The warm stream of sunlight peering over union cave begins to beat down onto the tent, my eyes creek open with unwillingness, I turn over eye still hazy allowing my arm to flop, my finger gently brush against the warm body of one of the other inhabitants of the tent. I rub my eyes to focus and I am met with an adorable site. The egg we had won at sprout tower sits in the middle while Chikorita, Totodile and Cyndaquil all curl up around it to keep it warm. We had left Violet City about a week ago, travelling down the route to Union Cave to make our way to Azelea town. I had wanted to visit Ruin of Alphs however there had been a collapse recently and archaeologists had made a discovery, so the ruins were off limits to anyone not involved. Since we had left each of the three had taken turns to look after the egg while the other either trained or battled. Cyndaquil especially had taken a real shine to it, keeping the egg warm with its back flames at night, Chikorita had carried the load when walking holding it on its back tied around itself with its vines while Totodile had done its best to keep it cool in humid weather. It was amazing to see the progression of the three since leaving from New Bark Town.
"Wheres my phone" I mumble to myself, looking around the tent
I finally spot it and bring up the camera function and snap a few shots
"I'll send that to Grandma later"
I pull myself up as quietly as I can too not disturb them, bringing my backpack with me. I scoop out their bowls and there food filling the bowls up with a hefty portion waiting for them to awaken. I use the last of the kindling wood I had found from the night before to start a small fire and boil some water. I steep some tea before sitting crossed leg in the entrance to the tent looking out over the lake that guards the entrance to Union Cave. Theres is a criss-cross of jetting that are all interconnected across the lake, I can spot a few fisherman already sat out of the jetting. When I arrived yesterday and set up, I had battled a few with Chikorita and Totodile, they had invited me to join them in the evening for some food which was great. They were all kind, there's a group of them that used to be trainers, they now meet up bi weekly to fish together and battle the upcoming trainers who venture onto the route. They were supportive, two of the even had their Poliwhirl and Goldeen help Totodile with movement in the water when battling which was super helpful. I get halfway down my mug when Totodile blurry eyed stumbles out of the tent.
"Toto?" He calls out looking up to me pointing at his bowl
"Of course, Buddy all yours" I say back with a smile
"Toto!"He quickly jumps at it and begins to devour the bowl, he eats it all up before flopping down onto his back with his belly bulging
"I'm glad you like the food big guy, maybe take it a little steadier in future" I say patting his stomach as his tongue lollops out of his mouth.
"How are you feeling about our journey so far?" I question looking down at him
He pops up to his feet before jumping into my lap, he calls out happily staring out over the water
"I'll take that as your enjoying it"
It about another 30 minutes until Cyndaquil and Chikorita wake up, by this time the sun has risen over the cave and is in full view. Its bright but there is still a chill in the air of the spring weather. Chikorita carries the egg out and places it into my now vacant lap as Totodile has decided to do some laps in the lake. I pull my arm slightly into my hoodie and shine it as Cyndaquil and Chikorita begin to eat their food. The fishermen still sit on the jetting rod at the ready to catch a big catch, however another gentleman is now present, he sits looking out over the lake, he's accompanied by a Granbull who sits next to him as they take in the sun rays. He waves to me and I wave back, everyone in Johto so far have been more than polite. From the gym leaders like Faye and Falkner to just random passers-by even seems very kind. On my passage down to our current campsite there had been a sudden burst of rain. I had returned all the guys to the safety of their balls before getting refuge under a rather large tree, a lady had pulled up in her off round vehicle and gave me a lift to her cabin. She invited me to stay for dinner as it was just her, she fed me and even dried my wet clothes for me. When I tried to give her some money as a thank you she just shook her head and waved her hands saying the same phrase over and over.
In Johto we pay it forward
I had questioned her on what she meant by this and she explained that, by helping me in a bad spot I was more likely to help some else down the line when they are in a tough spot. I nodded and promised to her that I would do as soon as the situation arise for it.
"ARGHHHHH!"
I look up over to the cliff side to see a young boy tearing towards the edge on his bike, He eventually come to the end of the ground and flies up into the air. He lands down into the lake with a huge splash. At the edge of the cliff a Poliwag which I assume is his, jumps about frantically.
"Totodile, help him out!"
Totodile who has stopped doing laps at this point nods to me before rushing in, he holds the boys weight who bops motionless on the water surface
"Chikorita, can you pull him out?"
Chikorita nods and rushes over wrapping to vines around him and pulling him up onto the jetting, he spluters and coughs up some water before flopping onto his back, he then burst up and starts screaming
"My bike!"
"Chikorita grab it, Totodile can you get below it"
Totodile dives down and pushes the bike up along with Chikorita who pulls it onto the jetting.
He crawls up to it and hugs it dripping wet
"I'm sorry bike"
"Uh are you okay? You didn't hit your head did you?" I question as Chikorita and Totodile move to my side
He jumps up and grabs me into a hug
"Thank you too!"
I feel the squelch of his wet clothes against mine and feel it seep down the front of myself
"Uh no problem" I murmur trying to stay still to stop the water absorption
He releases me as his Poliwag jumps to the jetting, I assume it had dived from the cliff into the lake
"Poli! Poli!" It screeches angrily at the boy
"Sorry Pol, you were right I shouldn't have ridden down that hill" He says scratching the back of his head
"But hey its okay, my new friend" He says pointing towards me waving his hand assuming he wants me to say my name
"Dustin"
"Dustin! Helped me out and pulled me out!"
Poliwag shakes its head
"So you are?" I question
"Oscar nice too meet ya!"
"Nice too meet you too, do you have a camp local at all, you need to get changed out of those wet clothes?"
"Oh no but I was staying at the Centre just in front of Union Cave, come on, I'll buy you lunch as a thanks"
"Uh sure"
I quickly pack my stuff up, Oscar does offer to help but I wave him away, mainly as I want to keep a little as possible from getting soaked. I return Chikorita and Totodile before walking down the jettings with Oscar. He chats away about himself and I gladly listen. He is from Ecreteak City, his Grandfather used to run the Dojo there before it closed down and was converted to the Kimono Dance Hall. He had grown up in Kitikami, a sub region between Paldea, Johto and Sinnoh. It had a lot of culture supposedly but I had only heard about it a few times in textbook at school. We finally get to the Pokecentre and Oscar first looks for the cafe
"Oh man I am starving" He says mouth visibly watering
"Uh should you get changed first?"
"Oh crap yeah, I forgot, I'll be back in a sec, go and grab a booth"
He speeds off through the centre
"He certainly a character" I mumble to myself before heading off towards the cafe
Its fairly vacant as its still early, I say hello to the attendant and grab a tea before moving my way across the floor and taking up the corner booth. I stare out the window before a huge commotion slams itself down on the table. There is a pile of assortment of breakfast foods; sausage muffins, pancakes, pastries and toast make up the bulk
"A feast for a hero!" Oscar says as he sits down opposite
"Are you sure this is a lot!" I question
"Its fine, plus my latest battle payment just came in!"
A battle payment is something you can sign up for, if you battle on the ladder and do well you get a pay out from the PBL. Oscar shows me his profile and currently in Johto he is 106th in the whole region which is pretty good for someone on the junior circuit.
"Wow you must be pretty good if you can afford all this" I say taking a modest pile of food
"Oh I just work super hard! Come on take more!" As he shovels more onto my plate
"Oh ah well thanks"
We eat our way through the feats, Oscar essentially absorbs some of the food I think, he moves so fast scarfing it down left right and centre, he even eats the leftovers from my plate, he then sits back in the booth and throws his head back
"OW so full" He murmurs as he rubs his stomach
"No wonder, you must have eaten like 4000 calories just there" I say with a laugh as I sip my tea
"Oh man I haven't eaten so much in ages! My last meal must have been like 3 days ago!"
"Why so long?" I question
"Oh I got stuck in the overgrowth between Ecreteak and Violet City, my sense of direction sucks I go round in circles a lot! When I set off first I wanted to go to Mahogany Town but ended up in Cherrygrove!"
"Wow, so are you doing the gym challenge?" I question
"You bet! My goal is to win my way through and enter the Junior World Championship, my Grandpa just opened a new Dojo in Kitakami on the outskirts of Mossui Town there, I want to bring eyes to it, so if I get into the world championship I can get it more exposure!"
"Wow, thats cool"
"Yeah, well my Grandpa is my hero, he was a super strong battler in the day, loads of people used to come and try and take him on back in the day. He battled before gyms even! When the gym challenges spilt over from Kanto into Johto, his Dojo lost its reputation and the gym took over. He did get offered the chance to move to Cinewood City to be the gym leader there but he turned it down and his student Chuck took it over. He then moved back to Kitakami and essentially retired, it was only when I started showing an interest that he started to train me and gave me Poliwag. The local kids normally head off to one of the battle schools in other regions but now some are staying at his Dojo to train"
"Thats amazing, so you want to help bring people in"
"You bet! Your on the gym challenge too aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm also doing a research task for Professor Elm"
"Oh cool, I got a starter Pokemon from him a few weeks ago, he was cool"
"Yeah, my mentor Ryan sorted it out"
"Ryan? Your mentor is the world champion?!" HE question moving into my face eyes sparkling
"Uh yeah, Uh I got set up with him when I start my Kanto journey"
"Whats he like? Does he smell good? Whats his favourite food?" Oscar starts to explode with question before Poliwag bursts out of it ball and smacks him on the back with its tail
"OW! Oh uh yeah sorry I did get a little carried away there"
"A Ryan superfan I'm guessing?"
"Yeah, he worked super hard to get where he is, I was in the stadium with my Grandpa when he beat Leon for his first championship and my Grandpa said something when he won" He begins before clearing his throat
"Success is not the destination; it's the result of a relentless journey fuelled by hard work, determination, and unwavering faith in yours and your Pokemon's abilities."
"Wow that's pretty profound"
"Yeah, I know! We should have a battle!"
"Really? Aren't you super full, you could probably do with a nap"
"NO! EXERCISE IF THE BEST WAY TO OVER COME FOOD BABIES!" He jumps up and sprints out of the building
"Poli" Poliwag sighs
"Lots of energy huh?" I question it
It nods before jumping down and walking after its trainer.
I finish up my tea, before joining them, he stretches off on the other side of the field
"Hey! Do you wanna make this a World Champ match?" He shouts over to me
"Uh yeah sure"
The Junior World Champion works a lot like the old championship set up, each trainer agrees to it, then a Rotom drone will be deployed to our position to record and referee the match, generally these matches are one v one but depending on different trainers you can get up to four v four matches
"Just a one v one yeah?" Oscar shouts
"Sure thing!"
The Rotom drone arrives after a little while, it scans the area and set a battlefield as there isn't one marked out it can scan, it then forms a purple rectangular box over us to mark it out.
"Battle between Oscar and Dustin, this will be a one v one with no time limit, the winner will be decided when one Pokemon cannot go on. Please send out your Pokemon"
"Cyndaquil I choose you!" I shout throwing out my ball
"Bayleef you're up!"
Cyndaquil touches down flaring it back up with a hot fire, it calls out as Bayleef thuds down with much more sound
"Bay!" It roars flashing its vines
"Cool, is that the starter you got from Professor Elm?" I question
"You bet! You have all three starters, is that part of your research?"
"Yeah"
"Cool, well lets get things started, Bayleef Body Slam!"
Bayleef charges in before leaping upwards
"Cyndaquil use Quick Attack!"
Cyndaquil darts away skidding across the ground as Bayleef slams down, it then leaps forward slamming into Bayleef side sending it skidding across the ground
"Bayleef, Razor Leaf!"
"Cyndaquil Ember!"
Bayleef summons a barrage of leaves and fire it off, Cyndaquil stays stationary sending a series of fire balls which connect burning the leaves up
"Headbutt!"
Bayleef storms through the ash and slams into Cyndaquil sending it flying backwards, it slams down on its back, it stir and groggily get back to its feet
"You okay bud?" I call out
"Cynda!" Comes back a defiant cry
"Gotcha, Ember!"
Cyndaquil breathes out a cloud of fire
"Block it with Vine Whip!"
Bayleef sends out its vines and slaps down the embers causing them to dissipate
"Again Cyndaquil!"
"Block again!"
The same scenario play out again with the Ember being blocked
"Headbutt!"
"Quick Attack!"
The two dart forward and collide head on, Bayleef overpowers Cyndaquil sending it flying back again and it tries to get up
"Body Slam!"
Cyndaquil continues to try and pull itself up as Bayleef jumps up looking to slam down
"You gotta move Cyndaquil!"
"Cyn DA!" it screeches before glowing a bright white and blue, Bayleef is sent flying back with the force as Cyndaquil emerges from the light in its new form
"Quilava!"
"You evolved!" I shout as the new form of Quilava emerges
"Wow an evolution so cool! Well that won't stop us, Bayleef Razor Leaf!"
"Ember Quilava!"
Quilava blazes its back hard before curling up it a ball and bursting through the stream of leaves and slamming into Bayleef
"Flame Wheel, you learnt that?" I question as Quilava swoops around and skids in front of me
"Quil!" I t calls back with a big smile
"Well, go again Flame Wheel!"
"Block it with Vine Whip!"
Quilava curls up and flies towards Bayleef who tries to block it with its vines, Quilava continues to roll against the vines, the flames fly up of it and lights up the vines which causes Bayleef to winces, Quilava pushes through and slams Bayleef fully engulfing it in flames
"Great work Quilava!"
"Bayleef!"
Bayleef stumbles back coughing due to the flames, it winces trying to keep itself up before it falls down to the ground unable to go on, Quilava bursts from it ball of fire and also immediately falls down to it stomach also unable to fight
"Both Pokemon are unable to continue, the match is a draw"
We both sprint out and prop up our fallen Pokemon
"You were great Quilava, evolving and everything like that, you are amazing!"
"Quil" It calls back weakly
"You too Bayleef, you were awesome!"
"Bay"
"Lets go you both inside to Joy" I say returning Quilava
We head in and get the pair of them healed up quickly, Oscar and myself sit in the lobby as trainers flutter in and out of the centre
"I'm going to head off towards Azalea, what are your plans Dustin?" Oscar questions
"I think I'll stay here for today and then head that way"
Oscar stands up in front of me
"Cool, well from now on we are rivals!" He says intensely
"Rivals?"
"Yeah, every good trainer needs a rival to push them to be there best, I'm that for you and your that for me from now on!"
"Well okay sure" I say with a laugh as the board flashes to show our Pokemon are now healed
"Plus I'd like to be your friend and I wanna battle your Quilava again soon!" HE says as we walk up to the counter to collected our Pokemon
"Same, I wanna see if I can take down that Bayleef next time"
"You can try but I don't think you will" He says with a laugh
"Well, good luck, here's my number, next time we are together, lets battle again!" I say
"Sure thing"
Oscar heads off into the cave with Poliwag in company as I wave him off, he disappears down into the cave mouth. He's a lot in terms of his personality, but he seems super kind, I don't think I could have picked a better rival really. I spend the afternoon around the centre, I pick up some supplies, they have some aprikorn balls sets for sale so I buy two. I settle down in the cafe again, I don't need to eat after the feast Oscar bought earlier so I sit and sip at a soft drink, I sit by the window and look out over all the trainers. I send out Chikorita, Totodile and the newly evolved Quilava, Quilava and Totodile devour their food while Chikorita as normal sits and picks at its food. After a while Chikorita makes its way through its meal, the three of them then curl up together and nap. I sit and smile at the trio. There then comes a he bang at the window the next to me causing me to jump and the trio jolt into life
"DUSSSSTINNNNN!"
I look and see the familiar face of Joe pressed up against the window
"Joe?!"
