Edited as of July 11, 2018.
Notes- Just managed to get this one out in time for my deadline. Between college, athletics, and free time, I'm not moving at the pace I would like. I'd like to thank everyone who has continued on with Chris on his journey! I wanted to really set up Chris and his Pokémon in this chapter as well as introduce Luke, who may become a HUGE part of this story. The journey continues!
A dark shadow stretched out over Johto as the evening sun sunk lower. To the west of New Bark Town, however, there burned a bright light. Two young men stood on opposite sides of a clearing, their entire focus on the battle before them. The Pokémon mirrored their trainers, with each fire starter staring down the other.
As he waited on his opponent to make the first move, Chris quickly pieced together what he knew about their opponents. Charmander's Ember attack gave them the long range advantage. In his interactions with Nidoran, Charmander had gone all out—seeking out the critical hits with his wild Metal Claw swings and pouring every ounce of energy into his Ember attack. The trainer from Cherrygrove would just have to work around all of that.
"Start things off with Smokescreen!" A grin covered Luke's face upon seeing the surprise on Chris' own.
The Lizard Pokémon spewed a cloud of dark smoke that filled the space between the two battlers.
Chris grimaced. Didn't plan around this. He squinted, but couldn't make out anything through the dark pillar of vapor dividing the battlefield. Despite this, the trainer worried that waiting too long would give Charmander time to pin Cyndaquil down with his long range attack. "Charge forward into the smoke," Chris directed. "We'll make them play defense!"
The Fire Mouse Pokémon gave a tiny battle cry and sprinted forward. In just a few steps, he had disappeared into the Smokescreen.
Chris waited on baited breath, realizing that he had just isolated himself from his teammate. He thought he heard Luke call out a command, but couldn't piece the words together.
"Cyndaquil!"
The Fire Mouse Pokémon flew out of the smoke and landed hard on his stomach. Before Chris could reconnect with his starter, a shower of inferno blasted through the smoke. Chris could only watch as Cyndaquil covered his head and toughed out the fiery debris. Despite resisting Fire-type attacks, the sheer ferocity and length of Ember astounded Chris. The fire lizard really did put everything into each attack.
"Stay strong!" Chris encouraged. Seeing Cyndaquil helplessly hug the ground was almost more than the beginning trainer could take. He had led his teammate into danger and now there was nothing he could do. There has to be something, his mind screamed back. His natural optimism refused to be held down. He would not give up on Cyndaquil. That's when Chris' eyes found the red spots on his fire starter's back. "We can turn this around! Use the heat to spark your back! Strike with an Ember of your own!"
A strategy like this could completely backfire and open up the starter to even more punishment, but it was the only plan Chris could think of. Charmander would not let Cyndaquil get close enough to hit it with any other attack. This was their only shot at swinging the momentum.
Cyndaquil managed to make it back to his feet. He shielded his head as best he could before turning his back into the fiery downpour. He let out a growl as he focused his energy into the four spots on his back. A spark shot from his back. Then another.
"That's it," Chris said, raising a fist. His entire body had begun to shake—the same adrenaline rush his brother had mentioned all those years prior. "Build up your energy and show them what a real Ember attack looks like!"
Cyndaquil's back continued to spark as his opponent's onslaught persisted. Chris wasn't sure how much more his Pokémon could take.
Just as the beginning trainer decided to stop the match, a powerful flame erupted from his starter's back. The tiny Pokémon brought himself to full height, illuminating the entire clearing with his golden glow.
"Fire!"
A roar echoed out through the battlefield as an explosion of inferno blasted out of Cyndaquil's mouth. A wave of heat came with it, instantly bringing out another round of sweat from his trainer. The Fire Mouse Pokémon's attack quickly pushed back his opponent's dwindling barrage. Cyndaquil's Ember ripped through the remaining smoke, dispelling the black cloud in the process. The shock on Luke's face as the flames knocked Charmander off his feet was immensely satisfying.
"Great job, buddy!" Chris said. A quick follow up would be key. The young trainer could hear his brother warning him about losing the momentum. "Follow it up with a Tackle attack!"
"We can't let them overwhelm us," Luke warned. "Get back up!"
The Lizard Pokémon began to stand, but dropped back to a knee. He tried once more, and managed to stagger back to a vertical base. In the meantime, Cyndaquil had closed the distance between the two. With a roar, he pounced forward and put all his weight behind the tackle.
"Scratch!"
As the Fire Mouse Pokémon lowered his head, Charmander managed to swing out with his left set of claws.
"Push through it!" Chris shouted.
Cyndaquil took a huge shot to the side of his head as he slammed into Charmander's chest. Both trainers remained frozen as their starters collided. For a fraction of a second, it appeared as if the two Pokémon were embracing.
"Cyndaquil!"
"Charmander!"
The Fire-types collapsed and remained still. Free from their momentary paralysis, the trainers rushed forward to check on their teammates. Chris already had his backpack open as he knelt down beside his first Pokémon. "You alright buddy?" he asked, gently cradling the Fire Mouse Pokémon. Chris could feel the powerful heat still racing through the Pokémon's small frame.
"Quil," the starter Pokémon mumbled. He gave a weak, but reassuring nod. That brought his trainer's attention to the other battler.
"How's Charmander?" Chris asked.
Luke had his Pokémon on his feet. He had just finished spraying him down with a potion. "He'll be alright," Luke answered. "Both of the battles have just left him a bit... shaken up." The dark haired trainer rose to his feet and approached Chris. "How about Cyndaquil?"
At the mention of his name, the fire starter pounced from his trainer's arms and landed hard onto the ground.
"Easy there!" Chris warned. Despite his concern, the young trainer couldn't help but laugh at his starter's tenacity. "Looks like he'll be alright. From what I can tell, Cyndaquil's fur is only just now growing to the point of self-insulation. That may explain why he struggled at first with Charmander's Ember and why he couldn't create his own at the start of the battle."
"Here," Luke said, handing Chris a small, green bottle. "I know there isn't much left in those bottles, but it should only take a couple of those Iron supplements to strengthen Cyndaquil's physical exterior. Should help with housing all that fire."
Before Chris could thank him, Cyndaquil collapsed onto his stomach. Chris dropped down to a knee and began to dig into his pack, unsure of what exactly he needed.
"Step back," Luke instructed. He reached into his golden satchel and withdrew a capsule. The trainer knelt down and opened Cyndaquil's lax jaw. He placed a pill inside and made sure it was swallowed. The fire starter regained consciousness seconds after downing the medicine.
Charmander had come to stand behind his trainer. Chris saw the fire lizard peer his head around Luke's waist and give the Fire Mouse Pokémon a curious look. Once Cyndaquil caught sight of him, he scrambled to his feet and unleashed a stream of fire from his back.
"He looks alright now," Chris said with a grin.
"He'll be fine," Luke agreed. "He just pushed himself too far. Charmander was bad about doing that in our first few battles. Think it's something that most inexperienced battlers go through."
"We'll definitely be taking it easy tonight," Chris said. He slowly extended a hand. "Thanks a bunch, man. For helping Cyndaquil, but also for a great battle."
Luke gave his hand a light shake. "Think it was beneficial for both of us. I'll have some things to discuss with Poochyena and Charmander over the next couple of days."
"Is there anything I can help you with before you leave?" Chris piped up. He nodded at the Fire Mouse Pokémon. "You did just help my Cyndaquil."
"Nah."
Luke ended the handshake and stepped over to where his golden satchel lay. While he gathered his supplies, Charmander stepped forward. The Lizard Pokémon tilted his head up to stare inquisitively at Chris. After a moment, he dropped his gaze down to Cyndaquil. Despite Chris' starter staring daggers into him, Charmander calmly extended a paw toward his fellow Fire-type. The Fire Mouse Pokémon tilted his head back to see if Chris was watching. With a sigh, Cyndaquil extended his paw and the two Pokémon mirrored their trainers' handshake. As they shook, Chris found Cyndaquil standing up on the tips of his toes. Even with the effort, the little guy still stood a couple inches shorter than his counterpart. Chris glanced over at his fellow trainer and found that the two boys stood around the same height.
"Guess we'd better be going," Luke said, throwing a glance at the dark sky. He slung his satchel over his shoulder and motioned for Charmander to join him. The Lizard Pokémon did as he was told, but not before nodding to Cyndaquil.
"Where are you headed?" Chris asked.
Luke jammed a thumb over his shoulder. "West."
"That's where we're headed as well."
"Then I expect to see you around." And with a wave, Luke and Charmander set off into the nearby forest.
Chris watched Charmander's tail light as it slowly faded into the darkness. "I hope he knows that's north."
Chris and Cyndaquil didn't travel far before the trainer brought them to a halt. The path merged into a forested area, and with nighttime already upon them, Chris had no desire to go stumbling through the woods. "Best to just start again first thing in the morning," Chris said, taking off his backpack. "We probably need to give you some time to recuperate anyway. You battled hard."
The Fire Mouse Pokémon snorted and turning away. "Cynda.'"
"Hey, I know you're tough. It's just been a crazy first day." The trainer noticed several branches lying nearby. "How about we get a fire going? I'd like to be able to see my sleeping bag before I get in it."
Both trainer and Pokémon gathered the wood into a nearby pile. Chris found several large rocks and quickly made a pit to surround the brush.
"You think you can get the fire started?" Chris asked. He had to hold back his laughter as Cyndaquil nearly jumped into the air. "I thought so. Just don't overdue it. Starting a forest fire might be the worst possible way to end the first day of our journey."
Cyndaquil dashed over to the pit and exhaled a small, concentrated flame. The flame swirled through the brush and licked at the fringes of the twigs. In just a few seconds, a nice blaze had grown.
"Oh," Chris groaned, clutching his stomach as it growled loudly, "I haven't eaten since this morning. Would you want anything?"
Cyndaquil shook his head. He dropped down to his stomach and began to work through a series of push-ups.
Chris shrugged. "Just let me know if you change your mind," he said. A quick dive into his backpack garnered him a sandwich and a granola bar. He took a bite from the former and looked up at the night sky. Millions of stars could be seen between the tree branches overhead. "Think about how long a journey up there would take." Chris' eyes found Cyndaquil still in the midst of his push-up routine. His Pokémon somehow still had the strength and will to keep working. Chris hadn't exchanged blows with anyone, but even he felt fatigued after their battle. His knuckles had begun to ache from squeezing them throughout the duration of the battle. He felt somewhat lightheaded after attempting to outhink and outmaneuver his opponent on an empty stomach. Cyndaquil, however, showed no signs of any such fatigue.
"Let's see how Nidoran is doing," Chris said, releasing the Poison Pin Pokémon from his capture device.
It only took a couple of seconds for the Poison-type to catch sight of Cyndaquil. As the trainer stepped over to check on his newest capture, Nidoran dropped down and began doing push-ups of his own. At that, Cyndaquil increased his speed, drawing a round of laughter from his trainer.
"Don't push yourself too hard fellas," Chris said. He dropped onto his stomach and pushed aside all his exhaustion from the day's events. Taking a deep breath, he rose up onto his arms and began to cycle through a series of push-ups. "Bet you guys can't hang with me!"
As the first night of Chris' journey wore on, he finally was able to convince his two Pokémon to eat. He also sat out vitamins for the two creatures. He decided on one of Luke's Iron supplements for Cyndaquil and a Protein mix for Nidoran. As they ate, Chris recounted his unplanned adventure from that morning.
"So the Pidgeot carries me all the way to New Bark Town," Chris said, pointing to the sky. "It finally drops me, and it turns out that I'm right beside the lab! I don't know why it did that, but I'm sure it glad it did!" Chris placed a hand over Cyndaquil's head. "Otherwise, I never would have met you." The trainer turned toward Nidoran and added, "And I never would have battled you! Our team to take on the Johto League would have never formed!"
Nidoran bounced on his toes, but looked confused. "Nido'?"
"Oh, the Johto League? It's a timed challenge. Trainers have from the first day of May until the middle of March to defeat these eight powerful trainers called Gym Leaders. If they can do so within the time frame, the trainer qualifies for a big tournament called the Silver Conference." Chris pointed in the direction he believed to be east. "The winner gets a shot at the Elite Four—some of the most powerful trainers on the entire continent!"
Nidoran's eyes had grown to the size of saucers. He stomped his feet, stabbed the dirt in front of him, and let loose what he must have intended to be a roar. Chris smacked the dirt and nodded back eagerly. "That's the kind of energy we're going to need!" The trainer turned to his silent starter. The Fire-type had his head low, his eyes fixed on the ground. "I know you've heard most of this from Professor Elm," Chris said. He eased himself onto the ground beside his starter. "You still up for working toward that goal?"
Cyndaquil slowly stood up and pointed into the darkness. Worry came over Chris as he struggled to decipher his teammate's message. "Quil'?" the Fire-type asked, the flames on his back bursting to life once more. That's when everything clicked for Chris.
"Luke and Charmander are taking part in the league also," Chris answered. "And there will be trainers and Pokémon even stronger than them."
"Cynda'!" the Fire Mouse Pokémon let out his high pitched roar.
The trainer looked over both of his amped up teammates. Whatever gets them fired up, he thought. They'd need all the motivation they could get for the long journey ahead. "Both of you guys are going to play major roles in our success as a team. I can promise you that."
"Nido'!" The Poison Pin Pokémon pointed at the trees overhead, drawing his teammates' attention to a large amount of movement. A colony of Butterfree had launched from the branches and set off into the cool spring night. An iridescent glow shimmered in the air around them. As they soared off into the night, their golden pollen trail lingered behind. Beneath the moonlight, it took on an otherworldly feel.
"Woah…" Chris managed. He remained still, in awe of witnessing such a stunning act of nature. As the colony faded from view, and the glowing pollen settled onto the ground and trees around him, Chris managed to compose himself. "That has to be a sign," he said. He ignored his starter's snort. "Something that beautiful on our very first day has to mean something. Before long, we're going to be soaring above the competition like those Butterfree!"
"Nido'!" The Poison-type nodded. It was clear that Chris' newest teammate had already bought in on the team dynamic. That commitment and growing trust would be pivotal once they started battling Gym Leaders. If he let doubt take refuge, it would destroy his team just like it had ruined his father's.
"Glad I have you two backing me up."
Cyndaquil turned his attention toward the newest team member. He stepped over to the Poison Pin Pokémon, prompting Nidoran to acknowledge him. The Fire Mouse Pokémon gave Nidoran a long, analyzing stare before extending a paw. A look of surprise came over the Poison-type. He slowly reached out a clawed appendage to share in the friendly gesture.
Without warning, Cyndaquil pushed his paw forward and punched Nidoran's own. The horned Pokémon toppled backward and sat in shock for several seconds. Before Nidoran could retaliate, Cyndaquil quickly reached out and pulled his stunned teammate back to his feet. The Fire-type shook his head and made his way over to stand by the fire.
Chris examined the whole encounter without intervening. After silently considering potential motives, he came to a reasonable conclusion fairly quickly. Chris knelt beside the Poison-type. "He's trying to toughen you up, Nidoran. The road ahead is going to be incredibly tough. If we aren't strong enough individually, we wont be able to overcome our own personal trials." The trainer could see his starter curled up on the side of his sleeping bag closest to the fire. "As we move on, I want one of your goals to be to prove just how strong you are to Cyndaquil. You aren't weak now, but realistically, there's still a long way to go. I promise that we'll grow stronger with each battle. Trust me… but more importantly, trust yourself. There is a potential for greatness in all of us, including you."
The Poison Pin Pokémon didn't respond immediately. When he finally did, his tiny roar carried with it a renewed confidence. With his declaration behind him, Nidoran jogged over to the other side of Chris' sleeping area. He pushed and pulled the baggy exterior with his claws before finally settling in. Chris stood for a long time and simply took in his surroundings. As his eyes darted from the fire, to the shadow of the branches, to the millions of stars overhead, and finally to his sleeping teammates, a peace began to settle over him. Despite the day's tumultuous events, this date would hold a long series of important milestones for the team—or The Crew, as they'd come to be called.
The trainer's two Pokémon had fallen asleep, leaving Chris the task of placing the final pieces of wood into their fire. After he finished, he gently slid into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. What tomorrow would bring, Chris wasn't sure… but he knew he wouldn't have to face it alone.
Not sure on a timeline for Chapter 5, but I will certainly do my best to get it out during February! I've seen too many writers lose followers because of the time between chapters. See ya in the next installment!