Cassius hated the idea the second he got within thirty feet of the tall grass.
"Nuh-uh. Absolutely not. No way."
"Cassius," Hop deadpanned, attempting to keep his tone at least some level of encouraging. "You haven't even stepped in yet."
"And why should I?" Cassius Hargreaves, a near adult at the age of eighteen, was planted to the spot and cowering before some very intimidating patches of tall grass. "What if there's something in there?"
"That's the point, twit," Gloria grumbled not too far away. She'd brought out her freshly-acquired Scorbunny, who was snickering to itself from beside Gloria's foot. Cassius was already growing tired of the thing.
"Cassius, you can't expect to make it very far with only Hyla as a Pokémon," Hop attempted to reason for what felt like the thousandth time in the last five minutes. "You might as well try and catch a Pokémon here. I doubt you'll find friendlier or more amicable Pokémon anywhere else."
Still, Cassius refused to move from his spot in the dirt. "Can't you, like, buy some Pokémon anywhere?"
Gloria's brow raised. "That's slavery."
"That's..." Cassius faltered. "... not what I meant. Like, don't they have Pokémon up for adoption at daycares?"
"Sure, but it's a pretty big responsibility to buy baby Pokémon," Hop explained. "You have to teach most of them to eat, move, and plenty more. It goes without saying that you have hardly the time to babysit during the challenge."
"Or, you could try and take a Pokémon up for adoption that isn't a baby," Gloria added. "Though, I'd figure there'd be a pretty glarin' reason for why a non-baby Pokémon would have been abandoned and up for adoption. Spoilers—it's probably not a good one."
Despite what Hop figured was a sound argument, Cassius continued to inch further and further away from the patches of grass. "I'd rather that than get eaten trying to catch a Pokémon."
Hop was very quickly losing his patience. What a way to spend your first day traveling—attempting to encourage a near adult to walk in some grass and catch some weak, trainable Pokémon. "Cassius, there's nothing in this grass bigger than your foot. You're not gonna get eaten, promise."
Gloria edged closer to him. "This isn't workin', Hop."
"I'm aware," he sighed. He knew this would be hard, but if this was how much he was struggling on their first day, then this was going to be a long, long process.
Their group couldn't very well just avoid every Pokémon-inhabited environment while they traveled. For one thing, it was impossible—Pokémon existed pretty much everywhere people did. It would also put a damper on the journeying experience overall. He and Gloria wanted to explore every nook and cranny possible that might have been hiding Pokémon. With that in mind, a decision needed to be made—Cassius would either have to come with them, or they'd have to acquiesce to Cassius' fear and avoid Pokémon altogether. Something told Hop that Gloria wouldn't be very inclined to adhere to that choice.
What would make Cassius more confident around Pokémon? Hop stood thinking for a moment, before an idea eventually came to him. "Okay, how about this? Why don't we show you that it's harmless?"
Cassius seemed skeptical. "And how are you gonna go about doing that?"
"One of us will catch a Pokémon. Right here, right now."
Now Cassius was confused. "You will?"
Gloria turned to Hop. "We will?"
"Absolutely. If we walk into the grass and catch a Pokémon, that'll prove how easy it is! And that even you could do it! How's that sound?" Cassius' disapproving face didn't change, but his lack of a response proved that he was at least somewhat on board with the idea. "Alright then! Gloria, if you would?"
Now it was Gloria's turn to disapprove. "Huh? Why me?"
"Please?" Hop begged in a quiet voice. "If you can catch a Pokémon real easy, using a Pokémon you just got, that'll drive the point home even better! Then we can finally get a move on and actually start adventuring!"
Gloria wasn't buying it. "I still don't see why it has to be me."
"Remember last month? When I hid your, ah, happy juice from your mum?"
Now she was incensed. "You prick! You are not callin' that in now!"
"Oh, but I am, dear Gloria," Hop hated calling in a favor (or, as some might call it, blackmailing), but these were desperate times. "This is for the good of all of us, Gloria."
Cassius stood some distance away, watching the whisper-slash-screaming match unfold with great skepticism. "This is so stupid."
"What if I don't want to catch a Pokémon here?" She argued. "They're all weak, anyway. I'd rather wait 'till we get to the Wild Area to catch somethin' stronger."
"You don't know that! There could be something really strong! Or a Pokémon you really like!" Hop was on his metaphorical hands and knees at this point. "I'm begging you, Gloria. Please?" He flashed her his most sincere smile, just for good measure. She stood silent for a moment, glaring at him with that displeased look she normally reserved for so many others, until she released a final sigh. "Fine. I'll go along with your stupid plan."
"Oh, thank you!" Relieved at making some form of progress toward continuing their journey, the Postwick boy wrapped his lifelong friend in an excited hug. "You're the best, Gloria!" He felt her stiffen up against him, but he didn't care.
"Yeah, yeah, lemme go already... daft loon." He pulled back eventually, eyes falling on an unnaturally reserved Gloria with an even more unnaturally red face. "... you owe me for this."
"I know. Thanks a bunch." He gestured to the grass. "If you would?"
"Gimme a sec," Gloria cleared her mind, stretching slightly to get herself limber. Scorbunny, in perfect sync, did the same, anticipating a fight. "You ready, little guy?"
The Fire-type nodded in affirmation. Gloria allowed herself a smile. "Right. Then, let's get to it."
Hop stood a few feet from Cassius, fully engaged as Gloria and her Pokémon inched closer toward the grass. "Watch and learn. Gloria's as close to a pro as amateurs can get. She knows what she's doing."
Cassius hummed noncommittally. "Has she been doing this for as long as you have?"
"Longer. She's always wanted to be a trainer." He smiled fondly. "Back in primary, she'd always win the imaginary battles we had with our schoolmates. Though, that might have been because of how forceful and serious she always was. She hates losing."
The thought of an eight-year-old Gloria bossing around other kids wasn't particularly surprising. "I'm sure."
"Just keep your eyes open. Remember everything she does." Hop seemed to be taking his own advice, his full attention on Gloria. "The sooner you get this down, the better you'll be once we really start roughin' it out in the wild."
Cassius simply couldn't wait.
Gloria put her first foot in the grass. Her eyes scanned every minute movement, every quiet shuffle of grass. Scorbunny sat on her shoulder, sniffing vigorously for a scent she presumed. The grass wasn't really that tall—it only reached to just above her knees—but that either meant that there was nothing here, or the Pokémon were small. And adept at hiding.
She took a few more strides, not bothering to hide herself. Now she was starting to get a better visual of the activity in the greenery. Something squeaked a couple of meters to her left. What looked like a bushy tail fled in the opposite direction. Movement, subtle yet clear, started to increase all around her.
Her Scorbunny stopped sniffing. "Bu..." it growled in a low tone. Gloria figured that could only mean one thing. "Found somethin'?" The Scorbunny hopped off her shoulder and took to the ground, its feet flaring up in challenge.
"Looks like we got action," Hop said, excited. "Keep your eyes up, Cash!"
"Don't call me that."
The rustling in front of Gloria reached a peak, before a shape suddenly jumped out. Gloria was almost taken aback at its speed, until she saw what exactly had appeared.
"Arf!" The Yamper barked, coming to a full stop before the two. Its tail wagged excitedly, and it panted as it eyed the trainer and her Pokémon. Sparks briefly ran across the yellow fluff around its neck.
"Wait," Cassius' eyes narrowed. "Isn't that the Pokémon that was back at the lab? Sonia's, right?"
"Nah, this one's different. Her's has a collar." Hop clarified. "Still, good find! Yamper aren't all that common out here! Go get 'em, Gloria!"
From his spot in the clearing, Cassius could see Gloria's Scorbunny tense up, fully prepared for a fight. It hopped in place, and Cassius waited for Gloria to shout out a command of some sort.
He waited. And kept waiting. Still, no command came forth. Awkwardly, Cassius faked a cough. The Yamper was still motionless, seemingly content to pant in wait.
Hop was starting to get a little anxious. "Uh, Gloria?"
In the middle of what was hopefully to turn into an actual battle, the girl in question whispered to herself. "So cute..." Her Scorbunny, who had been ready and waiting for the past half minute, turned to her with a look that seemed to ask if this was actually happening or not.
"Hey, Gloria?" Hop called out as nicely as he could. Maybe she was just thinking through a strategy? "Are you gonna, uh, catch it? Maybe... use your Pokédex?"
That seemed to get the girl out of her stupor. Reminded of the fact that she was actually being watched, Gloria snapped back to attention, ridding the red from her face. "I-I know! Shut up, don't tell me what to do!" Grumbling obscenities to herself, Gloria pulled up the app on her phone, and aimed the Dex's camera feature at the Yamper, allowing it to be scanned. A picture of the Yamper appeared not too long after, with a robotic voice assistant reading off information.
"Yamper, the Puppy Pokémon. This Pokémon is very popular as a herding dog in the Galar region. As it runs, it generates electricity from the base of its tail."
"Nothing I haven't heard before. Still, that's a handy tool to have." Hop admired from afar. "You've outdone yourself once again, professor."
Cassius wasn't terribly impressed. "Can't it tell you more? Like, what about its type? Or what moves it can use?"
"Technically, Pokédexes are sanctioned for use during the Gym Challenge. As such, it would be cheating if trainers were able to simply whip out a Pokédex and identify all the tricks and moves an opponent's Pokémon had during a battle. Not to mention ruin all the fun behind figuring out an opponent's strategy," Hop explained. "Plus, I don't think it can identify those things about random Pokémon. You have to catch it in order to get all the specifics."
Well, that was a bummer. With how Sonia had described it, Cassius had been thinking the Pokédex would be able to practically formulate a battle strategy for him, not to mention tell him all of his opponents' weaknesses when he eventually had to fight. This was practically the bare minimum—he could look up all that information the Pokédex gave Gloria on his phone, and it would take him about thirty more seconds! "Cheapskates..."
Gloria was busy running the Pokédex through its paces, scanning her own Scorbunny. The Yamper didn't seem in any rush to attack, so familiarizing herself with her newest companion seemed the most logical thing to do.
"Scorbunny, the Rabbit Pokémon. A warm-up of running around gets fire energy coursing through this Pokémon's body. Once that happens, it's ready to fight at full power."
"Yeah, yeah," Gloria hurried. "Get to the stuff I wanna know already."
"This Scorbunny is a Male, and knows the moves Tackle and Growl. Its ability is Blaze. Would you like an explanation of Scorbunny's moves?"
"No thank you," Gloria responded, a smile forming. "Alright, not bad, Scorbunny. Let's see if we can—"
"Would you like an explanation of Scorbunny's ability?"
Gloria twitched. "Uh, no."
"Would you like an explanation of Scorbunny's gend—"
"Would you come off it, damn rubbish!" Gloria forcefully shoved her phone in her pocket, growling in annoyance as the voice assistant mercifully turned itself off. "Okay, eyes up, Scorbunny!" The Pokémon, which had been eyeing a particularly interesting patch of grass, snapped back to attention at his trainer's voice. "I'm not fancyin' to lose our first battle."
"Bun!"
Gloria pointed at the Yamper. "Hit 'em with a Growl first!"
The Scorbunny ceased in its hopping, instead pausing to take in a breath. What followed was a low growling sound coming from the rabbit, its teeth bared as it directed the sound over to the waiting Yamper.
To Cassius, however, the sound wasn't particularly intimidating. "Wait. That's it? That was the attack?"
"Pretty much," Hop confirmed.
"But, that was literally just a growl. It made a noise for, like, three seconds. There's no way that Yamper took any damage."
"Some moves are about more than just dealing damage," Hop explained. "Status moves, as we call them, can greatly turn the tide of a battle in your favor. What if you could make it so that your opponent was punished for attacking? Or if you could prevent them from attacking at all? Pretty handy, wouldn't you say?"
Cassius was willing to concede that much. "I guess... but still, there's no way that little sound actually did anything meaningful—"
Returning his attention to the battle, he saw that the Yamper was cowering slightly, its expression drawn into what looked like apprehension. Cassius couldn't even stomach a surprised reaction. "You're kidding me."
"Lowered its attack, and quite effectively," Hop admired. "Taking care to neutralize your opponent's most prevalent strength through status attacks—a mainstay of modern battling tactics. You'd do well to remember that, Cassius."
The wild Yamper, shaking off its brief moment of fear, bared its fangs in a gesture that almost seemed halfway threatening on the tiny Pokémon. With a bark, the Pokémon charged straight for Scorbunny, the latter waiting for a command. It received one not much later. "Dodge!"
With the attack almost perfectly linear, and thus more than easy to read, the Scorbunny waited until the last second before diving to the left, rolling back onto its feet and watching the Yamper readjust itself, preparing itself for another charge.
Gloria wouldn't grant the wild creature the chance to try that again. "Quick, Tackle!" While the Yamper was getting its breath back under it, the Pokémon was unable to move out of the way of the speedy Fire-type bounding toward it. Scorbunny made impact, slamming into the Yamper with enough force to send the Puppy Pokémon skidding along the grass.
"Nice form!" Hop shouted encouragement. Cassius was busy wincing at the damage the wild Pokémon had sustained from the hit. That looked like it had hurt.
The Yamper looked angry—well, as angry as a foot-tall house pet could look. Quickly returning to the offensive, the Yamper charged back into the fray with another Tackle, with what looked like a bit more force behind it than its previous attempt. Still, Gloria's Scorbunny stood in wait, seemingly fearless as it waited for its trainer's orders.
"Wait again, then dodge and Tackle!" Gloria shouted. It was a risk to get sloppy and predictable with your tactics, she knew, but it had worked pretty effectively before, and she wasn't particularly held up on being predictable against a weak wild Pokémon all the way out here.
Similar to last time, Scorbunny waited until the last moment to dive out the way. Unlike last time, however, the Yamper dove slightly in the same direction, leaving its feet as it angled itself to its left. It wasn't able to score a direct hit, but the glancing blow was enough to leave some damage. Scorbunny winced in surprise and pain as the Yamper slowed itself down after returning to the ground, the attack ending.
"Clever thing," Gloria muttered to herself. 'Didn't expect it to adjust like that. Not bad for a Pokémon out here in the sticks.'
"That's one crafty Yamper," Hop analyzed as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Never really seen a wild Pokémon adjust that quickly. Got some potential, I'd say!"
"So, theoretically," Cassius cut in. "If I were to growl in the exact same way, would that still do the, uh, status thing you mentioned?"
"No, Cassius."
"But it'd be the exact same thing!"
"That's not how it works. You're not a Pokémon."
Cassius clicked his tongue. "That's dumb."
"Time to end this," Gloria declared. "Scorbunny, I want you to run circles around the thing. Don't stop 'til I tell you."
The Scorbunny seemed to grin, as if it had been waiting for a chance to show off its speed. Running beside the panting Yamper, the Scorbunny began to pick up the pace as it ran laps around the wild Pokémon. Its speed increased until the Yamper looked to be getting dizzy trying to keep up with the Fire-type.
A few moments passed, before—"Now, Tackle!"
The Yamper tried to read the attack, diving in a random direction to meet the attack head on, or dodge. Regardless of its intentions, it missed, and not long after Scorbunny broke from its run and rammed right into the Yamper from behind. Once again, the Yamper was sent sprawling, and it looked to be having a substantially harder time returning to its feet.
"Now's your chance, Gloria! Catch it!" Hop yelled.
"I told you not to tell me what to do!" Gloria roared back, slipping a Poké Ball into her hand as she did so. She walked up slowly to the Yamper, seemingly unconcerned as she did so.
Cassius looked worried. "Uh, should she be doing that?"
"Normally, no," Hop didn't seem particularly uneasy, which calmed Cassius down some. "It's true that most trainers shouldn't walk up to wild Pokémon, regardless of the reason. Though, her Scorbunny did a number on it. I don't think it's much in the mood to continue the fight." His smile grew. "And look."
Cassius wasn't seeing anything. "At what? It's just lying there."
"Exactly. Wild Pokémon vary wildly in nature, even among members of the same species, but some things are universal. When a wild Pokémon isn't doing anything, it's either because of three reasons—it's badly hurt or fainted, playing dead, or submitting itself."
Hop watched as the Yamper sat quietly, Gloria approaching without much hurry. "I'm willing to bet on option number three, in this case."
Gloria came to a stop in front of the wild Pokémon, her eyes scanning the Yamper for any sudden movements. The wild Pokémon stared back, panting as it looked to the trainer with unblinking eyes. After a moment, the girl's own eyes softened, and her features relaxed. "Right then. Into the ball with you."
The Poké Ball was tossed, lightly bouncing off the Yamper before opening. A flash of red followed as the capsule absorbed the Pokémon, closing with a click. The ball fell to the ground and shook briefly, wobbling in the grass as the group of three watched.
"This might be my favorite part of wild encounters," Hop whispered excitedly. "The anticipation of a catch!"
The seconds felt like years, until eventually a second click sounded, and the middle button on the ball turned Red. Gloria sighed, relieved, while her Scorbunny looked immensely proud of his work.
Hop strolled beside his childhood friend once the ordeal was officially over. "Not a bad showing, Gloria. Showcased your skills in a real-world scenario, kept your own Pokémon's damage to a minimum, and added a member to your party!"
Gloria, however, didn't seem as pleased. "I wasn't as sharp as you think I was, Hop." The boy was put off slightly by how upset she sounded. "Really? How so?"
The tight, wound-up expression on her face radiated displeasure. Cassius would know—he'd seen it directed at him plenty of times already. "I started off strong, but that second attack it used... I was careless. I was lucky I got off with a glancing blow to Scorbunny." Her eyebrows knitted further. "Against an experienced trainer and a trained-up Pokémon, that mistake is a lot more costly. I can't get off with bein' dumb like that."
Her words might have had a bigger impact on Cassius than herself. He was new to judging these things, but that looked to be about as flawless a victory as one could have hoped for. That she was being so hard on herself for the smallest of mistakes... how would that make his inevitable mistakes look whenever he messed up?
"Ay, don't beat yourself up too much," Hop attempted to comfort her despite her words, placing a hand on her shoulder. For once, she didn't seek to immediately remove the gesture. "Think of it this way. Make these mistakes now, in front of us in a low-stress setting, so that you can learn from them and capitalize in the fights that really matter. Make sense?"
Gloria kept her eyes glued to the ground, grumbling something under her breath. Hop decided to pry a little further. "I'm sorry, you say something?"
"... said you're..."
"Little louder, if you would?"
"Ah'said yer right, damn sap!" Gloria screamed at point blank range. Hop, with all the patience of a saint, didn't even seem to mind. "Shove it down me'throat, why dontcha?"
"Glad we're on the same page." Hop turned to Cassius. "Alright then, your turn Cassius. Break a leg!"
Cassius had been hoping that he'd forgotten the whole point of making Gloria battle in the first place. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, you dope," Gloria's speech returned to a point where Cassius could actually understand what she was saying. "After makin' me battle, you're not gettin' off without learnin' somethin' from this."
He thought as much. "Fine. So, what do I do first?"
"Call out your Pokémon!" Hop suggested. "Figure you can't do any battling without a Pokémon to battle with, right?"
"Don't patronize me," Cassius mumbled, before reaching for the lone Poké Ball in his pocket. He enlarged the device, before clicking the middle release button. A few seconds and a flash of red later, and Hyla the Deino was reintroduced to the Galar region. "Arf!"
Gloria laid her eyes on the new Pokémon for the first time. "So that's a Deino. Can't say I've seen too many of those before. How'd a dunce like you end up with one of these?"
"If you must know," Cassius spoke, kneeling beside his Pokémon and softly scratching the underside of her neck. The Dragon-type seemed to greatly appreciate the act. "She was a gift from my grandmother. She was a trainer, back when she was young."
Gloria hummed, taking a few slow steps toward the creature. She was surprised when the Pokémon made no move to scoot away, or show any sign of outward hostility. "Huh. Pretty collected for a rare Dragon-type."
"Well, duh. I've had her since I was twelve. Plenty of time to teach her good manners."
"Wait," Gloria threw up her hand to stop him. "You domesticated a Dragon-type?"
Cassius' brow raised. "Was it not obvious?"
"But... how do you even do that?"
"It's pretty simple, really. Positive reinforcement through praise and treats, a bit of clicker training, and plenty of patience through a committed schedule—"
"Alright, alright, shut up," Gloria was already bored. "Forget I asked."
Hop seemed pretty invested. "Can she obey commands?"
"Yes, she can." Standing, Cassius took on a slightly more stern tone as he addressed Hyla. "Sit." A second later, the Pokémon sat.
He started to walk away slowly. "Stay." Sure enough, the Deino remained planted to the ground, panting slightly in wait. Hop watched with rapt attention. Gloria even looked a little intrigued.
"Roll over!" The Deino flopped to the ground, twisting her body along the dirt. "Play dead!" All movements ceased, and the Pokémon feigned an untimely demise, complete with a tongue flopping out of her mouth for effect. "Speak!" Returning to her stance, the Deino barked enthusiastically. "Ruff!"
Cassius reached into his pocket slowly, before flicking something into the air—a treat. "Catch!" Leaping, Hyla snatched the reward in midair, landing with a few satisfied chews. Cassius quickly returned to her side, rubbing her fur all over with pride, the Pokémon returning the gesture with affectionate nuzzling. "Good girl! That's my Hyla!"
"He's way too into this," Gloria mumbled.
Hop shrugged. "There are worse traits to have." Calling out to Cassius, he gestured toward the tall grass. "So, you ready to do this?"
"Not really," Cassius answered honestly. Hyla seemed to echo the sentiment, gesturing in a manner that loosely looked like she was shaking her head. Hop was noticing how keen this Deino was, seeming to follow along with the conversation relatively easily. That wasn't an easy thing to do for Pokémon that weren't Psychic-types.
"You're gonna have to do this sooner or later," Hop reiterated. "As I mentioned, you likely aren't gonna find easier Pokémon to catch anywhere else. Get it out of the way now, and you won't have to worry about Hyla shouldering all that responsibility of winning by herself." He felt bad for playing on Cassius' love for Hyla, but his inaction had driven him to this point. "You don't want her getting hurt having to do too much, don't you?"
Cassius knew what Hop was doing, but he also knew Hop was right. Nobody ever won with one Pokémon, as far as he knew. And trainers normally relished the chance to explore the tall grass for the chance to find a rare Pokémon, rather than shy away from the opportunity. He had a part to play, and he needed to play it.
Still, it never hurt to stall for a little time. "Can I at least scan Hyla with the Pokédex first?" Hop didn't see why not. "Go ahead." Cassius pulled up the app, and like Gloria, aimed the camera at Hyla, waiting for the scan to finish.
He didn't have to wait long. "Deino, the Irate Pokémon. Because it can't see, this Pokémon is constantly biting at everything it touches, trying to keep track of its surroundings. If it likes what it tastes, it will commit the associated scent to memory."
Cassius frowned at the description. While he couldn't really call the machine's assessment of Deino as a species wrong, calling Hyla the "Irate Pokémon" felt unfair. And a little mean.
"This Deino is a Female, and knows the moves Tackle, Focus Energy, and Roar. Its ability is Hustle. Would you like an explanation of Deino's moves?"
Yes, please. "Yeah."
"Tackle is a Normal-type physical move. The user charges and slams into the target with its whole body. Accuracy: 100%. Power Points: 35."
Cassius quickly looked toward Hop for an explanation, but the young man was already well ahead of him. "All attacks have designated types. Some are more effective against others, and vice versa. We'll get into that later, when we have the time."
"There are three ways of attacking. Physical, special, and status. Status moves, as I mentioned earlier, can inflict a status ailment on an opponent that can, for instance, poison them. Physical attacks are moves that deal damage through physical means—as in, physical contact is made with an opponent. Think of punching, or kicking. Special attacks deal damage from a distance. Imagine a fire ball being tossed, or a blast of psychic energy hitting your opponent."
He paused for a breath before continuing. "Okay. Accuracy is judged from zero percent to one hundred percent, with one hundred percent being considered perfect accuracy. Most moves have perfect accuracy by default, with a few exceptions. However, accuracy can be affected by a number of things, chief of which..." he trailed off, giving Cassius an obvious look to provide the answer. He was already being tested.
The Unovan offered a shot in the dark. "Uh... special—I mean, status moves?"
"Correct!" Hop seemed genuinely pleased with him. "Finally, power points simply mean how many times a Pokémon can use a certain move before running out of energy to use it. So, Tackle has 35 power points, meaning that Hyla can use the move 35 times before it gets too tired to use it. Make sense?"
"Mhm," Cassius nodded a bit unsteadily. The explanations made sense, but it was a lot of information to take in at once. He'd have to delve deeper when he had the chance.
"Focus Energy is a Normal-type status move. The user takes a deep breath and focuses so that critical hits land more easily. Power Points: 30."
"Critical hits are when an attack hits a pressure point on an opposing Pokémon, or something to that effect." Hop explained again. "Score a critical hit, and your attacks deal a lot more damage than they normally would. They're mostly random, so attempting to manipulate them is tricky, but a move like Focus Energy can help to boost your chances."
"Roar is a Normal-type status move." The Pokédex explained Hyla's final move. "The target is scared off, and a different Pokémon is dragged out. In the wild, this ends a battle against a single Pokémon. Power Points: 20. This move was administered via TM05."
Now that sounded useful. "Wait. This move can end a battle?"
"Well, technically, yes." The visible relief on Cassius' face alarmed Hop. "Obviously, the move's useless against stronger Pokémon. And it can only get you out of wild Pokémon battles—you'll still have to fight trainer battles even after using the move."
Cassius had tuned out after Hop had said yes. It seemed like things were finally going his way—Hyla had a move that could prevent anything from randomly attacking them. That would make the outdoor experience a lot easier.
"Administered through a TM?" Gloria wondered aloud. "That TM's ancient. Far as I know, no one even makes 'em anymore. Whoever taught it to the Deino must have been battlin' through the stone age."
He didn't know what a TM was, but there was only one person who could have taught Hyla anything before him. 'Thanks, Grandma Millie.' She probably taught Hyla the move to provide him with a means of escaping in battle. His relative's foresight continued to amaze him, even after all these years.
Though, she might have been ashamed to know what exactly he was planning to use the move for. He shot a look toward Hyla, who still stood beside him. He then turned his attention to Hop, then the Pokédex, then back to Hyla.
"No," Hop quickly spoke up. "No, no, no. I know what you're thinking of doing, Cassius. Don't do it."
"Do what?" Cassius played dumb. "I'm just looking at Hyla's moves, like you told Gloria to do. Is that a bad thing?"
"Don't be coy. You're planning on using Roar to forego battling." He gave him a disapproving look. "You're not gonna learn anything by doing that. Don't run from the grind, Cassius."
"Sure, sure, I won't." Cassius didn't let up. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to... familiarize myself with my only Pokémon's moves, right? I'll need to know how everything works. For later."
Gloria didn't fall for the act. "You're so pathetic, you know that?"
"Takes one to know one," Cassius shot back.
"Promise me you won't spam the move?" Hop already had a feeling of what his answer would be, but he at least wanted to try to be reasonable. "I won't," Cassius answered, eyes elsewhere.
"I said to promise, Cassius."
"I promise not to spam the move... after I use it once to figure out how it works."
Hop sighed. "Okay. Fine. But just once, okay?"
Cassius gave another look to Hyla. "... sure. Only once."
The sound started to grate on Gloria's ears after the eighteenth time.
The process became clockwork before too long. Some poor, random Pokémon would appear—a Skwovet, Nickit, or something of that variety. "Roar!" The lazy hole from Unova would command. The lazy hole's Pokémon would comply, scaring off whatever Pokémon had appeared within a matter of seconds. Walk a little further, have another Pokémon appear, rinse and repeat.
Hop had tried bargaining with him, but it was useless. The langer was determined to scare off every living creature within a ten kilometer radius. At some point, Pokémon just stopped bothering to appear altogether, making the walk to the professor's a Pokémon-free excursion.
The git actually had the gall to look pleased with himself. "Wow. You were right, Hop. Hyla's Roar really is pretty intimidating."
"Glad you think so," Hop forced out, about as dejected as she'd ever seen him look. He was a bigger person than she was—she'd half a mind to strangle the bastard right out in the open.
"Only two more uses," Cassius said aloud, eyeing his Pokédex. His attention then turned to Hyla. "How're you feeling?"
"Ein," Hyla responded, voice sounding a little hoarse from extensive usage. Hop hadn't been kidding—the moves Pokémon used did seem to take a lot of energy out of them. He didn't think yelling would take so much out of Hyla, but clearly he had been proven wrong.
He turned to Hop. "How much farther?"
Hop nodded to a clearing a little further ahead. "Just a bit further down. House should be coming into view now." Cassius looked ahead, and indeed saw what looked like a house behind a few spots of trees. It sat across a small bridge, and was almost entirely purple and black. An odd choice in color, Cassius thought. One his mother likely wouldn't have approved of.
Cassius nodded, returning his attention to Hyla. He gave her an encouraging pat on the head. "Almost there, girl. You've been awesome. Extra dinner for you tonight, 'kay?" The Pokémon licked his hand in favor of responding verbally.
"Your first time battlin' for real, and you spend it hidin' behind your Pokémon." Gloria deadpanned. "You're unbelievable."
'Unbelievably genius,' Cassius wanted to say, but he thought wiser of it and kept the comment to himself. Pissing her off now would probably only increase the likelihood of her killing him in his sleep.
Hyla's roars seemed to do the trick. No more Pokémon came into his line of sight. Apparently, loud sounds could scare away droves of weaker Pokémon. A helpful thing to know for the future. There didn't even seem to be any trainers on the path, for that matter.
"The trainers probably went home once they realized all the Pokémon had been spooked into hiding," Hop seemed to read his mind, though he didn't seem particularly happy about the development. "Can't say I blame them."
Whatever. That just meant less people he had to deal with. Battling a wild Pokémon was one thing, but a trainer was a different matter entirely. The longer he could put it off, the better.
The trio arrived at the small bridge, crossing it as the house finally came into full view. It was bigger in person, and like many of the other buildings Cassius had already seen, under siege by plant life. 'What is with this country and having their infrastructure mixed with a bunch of vines?'
Hyla gently nudged his leg as he walked, making to grab his attention. She was still panting, but didn't physically look any worse for wear. "I'll give you some water and a treat once we stop," he promised. His Deino looked pleased at the promise, barking happily.
To think he'd be forcing this sweet creature he'd known for years to do battle with other creatures. He hoped she'd be able to forgive him. They'd both be learning on the fly, and she was sure to get injured in part due to his own inexperience. It made him regret ever saying yes to this whole ordeal in the first place.
He could still go back. Maybe. If he ever ran into Leon, or Sonia, or anyone like that, he could still come clean. Tell them the truth, spare Hyla from all the coming trials. Attempt to carve out a normal life for himself, away from the public eye. Or at least attempt to, in the face of what was likely to be an international scandal.
It was that hidden part of himself that kept him from following through on his thoughts. The part that kept echoing his grandmother's words, clinging to a hope that might not have even been real. Was this how desperate he was to feel special? To fake being something he wasn't, just for a chance at praise? Praise and respect—was that what he really wanted out of this whole charade he was putting himself through?
Hyla seemed to notice his strife, whining softly as she nudged his hand. He couldn't afford to be weak and indecisive in front of her. This Deino knew him far too well to fall for any fake assurances. "It's nothing, girl. Just thinking a little." If only.
The group arrived at the front door, Hop taking the initiative to knock. Cassius was preparing for this seventy-year-old to take a decade or five to answer the door, before he heard the lock click with surprising quickness. Not more than a few seconds later, an aged face came to greet the three.
"Ah, Hop." The old woman, clutching a cane while wearing traditional lab garb, greeted with a wrinkled smile. "So good to see you. I've been waiting for you to arrive."
"Ah, sorry about making you wait, ma'am," Hop smiled sheepishly. "We... took our time a little. Gloria caught herself a Pokémon."
"Sure, blame it on me," the girl grumbled beneath her breath.
"Is that so?" The elderly lady turned her attention to the girl in question. "Gloria, welcome dear. I'm thrilled to see you taking the initiative so early on in your journey. Boys can be so fickle during travel, can't they?"
"You've no idea," Gloria agreed, allowing a faint smile for the professor.
"And our last guest," her aged green eyes fell on Cassius. "Young Cassius Hargreaves, yes? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Magnolia. I do many things around this wonderful region, but my main field of study is the phenomenon of Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing." As was custom, she raised a hand to shake. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, young man."
If she was anything like her daughter, then Cassius would once again have to be wary around her. As he shook her hand, however, he thought she looked friendly enough. It helped that he had plenty of experience with older folks. "The pleasure is mine, ma'am. Thank you."
"So," the woman spoke after rescinding her hand. "The champion's three endorsed trainers, coming to greet me personally. I can assume you three received my Pokédexes, then?"
"Yes, ma'am. They work wonderfully!" Hop exclaimed. "They've already been such a huge help. We can't thank you enough for 'em."
"Think nothing of it, dear. I did the same for Leon and Sonia, back when they first started their challenge. It's only fair I extend the same generosity unto you." The professor's gaze became somewhat distant. "My, it doesn't feel like that long ago when young Leon was just beginning his journey. How the years fly by in old age."
Her focus returned to the present. "In any case, thank you all for indulging my little request. I know you'll all make excellent use of the Pokédex."
The older woman turned, making her way back inside. "Sonia did mention I had a reward for coming to see me, didn't she? Please, come in. I've something I think you'll like." She made her way back into her own abode, the trio of trainers not far behind her.
The inside of the house was small, probably by design. Everything looked to be within arm's reach of the professor, likely so that she didn't have to strain herself. Rows of fine china and the like lined the halls, Cassius making sure not to accidentally knock any of it over.
Professor Magnolia took a seat beside a tiny dining table, keeping a soft grip along her walking cane. "Come, sit. I'm afraid I'm fresh out of tea, unfortunately." None of the three particularly minded, taking their own respective spots at the table, Cassius seated directly opposite of the professor.
"So, this gift you had for us?"
"In a moment. I've something to ask of you first." The professor's expression suddenly shifted to one that radiated professionalism. Hop was a tad worried internally, but kept his cheery exterior up. "Sure, what did you wanna ask?"
Her gaze was steel. If the look on her face wasn't scary enough, the words that came out of her mouth next certainly were.
"What is it that you three are hiding from me?"
