10-11

Roads​

The wild… the real wild? It's more dangerous than anybody expects. — Pastoria Gym Leader "Crasher" Wake​

I woke with the morning call, scrambling out of bed to make it down to reception in time for checkout. I made it with four minutes to spare, my balls slotted into place on my belt and my pack hastily crammed back together. I wasn't pretty, but I was awake. I'd be on the road anyways, so it didn't matter too much if I missed a shower.

I stopped by the gym on my way out of town. Surge apparently wasn't in, so I left a quick message with the gym receptionist. I apologized that I had to refuse his offer and promised to return for an elite challenge when I was ready.

The bar I'd frequented the night before was open, but still empty as I passed it. I thought I could see the figure of Frank, still sleeping at the bar. Aya wasn't behind the bar, a wiry man with ragged blond hair was pouring a beer and shoving it towards Frank.

I opened my pokegear and scrolled through the unread messages. Gemma had been spamming me with unintelligible nonsense, probably trying to get my attention since I hadn't answered her celebration calls after the match. I scrolled past them and set my eyes on the only message I cared about.

Call me when you reach Celadon. Hope we can meet again soon,

-Aya

I read the message half a hundred times before I sighed happily to myself and tapped out a quick answer promising that I would call as soon as I could. I scrolled back up to Gemma's messages with a happy heart. I started typing out a message, and my gear began ringing.

I answered Gemma with a huff. "Y'know, I was literally just answering you."

"Can it, Novice. Domitian was worried. We hadn't heard from you a whole day."

"Got to drinking," I said quietly. "Spent the night out."

"Ooooooooo," Gemma squealed. "Made yourself an appreciative fan, huh? Getting a nice juicy taste of that fame?"

I sighed heavily. "Wasn't like that, Gemma. We just talked, about family mostly." I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Despite the sleep I'd gotten, I was pushing myself harder than ever before. I needed rest, real rest that I wasn't likely to get any time soon. "I'm just tired."

"You alright?" she asked. Her tone was softer and I felt the sincerity in her tone. "The match looked rough. Is everyone alright?"

"Pride might not be ready for Erika. Cracked half his ribs in the explosion and Acolyte can barely walk without crashing into something. Luna's alright for the most part, but I don't think I can rely on her to solo an intermediate gym challenge."

"So delay the match. Nobody's gonna think less of you. He'll, you might even get some good press when they put out the news, maybe I could get daddy to pull some strings with one of the networks. We could get a whole deep dive into your previous matches in the same time slot. It'd get some good traction, probably start building your fan base more seriously."

I stopped walking. More fame. More praise heaped on me when none was deserved. "Is it weird to be uncomfortable with the spotlight like this?"

She paused for a moment. "You get used to it," she said. "It isn't easy at first, but after a while it's like nobody's watching."

"Easy for you to say," I replied. "You're a natural. I've never met anybody else this…" I trailed off, looking for the word.

"Enthusiastic?" she asked.

I smirked. "I like that. You're definitely enthusiastic."

"Oh shut it," she replied. "I've been cooped up in a stupid boring office tower for a month and a half. I deserve some kind of outlet for my enthusiasm."

"No more attacks on the building?"

"None," she replied. "There's been rioting in the streets every so often since the attacks, but nobody has made a move on the building since the day I got here. The people are fighting back against the lockdowns and someone has started to stir shit up." She got quiet and I could feel her hesitation through the phone. "Things are bad here, Marcus. Silph's close to something huge, but there's something shady going on. Someone wants this new product and they're willing to kill for it."

"Mind if I ask what this product is?"

"You can ask all you want," she replied curtly. "I don't even know what it is, and my father is the project lead." She paused for a minute and I didn't break the silence. "I… I'm scared, Marcus. I don't know who to trust. Dad's been saying that Silph might be compromised and that I shouldn't trust anybody but him…"

"Listen to him," I said. "If what he says is true, then even our conversation can't be trusted as secret."

I heard her sigh in frustration. "Look at you, being all responsible. Of course you'd agree with him. When did you lose your balls?"

"Well, maybe he's right. What does it hurt to be careful?" I paused and contemplated my next words. My heart was pounding, screaming at me to tell Gemma that her father was right. My mind couldn't look past Curie and tell my friend the truth. "Look," I started, carefully considering every word. I couldn't be too overtly open or Domino might catch wind of me warning Silph. "let's say that Silph is compromised. Let's say that the company has been infiltrated by whoever is after this project. Both our poke gears were provided by the company. Both are on Silph's mobile network. Someone, somewhere in the company could access the calls, read our texts. Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but I don't trust that this is truly a private line if what your father suspects is true."

She was silent, contemplating my words. I couldn't come out and tell her anything concrete, but I hoped that she was smart enough to figure out where I was leading her.

"And if my father is just being paranoid?" she asked.

"Do you want to take that chance?" I asked. "It doesn't hurt anybody to be careful, Gemma. These people already tried to get to you once, they killed Lilith. What's stopping them from pulling the same shit again? I don't want to see you get hurt because you weren't careful."

"I know," she replied in a defeated tone. "It's just so damn boring here. I sit and watch league highlights day after day. My team is bored, I'm bored and the other Silph trainers here are bored."

"There's worse things than being bored," I replied. I stopped walking as I reached Vermillion's north gate. "Anyways, I gotta get on the road. Still have a date to keep with Erika."

She sighed heavily and I could practically feel her frustration through the phone. "I guess," she said. "Call me when you get to Celadon?"

"Of course," I answered. "You'll be the second call I make."

I heard her voice rise. "Cheap booty comes first?" she asked playfully.

I couldn't help the goofy smile. "Wasn't like that, Gemma. And it definitely wasn't cheap. Silph would know, they paid."

"Atta boy!" she said. "Get moving then. Good luck, Novice!"

She ended the call as I spluttered angrily at being called a novice. I sighed and closed the gear. With a smile on my face and my troubles mostly forgotten, I stepped out onto Route Eleven to begin my journey to Celadon.

With Saffron locked down, the easy route through Kanto's largest city was closed. I had two options. I could take the long road east from Vermillion and loop back around by way of Lavender town so I could pass through the underground tunnels under Saffron. I didn't have the time for that, so I was forced to travel towards Saffron and cut through the harsh wilderness southwest of the city. It was not my first choice, but teleport services were backed up for weeks and the other path would take too long.

The road to Saffron was nearly empty, only a few novice trainers making their way to Vermillion by way of Cerulean. They didn't deign to challenge an intermediate like me, something that I was privately happy for. My team was in no shape for a serious battle and I would have been thoroughly embarrassed by a loss to a novice.

We made camp along with a trio of kids, all making their way to Vermillion for their battle with Surge. I stayed around the fire, happy to have a chance to sleep comfortably for a portion of the night. None of them were in the mood for conversation, something I learned after one of them angrily shouted at another over a pokemon's death. I kept out of it, not wanting to get involved in someone else's drama.

I took last watch, waiting until the sun was well above the tree line. I woke one of the trainers, apologizing and confessing that I had to get an early start to my travels.

The sun was damn hot that day. We kept off the main road as much as possible, keeping to the shady forests that flanked this part of the road. We followed a game trail that kept the road within view most of the time. Luna kept us well clear of anything dangerous and we cut back onto the road more than once to avoid a victreebell nest.

I reached Saffron's southern gate by the end of the second day. Saffron Ranger Command had an entire camp set up, directing passing trainers into the underground path. I didn't have any intent on travelling further that day, so I set up in one of the temporary bunks and got an early start to planning my journey across Kanto's always dangerous central forests.

My chosen route would get me to Celadon the day before my challenge was scheduled. I had no margin for error, only three days before I absolutely had to be cutting back onto the league sanctioned route between Saffron and Celadon. Any later and I was forgoing my pokemon a night in the pokemon centre before what was likely to be a tough battle.

My thoughts drifted to possible new team members as I stared at the map. I contemplated searching out a growlithe, but the thought of facing down a wild arcanine for one of its young was daunting to say the least. I didn't really need a second fire type either. My team was already going to have two ground types once Pride evolved, so adding a second fire type would only increase my team's overall weakness to water types.

I stared bleakly at my pokegear map, scrolling through the pokemon usually found around Saffron. Persian leapt out at me, both as the strongest catch and a decent add to my team. Oddish, bellsprout and tangela intrigued me and would be great counters to water types. That didn't really help me against Erika though, who would be sure to outclass any grass types I brought to battle. I noted them down as options anyways and made a mental note to keep an eye out for them. Tangela were exceedingly rare and I could likely trade one for a comparably rare pokemon if I ultimately wasn't happy with it.

I switched over to evolution research, pulling up known methods of nidorino evolution. Most cases involved waiting until the nidorino in question was between four and eight years old, however some cases of spontaneous evolution had been recorded in younger specimens. Pride was only two at my best guess, still young enough to have most of his spines intact and not snapped off from years of battle.

A pack of nidorino had been reported to undergo spontaneous evolution when exposed to samples of moon rocks by researchers in Pewter. However, the result was not consistent and the researchers suggested that it may still rely on the individual pokemon's strength. Some sporadic research had been done since with conflicting results, but no in depth studies had been conducted since.

I don't know when I passed out, but I woke with Luna nudging my hand. The sun was starting to rise and several rangers were already up around the camp. Luna stretched herself out alongside me and yawned.

I had my things packed and ready to go in minutes. I stopped at the camp's mess tent and grabbed a quick breakfast. Scrambled pidgey eggs and fried hash browns weren't much but it was free. I stuffed a few ration bars into my pack and left before the sun started to climb the sky.

I followed a game trail, feet carefully tracing Luna's path. She kept us to the trail while I glanced back down at my compass after every turn. It twisted and wound through the forest, crossing small streams and winding back on itself as we went.

Pride was further off the trail, crashing through the underbrush as he went. He seemed incapable of stealthy movement and I tried not to worry about the attention he was drawing. He seemed back to his regular stubborn self and I heard him bellow a challenge at some unseen pokemon more than once. He never did come limping back, but I could tell he was hurting the few times he drew back into view.

Acolyte followed close behind me, his club held up warily as he glanced nervously around at the forest. He was uncomfortable with the forest pressing in at him and was clearly claustrophobic. He was used to rocky, open expanses and jumped at every shifting leaf.

Despite the claustrophobia, he fared well enough. He had healed enough for some lighter training and didn't seem overly affected by the concussion he had experienced.

We forged a path westward as best we could. I made sure to keep Saffron's south wall within view, only losing it when the trees began to get thicker. I called Pride back to me and had him stay close after that. Even with Acolyte watching my back, I didn't want a persian getting the drop on me. I wouldn't last long enough under one of the big cat's claws for Acolyte to save me.

We made decent time even in thicker brush. Acolyte and Pride proved themselves relatively able at clearing my path, as unsuited as they were for the heavily forested environment. We didn't have much trouble with wild pokemon either, most of them giving us a wide berth. A few overly aggressive bellsprout tried to start shit at one point, but Luna took care of them easily.

Luna was right at home. I had caught her on the edge of the forest near our farm. Vulpix were native to forests like this and my starter acted like she had barely been away for a moment. I kept catching glimpses of her tails flashing past in pursuit of some unseen pokemon. She would come back a few minutes later, licking her chops and looking satisfied.

We made camp against Saffron's south wall when the sunlight peeking through the trees began to dim. I didn't dare start a fire for fear of attracting a persian, so I chewed on one of the ration bars I'd taken from the Ranger camp. I clambered up a tree and tied myself to the trunk as night fell and the light began to die.

The rain woke me. I felt the light splatter of raindrops falling on my face and yawned with a stretch.

My pokemon were happy to stretch their legs after a night in their balls. They fanned out around me, never straying out of earshot. Acolyte kept close to me the entire time, eschewing exploration for diligence. As far as he was concerned, I was his to protect.

More than once I heard the telltale scuffle of pokemon battling. Luna or Pride would come trotting back, proudly displaying their battle wounds as if they were showing off. There was nothing too bad, mostly just small cuts or bruises where grass types had attempted to latch on. I emptied most of a potion throughout the day, tending to my pokemon's injuries as we forged west.

The forest started to thin as the day went on and we left Saffron's wall behind. Trees were thicker, but but further in between. The canopy seemed to blot out the sky, giving us some cover from the increasingly heavy rain.

Luna pulled back to me and scowled as the rain began to fall on her fur. Her tails looked sad and thin, the fur soaked down to the skin. I couldn't help but hide a smirk whenever she shook off.

I set to training while we travelled. Luna needed stopping power, some real heat behind her flames. Right now they were dangerous, but dangerous only gets you so far in the league. She had honed her technique well and could hold a jet of flames about twelve feet in length. However, it wasn't nearly hot enough.

I had her focus exclusively on improving the heat of her flamethrower. She was improving, but we still weren't where I needed her to be. It wasn't fair to expect so much from her. Even if she would never voice a complaint, I couldn't expect her to win every one of my gym challenges for me.

Pride was more difficult to train with his injuries. He was still sore, especially along his sides. He had cracked nearly every rib in his body and tanked a volt tackle from Surge's intermediate raichu. I was sure that the same attack from his elite raichu would have killed him outright. As it was, he could still barely deliver a blow without pulling back from the pain.

I kept up his agility and endurance training, easing up my expectations. I think he understood his limitations because he didn't venture out half as far as he had the day before. He kept just ahead of me, pulling back to my side whenever an aggressive pokemon came near us.

Acolyte seemed to relax somewhat once the dense foliage cleared. He still seemed somewhat jumpy, but he was much more receptive to direction now that his anxiety was easing. I had him dispatch anything that got close to us. I was still analyzing his fighting style, so I hadn't managed to put together a specific training plan yet. Instead, I had him battle as he saw fit. I kept a close eye on him, watching his style of feints and counterattacks.

The rain let up at some point in the evening. I decided we'd gone far enough and set up camp the same as the night before. I nodded off as the skies began to clear and the stars started to peek through the canopy.

I woke to a soft scratching sound. It seemed to come from somewhere above me, but I couldn't see exactly where. I knew it wasn't a persian. I'd be dead already if one of the predators had found me. I twisted around and peered up the tree as I slowly untied myself. I dropped the rope off the branch and pulled myself up to my feet.

The scratching stopped suddenly. I heard something scrape loudly and begin descending towards me. My heart leapt into my throat as I envisioned myself being disemboweled thirty feet in the air.

I scrambled down that tree, nearly losing my footing on the first branch. The scraping continued, following me at a steady pace. I reached a relatively stable branch and looked back up at the descending noise. It was gaining on me too fast. I wouldn't be able to reach the ground before it was on me. I steadied myself for half a moment and jumped.

Something grabbed me by the wrist as I leapt and pulled back hard. I felt myself rising into the air and thrashed madly. Then disaster struck. My arm popped out of its socket with a sick crunch. I shrieked in pain and felt the pressure on my wrist disappear as i dropped from the sky.

I landed on a branch, the wind driving from my chest as I wrapped myself around the branch. It was still maybe a fifteen foot drop to the ground and I held on for dear life. Then a pair of armoured green feet landed on the branch beside me.

The branch bent and I heard the unmistakable groan-pop of cracking wood. I glanced up at my attacker and felt my stomach rise as the branch gave way. I slammed down on my side, grunting in pain. A sharp pain shot down my arm and I swore loudly over my groans of pain.

My left arm lay limply on the ground. I groaned and rolled, scrabbling at my belt with my good arm as my vision swam. I found the release button on one of the balls and prayed.

Acolyte appeared from his ball, raising his club instinctively at the encroaching foliage.

"Up!" I shouted. "It's in the tree!"

A deep, green blur slammed into Acolyte. He took the blow in the chest, sliding backwards as he held his footing. They ground to a halt and I got my first clear look at the pokemon. It had a long horn that ended in a pair of wicked prongs that were buried in my marowak's chest. A pair of thick wings buzzed angrily on its back and folded back under a plate of chitin that slid back into place.

The heracross pressed harder, forcing the prongs of its horn deeper into Acolyte's chest. It chittered incoherently and tossed its head back. Acolyte flipped end over end, slamming into a tree trunk and crashing to a violent stop in the dirt.

I scrambled backwards, fumbling desperately with my ball belt. My left arm hung limply at my side, every movement bringing another wave of sharp agony. I stopped as my back hit a tree trunk and looked up at the heracross. It flicked its tongue, a long thin appendage the length of my arm.

I was gonna die, eaten by a bug the size of me. I closed my eyes as my hand brushed against the belt's emergency release function. Two spears of red light erupted from my waist. They landed on either side of the heracross, coalescing into my two pokemon. I didn't have time for orders, I only prayed that my pokemon knew what to do.

The heracross glanced between Pride and Luna dumbly. He was confused, baffled by the appearance of new set of foes. Time seemed to slow down as the wild pokemon curiously sniffed at Luna. It's tongue flitted out again, lightly brushing against Luna's flank.

It took all of a fraction of a second for Luna to flare her tails and spew a jet of flame at the bug.

The heracross screeched in pain as the flames chewed away at its carapace. It charged through the flames, instinctively responding to the attack. It barrelled through Luna's flamethrower and drove an armoured fist into her side. Luna yelped in pain and dashed away before the heracross could follow up with a more serious blow.

Pride slammed into the heracross from behind, attempting to draw the attention off of Luna. The bug shifted its weight and lifted Pride off the ground. My nidorino came crashing back down, his own momentum used to counter his attack. He whined in pain as he slowly dragged himself back to his feet and kept his distance from our foe.

Acolyte leapt out of the underbrush, his club raised as he crossed the small clearing at the base of the trees. The heracross' carapace opened and it lifted off the ground as its wings buzzed furiously. The bug turned laboriously as Acolyte swung with all his might.

Acolyte's blow knocked the heracross out of the air and sent the bug skittering across the clearing. It fluttered and wobbled, trying to regain its balance as Acolyte bellowed a challenge.

Luna leapt into action as the heracross righted itself, hacking up a glowing ball of spectral flame. She sent the will-o-wisp spinning through the air. It splashed harmlessly against a tree, a half a moment too late to catch the heracross.

"Pin it!" I shouted. "Slow the damn thing down."

Acolyte leapt across the clearing, intercepting the heracross with a mighty swing of his club. The bug batted away the club with its horn and grabbed Acolyte as it charged. They soared across the clearing and into a tree. The heracross slammed Acolyte into the tree, holding fast to his bone club. My marowak shoved back, trying to free himself and his weapon.

The heracross' wings buzzed again and Acolyte flailed as he was lifted off the ground. It was all the opening the heracross needed. It hammered one fist into Acolyte's dominant elbow, forcing him to release his club. The heracross hooked its arms around Acolyte's chest and lifted off the ground.

My marowak struggled in vain. He thrashed for all he was worth, but the heracross was unyielding. It carried my pokemon higher, punching through the canopy and rising into open air.

My eyes widened when I realized what the heracross meant to do. I fumbled at my belt for a moment and raised Acolyte's ball. I would have moments, maybe a fraction of a second for what I had in mind. I watched carefully for any sign of my marowak, any sign of the heracross.

The canopy burst half a moment later, Acolyte screaming in abject terror. I tapped the return button, praying that it would work fast enough.

Acolyte disappeared in a flash of red light inches off the ground. I released him again in front of me, completely unharmed from the attack. He knelt down and picked up his club just as the heracross burst through the canopy to view its handiwork.

"Bonemerang!" I shouted.

Acolyte's aim was true. The club soared through the air, curving unnaturally as it turned towards the heracross. It wasn't expecting a ranged attack from Acolyte and turned away in a vain attempt to escape the flying club. It smashed into the heracross from behind and the flying bug lost control of its flight.

It smashed off a tree and spun helpless to the ground. It crashed down hard, mangled wings buzzing uselessly in a hopeless attempt to rise. It rose to its feet, looking nervously at the three pokemon facing it down. It was at a disadvantage for the first time since the thing had ambushed me and it was realizing that.

"Confuse wisp!" I shouted to Luna. Inspiration was striking and like hell I was letting something as rare as a heracross get away from me. I had almost fifteen empty pokeballs in my bag and seriously doubted that the murderous bug was going to burn through them all.

Luna's ball of eerie flame washed against the heracross' carapace. It shrieked in pain as it righted itself, its tattered wings folding back away. It glanced around the clearing, eyes settling on me with murderous intent. I felt it sizing me up, recognize that I was the one directing its opponents.

"Luna, flamethrower."

My vulpix reared back, sucking in a breath. The heracross moved to dodge it, but without its wings it wasn't nearly as fast. The gout of flame took it in the side, forcing another pained screech out of the battered bug.

I raised my good arm, readying the first ball. Luna cut the flames and the heracross stumbled towards me. It was smouldering in half a dozen places and smoke curled lazily off of it. I pitched the pokeball as it groaned wearily. It bounced off the heracross' head and sucked the bug inside in a flash of red. It bounced twice, shaking madly as the heracross fought against capture.

"Be ready for when it breaks out," I said to my team as I readied another ball. I turned to look at Pride. "Shock it with a thunderbolt when it pops out."

Pride nodded, electricity already beginning to spark along his flanks. White-yellow electricity jumped between his spines, racing up to his horn. He held it for a long moment, stray voltage bleeding off while he waited for the heracross.

The bug popped back out, snarling as it attempted to orient itself. The bolt of lightning shot from Pride's horn and impaled the bug on the side. It convulsed as electricity coursed through it, Pride channeling everything he had into his attack.

The bolt ended and I pitched the ball before the heracross toppled over. It disappeared into the ball and I repeated my order to Pride.

The heracross broke out two more times. Pride met it with another thunderbolt each time and I pitched another ball at it each time. On the fourth ball, it finally fell still. The ball came to a halt and stopped shaking in the roots of the tree I had been sleeping in.

I didn't move for a long while. I just sat there staring at the ball. A twinge of pain in my shoulder brought me back to reality.

I crossed the clearing and retrieved the ball. I clipped it onto my belt and groaned in pain as the adrenaline began to fade. My shoulder was dislocated for sure. I'd seen my father do it to himself half a dozen times before and knew exactly what to do.

I unfastened my belt as fast as I could with only one hand. I stuck the belt between my teeth and took the wrist of my dislocated arm with my good hand. I pulled my arm straight forward and bit down on a groan of pain as my arm popped back into the socket with a sickening crunch.

I cradled it close to my body as I steadied my breath. It had hurt, but not as much as I had expected. I'd get it checked out when I reached Celadon. I wasn't overly worried as I'd seen my father do the same thing half a dozen times growing up.

I pulled out a potion, glancing around at my pokemon. They weren't badly hurt for the most part. Pride was limping again, but Luna and Acolyte seemed fine. I emptied the rest of the potion into Pride's side and leaned tossed the empty bottle into my bag.

Pride whined, still limping. I frowned and examined his side again. There were no obvious breaks, but I couldn't rule out a broken rib. I returned him to his ball, determined to give my stubborn nidorino a break even if he didn't want one.

I pulled out my compass and turned myself north. I'd given myself three days to get my ass back onto the road to Celadon. This was the third day. I couldn't afford to arrive on the day of my challenge. My team needed rest. I needed rest.

With a resigned sigh, I flipped the compass shut. The sun was rising and daylight was already burning. I trudged into the forest with Acolyte and Luna close behind.

I broke through the line of trees just after sunset. The lights from Celadon were shining above the trees and the stars seemed to dim slightly in their presence. I had neglected to make camp and set myself on travelling through the night. It was coming up on the sixth day since I had left Vermillion and I was determined to arrive as early as possible.

I retired Acolyte to his ball after he had nearly stumbled into a victreebell nest after lunch. He was showing his fatigue and I couldn't afford an avoidable injury because he was too tired to think.

Luna proved herself yet again. My starter never seemed to tire, keeping a steady pace just ahead of me for damn near the whole time. She never once faltered and I resolved to train myself as hard as I was pushing her.

We crushed the rest of the road to Celadon easily. With the oppressive claustrophobia of the forest left behind, we didn't have to clear a path as we went and could follow the safely paved road. We passed dozens of small service roads that crossed the route, no doubt leading off towards small hamlets like my own home village.

Luna and I rolled up on Celadon's gate before the sun had even started to brighten the sky. It was a warm night, with not a cloud in sight. I was waved through by the night guard and directed towards the pokemon centre a few blocks away from the gate.

I checked into the centre, handing my four pokeballs into the front desk for immediate assistance. They had a few spare rooms so I booked one for the next week and left them my Silph expense card.

With my pokemon being cared for and another full day until my challenge, I finally felt like I could rest. I closed my eyes and let my mind finally drift away.

Pokédex Entry #214 – Heracross

This bug was originally indigenous to Ilex forest, however it has spread across most of The Kan-Jo supercontinent thanks to the many trainers that crisscross the region. It can be found almost anywhere that forests are heavy enough to sustain large-scale flora that heracross feed upon.

It has a large horn on its head with powerful shoulders. The horn varies in shape between males and females of the species. It has thick claws on their hind legs, which it uses to grip onto tree trunks and plant itself for powerful attacks.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101, Marcus Wright, current team

Luna, Vulpix

Pride, Nidorino

Acolyte, Marowak

Heracross

11

Expansion​

Every pokemon is different. But one common approach? They like food. — Safari Zone Warden Baoba​

I scowled at the shelves of merchandise, my eyes falling on the item I was here to buy. It had taken me three floors of useless guided shopping to reach this point. I may have been in a good mood at one point, but shopping never was my thing. Especially when one of my arms was trapped in a sling.

I pointed at the lumpy and misshapen stone that seemed to glow faintly red. "The fire stone," I said. "Along with the medical and training supplies that I picked out earlier and the larger travel pack that you sold me on. Pack in a full set of all-weather training clothes as well, a pair of new boots too. I've worn through my jeans and my coat could use replacement with one of the super-durable softshells that you showed me."

"Absolutely, mister Wright! Is there anything else I can assist you with?" The store clerk was nothing but helpful. He'd droned on for hours about the many different products that I had no use for. I think he had caught my annoyance at some point on floor two and mercifully cut out the beauty products on three. "As well, our TM selection is unrivalled in Kanto and…"

My uninterested glare cut his sentence short. "I think the bill would be fine, sir. You've been incredibly helpful."

He nodded and handed me the itemized bill he had been writing. "Not a problem, mister Wright. Your items will be waiting for you at the checkout down on One."

I nodded in thanks as he left and pocketed the bill. I fumbled with my pocket as my ringtone started blaring. I flipped open my pokegear as he walked away and sighed at the incoming call. "Morning, Gemma."

"So, how was the trip?" she asked, hardly missing a beat. "Heard you caught a heracross."

"Also made it into Celadon with an entire day to spare. I don't have to fight Erika until tomorrow night, so I think the team will be ready to go."

"Even Pride?"

I nodded absently. "Yeah, nurses gave me the go ahead to use him for the battle. He might still be a little bruised, but his ribs will be healed by the morning." I paused for a moment. "How'd you know I caught a heracross?"

I heard her chuckle. "I did tell you I was bored. I got daddy to give me access to our sponsored trainer program and figured I'd try my hand at being your handler."

"Was I supposed to have one of those?" I asked.

My entire tenure with Silph had been incredibly informal. I'd met with a man at the pokemon centre in Vermillion. He had me sign a temporary league contract and given me an expense card. That had been the entirety of my interaction with Silph outside of Gemma.

"Technically, everyone has one. You were assigned to Lionel Bonne, but I doubt he ever reached out to you outside of an email."

"I don't have an email address," I replied in a droll tone.

"Explains things," she replied. "He's a bit lazy, hands off for the most part. Now you have me!"

"Great," I replied with a sarcastic grin. "So what do I get?"

"Since you're my only charge at the moment, you'll have my full attention. I'll work with you every step of the way, at least until I can get out of this prison and join you."

"I think I would like that. It hasn't been the same without you."

My phone beeped and I pulled the gear away from my face. Aya had answered.

Glad you made it safe! Frank called me in for a double tonight, so I won't be off until late. Call me if you're still up?

I tapped out a quick response as I stepped onto the escalator. I answered quickly but not quickly enough to escape notice.

"That your booty call?" Gemma asked, positively giddy by the idea. "I bet it's some nice saucy pictures."

I inhaled quickly, suddenly uncomfortable at the thought of that. "Don't wanna keep telling you it ain't like that. We just talked. She took me to the beach that I was defending during the tenta-swarm attack and let me vent about some shit."

She laughed and I could hear the smile in her voice. "It's just fun to tease you, novice. I do remember being your age, you know."

I smirked as I stepped off the escalator onto One. "So what can I expect from my inexperienced new handler?"

Gemma cleared her throat and I heard her put on some professional speaking voice. "You get my support for every step of your league journey. Looking for a particular evolution method? I can look into Pride's evolution, same with Curie."

I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart skipped a beat and I forgot how to breathe. I'd had Gemma at an arms length for so long. It had been easy enough to lie during our once a week conversation, but this was different. I could never keep this up if we were going to talk every day.

"Look," I started. I had to be careful with my words. I knew who was listening. "I lost Curie. Almost a month ago, before I even caught Acolyte." I heard her gasp and knew she had bought it. "Pride spooked a ryhorn herd. I couldn't return her in time, and…" My voice trailed off and I cleared my throat as if I was choking up. "I don't really want to talk about it," I continued. "Please just don't bring her up if you can help it."

"I understand," Gemma replied. "Lilith was my second loss. They never get easier. I still feel for her ball on my belt almost every day." She paused for a long moment and both of us were silent. "I'm sorry, Marcus."

I silently breathed a sigh of relief. She had bought it. "Thank you," I said in a somber voice. I stepped into line at the checkout. "I'll call you in the morning, alright? Once I have most of the team back for training."

"Most?" She asked.

"Pride needs as much time as possible in the healing machines."

"Alright," she answered. "I'll send you some video to go over as well. Erika shouldn't be too difficult now that you have a heracross."

"Hold up," I interrupted. "I haven't even let the thing out of its ball yet. There's no way I can get it to listen to me in a single day."

"It doesn't have to listen intently. Just enough to follow basic orders and fight. I'll do some research and send over anything useful."

I nodded as the line moved up and the cashier waved me over. "Alright Gemma, I gotta get going."

Talk to you later," she said. The line went dead as I fumbled with the gear and dropped it into my pocket.

"Alright there, sir?" the cashier asked.

"Fine," I replied, thoroughly done with shopping for a long while. "Just tired. It was a tough trip to get here."

He smiled. "Well, you get your rest today. Everyone is excited for your battle tomorrow!"

I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a neutral expression. "You know who I am?" I asked as he swiped my Silph expense card.

He nodded. "How could I not? You're big news! Kanto hasn't had 3 new challengers in a season like this in decades. You and those two kids are hot shit right now."

I nodded respectfully. "Well, I'll try to put on a good show."

He handed me my receipt and passed back my card. "I'm sure you will, mister Wright." He gestured to a row of bags behind me. "Your purchases are ready for you."

I glanced down at my ragged, filthy outfit. My boots were caked in mud and dirt, my jeans more brown than blue. I looked back at the cashier with a grin. "Do you have a changing room I could use?"

Celadon was the second largest city in Kanto, behind only Saffron City. Vermillion was third, but it had maybe a quarter the population of Celadon. I had been utterly lost in Vermillion. Celadon had me baffled. It seemed as if the entire city had been designed by a smeargle that had ingested some messed up hallucinogens.

It was claustrophobic in a different way than the forest had been. I felt eyes on me the entire time, jumped at every backfiring vehicle, bumped into passerby's without noticing. I knew to expect pickpockets so I kept everything in my inside pockets and fastened the small lock on my new pack.

I'd found the gym after almost an hour lost in Celadon's horticultural quarter. I originally wanted to introduce myself to Erika, but the gym leader wasn't in so I wound up just exploring the area around the gym.

The gardens that dotted the horticultural quarter were well worth the trip. Exotic plants sat in dozens of connected greenhouses and foreign grass types looked at me from a few of them. I couldn't place some of them and realized that I didn't know much about grass types.

I had intended to make my way back to the pokemon centre I was staying at, but found myself hopelessly lost once I left the gardens.

The city was a haphazard mess outside of the horticultural quarter. Roads were run-down and crumbling, houses were condemned shells. I even caught the howl of wild growlithe once or twice when the roar of the city died down for a moment. Lines of people waited outside warehouses, dark clothed people handing out bags of food to the people. I caught a few suspicious stares from some of the people in line and hurried along before I could get myself in trouble.

I rounded a corner, looking for one of the map booths that were dotted around the city. Not one of them were visible, instead more shady looking warehouses lined the lonely street. I had passed through several neighbourhoods of dilapidated houses and seen far too many people watching from the shadows.

A single man stood under a streetlight, intently watching me. His eyes didn't move away from me and I felt a chill run down my spine. I got the sense that this man's eyes were not the only ones trained on me.

I turned and kept walking. I didn't like the steely look in his eyes and didn't want to tangle with anyone without my pokemon. I felt alone without them, exposed like I was in danger with every step.

The next street had a few crappy motels and a small diner nestled among the warehouses. I figured asking directions wouldn't hurt and walked over to the diner. The smell of freshly cooking eggs wafted under my nose as I opened the door.

"Hi there!" shouted the server behind the counter. "Sit anywhere, I'll be with you in just a moment!"

I took a seat at one of the empty tables as she pulled a plate of eggs and bacon off the counter and dropped it with the only other patron of the diner.

She pulled out a pad of paper and smiled at me. "What can I get you?"

"The biggest, greasiest burger you have," I replied. "And some directions, if you'd be so kind."

The server nodded. "Any bacon and cheese with that?" She glanced at me and smirked at my questioning look. "I'll take that as a yes." She tore the paper off her pad and looked down at me. "Where you headed?"

"Closest pokemon centre to the east gates," I replied. "Went for a walk to see the gym and got myself lost on the way back."

"Good news is, you're close. The east gates are just a few blocks away from here. You'll be heading right past the Game Corner on your way." She scrawled a quick map out on the next paper on her pad. "That should get you there," she said. She turned and dropped my order on the kitchen counter.

I ordered a drink when my food came. My burger was as large and greasy as I had been expecting and my stomach did a happy somersault at the smell of it. The plate had been stacked high with fries and I got the sense that I had been the first customer in a while.

I tipped her well, adding on forty percent of my bill as the tip. It wasn't much to Silph, but these people were struggling. It would mean the world to them. I left with a happy spring in my step and a full stomach.

True to word, the Celadon Game Corner was just a few blocks away. It was huge, covered with glittering lights and flashing dollar signs like an oversized tribute to opulence. I couldn't shake the contrast with the rest of Celadon's run down tenements and dilapidated houses.

It was impossible to ignore. The gaudy lights only served to draw me in further, just like the trio of girls at the door begging me to come in for a game. I shook my head and offered a weak smile. Like it or not, I had no cash of my own to gamble.

Then I saw her. Her hair was different and she was in a stunning sheer dress, but I couldn't mistake her charming smile for anyone else. She stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes raked over me. I saw her eyes widen and realized that she hadn't been expecting me.

The man walking with her stopped and followed her gaze. His eyes were cold and I suppressed a shiver down my spine as he looked me over.

"Marcus," Domino started as she approached me. She glanced nervously at the man as if she wasn't entirely sure what she should do. "Enjoying Celadon?" She asked hesitantly.

I crossed my arms, hoping that I could be left alone. "I was just on my way to the pokemon centre."

"That was not the question," remarked the man. He looked at Domino and raised an eyebrow. "This is the one?"

"Yes, Archer. This is the Silph trainer."

I glanced over at Domino, her show of deference scaring me. She hadn't backed down from Vicious, so this man was clearly a superior of some kind. I turned towards him, the gears in my head starting to turn as I realized I was in mortal danger.

He looked at me, his eyes seeming to analyze me with cold precision. A wry smile crossed his face and I fought the instincts to run. "Join me for dinner, if you would be so kind. I have a business proposition for you and this establishment has the best restaurant in Celadon."

I shook my head. "I'm out," I started. "Not interested in any more business with your organization." I turned to leave, but he stopped my with a gentle hand on my chest.

"I'm afraid that I wasn't really asking." He nodded at Domino without taking his eyes off me. "Mister Wright will be joining me in my private booth for dinner." He finally turned to look at Domino and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Domino, would you be so kind as to inform the boss that our meeting will have to be delayed?"

She bowed her head. "Yes, Archer."

He turned away from her and put a hand on my shoulder. He spun me around and steered me through the doors of the Game Corner. I tried to follow Domino with my eyes, but we rounded a corner and left her behind.

I didn't say a word as the man led me through the restaurant portion of the Game Corner. We passed dozens of tables, walking past posh patrons wearing outfits that likely cost more than the farm I grew up on.

Archer arrived at a booth that was tucked away in the back corner of the restaurant. A waitress was waiting with a bottle of chilled wine in her hands. The server behind my chair pulled it out, ushering me into the seat and setting utensils in front of me.

Archer took the wine, admiring it with a keen eye. "An excellent choice, Nadia. However, Domino will not be joining me tonight." He handed the bottle back. "If you would be so kind, some of the Unovan whiskey. The oldest bottle we have." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Unless there are any objections?"

I realized he was testing me. "I don't drink," I replied.

A knowing smile spread across his face. "Well, what an auspicious occasion for your first! You just have to try our Unovan whiskey. I do believe we have some of the oldest bottles still in existence. Nothing quite compares to proper Unovan liquor after a century or two. A shame they drank most of it." He smirked. "They may be bloodthirsty savages, but those unovans can make a fantastic whiskey."

I watched him carefully, remaining silent as the server returned with a pair of glasses and a well-worn bottle.

"Thank you, Nadia. Please bring two of my usual order when you get a chance." Archer turned to look at me, as if he was expecting some kind of resistance.

"I'm not hungry," I said. I saw the sly smirk spread across Archer's face and knew that was what he wanted.

He sat himself in his chair and slowly pulled it into the table. "Nevertheless, you are my guest." He turned his head. "Nadia, bring a few takeout containers with my guest's meal. He can enjoy my hospitality in the comfort of his own space." He looked back at me as the server walked away. "It really is the best restaurant in the city."

"What's your game?" I asked. Something strange was up, and this man was the closest I had come to answers. Even if he was toying with me, he might be able to give me some information. "Who are you?"

"Forgive me for the rushed introduction outside," he began. He lifted the bottle of whiskey and casually uncorked it with his free hand. "My name is Archer, I represent the same organization that our dear friend Domino works for."

"That's not your real name," I retorted. "You know mine, why shouldn't I know yours?"

He smirked. "Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to hand out that information. You understand of course, my alias is to protect my family." He lifted the first of the two glasses and poured a generous amount. "Now, as for what I am after?" He poured a second glass of whiskey and pushed the first towards me. "That would be you, Marcus."

I raised an eyebrow as I pulled the drink towards me hesitantly. "You have me," I started. "You have a hostage over my head and have threatened people close to me. What more could you need?"

Archer sighed and sat back in his chair. "I believe an explanation is in order." He raised his glass. "To getting the full picture."

I raised my glass, mirroring him but not saying a word. He tipped his glass back and I did the same, savouring the bitter amber liquor.

Archer set down his glass as I set down mine. His was empty. "Have you noticed anything about this city? About any of Kanto's cities?"

I thought for a long moment. I looked up at Archer's analytic gaze. "They're overcrowded. Too many people, not enough space. Not enough work either. People can't feed themselves and they're scared." My gaze hardened. "I lived outside the walls, on a farm. I know how dangerous it is out there. I know the cost. I know that settling the frontier is not worth the blood it would take."

He nodded and I saw some measure of approval in his eyes. "You are smarter than I have been led to believe." He lifted the bottle and poured himself another glass. "Our civilization is crumbling under its own weight. We dare not leave our strongholds, even while they fall to ruin around us. We fear the death that waits us outside the walls." He looked back at me and smiled knowingly. "You see what is happening, no? We must act, or our species will face extinction." He shrugged. "So we do," he said. "We feed those who cannot feed themselves, protect humanity from monsters that the Rangers could not fathom."

I took another drink. He was trying to appeal to the humanity in me, something that I thought was ironic.I just couldn't figure out exactly what he was getting at. "So, you mentioned a business proposition. I'm listening."

He smirked. "Right to business? I thought we might enjoy a meal first." He glanced back, his smile genuine. "And here it is."

Nadia appeared over his shoulder with a pair of plates. Both were piled high with steaming vegetables and a large tauros steak. She placed one gently in front of Archer and glared daggers at me. She pushed my plate towards me and dropped an armful of takeout containers on the table beside it.

"That will be all, Nadia." He pulled out a bill and held it out for her. "You have been excellent tonight, my dear."

She disappeared with her tip, leaving us alone again.

Archer stared at me with a calculating glare. His smile died and I saw that he was testing me again. "Eat. This is the best restaurant in Celadon," he said. "It's rude to refuse hospitality."

"I told you I wasn't hungry," I retorted. I tipped back the rest of my drink and slammed my glass down. I was scared to shit, but I wasn't gonna let him intimidate me. "Thank you for the meal, I'll take it to go. Now, what was your business proposition?"

He scowled at me, eying his plate. "I would have preferred this to be a relaxed conversation, but no matter. Team Rocket recognizes your talent."

"Team Rocket?" I asked incredulously. "Stupid name. I guess that's what the R stands for?"

Archer sighed and I sensed some frustration in his voice. "I was not the one responsible for naming the organization. Nonetheless, we see that you are talented, skilled and highly principled."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"It means that we trust you to do the right thing. To do what's best for everyone. You're a good person." He smiled softly. "You may not agree with some of our less honourable methods, but please understand that our organization is essentially good. We only want what's best for humanity."

I raised an eyebrow and had to stop myself from storming out. "So, my happiny was pokenapped and threatened because of good intentions?" I paused as righteous anger started flowing. "And a cubone colony was captured to be sold to the highest bidders because of good intentions?"

He sighed. "I did say that our methods were less than honourable at times." He shrugged. "We are the only ones doing what is necessary. The league sits complacent, watching us die while they do nothing!" He crossed his arms and looked at me down his nose. "Team Rocket will save the world, with or without the League's help. We would prefer to have you work with us willingly, but-"

"Like Domino?" I spat. "Or that masked asshole? No, I'm not a part of your goddamn criminal syndicate. You aren't saving the world any more than you are serving your own interests. I want out. I want no part of this."

He raised a hand. "I would suggest you think this through. Do what's best for your own interests."

I closed my mouth and glared daggers at him. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of bending me to Team Rocket's cause. I was better than that. I was better than them.

He lowered the hand and I felt his eyes studying me again. "You will be working with us either way, Marcus Wright. I would prefer that you work willingly. You would be well compensated for your time." A shrewd grin tugged at the edges of his mouth. "Perhaps financial support for your family would help you come to a decision? I do believe the bank has been in the process of foreclosing on your old family farm…"

I don't think my brow could have furrowed any further. He was straight up trying to bribe me. I didn't know if the bank foreclosure was true, but I sensed the threat underneath his offer of assistance. "How would you know that?"

He smirked again and I felt the malevolence behind it. Gone was the polite, courteous gentleman. This was the real Archer and he terrified me. "We have eyes in Silph. What makes you think that a family farm is so safe and secure?" He leaned forward and smiled as the shadows crept over his face. He lifted the bottle of whiskey and filled my glass nearly up to the brim. "We have eyes everywhere. We can reach anywhere. It would be smart to stay on our right side."

My eyes didn't leave his. I didn't show him anything. I slowly reached down for the takeout container and picked up the first one. "I'll be taking my meal to go," I said calmly. I slowly began transferring the meal into the containers

He leaned back, his face an emotionless mask. "I see," he replied. "Best of luck with Erika then." He looked down at my take out containers and smirked slightly. "I do hope you enjoy the meal. This really is the best place in the city."

I saw his eyes soften and couldn't help but believe that he was really being truthful about the food. I got to my feet and pounded back the drink he had poured me. "Thank you for the meal," I said plainly.

He didn't say anything. I turned and left, not daring to look back. I didn't look back until I arrived safely at the pokemon centre. I collapsed against the door and breathed a deep sigh of relief as I locked it.

I picked up my pokemon some time after breakfast. One of the training fields was open, so I booked it for the morning. I headed outside before the sun managed to break through the thick morning clouds.

I let Pride and Acolyte out first. Both of them ran the length of the field in an impromptu race, one that Pride won by a healthy margin. I smirked at the sight of Pride's happy trot and knew his ribs had properly healed.

Luna was next, materializing at my side with a lazy yawn. I scratched her affectionately behind her ears and smiled as she leaned into it.

"Gather round," I ordered.

Pride and Acolyte lazily trotted back to my side. They took their places on either side of Luna as I pulled out the container of honey I'd bought the day before.

"We have a gym challenge later today," I said plainly. "Now, I know we haven't done much training for it, but I think we can pull out a win. It'll be a tough battle, but Surge was probably tougher." I lifted the heracross' ball, knowing I was going to draw a reaction. "And he's gonna help us."

Luna sniffed cautiously at the ball. Her lips curled back as she bared her teeth and growled at my newest capture.

"I know he tried to kill us, but we don't really have any better options." I opened the jar of honey and smiled innocently at my starter. "And besides, I read that heracross go crazy over honey. Makes them compliant. maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be a softy like Pride."

Her teeth were still bared, but she didn't continue growling. I set the auto-return function on the heracross' ball just in case it decided to run.

I raised the ball and tapped the release button. A spear of red light erupted from the tiny ball, coalescing into a five foot tall bug. I got a clear look at him for the first time and gasped.

He had a hard shell of matte blue-green chitin covering his body. His horn stretched another half a foot above my head and I realized that he was larger than I had originally thought.

The plates on his back shifted and a pair of powerful wings flitted out experimentally. I watched the bug gingerly test his wings as if he was expecting them to still be damaged from his battle with us.

Then he saw me. His tongue flitted out, tasting at the air. His eyes darted around his surroundings, jumping from Pride, to Luna, then Acolyte and back again. His wings buzzed slowly and I sensed that I had little time before he attempted to take off.

I lifted the container of honey and smiled as best I could. "Good morning!" I offered the honey out and the heracross flitted his tongue out hungrily. "I'm Marcus, and you've already met my team.

Luna growled at her introduction and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Pay her no mind," I continued. "She's just protective of me. I know that you'd never do something to hurt me!"

I had heard long ago that pokemon understand tone and body language innately. I was willing to bet that the heracross had no clue what I was actually saying. However, I knew I had his attention and that was the first step.

"You can have some of this honey," I said. "I read that your kind really love honey and I thought you'd like some." I gently put the honey on the ground and slid by it towards my bug.

He lowered his head towards the jar, his tongue flitted his out again to test the honey. I saw his eyes light up and his tongue dive eagerly into the container.

"Give him some space. Practice evasion for now. Dodge and counter drills just like we've been doing," I ordered to the rest of my team. "Except you, Luna. I have something for you."

Pride and Acolyte wandered off into the field and began the drill. They would prowl around each other in circles until one decided to attempt a physical attack. The idea was to dodge the attack and counter it with one of your own.

Despite their rivalry, Pride and Acolyte were fantastic training partners. They constantly pushed each other harder, going above and beyond to improve themselves. Their sparring matches were the fiercest by far and I would often have to heal minor injuries when they were done. It had done wonders for them both.

Luna sat patiently in front of me, carefully eying the heracross with disdain. She didn't dare outright challenge it, but I could tell she was not impressed by the bug. Probably because it had nearly torn my arm off.

I pulled the fire stone out of my pack and it was like a trance came over Luna. Her eyes seemed to deepen and her gaze lingered on the stone.

"I know how we can evolve you," I started. "But it'll be difficult. I don't think you're quite ready yet either." I put the stone down on the ground in front of her. "Vulpix evolve naturally after enough time in the wild. Usually when they reach about fifteen to twenty." I frowned. "But evolution can be sparked early with the use of a fire stone."

Luna stepped closer to the stone, sniffing gently at it. She reached out a paw, cautiously batting at it. I half expected a rush of energy to flow out of the stone at her touch even if I knew better.

"You have to break open the outer shell with your fire. Only when your flames are hot enough to crack the stone will your body be strong enough to handle the transformation." I smiled and stepped back. "Try, if you want."

My starter planted her feet on each side of the fire stone. She looked at me and I saw the recognition in her eyes. She knew what this was. She knew what her evolution was. I didn't understand how, perhaps instinctive memory, perhaps just intelligent intuition. Either way, Luna knew what I was asking her.

She sucked in a breath of air and I felt myself go silent. A stream of white-hot flames erupted from her mouth, washing over the fire stone. I heard a high pitched whine and what sounded like glass slowly cracking.

Luna's stream of flame withered slightly and the sound died. I looked carefully and watched in dismay as a hairline fracture in the fire stone closed and sealed back together. Luna coughed and the flamethrower died suddenly.

I smiled, proud of my vulpix. "It's ok, Luna. Remember, I did say that I wasn't sure if you were ready for this yet."

She hung her head and I knew that Luna was ashamed. She hadn't failed at anything I'd asked of her up to this point, always my infallible stalwart. She had outlasted Brock. She had enabled victory against Misty. She had survived Surge.

I scratched her behind the ears. "You're close," I started. "Maybe we'll try again after Erika?"

Luna's gaze met mine and she nodded. I saw the resolve burning in her eyes and I knew that this one failure would not break her. She would be a ninetales and the league would fear that day.

The rest of our pre-challenge training revolved around acclimating our newest team member to professional battling. He was still yet to understand that we were his allies, but he had stopped attempting to flee from every attack. A few times he lashed out when Pride and Acolyte got too close, but he would allow me to come close to replace the honey.

We hit a break through just before we broke for lunch. I had my team practicing follow up moves, switching from long range to close in quick succession.

I had my back turned to him, but I knew that the heracross was watching. Luna splashed an energy ball off the target dummy and dashed forwards, using her agility to close the distance.

I heard a loud buzzing drown out the noise of the city. A rush of wind buffeted me and I stumbled forwards from the force of it. For a half a moment, I thought that the heracross was attempting to escape or attacking me. Then he shot past me, speeding just over the ground.

He clipped the practice dummy with his horn and cut his flight at the same moment. My heracross landed deftly on the other side of the dummy as it rebounded towards him and drove an armoured fist into it. The dummy bounced away, rolling to a stop against the wall of the pokemon centre.

I grinned ear to ear as my newest team member looked to me for approval. "Great job!" I shouted.

He buzzed off the ground excitedly and circled me as he chittered with joy. His long, thin tongue flitted out rapidly and he came to a stop in front of me.

"So," I started. "You want to be a part of our team?" I asked. A coy smile crossed my face and I knew his name before I even said it. "Vector?"

He chittered happily and buzzed his wings in agreement. The smile on my face was real. I was a trainer, and this was why. Erika didn't stand a chance.

I cracked my knuckles and let my smile show. "Alright then, let's get to work."

Pokédex Entry Addendum – Evolutionary Catalysts

There are some stones formed in extreme environments that are imbued with certain elemental energy. Some pokemon have been found to react with these stones, most notably the eevee family, however many pokemon have shown reactions to exposure.

A pokemon must be physically strong enough to withstand the evolution process. They must typically crack the stone itself, which is usually comprised of a protective shell over an elemental core, and absorb the catalytic energy from the elemental core.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101, Marcus Wright, current team

Luna, Vulpix

Pride, Nidorino

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross