Chapter no.11

"The people you meet on your journey will fall into one of two categories: they will either annoy you and turn out to be the best friends you could ever make, or they will be the perfect companion up until the point where your back meets their knife."

- Steven Stone, 52nd Hoenn League Runner Up. (Today is the 25th of November, 3019)

.......

The first few days of my trip taught me a great deal about my journey that I might have missed had it not been for them. Such as the methods that could be used to determine when a Pidgey had been cooked through, the characteristics that should be kept an eye out for in different nests, and the types of plants that are actually edible.

The latter two were things that were brought to my attention through painful experiences. Second, when I used a herb that Xander had been eating for our food, I foolishly overlooked the fact that he was a creature born of water who had a symbiotic relationship with a lea. First, I'd managed to set Xander down in a stream that turned out to be full of Carvanha. Second, when I used a herb that Xander had been eating for our food, I used it. The aftereffects of the food unquestionably served as a valuable education for me.

As time went on, I couldn't help but find myself fixating on the book that Jennifer had given me before I left the house that morning. It was clear that the book had seen better days; there were many skills Pokémon could learn that hadn't been detailed within its pages, but despite this, the book was still extremely helpful. After an hour of reading, I discovered that I had almost completely worn out the pages that described Lotad and its evolutionary family. After what seemed like only a few hours, I had worked my way through the majority of the minute details regarding other creatures, and I had added my own notes to the book. In light of the fact that the book contained only a limited amount of information, it prompted me to consider purchasing a more recent book and making notes in it.

For instance, it was a terrible shame that it didn't provide me with very much information on how to convince Xander to use any of his elemental attacks. I was aware that he was a Pokémon that was both grass and water types, and that as a result, he had access to at least those types of attacks. It meant that I would have to be the one to show him how to use them.

However, it was proving much more difficult to get him to use them than it had been to get him to understand his name.

After I had been gone for a week, I had the idea that it would be simpler to try to encourage him by setting an example for him. I threw leaves at him and even sprayed him with water in an attempt to get his attention. The only response I got was a blank expression, followed by a croak of indifference. I gave him the order to use the water gun, but all he came up with was a glorified ball of spit. I tried giving him the order to use the water gun.

After that, I decided to give up trying for a while.

Even though I was travelling along near a long winding river, a brilliant long road built above that only allowed bicycles to traverse across, it was much too hot during this time in Hoenn. I found myself sitting in grass that was above my knees while the weather caused me to wilt. Xander made a croaking sound before stumbling over to me and crouching down to sit on my lap. His scaly little body had an eerie chill to it, and it helped me feel a little bit less scalded in my own skin. I felt a little bit better.

I gave it some thought, but ultimately decided against purchasing a new Pokémon. one that would listen to me immediately, which would make this journey a little bit less difficult. The more I gave it some thought, the more I came to the conclusion that every wild Pokémon was exactly that: wild. The wild animals needed to be tamed and trained before they could be used, and if I wanted to compete with the other trainers of the time, I would have to train the animals very well.

Consequently, I think for the time being I'll just stick with Xander.

My reflections led me to another question that was at the forefront of my mind: what could I do to make sure that the future I lived in would not come to pass? Being a trainer certainly had its benefits, but how exactly could I leverage those benefits to my own advantage? It had been something that bothered me quite a bit during the first week that I was travelling, but as the days passed, I began to get used to it. I was accustomed to receiving instructions and carrying them out, as opposed to coming up with my own plans on the fly. Everything was a completely fresh adventure in an alien environment.

My musings were abruptly terminated when I heard a wild animal growling its approach towards us both. As I launched myself into the air, I must confess that I forgot about Xander and carelessly allowed him to tumble to the ground. In an effort to locate the origin of the sound, my gaze quickly swept over the grass and the other objects in the immediate area. I looked for it right away and found it; it was a small canine that was green with yellow markings that lined its cheeks and back. Its mouth was contorted into a snarl, and it barked at both Xander and me with its small, pointed fangs.

I couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance over at Xander, who was maintaining his signature expressionless stare as he observed the wild Electrike. I swore, being aware that the Electrike's vulnerabilities could only be exploited to their full potential by using ranged attacks. If I tried to hit it myself, the electricity that was covering its body would probably kill me or make it so that I couldn't move.

It growled and caused static to build up around its body, which caused me to retreat in fear and take a step back. Especially not on the very first day of my trip, I was not going to let myself be caught off guard by a knee-high electric canine.

"Xander," I barked at my Pokémon in a low voice. "It makes no difference to me whether you are calm or not. This thing is threatening us, and unless you want to become its next meal, you should probably start fighting back against it as soon as possible."

As it came closer to both of us, the beast barked, and its fur began to tingle with electricity. Just a few moments before a blast of water knocked the creature off its feet, I was gearing up to deliver the most powerful kick I could muster against the beast.