Robin only faded memories of him (which didn't help with the faded memories of his other father still milling around in his subconscious somewhere).
"I guess this is the part where I say you're so much like him.." Elise said as she started to tear up a little. "But, the truth is, you take more after me than him. He'd love that, actually.." she said with a laugh through her tears.
"You do have his competitive spirit, though." She said as she tried to compose herself, not wanting to make her last day with her son a sad one. "And his stubbornness too.."
"Now I think we both know I get that from you," Robin says pointedly, though his smile portrays his joking nature as he tried to lighten the mood, both for his mother's sake and his own. His father (fathers?) was a sore subject for him to think about, and sent him down a rabbit hole he had only recently climbed out of.
Elise tries to stifle her laugh from waking Eevee, who was currently resting peacefully by the window.
"You have his wit too, I never had that," She says. "I know I should be ready to see you leave, but…you've only just recently gotten back to your happy self. I just wish we had a bit more time."
The reference to his earlier teen years didn't go unnoticed by Robin. Those years were marked by the existential dread of his reality, of the fact that he might be the only one in the whole world with any memory of their past life. He might be the only one who doesn't truly belong in this world.
His mom didn't know why her son had such a rough few years, but she was definitely happy once he flowered out of it. Robin regretted he didn't come out of it sooner. Maybe had he spent less time trying to remember the mother he had before, he'd have been able to better appreciate the one he had now.
"We do still have time though," Robin said softly. " I don't intend to just leave and never come back. I'll just be bringing back a few more Pokemon is all. I just….I need to go out Mom, I need to see, truly see what is out there. I'll still call, and we can see it together, in a way. You'd like that, no?"
Elise sighed as she hugged her son. "Yes…yes, I think I would. You always were good at cheering me up. I just wish I was as good at that for you…back then.."
"Considering you waved off a destroyed backyard, I think you have some qualities I'm lacking," Robin responded playfully, and Elise pinched him lovingly in response.
"Well, if we're getting onto virtues you should learn from you me, you could start learning to wake up on time…"
Robin's face paled as he knew the lecture he was about to endure. The backyard she could understand, but his inability to wake up early has been a grievance building up for years now.
"Giratina take me.."
The next day started off with Eevee waking him up with her tail, forcing Robin up. When he protested, she simply continued to give him a face full of Eevee fur until he couldn't protest any longer.
Dusting off his face, he yawned and looked over at his new partner. "I take it you're more of a morning person than I am?" Robins said lazily. Eevee responded simply by stretching next to his window to soak in the sun's rays.
"So definitely a morning person, then.." Robin thought to himself. "I'll need to get used to that…"
Robin got dressed in record time and headed downstairs. He had spent the bulk of last night doing the necessary preparations he'd need, including planning routes, packing supplies and checking the ace trainer blogs for helpful tips and tricks for new trainers.
Unova was well connected by roads, highways and bridges, but tradition had it that Pokemon trainers on their journeys, at least before they become seasoned travellers, embark on the bulk of their expeditions on foot.
While not required by anyone, it had become a sort of right of passage by experienced trainers, and it was only really no longer frowned upon to use transportation once you've adequately explored the region on foot.
Before heading out, Robin shared one final embrace with his mother.
"Just be safe. Be safe & have fun…that's all I could ever ask for from you," She said through tears.
"That's all I really intend to do Mom, I promise.."
One heartfelt goodbye later (and one Robin would remember for years to come), he head out to meet with his friends. He didn't intend to wake up so early, so he decided to check in on Bianca.
He walked over to her house (which was only a 7-minute walk from his place), but as he approached the door, he quickly realized his mistake.
"I SAID NO, A THOUSAND TIMES OVER, ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Robin could hear through the door Bianca's father shouting, his Kalosian accent getting deeper with every word as his anger grew more and more. (1) Robin couldn't help himself, and he pressed his ear to the door to try and hear Bianca's response.
"b-but…I-I'm a …"
"A what!?" Bianca's father roared. "You're just a child! You can't leave, I won't have it!"
"But I'm a good trainer with her own Pokemon! I'm totally ready for an adventure and ready to be an adult!" Bianca responded, her voice rising as well. Robin heard chairs shift violently the sound of glass shattering rippled through the door, and he resisted the urge to burst in right then and there.
"An adult! You are a child, nothing more, and you will live under my rules until I say otherwise! You have no right….!"
Before long, Bianca's father swapped languages to Kalosian, which Robin couldn't really follow. Bianca had taught him some throughout his childhood, and he actually took it in school as well, but he hadn't seriously studied it in 2 years, and the fast, angered pace of Bianca's father made it impossible for him to understand much beyond things like "ridiculous" and "ungrateful child."
Every fibre of his being wanted to slam the door open and help Bianca. Her father had always been strict, but this was a new low. Thinking on the spot, he phoned Bianca on her Xtransceiver, hoping this would force the arguing to stop.
It almost seemed like she wasn't going to pick up, but at the final ring, Bianca's face appeared on his Xtransceiver, eyes red from crying a fake smile plastered hastily on her face. Robin could only assume her father was somewhere out of shot, listening intently to the call.
"Guess who woke up early today?" Robin said with a fake smile, though his was leagues more believable than hers.
"Oh really! Wow, Robin, you haven't woken up this early in…well, ever!" She said, her face lighting up more genuinely. Robin laughed, it was almost too easy to forget how bad her situation was when talking with her so casually.
"I've decided to change our plans for travelling a little. I think it's better if the three of us stick together, no?" He made a very obvious-looking face at her, knowing that if he couldn't see his father, the reverse was likely true. He mouthed the words "I know" and "play along" so obviously and slowly that even a toddler could read it. Bianca's eyes widened at this.
"We'll be more safe that way, and we can get to the towns faster. No need to stay outside of the cities for any longer than necessary, right? Safety is more important."
"Y-yeah, that sounds good. I'd prefer travelling with you guys too, safety and all that…" Bianca said meekly. Robin smiled slyly and told her he'd be waiting for her at route 1 with Cheren in 15 minutes, and Bianca mouthed a "thank you" as she began to tear up a little before closing the call.
Robin took a deep breath and walked to Route 1 with Eevee behind him. "If you want my honest opinion, I've never liked Bianca's father, but this just cemented that. If things kept getting worse, I don't know if I would have been able to constrain myself much longer…"
Eevee nudged Robin in assurance, but the scowl he was making only lessened slightly. He wouldn't feel better about the whole thing until he saw Bianca again.
Upon arriving at Route 1, he found Cheren already there with his Snivy, and Cheren had to do a double-take when he saw Robin.
"You actually woke up early?" Cheren asked, his voice so surprised that you'd think he saw Arceus himself descend down in front of him. The truth was only slightly less surprising.
"Once again against my will, though Eevee is much nicer at it than you," Robin said as he pet Eevee behind her ears.
"Give her some time and she'll get as sick of it as all of us," Cheren responded simply, though a faint smile let Robin know he didn't mean anything by it.
"Bianca doesn't, I can do no wrong her in eyes," Robin said with a knowing smile as Cheren rolled his eyes. "Speaking of Bianca, she's having a bit of a rough day, so don't mention it if she seems off."
"Her father?" Cheren asked instantly.
"Bingo," Robin said with a finger gun, and Cheren sighed in response. "Figures," was the only response he got, and it was all that was needed.
Bianca showed up around 25 minutes later, and neither Robin nor Cheren commented on her
puffy eyes, or on the fact that her walk lacked any of the usual peppyness it usually had. She did brighten up upon seeing Eevee, and she smiled softly at Robin when she saw him. If Cheren noticed, he didn't comment on it.
"Sorry, I'm late again…" Bianca said softly. Before Robin could say anything, Cheren piped up.
"Don't worry about it Bianca, I needed the extra time to prepare more thoroughly anyways," he said as he looked away, likely to try and hide his face from the shyness that came with lying straight to her face. Bianca looked like she was going to fall over from surprise at Cheren's comment, and Robin just coughed a little to "fix his throat."
"Well, we're all here, and I'm ready to get started!" Robin said after a moment, bringing the focus back to the fact that they were about to start the thing they'd been waiting their entire lives for.
"Wait!" Bianca exclaimed, the colour flushing back into her face moment by moment as the reality of what they were doing hit her. "Let's take our first steps together at the same time!"
"That's not a bad idea.." Cheren said thoughtfully. Robin agreed with a smile, and they all lined up side by side with Robin in the middle and their hands interlocked (Bianca insisted, Robin was indifferent, and Cheren agreed begrudgingly).
"Ready? One, two, three…..let's go!"
The three of them all took their first step in sync together, crossing the Route 1 sign, meaning they had officially left Nuvema town, technically.
"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Bianca exclaimed, practically bouncing with joy. Robin smiled at the sight, glad to see she was able to shake off the events from early.
"It really is.." Cheren said with a smile, and even he looked a little jittery. "Actually, I have my own suggestion for our group," Cheren said. His tone caught Robin's attention instantly.
"Oh? Let's hear it," Robin said with visible intrigue on his face.
"The next town is Accumula Town, roughly a 3-and-a-half-hour walk if we don't deviate from the pavement or make a wrong turn. Why don't we all promise to catch at least one new Pokemon by the time we reach there?" Cheren said.
"That's actually not a bad idea Cheren.." Robin said thoughtfully. "Gives us a chance to use some of the Pokeballs we all stocked up on, and it'll give our new Pokemon more partners to play with."
"Sounds good to me! I'm the only one who hasn't won against any of you in anything since we got our Pokemon, so I've gotta catch the best one out of all of us!" Bianca said with a fire in her eyes. Robin's competitive nature kicked in almost instantly.
"We'll see about that. I was the one who caught a Pokemon first, remember?" Robin responded cheekily.
"That doesn't count…" Cheren muttered, and Robin begged to differ. Cheren only needed to bring up that he was technically the strongest Pokemon trainer of the three, and Robin promptly gave in with a soured expression.
They took the next few steps in sync, and a few more after that, but it only took around 20 minutes before the group naturally split up. Bianca was the first to leave the group, being distracted by some beautiful Pokemon in a pond off the trail, followed by Cheren who said something about a certain Pokemon he wanted being most abundant in a spot he knew.
Robin was left pondering just how much preparation Cheren must have done to know not only what Pokemon he wanted, but also where best to get them, but he continued onwards.
Route 1 was actually really beautiful even if you stayed on the trail. Accumula town was known for being a great vacation spot, with its many hills offering a variety of great scenic views over the forest.
The money the city makes has allowed it to renovate all the routes connecting it to other parts of the region, and so Route 1 had smooth pavement, planned scenic routes and some statues of Pokemon as well. It also helped that the terrain and Pokemon habitats surrounding it were, relative to most places, quite peaceful & calm.
It didn't take long for Robin to get off the trail though, as he wanted to actually catch a Pokemon instead of just walking on the manmade path for two hours without seeing anything. A five-minute detour became 10, and 10 became 30, and 30 quickly turned into a full hour of exploration.
Robin and Eevee encountered some wild Pokemon, such as some Patrats, a few Lilipups, Pidove's and Pidgeys, but nothing caught Robin's eye. He battled all of them, with Eevee and him working on their coordination and battle tactics.
He didn't need to battle every wild Pokemon he saw (that they could realistically handle, anyways), but his loss to Cheren still stung, and he knew he needed to improve. Eevee could use the training as well, and it was a good way for the two of them to bond. Robin was never shy to put the work in (when he wanted something, anyways), and he definitely did not want to lose to Cheren again.
There were some close calls with encountering Pokemon they had no business dealing with, such as a wild Zebstrika which, whilst majestic in the wild, could have likely sent them to the afterlife in seconds if they provoked it. Though on the whole, the excursion off the beaten path had been going well so far.
Eevee only needed around 7 minutes of rest considering she wasn't having many issues with the Pokemon they were fighting, and Robin had some potions just in case. He chose to only let Eevee fight Pokemon that hadn't evolved and seemed roughly equal or inferior to her, just to play it safe.
Still, 1 hour later and Eevee was getting more used to battling, which was encouraging. They'd need all the practice they could get if they wanted to settle their score with Cheren.
Unfortunately, all of this battling hadn't led to him catching any new Pokemon, and he needed one before he got to Accumula town. But which Pokemon to catch? Nothing had caught his interest so far, at least not anything that he could reasonably battle & catch, but Eevee was tiring and she couldn't keep battling forever, nor would Robin ask her to.
"Why don't we take a rest here before heading back on the trail?" Robin asked, and Eevee nodded happily. They found a nice open field away from the trees of the forest they had stumbled into. Robin could still remember the direction back towards the trail, so he knew they'd be okay for now. He did worry about Bianca though…
Robin reached for his pouch of Pokemon food, wanting to reward Eevee with a nice snack for all her hard work. Robin had made sure to get food that Eevee would enjoy, and so far she had taken to it almost instantly, so that was good. Oddly, he couldn't find his pouch anywhere….had he forgotten it back at home!?
"No, I couldn't have…!?" Robin thought to himself frantically. Sure he sometimes could be a bit forgetful, what with his head often in the clouds, but he wouldn't forget Eevee's food, would he?
Frantically searching his bag, dread welled up inside as he realized he didn't have it with him. Nuvema town was well over an hour away, and Accumula even farther. He couldn't go back to Nuvema, that would be way too embarrassing, but Accumla was just so far…..
Eevee's ears perked up as she watched her trainer begin to panic, mostly inwardly, though his frantic searching betrayed his true feelings, even if he was otherwise doing a good job trying to mask his panic.
The brown-furred Pokemon shook Robin out of his search as she began barking behind them at a large rock. Robin turned around, and Eevee's noise caused a Purloin to appear on all fours from behind the rock (2). Not only that, but it was holding Robin's food bag!
"I knew I hadn't left it!" Robin thought to himself as he inwardly sighed. "It must have snuck up on Eevee and I earlier. I didn't even hear a thing, and neither did Eevee. That's actually quite impressive," Robin mused to himself.
Purloin were known to steal things from people, and their evolved form, Liepard, are known throughout the land as extremely stealthy, so it makes Purloin would have a lesser but still noteworthy skill in the area.
The Purloin actually smiled at Robin slyly, looking almost prideful for getting the slip on the pair. Robin couldn't help but smile at it in response. "Heh, I like this one.." he thought.
Eevee's eyes narrowed at the Purloin as it started analyzing it, though it looked back to its trainer, almost as if questioning him as to why he hasn't made a move against it yet.
"Not so fast Eevee, cheeky as it is….it's growing on me," Robin admitted. Purloin's smile grew wider, and it actually had the gall to start eating Eevee's food in front of them.
Robin couldn't help but laugh at it, impressed at its cheekiness.
"Someone's a bit cheekier than I expected," Robin called out to it playfully. "But you can't take my Pokemon's food and expect to get away with it! Time for some discipline, right Eevee?"
Eevee nodded with a small smile, enjoying her trainer's antics. The Purloin seemed to enjoy it too, seemingly impressed that a human would match it in such a manner. Eevee stepped forward, and the Purloin stopped eating Eevee's food and assumed a battle-ready stance on all fours.
"Eevee, use quick attack!"
Eevee charged up her quick attack as the white hue around her started to take form, but the Purloin leapt to Eevee with great speed and clapped its palms together, sending a small shockwave in the air that washed over Eevee. It didn't seem to do too much damage, but it made Eevee flinch and drop what she was doing.
"That must have been fakeout. I've never seen it be used in real life before.." Robin thought to himself. He almost wished Cheren was here to witness him remembering that information from their academy days.
Purloin wasted no time, and its claws began to glow white and enlarge before furiously swiping away at Eevee, using what Robin believed to be furry swipes. Eevee was slightly slower than the wild Pokemon, and so whilst she dodged the first three swipes, two more landed afterwards, though Eevee did manage to force Purloin to back off with a tail whip.
"Strong and speedy too! We've definitely got out hands full!" Robin remarked with a grin, the thrill of battling a Pokemon near equal to Eevee washing over him again.
"Let's show our friend here why they should have some better manners when they want a snack! Eevee, use sand attack!"
Eevee obliged and threw a large amount of sand at Purloin, the purple Pokemon deftly leaping away from the attack, only for Eevee to thow more condensed sand chunks, forcing Purloin onto the large stone it had been hiding behind.
"Now swift!"
Eevee shot out a brilliant assault of energy stars, the attack too, well, swift for Purloin to react in time after just landing on the rock, and the dark type Pokemon was sent flying back from the stary explosion, crying out.
As is the stereotype, Purloin landed (painfully) on all fours, hissing slightly, seemingly taking the battle more seriously now.
It leapt up and shot out its paw, which glowed white for a moment before its own use of swift came crashing down, with Eevee using the move again to cancel it out in a flash of stary explosions.
"It knows swift?" Robin said with a puzzled expression and confused tone. Eevee looked back at her trainer, equally confused.
What it did with its paw did not look like it was charging up for a swift at all, the colour was way too different and lacked the stary blue hue. Yet that definitely was a swift Robin just witnessed….
Purloin pounced onto Eevee with more fury swipes, but Eevee had anticipated the attack and dodged before throwing up more sand, catching Purloin in the eyes before using scratch as payback. Purloin yelped in pain, and a command for a bite from Robin had Eevee chomp down on Purloin's leg before throwing it into the rock.
The Purloin began to growl as it tried to stand, and Robin deftly threw a Pokeball at it with one hand, only for the Purloin to smack it away with its tail right back into Robin's hand.
"Nice shot…." Robin trailed off, impressed. His eyes narrowed in excitement. "Not going to make this easy for us? Fine, we don't mind a nice game of Purloin and Minccino. Eevee, tackle it!"
Purloin did that paw thing again, and more stars came gliding towards Eevee, once more shooting out from Purloin's paw and not its mouth. Robin called for Eevee to swap tactics to quick attack, and Eevee obliged, using her newfound speed to zip away from the stary attack.
The stars began to course correct and rapidly chase Eevee, with their speed allowing them to gain on Eevee even with the speed enhancement, but Eevee managed to take refuge behind some tree 100 metres away after dashing towards them. The stars exploded harmlessly (to Eevee anyways, not to the trees) into the bark of a few trees, blowing a hole in them and causing 2 trees to tumble down.
Purloin looked to Eevee, then back to Robin, and then back to Eevee again, before scooping up Robin's food bag and booking it in the opposite direction. With Eevee far away from both her trainer and he opponent, Purloin hoped to make a quick exit.
"Not so fast, we aren't done playing! Eevee, chase it with quick attack!" Robin called.
Eevee rushed forward with her brilliant white hue trailing behind her, and although Purloin had a sizeable lead, Eevee managed to gap the distance within 7 seconds of running, slamming into Purloin and sending the food sprawling on the ground.
Deciding to test his aim, Robin chucked a Pokeball at the pair, though the distance was rather large. He actually was going to miss Purloin and overshoot it, but Eevee lept in the air and smacked the Pokeball into Purloin with an expertly timed tail whip, almost as if she had anticipated he'd miss.
The Pokeball opened as it struck Purloin, sucking it in before clamping down and wiggling. Robin waited on bated breath, and in three wiggles, the Pokeball made its signature clicking noise, indicating that the injured Purloin had been caught.
Robin ran up to the Pokeball and picked it up with a satisfying grin before high-fiving (high-pawing?) Eevee in the process.
"Nice ending there Eevee, I like the style!" Robin said encouragingly with a smile, a pet & a wink. Eevee's tail wiggled happily and with pride at his remarks, just as happy with her performance as her trainer.
"Now, why don't we say hello to our new friend? I gotta admit, I like Purloin's style," Robin said, and Eevee thought to herself for a moment before nodding.
Robin quickly let out Purloin, who purred softly in response, perhaps napping inside the Pokeball? It looked up at its new trainer and its former opponent, struggling a little from its injuries. Robin fished for a potion and knelt down at it.
"Hold on, let me heal you Purloin. Can't have you in pain any longer, right?" Robin said in a soft, matter-of-fact tone. Purloin at first flinched at its new trainer's touch, likely caught off guard with how quickly things have changed in its life.
A completely wild Pokemon such as this one was different than the ones that lived closer to civilization. Robin wondered if Purloin had ever even lived near any human settlement before. Still, a few healing sprawls from the potion soothed its pain, and it accepted the healing graciously, before swiping the potion for itself for keeps.
"Hold on now," Robin said with a laugh. "No need to steal, I have more in my bag, and now that we're partners, you'll have access to them whenever you need. They are for my Pokemon after all. They don't do anything for me."
Purloin stared at the potion with a perplexed look before very cautiously offering it back to Robin. The young trainer made sure to make his moves slow & deliberate, trying to be as non-threatening and accommodating as he could be.
"Why don't we take a rest here, and you can properly meet Eevee?" Robin asked hopefully.
Purloin's eyes narrowed at its previous opponent, whilst Eevee stared cautiously at it. Robin sighed a little, expecting this.
"I understand this all might be a little sudden," Robin started, speaking softly because he truly was sympathetic to how Purloin might be feeling. "But you should know Eevee and I passed by all sorts of Pokemon, and we battled at least ten over the past hour, probably more actually, but I didn't even try to catch any of them, not one."
Purloin perked up at that, its head-turning curiously as if to indicate for Robin to continue. "You're the first wild Pokemon I've seen since leaving my hometown that I've actually wanted on my team. I'm not sure if that means anything to you, but I think it should. I felt a bit of kindred spirit with you, and you stood out so much that I knew I wanted to catch you. I promise, if you comply, I think we might just get along better than you'd think."
Purloin looked thoughtful for a moment, but it soon smiled at the flattery. None of it was false on Robin's part, which sweetened the exchange for him. Eevee cautiously offered some food to Purloin, and that marked the start of their bonding.
Before long, the trio was comfortably eating on the grass, sharing a meal and enjoying the lush green grass and its pleasing scent. Purloin still was a tad wary of its new situation, but the heart-to-heart from earlier, plus the food Robin offered, was melting away Purloin's suspicion rather quickly. Robin took the time to scan Purloin with his new Pokedex, which revealed some helpful information.
Pokemon Species: Purloin
Type: Dark
Sex: Male
Ability: Prankster (see details?)
Description: It steals things from people just to amuse itself, but its victims can't help but forgive them due to their deceptively cute act, which they use as a ruse. Purloin often appear & vanish unexpectedly, often to play tricks on unsuspecting victims.
Known Moves: Fury Swipes, Fake Out, Growl, Tackle & Assist.
Assist caught Robin's eye instantly. If he recalled correctly, the move allowed a Pokemon to use a move at random, provided it has seen it be performed in front of them before. That must have been how Purloin was able to use Swift, which, now that Robin thought of it, happened only after Purloin saw Eevee use it.
"You must be pretty lucky to get swift at random twice in a row," Robin said knowingly as he cautiously pet Purloin. It grinned slyly at him.
Purloin seemed to work off of respect, and Robin earned it when he defeated him, and maintained it when he entertained Purloin's antics.
Eevee also managed to get a little closer with Purloin, with Eevee not exactly partaking in Purloin's cheekiness, but nonetheless entertaining it curiously. After around 15 minutes of resting and bonding, Robin finished his eating and was content to just watch his Pokemon as he lost himself in his thoughts.
It was only now truly sinking in just how drastically his life has shifted from this day forward. After 18 years of living in his town, with only a few visits to other cities here and there in his childhood, Robin was…well, he was free, so to say. He could go wherever he wanted, and also do whatever he wanted.
Beyond that, he had a team of Pokemon now. Sure, it was only 2 Pokemon, but that's two more than he's ever had before. What were their goals, if any, and what would their goals become as they travelled? There were so many things they could do, so many sights they could see, and so many experiences they could have, it was all so exciting to think about.
The world truly was their oyster now, and Robin, for the first time in his (new?) life, couldn't see what the next day would bring.
There was uncertainty in his life now, and that was more empowering than he thought it would be. With his new Pokemon by his side, he was sure he could handle whatever might come his way, and he was determined to make the most of this journey.
As his thoughts took him from one topic to another, Robin was filled with a sense of pure wonder and excitement. With the amount of options available, he started making all sorts of plans in his head. He could take his Pokemon to that famous restaurant in Striaton City, or visit the Nimbasa City theme park. Maybe he could even take a cruise ride from Castelia City? The possibilities truly were endless.
Lost in his thoughts, Robin vaguely heard some noises around him, and he realized his Pokemon were..on edge? That didn't seem right. Eevee was pulling on his arm a little, and Purloin's tensed stance knocked him out of his thoughts.
Turning around, Robin saw a large shadow emerge from the trees, staring right at them. The large Pokemon shrieked what sounded like a chilling, insect-like battle cry, and Robin's breath hitched.
"Well, that definitely doesn't look or sound good…"
Oh if only he knew….
(1) - Robin could hear through the door Bianca's father shouting, his Kalosian accent getting deeper with every word as his anger grew more and more.
I've decided to make Bianca's family from Kalos originally, with Bianca being born in Kalos yet only living tier for the first 2-3 years of her life. My reasoning is extremely simple, which is that she wears a green beret. Beyond that, this just gives her more flavour/fluff to pad out her character, which is always nice to have.
I think her family being from Kalos is a cool addition that makes the world seem larger, and other regions will continuously come up in small references like this, as well as in other, larger ways.
(2) - Robin turned around, and Eevee's noise caused a Purloin to appear on all fours from behind the rock
Someone, and they know who they are, decided to inform me that Purloin in the anime and in its 3D art is actually bipedal, which is an affront to society. Purloin should be on all 4's as per its in-game art, and I will not tolerate hearing otherwise. Purloin isn't bipedal, canon be damned.