Tavi sat in the stands as his sister below battled another trainer looking to prove themselves to the Blackthorn gym. Every few minutes he would check his watch and impatiently shuffle. Today was the day he would get his first pokemon and time seemed to be going extra slow just to annoy him. There were a million and one things he would rather be doing than watching his sister Clair battle. But he had to keep up pretences until this evening when he and his friend Charlie would not be missed. The elders had decided to cancel the dragon ceremony tomorrow citing that the adult dragons in the den were more aggressive than usual. The Dragon Ceremony was a formal right of passage that all youth from Blackthorn took if they wanted to become pokemon trainers. He did not care what the elders said he would be going into the den this evening and would be getting his dragon. Every conversation he had with his father about it ended in an argument and Tavi storming out of the house. Since his father had refused to listen to reason he was going to take matters into his own hands.
"Finish this Dragonair, dragon rush" Clair yelled out from the arena floor. A massive roar echoed through the hall as the powerful blue dragon surged at its opponent. The Graveler that was already worn down by the battle was launched across the arena by the brutal finishing move, landing in a heap of rubble at its trainers feet.
"Rumble no!" Cried out the challenger, a scrawny boy that had travelled all the way from Pewter to challenge the Blackthorn gym. Looking dejected he returned his Graveler, looking down at the pokeball in his hand.
"I expected better from one of the siblings of Brock the Rock" Clair mocked. The boys shoulders fell for a moment as he looked intently at the pokeball in his hand. Fixing his gaze back on Clair he squeared his shoulders.
"Rumble and I will be back and we will get your badge" And with that he strode from the gym with purpose. Tavi sighed at the classic gym leader move. The best way to get a rock trainer over a defeat was to spark some anger in them. Just like the Pokémon they train they are slow thinkers but once roused they can channel that anger. He had no doubt the boy would be back and probably have a better shot at the badge next time.
Walking down from the stands he approached his sister as she descended from the battle box. Clair nodded in satisfaction at the young man's reaction to her taunting. Weak trainers don't last long in the wild, he had already proved he was capable of coming all the way here from pewter. A final push is all he needs and he would soon be a challenge for Brock. Turning to Sarah, one of the Blackthorn gym trainers, Clair issued an order.
"Make sure he runs into one of you training in the wild he needs experience against dragons if he is going to succeed"
"Yes ma'am" Sarah said before briskly leaving the room, giving Tavi a smile as she walked past. Gym leaders were responsible for helping trainers get experience against every type of Pokémon. Clair would always work subtly to make sure challengers had a good shot. Turning her gaze on Tavi she adopted an expression he was all too familiar with. He held in a sigh as he prepared to be grilled on the battle.
"Tell me what you saw." Every challenge she faced he was expecting to watch and analyse. Giving her a report on what the trainer did wrong or right.
"He had good defence, but his Graveler was too slow to keep up with Dragonair." He paused hoping that would be enough to keep her happy but a slight raise of her eyebrows made him rack his brains for other parts of the battle."Using stealth rock without you noticing was a good move he managed to snag a bit of damage on Dragonair but he was not quick enough to take advantage. If he had used a quick ranged attack to keep her on the back foot he could have closed the distance and and kept the pressure on"
"Good" Clair said "it's good you caught that squirt, always look for every advantage you can get. In the heat of battle it could be the difference between winning and losing." Tavi nodded enthusiastically all the while eyeing the door behind Clair. He subtly edged around her. "Tomorrow is meant to be the dragon ceremony huh?" Clair said, misunderstanding his impatience. "Once things calm down in the den we can hold it and you can start your journey."
"The elders don't think that will be till next year, said something had disturbed this year's nesting." Tavi said moodily.
"I know it seems a long time away but would you rather you get eaten by a Pokémon or get your starter and go on your way"
"I'd rather take my chances in the den than stay here" Tavi responded, ignoring her point.
Clair started to reply but was cut off as a gym trainer came running over with a message. "I have to sort this Tavi but let's talk later, I am sure there is something that we can do to get you a starter" Tavi turned away and strode from the gym. Sure now that he was on the right path he decided to make sure everything was in order for tonight.
Emerging from the gym Tavi shivered, air was crisp and chill outside, the ring of snow capped mountains towered around the town of Blackthorn. Making his way through the streets his thoughts turned to what his first Pokémon would be. Clair's had been a Dratini just like dad's but mum had a trapinch. She had originally come from Hoen so did not have the classic Blackthorn starter. He would love to have a mighty Dragonite one day but could also see the appeal in a powerful Flygon. In the dragon ceremony trainers would need to delve into the dragon's den and a dragon would come find them in the cave. The elders said it was destiny linking the clan to dragon types but Clair just said that most of the dragons had just left their nests and latched onto the first human they came across. Either way a bond between a blackthorn and their starter is unbreakable. The dragon chooses the trainer just as much as the trainer choosing the dragon. Sometimes more exotic dragons presented themselves to trainers; it was seen as a sign they would go on to do great things. He had planned on being a dragon type specialist just like the rest of his family. It took a while to build a team, dragons being so rare and managing 6 dragons was a near impossible task that only a dragon master could achieve. His sister was nearly at that level with 5 powerful dragons to her name. Tavi was unsure if he would do the gym circuit. Being a specialist in such a rare breed would be tricky he might want to focus on getting a team out together first.
As his thoughts wandered on which kind of dragon he would get, as his feet found their way to his family's home. The scent of all of the dragons living in Blackthorn would keep most wild Pokémon away, and there were also the regular patrols from the gym trainers. A few months back they had to burn out a nest of Rattata from old Ethel's house. The little cretins broke in by burying through the floorboards and got her in her sleep. By the time everyone had noticed she was missing there was a full infestation in her house they had to seal it up and pump it full of poison gas using Clair's Dragalge. There were just a few gnawed on bones left over from her when it was finally safe to go in according to his friend Jimmy, whose dad who was one of the Pokémon rangers that was called out to deal with it.
Walking up the lane to his home he caught the familiar sight of his father's Dragonite Titus snoozing on the porch, its mighty gold plated chest rising and falling as it napped in the sun. He gently let his hand trail along it as he walked by and got a grunt of recognition from the lazy dragon. Its hide was pitted and marked from long years of battle. He was dad's starter and longest friend, if he was home it meant dad must be too. Opening the door he heard his dad on the phone in the other room.
"Lance should be taking this more seriously, we had to chase off another group last month. They got into the dragon's den. The idiots started trying to catch the nesting dragons, it turned out as well as you would expect. But now the council has decided it's too dangerous" Tavi froze, ears perked up at the mention of his cousin's name. The whole world knew of Lance, the best dragon master there has ever been and champion of the indigo plateau. Lance was the exception to the rule about exotic starters having a dratini as his starter and going on to be the most famous dragon master in the world. Tavi naturally idolized him and had dreamed of taking him on with his own team of dragons one day.
"I agree Brian" replied a somewhat familiar voice "Lance said he had his hands full dealing with some unrest in saffron to look into some petty Pokémon thieves. Reminded me that's why he founded the rangers to work with the city police and gyms"
His dad grunted in agreement to that. "I guess he can't be everywhere"
"The offer is still there Brian, I can have another starter put aside for the boy it won't be a dragon type but he can atleast get started" Tavi slowly tried to edge the door shut without making a sound but a swift shove from Titus and a grunt of disapproval at his eavesdropping made him stumble into the house and the door slam shut behind him. "I have to go Sam but thanks for the offer I'll keep it in mind. Tell Gary I'll be waiting for him to take on Clair! If he's anything like his grandpa I'm sure I'll be seeing him at some point this year" with a chuckle there was a beep as he ended the call.
"Tavi?" his father called out to him. Scowling at the dragon outside Tavi made his way into his father's office. Seeing his father in his usual seat behind his desk. Towering above most of the inhabitants of blackthorn city Brian was as solid as his dragonite. His father used to be a renowned dragon trainer and was the old gym leader of the blackthorn. He had a full team of 6 dragons at one point but he retired early and released them all, well all except Titus. His father had graying black hair in a long braid down his back, as was the classic style of their clan. Anyone who did not know him would be easily intimidated by him, with muscular broad shoulders and a jagged scar running across face. His father had seen a lot of action during his time as gym leader and had been one of the most powerful trainers in the league. Nowadays he devoted himself to the study of dragon pokemon, regularly traveling to consult with professors around the world. Tavi took after his mother with clear blue eyes and dark blonde hair edging on brown, he was always a bit short for his age, which Clair never let him forget.
Settling into the chair opposite his desk he looked over at his dad.
"Who was that?" He asked innocently.
"Listening in, were you?" His father asked with a raised eyebrow. "It was Sam Oak, the professor from Pallet town. He asked me to come and take a look at his Dragonite a while ago. We have kept in touch since." Tavi remembered something his dad had mentioned about a huge ranch. "He called to make an offer, since you won't be getting your starter this year from the den, he has offered to let you have a Pokémon from his ranch as a starter. It won't be a dragon but.."
"No." Tavi said cutting in "it's a dragon or nothing" his father closed his mouth and nodded noting the heat in Tavi's voice. They were old Blackthorn blood, a dragon from the den was tradition, nothing more needed to be said. He studied Tavi for a moment, his eyes calculating, opening one of his desk draws he took out a box wrapped in brown paper.
"This was meant to be your leaving present." Opening the lid Tavi peered inside, there was a metallic belt with 6 magnetic disks along it. "It's a belt for your pokeballs. Each pokeball is equipped with a fingerprint reader, they will only release from the belt when you hold your finger to the pokeball." Taking a look at the belt Tavi also saw that the setting in the middle of the belt had the Blackthorn symbol a black dragon head. "There is an emergency release button just under the head, pressing it will automatically release all of your pokemon." Tavi looked at the belt shocked beyond words, his fingers traced around the metallic dragon's head.
"Why give this to me now?" He asked incredulously. Sitting back in his chair he fixed Tavi with that piercing stare again.
"Because you're too much like your mother."
Tavi sat on his bed looking through the gear he had put together to start his journey. He had a waterproof leather rucksack that was packed neatly with all of the gear recommended from the league for new trainers. Opening his draw he took out a black pokeball with gold and red rings running around the outside. He got this from a trainer who was desperate for cash after having a losing streak of battles. He said it was a luxury ball and a Pokémon would be happier in it then a normal pokeball. He was not sure if that was the case but he thought it would be a good home for his starter and he got it for a good price after haggling with the trainer. He also pulled out an envelope and counted out the money he had been saving for the last year. He had managed to put away $2000 doing extra jobs around town. It would be a good amount to start his journey, but he would need to catch some more Pokémon and train them up to start winning money in battles as soon as he could.
He looked around his room, his eyes wondering over all of his possessions, the broken pokeball he had found when exploring the hills around the town. The Pidgeot feather he had claimed from an old nest when he was six. Looking at the many battered encyclopedias on the shelf all about Pokémon that he had devoured in preparation for today. His gaze settled on the photo of him and his mum on the back of her mighty Flygon Buzz. He could faintly remember that day he must have been four at the time, she had taken him flying for his birthday. Taking the frame off the shelf he slipped the photo out and placed it into a pocket of his rucksack.
Looking at himself in the mirror he was wearing practical clothes for the den. Grey khaki trousers and white long sleeve t-shirt with his black windproof jacket on top, his new belt was secured around his hips and he attached the empty pokeball to it. Checking his watch it read at 23:45 he was planning on meeting Charlie at the den at midnight so he better get moving. He silently opened his window and eased out making sure to move as quietly as he could. Sneaking through town he made his way up to the den. The den had tunnels running all across the continent and made up the breeding ground for most of the dragon types in the pokemon world. Humans were not permitted to enter the lower tunnels of the den, the upper tunnels were where the younger dragons would go once they were ready to leave the nest.
Tavi started up the path to the cave's entrance. As he made his way up the stairs to the opening in the rock he recognised a boy with flaming red hair standing at the entrance unaware of Tavi. Charlie and Tavi had been friends since they were little, both arguing over who knew more about dragon types and insisting they would be the next dragon master.
"We are meant to go in, you know," Tavi said suddenly, making Charlie jump in surprise.
"Arceus Tav did you have to do that! Scared me half to death" looking back at the cave "I'm not a fan of the dark is all". Tavi nodded in understanding, Jonny has always had a fear of the dark, but never really shared with Tavi why.
"If you want to go back to town I'm sure you can watch the news for the next few months about the new dragon master in waiting" Tavi taunted gently.
"Not even got a dragon and he is already thinking he is the next Lance" Charlie grinned then he sighed "let's get this over with"
Tavi clapped him on the shoulder "that's the spirit".
They entered the cave, looking around the large gloomy chamber with many branching tunnels sprouting out. Choosing a tunnel at random the boys set out. Both understood that they would need to walk around until a dragon presented itself to them. They flicked on head torches as they made their way away from the entrance.
They followed the twists and turns of the tunnel, Tavi made sure to make note of each pathway and marked the tunnel wall at each junction they passed. They continued on in silence for a good while until they heard a clatter up ahead. They both froze as a small creature stumbled into their torchlight. The little dragon had black fur running down its long neck with purple spots dotting around its shoulders. It had a blue body with four stumpy legs. It twitched it's head sideways in their direction and Tavi realized it was completely blind. Tensing, Tavi recognised the Deino and the danger they were in. These things eat everything they came into contact with, they had to move carefully, Just as that thought crossed his mind the Pokémon swayed and collapsed in front of them, both boys stared at in shock and silence.
"Well that was hilarious" Charlie blurted out as he moved forward towards the fallen dark dragon type. He took out a pokeball and primed it "a Deino would be a great starter could you imagine Tav!" Looking at the dark dragon on the floor Tavi would have to agree a Hydreigon would be a powerhouse on any team.
"Do you think it's alright?" He asked as he joined Charlie by the Deino.
"Probably just tired is all, must not be much to eat down here" hefting the pokeball in excitement "I'm going to capture it" Something in his gut told Tavi this was not his Pokémon so he took a step back to give Charlie room. Charlie eagerly tossed the ball at the unconscious Pokémon as it hit, the Deino was reduced to red matter and sucked into the ball. The ball fell to the ground and twitched once before locking shut with a click.
"I did it Tavi!" Charlie exclaimed in a quiet hiss, Tavi smiled at his friend's excitement watching as he retrieved the pokeball.
Tavi looked back down the cave passage "My one just needs to show up now and we can get back to town".
The boys set off again down the tunnel. As they made their way through the darkness a loud clang echoed through the tunnel up ahead. Both boys froze, their ears straining at the sudden sound. The metallic clang happened again, slowly they creeped forward until they could see light coming from around the corner. Tavi tapped Charlie on the shoulder shutting off his head torch and holding his finger to his lips Charlie followed suit shutting his off as well.
Tavi strained his ears, he could hear a faint humming from around the bend. Moving forward the boys found an opening in the tunnel, from the entryway they could see a large cavern with flood lights placed in intervals lighting the whole place up. The hum that Tavi heard was from a small generator in the far side of the cavern. The cavern was larger than the one at the entrance to the den with crates and digging equipment scattered all over the place haphazardly. He could smell a sour smell in the air and could see a barrel at the entrance to each tunnel leading from the cavern each barrel had repel printed on the side. Well that explained why this place had not been swarmed by dragon types. Looking around he could see what looked like a bunch of cages stacked up at the back of the cavern. Squinting he could make out the unconscious forms of Pokémon within. Whoever was here was drugging and capturing the young dragon Pokémon. Tavi could not see anyone in the cavern so he started to creep forward but a hand grabbed him and pulled him back. Tavi turned on Charlie, about to ask him what he was doing before he heard a clatter and footsteps coming from one of the far tunnels to the cavern. Tavi crouched down in the shadows with Charlie as two men in black clothes walked into the cavern. One was lanky with a rat-like face he had greasy black hair spilling out of his black cap, the other was short and squat he was out of breath from their walk through the tunnels and Tavi could hear his heavy breaths echo through the cavern.
"The boss is going to love this haul." The lanky man said in a nasally voice "just two or three more trips and we should be done in this depressing cave and up for a promotion". He bent down and picked up one side of the crate.
"Just give me a breather would you, these little runts are heavy" the short round man complained.
"Get over here and help you lump the sooner we are done the sooner we can go". The squat man grabbed the other end and together they loaded it onto their trolly. The boys watched as the men loaded up four more crates and made their way back down the tunnel they came from. Some sort of track system must have been installed because the trolly was silent as it went down the tunnel.
"We should go Tavi" Charlie said a slight tremor in his voice "go get the rangers and your sister"
Tavi looked down at the crates of Pokémon "you go back and get help I'll go and see how many I can get free before they come back."
Charlie started to protest but Tavi cut him off. "Go Char the longer you take the more time they have to steal the Pokémon. I'll get as many as I can out and make sure I'm hidden before they come back, promise" Charlie looked like he wanted to argue but gave in.
"I'll be as quick as I can, the moment you hear them coming back. Hide" Tavi nodded and Charlie turned and ran back the way they came. Tavi quickly made his way into the cavern crossing over to the cages.
A loud metallic bang made him jump and freeze. Scanning the room he could not see any movement. A cage in the back rattled violently and he realized a Pokemon was awake and trying to get free Tavi hurried over. Approaching the rattling cage Tavi caught sight of a small reptile looking Pokémon, its body was covered in interlocking metallic grey scales, standing on four black legs each of which ended in sharp yellow claws. On the creature's head was a yellow heart shaped scale. It looked out the cage at Tavi with deep red eyes, eyeing him distrustful. "A Jangmo-o" Tavi said in amazement, the slight red tinge to its neck scales marked it as male. Looking around Tavi tried to find something he could use to pry the cage open. He saw a crowbar leaning against the wall and quickly rushed over to retrieve it. He walked past about 10 other cages all with sleeping dragon types, mainly Dratinis but there was also a Trapinch and a Noibat, all unconscious. Coming back to the Jangmo-o's cage, Tavi placed the crowbar just above the padlock and applied pressure. He pushed with all of his might and at the same time the dragon bashed it's head against the door. The cage, already having taken a beating from the efforts of the dragon busted open after a few seconds of intense pressure. The Jangmo-o emerged from the crate and regarded Tavi. Tavi met its eyes and nodded towards the other cages. "Help me get the others free before you go" The little dragon looked over at the other crates and grunted at Tavi which he hoped was a yes. They set about freeing the other Pokémon, under Tavis' direction using the crowbar to hold out the padlock the young Jangmo-o would use a rather powerful dragon tail to break it apart. The going was slow as the Jangmo-o had to stop for breaks between dragon tails. Most of the Pokémon woke up and still groggy slithered or scuttle away down various tunnels. They got to the last cage the one with the Noibat and using the same steps as before busted it open. The little Noibat however would not wake up, they had evidently given him a bigger dose, it made sense. Noibat could communicate with their Noivern parents through a vast distance underground. Using their echolocation to give exact coordinates on where they were. Whoever was doing this evidently did not want to risk that happening. Taking the Noibat in his arms, Tavi looked down at the Jangmo-o who was still standing in front of him, despite the last cage being open. "This one is too drugged up to go off on his own. I'll take him back to my town so he can get looked at" The Jangmo-o regarded him for a moment before nodding at Tavi, moving to the side to let him pass. Tavi was not sure if it quite understood what he said but he had managed to win its trust so far. Just as Tavi went to leave he heard voices coming from one of the other tunnels.
Tavi quickly wrapped the Noibat in his jacket, swaddling it up to protect its wings. He motioned for the Jangmo-o to follow him as he tried to hurry back to the tunnel he came from. The little dragon had other ideas, the voices of the poachers set its red eyes burning in a rage. The two men walked out of the tunnel freezing in shock at the sight of Tavi with the Noibat sticking out his coat. The lanky one raised his hand pointing at Tavi accusingly "thief!" He yelled out. The irony was not lost on Tavi…
Letting out curses they quickly fumbled for their pokeballs. "Go Ekans" the lanky one on the right yelled out in panic as he released a purple snake Pokémon.
"Ratatta get him" the other jeered as he released the small rodent pokemon. Tavi scanned around the room trying to think of some way he could disable the two Pokémon.
"You have messed up big time kid, interfering in team rocket's plans never ends well." The nasally man said "I think I'll have Ekans here wrap himself around your throat and crush your windpipe"
Tavi did not reply as a flash of fear ran through him at the man's words. His mind was racing while he tried to think of some way to get out of this situation. He backed up rapidly as the two Pokémon advanced on him. He just had the idea that he might be able to use one of the barrels of repel to keep them away when the Jangmo-o placed itself in front of Tavi, clashing together its front legs ringing out a challenge to the two humans and Pokémon. The two Pokémon paused for a second glancing back at their trainers. "It's just a runt, get it with a tackle" the man with the Ekans grunted, forcing his Pokémon back into motion.
The snake slithered forward fast trying to reach the Jangmo-o quickly before it could react.
The Jangmo-o was not going to allow the Ekans to have the first hit however and a glowing turquoise sheen engulfed the dragon's tail as it charged towards the snake, just as they were about to collide the Jangmo-o pivoted on its front legs bringing its tail around in a brutal hit connecting with the Ekans' head. The snake Pokémon was launched back into the pile of broken cages dazed from the powerful hit. A thrill ran through Tavi, this dragon was powerful, they might be able to get out of this. Just as that thought left his head a purple blur connected with Jangmo-o as the rattata tacked the dragon to the ground.
"Go for the throat, Hyper fang!" its trainer yelled out.
"Jangmo-o kick it off and use dragon tail" Tavi quickly said, hoping the little dragon would listen to him, it had followed his lead with getting the cages open so he hoped it would still listen to him now. Using its powerful hind legs to launch the rat pokemon off, the Jangmo-o jumped up charging after his opponent. With a growl of effort the dragon brought its tail around again. The purple rodent managed to move at the last second only catching a glancing blow but still getting knocked off its feet. The dragon Pokémon shook a little with fatigue after using so many dragon tails in a small amount of time. While powerful it was still relatively inexperienced at battling. The Rattata jumped back onto its feet and charged again at the Jangmo-o, a tackle powering up.
"Meet it with a tackle of your own Jangmo-o" the dragon shook off its exhaustion and met the Rattata head on. Tavi hoped that its natural armour and heavier weight would make a difference. The two Pokémon impacted in the middle of the cavern with a crash and the Rattata we sent sprawling in front of its trainer unconscious.
Slightly panting the Jangmo-o let out a roar in victory at its downed opponent but it was short lived. The Ekans had recovered from its initial hit and slithered over like a streak of purple lightning. Tavi tried to shout a warning but the Eakens reached Jangmo-o first constricting tight around him. The dragon let out a whimper of pain unable to move. Tavi watched in horror as the dragon type slowly lost consciousness, only the top of its gold scale visible in the writhing purple flesh of the snake. Not knowing that else to do he primed the luxury ball and threw it at the last visible part of the dragon. He got super lucky and just clipped the yellow scale sucking the Pokémon into the ball which clicked shut right away showing a successful capture.
Tavi did not even have time to celebrate his first capture of a pokemon as the Ekans uncoiled itself and fixed its yellow eyes on him. Tavi's heart dropped as he backed away from the snake. He kept walking backwards not taking his eyes off the snake until he felt the cavern wall bump into his back, the Ekens slowly slithered towards him.
"Now you have no little lizard to hide behind kid, it's time we showed you just what happens when you cross team rocket". Tavi grabbed a rock off the ground and moved the Noibat to the floor standing in front of it, he did not have much hope that he could take on an Ekans but he would go down trying. The Ekans stopped a few feet away from him, its tongue flicking out, tasting tavi's fear. It seemed to be taking pleasure in its prey's helplessness. It reared its head back to strike but a loud roar of fury echoed through the cavern. The Ekans looked around bewildered before vanishing in a flash of blue. One moment the pokemon was in front of Tavi and the next it was in front of its trainer unconscious. In-between them now was Clair's Dragonair shaking in rage at the rockets. The two men turned pale in the face of the furious dragon and leaving his Pokémon unconscious on the floor the rat like trainer tried to make a run for it, he made it two steps before Dragonair appeared directly in front of him stopping him in his tracks. Running footsteps could be heard coming from the tunnel and Clair, a bunch of rangers entered into the cavern There was the repeated pop of multiple Pokémon being released which quickly surrounded the rockets.
"As gym leader of blackthorn I place you under arrest for trespassing and the illegal poaching of Pokémon. Hand over any pokeballs now". Once the rockets were secured she turned to Tavi. "You are in trouble, big time squirt, dad is waiting for you outside" Tavi winced at the thought of his father. He picked up his pokeball with the Jangmo-o attaching it to his belt. After explaining to Clair that he had freed some Pokémon but the men had already taken crates out of the cavern he was sent back to the surface with a ranger escort, as Clair locked down the cavern and sent a team to follow the tunnel the rockets had taken the caged Pokémon down. He scooped up the Noibat on the way out, the little thing had still not woken up.
The journey out if the cave was uneventful checking his watch as he made his way to the entrance Tavi could see that he had been down here for over 2 hours. Making sure that the Noibat was not jostled too much he followed the ranger to the surface.
Tavi's father was waiting outside arguing with a ranger attempting to get past a barricade that had been hastily set up at the entrance to the den. It looked like he was moments away from releasing Titus and blasting his way in. He stopped his tirade as Tavi excited the den looking down at the Noibat in his arms and back up to Tavi. "You got your starter then?" he growled. Tavi winced at his tone.
"I did but this is not it, I need to get to the Pokémon center" They started walking in silence, Tavi was waiting for his father to explode but he said nothing. Tavi's dad looked like he wanted to say something, he looked over at Tavi with the Noibat in his arms and the pokeball on his hip before he sighed.
"What happened? He simply asked. Tavi explained the sequence of events from leaving his room to being saved by Dragonair not leaving out any detail. His father raised his eyebrows at Charlie's starter and furrowed them at the part where Tavi sent him away to get help. Tavi finished with bated breath waiting for his fathers reaction.
"In the eyes of our clan you are a man now" he started nodding at the pokeball on Tavi's hip. "What you did was brave and in defence of the clan". Tavi was expecting to be told off and swelled with pride at his dad's words. "But. It was foolish you went in with no defences and no plan. From the sounds of it you got lucky but luck will only get you so far in this world. Did you stop to think that the Jangmo-o might have attacked you the moment you let it out?" Tavi had not thought of that, he had been too focused on just trying to get the Pokémon out.
"Now you are a trainer, it's not just yourself you need to think about anymore." He nodded to the pokeball again. "Every decision you make affects your Pokémon, it's up to you to have the final say but your team needs to be taken into account as well" Tavi walked along next to his father mulling over his words. Feeling foolish in hindsight he almost wished that his dad had yelled at him. The Pokemon center came into sight, taking the Noibat out of his impromptu swaddle, Tavi pushed through the doors and rushed to the counter and passed it over to the nurse.
"I found this Noibat drugged in the den, he was not responding when I tried to wake him." Removing the Jangmo-o pokeball he also placed it on the counter "My Pokémon was also drugged, it seems to have worn off, but he got banged up in a battle". Nodding the nurse, took the Noibat and his pokeball, placing them on a cart and quickly wheeling them into the other room. They sat in the waiting room in silence, the only ones there at this late hour.
Tavi had fallen asleep in his chair and was jolted awake as the nurse called out. "Tavi I have your Jangmo-o here" Tavi hurried over "there was no sedative left in his system Chancy used a restore on him he should be right as rain by tomorrow" she said. Tavi picked up the pokeball, attaching it to his belt. "Your Noibat is in bad shape. He is malnourished and was nearly overdosed on the sedatives, he has also picked up a viral infection. We will be starting a course of antibiotics but he will be in here for at least a week. Now do you have his pokeball? It would be safer for him to be in it in-between treatments." She explained.
"I don't have a pokeball for it, it's not mine. It was just injured and not responsive so I brought it here." Tavi said.
"Well it needs a trainer to get treatment, it is good of you to help a pokemon in need but our resources can only go to trained pokemon."
Tavi was not opposed to the idea of having a second dragon so soon and a Noivern would be a powerful member of his team, but he was not sure if he was even allowed to take two Pokémon from the den. He could always capture it and release it back into the den once it was better.
"I'll take responsibility for the Noibat Joy" Tavi's father interjected before Tavi could make up his mind. "You are not allowed two pokemon from the den." he said to Tavi. Nodding nurse Joy led him through to one of the treatment rooms where the little Noibat was on a bed sleeping. Tavi's father gently tapped a pokeball against the sleeping Pokémon, it was quickly stored in the Ball which locked shut with a click. Handing the pokeball to nurse Joy "Consult me if there are any changes in its condition" his dad said.
Leaving the pokeball with Joy they made their way out of the pokemon center. Pink light tinged the sky as they made their way down the street.
"Clair and the league will have everything in hand." Tavi's father said, telling Tavi and much as himself that. Although his dad had not been a gym leader for over seven years now, his father still found it difficult to let others deal with the problems. It had been a sore spot for him and Clair when he tried to give orders to her gym trainers. She had to ban him from her gym until he got the message.
Getting home Tavi went right to his room nabbing some of Titus pokesnacks from the kitchen on the way up, taking out the pokeball he pressed the release button. There was a flash of light and the Jangmo-o was sitting in front of him, looking around the room curiously until its eyes settled on Tavi. They regarded each other for a moment before Tavi took out one of the snacks, throwing it on the floor in front of the Dragon-type. The pokemon sniffed it cautiously, its eyes went wide and it snatched the treat up, demolishing it within moments. It looked back up at Tavi seeing if he had more treats, he snorted before he threw the rest on the floor. Watching the Dragon gobbled them all up in bemusement. "I wanted to thank you for protecting me in the cave, you could have left me and gotten away" The Jangmo-o looked up into Tavi's eyes not blinking, he was not really sure how much it understood but he went on anyway "I think we would make a good team but I wanted to give you the choice and if you don't want to, i will release you back into the den. But do you want to come with me on my journey and be my partner?" Tavi asked slightly awkwardly, he was anxious for the answer. The jangmo-o cocked its head studying the boy in front of it, it slowly moved forward closing the gap between them. Tavi held his hand on impulse, and the Jangmo-o reached out its snout touching Tavi's hand. Tavi ran his hand over the pokemon's head scratching the scales behind its big yellow one, it purred in delight. Relief rushed through him, he had his starter! He had been chosen by a dragon and was now a full member of the Blackthorn clan. He looked down at the dragon in front of him in amazement. "What shall I name you?" he mused to himself. Tavi thought back to the clanging of the cage that led him to the cavern, the way the Jangmo-o had clashes its legs together in challenge. "That's it I'll call you Clash" the Pokemon paused for a moment as if mulling over the name before nodding at Tavi.
A/N This is my first chapter in what is hope to make a regular story. Hope you have enjoyed it so far and Feedback is 100% encouraged and welcome!