banter

"Your name." Were the only words uttered into the silence that permeated the meadow after our battle had so abruptly come to an end.

And even though I heard my opponent's words, since I was still on the high of the battle, it took me a couple of seconds to actually understand what he had said just now, before I replied.

"Jason." Again, silence fell upon us, and just when I was about to ask the boy for his name myself, he simply gave it to me on his own accord.

"Aurelius. You better train as hard as humanly possible, as the next time we meet each other, there will be no mercy on my part." He said, while he held out his Luxury ball and returned his Larvitar in a flash of red light.

"Heh, so melodramatic… But don't worry, I have no intention of slacking off either way." I returned, also returning my still unconscious ghostly partner into his Ultra ball, before clipping its small form back onto my belt where the other empty ones rested.

"Pff, whatever you say." Was his only answer to my slightly mocking remark upon his theatricals before he turned around without another glance or word and disappeared behind the thick foliage of the vast forest around us.

And even though I had been honest with my remarks about his dramatic monologue, I still believed him, strangely enough. I couldn't help but feel I hadn't seen the last of this fellow.

"Wow, that was intense. Are you alright?" I suddenly heard from slightly behind me, while my thoughts and eyes still lingered on the spot my opponent had occupied only seconds ago, bringing me back into the present suddenly.

"Hm? Oh ye, I'm fine. Still a little pumped up with adrenaline, but nothing besides." I responded while turning around to the one who had addressed me just now, namely Misty.

"That was so awesome! How long have you been a trainer for?" Came the question before I had the chance to utter another word towards Misty's question, from none other than Ash Ketchum, who's very existence opened a box filled with questions I would have to address very soon, rather than wait for the bomb to drop onto me all of a sudden one day.

"As I said earlier, around a week or so." I replied, while sliding my right hand over the short stubbles of my blond hair upon my head, a habit I had picked up once I realised how good it felt upon my hands to brush over them and their rough texture that strangely but not uncomfortably tickle my palm every time I did so.

"Really? I thought you were just bullshitting back then! You know, bluffing to throw your opponent of or something." He continued, to which I shook my head in denial.

I was just as surprised how smoothly I had gone through my first ever trainer battle, and against an opponent who, I was pretty sure, was rather good for a beginner no less.

Although, considering how much I trained with Joker on a daily basis, which means pretty much every minute of the day, I maybe should not be all that surprised. After all, trainer battles aren't that much different from battling wild Pokémon, as even wild Pokémon do have a sort of game plan when fighting. Maybe not as detailed or complex as a trainer with their Pokémon but it is still a game plan to boot.

"Do you have any other Pokémon besides that Gastly?" Ash continued to question, judging by his expression nearly imploding from the curiosity bubbling inside of him, which caused me to grin slightly at his enthusiasm.

"No, I don't. At least not yet. I haven't come upon a Pokémon I would like in my team besides my Ghastly yet. But I'm sure I will, sooner or later. What about you? What Pokémon do you have?" I questioned back, only to be surprised when Ash held up two Pokéballs instead of just one. Seems he caught a second team mate already.

"I started out with my Charmander, the one I got from Professor Oak as my official starter, and caught a Pikachu not far from Pallet Town." A Charmander as his starter? Now I was completely confused. What happened to the Ash from the TV show, and his trusty Pikachu? Although, maybe he caught exactly that particular Pikachu outside of Pallet Town? Questions upon questions.

"I see. I've never seen a Charmander. But I know that they are quite powerful, if a little fragile compared to other Pokémon out there." I continued after Ash had returned his Pokéballs to his belt.

"Really? I thought Charizard are very powerful, due to their similarity to dragon Pokémon." Misty chimed in at that point, having been mostly silent while Ash and myself had held our little conversation.

"Ye, they share some traits with dragons and can even utilize some of their moves if trained correctly. But since they are not officially recognized as dragon types I'm pretty sure that the draconic energies inside of them, watered down or not, do not really influence their physiology. But then again, I'm no expert on the matter. All my thoughts are only just that. Thoughts." I replied, and while Misty seemed to think my words over, it seemed we had lost Ash completely, incomprehension written all over his features.

"Huh, never thought about it like that. Maybe you are right. Ash, you should really ask Professor Oak about that. Maybe it will help you when you are training with Charmander." Misty said with a small turn towards Ash, who nodded once, although I was pretty damn sure that he was only doing so to prevent some kind of rebuke from Misty and would probably forget about the topic as soon as they continued their journey.

"Anyway, it was nice chatting with you guys, but I've got to bounce. Joker and I need to continue our training and have a little chat about that battle. And who knows, maybe I'll chance upon a new team mate all the while?" I said, while stretching once to get rid of the few tense spots I had accumulated while battling Aurelius. What a weird name, honestly.

"Uhh, how about you travel with us instead? We could learn all kinds of stuff from each other while on the road together!" Ash prompted, to which I shook my head vehemently.

"No, but thanks for the offer. I want to travel alone for now. I've been dreaming about this very journey for quite a while, and while I do like company from time to time, I'm a little worried it would distract me from my goals and routines. So no, not this time I'm afraid." I responded, to which Ash seemed to wilt a little, while Misty nodded in clear understanding with a small smile on her face.

"Alright, but we'll meet again. And the next time you'll better prepare yourself! After all, I haven't had the chance to battle you yet myself!" Ash declared, his mood promptly bouncing back from his formerly slightly depressed state while pointing his right index finger straight at me with a massive grin sporting on his face.

"Sure thing, dude. Just hit me up and I'll battle you. And if we don't meet on the road then we'll always have the league conference where we can have our battle. May even be better, since the both of us will have accumulated lots of Pokémon and experience by then." I answered while stuffing my hands into my pockets with a smile on my face.

"Anyway, I'll see you guys later." I finished, turning around and waving once over my shoulder before disappearing behind the thick foliage bursting with green colours myself.