Logrus
2nd February 2004, 04:46 AM
Hey there. this is a fic i started to help me test my own writing. it's not very big, and unless i recieve wonderful reviews (lol, i think not) i very much doubt it will continue. but i'd be very gratful if yo would read it and let me know everthing i need to improve on. flames welcome, provided that they include what the problem is, and what i really need to work on.
thanks.
----To Endevour----
Ash sighed gently as he crossed the clearing. It was full of young trainers. Too young. Yesterday afternoon, ash misty and Brock had arrived in coastgate town, and had decided to spend the day outside. Ash had, naturally, elected to spend the time training.
What he didn’t realise was that the trainers here were barely a year out of home, and he, being 14 now, was too much more powerful than them to have a proper battle.
He had had seven battles today, and none of his pokemon had yet been scratched.
What was worse was that he wasn’t due back at the pokemon centre till six, and misty and Brock were cruising somewhere round the town. So far as he knew, misty was shopping, and Brock was checking out the latest pokemon breeder techniques.
He sat heavily down on the bench. Pikachu, who had been riding quite comfortably on his head, adjusted himself slightly so as not to fall off.
Ash mused, almost unhappily. There was nothing better to do, might as well just watch some of the battles.
This trainer’s park was a new innovation of the league. It was supposed to be a place where trainers of all fields could meet and battle, but some places simply didn’t have the trainers to support it. Earlier, a while after ash had arrived, he had gained a reputation for being much stronger than the rest of the trainers here. Soon, those he challenged declined to battle, fearing for their pokemon. Of course, league rules stated that if he wished, he could press them into battling him – and thereby giving himself another victory – because it was a violation to refuse a challenge. But he simply didn’t want to. If they wouldn’t fight, he wouldn’t force them.
Without thinking, ash rested his head on the bench behind him, and closed his eyes. And before long, the sunny day had sent him into a light doze.
It felt not long to him, though in truth it was probably hours, before he was stirred from his sleep by the sounds of awed trainers. And as he looked up at the crowd, quite apart from the mass of battles he expected to see, instead he beheld only a mass around what seemed a single battle, though it took the space of three.
Slowly, ash got up, stretched, and walked purposefully over there. He intended to take a look, and, hopefully, find a challenger worth battling. As he approached, those on the outer edges of the onlookers noticed him, and stepped back, almost respectfully. Ash, being taller than all but the tallest locals, could easily see over.
There was a blond boy, who looked as if he spent most of his time in front of a mirror, battling a girl whose face would have been beautiful, except it seemed somehow squashed back, and her nose was much smaller than most of her other features. The boy seemed to be in charge of a raichu, while she commanded a parasect. And although the parasect seemed to have held up ok to this point, it’s strength was obviously failing, while the raichu was going strong.
“Raichu!” called the boy, “agility!”
“Counter with Stun spore, parasect!” the girl cried, desperately. The yellow spores emitted from the orange pokemon, but it was useless. By now the raichu had accelerated to a speed that was much too fast for it to be affected by the powerful looking attack.
“Now finish this with thunder!” the boy called, in a voice that was almost sickeningly sweet.
The parasect squealed as the attack hit it, and then went dreadfully silent. Ash felt sorry for it – the finishing move had been unreasonably strong.
The girl took it worse. She ran as fast as she could to her fallen pokemon, threw her arms around it and started sobbing, rocking the creature in her arms and moaning apologies, and pleas for forgiveness. Ash looked at the boy, who didn’t even congratulate his raichu. He wasn’t unkind, just uncaring. As though he viewed the pokemon as a tool to be wielded, rather than a friend, who fought with him.
Ash approached him, a false smile pasted carefully on his face.
“Hey there, nice battle!” he said, in an overly honeyed voice that many of the crowd saw through easily. But they said nothing. He had spoken with most, and they knew he was kind and compassionate – and they had seen the battle, too.
“Thanks.” The boy smiled, taking the compliment as personal.
“Would you like another?” ash asked, almost as sweetly, but with a challenging undertone he had copied from Gary. His voice was cocky, but in a ‘modest’, ‘ash’ kind of way.
After passing a max potion to his raichu, he grinned, and nodded in acceptance.
Ash backed up, and held out his arm, so Pikachu, who had been paying careful attention, could run from his head and across it onto the ground.
“Pikachu” he said quietly, his childhood manner forgotten till his victory was sure.
“Do me proud like you always do, buddy”
The blond boy’s eyes almost popped when he saw it. The crowds assessment was that he was impressed, Either from it’s shiny coat or its playful disposition, but no one present save perhaps ash really understood his amusement – he was amazed ash would choose a Pikachu, when he knew the he himself would be using a superior form of the same pokemon. He should have realised then that something was up. He didn’t know that Pikachu hadn’t been used once today – lest he hurt something-, or that as ash’s most powerful companion, he could stand up the very pokemon of the league, with ash’s support.
At a look from its trainer, raichu walked slowly out onto the field, and an onlooker from the crowd, who was stepping in as reff, called simply
“Begin!”
“Raichu, go! Thunder-shock!” the blond boy called, more in anticipation than in haste. He was itching to see his opponent fried. As raichu approached Pikachu, he grinned. Ash was sure he was thinking ‘easy win’ or something very close to it as he watched his pokemon loom over his challenger.
Indeed, ash himself waited to respond till the last conceivable instant – weather it was simply a pause for effect, or a true strategic move to make or break the battle is subject to debate.
Even as Raichu’s cheeks sparked with power, about to be unleashed, he waited, patiently, for the weakness that he knew would soon appear – as it did in all Raichu’s, just before the release of energy.
And appear it did. The pokemon lifted its arms, exposing itself, and as it was about to bring them down in a squishing motion, ash barked his command in a voice that was quite unlike him.
“Pikachu – tackle”- a strong statement, forced quickly, almost gently, and timed perfectly. This was ash when he battled those who, in his view, required ‘teaching’, though he would never try to teach them himself. Not on purpose. But when he battled them, he left his normal personality at the door, and became cold, calculating, and ruthless. It was perhaps the one attribute he had developed on his journey that he hated most about himself.
Pikachu was a blur to the eyes. At one moment he was sitting quite innocently, looking across the short distance between himself and his adversary, and up at his taller opponent.
Then he was gone.
A moment of silence issued among the watchers, and the blond boy seemed to become slightly nervous for the first time.
Then Raichu was suddenly knocked over from the side, though not violently, and Pikachu was there again. The surprised pokemon let off its stored attack – whether on purpose or not you could not tell – and the thunder shock hit Pikachu at close range, face first.
The attack was powerful, and ash’s face softened for a moment, not doubt involuntarily. None-the-less, Pikachu was back up, and a safe distance away before you could blink. He was panting heavily, for a lot of his energy had been drained, but his temporary enemy still lay upon the ground, still struggling slightly from the blow.
From his position at the edge of the battlefield, ash called to Pikachu for a swift attack, though now in a much softer tone. He seemed to have realised that infact his opponent did care for his pokemon – which was evidenced by the torn look upon his face.
There was a hidden command in ash’s voice. One of compassion, rather than fury, for he had without words asked his friend both to wait till the Raichu had risen, and also to have mercy upon it. With that, Pikachu allowed himself to feel tired, and it showed quite visibly.
After the Raichu had stood from the ground, and gotten his bearings, his trainer called for an attack of great force – but slow speed. It showed both trainer and pokemon on the other side that he really hadn’t been paying attention. If he had listened to what was coming, he could have planned.
Not all pokemon could converse with their trainers without words.
Pikachu let loose his swift, and dozens of shiny golden stars erupted from his paws and flew fast at the raichu that stood only meters in front. Though the attack was not of full power, for Pikachu was careful not to overdo it, it was still no doubt much stronger than his adversary had experienced before. And feeling the strength of that attack must in some way have made that Raichu see sense, because once he stood again, rather than prepare an attack that he knew would never touch Pikachu, he lifted both his paws in a sign of surrender, and fell back down upon the ground, clearly exhausted.
His trainer, the blond haired boy who now seemed very worried and upset rushed quite quickly to his pokemon, and started talking to it in a low voice that evaded hearing. And, reminiscent of the girl’s treatment of her parasect earlier, he took it in his arms and started gently rocking it back and forward, humming to it in a low voice.
Slowly, ash walked forward toward him and looked down at his comparatively small form, sitting on the ground, before he lowered himself as well.
“Hey” he said softly, slightly startling the boy in front of him, who had had his eyes closed.
“That was a great battle. Your raichu is really impressive. My names Ash, you’ve met Pikachu. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Pikachu wandered up to where he was crouching slowly, as if getting a feel for the water before he dove in. But after a moment, he jumped happily up to Raichu, who opened his eyes. They began talking like old friends, as their trainers continued their introductions.
The blond haired boy smiled.
“I’m Daryn. It’s nice to meet you too, Ash. Your Pikachu fought wonderfully. Maybe you could give me some tips to help me with my training.” In this point, he seemed to become particularly eager, having seen Ash’s battling technique, however, it was perhaps not incredibly surprising. Ash just smiled gently.
“Your training seems to be going fine, mate. You’ve just gotta compliment your companion here” he indicated Raichu “ a little more than you’re doing, and you’ll be a better trainer than me inside a year.” At this point he patted Daryn on the back, stood, and whistled to Pikachu. His friend’s ears pricked slightly, before he looked up and took a leap onto ash’s backpack, where he proceeded to make himself comfortable.
Because it was now late in the afternoon – thanks to his nap, which he really hadn’t meant to take, Ash decided that he would suffer the wait for his friends at the pokemon centre. Thinking that he might pick up an ice cream for Pikachu and himself as a treat, he started heading toward the gates of the park when someone addressed him from behind, in a rather careful, yet entirely engaging fashion. The voice was deeper than most he had met today, though still a good bit higher than his own. He turned, to find himself facing a boy who looked almost, but not quite, his age, who was about half a head shorter. He looked very determined as he faced him, and spoke up, trying to sound confident,
“Excuse me, but I was just watching your battle, and I though your Pikachu was wonderful.” Ash smiled. He liked it when other people complimented his pokemon.
He held out his hand to shake. The strange boy took it, and Ash noticed he had a firm grasp.
“Hey there, my names Ash. It’s very nice to meet you” Ash said, in a standard greeting.
“Nice to meet you too Ash, my name is Bryce.” He seemed much happier now that ash had opened up to him.
“Anyway, like I said, I was just watching your battle, and I got to wondering, see, I’ve been on my journey for a little over two years now, and I travel alone, and see, well, it just gets very lonely with no one else to talk to. And I’ve been seeing you around all day, and you seem like a very kind person, and I was wondering…” he faded into silence, but it was obvious enough what he wanted to know.
“Tell you what.” Ash said, after a moment to mull it over.
“ I travel with my friends, so how’s this. You come with me, we’ll meet up with them and then we’ll all go somewhere for dinner. Then, over dinner you can get to know us and vice versa, and after that if everybody’s happy, then I’d love for you to travel with us, so long as you’re going our way. Sound good?” he smiled again.
Bryce’s face lit up, as though he had been expecting a cruel remark about his loneliness.
“That sounds great! Where are you going now?” ash grinned at his enthusiasm.
“We’ll just pick up my friends down at the pokemon centre, then we can go to some diner for dinner. Cool?”
“Cool!” Bryce acknowledged, grinning.
He seemed like a nice guy to ash. Maybe a little eager, but nothing major.
So they started walking down the street toward the town’s pokemon centre, which was about two blocks away.
On the way, they chatted, getting to know some small, rather insignificant details. Ash, true to his earlier thoughts, picked up three large strawberry ice creams, and passed one to each of his friends. Both enjoyed them to no end. Bryce was really opening up, openly laughing and smiling very happily. It was obvious to ash that the poor guy had been very cut off when travelling alone, but Bryce was not giving him the answer to some of the bigger questions that ash himself was very interested in. However, he reassured himself that the others too would not be happy until they found those answers. Just small things like where did you come from, what have you spent your time doing, are you associated with team rocket, that kind of thing- For while the trio were very trusting and friendly, genuine interest and concern would not allow them to leave the stranger un-interrogated.
The large building that was the pokecenter loomed over them somewhat dramatically as they sat on the bench in front of it. It turned out that Bryce too was staying there that night, which would provide an extended time with which to get to know him, and him to know ash and company.
Shortly after sitting, the two were approached by a second pair – that of misty and Brock. They seemed to be arguing over something, but calmed visibly as they approached ash, and as they drew closer, realized that ash was with someone whom they did not know, and he began to occupy quite a large portion of their attention span.
Misty, who was the closer of the two, waved happily at ash, who seemed only too pleased, and returned the gesture with less enthusiasm, but with a grin on his face, as though he was greatly amused by the way she acted. As she got a little bit closer, though they were sit some way off, she called a greeting to him happily, though it was just this-morning that they had parted.
Once Brock and Misty joined Ash and Bryce just in front of the pokecenter, Ash began the introduction. Bryce looked at Misty. To him, she was a vision of beauty. She had stopped wearing her hair up some time ago now, and it flowed freely about her head, moving gently in the slight breeze of the late afternoon. She smiled at him, seeing him looking, and he smiled back sheepishly.
Bryce acted very shy, almost scarred of what the others would think of him. Where he had been more comfortable with ash – at least to the extent of asking to travel with him – he now seemed unsure of himself, and shuffled uneasily from one foot to the other. However, after hearing the story of their meeting, Misty greeted him warmly, briefly commenting on what a fabulous excuse it was to eat out – and how much she hated the ration packed food she had been made to survive on for weeks on end during the three friends’ journey here from pallet town. For indeed, the city in which they were staying was that of Coastgate, through which one may register for the Endeavour League, which is one of the most prestigious and difficult of all the associated ‘novice’ leagues throughout the world. Novice leagues, being open to all people, are naturally infinitely more popular than the master leagues, which are open to trainers who, with their pokemon, had beaten some portion of those ranked novice.
Master leagues are called ‘boring’ by most, however, for they are held entirely in a single tower in some remote location – depending on the league itself – and offer no more challenge than a vastly superior elite team of any novice league. Indeed, under normal circumstances the elite team of a novice league will be composed of those trainers who, after succeeding in that specific novice league, have gone on to beat a master league – though there are regulations on acceptable pokemon strength levels employed by the elite of a league.
The endeavour league itself is vastly popular on the novice scale. It brings trainers from much of the world over with its promises of unrivalled challenges and risks. However, Many of the regestees withdraw weeks or even days after signing up. They don’t call it unrivalled for nothing.
Bryce happily shook the hand that Brock held out to him, saying the usual ‘nice to meet you’ introductory part and letting go. It looked to him as though his dreams might actually work out for once.
Introductions over, they waited a few moments for misty to grab some things, and then began walking at a slow, comfortable pace down the main street, looking into windows of stores along the way.
After some time, the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky until there was almost no daylight left, and the ordinary light chit-chat of evening was becoming boring, the four came upon a small street-side diner that looked just perfect for what they wanted.
‘Marvo’s Feast Factory’ read the sign over the door as they entered.
“Don’t judge a book by its tacky title” Misty whispered quietly under her breath as she entered. Bryce overheard and grinned at her, though she was in front and therefore could not see him.
The food was of surprisingly good quality, and the service was excellent. The four trainers had not really eaten since breakfast – Ash’s ice creams notwithstanding. Indeed, because they had arrived only yesterday, ash, misty and Brock had eaten no ‘good’ food, as misty liked to refer to it as. And so, throughout the meal there was little or no talking until dessert arrived. They all believed strongly in savouring dessert.
At last, after holding silence for nearly an hour, misty – who had been having a strong but silent debate with ash over who would begin ‘the questioning’ having lost, she spoke as she broke eye contact with ash and diverted her gaze instead to Bryce himself, the subject of her discomfort. They all wanted to make this work, Misty especially, for she was dying for some company on their travels that wasn’t brainless –Ash- or desperately obvious –Brock-.
Bryce seemed friendly and nice to her. She liked him.
“So Bryce, where did you grow up?” she asked, genuinely interested.
So Bryce proceeded to explain all about how he had lived together with his family up until two years ago in a small town west of coastgate. How he had had little interest in badges up until about a month ago, and had since then decided he didn’t want to go on such a journey alone. So he decided to spend time in the trainer’s park, and wait for a good opportunity. Misty went blank and blinked.
“So of all the trainers in this league, you chose ash Ketchum?” she seemed at that point to make a mental note to ask about his medication. Or that’s what Bryce thought. He smiled.
“Believe it or not, misty, ash is a very interesting person.” Brock and misty sweat dropped.
“Uh… I guess that’s one way of putting it…” she said slowly. Ash looked over to Bryce, changing the topic of the conversation quite smoothly, as he didn’t wish to bicker with misty in front of his ‘guest’. He had, after all, managed to develop some courtesy.
The night continued much as this until they were ready to go, and it was quite late. The four all pitched in a share of the cost, though Bryce had to go easy on it, because he had very little money. He apologized profusely. Ash, however, simply shrugged it off, with the explanation that for that meal Bryce was technically their guest. Bryce seemed both upset and embarrassed to misty, and she carefully reminded herself to ask him about this strong reaction later.
As the four walked in a group together back to the pokecenter, they continued in a discussion that now involved all of them, Passing the strong streetlights and dark alleys as they went. Generally, they got to know Bryce, and while their knowledge was by no means complete, it was sufficient to let them make their decisions.
Back at the pokecenter in their room, they had a small whispered discussion. Then they approached Bryce’s door.
Ash knocked quietly, as it was quite late and the centre was almost booked out with trainers here to try their hand at the league.
The three entered one after the other, and closed the door. Misty began.
“Bryce, we’ve all talked about it, and we’ve decided that it would be a pleasure to have your company on our journey.” She said, sounding relieved that the words came out right. He grinned widely, and threw his arms around her, sobbing his thanks into her shoulder.
Misty, at first, looked quite startled, but the look was replaced by and comforting gesture as her paternal instincts barged into her emotions.
--
The next morning they got up and began making their preparations to leave coastgate. Said preparations would take all day, and they planned to leave very early the next.
They had to get food, poke-chow, pokeballs, and all manner of other equipment. Misty, who was in charge of the list, as usual, sighed and wondered to herself how it would fit into their packs at all, let alone comfortably?
They went together to the pokemart, and emerged about an hour later with everything they would need – from super potions to extra shoelaces.
Bryce seemed terribly unhappy. He had had to borrow money from them to get everything they said he’d need, and he hated it.
They got back to the pokecenter after a pleasant walk through the green city. They had plants everywhere, and they were proud of it.
Somehow, everything they had bought fit into their now somewhat weighty packs, and they were content. That is, until ash pushed misty into asking Bryce for a pokemon battle.
As she asked him, he went pale. Misty, smelling something wrong, pushed him.
“What’s wrong, Bryce? Surely you can stand up to my pokemon if you’ve spent every day for weeks at a trainer park…”
“No problem, really, it’s just… never mind. We’ll go out back”
They proceeded to the arena maintained behind the centre, and took their respective trainer boxes.
“Two on two, no time limit, ok?” misty called, showing briefly her gym leader side. Bryce went even paler and called back:
“Make it just one on one, can we?” misty looked taken aback, and opened her mouth to talk back, when he suddenly looked at one of the pokeballs clipped to his belt, sighed, and called out
“Never mind, two on two is fine.” Misty seemed happy with that. Choosing a pokeball from her belt, she threw it into the arena.
“Misty calls staryu!”
With a blaze of red energy staryu materialized in front of them.
Bryce threw the pokeball that he held and watched as just in front of him a young looking growlithe emerged from the ball.
Staryu uttered its cry. Ash and Brock seemed taken aback at his choice, and without hesitation, growlithe did a running tackle and knocked staryu off its points.
Bryce nodded
“Good work growlithe. Now burn it will your ember!”
Almost before he was finished his command the puppy released a pile of what looked like molten flames, and it covered staryu, who twitched, screaming its name for the world to hear.
“Now coldbreath, growlithe!”
The battle was one sided as misty gave strong commands to her pokemon. But it would not, or could not, comply. Growlithe jumped closer to staryu, its fur glistening, and released what looked like a cloud from its mouth. The larva cooled into a rock shell around staryu, and if it wanted to move it couldn’t. The gem in its centre went dark.
Misty recalled it, stone faced but weeping on the inside, and threw another ball, and from it emerged a wartortle.
It had barely emerged when growlithe attacked, but this time misty was expecting it.
“Withdraw” she called urgently, and with remarkably speed wartortle was gone, already inside its shell.
“Flamethrower!” Bryce shouted, and growlithe complied, in the blink of an eye releasing a stream of flame so powerful in its force that ash and Brock, who were observing the battle halfway between horror and surprise, backed off so as not to burn themselves on the radiant heat emanating from the attack.
Wartortle didn’t get up.
Misty recalled her pokemon and ran into the centre to find a nurse, while Bryce called his pokemon over and gave him a friendly pat, praising him for his beautiful work.
---
well, let me know what you thought, please! i'm trying very hard to improve my own writing.
thanks.
----To Endevour----
Ash sighed gently as he crossed the clearing. It was full of young trainers. Too young. Yesterday afternoon, ash misty and Brock had arrived in coastgate town, and had decided to spend the day outside. Ash had, naturally, elected to spend the time training.
What he didn’t realise was that the trainers here were barely a year out of home, and he, being 14 now, was too much more powerful than them to have a proper battle.
He had had seven battles today, and none of his pokemon had yet been scratched.
What was worse was that he wasn’t due back at the pokemon centre till six, and misty and Brock were cruising somewhere round the town. So far as he knew, misty was shopping, and Brock was checking out the latest pokemon breeder techniques.
He sat heavily down on the bench. Pikachu, who had been riding quite comfortably on his head, adjusted himself slightly so as not to fall off.
Ash mused, almost unhappily. There was nothing better to do, might as well just watch some of the battles.
This trainer’s park was a new innovation of the league. It was supposed to be a place where trainers of all fields could meet and battle, but some places simply didn’t have the trainers to support it. Earlier, a while after ash had arrived, he had gained a reputation for being much stronger than the rest of the trainers here. Soon, those he challenged declined to battle, fearing for their pokemon. Of course, league rules stated that if he wished, he could press them into battling him – and thereby giving himself another victory – because it was a violation to refuse a challenge. But he simply didn’t want to. If they wouldn’t fight, he wouldn’t force them.
Without thinking, ash rested his head on the bench behind him, and closed his eyes. And before long, the sunny day had sent him into a light doze.
It felt not long to him, though in truth it was probably hours, before he was stirred from his sleep by the sounds of awed trainers. And as he looked up at the crowd, quite apart from the mass of battles he expected to see, instead he beheld only a mass around what seemed a single battle, though it took the space of three.
Slowly, ash got up, stretched, and walked purposefully over there. He intended to take a look, and, hopefully, find a challenger worth battling. As he approached, those on the outer edges of the onlookers noticed him, and stepped back, almost respectfully. Ash, being taller than all but the tallest locals, could easily see over.
There was a blond boy, who looked as if he spent most of his time in front of a mirror, battling a girl whose face would have been beautiful, except it seemed somehow squashed back, and her nose was much smaller than most of her other features. The boy seemed to be in charge of a raichu, while she commanded a parasect. And although the parasect seemed to have held up ok to this point, it’s strength was obviously failing, while the raichu was going strong.
“Raichu!” called the boy, “agility!”
“Counter with Stun spore, parasect!” the girl cried, desperately. The yellow spores emitted from the orange pokemon, but it was useless. By now the raichu had accelerated to a speed that was much too fast for it to be affected by the powerful looking attack.
“Now finish this with thunder!” the boy called, in a voice that was almost sickeningly sweet.
The parasect squealed as the attack hit it, and then went dreadfully silent. Ash felt sorry for it – the finishing move had been unreasonably strong.
The girl took it worse. She ran as fast as she could to her fallen pokemon, threw her arms around it and started sobbing, rocking the creature in her arms and moaning apologies, and pleas for forgiveness. Ash looked at the boy, who didn’t even congratulate his raichu. He wasn’t unkind, just uncaring. As though he viewed the pokemon as a tool to be wielded, rather than a friend, who fought with him.
Ash approached him, a false smile pasted carefully on his face.
“Hey there, nice battle!” he said, in an overly honeyed voice that many of the crowd saw through easily. But they said nothing. He had spoken with most, and they knew he was kind and compassionate – and they had seen the battle, too.
“Thanks.” The boy smiled, taking the compliment as personal.
“Would you like another?” ash asked, almost as sweetly, but with a challenging undertone he had copied from Gary. His voice was cocky, but in a ‘modest’, ‘ash’ kind of way.
After passing a max potion to his raichu, he grinned, and nodded in acceptance.
Ash backed up, and held out his arm, so Pikachu, who had been paying careful attention, could run from his head and across it onto the ground.
“Pikachu” he said quietly, his childhood manner forgotten till his victory was sure.
“Do me proud like you always do, buddy”
The blond boy’s eyes almost popped when he saw it. The crowds assessment was that he was impressed, Either from it’s shiny coat or its playful disposition, but no one present save perhaps ash really understood his amusement – he was amazed ash would choose a Pikachu, when he knew the he himself would be using a superior form of the same pokemon. He should have realised then that something was up. He didn’t know that Pikachu hadn’t been used once today – lest he hurt something-, or that as ash’s most powerful companion, he could stand up the very pokemon of the league, with ash’s support.
At a look from its trainer, raichu walked slowly out onto the field, and an onlooker from the crowd, who was stepping in as reff, called simply
“Begin!”
“Raichu, go! Thunder-shock!” the blond boy called, more in anticipation than in haste. He was itching to see his opponent fried. As raichu approached Pikachu, he grinned. Ash was sure he was thinking ‘easy win’ or something very close to it as he watched his pokemon loom over his challenger.
Indeed, ash himself waited to respond till the last conceivable instant – weather it was simply a pause for effect, or a true strategic move to make or break the battle is subject to debate.
Even as Raichu’s cheeks sparked with power, about to be unleashed, he waited, patiently, for the weakness that he knew would soon appear – as it did in all Raichu’s, just before the release of energy.
And appear it did. The pokemon lifted its arms, exposing itself, and as it was about to bring them down in a squishing motion, ash barked his command in a voice that was quite unlike him.
“Pikachu – tackle”- a strong statement, forced quickly, almost gently, and timed perfectly. This was ash when he battled those who, in his view, required ‘teaching’, though he would never try to teach them himself. Not on purpose. But when he battled them, he left his normal personality at the door, and became cold, calculating, and ruthless. It was perhaps the one attribute he had developed on his journey that he hated most about himself.
Pikachu was a blur to the eyes. At one moment he was sitting quite innocently, looking across the short distance between himself and his adversary, and up at his taller opponent.
Then he was gone.
A moment of silence issued among the watchers, and the blond boy seemed to become slightly nervous for the first time.
Then Raichu was suddenly knocked over from the side, though not violently, and Pikachu was there again. The surprised pokemon let off its stored attack – whether on purpose or not you could not tell – and the thunder shock hit Pikachu at close range, face first.
The attack was powerful, and ash’s face softened for a moment, not doubt involuntarily. None-the-less, Pikachu was back up, and a safe distance away before you could blink. He was panting heavily, for a lot of his energy had been drained, but his temporary enemy still lay upon the ground, still struggling slightly from the blow.
From his position at the edge of the battlefield, ash called to Pikachu for a swift attack, though now in a much softer tone. He seemed to have realised that infact his opponent did care for his pokemon – which was evidenced by the torn look upon his face.
There was a hidden command in ash’s voice. One of compassion, rather than fury, for he had without words asked his friend both to wait till the Raichu had risen, and also to have mercy upon it. With that, Pikachu allowed himself to feel tired, and it showed quite visibly.
After the Raichu had stood from the ground, and gotten his bearings, his trainer called for an attack of great force – but slow speed. It showed both trainer and pokemon on the other side that he really hadn’t been paying attention. If he had listened to what was coming, he could have planned.
Not all pokemon could converse with their trainers without words.
Pikachu let loose his swift, and dozens of shiny golden stars erupted from his paws and flew fast at the raichu that stood only meters in front. Though the attack was not of full power, for Pikachu was careful not to overdo it, it was still no doubt much stronger than his adversary had experienced before. And feeling the strength of that attack must in some way have made that Raichu see sense, because once he stood again, rather than prepare an attack that he knew would never touch Pikachu, he lifted both his paws in a sign of surrender, and fell back down upon the ground, clearly exhausted.
His trainer, the blond haired boy who now seemed very worried and upset rushed quite quickly to his pokemon, and started talking to it in a low voice that evaded hearing. And, reminiscent of the girl’s treatment of her parasect earlier, he took it in his arms and started gently rocking it back and forward, humming to it in a low voice.
Slowly, ash walked forward toward him and looked down at his comparatively small form, sitting on the ground, before he lowered himself as well.
“Hey” he said softly, slightly startling the boy in front of him, who had had his eyes closed.
“That was a great battle. Your raichu is really impressive. My names Ash, you’ve met Pikachu. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Pikachu wandered up to where he was crouching slowly, as if getting a feel for the water before he dove in. But after a moment, he jumped happily up to Raichu, who opened his eyes. They began talking like old friends, as their trainers continued their introductions.
The blond haired boy smiled.
“I’m Daryn. It’s nice to meet you too, Ash. Your Pikachu fought wonderfully. Maybe you could give me some tips to help me with my training.” In this point, he seemed to become particularly eager, having seen Ash’s battling technique, however, it was perhaps not incredibly surprising. Ash just smiled gently.
“Your training seems to be going fine, mate. You’ve just gotta compliment your companion here” he indicated Raichu “ a little more than you’re doing, and you’ll be a better trainer than me inside a year.” At this point he patted Daryn on the back, stood, and whistled to Pikachu. His friend’s ears pricked slightly, before he looked up and took a leap onto ash’s backpack, where he proceeded to make himself comfortable.
Because it was now late in the afternoon – thanks to his nap, which he really hadn’t meant to take, Ash decided that he would suffer the wait for his friends at the pokemon centre. Thinking that he might pick up an ice cream for Pikachu and himself as a treat, he started heading toward the gates of the park when someone addressed him from behind, in a rather careful, yet entirely engaging fashion. The voice was deeper than most he had met today, though still a good bit higher than his own. He turned, to find himself facing a boy who looked almost, but not quite, his age, who was about half a head shorter. He looked very determined as he faced him, and spoke up, trying to sound confident,
“Excuse me, but I was just watching your battle, and I though your Pikachu was wonderful.” Ash smiled. He liked it when other people complimented his pokemon.
He held out his hand to shake. The strange boy took it, and Ash noticed he had a firm grasp.
“Hey there, my names Ash. It’s very nice to meet you” Ash said, in a standard greeting.
“Nice to meet you too Ash, my name is Bryce.” He seemed much happier now that ash had opened up to him.
“Anyway, like I said, I was just watching your battle, and I got to wondering, see, I’ve been on my journey for a little over two years now, and I travel alone, and see, well, it just gets very lonely with no one else to talk to. And I’ve been seeing you around all day, and you seem like a very kind person, and I was wondering…” he faded into silence, but it was obvious enough what he wanted to know.
“Tell you what.” Ash said, after a moment to mull it over.
“ I travel with my friends, so how’s this. You come with me, we’ll meet up with them and then we’ll all go somewhere for dinner. Then, over dinner you can get to know us and vice versa, and after that if everybody’s happy, then I’d love for you to travel with us, so long as you’re going our way. Sound good?” he smiled again.
Bryce’s face lit up, as though he had been expecting a cruel remark about his loneliness.
“That sounds great! Where are you going now?” ash grinned at his enthusiasm.
“We’ll just pick up my friends down at the pokemon centre, then we can go to some diner for dinner. Cool?”
“Cool!” Bryce acknowledged, grinning.
He seemed like a nice guy to ash. Maybe a little eager, but nothing major.
So they started walking down the street toward the town’s pokemon centre, which was about two blocks away.
On the way, they chatted, getting to know some small, rather insignificant details. Ash, true to his earlier thoughts, picked up three large strawberry ice creams, and passed one to each of his friends. Both enjoyed them to no end. Bryce was really opening up, openly laughing and smiling very happily. It was obvious to ash that the poor guy had been very cut off when travelling alone, but Bryce was not giving him the answer to some of the bigger questions that ash himself was very interested in. However, he reassured himself that the others too would not be happy until they found those answers. Just small things like where did you come from, what have you spent your time doing, are you associated with team rocket, that kind of thing- For while the trio were very trusting and friendly, genuine interest and concern would not allow them to leave the stranger un-interrogated.
The large building that was the pokecenter loomed over them somewhat dramatically as they sat on the bench in front of it. It turned out that Bryce too was staying there that night, which would provide an extended time with which to get to know him, and him to know ash and company.
Shortly after sitting, the two were approached by a second pair – that of misty and Brock. They seemed to be arguing over something, but calmed visibly as they approached ash, and as they drew closer, realized that ash was with someone whom they did not know, and he began to occupy quite a large portion of their attention span.
Misty, who was the closer of the two, waved happily at ash, who seemed only too pleased, and returned the gesture with less enthusiasm, but with a grin on his face, as though he was greatly amused by the way she acted. As she got a little bit closer, though they were sit some way off, she called a greeting to him happily, though it was just this-morning that they had parted.
Once Brock and Misty joined Ash and Bryce just in front of the pokecenter, Ash began the introduction. Bryce looked at Misty. To him, she was a vision of beauty. She had stopped wearing her hair up some time ago now, and it flowed freely about her head, moving gently in the slight breeze of the late afternoon. She smiled at him, seeing him looking, and he smiled back sheepishly.
Bryce acted very shy, almost scarred of what the others would think of him. Where he had been more comfortable with ash – at least to the extent of asking to travel with him – he now seemed unsure of himself, and shuffled uneasily from one foot to the other. However, after hearing the story of their meeting, Misty greeted him warmly, briefly commenting on what a fabulous excuse it was to eat out – and how much she hated the ration packed food she had been made to survive on for weeks on end during the three friends’ journey here from pallet town. For indeed, the city in which they were staying was that of Coastgate, through which one may register for the Endeavour League, which is one of the most prestigious and difficult of all the associated ‘novice’ leagues throughout the world. Novice leagues, being open to all people, are naturally infinitely more popular than the master leagues, which are open to trainers who, with their pokemon, had beaten some portion of those ranked novice.
Master leagues are called ‘boring’ by most, however, for they are held entirely in a single tower in some remote location – depending on the league itself – and offer no more challenge than a vastly superior elite team of any novice league. Indeed, under normal circumstances the elite team of a novice league will be composed of those trainers who, after succeeding in that specific novice league, have gone on to beat a master league – though there are regulations on acceptable pokemon strength levels employed by the elite of a league.
The endeavour league itself is vastly popular on the novice scale. It brings trainers from much of the world over with its promises of unrivalled challenges and risks. However, Many of the regestees withdraw weeks or even days after signing up. They don’t call it unrivalled for nothing.
Bryce happily shook the hand that Brock held out to him, saying the usual ‘nice to meet you’ introductory part and letting go. It looked to him as though his dreams might actually work out for once.
Introductions over, they waited a few moments for misty to grab some things, and then began walking at a slow, comfortable pace down the main street, looking into windows of stores along the way.
After some time, the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky until there was almost no daylight left, and the ordinary light chit-chat of evening was becoming boring, the four came upon a small street-side diner that looked just perfect for what they wanted.
‘Marvo’s Feast Factory’ read the sign over the door as they entered.
“Don’t judge a book by its tacky title” Misty whispered quietly under her breath as she entered. Bryce overheard and grinned at her, though she was in front and therefore could not see him.
The food was of surprisingly good quality, and the service was excellent. The four trainers had not really eaten since breakfast – Ash’s ice creams notwithstanding. Indeed, because they had arrived only yesterday, ash, misty and Brock had eaten no ‘good’ food, as misty liked to refer to it as. And so, throughout the meal there was little or no talking until dessert arrived. They all believed strongly in savouring dessert.
At last, after holding silence for nearly an hour, misty – who had been having a strong but silent debate with ash over who would begin ‘the questioning’ having lost, she spoke as she broke eye contact with ash and diverted her gaze instead to Bryce himself, the subject of her discomfort. They all wanted to make this work, Misty especially, for she was dying for some company on their travels that wasn’t brainless –Ash- or desperately obvious –Brock-.
Bryce seemed friendly and nice to her. She liked him.
“So Bryce, where did you grow up?” she asked, genuinely interested.
So Bryce proceeded to explain all about how he had lived together with his family up until two years ago in a small town west of coastgate. How he had had little interest in badges up until about a month ago, and had since then decided he didn’t want to go on such a journey alone. So he decided to spend time in the trainer’s park, and wait for a good opportunity. Misty went blank and blinked.
“So of all the trainers in this league, you chose ash Ketchum?” she seemed at that point to make a mental note to ask about his medication. Or that’s what Bryce thought. He smiled.
“Believe it or not, misty, ash is a very interesting person.” Brock and misty sweat dropped.
“Uh… I guess that’s one way of putting it…” she said slowly. Ash looked over to Bryce, changing the topic of the conversation quite smoothly, as he didn’t wish to bicker with misty in front of his ‘guest’. He had, after all, managed to develop some courtesy.
The night continued much as this until they were ready to go, and it was quite late. The four all pitched in a share of the cost, though Bryce had to go easy on it, because he had very little money. He apologized profusely. Ash, however, simply shrugged it off, with the explanation that for that meal Bryce was technically their guest. Bryce seemed both upset and embarrassed to misty, and she carefully reminded herself to ask him about this strong reaction later.
As the four walked in a group together back to the pokecenter, they continued in a discussion that now involved all of them, Passing the strong streetlights and dark alleys as they went. Generally, they got to know Bryce, and while their knowledge was by no means complete, it was sufficient to let them make their decisions.
Back at the pokecenter in their room, they had a small whispered discussion. Then they approached Bryce’s door.
Ash knocked quietly, as it was quite late and the centre was almost booked out with trainers here to try their hand at the league.
The three entered one after the other, and closed the door. Misty began.
“Bryce, we’ve all talked about it, and we’ve decided that it would be a pleasure to have your company on our journey.” She said, sounding relieved that the words came out right. He grinned widely, and threw his arms around her, sobbing his thanks into her shoulder.
Misty, at first, looked quite startled, but the look was replaced by and comforting gesture as her paternal instincts barged into her emotions.
--
The next morning they got up and began making their preparations to leave coastgate. Said preparations would take all day, and they planned to leave very early the next.
They had to get food, poke-chow, pokeballs, and all manner of other equipment. Misty, who was in charge of the list, as usual, sighed and wondered to herself how it would fit into their packs at all, let alone comfortably?
They went together to the pokemart, and emerged about an hour later with everything they would need – from super potions to extra shoelaces.
Bryce seemed terribly unhappy. He had had to borrow money from them to get everything they said he’d need, and he hated it.
They got back to the pokecenter after a pleasant walk through the green city. They had plants everywhere, and they were proud of it.
Somehow, everything they had bought fit into their now somewhat weighty packs, and they were content. That is, until ash pushed misty into asking Bryce for a pokemon battle.
As she asked him, he went pale. Misty, smelling something wrong, pushed him.
“What’s wrong, Bryce? Surely you can stand up to my pokemon if you’ve spent every day for weeks at a trainer park…”
“No problem, really, it’s just… never mind. We’ll go out back”
They proceeded to the arena maintained behind the centre, and took their respective trainer boxes.
“Two on two, no time limit, ok?” misty called, showing briefly her gym leader side. Bryce went even paler and called back:
“Make it just one on one, can we?” misty looked taken aback, and opened her mouth to talk back, when he suddenly looked at one of the pokeballs clipped to his belt, sighed, and called out
“Never mind, two on two is fine.” Misty seemed happy with that. Choosing a pokeball from her belt, she threw it into the arena.
“Misty calls staryu!”
With a blaze of red energy staryu materialized in front of them.
Bryce threw the pokeball that he held and watched as just in front of him a young looking growlithe emerged from the ball.
Staryu uttered its cry. Ash and Brock seemed taken aback at his choice, and without hesitation, growlithe did a running tackle and knocked staryu off its points.
Bryce nodded
“Good work growlithe. Now burn it will your ember!”
Almost before he was finished his command the puppy released a pile of what looked like molten flames, and it covered staryu, who twitched, screaming its name for the world to hear.
“Now coldbreath, growlithe!”
The battle was one sided as misty gave strong commands to her pokemon. But it would not, or could not, comply. Growlithe jumped closer to staryu, its fur glistening, and released what looked like a cloud from its mouth. The larva cooled into a rock shell around staryu, and if it wanted to move it couldn’t. The gem in its centre went dark.
Misty recalled it, stone faced but weeping on the inside, and threw another ball, and from it emerged a wartortle.
It had barely emerged when growlithe attacked, but this time misty was expecting it.
“Withdraw” she called urgently, and with remarkably speed wartortle was gone, already inside its shell.
“Flamethrower!” Bryce shouted, and growlithe complied, in the blink of an eye releasing a stream of flame so powerful in its force that ash and Brock, who were observing the battle halfway between horror and surprise, backed off so as not to burn themselves on the radiant heat emanating from the attack.
Wartortle didn’t get up.
Misty recalled her pokemon and ran into the centre to find a nurse, while Bryce called his pokemon over and gave him a friendly pat, praising him for his beautiful work.
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well, let me know what you thought, please! i'm trying very hard to improve my own writing.