Sprinting westward through the streets of Petalburg City, I thought back on the plans I had made for this exact moment. There was a decent selection of Pokémon around Petalburg, but truthfully there was only one that I really wanted.
Ralts.
I knew it was going to be an exceedingly difficult task, but I felt pretty confident that I had a strategy to succeed where most others failed. I had six days before I would be forced to go with something else, but I didn't want to settle with one of the common local species everybody else had. I wanted a starter that had the potential to stand among the elite.
They were extremely rare and highly coveted; trainers from all around the world came to the area hoping to capture one of the elusive Pokémon. The success rate was abysmally low; each year only a small handful of Ralts were rumored to be caught, although many people who prevailed kept it a secret until leaving the area to avoid unwanted attention so there was no way to be sure.
It was a long shot, and my chances of success were slimmed even further by Ralts' innate ability to read emotions and sense danger. Trainers were lucky to even catch a glimpse of one, and most who did usually only spotted it out of the corner of their eye to find it gone when they focused their attention.
They were notoriously difficult to sneak up on, and even harder to capture without a Pokémon to fight with. The most widely agreed-upon method was to have a stealthy Pokémon that knew Hypnosis or some other disabling move and to somehow prevent it from escaping before it could Teleport away. Even for high-level trainers this was a very difficult task that involved a lot of luck to even have the chance at, and I was a complete beginner with no Pokémon to assist me.
I had stumbled upon something online that I planned to use as a template for my strategy; an extremely old thread with only a couple of comments where a trainer claimed to have stumbled upon a Ralts completely by accident and was able to capture it without a battle. The girl described a scene where she had been resting in the shade, simply playing with her Lotad setting up camp for the day. She claimed that she suddenly noticed a small green and white humanoid just a short distance away watching her curiously, and that by being friendly and inviting she had managed to get it to spend the evening with them. By the end of the night, she had a Ralts.
It made sense to lure a Ralts with positive emotions rather than seek one out. The more I thought about it, it was no wonder trainers had such a low success rate finding a Ralts. They were walking emotion detectors and were surely sensitive to the selfish, ill-intentions of trainers searching for them because of their great potential. They would obviously be much more receptive to somebody who simply wanted a friend.
Although I felt like the plan was solid, I still had my doubts. My luck was decidedly terrible, however after my meeting with Norman I was cautiously optimistic that things might finally be on the upswing for me. I was still brimming with positivity and optimism from my talk with him, and wanted to carry that momentum as much as possible.
More than a starter, I needed a partner, and as cheesy as it may sound a lifelong friend. I wasn't the best at making friends, but focusing on that desire should help relay that my intentions were noble. The science was clear; a strong bond with your Pokémon was a constant factor across all successful trainers, which worked out well for me considering I planned on building an entire family. With the Ralts line in particular, I thought that if I believed in it strongly enough it might be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I soon found myself in roughly the area that most of the Ralts sightings I had been able to find took place, and after going a ways off route until I found a nice clearing of trees. I decided that this was as good of a spot as any, choosing to sit down and lean my back against one of the particularly large trees.
"Lovely day..." I started speaking out loud, not sure where to begin. I guess I could just hold a pleasant conversation with myself, perhaps a bit of self-guided therapy to really lay my heart bare for any nearby Ralts to hear. I wasn't sure the best way to do this, all I knew was that I needed to project positivity and create a welcoming environment, all while focusing on my desire for a friend I could call family.
I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts before deciding that I would simply enjoy the day and talk until the sun began to set.
And so I did. I began talking about my mother; what a gentle soul she was and how she always supported me to the best of her abilities, and what a great job she did raising me on her own. I talked about my dreams; how I had once wanted to be Champion, and how I now just wanted to see where being a trainer took me. I talked about my desire for independence; to explore a vast and beautiful world, see the sights, and experience new things with a team of Pokémon I could call family. I talked about my hopes for the future, and nearly everything else I could think of as long as it didn't dive into the realm of negativity. I talked about my upcoming birthday, about my meeting with Norman, about Miss Augustine supporting me despite her distaste for my chosen lifestyle, and how today marked a new chapter in my life. I talked and talked and talked, occasionally catching myself dipping into darker and more depressing topics before quickly correcting course. I eventually realized that talking about these things out loud helped me make more sense of things than simply thinking, and I could feel some of the resentment I had been building up disappearing.
It ended up being extremely relaxing, and I talked for hours as I enjoyed being outside of Petalburg for the first time in years. My voice began feeling increasingly scratchy from talking so much, but I pushed through it. Eventually, the sun began to meet the trees and I couldn't deny reality anymore; I needed to head back. Throughout the hours I'd spent relaxing in the clearing, being sure to keep my eyes open and frequently scan the area for any traces of the elusive Pokémon, I hadn't seen a single trace of a Ralts.
I stood up with a stretch, intending on calling it a day and ready to try again tomorrow, when I noticed a small white humanoid figure with a green helmet and red horn sitting on a branch in the tree above me, simply watching me.
My eyes bulged and my heart rate spiked but I managed to prevent myself from physically flinching, not wanting to startle it. I felt the urge to chuck my Pokéball at it, but I quickly suppressed it and focused on my desire to make a friend.
The Ralts tilted its head at me curiously, and I couldn't help but beam a wide and genuine smile.
"Hey there... How long were you listening? Hope you didn't hear anything too embarrassing." I joked a bit nervously. I silently cursed as I realized that I had no choice but to head back to the orphanage without the chance to try befriending the Ralts, as I had already put off returning for far too long. As things stood, I'd have to sprint back to make it in time. Today was my first day out, and I really didn't want to do anything to jeopardize the exemption that Norman worked out for me. Although I was very tempted to try capitalizing on this moment, it just didn't feel right to rush.
I'd made it this far on a gamble, so I decided to take another one. "I've got to go for the day, but I'll be back here tomorrow in the morning. I really like this spot, and it'd be nice to have someone to share it with. We could be friends, if you want." I said hopefully, and although the Ralts gave no response other than to stare at me, I decided that it was best to leave it at that for the day.
"Have a good night Ralts, hope to see you tomorrow! Stay safe!" I waved cheerfully as I began my run back to Petalburg, doing everything in my power to remain positive despite the creeping feelings of doubt and uncertainty that I'd never get another chance like that again. I was hoping that I wasn't making a mistake; a large part of me wanted to just stay there to incur Miss Augustine's wrath for the chance to capture my starter, but I felt that the seeds were planted and I couldn't risk losing my privileges. Even if I did manage to befriend and capture the Ralts, it wouldn't do me much good if I was stuck at the orphanage for the rest of the week with no ability to train it, and I would feel awful keeping a newly captured Ralts in its Pokéball for that long.
I was able to make it just as the sun set, but only barely. Now that school was out and the orphanage was crowded, the other kids took note of the fact that I had been allowed out all day and pestered me about it, although I simply refused to say anything much to their annoyance. I wasn't about to reveal my meeting with Norman, or that I had a Pokéball and had been out looking for a starter, since that would just paint a big target on my back.
I ate dinner in relative peace after Miss Augustine demanded that the others stop pestering me, which I was deeply thankful for. She didn't seem at all interested in how my day was, only that I was alright and back for dinner, which suited me just fine.
Although computer time was not allowed after dinner, I did get to spend a little time flipping through my notes before bedtime was declared and the lights were turned off.
That night, I had difficulty sleeping. I wondered if Ralts would actually show up again, and if I had anything I could bring to offer it. Since Ralts fed off of the positive emotions of others, positivity and my company felt like the best 'gift' that I could bring. This wasn't to say that Ralts couldn't eat; it could snack on things but it didn't need them to survive, however I didn't have access to anything I thought it would actually enjoy as a snack. I wish that I had a berry or Pokéblock to offer, but I simply didn't.
I was now convinced that my strategy to attract a Ralts seemed to be working, and was hopeful that the same one would return and we'd be able to make some real progress. Although it was disheartening to come home without a starter, I felt that tomorrow had a lot of potential to be the day I finally caught my first Pokémon.
After hours of staring up at the bottom of the bunk above me, I managed to force myself to sleep, needing to be rested for what I hoped would be an eventful day.
After another bland and uneventful breakfast, I managed to convince Miss Augustine to give me a bottle of water to keep me hydrated for the day and prevent my throat from going hoarse, then took off back to the same clearing I had been at yesterday.
I leaned up against the same tree and did much the same as I had yesterday; keeping my thoughts on positive things and talking out loud, remaining hopeful and optimistic that I would end today with a new friend.
It didn't take long; after about fifteen minutes Ralts cautiously stepped out from behind a bush, and I suppressed my urge to cheer in joy by instead smiling warmly and waving in greeting.
"Hi Ralts, nice to see you again. Want to come sit in the shade with me?" I offered with the friendliest smile I could muster.
Ralts seemed to consider the offer and gave me a critical look for a few moments before suddenly Teleporting a short distance away from me with a subtle 'pop. It wasn't quite within arms reach; it seemed to be a bit cautious and skeptical of me still, but I couldn't blame it.
For all the thinking I had done last night, I didn't specifically know what I should do or say next. My thoughts had been largely occupied with whether or not the Ralts would even show, not what I wanted to say to it or how we should spend our time together if it did. I decided to just be honest and sincere, as their species would be able to detect if I was being manipulative or dishonest.
"So, just to make sure, you're able to understand me right?" I asked, genuinely curious. It was common knowledge that nearly all Pokémon were able to understand other species of Pokémon and humans at a fundamental level due to being more in touch with nature. Researchers theorized that Pokémon were much more sensitive to things like microexpressions, tone and body language, and that they learned language extremely quickly due to a long history of living alongside humans in harmony.
Ralts tilted its head for a moment before slowly and hesitantly nodding.
"Do you have any family? Siblings or parents maybe?" I asked as I gave the Ralts a good lookover. It was my first time seeing one, although I'd seen pictures online. This Ralts struck me as younger; it was smaller than what I had expected and its horns weren't nearly as large as some I'd seen, but truthfully I could be off base.
I felt my heart sink a bit as Ralts' shoulders sagged and it shook its head solemnly, informing me it had no family. Although I knew that Ralts tended to be solitary, I was still a bit taken aback that one seemingly so young would be completely alone. I quickly decided to shift the mood; I needed to avoid being negative as much as possible.
"I'm the same way, so we have that in common," I admitted, which seemed to perk up the Ralts.
"Some say you can't choose your family, but I think that's silly. If you can find a group who care about and support you, to me that's as good of a family as you could ever ask for. Someday I hope to find others like that, and I'm sure you will too."
Ralts seemed to consider my words but offered no response. I was by no means an expert at carrying a conversation, but I was doing my best to keep things positive and engaging.
"It's a hot day; are you thirsty? I've got some water you can have." I offered, reaching into my pocket. I noticed Ralts tense for a moment, clearly a bit wary of my sudden movement and what I might be pulling out, but it seemed to realize that I had good intentions and relaxed as I pulled out the bottle of water. It tilted its head curiously, and I decided to demonstrate to help it understand. I unscrewed the cap and took a deep swig before pouring just a bit on the ground to demonstrate that it was water.
"It's just water, it's really good. Want some?" I offered again, smiling when Ralts nodded slowly. I poured some of the water into the bottle cap and slowly reached over to hand it Ralts, not wanting to invade its personal space. Ralts was still a bit outside arm's reach, but cautiously walked over before grabbing the cap with both of its stubby arms and holding it to its mouth.
I decided not to be weird by staring, opting to lean back against the tree and look up at the sky as I took another drink from the bottle. I thought of things I could talk about or ask, but was suddenly struck by just how limited our communications were. At best, all I could hope for was a nod or shake of the head, something Ralts had demonstrated they could do. That left me with yes or no questions, which complicated things. I knew that the Ralts line was capable of telepathy, but I hadn't seen any evidence that this one could do that yet. Considering how young this one seemed to be, it probably hadn't honed its psychic abilities much.
As fate would have it, that was the moment that I noticed a Taillow that was flying high above begin to dive toward us. I was lucky to already be looking up at the sky, otherwise I doubt I would have noticed until it was too late.
"Quick, get behind me!" I shouted in alarm, causing the Ralts to jump at the sudden outburst and drop the bottle cap. I pointed to the sky, and Ralts quickly caught onto what was happening. It took a second, but Ralts suddenly teleported beside me, hiding between me and the tree trunk for cover. I looked back up at the incoming Taillow, determined to protect my potential friend and starter.
Seeing that its opportunity to scoop up an easy meal had vanished, the Taillow leveled out and abandoned its pursuit, deciding to search elsewhere.
Once it was clear that the danger had passed, I looked down to my side to see Ralts clinging to my hoodie, trembling in fear.
"It's ok, the Taillow is gone now. You can come out." I said reassuringly. It checked the sky for a moment before letting go and taking a step back, shaking slightly and clearly a bit rattled.
It finally clicked why Ralts had been hiding both times I'd first seen them. Yesterday it hid quietly up in the tree, then this morning in the bush. I knew for a fact that both Taillow and Poochyena were in the area in abundance, but I had assumed that a Ralts could sense the danger and simply Teleport away. Likely due to its young age, this one seemed to need some time and concentration to Teleport, and I doubted its danger-sensing capabilities would give it enough time to survive a predator coming in that fast.
"You know, you could easily beat that bird in a fight with a little practice. Want me to teach you?" I asked, trying to remain casual even though I was overjoyed at the thought of holding my first training session. Although I hadn't caught Ralts I could still show what I had to offer, and it would be a good opportunity to bond further. Even if I never caught this Ralts to see the fruits of my efforts, I would feel better about myself if I could help increase its chances of survival.
To my utter delight, Ralts gave an enthusiastic nod, and I couldn't help but beam with a huge grin.
"Alright then, let's start by seeing what you can do first, then we'll work on improving."
The next hour consisted of me getting a basic understanding of Ralts' current capabilities. The first move Ralts demonstrated was obviously Teleport, which it seemed exceedingly proud of. As a test, I had Ralts stand in the middle of the clearing and would point at various places, asking it to try teleporting there. I confirmed my theory that Ralts needed a bit of time and focus to perform a Teleport, and quickly noticed that the further it tried to go, the more exhausted it would become. We took frequent breaks to ensure that Ralts didn't tire out, and I made sure to offer my sincere praise every step of the way.
By my initial tests, it seemed Ralts had to have direct vision of the destination. Ralts couldn't even Teleport on the other side of a tree, which was strange to me because I knew it wasn't a matter of distance. Best I could figure it, Ralts needed to be able to visualize themselves at the destination, but I couldn't be sure.
The furthest I got Ralts to Teleport at once was about 30 feet, which left them panting and took almost five whole seconds to perform. After a chance to fully rest, I decided to do a rapid-fire, short-range test. Ralts was able to do 4 consecutive teleports a foot apart with just over a second between them, which seemed to mostly be a matter of Ralts getting its bearings, looking towards the target, and focusing. Although Ralts could determine which way it faced after a Teleport, that turned the required time up to nearly two seconds per Teleport, and it seemed to take much more effort on Ralts' part to affect orientation, something I found immensely interesting. I suspected that it would become a non-issue the more practice and stamina Ralts got, but I mentally noted it nonetheless.
Satisfied that I'd gotten a good grasp on Teleport's capabilities, I asked Ralts to show me what else it knew. I was able to identify two different vocal attacks, one which was high-pitched yet not quite debilitating, and another which was much lower and vaguely threatening. After a bit of thought, I determined that it must be Disarming Voice and Growl respectively. I wasn't sure about Growl, however Disarming Voice didn't strike me as being battle-ready; I'd seen the move used plenty of times on LeagueTV and it typically emitted a faint pink pulse, something that I couldn't really identify with Ralts' attempts. It could be because most battles broadcasted on television were high-level, but I still felt like it was lacking. I also noted that it took him nearly a full second to take in the deep breath required to use it, something I thought was likely far too long for any fast-paced battle.
Admittedly, it was a bit strange to hear the noises coming from Ralts' small mouth; I'd never actually heard them use their voice so it was nice to see that it was in perfect working order. I suppose Ralts simply liked using body language to communicate, since I knew plenty of Pokémon were very vocal.
Ralts also demonstrated what I believed to be the start of a Double Team, however it wasn't a fully solidified clone and took a lot of concentration to pull off even a flickering afterimage. When that was all that was shown to me, I tried to get Ralts to use Confusion, but it didn't seem to have any concept of what that was. After explaining the gist of it and directing Ralts to try it on a tree, I saw nothing happen to the tree but noticed a very faint glow on Ralts' front horn, leading me to believe something was happening.
In a moment of foolishness I instructed Ralts to try using Confusion on me, and after some hesitation on Ralts' part and some coaxing on mine, it finally agreed. After taking my place a short distance away and giving Ralts the go-ahead, it concentrated on me. After a moment before the horn yet again faintly glowed, and I thought that I might have felt a very slight wave of disorientation wash over me, but it was gone almost immediately and it could have been a figment of my imagination. Still, I praised Ralts on a job well done and informed them that Confusion would be one of the most important moves they would know for a while, and to remember the feeling.
At this point, I could tell that Ralts was a bit worn down and needed a much longer break, it was clear it had nothing left to show me. I was more than happy with our session and felt I had a good grasp on Ralts' current capabilities. We went back to our favorite tree and relaxed in the shade, sharing water and eachothers' company as I began to discuss my initial thoughts. I made sure to stay positive and enthusiastic as I praised Ralts' efforts, but also gave a bit of constructive criticism. If we were to work together, it was important to be able to be honest with my feedback, I just needed to come at it from a positive place rather than make Ralts feel put down.
"You're naturally strong Ralts, just a little bit of practice and that Taillow earlier wouldn't hold a candle to you." I started, keeping a careful eye on Ralts' reactions. To that, Ralts nodded enthusiastically, which I took as a great sign that they genuinely wanted to improve.
"Overall, I'd say that stamina and power are the main things we need to work on, but a lot of that will just come over time with practice and repetition." I said diplomatically, testing the waters to see how sensitive Ralts was to criticism. I got a slow and hesitant nod in response, but I didn't get the sense that they were offended or hurt by anything I'd said.
"Honestly the biggest problem I see is that you don't have much offense at the moment. You've got two moves you could theoretically use; Confusion and Disarming Voice, but they don't quite strike me as ready for a serious battle. Teleport would be another good thing to work on; being able to quickly dodge attacks or set yourself into advantageous positions to attack will be vital to your strategy, especially once you evolve and become stronger."
As I finished explaining, Ralts perked up and began to do a cute little wiggle back and forth, and I got the sense they were extremely pleased by something I'd said, which confused me because it was my harshest criticism yet. The only thing I could think of was the mention of evolution, so I decided to explore that topic a bit.
"You want to evolve, huh?" I asked, to which Ralts nodded furiously. I couldn't help but gain a wide grin; it seems I'd found something that would help keep Ralts motivated.
"If you keep training, you'll evolve and never have to be afraid of predators on you ever again."
Once again Ralts gave an enthusiastic nod and a little wiggle of excitement. This seemed like the time to make my pitch, or at least plant the idea in Ralts' head about becoming my partner, so I decided to take it.
"I'll be leaving here in five days." I stated simply, and when I saw Ralts visibly deflate I quickly continued. "I'll be traveling the world, training to compete against some of the strongest Pokémon and trainers. I'll be going through the gym circuit, which is a set of challenges that test your strength and teamwork, and there are gyms all across the region, as well as in other parts of the world. I'm looking for Pokémon who are interested in joining me on my journey; Pokémon who want to be part of a family. We'll work together to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be, which obviously includes evolution. I doubt you'll be anywhere near evolving by the end of the week, but you should at least be able to hold your own against jerks like that Taillow. You could come with me... We could be partners, and I can promise you'll see the world and reach your final evolution." I explained, wishing that I'd better prepared a pitch for this moment.
When I noticed that Ralts seemed to hesitate, I quickly decided to take the pressure off. I wasn't sure what I had said that gave Ralts doubts, or if it was just attached to this area and didn't want to leave, but I still had six days and saw no reason to rush. The seed had been planted, and I still had time to win Ralts over.
"You don't have to decide now. Let's spend the rest of the week training, and if you want to come with me at the end, that's great. If not, no hard feelings. Either way, we'll both get some much-needed practice, and you should be able to defend yourself quite admirably."
That seemed to ease Ralts, who nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, are you feeling rested enough for some real training?" I asked with enthusiasm, which Ralts wiggled and nodded eagerly to.
"Great!" I said excitedly, springing to my feet.
"Let's start with Disarming Voice, since you need to have a solid attack. First we'll practice holding it for as long as you can, then we'll wrap it up by trying to make it as strong and loud as possible. Let me know if you ever need a drink of water or a break. Start with that bush over there, alright?"
Ralts took a serious stance and began using Disarming Voice as instructed. Regardless of if we were going for duration or strength, it still took an entire second to suck in the deep breath required to use it. When holding the move for as long as possible, it took about three seconds for Ralts to run out of breath, and the bush simply shook a bit. When going for maximum power, the move held for roughly a second, and although I thought I could visually see the beginnings of distortion in the air I didn't see any hint of pink. I could notice that the leaves on the bush were shaking more, but it wasn't strong enough to actually strip any leaves off.
We had a long way to go, and I was still technically without a starter, but I couldn't remember feeling so happy and optimistic. It felt like a dark chapter in my life was coming to an end; my streak of bad luck was finally ending, and I was getting a taste of my new life.
By the time the sun was beginning to set, Ralts had made noticeable improvements. Whereas before bushes would only slightly shake, I was now seeing a few leaves actually get ripped off. Not only that, but I was almost positive that I was able to visibly see it more; a very subtle pulsing in the air and a slightly pink hue, much closer to what I was used to seeing. I wasn't entirely sure if it was good enough to cause any significant damage in a fight, but the difference between the start of the day was striking.
"I'm really proud of you Ralts; you worked hard today and you're already much better than you were this morning." I praised truthfully.
Ralts threw its arms up and wiggled in celebration, clearly agreeing with my assessment. At that moment I really wanted to bend down and rub the side of Ralts' helmet, but I restrained myself. I didn't want to push any boundaries or make Ralts uncomfortable and was perfectly happy at the pace our relationship was going.
"See you here tomorrow?" I asked hopefully, filled with relief when Ralts nodded eagerly.
I waved farewell to Ralts and began my jog back to the orphanage, doing my best to commit the day to memory. If things went well, I'd be able to look back on today and realize just how far we'd come.
Absolute worst case, Ralts decided not to come with me and I got some good practice training and interacting with Pokémon. I wasn't going to do any dirty tricks like try to capture it when it wasn't looking, I had decided to go all in on winning it over willingly. I didn't doubt that I'd capture a Pokémon the more traditional way someday, but this felt right for the situation.
I wanted a partner; a starter who believed in my vision for the future just as much as I did. I'd like to think I found one, but only time would tell.
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