AN: The next chapter is shorter than the last one.
Some chapters will be shorter; others will be langer. It depends on when I choose to stop the chapter.
This is still in the introduction arc, so there is more world-building than battles.
As usual, Pokemon is not mine.
' The downside of battling trained Pokemon is that wild Pokemon are harder to battle .' If Cecilia had been honest with herself, the battle could have been worse; at least she caught it.
When Nemona approached Cecilia, she congratulated her on catching her first Pokemon, Lechonk.
"Yeah, it was hard. Things will get easier, right?" Cecilia asked. Cecilia might throw quick balls if she didn't get the hang of it.
"Weaken the Pokemon first, then catching it will be easier," Nemona advised as she handed over more Pokeballs.
Cecilia now had 19 regular Pokeballs and 5 of each specialty ball in her bag, including great, ultra, quick, time, net, nest, repeat, and dusk balls. "I'm set for the next month," she deadpanned quietly.
"See that lighthouse over there. Let's meet up there, and I can show you the school plus a great view. " Nemona pointed to the building; both could see down the path.
"Alright, see you in a few minutes." Cecilia nodded, then set down the road to find Pokemon to help train not only her Pokemon but herself as well.
After catching three more Pokemon, Cecilia arrived at the Clift near the lighthouse; Agravain also appeared with berries.
"Have you got the hang of catching Pokemon yet?" Nemona arrived next, coming from behind them. "I am curious what Pokemon you -"
Suddenly, a cry came on the wind that no one knew, only that it was nearby.
"What in the name of Arceus?" Nemona said as she looked around, and Cecilia tried to get a feel through the natural aura. "I've never heard that cry before. Have you?" Cecilia and Agravain shook their heads.
' I believe it came from near the cliff,' Agravain stated, walking towards the cliffside.
As the two girls approached the mythical-class Pokemon, Nemona asked, "Do you think it's strong?"
"It sounded like it was in pain rather than looking for a challenge," Cecilia explained. "But since it is new, I wanted to find out."
"Be careful! There is an unsafe cave nearby," Nemona warned. "And watch out for the cliffside."
Cecilia and her Zarude approached the cliff cautiously to investigate the noise. From the ridge, they could see a beach below. Cecilia sensed something and turned towards it, noticing three Pokemon. Two were identical black and white dogs with bone growths forming the white parts. The third was a new Pokemon, more massive than the other two and reddish-pink and white. "Are the Houndour responsible for the presence of the Pokemon?" Cecilia wondered
' It's unlikely the Houndour caused the crash,' her Pokemon replied. ' It's more probable that the Pokemon crashed first, and the Houndour appeared afterward. '
As the Houndour growled and barked, the two companions heard a roar from the giant Pokemon. Its cry was so powerful that it shook the cliffside, causing Cecilia to lose her balance and fall. Agravain tried to save her by grabbing her with his vines, but he missed. Luckily, Cecilia's Rotom phone appeared and landed in her hands, slowing her fall and gently lowering her to the ground. Cecilia took a moment to catch her breath and calm down after the terrifying experience.
' Cecily, you okay? ' Cecilia looked up, knowing that due to his panic, Agravain called her by her original name.
Cecilia felt relieved that Nemona couldn't understand the Zarude. Otherwise, Nemona might have asked about something she didn't want to discuss yet. "Yeah, my phone saved me," Cecilia said and then watched the two Houndours run away. Turning to the left, she saw the unknown Pokemon lying down. Growing up around a powerful Pokemon like Zarude meant Cecilia was not easily frightened by other Pokemon. She started to walk towards the mysterious creature.
The Pokemon was mainly red, though it had some white on its body. From Cecilia's perspective, it could be a dragon-type Pokemon, but she couldn't be sure until she saw more of it. Cecilia aimed her phone at the Pokemon to identify it using her Pokedex app, but it showed an error message.
Cecilia was excited about encountering a new Pokemon and showing it to the Pokemon League. She took out a Pokeball and tried to capture the red dragon with it. Still, the capturing light broke before it could fully envelop the Pokemon. This signaled that the Pokemon already had a trainer or wasn't a wild Pokemon.
Cecilia then asked the Pokemon, "Where is your trainer?"
The only answer she got was a growl. Cecilia snorted, knowing it was a hungry growl more than a warning to get lost. Pulling out her sandwich, Cecilia broke it in half and offered it.
The dragon-like Pokemon made a sound resembling a cat's purr as it sat up and looked at the food before it. After a brief moment of contemplation, the Pokemon enthusiastically devoured the food. With another happy-sounding noise, the dragon jumped up on all fours.
Cecilia could now get a better look at the Pokémon. Its throat looked like tire treads, with a crest resembling bike handles with smaller blue ones on its shoulders. To Cecilia, it appeared to be a newly discovered evolution of the Pokémon Cyclizar.
"What are you exactly?" Cecilia asked, then looked up at the cliff. "how do we get back up there to the lighthouse?"
As the Pokemon strolled along the beach, it passed Cecilia, who noticed a cave. She realized it was the same one Nemona had warned her about earlier. Cecilia began to feel anxious as she didn't have Agravain with her, and her only Pokemon were in their first stage of evolution. She hoped the dragon-type Pokemon she had with her was powerful enough to handle any challenges they might face.
Cecilia was startled by a bark and turned her attention towards her escort. She noticed that the Pokemon had started to glow and jump up, and its aura had surged. Suddenly, there was a thud, and Cecilia realized that the Pokemon had landed on the ground and the glow had faded. She blinked and looked at the Pokemon again, only to see it was now standing on two legs instead of four, and its feathers had fanned out. The Pokemon looked back at Cecilia and then walked away, beckoning her to follow.
Realizing the cave will likely lead somewhere near the lighthouse. The question now remained how close. The inside was filled with glowing crystals, letting light cover much of the cavern, showing it was bigger than first thought.
"Oye Cecilia," Nemona 's voice called from above; she looked down from a hole in the ceiling. "there you are. Are you hurt? Agravain is going nuts."
"No, I'm fine and will be up shortly. Please tell Agravain to calm down," Cecilia said as she took out her phone. She knew that her pseudo-brother was worried and probably pacing around. It occurred to her that Nemona had added her number when setting up the dex app. To avoid yelling at each other, Cecilia preferred to use the text app to communicate with Nemona.
Let's talk like this until I'm out of here.
Thank Arceus, you're okay; you could have been hurt checking out the cry's source.
Right now, the most important thing is to figure out how to get me out of here.
Try finding a place to climb out so you can be pulled out.
Got it
Cecilia noticed her escort had stopped walking when Nemona called out. "I don't think you have to wait," she said, forgetting about texting. A snort came from the red Pokemon, and they resumed walking as Nemona returned to texting.
Who is the Pokemon with you? Is it strong?
We may be facing a situation similar to Diancie's due to its resemblance to Cyclizar.
Who's Diancie?
Cecilia shook her head; most people wouldn't know much about mythical Pokemon. More often, it was local legendaries people knew about. I'll tell you more when I get up there, she texted.
The Pokemon was waiting for you earlier. Is it trying to lead you out?
More or less
A loud smashing sound caught Cecilia's attention as the Red dragon broke through a boulder before them. Cecilia wondered if it had used Rock Smash or Brick Break.
"Did you see that?" Nemona forgot they were texting each other again, not that Cecilia could blame her. "It has to be as strong if not stronger than me."
' It is possible, given it is as powerful as most legendaries. ' Cecilia thought as she texted that and followed the Pokemon, only to encounter a pack of Houndour that no doubt had the two from earlier as members.
The mysterious Pokemon let out a roar, causing the pack of Pokemon to scatter in all directions.
' As you can see, Houndour lives in the cave. They can be rough and rowdy; I'm glad you have a bodyguard.
Same here. Cecilia blinked. Something from behind her seemed to be angry and very pissed off.
It pulverized that rock; what move was that?
As Cecilia was about to answer, Nemona yelled, "Cecilia, there is a Houndoom behind you!"
The older trainer turned around and saw a massive dog-like Pokémon reaching Arcanine in size. It had a black and white coat like Houndour but with additional bone growths and horns instead of ears.
Despite being outclassed, Cecilia sent Olwin to stall, hoping for backup. Regrettably, Houndoom used Roar to return Olwin to her Pokeball.
The Dragon Pokemon leaped forward and stood between Cecilia and the Houndoom, using Dragon Tail to strike and roaring as a warning.
Cecilia covered her ears due to the noise and tried to assess the situation. However, her efforts were in vain as the Houndoom's anger surged upon sighting the dragon. The dark Pokemon held a deep grudge against the red dragon. The dog-like Pokemon roared again, summoning its pack to surround Cecilia and her guard.
The red dragon reared up, ready to attack, looking around to see more Houndour coming. They were more outmatched than they were before. Before it could act, a black blur bolt passed, and the dragon heard, ' Take her and get up there NOW .' Agravain rammed the Houndoom, sending them both over the edge.
"Up here quickly," Nemona called, waving her arm. The dragon grabbed Cecilia, who held on as they jumped boulders out of the cavern, landing next to Nemona. "That was awesome, but what about your Zarude.?" Nemona asked.
Cecilia approached Nemona after being set down. "Agravain is capable of taking down Pokémon like that. However, the Houndoom may not be able to battle for some time," she said, feeling sorry for the Houndoom for facing an angry Zarude; it was never easy.
"If you say so," Nemona muttered, then looked behind Cecilia. "Nice work down there. I thought you two were both goners."
"Same here," Cecilia said, then turned to her saver. "Thanks for getting me out of there."
A purr answered Cecilia, who quickly took a picture of the Pokemon, which was good. As soon as it started to walk, the dragon collapsed and returned to the form it was on the beach.
"What happened?" Nemona exclaimed, and she and Cecilia hurried towards the Pokemon that had fallen.
' What's going on with the big one ?' Agravian asked, having dealt with the Houndoom.
"The power she showed after eating half of my sandwich has worn off." Cecilia commented, turning to her monkey Pokemon and suggesting, "Let's try using your jungle healing to see if we can restore some of that energy." After they exited the cave, Cecilia examined the signage of the dragon and concluded that it had a feminine aura.
Agravain nodded as he stepped forward toward the red dragon Pokemon. The leaves around them glowed green, levitating if caught in the wind. Suddenly, both Pokemon lit up in the same green color as the leaves expanding before slowly falling. ' This might help, but there is no way to tell for sure, ' Agravain said uncertainly.
"Helping is better than nothing," Cecilia said. "You had to use the leaves instead of the trees," she guessed, noticing her Pokemon had used the move differently.
' Had to improvise .' the Zarude answered.
"You're right; it looks like a Cyclizar," Nemona said, looking over the Pokemon as it got up. "Though I never saw one like this. Is it evolution?"
"That's my thought, that this is this like Diancie and Carbink," Cecilia explained as she pulled out her phone and looked for pictures showing the Pokemon. "It is said to be born from a Carbink having undergone a mutation of some kind and evolved."
"Could it be a Cyclizar that evolved?" Nemona wondered. "That would explain its unusual appearance. But why wasn't it reported?"
' So Cyclizar is a single-stage Pokemon normally, and she is right; whoever found this out should have told the professor, but why not? ' Cecilia thought as she nodded and took a picture to compare the two forms. "Hard to say why. We need to find her trainer to be sure."
"You seem very confident. How do you have such extensive knowledge about Diancie?" Nemona remarked,
"My father studied many legendary and mythical-classed Pokemon, So I grew up hearing them," Cecilia explained.
Nemona grinned. "That battle you two had was intense, and how you fought almost in sync was impressive."
"I didn't give her any commands. It was Agravain who instructed her to get me out of there," Cecilia clarified.
"I understand; you're not the trainer," Nemona said, crossing her arms. She then noticed something. "Her?" she asked, noticing Cecilia's use of female pronouns.
"Her aura felt feminine, at least compared to Agravain's," Cecilia explained. Having grown up with Agravain, she also put genders to Pokemon that typically didn't. " Until I know for sure, I will use female pronouns."
Nemona nodded, showing she, for the most part, understood.
"I bet you know where to go from here, girl," Cecilia asked the Pokemon.
The Pokemon purred before guiding them to the lighthouse, with the others following behind.
"So she was the source of the cry from earlier," Nemona guessed.
"It's the only explanation," Cecilia said. "I've heard all the Pokemon we've seen so far."
"The more I look at her, the more mystery we have," Nemona said as she regained her enthusiasm. "I hope I can battle her once we find her trainer."
Agrvain snorted behind them as they talked.
"I want to know her name and how she evolved," Cecilia added.
"Do you know how technical machines work in Paldea?" Nemona asked, changing the topic and holding up a small disk.
Cecilia nodded. "Which one is this?" Cecilia asked, taking the disk from Nemona. "I assume it's different from other regions."
"TM 032: Swift," Nemona said. "the first ones developed were in Kanto. They were bigger and broke all the time. While newer models are sturdier, some can still break."
"I heard about that; most eastern regions had HMs: Hidden Machines, and Galar had TR: Technical Records similar but different," Cecilia explained. "I don't think it got any traction outside those regions," she added.
Nemona nodded before continuing, "People often lose them as they are so small, but there is a solution. An app was developed that allows you to load the data for the move and later rebuy it. There is an insert slip on the Pokeball, or you can show the video to a Pokemon you want to teach the move to. You can also check the app to see which Pokemon are compatible with the move."
Cecilia planned to use the TM app only when necessary and store any interesting moves she came across.
"Let's take a breather at the lighthouse," Nemona suggested. "You both have been through a lot."
AN2: koraidon does acutely learn brick break and rock smash at levels 7 and 28. I don't know what the miraidon used, but a headcanon I have is the Koraodon used one of them while in the grotto. Yes, I gave the Koraidon a gender, and it is female. I know its former name was Winged King, but this is more fun and gives it more character. Plus, Agravain the Zarude is male.
Does anyone think that the Houndoom was one of the Pokemon the Raidon attacked before getting sent back to Area Zero?
Changes to the main game: half the sandwich was used, not the whole thing.
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