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Pokémon Pokemon: Legendary Adventures

Dragonfree

Moderator
Staff
Location
Iceland
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Partners
  1. butterfree
  2. mightyena
  3. charizard
  4. scyther-mia
  5. vulpix
  6. slugma
Chapter 6

The sound of distant murmurings and faint but steady beeping brushed the edge of Koa's consciousness. Part of him felt weary and groggy, and he longed to simply roll over and slip into the comfortable darkness again. But with noise, came awareness, and with awareness, pain. As he shifted, hoping to fall asleep once more, a powerful, throbbing pain thundered through his skull. He took in a sharp breath, and a tight pain clenched around his chest. Slowly, gently, he breathed out again, then in. With each breath, the initial pain dulled, though it didn't fade completely.

The sounds around him grew more distinct, separating into mechanical and human noises, as well as pokemon. The dull murmur of voices blended with faint beeping. With great care, he forced his eyes open. Dull, soft yellow light filled his vision, along with a mess of blurred shapes. He blinked a few times until his vision cleared somewhat and he was able to distinguish his surroundings. Plain white ceiling and walls, spotless pale blue floors, and an odd machine with a display screen by his bedside. Crisp, stiff white sheets were draped over his body. His mind fumbled for the word. A few seconds later, it came to him. Hospital. He was at a hospital.
Enjoyed this opening. We can tell you are a whump fan :copyka:

"I'll answer your question, but first I have to ask you a few questions. Are you a boy or a girl?"

"What?" he exploded. "What kinda question is that?"

She laughed, almost doubling over. "Just kidding," she said, smiling brightly.
And here I thought she was just a trans ally :sadbees:

"My Tyrunt!" he cried, sitting bolt upright, ignoring the dull wave of pain that accompanied the movement. A brief wave of dizziness swept over him.
Still loving these injuries.

"Of course, you wouldn't remember. The museum was robbed. Several fossils were stolen, among other items. The police and Roark have been speaking to witnesses."
Huh, is that why it exploded? I had been wondering that.

There was a special on the christening of a new cruise ship, the S.S. Blackbird.
This is random enough I'm now convinced it's going to be relevant.

You could probably trim some of the blow-by-blow of Koa at the hospital waiting to be discharged, if you wanted - a lot of it doesn't really sound like it's going to be relevant.

Koa opened his eyes and glanced toward the door. Blake stood there, staring at him. For a moment, his cousin didn't say anything. He stood, staring, his posture stiff. Then he clenched his fists, striding towards the bed. "What were you thinking? No, forget that, clearly you weren't thinking! How many times do I have to tell you? Stop rushing into things. Be smart, watch what you're doing! This isn't a game, Koa. You could have been killed."

Anger bubbled up inside Koa, and he glared at his cousin. "What did you expect me to do, let my pokemon get hurt? I had to do something, or my Tyrunt could have been killed! Besides, I'm not dead. Who cares what could have happened? Whatever happened, happened. Stop making chasms out of Drilbur holes!"

"How can you be so..." he shook his hand in the air in frustration. "-stupid! Next time you might not be so lucky."

Koa's scowl deepened. "Geez, if you just came here to complain and shout at me, why even come? Just go back to your research." He clenched his jaw and turned away from Blake, at least as much as he could without causing himself too much pain. Tears began to form in his eyes, and he forced himself not to blink or let Blake see how upset he was.
Ouch. The awkwardness is palpable.

Can't help but wish we'd had Koa react to initially seeing Blake a little here - like, was he really happy to see him at first only for Blake's lecture to feel like a slap in the face? Or, alternatively, was Koa kind of guarded and expecting this the moment he saw Blake? Or was he just grumpy and irritated about the hospital stay and not really in the mood for a visitor, and then Blake came in with this? Right now it just says Koa glanced toward the door, and nothing about how he felt about it - feels like a missed opportunity to give a little more insight into their relationship and Koa's emotional state.

Blake gave a long sigh, then walked out of the room. Wiping his eyes with his arm, Koa blinked several times. Why did his cousin have to get like that? It felt like nothing he did was right. He hadn't even asked how the accident happened! Hot tears gathered in his eyes. He swallowed and brushed them away. Pull yourself together. He pushed aside his bitterness and focused on thinking about his pokemon, and where he would go next.
Nothing he does is right, eh? Almost like he can never be... perfect? :copyka:

A loud screech echoed through the enclosure and something crashed into Koa. He staggered back and grunted. Opening his eyes, he saw it was Echo, who had wrapped his small talons tightly on Koa's shoulder, clinging on. He rubbed his head and chuckled. "I missed you too Echo."

A moment later, Hazard leaped from a tree and scurried over to him, nuzzling his foot. Grinning, he knelt down and ruffled Hazard's fur. One of the attendants, a middle-aged woman, quirked her eyebrow at him. "You must be his trainer. That Joltik hasn't let anyone touch him in the past two days."
Aww.

The next couple hours dragged by. Koa tried everything he could think of. He tried to talk calmly and approach slowly, but he couldn't even take more than a couple steps. He tried food, but Tyrunt never ate any. Finally, he settled for scanning her with his Pokedex. At least he could find out her moveset.
Huh, did she just kind of... stick around standing there for a couple hours? Seems a little odd if she had no intention of staying with him. Or, at least, it might have been less jarring with some form of brief explanation of what she's been doing for all this time - plomping down to sleep and roaring at him if he gets close, busying herself examining something, etc. Also, what have Echo and Hazard been doing while all this was going on?

Eventually, he gave up. He returned Tyrunt to her pokeball. Returning the rest of his pokemon, he trudged back into Oreburgh, puzzling over what to do next. He needed to befriend Tyrunt. Prove to her he could be trusted. But how?
Hmmm, feel weird about him returning her here when she seems to have made pretty clear she doesn't want anything to do with him? He never even beat her in a fight, which'd be the usual case (depending on the trainerverse worldbuilding) where a Pokémon might feel the trainer is rightfully their trainer and they may experience some sense of obligation to stick around and give them a chance even if they're not super enthused. Here I'm not really getting the sense she actually thinks of him as her trainer at all?

"Of course." Roark hung his head. "Forgive me, Koa, I shouldn't have been so blunt. It's just, this is my first major incident as gym leader, and I don't think I'm doing a good job. I'm supposed to be the leader of this town too, but I feel like I'm failing everyone. Perhaps my father made a mistake leaving the gym to me."
Hmm, I would have liked to see more emotion here out of Roark, if he's going to start spilling his personal issues about his feelings of failure to someone he doesn't even know very well - right now he just sort of says it, with nothing but a mention that he hung his head, and then moves off the topic as suddenly as he brought it up, so it's hard to properly sympathize or believe in how he's feeling.

Koa sighed and shook his head. "No." He stepped around her and walked faster. He wasn't really interested in a conversation right now. He had more important things, like Tyrunt, on his mind.

She jogged beside him then cut in front of him and walked backwards, facing him. "Are you sure? Perhaps-"

"I was busy with other things than trying to find criminals. And I didn't even know that the museum had been robbed. Is that good enough for you?" He brushed by her, but he could still hear her following him.
Wasn't Koa literally just being mad that Roark wouldn't let him help find the criminals, though...? I don't think I'm getting my head around why he isn't jumping at the opportunity she's giving him to do so on a silver platter.

"And he said that security footage was damaged, but they were working on restoring it. He just left to go review it with Chief Lunesse."
Koa, Koa, wasn't this all supposed to be confidential (is she responsible for the robbery)

She shook her head. "Recently, over the past few months, there've been several small break-ins at local shops around the mainland. There's also been muggings during the night, on several routes. Witnesses all give the same description. Men in all black clothing, wearing black masks and capes. They move quietly and strike hard and fast. Many use electric pokemon as well, and the pokemon are often painted dark colors to blend in. Usually, they knock out the power right before they strike. They steal anything valuable-money, art, jewels and such. A few different police offices have recently begun speculating that it's not copycats, but a single organization. Jubilife Police dubbed them Team Blackout."
That sure matches that one guy on a Zebstrika from chapter one, right...?

"Do you think they are connected to Team Galactic?"

"Well, sort of. I think they might be just leftovers from them. The Grunts, probably looking to make money. Although recently, I think they've added poaching to their list of crimes. Which is why they hit Rowan's lab."

At the mention of the lab robbery, Koa tensed. "You mean they were the ones who stole from Rowan?"

Avis nodded. "Most likely."

Rage boiled inside Koa. If he ever got his hands on those good for nothing-
Boy, that's got to hit a bit harder given they're his dad's former underlings

Enjoying Koa's general mounting frustration and bad mood in this chapter.

Well, he wouldn't give up on her, not yet. Making sure she was settled, he turned his attention to his other pokemon. Hazard clung to one of the lightbulbs in the bathroom, his fur spiking from the electricity. Koa watched him curiously for a few moments. He seemed to be concentrating, and every few seconds his fur would fluff out before relaxing slightly. It took him a moment, but Koa remembered reading about the technique somewhere. It was called overcharging, and served as another way to help increase their electric storage capacity.

Echo, meanwhile, seemed to be searching for a suitable perch. He hopped from spot to spot, seemingly testing each place. Once, he landed on the back of the chair Tyrunt rested on. She gave him a dirty look but made no move towards him. Echo continued his little exercise, hopping from one surface to the next. Finally, he settled on a perch. Upside down, hanging from the ceiling fan. A moment later, he directed a burst of focused sound at a switch on the wall. The fan turned on, it's blades beginning to spin. Echo gave a happy shree of delight as he whirled around the room. Koa couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight.
Enjoy these details. What cute Pokémon, I love them.

For the next few hours, he wandered the cave. He didn't see any Gible, though he did encounter several large gray boulders blocking his path. Fortunately, he didn't need anything special to push them out of the way. He simply climbed over them and continued on.
Pfft, is this a jab at the games.

Once it had gone, Koa sighed and pulled out a potion, and set to healing Tyrunt. In a couple of minutes, she woke up. Upon seeing him so close, she growled and stalked several feet away. Koa pulled out her pokeball and returned her. She'd be more comfortable there anyway.
Koa, c'mon, at this point shouldn't you be offering to release her. (Or is she like, basically a newborn child that he's officially responsible for in a parental sort of way because he revived her...? If that's it it might be good to make it clearer.)

The two dinosaurs charged across the field towards each other, Cranidos' head glowing and Tyrunt's jaws glowing.
I found the repetition of "glowing" a little clunky.

"Cranidos greatest strength is his impenetrable skull. A Tyrunt's greatest strength is its powerful jaws." He chuckled again, wiping a tear from his eye. "Unstoppable force-"

"Meet immovable object," Koa finished, breaking into laughter. On the field, the two dinosaur Pokemon were still locked in the same position. Tyrunt tried to back off, then gave a low whine as she dragged Cranidos with her. Cranidos yanked backwards, merely succeeding in pulling Tyrunt back with him.
Aw, that's legitimately very cute. Had forgotten about the chapter title.

Enjoyed this chapter! Some good Koa whump aftermath, lots of frustration, some plot intrigue, cute Pokémon, and his troubles with Tyrunt are entertaining. Looking forward to how they bond.


A pair of sport sunglasses were perched on her head, and she wore a traditional white doctor's coat with a red cross-stitched on the chest.
Maybe your word processor auto-corrected "cross stitched" into "cross-stitched" because cross-stitching is a thing? But either way this should presumably just be a red cross which is stitched onto the chest, so the hyphen doesn't belong.

"Ok sure. Where's my Tyrunt?"
Think I may have made this comment on an earlier chapter, but you want "Okay, sure" (or "OK, sure").

"Right. Follow me." The attendant said.
Since the dialogue tag has a "said", you want a comma and lowercase the.

He remembered reading that Tyrunt's were powerful, independent pokemon, but he'd figured after saving her life they would get along fine.
Officially the plural of Tyrunt is just Tyrunt, but even if you eat that particular canon, it definitely wouldn't have an apostrophe.

"Okay." He crossed his arms. "Roark wanted to know if I saw anything. Which I didn't." he emphasized the word didn't.
You want to capitalize "He emphasized the word didn't", since that's a complete sentence on its own. Also, if I were you I'd either italicize or quote the word didn't here, to make its role in the sentence obvious.

His conversation her in Sandgem some days ago came back to him.
His conversation with her, I assume.

The establishment was a bit rundown
I think that should be "run-down".

Hazard and picked the bathroom sink as his bed
Had picked, presumably?

It involved some backtracking since it was located under the north most section of Cycling Road, but hopefully, it would be worth it.
Pretty sure that needs to be "northmost" or "north-most"?

"Cranidos greatest strength is his impenetrable skull.
You want Cranidos' or Cranidos's, I believe.
 

Dragonfree

Moderator
Staff
Location
Iceland
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Partners
  1. butterfree
  2. mightyena
  3. charizard
  4. scyther-mia
  5. vulpix
  6. slugma
Chapter 7

I enjoy the guard at the beginning. I'm kind of getting a kick out of this thing you do of having characters offer to battle Koa in the future - almost gamelike, but it's kind of fun to anticipate one day we're definitely going to see this character again because they promised Koa a battle.

I also enjoyed Koa training moves with Tyrunt after she gets frustrated with this Machop. There's a good clear sense that she's chasing after her own goals, and finally lets him help her and triumphs that way, and she still doesn't instantly love him or anything but Koa's genuinely delighted with her victory (love how happy he is about it). I still feel a little weird about the lack of clearly establishing why Tyrunt came with him at all/why he shouldn't just release her, but given she's willingly there with him but still stubborn enough to fiercely not want to accept any help or assistance from him in her own goals, I like the progression you came up with here a lot and the attention being paid to Tyrunt having her own personality and motivations and doing this on her own terms.

Fear trickled down his spine. He quickly shook his head. "It's too dangerous, Hazard. I don't know where it leads. You don't even know where it goes." Hazard chittered angrily and stamped his foot. Koa looked away, reluctant to meet his hurt gaze. There had to be another way. Hazard was mistaken. Maybe Echo had missed something- As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that couldn't be the case. Echo's echolocation wouldn't have missed anything. If there was another way out, he would have found it.

Echo landed in front of him, giving a low shree of distress. Hazard scurried onto Echo's head, staring him down. Koa backed away. "I can't... I don't..." he stammered. Hazard's blue eyes sparkled with anger. Koa swallowed. "Are you sure, Hazard?" he asked after several seconds.
Love Koa's fear and reluctance here, the whump fan you is coming through strongly again. :copyka: Diving in there does sound pretty dangerous and terrifying. Sort of surprised his Pokémon are so cavalier about it!

That night, Koa made camp by the shore. He was too tired to really look for another spot, and the ground was level enough anyway. Long after everyone had eaten and fallen asleep, he lay awake, his thoughts still racing. He'd come so close to not making it... yet he had. Somehow, his Joltik had known there was an exit to the tunnel, and that he would be able to make it. The thought filled him with awe. In that moment, he vowed never to doubt his pokemon again.
Aww. (I do wonder how Hazard actually did know? Did he actually swim under there?)

It was an older model, one of the kinds the broke after 1 use, but it was still operational.
Cute!

Once they had a comfortable fire going, Cade released his other pokemon. Altogether, he had a Shelgon, a Dratini, and a Gible, which he'd caught recently. Koa gave up trying to befriend Tyrunt for the night and instead decided to check out Cade's pokemon. His Shelgon reminded him of his Joltik - fierce and only affectionate towards its trainer. Dratini and Gible, however, seemed very playful. They both got along exceedingly well with Echo. Pretty soon the three of them engaged in a makeshift game of tag, swooping and darting about. Hazard joined them briefly, but then retired early to sit in silence with Shelgon.
Cute Pokémon interaction.

"No," he replied sharply, looking up. His gaze bored into Koa's own, and he flinched at the intensity there. "Although you may have to one day, battling her now will not help."
Something feels potentially personal about this :eyes:

"Any time a trainer specializes in one type, he starts to grow a special connection to that type. It's almost as if he can begin to understand his own pokemon in a new way."

Koa nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. It explained how specialist trainers remained so strong, despite only having one type.
Huh! Haven't seen this concept before, I think. Enjoy the idea that type specialists have a real advantage.

Awakening to an explosion, the flood of sound and sight... The panic from the robbery and encountering the wild Ponyta and Rapidash. Feeling angry and scared, fighting them... Then saved by a stranger. A trainer, calling himself Koa and trying to train her and calling her a friend. He considered all his attempts at befriending her - the food, the fights, the bargaining, the battles.

Koa took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "You know, my cousin Blake had a way of always trying to make me do something, just before I was about to do it. I'd be planning on cleaning my room and then BAM! He'd ask me to clean it. I know he meant well, but it was really annoying." Tyrunt lifted her head slightly, staring at him intensely. "I hated it so much, sometimes I would avoid doing whatever he told me to."

Taking a deep breath, Koa removed his fingerless glove from his right hand. Deliberately, he looked away, then closed his eyes and held out his arm, palm open and outstretched. He let his breathing slow, and he focused his thoughts on Tyrunt. He'd spent so long chasing Tyrunt and trying to make her listen and understand... but maybe he never needed to. Maybe she just needed a chance.
Aw, this is very good. Look at him just empathizing and realizing he shouldn't be trying to force her into anything.

For several moments, nothing happened. Suddenly he felt a warm breath flow across his hand. He kept his eyes shut, not daring to risk looking at her now, when - a sudden pressure surrounded his hand and entire upper arm. He whipped around just as her jaws closed across his hand. A flash of pain shot up his arm. Without thinking, Koa seized one of her spindly arms with his left hand, yanked her closer, and bit her arm.

A sound the likes of which he'd never heard came from Tyrunt, and she opened her jaws. Koa let her go and she stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in a comical expression of shock. Koa glared back at her. "That'll teach you to bite me," growled. Slowly, she closed her mouth. Then, a strange sort of smile started to spread across it. A gleam entered her eyes and she made a rumble of approval.

Koa stared at her, perplexed. Then, to his utter shock, she trotted over to him, wriggled her head under his arm, and curled up in his lap.
What a couple of dorks.

Tyrunt gave a pleased rumble and snuggled deeper into his lap.

Shaking his head, he continued to stroke her. "You're a real rascal, you know that?" She thumped her tail gently against his leg in response. Koa shrugged. There was more than one way to befriend a Pokemon, he supposed.
Not quite a naming moment but basically!

This was probably my favorite chapter so far, I think! Enjoy the effort you're still putting into Koa's bonding with his individual Pokémon and them having strong personalities of their own, and the mutual biting was cute. The ongoing Tyrunt storyline gave a good throughline to a lot of traveling that could otherwise have gotten draggy.

Next time... they're in Hearthome, so they battle Fantina, I'm guessing? Two Pokémon with Bite will definitely come in handy there.


After a day-and half walk
I'm not entirely sure what this should be but the one hyphen there definitely doesn't make sense - probably "a day-and-a-half's walk" or "a day and a half's walk"...?

Echo shrieked loudly in reply, making Koa flinch "Easy there, Echo. I still need to hear, you know," he said jokingly.
Missing a period after "flinch".

Closing her eyes in concentration, a cone of green energy enshrouded her tail.
The subject of this sentence is not Tyrunt but "a cone of green energy", so the "Closing her eyes in concentration" clause doesn't quite pan out grammatically here - it's almost as if you're saying the cone closed its eyes.

It was far from perfect-it took her a long time to charge the attack and she had to close her eyes before she did, but it was a strong start.
The issue with using a hyphen as a dash crops up again. But also, since "it took her a long time to charge the attack and she had to close her eyes before she did" is sort of an independent insertion and the sentence works without it ("It was far from perfect, but it was a strong start" is the core of the sentence), you want a dash on the other side of that insertion as well, rather than a comma.

She had gotten both attacks down fairly well, and could use them almost as good as Stomp and Bite.
Pretty sure you want "almost as well"?

"Ok," Koa said quietly.
"Okay" or "OK"

It was an older model, one of the kinds the broke after 1 use, but it was still operational.
Generally in writing you want to write out numbers less than one hundred.

Blinding light assaulted his eyelids, and the sunlight felt like it physically struck staggered forwards a couple steps anyway, keeping his eyes closed.
Feel like there are some words missing here.

"Cade*," he replied.
Is this a footnote...?

The two trainers walked back down the slope until the found a large enough expanse of flat land for their battle.
Until they, presumably.

As Gible opened its jaws, Tyrunt spun midair and smashed the Bite attack with Dragon Tail.
Isn't it usually "in mid-air"?

"Like all pokemon, Dragon types respond to a trainers heart."
"Dragon-types" and "a trainer's heart".

This scene divider (after the scene with Koa and Cade camping together) isn't centered.

He hadn't saved Tyrunt or any of his pokemon for that matter, so they would listen to him.
I haven't been getting into comma nitpicking most of the time, but here I think it makes the sentence parse weirdly - you want a comma before "or", to set off "or any of his Pokémon for that matter" as its own clause (again, "He hadn't saved Tyrunt so [she] would listen to him" is the core of the sentence and can stand on its own, so "or any of his Pokémon for that matter" is an insertion, and you want the same punctuation on both sides in that case).

"That'll teach you to bite me," growled.
Missing a pronoun/name.
 

BossCar

Pokémon Trainer
Pronouns
He/His
View attachment 464
artcredit: Hawkosa
Instagram/Deviantart
[Hawkosa's art is absolutely incredible to me, for one key reason. He has a talent for being able to replicate a wide, wide variety of different art styles, ranging from DBZ, Sailor Moon, comic, cartoon styles, and even more 'realistic' sketches. What you see on their Instagram/Deviantart is just a small fraction of what I know he is capable of. I commission almost all my art from him. His prices are also fair and I simply can't help but praise his work, considering I'm very happy with the results! Check him out!]

Artcredit for header art - Chibipika!

Summary
:
Koamaru's dream is to be the first to capture a legendary pokemon. He has his journey through Sinnoh all planned out, along with the Perfect Team. Until he ends up with a Zubat as his starter. With his Perfect Plan seemingly ruined, he's left with a single question - What does it mean to be a great pokemon trainer?

Fanfiction.net
At this time, I am requesting that readers focus purely on light, simple critque or pure commentary and just enjoy the ride.

LA was born during my time on FFN, starting back in 2015, was dropped for awhile, then revived. It is a classic, vanilla badgequest/journeyfic.

It was originally started because I wanted the classic badgequest format with a character that was flawed and troubled, and would have to overcome them alongside his team; as well as feature someone without a traditional starter (and maybe shamelessly use pokemon I thought were cool).

So you'll see a lot of common tropes, (badge collecting duh) traveling, friends and rivals, training, adventure, slice-of-life, evil teams, perhaps a villain, and yes, legendaries. A setup that will evoke the anime, with a little bit more seriousness and continuity. My goal is to use a lot of these usual elements but surround it with an interesting cast. As such, I'm not looking to change or omit these things (training sequences/battles/side adventures etc) but make them feel a little more engaging than the usual fare of Ash-anime.

This story is already 175k+ words written, and my current focus is on completion, not editing. (Please be kind to early chapters! ^^'.) Therefore, when reviewing, I have a preference only for simple things. Specifically, just fixes or scenes that you think can be polished in under 15 minutes!
  • Grammar/punctuation edits
  • Prose tweaks
  • Character speculations
  • Battle scene feedback
  • Temperature reads
  • Meme-y stuff!
This all said, I'd like to say that any broad critique on earlier chapters is not really preferred here. Given that I'm up to chapter 28 by now, I will likely not be editing any early goofs that are bigger than grammar slip-ups/quick fixes.

My hope for this little tale is for people to have some fun with it. To meme it, revel in the nostalgia, enjoy the fun adventures, and just let me know your feelings. Enjoy the light adventure and anime-ish vibes. Speculations are also very welcome! Discussion of themes, plot and characters are also welcome.

P.S.
At the end of certain chapters I may include an AN with known errors that I'm already aware of, so please read them!

Thank you!



Chapter 1: The Plan


View attachment 465


Just one week left. Koa crossed off today's date on his wall calendar. He flipped to next month's page, June. The 3rd had been circled in red, along with a message from his cousin that read "Don't slack, Little K." Koa rolled his eyes at the nickname. In one week he would turn fourteen, which was now the minimum age to apply for a Trainer's license in Sinnoh.

He glanced down at his watch. 6:05. Grabbing his worn but much loved jacket off a chair, he swung on his backpack and jogged downstairs.

The faint murmur of the TV echoed through the living room. His cousin was sprawled on the couch in front of it, fast asleep. He walked over and shook him awake. "Hey Blake, I'm going out."

Blake grunted and sat up, yawning. "Good morning to you too, Koa. Take Absol with you. He needs the exercise." Putting his fingers to his lips, he whistled. Toenails clicked against the wooden floors, and a moment later an Absol emerged from a hallway. When he spotted Koa, he trotted over and nuzzled his hand.

Koa rubbed Absol's head vigorously, eliciting a pleased rumble from him. "Nice to see you too. Ready for a little exercise?"

Absol barked eagerly.

"You're never that happy to see me..." Blake muttered to the Absol, his tone playfully bitter. Absol sniffed and turned his back on Blake before walking towards the door. Koa grinned and followed. Blake sat up. "Oh! I nearly forgot. Be back by 8:30."

"Why?"

"Because I said so," Blake replied, smirking. The smirk softened to a fond smile. "It's a surprise."

Koa nodded in acknowledgment and hurried for the door. There was little point in trying to pry any more information out of Blake. He was too stubborn to give out anything.

"Hey!" his cousin called sharply. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Koa paused, his hand on the door handle, and cringed. "What?"

Blake left the room a moment and came back holding a Great Ball in one hand and a baton in the other. "Tsk tsk. You should always carry your pokemon's pokeball with you. And something to defend yourself."

Koa rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." His cousin tended to be paranoid, in his opinion. Most pokemon wouldn't attack humans or seriously harm them. Only the angriest or most territorial pokemon would. And even then, humans were tough. Although he supposed it could come in handy if he ran into any angry Pokemon. He tucked Absol's pokeball into his pocket.

A rush of salty air greeted him as he stepped outside. Closing the door behind him, he drew in a deep breath of familiar ocean air. The simple gray buildings of his hometown, Canalave, rose all around him. He began his usual routine, starting with a few basic warm-ups.

Avian cries broke the quiet morning as a flock of Pidgey and Starly landed a few feet away, watching with expectant gazes. He grinned and waved, then pulled out the pack of seeds he always kept with him, tossing them a few. The birds descended upon them, pecking them up in the blink of an eye. They shrieked and bobbed their heads in their own version of 'thank you' before flying off.

Once he finished stretching, he broke into a jog, heading north. Absol bounded alongside him, keeping pace easily as he wove through the town. Lately, he’d altered his morning jog to carve through the city instead of heading straight to the outskirts. With the day fast approaching when he would set out on his journey as a trainer, there was no telling when he’d return to Canalave.

As he crossed near the beach, a pang of nostalgia struck him. He’d miss this city. His gaze shifted to his left, to the only two-story building in town. Or rather, he’d miss one specific building. The library. Ever since the day his cousin had first introduced him to the concept of unlimited free books, he'd been hooked. Most of his spare time had been spent in those walls, reading, researching, and making small talk with the librarian. She'd been the one to introduce him to the section on legendaries, with its well-loved couch and beanbag chairs. Mythology and legends became his escape from all his fears and worries.

When he was young, the section used to be filled with kids his age. They would all dream about the ones they wanted to see, which ones were cooler, and who was the strongest. They would pretend to have epic battles and write silly stories about legends. But as the years had gone by, he soon found himself alone on the couch, his only company a scruffy plush of Mew. While everyone else moved on from their ‘legendary phase’, as adults deemed it, he couldn’t. He didn't have anything else, so his love never once wavered.

History and legends spoke of ancient trainers who befriended the powerful beings. Earned their respect and trust through the honored art of battle, or through acts of valor. League winners and gym trainers didn’t make history. They were remembered for a season until someone else came along. But those trainers? That was something no one could forget. If he could build his team and battle a legend, then he could make his own history. One that belonged to him and his pokemon and no one else.

With renewed vigor, Koa quickened his pace, jogging back inland. He left the city through the west gate and followed a worn dirt path into the woods. The sparse trees thickened until the path was nearly invisible, and his surroundings darkened, the faint dawn light barely penetrating the leafy canopy. Absol darted in and out of the trees, moving like a shadow.

Despite the lack of distinct markers, he jogged swiftly through the brush navigating with an ease born of familiarity. Finally, he stopped in front of a tree that was taller than the others. Root like vines wrapped around its trunk and spiraled upwards, forming a web-like tangle near the crown of the tree. Absol stopped at the tree's base, then stretched and yawned, curling up for a quick nap.

"Don't get too comfy," he declared with a grin.

The Trainer's License exam featured a rock wall that he had to climb in 3:00 or under. If he could climb a tree in less time, he was sure to pass that part. Of course, climbing the wall was far from difficult, but he always liked to see if he could one-up himself.

Dropping his backpack onto the ground, he held up his watch and switched it to the stopwatch mode, then pressed the start button. Taking a half step back, he lunged forwards and grabbed hold of the tree, securing his feet against one of the vines. Then he began to climb. He moved swiftly as he could, taking care to secure his hold before moving upwards. No need for a repeat of last month's accident. If he got injured now, he might have to postpone getting his trainer's license.

He shimmied up the tree, his movements more an afterthought than anything else. Before he knew it, he’d pulled himself into the crown of the tree. Pulling out his stopwatch, he hit pause. 1:47.

"Woohoo!”

A startled Hoothoot glared reproachfully at him before flying away.

While a lot of trainers he spoke to dreamed of challenging the League, he had an entirely different goal. He dreamed of becoming an explorer. Trekking across the wilds, with nothing but his wits and a strong team at his side. Sighing, he leaned back in the tree and closed his eyes, giving his aching limbs a rest. His thoughts circled back to his perfect team.

'A Comprehensive Guide to the Trainer’s Journey', a book which he basically swore by, described how a trainer's first pokemon was the key to their journey. The ‘starter’, as the term had been coined, was representative of what kind of trainer one was, and could become. Cynthia and Garchomp, Lance and Dratini, Steven and Metagross.

Koa and Luxray.

He grinned at the thought. First, he'd catch a Shinx. They were cool, powerful, and intelligent. Then a Starly. Unassuming in their first stage, but absolute powerhouses when they evolved. Then a Gyarados, a Garchomp, a Nidoking and a Hitmontop. Or Hitmonlee. He hadn’t decided on that bit yet. And of course, a fossil pokemon. Perhaps a Bastiodon, like Canalave’s gym leader used. Together, they covered a lot of common weaknesses and types. A team like that could take on a legend. A team like that would be remembered.

After several minutes of daydreaming, he sat up, then shimmied down the tree. If he wanted to make it home in time for whatever Blake had planned, he had to leave now.

By the time he reached Canalave's west gate, the sun had risen well above the horizon. He glanced down at his watch. 8:19. Not bad.

As he approached his house, he spotted his cousin standing outside, waiting. Absol trotted to Blake's side and sat down.

Blake waved. "How'd the training go?"

Koa grinned, the memory of his earlier triumph still fresh in his mind. "Great! I beat my time. I think I'm ready."

Blake grinned proudly. "Good job. I hope you're not too tired though."

"Why? What did you need me to do?"

"I have a few books and some research notes I want you to take to Professor Rowan. I was going to just mail it, but I figured you'd like the chance to see him again. He's going to be in Jubilife City this week for a special teaching session at the Trainer's School."

Koa's grin grew as his cousin spoke. "Sick!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. Professor Rowan was a close friend of his cousin, who was a Pokemon researcher. He'd met the Professor a few years back and immediately grew close to him. It seemed as if Rowan had a never-ending wealth of knowledge, and with his help, he'd learned a great deal about Pokemon. "Thanks, cousin!” He paused. “That’s gonna be a pretty long walk though...” he mused, almost to himself. “At least five days, accounting for travel time. There’s no way I could-”

"Oh, you won’t be walking.” Blake gestured to his bike, which leaned against the side of the house. He flashed a broad smile. “You can borrow my bike to get there. It'll cut down your travel time."

“Yes!” Koa grinned widely. The trip would be cinch by bike. He started towards it, then froze midstep. "Wait! What about work?" A note of panic slipped into his voice. "I work today and tomorrow-"

"Relax, Little K." Blake chuckled. "I already cleared everything with your manager. You're good to go for the next week."

Koa beamed and grabbed the bike. "Thanks!"

Blake held up his hand. "Be careful with that bike. They aren't cheap, you know," he said. "Take route 218 straight there. I'm guessing you already have enough basic supplies in your backpack?"

Koa nodded impatiently. Ever since he started training for the trainer's exam, he got in the habit of keeping a backpack of necessities - first-aid kit, map, a knife, clothing, a sleeping bag, tent, and rope. Not to mention the baton he always kept at his side, although he abhorred the thought of having to use it. "Of course. Besides, this is a quick three-day trip, not a wilderness excursion."

"Good. You should be able to make it there by the morning after tomorrow if you keep a steady pace. I recommended resting at the Ranger's Lodge before you cross the bridge. And don’t rush! It's not a good idea to cross the bridge after dark. You can get supplies there too. There's another lodge on the west side that-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know how to travel, dude." Koa swung his leg over the bike.

Blake handed Koa a paper bag. "I packed you lunch."

Koa took the bag, stuffing it into his backpack. "Anything else, mom?" he said teasingly.

Blake rolled his eyes and returned Absol. He handed the ball to Koa. "You can take Absol, but no battles! He's there for protection only, got it? Last thing I need is a call from Officer Jenny about an unlicensed trainer using my pokemon in an illegal battle."

"Okay already. I get it," he took the ball and clipped it to his belt. "Are you done? Can I go now?"

Blake sighed. "Yes, that's all I guess. Please at least try not to be too reckless."

Koa rolled his eyes and nodded, then pushed off and started pedaling. He zoomed out of Canalave, exiting the city in less than an hour, taking the east gate. Within the hour, he was on the way, the city at his back.



For the first few hours, he saw little but wild Pokemon. It wasn't until halfway through the day anything disrupted his ride. As he crossed one of the route's many bridges, the distant thunder of hooves caught his attention. He looked up just in time to see a black and white blur streaking towards him. With a cry, he swerved sharply, narrowly missing a collision, and skidded to a halt.

Heart hammering, he whipped around just in time to catch a glimpse of a figure in all black, riding a... Zebstrika? That was odd. Zebstrika's weren't native to Sinnoh. He narrowed his eyes, his grip on the handledbars of his bike tightening. Anger simmered in his chest, but he forced it down. As much as he would've loved to give the rider a piece of his mind, he'd never catch up.

With a growl, he turned his gaze west once again. Fine. If he couldn't catch them, he'd at least report them for reckless behavior. Aside from his encounter with the rider, the trip otherwise remained pleasantly uneventful. He made sure to report the reckless rider at the Ranger Station that evening.

Over the rest of his time traveling, he passed several trainers and a few even challenged him, but he was forced to refuse. If he was caught, he would be prohibited from getting his trainer's license. Last time the police hadn't pressed charges but he doubted he would be so lucky if he did it again. Even though anyone was technically allowed to carry a pokemon, only licensed trainers could catch pokemon, participate in battles, or try for the gym circuit.

By the dawn of the third day, he’d made solid progress. He crossed the bulk of the route and entered the last stretch, an area cutting through a sparse forest. As he entered the woods, a loud shriek sounded from somewhere ahead and to his right. Koa paused. The sound came again. It sounded like a pokemon in distress. Curious, Koa dropped his bike and hurried into the woods.

A faint trail wound through the woods a short distance, leading to a tiny clearing with a single tree. Unlike the rest of the trees in the area, this one's leaves were a golden yellow, and a sticky coating covered the trunk. A honey tree. He knew there was one near Jubilife, and he wasn't exactly surprised to find another.

At the edge of the clearing, a small Zubat lay still on the ground. Koa's eyes widened and he quickly shuffled closer. It fluttered weakly at his approach, squeaking in fear. Its ears flicked erratically and it kept twisting its head side to side.

Right. Zubat saw with sound, not their eyes. Because they didn’t have eyes.

“Easy there,” he whispered softly. The Zubat stilled at his voice, turning towards him. It flapped its wings again in a vain attempt to fly, then gave up and dropped back to the ground, seemingly too exhausted. Koa knelt beside it, examining it closer. No visible damage, which was a good indicator. Pokemon's natural abilities allowed them to fight without sustaining serious wounds unless they fought when sick or weakened. So it wouldn't need medical attention.

It fluttered weakly into the air a few inches then landed again, panting. Koa patted its soft head gently to soothe it, wracking his brain as he did.

Pokemon battling in the wild for sport or territory was normal. Matches in the wild were as common as trainer battles, and much like a trainer battle, ended when one side 'fainted'. Professor Rowan had once explained how fainting was a natural process during a battle that prevented Pokemon from injuring themselves. Their body would drop into a quick healing state to recover their protective energies. However, if the pokemon continued to push themselves without proper recovery - either through medicine or rest - then they could become over-exhausted, leaving them vulnerable. Could that be the case here?

He glanced around. No berry trees in sight. His gaze returned to Zubat, whose chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. The Zubat's body language and behavior showed all the telltale signs of overexertion. He couldn't bear the thought of just leaving it here like this. Not if he could help.

"Alright, hang in there," he murmured. Recalling the potion he kept for Absol in case of emergencies, he started to take his backpack off his shoulder, then stopped. If something happened, he might need it later. And yet... Zubat was here, right in front of him. Absol could handle himself, and he was nearly at Jubilife. Sure, it would recover with time, but if something happened before then...

Uncapping the potion, he sprayed the Zubat. After a few moments, it fluttered to life, emitting a happy shriek. Judging by the size of its fangs, it was male. Koa wondered what he was doing all the way out here. Zubat and Golbat tended to stick to colonies. Usually, they lived in caves, although some lived in forests or in cities. This one also didn't seem as bothered by sunlight as other members of its species. What had brought it out here?

His question was soon answered when the Zubat started to flutter towards the honey tree. A warning cry from its branches made him pause. The purple head of an Aipom poked out and glared at the Zubat. He guessed the Aipom had claimed the tree as its own. After all, the monkey pokemon were fairly fond of honey. The Aipom didn't seem surprised to see the Zubat either. Judging by the condition Zubat had been in, he guessed it tried to get some and got attacked for it.

"Huh, I guess you wanted some honey?" Koa mused out loud. He'd never known Zubat to be lovers of honey, but there were always exceptions, he supposed. The Zubat chittered and nodded its head. Koa turned back towards the tree.

"Hey Aipom, how about it?" he called. “Can Zubat use your tree?”

The Aipom let out a shriek and shook its head adamantly. It bared its teeth and clutched the trunk tighter.

Koa crossed his arms and frowned. He eyed the Zubat thoughtfully, then the Aipom. “You don’t want the whole tree, right Zubat?” he asked, turning to the flying type. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the Aipom’s expression.

Zubat bowed its head slightly, almost as if guilty, then shook its head. Just as Koa suspected. Zubat had probably gone straight for the tree in his eagerness. Aipom’s territorial instincts had kicked in and it had attacked.

Koa turned back to face it. “Zubat just made a mistake. He only wants a little bit of your honey, not your whole tree. Right?”

The Zubat nodded emphatically. The Aipom’s expression shifted to an apologetic one. It eyed Koa and the Zubat for a moment, then slowly nodded. With a grateful squeak, Zubat flew to the tree, landing and licking the honey off.

Koa shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips at the comical sight. After watching for another moment, he returned to the road. Jubilife was only a couple of hours away now, and he didn’t want to linger any longer.



In no time at all, he found himself zipping between the highrises of Jubilife on his bike. Just ahead, he could make out the wide, many-windowed building of the Jubilife Trainers' School. He stopped outside, leaving his bike on the rack, then hurried through the doors.

The hallway looked just as he remembered it - a narrow stretch of grim hardwood floors, classrooms lining either side like little jail cells. He’d only been once before, for a seminar for new trainers. And once had been enough. He'd given a presentation about his goal to battle and catch a legendary. The mocking laughter had been the final straw for him, and he knew better than to discuss his dreams openly.

Pushing the unpleasant memory from his mind, he wound through the hallways to the auditorium doors. By the sound of it, Professor Rowan was still giving his presentation. He leaned against the wall outside, drumming his hands on his leg. After a very agonizing fifteen minute wait, the presentation had finished and the attendees had filed out. Finally, Professor Rowan emerged.

When his gaze settled on Koa, he smiled. “Ah, Koa! You’re here already, excellent. I assume you brought the papers from Blake?”

Koa nodded, taking them from his backpack and handing them to Rowan. “What’s the research on?” he asked curiously. He’d considered taking a peek at them himself, but the idea seemed rude, so he’d resisted the urge.

“Your cousin has been helping me study the link between battles and evolution,” Rowan said as he tucked the files into his briefcase. “You see, our research indicates that most trained pokemon in their second or third stages are much younger than their wild counterparts.”

“Huh,” Koa mused. “So... evolution is completely different from aging?”

Rowan stroked his beard, his gaze drifting to the ceiling. “Not quite. We believe evolution is distinct from age and maturity, although only to some degree. And of course, it depends on the species. Some species are even impossible to find wild at all, such as Umbreon and Espeon. I am sure there is a human component to this.”

Koa’s eyes lit up. “That’s why Pokemon seek out the companionship of trainers, right? Pokemon who battle with humans are always lots stronger than wild ones, even the ones who fight a lot.”

“Correct,” Rowan said with a brisk nod. "There's also plenty of other benefits for Pokemon who seek training." He started down the hall, motioned for Koa to follow. Koa darted after him, his gaze never leaving Rowan. "So how is the training going?" he asked.

"Great!" Koa replied enthusiastically. "I'm ready for the exam, I think. And I even have my whole team planned out," he added proudly.

Rowan frowned. Or at least his normally stern face got slightly more stern. "Planning ahead is good, but remember not to limit yourself. Unexpected occurrences always happen during a trainer's journey."

"I know," Koa said, trying to hide the impatience in his voice. He didn't really mind surprises, but he didn't want his team to be one.

Rowan narrowed his gaze and eyed Koa, but remained silent for several moments. “Koa, I hope you understand something,” he said finally.

Koa gazed at him questioningly. “What?” he asked, a note of hesitance in his voice. It was the sort of tone that usually preceded an adult's lecture.

“The bond between Pokemon and trainer is sacred.” Rowan’s tone became quiet, but forceful. “It allows both to reach unprecedented heights. Why Pokemon have chosen to live and serve alongside us is something even Oak and I don’t fully grasp, but it is not something to be taken lightly. Make no mistake, Pokemon choose to fight with us.” He paused. “By working together, there is little we cannot accomplish, regardless of the pokemon or the trainer. All that matters is your hearts and drive. Do you understand?”

Koa grinned, then nodded. “Yeah, I understand.” And there's nothing me and Luxray can't accomplish.

After that, Rowan lightened up. For the next hour, Koa caught up with him, asking various questions about his research, and letting Rowan use him as a soundboard. Some of the topics were too nebulous for Koa to really understand, but Rowan always said that the layman’s perspective could be more helpful than another scientist. All too soon, the day had grown late and it was time for Rowan to depart.

"I have to get back to my lab, but keep your phone with you once you start your journey. I may need your help with a project of mine soon."

Koa's eyes lit up. "What project?" he asked eagerly.

"You'll have to have some patience, my boy," Rowan said. Koa knew that tone of voice all too well. Try as he might, he wouldn't get any more information from him. Rowan was more stubborn than a rock.

"One more thing, young man."

"Yes?"

"Make sure you stop by the lab as soon as you get your license. Your cousin and I have something for you that we've been working on."

Koa's eyes widened. He longed to know what it was, but he felt certain neither Rowan nor his cousin would spill a word of whatever his surprises were. With great reluctance, he bid the Professor goodbye.



The next day, he started on his return journey. On the last leg of his journey, he found himself on the final stretch of Route 218 in the very late evening, thanks to oversleeping at one point. The last colors of dusk were fading from the sky, and he could just barely make out stars. He figured he had about an hour's worth of biking to get back to Canalave. Normally, traveling after dark was dangerous, but he had Absol for protection, so he wasn't very worried. Plus, 218 was usually a fairly safe route.

His thoughts drifted as he biked down the final stretch. The sky gradually darkened more and the moon began to rise. He didn't see the dark shape in front of him until it was too late. Koa cried out in shock as he crashed into something, the impact sending him flying off his bike. Behind him, a low growl arose. He rolled to his feet just in time to see a very angry Mightyena glaring at him. Slowly, he raised his hand in a pacifying gesture.

"Easy boy. I'm sorry, it was an accident. I didn't mean to run into you."

Apparently, the Mightyena didn't care for his apology. It snarled in anger and took a step towards him. Koa reached for Absol's pokeball.

The rogue Mightyena lunged forwards, knocking the ball out of his hand. It rolled several yards away. The Mightyena snarled, prowling in between him and the ball. Koa gulped. His heart beat a little faster and he stared anxiously at the pokeball.

"Easy buddy. I don't want to hurt you," he spoke in as calm a voice as he could muster, and held his hands out. "How about you let bygones be bygones?" The Mightyena growled louder and took a step towards him. It wasn't listening. Clearly it was majorly pissed off. Koa hesitantly reached for the baton clipped at his side. It wouldn't hurt a pokemon much, but maybe it would deter the Mightyena, show it he meant business. The Mightyena lunged for him. Koa dove to the ground, rolling away from it. He scrambled to his feet, still eyeing Absol's pokeball. Mightyena remained between him and it, cutting him off.

Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched screech from above assaulted his ears. The Mightyena whimpered and flinched. Koa looked up, towards the source of the sound. Several feet above, a small Zubat hovered in the air. It screeched again, then dived at the Mightyena. The Mightyena leaped away, then glared at the Zubat, as if contemplating attacking. Apparently, it decided it wasn't worth the trouble and gave a single bark, then darted back into the woods.

Not wanting to lose his opportunity, Koa grabbed Absol's pokeball and picked up his bike. He glanced up again, but the Zubat had disappeared. He frowned in thought. That was odd. Singular Zubat didn't tend to be aggressive. Why would one attack a Mightyena out of the blue? As he got back on his bike and continued his trip home, he contemplated the Zubat. Could it have been the one from the honey tree? He quickly dismissed the thought. There were hundreds of Zubat in the world. Perhaps this was just the Pokemon gods smiling upon him. Either way, he was grateful not to have to use his baton, even for defense.



The morning of his trainer’s exam dawned, and Koa with it. Despite waking a little later than he would have liked, he still had plenty of time to dress, pack his things, and do a final check before leaving. The closest exam center was in Jubilife, which meant they would have to take a special bus there. He hadn’t decided yet if he intended to leave straight from Jubilife or head back to Canalave, so he made sure to be prepared either way. When he had finished packing and heading downstairs, his cousin was awake and waiting for him already.

The bus let them out at the gates to Jubilife, and his cousin walked with him the rest of the way. They stopped in front of a large, squarish building with a massive domed roof. Bold letters above the doors spelled out 'DTL' and in smaller letters beneath it read "Department of Trainer Licensing.' Koa started for the double doors.

"Good luck, Little K," his cousin called.

"Oh please. I got this. Luck is for losers!" Koa replied, smirking.

"That's why I offered it."

Koa's smirk disappeared and he shot Blake a scathing glare. After a moment, he smiled. "Not bad, I'll give you that." Koa turned and headed inside. Several soon-to-be trainers milled about inside, most around his age or a little older. Some were chatting, while others showed off pokemon they had gotten. He brushed by them, heading straight for the front desk. A woman with straight black hair, pale skin and a serious face sat behind the counter, staring blankly ahead.

"I'd like to register for the Trainer's License exam," he said.

The lady looked at him, then down at her computer. "Name?"

"Koamaru Averon."

"Age?"

"14," he replied. It felt good to finally say it.

She took another look at him then typed in some more information, murmuring to herself as she did. "Eyes, brown... skin, light. Hair dark navy." She looked back up at him.

"Height?"

"Five foot four."

"Hometown?"

"Canalave City."

She finished typing, then looked up at him. "You're all set." She slid a slip of paper over the counter towards him. "Here's your exam pass. The first part will begin in five minutes. Please wait in the lobby."

He let his attention drift as he mentally prepared himself for what lay ahead. The exam consisted of three parts. A test of physical prowess, tests of knowledge about the pokemon world, and finally, a simulated battle. The physical test and knowledge test he knew well, but he was slightly less certain about the battle test. You never knew what pokemon you would get, or what opponent you would face. On the bright side, they weren't required to win, merely demonstrate their skills.

"Hey, rookie!" A blue-haired boy waved to him from a cluster of other teenagers. "Come on over!"

Koa shuffled over towards the kids, and they parted to make space for him. There were five in total - the blue-haired boy, a muscled boy who kept glancing at the floor, a girl with teal curls, a confident-looking boy wearing a cape (which Koa thought was a bit extra), and a girl with the neatest green bun he'd ever seen.

The blue-haired boy cleared his throat. "Name's Galen. We're all talking about what we wanna do with our pokemon when we get our license. Our goals an' stuff." He grinned. "I'm gonna be a Dark-type specialist. My dad’s gonna help me find a Murkrow."

Must be nice to have parents helping your journey. Koa quickly pushed the bitter thought away. He had Blake, and that was plenty.

Galen gestured to the teal-haired girl. "Hilgar said she's gonna become a coordinator and Cade over there is gonna be a dragon type specialist." He pointed to the caped boy, who nodded calmly in agreement. “And you said you’re gonna try to win the league tournament, right?” He nodded his head towards Bun Girl.

She nodded, flashing a determined smile. “Gonna try to win the Lily of the Valley in a year.”

A couple of the kids let out low whistles, and Koa understood why. To both qualify for the league tournament early next year and win it was an impressive feat.

"What're you gonna do?" Galen asked. Five heads swiveled to stare at him expectantly.

Koa gulped. "I want to c-" He caught himself and coughed awkwardly. "I'm gonna research legendaries."

"Sweet! Like Dialga and Palkia and stuff?" Galen asked. "You think they're real?"

The muscled boy cleared his throat. "My dad said they're just a bunch of crazy worshippers who exaggerated stories. All that legendary stuff is nonsense. No way can a pokemon really control time and space."

Hilgar snorted. "You seriously believe that Morris? It's somehow all fake?" She rolled her eyes. "Oh, legendaries are real all right."

Morris frowned. "How do you know?"

Everyone looked at her expectantly.

She gave him an exasperated look, which she then shared with everyone else as if expecting someone to finish her sentence. "Team Galactic? Unless we all collectively forgot about the crazy cult who tried to bring about an apocalypse."

Koa flinched at the mention of Team Galactic as a grim silence wrapped around the group. They had been responsible for terrorizing Sinnoh region only some six years ago. The general public never knew the full extent of what they attempted, but they knew it involved trying to capture the sacred guardians of Sinnoh's three lakes. Because of them, the age for a starting trainer had been raised by two years, from 12 to 14. He gritted his teeth, intense bitterness washing over him just thinking about them.

“Just because some crazy cult tried to catch some Legendaries doesn't mean they're still around." Bun-girl glanced around as if trying to see who agreed with her. "For all we know, they vanished or died centuries ago and left us to our own devices. Besides, the news says they failed. Never caught a thing."

Koa’s jaw twitched. And I suppose you believe everything you hear on the news? So much more had gone down during that incident...

"So you think this crazy cult spent all their time chasing wobbuffet tails?" Hilgar said. "Chasing dead myths? No, they failed because legendaries are gods who aren't even Pokemon-"

Koa cleared his throat, feeling tense. "That's not true." Hilgar stared at him, looking offended. “Legendaries are real.” The other kids fell silent, looking at him. “And they’re still around,” he added. “Yeah, a long time ago legendaries were worshipped as gods. Pokemon like Palkia and Dialga or the titans, like Rayquaza. Even Yveltal and Xerneas. But they're still Pokemon."

Cade nodded thoughtfully. "True. We humans are the ones who chose to call them 'gods' because of their actions in protecting humanity and our world."

Hilgar relaxed slightly and sighed. "I mean that they're not like a regular pokemon. You can't catch them or anything. They do their own things while us mortals do ours."

"No." All eyes turned to him. Koa did his best not to squirm. "I just mean... In the past... legendaries would work with humans willingly and stuff." He mentally smacked himself. And stuff? That's the best you can do? "There are a lot of stories where legendaries have been... I mean, were caught by humans." he paused awkwardly. “So it’s not impossible.”

For a moment, it looked as if Hilgar wanted to make a comment, but Cade spoke up first. He let his gaze drift across the group before speaking. “History indeed speaks of Legendaries who joined with humans. It is not unheard of. It is fact, actually.” His tone carried a certain amount of authority that Koa couldn’t help but be jealous of. “Although it certainly seems unlikely in our present time. I will admit I have not heard of any such occurrences in a long time. Not since Ho-Oh and Lugia separated from the towers of Johto about 200 years ago.”

Koa eyed Cade with new respect. He clearly knew his history. And could articulate it better.

The others seemed impressed too, Galen nodding appreciatively. “You sure know your stuff, huh?”

Murmurs of vague agreement spread through the group, while Hilgar muttered something under her breath that Koa didn’t catch.

A door beside the registration desk slid open and a man with graying brown hair and a clipboard stepped out. "Attention!" Though quiet, his voice carried easily over their conversation. "My name is Fyren, and I'll be your head instructor today. The Trainer's License Exam will begin now. Please follow me."

Koa hurried after him, relieved to be free of the conversation. The rest of the trainers, about thirty, filed in behind him. Putting aside his frustration, he focused his attention on the tests ahead. One last hurdle, then he'd be free.



A couple hours later, he sat anxiously on one of the hard-backed chairs of the auditorium, tapping his foot against the ground. The first two parts of the exam, the physical and the knowledge test, had gone great. He cleared the hurdles and rock wall easily, only outmatched by Cade, who’d practically glided up the walls.

He’d handed in his written test before most of the class too, except for Cade again, and he’d been confident on just about every question. But everything had gone downhill during his battle aptitude test. It had seemed so simple when he’d gotten a Hippopotas and the instructor sent out an Eelektross, an electric-type. Yet he’d lost it, and humiliatingly too. Poor Hippopotas never even got to land a hit.

The instructor's advice to him rang in his mind.

"Never assume, young man. Eelektross has a special ability known as Levitate, which causes ground attacks like Earthquake to miss. And although type advantages can win a battle, don't forget that a skilled trainer must also account for his partner's weaknesses."

Fyren stepped onto the stage, holding his clipboard. "I will now announce the trainers who will receive their license."

Koa shook himself from his thoughts and focused on the stage. This was it. If he didn’t make it now, he’d have to wait a month to try again.

One by one, he called up each of the trainers who passed. Most of the trainers he’d met earlier were called onto stage. Unsurprisingly, Cade was among them.

He watched with a hint of envy as the caped boy strode confidently across the stage to receive his license. More names were called. With each name that wasn't his, Koa became more worried, jittering his leg and tapping his fingers.

"Koamaru Averon."

Koa literally leaped out of his chair, barely holding back his exclamation of joy. He ran onto the stage, grinning widely as Fyren handed him his license, along with a simple Pokeball belt. Finally. He could be a proper trainer. As soon as he was able, he raced out of the building. As soon as he stepped outside, he jumped in the air and shouted. He spotted Blake a few feet away, smiling proudly.

"Good job Little K. Keep this up and maybe I'll have to start calling you Big K," Blake said, chuckling. Koa rolled his eyes.

"I have a gift for you, by the way." Blake reached into his jacket and pulled out a small box.

Koa's eyes widened when he saw the picture on the front. "A Poketch?" he stammered. "Thank you!" he hugged his cousin, then stepped back to examine his new prize. He tore it out of the box and put it on. It booted up flawlessly. He'd wanted a Poketch for months now, and planned to buy one after he started his journey. Now he could save his money for something else.

"So what now? Straight to Professor Rowan’s lab I hope? I know he mentioned having you stop by once you got your license."

Blake's eyes looked far away, and despite his upbeat tone, Koa knew better. Sure it would mean starting a little later but...

He shook his head. "I'll take the bus back to Canalave with you. I have a few supplies to pick up, and I'd love to visit the library one last time." Technically, it was true. He did want to see the library again, and he could always stock up before he left. Of course, he didn't bother mentioning that he had everything he needed to set out on his journey now. Blake would miss him, and even though Koa wouldn't admit it out loud, he knew he would miss Blake.

The sky had begun to darken by the time they reached Canalave. Koa visited the library before it closed that evening, then purchased a few extra potions and pokeballs from the Pokemart. He bid farewell to his coworkers at the shop, then returned home for the evening. As he lay in bed that night, he silently marveled at the fact that his pokemon journey would begin tomorrow, for real. He would travel to Sandgem, and soon, catch his first pokemon. Thoughts of his perfect team floated through his mind as he finally drifted off to sleep.



The next morning, Koa awoke bright and early. He checked his bag again, making sure it had all his supplies - plenty of pokeballs from the shop, as well as a few potions and his usual supplies of clothes, a sleeping bag, tent, and a small pocket knife. Once his backpack was ready, he logged onto his computer for what might be his last time. With a few clicks, he logged into his favorite website, a forum for legendary sightings. Skimming the list, he scrolled until he found the listing for Sinnoh pokemon. He didn't expect to see anything - Sinnoh didn't feature many roaming legendaries like Kanto or Johto did, but it was always worth a check. To his surprise, there was one new addition to the forum.

Potential Regirock sighting at Ore Caverns?!

Koa eagerly clicked it. He skimmed the information. A trainer had posted a blurred photo of what appeared to be a Regirock. The silhouette definitely looked like a Regi, although the trainer also admitted she only caught a glimpse and was uncertain if it really had been the legendary titan.

Koa sat back for a moment, contemplating. The Ore Caverns lay within a small mountain range directly south of Canalave. If he left now, he could be there by the afternoon. Of course, it would mean getting to Sandgem much later. Although... he could always trek straight through the wilderness and get to Sandgem, if he went off route. He grinned and nodded to himself. It was decided. He would take a quick detour to the caverns, then head Southeast and cut through the wilderness to Sandgem.

Grabbing his backpack, Koa sprinted downstairs, taking the steps two at a time. Blake was waiting downstairs for him, his hands behind his back. "I was wondering when you were going to come down. I have something for you. Two somethings, actually. I was gonna have it sent to you but since you stayed the night I figured I'd give it to you now." Taking his hands from behind his back, he held up a brand new leather jacket. It was red and dark navy blue, with white highlights. The elbows were reinforced and it sported multiple pockets.

"Sick!" Koa quickly took it, eagerly discarding his worn jacket and putting on the new one. It fit perfectly, snug, but still flexible. The inside material was pleasantly soft yet breathable, and the outside felt surprisingly tough. It would serve him well on his travels.

Blake then pulled an object out of his pocket. It was a pokeball, but unlike a regular pokeball, this one was black with red and gold striping.

"Wow, a Luxury ball!" He took it almost reverently. While not as expensive as an Ultra ball, they weren't exactly cheap either. He slipped it into his pocket. "Thanks, Blake." He gave his cousin a quick hug. His cousin gripped him tightly, and for a moment, Koa couldn't escape the embrace. After a long second, Blake released him.

"You better be careful out there, Little K."

Koa nodded. "I will."

Blake ruffled his hair, but Koa didn't pull away. This was the last time his cousin would ruffle his hair for a long time. "And check in once you get to Sandgem. Taking the bus, right?"

Koa nodded again. “Probably,” he mumbled in half-hearted agreement. He didn't bother to mention his little detour. If his cousin found he went exploring in a cave without any pokemon, he would probably be furious. Besides, he didn’t want to miss a chance at meeting a legendary. A quick stop wouldn’t hurt, right?



"Sorry, no one is allowed past this point without a Trainer's License and at least two badges." Two guards blocked the cave entrance, barring the path forwards.

"What?" Koa cried out. This was his first time hiking all the way to Ore caverns, but he'd assumed he could just go right in. Although granted, he'd never been far from Canalave. The farthest he'd ever gone was Twinleaf town, to visit his cousin's friend. And even then, he always traveled on official routes.

"Why not?" he demanded.

The guard looked down at him and frowned. "This is not a cave that is on an official route. It's not safe for inexperienced trainers, plus there have been sightings of a dangerous Golbat colony."

"You should know better than to goof off in an unexplored cave," the second guard added, giving Koa a look of disdain.

Koa gave him a dirty look and grit his teeth. Yes, he knew that, but he assumed the frontier lands around Canalave were safer. Still, how bad could the cave be? He eyed the two guards. They wore matching frowns. Not the type who would give in to convincing... "Alright. Guess I'll have to come back later." He put on his sincerest disappointed face and walked away. As soon as he walked around a bend, and was hidden from sight, he began scanning the landscape. Most cave systems had multiple entrances. There was no way he was passing up the chance to go inside now that he was here. Plus, the Zubat line was not that dangerous. As long as he kept quiet, he should be fine.

Another several minutes of searching led him to a small opening partway up the slope, half-covered by brush.

"Nice!" Koa got on his hands and knees, crawling through the small opening. It appeared to be a long tunnel, perhaps made by a pokemon of some kind. For a long time, the tunnel remained fairly narrow, and Koa wondered if perhaps it led nowhere. After a good several minutes, however, the tunnel slowly widened, until he was able to stand up straight. The tunnel continued forwards for another few feet, before dropping off a few feet into a chamber. He hopped down, landing with a small thump. Koa dusted himself off and took a look around. Pulling out his flashlight, he shined it all around.

The cavern he stood in was medium-sized, perhaps as big as an average house. One large tunnel on the opposite side stretched away into the darkness. Koa decided to head for that one first. Keeping his flashlight trained ahead, he started towards the tunnel. He hardly took a step before a bluish shape darted in front of his flashlight beam. He gave a sharp yelp of surprise as a strange weight landed on his head. Dropping his flashlight, he batted the object off his head in a panic. It landed on the ground with a shriek of surprise. Koa grabbed his flashlight and aimed it at the shape. The beam revealed the small bluish body of a Zubat. He frowned and peered closer. The Zubat's fangs indicated it was male, and the unusually thick fur on its body was sticky and matted. With honey. Koa groaned. Something told him this wasn't just a random Zubat. It was the same Zubat from the honey tree last week.

Zubat fluttered into the air and shrieked happily, then settled on his head again. What was it doing here? Koa sighed and shook his head, displacing the bat. "Oh no you don't. Scram," he whispered.

Either the Zubat was ignoring him, or didn't care, and immediately dived for his head again. He ducked out of the way and made a shooing motion. "No!" he recognized the behaviour quite clearly - Zubat wanted to join his team. There definitely was not room in the Plan for a Zubat as a starter, or at all for that matter.

Unfortunately, the Zubat didn't seem to get the memo. He squeaked again and dived for Koa's head. He dodged it again and tried to keep walking. The bat kept squeaking happily and fluttered after him.

Koa stopped and turned around, glaring at the Zubat. "You can't come with me," he said firmly. Zubat chirped and did a little loop. Koa tried again. "I can't be your trainer. Find someone else." Zubat was a perfectly fine pokemon, but he wanted a Shinx as his starter. He'd done his research and Zubat simply lacked the natural strength of pokemon like Starly and Shinx. Zubat just weren't... They weren't for him. Period.

Zubat simply squeaked and fluttered towards Koa.

Growling, he smacked his head with his hand. Clearly, the Zubat had no intention of leaving. If it kept following him, it could alert every wild pokemon in the area to him. Which, more importantly, could scare off any Legendaries. Legendaries were notoriously elusive and generally avoided being seen by humans much. Its erratic behavior could draw the wrong kind of attention.

With a long sigh, Koa withdrew a pokeball from his pocket and tossed it at the Zubat. It arced through the air, striking the Zubat on the head and encapsulating him in red light. The ball landed on the ground, rolled once, then dinged. Koa immediately cursed. He'd grabbed the Luxury ball his brother gave him, instead of a regular pokeball. With a sigh, he picked up the ball and attached it to his belt. Later he could have it transferred to a regular ball, he supposed. Then he could release it. There was absolutely no way in Arceus' name he was keeping a Zubat. No. Way.
Hi there, here for a review! My first impression is that it's a twist on a journey fic. Instead of one of the obvious picks, it would seem nobody told Koa about Zubats and caves.

The next morning, Koa awoke bright and early. He checked his bag again, making sure it had all his supplies - plenty of pokeballs from the shop, as well as a few potions and his usual supplies of clothes, a sleeping bag, tent, and a small pocket knife. Once his backpack was ready, he logged onto his computer for what might be his last time. With a few clicks, he logged into his favorite website, a forum for legendary sightings. Skimming the list, he scrolled until he found the listing for Sinnoh pokemon. He didn't expect to see anything - Sinnoh didn't feature many roaming legendaries like Kanto or Johto did, but it was always worth a check. To his surprise, there was one new addition to the forum.

Potential Regirock sighting at Ore Caverns?!

Koa eagerly clicked it. He skimmed the information. A trainer had posted a blurred photo of what appeared to be a Regirock. The silhouette definitely looked like a Regi, although the trainer also admitted she only caught a glimpse and was uncertain if it really had been the legendary titan.

Koa sat back for a moment, contemplating. The Ore Caverns lay within a small mountain range directly south of Canalave. If he left now, he could be there by the afternoon. Of course, it would mean getting to Sandgem much later. Although... he could always trek straight through the wilderness and get to Sandgem, if he went off route. He grinned and nodded to himself. It was decided. He would take a quick detour to the caverns, then head Southeast and cut through the wilderness to Sandgem.

Not mentioned in what Koa read was that Regirock was all line UN UN UN UN UN. Or he missed that important information. If so, smh.

Pokemon battling in the wild for sport or territory was normal. Matches in the wild were as common as trainer battles, and much like a trainer battle, ended when one side 'fainted'. Professor Rowan had once explained how fainting was a natural process during a battle that prevented Pokemon from injuring themselves. Their body would drop into a quick healing state to recover their protective energies. However, if the pokemon continued to push themselves without proper recovery - either through medicine or rest - then they could become over-exhausted, leaving them vulnerable. Could that be the case here?

He glanced around. No berry trees in sight. His gaze returned to Zubat, whose chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. The Zubat's body language and behavior showed all the telltale signs of overexertion. He couldn't bear the thought of just leaving it here like this. Not if he could help.

"Alright, hang in there," he murmured. Recalling the potion he kept for Absol in case of emergencies, he started to take his backpack off his shoulder, then stopped. If something happened, he might need it later. And yet... Zubat was here, right in front of him. Absol could handle himself, and he was nearly at Jubilife. Sure, it would recover with time, but if something happened before then...

Uncapping the potion, he sprayed the Zubat. After a few moments, it fluttered to life, emitting a happy shriek. Judging by the size of its fangs, it was male. Koa wondered what he was doing all the way out here. Zubat and Golbat tended to stick to colonies. Usually, they lived in caves, although some lived in forests or in cities. This one also didn't seem as bothered by sunlight as other members of its species. What had brought it out here?

His question was soon answered when the Zubat started to flutter towards the honey tree. A warning cry from its branches made him pause. The purple head of an Aipom poked out and glared at the Zubat. He guessed the Aipom had claimed the tree as its own. After all, the monkey pokemon were fairly fond of honey. The Aipom didn't seem surprised to see the Zubat either. Judging by the condition Zubat had been in, he guessed it tried to get some and got attacked for it.

The way you presented your wb here is great, and I like the prose used here and throughout. I think it's also a good way to show more of Koa's character.

As he crossed near the beach, a pang of nostalgia struck him. He’d miss this city. His gaze shifted to his left, to the only two-story building in town. Or rather, he’d miss one specific building. The library. Ever since the day his cousin had first introduced him to the concept of unlimited free books, he'd been hooked. Most of his spare time had been spent in those walls, reading, researching, and making small talk with the librarian. She'd been the one to introduce him to the section on legendaries, with its well-loved couch and beanbag chairs. Mythology and legends became his escape from all his fears and worries.

When he was young, the section used to be filled with kids his age. They would all dream about the ones they wanted to see, which ones were cooler, and who was the strongest. They would pretend to have epic battles and write silly stories about legends. But as the years had gone by, he soon found himself alone on the couch, his only company a scruffy plush of Mew. While everyone else moved on from their ‘legendary phase’, as adults deemed it, he couldn’t. He didn't have anything else, so his love never once wavered.

History and legends spoke of ancient trainers who befriended the powerful beings. Earned their respect and trust through the honored art of battle, or through acts of valor. League winners and gym trainers didn’t make history. They were remembered for a season until someone else came along. But those trainers? That was something no one could forget. If he could build his team and battle a legend, then he could make his own history. One that belonged to him and his pokemon and no one else.

Good presentation of backstory, and I like his motivation. He wants to cement his name is history as one of the best. and I think it's a cool take on a commonly seen goal.

For a moment, it looked as if Hilgar wanted to make a comment, but Cade spoke up first. He let his gaze drift across the group before speaking. “History indeed speaks of Legendaries who joined with humans. It is not unheard of. It is fact, actually.” His tone carried a certain amount of authority that Koa couldn’t help but be jealous of. “Although it certainly seems unlikely in our present time. I will admit I have not heard of any such occurrences in a long time. Not since Ho-Oh and Lugia separated from the towers of Johto about 200 years ago.”

Koa eyed Cade with new respect. He clearly knew his history. And could articulate it better.

The others seemed impressed too, Galen nodding appreciatively. “You sure know your stuff, huh?”
I'm always gonna be down for history and lore. Bring a truckload! You're also really good at adding in little details to make everything come to life. I love seeing that in fics, and I try to do the same.

The rogue Mightyena lunged forwards, knocking the ball out of his hand. It rolled several yards away. The Mightyena snarled, prowling in between him and the ball. Koa gulped. His heart beat a little faster and he stared anxiously at the pokeball.

"Easy buddy. I don't want to hurt you," he spoke in as calm a voice as he could muster, and held his hands out. "How about you let bygones be bygones?" The Mightyena growled louder and took a step towards him. It wasn't listening. Clearly it was majorly pissed off. Koa hesitantly reached for the baton clipped at his side. It wouldn't hurt a pokemon much, but maybe it would deter the Mightyena, show it he meant business. The Mightyena lunged for him. Koa dove to the ground, rolling away from it. He scrambled to his feet, still eyeing Absol's pokeball. Mightyena remained between him and it, cutting him off.

Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched screech from above assaulted his ears. The Mightyena whimpered and flinched. Koa looked up, towards the source of the sound. Several feet above, a small Zubat hovered in the air. It screeched again, then dived at the Mightyena. The Mightyena leaped away, then glared at the Zubat, as if contemplating attacking. Apparently, it decided it wasn't worth the trouble and gave a single bark, then darted back into the woods.

Not wanting to lose his opportunity, Koa grabbed Absol's pokeball and picked up his bike. He glanced up again, but the Zubat had disappeared. He frowned in thought. That was odd. Singular Zubat didn't tend to be aggressive. Why would one attack a Mightyena out of the blue? As he got back on his bike and continued his trip home, he contemplated the Zubat. Could it have been the one from the honey tree? He quickly dismissed the thought. There were hundreds of Zubat in the world. Perhaps this was just the Pokemon gods smiling upon him. Either way, he was grateful not to have to use his baton, even for defense.

I think you did well with the tension here. He couldn't get to his Absol's ball, which made things worse. But then Zubat to the rescue.

Zubat fluttered into the air and shrieked happily, then settled on his head again. What was it doing here? Koa sighed and shook his head, displacing the bat. "Oh no you don't. Scram," he whispered.

Either the Zubat was ignoring him, or didn't care, and immediately dived for his head again. He ducked out of the way and made a shooing motion. "No!" he recognized the behaviour quite clearly - Zubat wanted to join his team. There definitely was not room in the Plan for a Zubat as a starter, or at all for that matter.

Unfortunately, the Zubat didn't seem to get the memo. He squeaked again and dived for Koa's head. He dodged it again and tried to keep walking. The bat kept squeaking happily and fluttered after him.

Koa stopped and turned around, glaring at the Zubat. "You can't come with me," he said firmly. Zubat chirped and did a little loop. Koa tried again. "I can't be your trainer. Find someone else." Zubat was a perfectly fine pokemon, but he wanted a Shinx as his starter. He'd done his research and Zubat simply lacked the natural strength of pokemon like Starly and Shinx. Zubat just weren't... They weren't for him. Period.

Zubat simply squeaked and fluttered towards Koa.

Growling, he smacked his head with his hand. Clearly, the Zubat had no intention of leaving. If it kept following him, it could alert every wild pokemon in the area to him. Which, more importantly, could scare off any Legendaries. Legendaries were notoriously elusive and generally avoided being seen by humans much. Its erratic behavior could draw the wrong kind of attention.
Zubat is loafing around. I love how he's like "no way" and the Zubat's like "IM COMING WITH YOU 😁"

Though I get the feeling the bit about Legendaries may be a bit of foreshadowing 🤔

There was absolutely no way in Arceus' name he was keeping a Zubat. No. Way.
Bruh you ain't the one writing this so that's not your call :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: I've used Crobat at least a couple of times, so he'll come around eventually :tongue:

Overall, I like what I see!
 

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
Hi Tetra! Obligatory "sorry for late Catnip," I didn't plan to get so swamped when I signed up for this one but such is life. I was very excited to get back into this because it looks like my last review was *checks watch* last fucking year. So. I'm long overdue for some more Zubat cuteness. Focusing on chapter 2 this time around, so HERE WE GO.

I'll start off by saying that Koa pissed me off this chapter; more toward the end than anything. It was grinding on my gears how he was so adamantly "I don't want to care about this zubat because I'm gonna release it" when it SAVED HIM TWICE, after he decided to be a dumbass 12-year-old boy and go into a cave he wasn't strong enough to. What really sent me over the edge was how he caught the joltik and proceeded to call the JOLTIK his starter, and even nickname....like.....my heart just broke for Echo (heheheheh I know his nickname already but still). Like, baby you deserve so much better than this twat who doesn't appreciate you and your hard work; dump his ass and get you a REAL MAN, gdi >:((((

That said, I did enjoy how it was made clear that Echo was growing on him. From how Koa was reluctant to give him credit against the machop, and how he was worried about it at the Pokecenter. Like I fucking KNOW that Echo stays with him, ofc, but I was still smirking like a dumbass through all of that, like "hahaha yeah get fucked idiot he's growing on you THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR UNDERESTIMATING."

Critique wise, I think my first point lies in the interaction with galvantula and subsequently joltik. I do enjoy how Koa went out of his way to help them against the poacher, and I have a gross feeling we're going to be seeing more of him in the future, but the interaction had me thinking that the galvantula itself was gonna follow Koa, so when joltik hopped off its back and presented itself, it was a very cute moment, but I think it would have meant a little more if perhaps it had somehow helped Koa in the altercation? Or, even better, it somehow fell off galvantula while they were fleeing from the poacher, and Koa rushed to save it. I feel like that would make joltik's decision to leave its presumed parent a lot more potent.

I think I also wanted to see a little more come out of the interaction with Rowan. It did feel to me that the dialogue was a tad rushed, and I would have liked to have seen Rowan maybe pause a little bit before giving Koa the bad news--I'm getting the impression that Rowan knows Koa relatively well, at least through Blake, so I think that scene would have also hit a little better if Rowan took some time to prep himself to tell Koa what happened--stopped to kneel to Koa's height, clear his throat, gaze at him with sorry eyes, slap on the "I'm so sorry, I know you were eager for a starter." Some real hurtful shit to make that bad news pretty juicy.

All in all, I am enjoying the vibes of this. I am really getting "game" feels here. Like I'm reading/watching Platinum Part 2. As much as I want to beat Koa with a bat right now, I am holding out for his growth and personal comeuppance when Echo inevitably saves his ass AGAIN. That'll be so *chefs kiss* and I'm so here for it.

I did have two lines below I wanted to point out before I bounce:

"I... I don't want to know what kind foo pokemon it was,"
Typo here

Even if Houndour was an odd choice...
This kind of threw me because I thought it was supposed to be a chimchar? Or did I misread/forget something from the last chapter?

Joltik, the Attaching Pokemon. They attach themselves to large-bodied Pokémon and absorb static electricity, which they store in an electric pouch. This Joltik is male and knows the moves Absorb, Electroweb, Bug Bite, String Shot. Its ability is Compound Eyes.
I LOVED THIS WORLDBUILDING SHIT. I love the idea that the DEX scans the caught 'mon and spews the moves and abiliity it has, I'm taking notes here.

Fun read, fun times, I will try not to wait another fucking year before I read more. Ilysm <3
 

BossCar

Pokémon Trainer
Pronouns
He/His
Chapter 2: The Unplanned

Koa continued through the cavern, trying to keep his mind off the Zubat he'd just caught. As soon as he got out of here, he was releasing it. As admirable as its persistence was, he just couldn't picture himself making it to the top with one. Koa and Crobat was just not the reputation he wanted. Besides, Zubat were hardly known for being picky about their trainers. This one could find someone else. He needed something special.

Soon he approached a tunnel ahead, which he examined carefully. The walls were smooth and somewhat uniform, with evenly spaced ridges. Probably made by an Onix. "Alright Regirock, where are you..." He pulled out his camera and started walking.

His ultimate dream was to actually capture a legendary. It was a dream he hadn't shared with anyone, not for a long time. Though for now, he would settle for a picture of Regirock. Beings like Palkia and Dialga were out of his league, but he believed it was still possible for others. Perhaps one of the trio of legendary birds or dogs. He'd read research papers suggesting there could be more than one of the species. Personally, he wasn't sure he believed that, but if it were true... That would be something. Or perhaps he could even catch a mythical pokemon, like Shaymin. He turned his attention back to his surroundings.

The cave wound in a series of tunnels and caverns and ledges and slopes. He took care to mark which routes he'd gone down, so he wouldn't get lost. For almost an hour, he explored with no trouble. As he walked, he kept his flashlight trained on the area in front of him. He saw a few wild pokemon, although only from a distance. He'd just emerged into another cavern when a cry of challenge broke the silence.

Koa looked across the cavern to see a small Machop glaring at him. It gave another roar, smashing its fists together in a challenge. Despite its demeanor, it didn't look particularly tough. With a small sigh, he slowly withdrew Zubat's Pokeball. He didn't want to turn down a challenge, but he really wasn't interested in battling alongside a pokemon he didn't want to keep. Still, the Machop had challenged him, and it was customary to accept.

"Go Zubat," he muttered.

Zubat emerged from the pokeball with a delighted shriek. He immediately faced down the Machop. The Machop seemed surprised at the appearance of an aerial foe.

"Wing Attack?" Koa called. He had no idea what the Zubat's moves were, nor did he care. He just wanted to keep exploring.

Zubat shrieked and dived at Machop, his wings glowing. Before Machop could react, Zubat struck it with two solid blows. Baring his fangs, Zubat sank them into Machop, delivering a solid Bite attack. Machop cried out and shook itself free. It glared at Zubat, still defiant, although Koa could tell the Wing Attack had greatly weakened it. It leaped into the air, its leg glowing white. Zubat twisted sideways, barely dodging the attack. He delivered another Wing Attack, sending Machop smashing to the ground. Machop didn't get up again.

Koa returned Zubat with a sigh. Despite Zubat's triumph, he couldn't find it in himself to be impressed, not when Zubat had the type advantage. He was beginning to regret not going straight to Rowan's lab. Maybe if he had, he could have found a Shinx. Or at least gotten whatever surprise Rowan had for him. Maybe Rowan had a Shinx, just waiting for him... That would be something. Even so, the Zubat had battled well on its own. For a Zubat, at least. His heart was still set on a Starly though.

Scanning the cavern he'd ended up in, he realized it was a dead end. He left the dead-end cavern and took another tunnel. This one ended up opening into a much, much larger cavern. Large stalactites and stalagmites emerged from the ceiling and floor, and small pools of water were scattered about.

A heavy rumbling noise drew his attention to a ledge on the far side of the room. He shined his flashlight towards it just in time to see a large shadow move away. Could that have been Regirock?

Sprinting in the direction he'd last seen it, he dodged stalagmites and began scaling the wall. A few moments later, he'd dragged himself onto the ledge. He started forwards, but his foot hit air where he expected solid ground. With a cry of shock, he tumbled forwards, rolling down a steep slope. The rough ground tore at his jacket and scraped his limbs. A few moments later, he smacked into something hard, coming to a stop. He let out a groan of pain, and lay still for a few moments, then slowly sat up.

"Ughh..." His entire body ached all over, but it didn't feel like anything had broken. He turned to see what he hit. His tumble had taken him just inside a small cavern. A round green boulder had stopped his fall. Green boulder? The cave's walls were a brown color. Which meant...

"Shoot!" He leaped to his feet just as the boulder seemingly came to life, two arms and two legs popping out, followed by a small brownish head. The Golem roared at him in annoyance.

A light emerged from his belt and coalesced into the form of Zubat. He shrieked at the Golem, who roared in return. The roar shook the tiny cavern, small rocks falling from the ceiling and rattling the ground.

"Zubat, get back!" he yelped.

Golem tucked into a ball and rolled at Zubat, his body moving so fast it became a blur. It smashed into him hard, sending him flying into a wall. Zubat squeaked in pain and lay still. "Zubat!" Koa yelled. A golden orb of energy appeared in Golem's mouth and it fired it towards Zubat. Koa darted towards his fallen pokemon. At the last moment, he grabbed him and rolled out of the way as the orb exploded behind them. Cradling Zubat close, he stared down Golem. He needed to get out of here, fast. A few yards away, to his left, was another entrance. If he could distract Golem, he could escape through there.

Golem roared angrily, causing the room to shake. Koa grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it past Golem. For a brief second, it glanced away, towards where the rock landed. Koa bolted, sprinting by Golem and through the tunnel. He kept running, trying his best to remember the paths he took. For almost ten minutes straight, he kept running, until he was sure Golem wasn't following.

Finally, he stopped in another cavern, breathing heavily. Kneeling down, he set Zubat on the ground carefully and pulled a slightly squashed Oran berry out of his bag. Drop by drop, he carefully squeezed the juice into Zubat's mouth.

A few moments later, the Zubat began to flutter its wings. Koa smiled in relief, then gave him another Oran berry. Within a few minutes, he was looking completely restored. Koa opened an HP checker app on his Poketch and scanned Zubat. A few seconds later, the results popped up. Full HP.

"Phew," he murmured. He still didn't want to keep the Zubat, but he didn't want to see it hurt, either. Until he released it, it was technically his pokemon. His responsibility. Regardless, the encounter only made him more desperate to capture a real pokemon.

"No more challenging ridiculously strong pokemon," Koa snapped. He pulled out Zubat's pokeball and returned him, shaking his head. Taking a deep breath, he ignored the pitter-patter of his heart and the fact Zubat had come terribly close to getting hurt. Silly bat! Why had he even come out of his pokeball like that?

Koa stood up and dusted himself off as best he could. "Well, might as well look around." The cavern was large, even bigger than the first one he encountered. Tragically there was no sign of Regirock, although he'd come to suspect what he'd seen earlier had simply been another pokemon. He wandered slowly through the room, carefully checking the ground for tracks or signs of Regirock. He'd made his way almost halfway around the cavern when something caught his eye. Poking from behind a stalagmite, he spotted something.

An unusual stone object lay several feet away, a much lighter and grayer color than the cave rock. It resembled a piece of a large jaw bone, almost twice as big as his head. "It's a Jaw Fossil!" He picked it up and stroked it.

It felt heavy, although still lighter than he expected based on its size. He'd found plenty of fossils before, while out with his cousin or when he snuck into caves on his own. But he'd never found any complete enough for regeneration.

"I thought these were found in Kalos, not Sinnoh," he murmured to himself. Perhaps it belonged to some explorer? But if it did, how had they lost it? A few rather dark scenarios popped into his mind before he shook them off. Perhaps it was best not to look a gift fossil in the jaws. If he could get to the museum in Oreburgh City, he could revive the fossil into a Tyrunt. "Sweet!" he shouted. His voice echoed through the cavern, bouncing back to him.

As the noise faded, he heard scratching and fluttering above him. A vague sense of dread filled him. Slowly, hesitantly, he aimed his flashlight upwards. An entire colony of Zubat and Golbat hung from the ceiling. A nest. Their wide-open eyes gleamed in his flashlight beam as they glared down at him. He took a step back and stumbled, his beam sweeping wildly across the ceiling. Loud screeching filled the room and the sound of hundreds of wingbeats echoed as they left their perches, swarming the cavern.

Their deafening cries rang in his ears, and they began to dive at him. One whizzed by him and scratched his jacket, tearing straight through the leather and cutting his skin. Another made a dive for him. Koa ducked and it whizzed by just inches above him. He shuddered. This must be the Golbat colony the guards had referred to.

The Golbat coalesced into a swarm, shrieking their displeasure. One dove at him again. Koa threw his hands up, narrowly avoiding being bitten in the face, though he paid for it when Golbat bit his shoulder. Flinching in pain, he batted it off. His heart pounded in his chest at the sight of the gash on his shoulder.

These Golbat didn't seem to be interested in just driving him off. They wanted him gone, whatever it took. This wasn't at all like the ultimately harmless techniques pokemon wielded in sport combat. These Golbat could very well mean to maim him. Or worse.

This wasn't just about escaping. It was about survival. Koa backed away, his heart pounding. His mind began to race and he cursed himself. Why had he come here? He'd trespassed and ignored the warnings. He could almost hear his cousin's voice, chiding him for his recklessness again. Would his journey amount to being gobbled up by a swarm of Golbat? No. He'd figure something out, somehow.

Suddenly his Zubat emerged from his pokeball again. He faced the swarm, shrieking and chittering angrily. One Golbat, larger than the rest, flew forwards, shrieking angrily in return. The two seemed to engage in some kind of brief conversation. A tiny flicker of hope burned in Koa's chest. Then it died.

The Golbat dived at Zubat, its jaws wide open. It snatched Zubat out of the sky, tossing him to the ground. Zubat squeaked weakly and fluttered back into the air as the horde of Golbat began to draw in around them. Zubat opened his tiny jaws and let out an ear-splitting screech. The horde backed off slightly.

Zubat turned to him, chittering urgently, then took off towards a tunnel Koa hadn't noticed before. Koa bolted after his Zubat. He weaved through the tunnels, gasping for breath. Behind him, he could still hear the wingbeats of the colony. They weren't giving up as easy as the Golem had. He ran faster, his chest tightening. Taking out Zubat's pokeball, he returned him, whispering a harried 'thank you' to the pokeball.

Behind him, he could still hear the furious cries of the Zubat and Golbat, their wingbeats like a roaring beast. The light of his headlamp bounced erratically with each step, but he continued his blind run. Taking a few wheezing breaths, he pressed on. After a few minutes, he spotted a tunnel that was lighter than the others. An exit, perhaps? He raced down the tunnel. The roar of the wings behind him faded.

As he turned a corner, the light almost blinded him. He kept going, emerging from the cave and onto a steep forested slope. Half-sliding, half running, he hurtled down the hill. At the base, he crossed a thin dirt path and collapsed at the edge of the woods on the other side. His breaths came in ragged heaves, and his vision swam. He could feel his heart hammering rapidly in his chest, and he felt sick. Wearily, he peered across the road. The Golbat colony was gone.

He released Zubat from his pokeball. Koa could feel his tiny rapid heartbeat and his wearied breaths. Zubat didn't seem too badly injured although the most concerning was a set of bite marks caused by the Golbat's fangs. He needed a pokemon center. Although his own Zubat would likely be immune to the dangerous diseases wild Golbat could carry, he still wanted to get the bite looked at.

"Foolish Zubat," he murmured. He scratched it gently between the ears. "Still, I owe you a thanks, I guess." He paused. "You saved me." Twice. He was convinced Zubat had been the very one that saved him from the Mightyena some days ago.

Zubat flashed a lopsided grin and chittered, as if proud of himself.

Raising his head, Koa looked around.

To the south, just past the trees, he could see the shining expanse of Lake Verity. A sigh of relief escaped him. If that was Lake Verity, then that meant there was a Ranger outpost not far. He glanced at the sky. It was evening. He needed to get to the outpost quickly. If he got caught when it was dark out, with Zubat in this shape, it wouldn't be good at all. He stuffed the fossil into his backpack and cradled Zubat in his arms. After taking a moment to orient himself, he set off at a steady jog, trying to ignore his own pain.

The sun had started to set by the time he reached the outpost. Like all outposts, it consisted of a sturdy wall to keep out pokemon, and guards stationed at the rim to discourage flying pokemon. Inside was a small base for the guards, a couple of houses, and most importantly, a Pokemon Center. He raced through the outpost and burst inside.

"Nurse!" he shouted. "My pokemon needs help!" The nurse, an older woman with short-cropped gray hair, hurried towards him. Her Chansey trotted beside her, pushing a gurney, and she carefully took Zubat from him, setting him on Chansey's cart. "What happened to it?"

"We were attacked by a colony of Zubat and Golbat. And they bit him too."

The nurse nodded. "Wait here." She pushed his Zubat through a set of double doors. Koa started to follow, but the doors locked behind the nurse. With a sigh, he picked a chair near the doors and sat down. The longer he waited, the more worried he grew. He pushed the worry down, deep into his mind. He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. After all, he still planned to release Zubat soon. Next time he'd be more prepared, that was all.

The Golbat flock had been nothing more than an unexpected occurrence, and once he had a proper starter pokemon, wild pokemon wouldn't be a problem. Plus, he still had the Plan. With a full team of strong and diverse pokemon, he could go anywhere. His guilt dismissed, he reflected on his next steps. The first stop was circumventing Lake Verity. From there he could travel to Route 201, which would lead him to Sandgem, which was only a half day's walk away. After he stopped in to see Professor Rowan, then he would make his way to Oreburgh and revive his fossil. Then he could train more and get back to his Plan.

Sometime later, the nurse came out. Chansey followed close behind, pushing a cart with Zubat on it, who seemed much perkier. "Your Zubat will be fine. Let him rest tonight, and try to avoid hard battles for a day or so."

Zubat chirped happily and fluttered onto his head. A grin spread across his face, but he quickly let it fade. No, he had to stay focused. Zubat was simply his responsibility for now. That was all. He wouldn't train Zubat, and he didn't want to get attached. It wouldn't be fair to Zubat either.

"Thank you, Nurse..." He glanced at her nametag, "Nerene."

She gave a nod in response. "It looks like you were injured too. Didn't you see the guard stationed outside the entrance?" her tone was annoyed, and Koa couldn't help but be reminded of Blake when he got mad at him for doing something dangerous. She had the same worried light in her eyes Blake did too.

Koa said nothing.

She sighed and beckoned him. "Get over here. No sense in healing your pokemon and letting you catch all manners of diseases." Nerene led him to a side room and helped bandage his deeper wounds, and had Chansey use her abilities to heal the less serious ones. She was none too gentle, and Koa started to wish he'd simply suffered through the pain. "Alright, there," Nerene grumbled. "Now stay out of dangerous caves. Please," she added.

Koa mumbled a thanks and headed out of the Pokemon Center. It was too late to be out on the road, so he got a room at an inn and stayed the night.



The next morning, he awoke early. He had a lot of ground to cover to reach Route 201. Since he wouldn't be traveling by official routes for the first part of the journey, it would be harder. Fortunately, if he stuck to the lakefront, it wouldn't be too strenuous.

After traveling for a few hours along the lakefront, he reached the beginning of Route 201. He let out a sigh of relief. From here it would be easy. A long, packed dirt path wound through sparse woods ahead. He glanced at his Poketch. Almost noon. Which meant he could be in Sandgem by this evening.

For the next couple of hours, he followed the path, enjoying the scenery. He saw quite a few wild pokemon, but none that really interested him. He did plan to catch a Starly, but for now, he really only wanted a Shinx and his fossil.

A loud screech erupted from the forest. A moment later, a Galvantula emerged from the woods, scuttling across the road. It turned around, firing an Electroweb towards the trees. The attack was swiftly countered by a white bone sailing through the air. It struck the Electroweb, breaking it apart.

"Get back here you lousy bug!" A man emerged from the woods, in hot pursuit of the Galvantula. A Marowak followed close behind him.

Koa took in the situation quickly. The Galvantula had stopped at the side of the road, eyeing the Marowak warily. It appeared battered, and its breathing was heavy. A rubber shackle dangled from one of its forelegs. Its pursuer wore dark camo clothing and specialized rubber gloves. A large net was strapped to his back, as well as several ropes. Disgust welled up in Koa. The man was obviously a poacher. He froze when he saw Koa. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Koa saw panic flare in the poacher's gaze. Then it turned to disdain.

"Scram, kid, this doesn't concern you."

The Galvantula backed away a few steps.

The poacher growled. "Trap that thing!" Marowak gave a nod, then dove into the ground. A moment later, the Galvantula gave a cry of surprise as the ground underneath it collapsed, half burying it.

"Leave it alone!" Koa shouted. His fists clenched and his body tensed. Poachers were the worst kinds of criminals as far as he was concerned. They illegally captured pokemon using cruel and unfair methods, usually only to sell them for terrible purposes.

The poacher turned to Koa, scowling. "Marowak-"

Koa whipped out Zubat's pokeball, almost on instinct. "Zubat, attack!" he called, tossing his pokeball. Zubat was weak, and even though he had the flying advantage, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Marowak in a proper battle. But he didn't have much choice either. He couldn't just let the poacher get away.

Zubat appeared in a flash of light. He hardly finished emerging from the ball before letting out a blast of soundwaves. Supersonic. Marowak dropped its bone, covering its ears.

"Quick, use Supersonic again!"

Zubat opened its jaws and unleashed another series of powerful soundwaves. They struck the stunned Marowak full on. It staggered in circles, dazed and confused.

The Galvantula took the opportunity to scramble free from the hole and disappear into the woods.

"Curse you, brat!" The poacher pulled out a pokeball and quickly returned Marowak. He pulled out a small object from his pocket and hurled it towards the ground. There was a loud bang and cloud of thick, dense smoke enveloped the area.

Koa unexpectedly sucked in a mouthful and started coughing. His eyes began to water and his throat burned. Zubat squeaked and coughed as well, and he quickly returned him to his pokeball. At least Zubat would be protected from the fumes there. As he did, the light of a pokeball flashed within the smoke. Moments later, he sound of hoofbeats filled the air.

The smoke began to fade just in time for Koa to catch a distant glimpse of a retreating... Zebstrika? Hot anger flooded him. Two Zebstrika's in the space of days? It was far too unlikely. It had to be the rider who'd almost run him off the road on the way to Jubilife. His hands clenched into fists. Filthy criminals-

Taking a deep breath, he forced his frustrations aside. At least the poor Galvantula managed to escape. That's what mattered. Judging by its appearance, it seemed the Galvantula must have been brought all the way from Unova. They definitely weren't native to this area of Sinnoh. As soon as he got to Sandgem, he vowed to report the poacher.

Shaking his head in disgust, he continued down the route. In the distance, he could catch the first glimpse of the buildings of Sandgem Town, which meant he only had another hour of traveling to go. Hardly a minute passed before he felt a strange tingle down his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He spun around, coming face to face with a Galvantula. His eyes widened. It had to be the very same one he'd saved only minutes earlier.

As he watched, it slowly approached him. Then, from the fur on its back, a tiny Joltik leaped off, landing in front of him. Koa gasped. Galvantula was probably Joltik's mother. Given how small Joltik were, it could have been hiding on Galvantula the whole time. The Joltik scurried forwards, its tiny blue eyes gleaming with determination. It chittered defiantly and took another step forwards.

"Oh boy..." Koa muttered. He recognized the look in its eyes. It wanted to come with him. He fought the urge to groan. The Plan was to get a Luxray, not a Joltik. As he stared into the Joltik's eyes, his heart began to soften. Despite its size, it displayed an unusual ferocity. Well, Joltik was still an electric type. And a Galvantula would be a strong addition to a team... "Are you saying you want to come with me?"

The Joltik nodded, its eyes gleaming.

"My dream is to become the greatest explorer ever." Koa turned and gestured to the far off hills of Mt. Coronet. "I'm going to climb that mountain one day, and find the peak. And along the way, I want to raise a team of powerful pokemon. Do you want to come?"

The Joltik bounced up down, tiny sparks leaping off its fur. Koa chucked at the display. "Alright then, I guess that settles it." He withdrew a pokeball from his bag and held it out to Joltik. It sprang forwards, tapping the button in the center. The usual red light emerged, drawing Joltik in. A moment later, the ball dinged.

Koa couldn't help but grin. He'd caught his first pokemon! His starter. Koa and Galvantula... There was certainly a nice ring to it.

The Galvantula, who until now, had waited quietly, gave him a nod of respect, then chittered fiercely. Then it turned and vanished back into the forest. He watched it go, then set his sights on the route ahead. The last leg of his journey flew by. He kept Joltik in his pokeball for now, though as he walked, he contemplated potential nicknames for it. Once he reached the gates of Sandgem, he paused to release Joltik.

Joltik churred happily and scurried up his leg and onto his shoulder. Koa patted it gently. "So what do you say, buddy? Want a nickname?"

Joltik gave a little hop in acknowledgment.

"Let's see..." Koa mused. "How about Jolt?"

Joltik immediately delivered a small shock to him.

"Guess that's a no," Koa gasped. After a long (and somewhat painful process), he settled on a name he thought the Joltik would like. "How about Hazard?"

The Joltik made a chittering noise and hopped off his shoulder, letting tiny sparks fly. Judging by its eyes, it seemed quite happy with the choice.

"Hazard it is then."

Koa returned it for the short walk through Sandgem to Rowan's lab. His mind was focused on only two things - reporting the poacher, and finding whatever Rowan had in store for him.

Sandgem reminded him of Canalave. It was one of the few coastal cities in Sinnoh, though quite a bit smaller than Canalave. Most of it consisted of long roads with a few scattered houses, spread far apart. The breeze carried the familiar tang of salt and sand, and the noon sun warmed his back. The open fields and wide space made it an excellent choice for Professor Rowan's lab and gave the researcher plenty of space to keep a wide variety of pokemon.

As Koa approached the lab, however, he saw a large crowd gathered around it. Several police officers were also roaming the grounds. Koa frowned. This was definitely not normal. He hurriedly pushed his way through the throngs of onlookers, ignoring their dirty looks. Near the entrance to the lab, he spotted Professor Rowan, talking to an officer.

"Professor Rowan!" he called.

The Professor turned towards him, then waved him over. He said something to the officer, who nodded, shook his hand, then left. Koa raced up the path to the lab.

"Professor, what happened?" he searched the professor's face anxiously, trying to find any clue of what transpired. He looked even more cross than usual, and his gaze was dark.

"A robbery, I'm afraid. Come inside, I have to explain some things to you."

Koa's clenched his fists and followed him inside. Rage bubbled in him as Rowan led him to the main room, which was empty, and sat down. How dare someone rob a pokemon professor? Poaching was bad enough, but to rob a professor?

"I have some bad news."

Koa turned to face Rowan, trying to prepare himself for the worst, although he had no idea what the 'worst' actually was.

"The people who broke in escaped with a great deal of valuable research and equipment. They also took some pokemon from the nursery." Rowan let out a long sigh before continuing. "I'm afraid that one of those pokemon was meant for you. Your cousin and I were going to give it to you as a gift for becoming a trainer. A-"

"I... I don't want to know what kind foo pokemon it was," he said quietly. He trained his eyes on the floor, trying to ignore the slight moistness he felt in them. "When did they break in?" he asked stiffly.

"This morning."

Rage burned inside him. He felt like punching a wall. As it was, he settled for clenching his jaw. Deep down, he blamed himself. If he'd just come straight to the lab instead of going to that cave first... He pushed the thought away. The deed was long done. Besides, he might never have found the Jaw fossil if he hadn't gone exploring.

Rowan continued. "I am sorry, Koamaru. I can offer you one of the pokemon I keep for young trainers starting their journey. Although I can't offer a Chimchar either..." his voice trailed off.

Koa shook his head numbly. Even though he would love a chance at one of the starters, they weren't part of his plan. Besides, he knew Rowan had a class graduating soon, and he didn't want to deprive him of the rare 'starter' pokemon.

"Well, there is little to be done now, except hope they find the crooks. I do have something else for you, however." Rowan stood up and strode to his office. Koa trailed behind, trying to bury his disappointment.

He watched as the Professor moved a picture of a Staraptor from the wall, revealing a hidden safe. Moving swiftly, he typed in a code and the safe clicked open. He retrieved a small object from within. Closing the safe, he turned around to face Koa. "Here you are, my boy. Your very own Pokedex."

Koa's eyes lit up, and he reverently took the device. It was a slim, rectangular device painted bright red and black. He flipped it open, revealing dual screens. "Wow..." he breathed. Pokedexes were generally reserved for those in a Professor's personal class or could be bought, thanks to being somewhat expensive.

"Thank you!" Koa closed the device and carefully slipped it into the inner pocket on his jacket.

"I've also taken the liberty of registering your capture system personally," Professor Rowan continued. "So if you do choose to capture more than six pokemon, they will be sent to my preserve."

"Thank you," Koa said. At least there was one piece of good news. Even though he currently had no intention of trying to catch additional pokemon, it was comforting to know that if he changed his mind he would have someone he could trust to look after them.

Rowan cleared his throat. "Well, I expect you'll want to get back to your journey. Where are you headed next?"

Koa eagerly explained how he'd found the Jaw fossil, and planned to have it revived as soon as possible.

Rowan nodded sagely, his eyes twinkling as if remembering something fondly. "I was just like you in my younger days, you know. Full of energy. Well, you'd best be off then. If you're walking, it will take you at least two days to reach Jubilife."

Koa shook his head. "I think I'll take the bus to Jubilife, then walk to Oreburgh. There isn't anything I really want to catch on Route 202."

Rowan nodded thoughtfully but didn't say anything else. Koa bid him farewell, then hurried out of the lab. He made a quick stop at the Police Headquarters to report the poacher, then headed north, towards the bus stop.

"Hey, wait up!"

Koa frowned and glanced back to see a girl racing towards him. She stopped a few feet away, panting as she caught her breath. He groaned inwardly. Right now, all he wanted was to get on the road and get to Oreburgh.

"You just left the lab, right?" she asked.

Koa nodded. "Yeah... what do you want?" he asked suspiciously. He eyed her carefully. She looked close to his age, but he'd never seen her around the lab either, which meant she wasn't an assistant.

"I was wondering if you knew anything about the break-in. I'm investigating it, and I think it may be connected to a series of other robberies. Did Professor Rowan tell you anything?"

Koa shook his head. "No. Is that it? Because I kinda have a bus to catch..."

The girl frowned and sighed. "I'm an investigator. I'm trying to see if the recent crimes are in any way connected to Team Galactic. Do you know anything else about what happened?"

Koa grimaced at the mere mention of the name again. He knew all too well the atrocities they'd committed, trying to kidnap the Lake Guardians and almost succeeding, trying to rewrite the universe- He pushed the thoughts down. Fortunately, they'd been thwarted before they could do real damage, which was all that mattered. Besides, those details weren't exactly public knowledge.

"I don't really know much, sorry," Koa said. "But... I think one of the pokemon taken was a Chimchar. That's all I know."

"Hm... thank you, that does help a little." She flicked out a business card, handing it to him. "If you see anything else, call me." Without another word, she turned and jogged back towards the lab. Koa watched her go, then resumed his trek to the bus stop. The disappointment of missing out on the pokemon Rowan had for him still weighed heavily on his mind. Even if Houndour was an odd choice... To distract himself, he released Hazard from his pokeball.

"Alright buddy, let's see what you can do." He pulled out his Pokedex, scanning the Joltik.

Joltik, the Attaching Pokemon. They attach themselves to large-bodied Pokémon and absorb static electricity, which they store in an electric pouch. This Joltik is male and knows the moves Absorb, Electroweb, Bug Bite, String Shot. Its ability is Compound Eyes.

"Cool!" The moveset was fairly good, considering. Absorb and Bug Bite would give him good offense, while String Shot and Electroweb could trip up opponents.

Holding out his hand, he let Hazard scurry onto his shoulder. Just the sight of his new pokemon cheered him up. Soon, he would be in Oreburgh. And not long after that, he would have a real, honest to goodness Fossil pokemon on his team. In the distance, he saw the bus approaching. A grin spread across his face.

Tyrunt, here I come.

I like the combination of setting and POV here:

The cave wound in a series of tunnels and caverns and ledges and slopes. He took care to mark which routes he'd gone down, so he wouldn't get lost. For almost an hour, he explored with no trouble. As he walked, he kept his flashlight trained on the area in front of him. He saw a few wild pokemon, although only from a distance. He'd just emerged into another cavern when a cry of challenge broke the silence.

Koa looked across the cavern to see a small Machop glaring at him. It gave another roar, smashing its fists together in a challenge. Despite its demeanor, it didn't look particularly tough. With a small sigh, he slowly withdrew Zubat's Pokeball. He didn't want to turn down a challenge, but he really wasn't interested in battling alongside a pokemon he didn't want to keep. Still, the Machop had challenged him, and it was customary to accept.

It can be tricky to weave them together but you did a fine job here. I also love the little details I'm seeing throughout. That will always get big bonus points from me.

As the noise faded, he heard scratching and fluttering above him. A vague sense of dread filled him. Slowly, hesitantly, he aimed his flashlight upwards. An entire colony of Zubat and Golbat hung from the ceiling. A nest. Their wide-open eyes gleamed in his flashlight beam as they glared down at him. He took a step back and stumbled, his beam sweeping wildly across the ceiling. Loud screeching filled the room and the sound of hundreds of wingbeats echoed as they left their perches, swarming the cavern.

Their deafening cries rang in his ears, and they began to dive at him. One whizzed by him and scratched his jacket, tearing straight through the leather and cutting his skin. Another made a dive for him. Koa ducked and it whizzed by just inches above him. He shuddered. This must be the Golbat colony the guards had referred to.

The Golbat coalesced into a swarm, shrieking their displeasure. One dove at him again. Koa threw his hands up, narrowly avoiding being bitten in the face, though he paid for it when Golbat bit his shoulder. Flinching in pain, he batted it off. His heart pounded in his chest at the sight of the gash on his shoulder.

These Golbat didn't seem to be interested in just driving him off. They wanted him gone, whatever it took. This wasn't at all like the ultimately harmless techniques pokemon wielded in sport combat. These Golbat could very well mean to maim him. Or worse.

This wasn't just about escaping. It was about survival. Koa backed away, his heart pounding. His mind began to race and he cursed himself. Why had he come here? He'd trespassed and ignored the warnings. He could almost hear his cousin's voice, chiding him for his recklessness again. Would his journey amount to being gobbled up by a swarm of Golbat? No. He'd figure something out, somehow.
You're also really good at tension and suspense. The part about the Golbat is one moment where your skills shine. It's even scarier when you consider that Golbat aren't exactly small. Good thing it's not Hisui anymore...otherwise....the bats might be bigger.
He released Zubat from his pokeball. Koa could feel his tiny rapid heartbeat and his wearied breaths. Zubat didn't seem too badly injured although the most concerning was a set of bite marks caused by the Golbat's fangs. He needed a pokemon center. Although his own Zubat would likely be immune to the dangerous diseases wild Golbat could carry, he still wanted to get the bite looked at.

"Foolish Zubat," he murmured. He scratched it gently between the ears. "Still, I owe you a thanks, I guess." He paused. "You saved me." Twice. He was convinced Zubat had been the very one that saved him from the Mightyena some days ago.

Zubat flashed a lopsided grin and chittered, as if proud of himself.

Raising his head, Koa looked around.

To the south, just past the trees, he could see the shining expanse of Lake Verity. A sigh of relief escaped him. If that was Lake Verity, then that meant there was a Ranger outpost not far. He glanced at the sky. It was evening. He needed to get to the outpost quickly. If he got caught when it was dark out, with Zubat in this shape, it wouldn't be good at all. He stuffed the fossil into his backpack and cradled Zubat in his arms. After taking a moment to orient himself, he set off at a steady jog, trying to ignore his own pain.

The sun had started to set by the time he reached the outpost. Like all outposts, it consisted of a sturdy wall to keep out pokemon, and guards stationed at the rim to discourage flying pokemon. Inside was a small base for the guards, a couple of houses, and most importantly, a Pokemon Center. He raced through the outpost and burst inside.

"Nurse!" he shouted. "My pokemon needs help!" The nurse, an older woman with short-cropped gray hair, hurried towards him. Her Chansey trotted beside her, pushing a gurney, and she carefully took Zubat from him, setting him on Chansey's cart. "What happened to it?"

"We were attacked by a colony of Zubat and Golbat. And they bit him too."

The nurse nodded. "Wait here." She pushed his Zubat through a set of double doors. Koa started to follow, but the doors locked behind the nurse. With a sigh, he picked a chair near the doors and sat down. The longer he waited, the more worried he grew. He pushed the worry down, deep into his mind. He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. After all, he still planned to release Zubat soon. Next time he'd be more prepared, that was all.

The Golbat flock had been nothing more than an unexpected occurrence, and once he had a proper starter pokemon, wild pokemon wouldn't be a problem. Plus, he still had the Plan. With a full team of strong and diverse pokemon, he could go anywhere. His guilt dismissed, he reflected on his next steps. The first stop was circumventing Lake Verity. From there he could travel to Route 201, which would lead him to Sandgem, which was only a half day's walk away. After he stopped in to see Professor Rowan, then he would make his way to Oreburgh and revive his fossil. Then he could train more and get back to his Plan.

Sometime later, the nurse came out. Chansey followed close behind, pushing a cart with Zubat on it, who seemed much perkier. "Your Zubat will be fine. Let him rest tonight, and try to avoid hard battles for a day or so."

Zubat chirped happily and fluttered onto his head. A grin spread across his face, but he quickly let it fade. No, he had to stay focused. Zubat was simply his responsibility for now. That was all. He wouldn't train Zubat, and he didn't want to get attached. It wouldn't be fair to Zubat either.

I like how he's warming up to Zubat, but is acting like a broody boy about it. Or maybe a bit of tsundere. It's not like he LIKES Zubat or anything, right?

I think this also hints that he does feel kinda bad about what he's planning. Especially since Zubat saved him twice. It's a difficult decision, no matter how many times he tries to deny it.

"Oh boy..." Koa muttered. He recognized the look in its eyes. It wanted to come with him. He fought the urge to groan. The Plan was to get a Luxray, not a Joltik. As he stared into the Joltik's eyes, his heart began to soften. Despite its size, it displayed an unusual ferocity. Well, Joltik was still an electric type. And a Galvantula would be a strong addition to a team... "Are you saying you want to come with me?"

I'm sensing a pattern here: what he plans isn't what he ends up getting. And I think this Joltik moment lends itself to foreshadowing well. He softened up to Zubat a bit, now he's softening up to Joltik

His mind and his heart are locked in a battle of wits. One shall stand and one shall fall. (Not really, just wanted to sound cool).

"I... I don't want to know what kind foo pokemon it was," he said quietly. He trained his eyes on the floor, trying to ignore the slight moistness he felt in them. "When did they break in?" he asked stiffly.
I think you meant "of pokemon here? No big deal, but just a heads up. Hope he gets that Pokemon back!

Koa grimaced at the mere mention of the name again. He knew all too well the atrocities they'd committed, trying to kidnap the Lake Guardians and almost succeeding, trying to rewrite the universe- He pushed the thoughts down. Fortunately, they'd been thwarted before they could do real damage, which was all that mattered. Besides, those details weren't exactly public knowledge.

Ah, looks like we got a post D/P/P/BD/SP setting here!

Also, I presume Crobat and Tyrantrum are on his final team. I like your tastes. (Confession: I do like both Garchomp and Flygon, but I understand why a Flygon fan wouldn't like Garchomp. Poor Flygon and Kalos deserved better)

I'm liking what I see so far, looking forward to more!
 

BossCar

Pokémon Trainer
Pronouns
He/His
Chapter 3: Rocky Road to Success

Here is chapter 3! As you can see, I am recording a list of all of Koa's Pokemon at the start and end of every chapter, just to make things easier to remember. In this chapter, Koa will face his first gym challenge... How will he fare?

Hazard (Male Joltik){Ability: Compound eyes} - Bug Bite, Electroweb, String Shot, Absorb

Echo (Male Zubat) {Ability: Inner Focus} - Supersonic, Absorb, Bite, Wing Attack



Getting to Oreburgh wasn't hard at all. He left Jubilife through the east gate, taking route 203 towards the Coronet mountains. In the distance, he could just make a smaller series of mountains that extended from the Coronet Mountain range, creating a natural wall on three sides of Oreburgh City. Far in the distance, beyond the small mountains, the shadow of Mt. Coronet loomed, its peak disappearing into the clouds.

The route was fairly simple, mostly consisting of a long, winding path through spare woods, and near the end, a gentle slope leading to Oreburgh Gate, a passage through the mountains. He was still at least a day's journey away, though he was sure he could reach the passage by tomorrow morning if he kept a good pace. There was a small lake halfway along the route where he planned to rest, then set out early the next morning.

He hadn't been traveling for long when he caught sight of a small Starly at the edge of the path. Koa quietly took a pokeball from his belt. The opportunity was too good to pass up.

"Go, Hazard!"

Joltik emerged in a flash of blue light. Starly chirped in surprise and then opened its wings, preparing to take off.

"Use String Shot and immobilize it!"

A burst of sticky web shot from Hazard's pincers, wrapping around Starly's body and one of its wings. It fluttered its remaining wing in a panic. Hazard jerked it to the ground.

"Now, Electroweb!"

A small glowing ball of electricity formed in front of Joltik. As he launched it, it spread into a wide web of crackling electricity, pinning the Starly down. Within a second, the Starly was knocked out. The web faded, leaving only the Starly behind. Koa took out an empty pokeball, ready to capture it.

Something made him pause, however. You already have a flying type. Zubat. You should train him. He stared at the Starly, uncertainty gripping him. He would desperately love a Staraptor, yet... His hesitation cost him. In a moment, the Starly recovered. It blinked a few times, cheeped smugly, then took off. Koa watched it go and groaned. Well, there would be plenty of opportunities to catch another Starly. He just wanted to catch the right one. That was all. And when he did, he would release Zubat. For sure.

Satisfied, he continued on, allowing Hazard to remain on his shoulder. The little Joltik had taken to absorbing electricity from his Poketch after battles, but Koa made a note to pick up a battery pack next time he was in a city. Though his Poketch had a powerful solar battery, battery packs were more efficient. Plus, they were specially designed for electric types like Joltik and Pichu. He was excited by the prospect of continuing to train the determined little Joltik.

"Koa and Galvantula..." he murmured softly to himself. They had a nice ring to it. Sure, he hadn't caught the Shinx he wanted, but there were still five slots on his team. A Galvantula was an apt replacement and there'd be plenty of chances to catch other Pokemon, to finish his team and his plan, then... Then he'd reach the top.

For the next few hours, he traveled in peaceful solitude. As the sun began to set behind the mountains, he spotted the glimmering surface of a small lake. With a whoop of delight, he ran the short distance to the water's edge. He dropped to his knees, splashing his face with the cool, refreshing water. After enjoying the water for several moments, he sat back. Time to make camp.

Once he'd set up his tent and sleeping bag, he sighed contentedly, and leaned against a tree, taking a moment to relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. About three seconds later, he sat up again. Time to train.

Hardly had the thought even crossed his mind than a light flashed from his belt and Zubat appeared. He let out a happy screech and did a little loop. Koa rolled his eyes and shook his head. He had to admit, even if Zubat wasn't good in battle it was kinda cute. "You wanna stretch your wings?"

Zubat screeched and flared his wings as if mimicking a battle cry. Koa rolled his eyes, then released Hazard.

"I'm going to do some quick training with Hazard, so just stay out of the way, ok?"

Zubat looked slightly crestfallen, head drooping and body dipping in flight.

A sharp pain tore through his ankle and he looked down to see Hazard glaring at him, pincers clicking rapidly. "Ow! What's that for?" he said, glaring at Hazard.

The Joltik chittered and nodded at Zubat. His gaze bore into Koa accusingly, and sparks danced across his fur.

Koa sighed. "Sorry Zubat," he said. "I um... didn't mean to sound harsh. Right now I'm going to work with Hazard but I'll try and train you later, ok?"

Zubat gave a high-pitched three of delight and flew at Koa, nuzzling his cheek, his fluffy fur brushing Koa's skin. Koa patted him reassuringly. "You can uh... Watch I guess if you want though." He didn't see what difference it made since he couldn't keep Zubat, but there was no harm in it either, he supposed.

After Zubat squeaked in acknowledgment, Koa turned back to Hazard. He didn't bother watching to see if Zubat stuck around, though. Besides, he had more important things to worry about. Like starting Hazard's training. Oreburgh wasn't far off, and he would need to be as strong as possible. "Alright Hazard, ready?"

Hazard eyed him for a long moment, then hopped off his shoulder and took up a battle stance.

From what he knew of Joltik, they couldn't produce their own electricity. However, with training, they could greatly expand the amount of electricity they could store. With enough training, they could even grow strong enough to not need a charge for several battles. By that point, he would have evolved into a powerful Galvantula and could create his own electricity.

He started by having Hazard practice his Electroweb on a nearby tree, then use his String Shot. After a solid hour of building up endurance with his attacks, Koa called it quits. The sun had nearly set completely, and he was fairly worn out from everything that had happened.

"Good job, Hazard!" Koa patted Hazard appreciatively. The small bug chirped in delight. Koa returned to his camp and fed both his Pokemon. Zubat returned from somewhere looking rather proud of itself, but he couldn't tell why. Honestly, he hadn't even seen the Zubat leave. Nor was he particularly interested. Both Hazard and Zubat chose to return to their pokeballs to rest and he turned in for the night. His dreams were filled with legendaries and thoughts of climbing Mt. Coronet, only to be greeted by a giant Zubat instead of a legendary.

The next morning, he awoke only to find the sun still below the horizon. He weighed his options - go back to bed for an hour or two, or leave now - before immediately starting to break camp. In less than ten minutes, he was on the road again.

He opted to leave both Hazard and Zubat out of their pokeballs. The weather was pleasant, and the exercise would be good for them. Or Hazard, at least. He didn't stop to battle much, although he let Hazard take out a few Bidoof and another Starly. He decided to wait until after he got his Tyrunt to catch a Starly. For now, he was simply happy with Hazard. There'd be plenty of time for training a Starly later. Once, he saw Zubat fly off towards a Kricketot to challenge it, but he didn't pay any attention to the fight. Judging by its behavior when it returned, however, he supposed it must have won.

Halfway to Oreburgh Gate, Koa took a moment to stare at Mt. Coronet. His heart filled with longing. One day he would explore its depths. No telling what kinds of treasure lay inside, not to mention the legends he'd read about in the Canalave library. How Arceus had formed Sinnoh, and how, at the highest peak of Mt. Coronet, lay the Spear Pillar. The place where Palkia and Dialga, the gods of space and time, had been created. A place no one had seen in years. According to some, it didn't even exist, but he knew better. A place of proving.

The only way to the pillar was through the caves, but the caves were like a maze. The deepest depths were filled with countless strong wild pokemon, who could easily destroy a Pokemon and its trainer. Even the Gym Leaders didn't venture too far into its depths. Many a trainer had tried to fly to the pillar, only to be met with unpredictable winds and freezing temperatures. It was truly the ultimate test.

Pictures of legendary Pokemon swarmed through his head. He saw himself climbing the mountain, being lauded as one of the first trainers to reach the Spear Pillar in centuries. Photographs of Sinnoh's deities in hand, he would be on national news.. He would be famous and loved. He would show the whole world how there was nothing he couldn't achieve. But above all that, perhaps... just maybe he would have a chance to meet one of Sinnoh's greatest legends.

"We'll make it there one day, Hazard," he pointed towards Mt. Coronet. "Maybe we'll even see Dialga and Palkia." Maybe even another...

Hazard chirped. From somewhere behind, Zubat screeched his agreement.

Finally, Koa dragged his gaze away from the mountain and continued walking. As he drew closer to the mountain range, the ground sloped and Koa could see Oreburgh Gate not far ahead. A wide tunnel cut through the mountain. He knew that just on the other side was Oreburgh City, famous for its mines and museums. He'd gone there with Blake on a few occasions and was familiar with the city and its gym leader, who happened to be the son of Canalave's own gym leader, Byron.

A man wearing a police uniform stood outside Oreburgh gate, leaning on the cave wall. As Koa approached, he looked up. "Hey! You there!"

Koa gave him a questioning look.

"You see any shady characters around?"

"Shady characters?"

"Suspicious people. There's been some crimes committed lately In Jubilife and Oreburgh, and we're trying to track down the criminals responsible."

Koa shrugged and shook his head. "No... sorry." He'd only see a few other people out walking about, and none looked very suspicious. Although he supposed any criminal worth his salt wouldn't be very good if he looked suspicious.

The officer sighed and waved him on. "Alright, keep going."

Koa took a step, then the officer held out his hand. "Hang on. Lemme see your Trainer's License."

Koa handed it over. The officer looked it over before handing it back. "Congratulations man. Good luck out there. Are you gonna try for the gym circuit?"

"Maybe. But I've got a lot of places to explore too."

The guard nodded. "I understand. Don't forget though, a lot of places require badges for entry if you plan to explore."

"I'll keep that in mind," Koa said. He started towards the exit. "Have a good day," he called back.

"Same to you!" The guard replied.

The Oreburgh Gate path was a bit long but turned out to be an uneventful walk. He only saw a couple of Geodude, which he was able to defeat a bit too easy to make it really worthwhile. He considered the guard's advice. Truthfully, he'd always known he would have to take on the gym circuit eventually. After his experience at the Ore caverns, he was considering going for the gym circuit sooner, rather than later. He knew for sure that the highest levels of Mt. Coronet were restricted to all but the most accomplished trainers. Perhaps after he got his Tyrunt, he would try for it. Eventually, the light at the end grew larger and brighter, until he emerged into Oreburgh City.

The sights of Oreburgh all blurred together as he rushed through the city, his mind fixated one the only building that mattered. A massive steel and glass building that took up the northeast portion of the city - The Oreburgh Mining Museum. He burst through the door and skidded to stop. Roark himself stood just inside, talking with a woman in a lab coat. After a few more seconds, the woman nodded and walked away. Roark turned and noticed him.

"Roark!" Koa blurted. He hurried over to the gym leader.

"Hmm. Koamaru, isn't it? I remember your cousin, Blake. You live in my father's city, right?" Roark asked.

Koa nodded.

"What brings you out here? On another trip with Blake?"

"Nope!" Koa said proudly. "I got my trainer's license. And I found a Jaw fossil!"

Roark raised his eyebrows. "Incredible! A Jaw Fossil? Tyrunt are native to Kalos, so it's very unusual to see one here in Sinnoh. May I see it?"

Koa handed the fossil over. Roark turned it over slowly in his hands, nodding. "An excellent specimen indeed. More than good enough for revival."

"Sick! Can you do it now?"

Roark handed the fossil back and shook his head. "I'd love to since I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Tyrunt, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Tyrunt are very tough pokemon, and hard to train. Unless you have at least two gym badges, then you'll have to wait."

Koa gritted his teeth, suppressing his frustration and disappointment. He'd come all this way for nothing? No. There was something...

"Fine. I challenge you to a battle!"

Roark chuckled. "Very well, if that's what you want. But I warn you, I won't be going easy on you. Meet me at the gym. And I suggest you prepare well." Roark gave a brief wave before striding out of the museum.

"We're gonna defeat him, Hazard. Then we'll beat another gym. Whatever it takes to get Tyrunt." He glanced down at Hazard, who clung to his shoulder, then at Zubat, who dutifully hovered a few feet behind him. If he didn't get Tyrunt, then all his efforts in the caverns would have been for nothing. Clenching his fists, he stomped out of the museum.

Without waiting, he walked straight to the gym and burst through the doors. The inside of the gym looked as if it had been carved from rock. The walls and ceiling resembled a cave and a few gym members milled about. The gym leaders arena was located at the rear of the cave, on a raised platform of rock. Roark stood at the base, beside a steep slope, waiting for him.

"Alright let's battle!" Koa shouted as he approached.

"Are you certain you're prepared? I can wait as long as-"

"I'm ready. I want this badge."

Roark gave a nod and led him up the slope, effortlessly scaling the steep incline. Koa jogged after him. He slipped once, but regained his balance and continued.

Finally, he stood at the top. A large arena stretched out before him, Roark at the far end. Another man in miners' clothing stood to the side. The referee, Koa guessed. The miner spoke up. "This will be a one on one match! Koamaru Averon of Canalave vs Roark of Oreburgh! The challenger is free to use up to six pokemon, the defender will use three. Substitutions are allowed. Please choose your pokemon."

Koa pushed away a flicker of fear. Three pokemon? He could have sworn Roark used to use only two. And Hazard was weak to rock types. He swallowed and took a breath. There was no going back now. Besides, Roark was regarded as the first in the gym circuit. And Hazard at least wasn't weak to ground. Koa felt sure he could handle him.

"Let's show them how it's done! Go Hazard!" Hazard sprang from his shoulder and hissed in challenge. Koa swore he saw Roark quirk an eyebrow at the choice.

"Boulder, show them how tough we are." Roark tossed out a pokeball, sending out a Geodude.

The referee stepped over to button on the wall and pressed it. A glowing barrier flashed around the open side of the arena then faded. Koa recognized it as one of the safety measures implemented to prevent heated battles from damaging gyms. The barrier blocked any kind of stray energy, while still allowing free movement.

"Battle, begin!" The referee called.

Roark crossed his arms. "First move is yours, Koa."

Koa stared at his opponent. This Geodude looked much tougher than the ones he had fought at Oreburgh Gate. But it couldn't be much harder, right? Against those Geodude, a few double effective Absorb attacks were all he needed.

"Hazard, use Absorb!"

"Dig!"

Before Hazard could make a move, Geodude disappeared underground. Hazard froze in confusion and panic.

Koa realized what was happening too late. "Underneath-"

Geodude erupted from under Hazard, launching him into the air with his fist. Hazard squealed as he fell.

"Rock Throw!" Geodude began to materialize a large rock in front of it.

Koa stared, his mind whirling as he tried to think of a counter. A moment later, Geodude hurled the rock. It smashed into Hazard, sending him flying into the barrier. He fell to the ground with an unceremonious thump. Slowly, Hazard got to his feet. He was battered and worn, and Koa guessed he could only take one more hit.

"String Shot!"

Hazard gathered his strength, then rapidly fired a blast of sticky webbing, binding Geodude tight.

"Now use Absorb!"

Hazard's eyes glowed red, and tendrils of energy began to flow from Geodude to him.

"Break free and use Rock Throw!" In a surprising display of strength, Geodude tore through its bindings. It looked weakened but clearly could still go on. A large rock materialized in front of it.

"Dodge!" Koa cried.

The warning came too late, however, and the rock crashed into Hazard, sending him flying back. The super-effective attack proved too much for the small bug, and he collapsed.

The referee gestured towards Roark. "Joltik is unable to battle! Roark wins the first round."

Koa's shoulders drooped as he returned Hazard and whispered an apology. It was over already. He was about to turn and leave when he remembered. He still had one more pokeball. With a grimace, he took out Zubat.

"Go Zubat," he said, unenthusiastically.

Zubat emerged in a flash of white light and fluttered about the field, looking confused.

"Seriously?" Roark called. "A Zubat? Now you really don't stand a chance."

"We'll see," he muttered angrily. His anger boiled over, and he wished he could charge across the field and fight Roark himself for the badge. He'd probably have better odds, too.

"Boulder, Rock throw!"

It hurled the rock straight at Zubat. Koa stared at Zubat, unable to muster the drive to give him a command.

"Dodge," he called finally.

At the last second, Zubat whirled out of the way, only getting his wing grazed. Koa felt torn between anger and apathy. He didn't believe it was possible to win with Zubat, but he felt angry that he hadn't even beaten Roark's first pokemon.

"Wing attack?" Koa realized he still didn't know all of Zubat's moves. Nor did he particularly care. He couldn't keep Zubat as a battler, so what did it matter?

Zubat's wings glowed and he dived with surprising speed, striking a solid blow on Geodude. It slid back, grunting in surprise. Roark quirked his eyebrow but remained silent.

"Dig," Roark said, his voice confident.

"Absorb," Koa said, after a moment's hesitation. He remembered seeing a Zubat in a cave use it once. Hopefully, his Zubat knew it.

Zubat opened his jaws wide. Red energy emerged, drawing out the Geodude's energy. With a practiced roll, Geodude shook free of the attack and dived underground. Zubat fluttered above the hole uncertainly, his gaze flitting between his trainer and the hole.

A second later, Geodude erupted from the ground behind Zubat. Zubat's wings glowed as Geodude raised its fist. The two moves collided in the air, creating an explosion of smoke and wind. When the dust had settled, Geodude lay fainted. Zubat looked injured but was still airborne.

Koa's eyes widened. He'd expected Zubat to faint after one hit.

The referee's voice echoed through the arena. "Geodude is unable to battle. Koamaru wins the second match."

Roark folded his arms and nodded. "Not bad, Koa. But you'll need a lot more than that to beat my next pokemon!" He selected a pokeball from his belt. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the field.

A massive, towering Onix exploded onto the field, roaring its dominance.

Koa covered his ears, fear trickling into his heart.

Roark gestured dramatically to the hulking beast. "Rocky, use Screech!"

A deafening, high pitched cry rang across the battlefield. Zubat crashed to the ground, squealing in distress.

"Rock Throw!"

"Dodge, Zubat!" Koa yelled, his ears still ringing. Either Zubat hadn't heard or chose to ignore him. Either way, the fight was over moments later when Onix's boulder smashed into him. With a sigh, he recalled Zubat. "Unbelievable..." he muttered under his breath.

The referee raised his hand. "The match is over. Gym leader Roark is the winner!"

Roark returned Onix, then crossed the field to Koa. "You started strong, but you can't just rely on a single pokemon. Your Joltik wasn't anywhere near strong enough or tough enough to handle multiple pokemon in a row. Especially at a disadvantage. And your Zubat was-"

"I know!" Koa snapped. "Look, clearly, I made a mistake. No need to rub it in."

"I only-"

"Just stop. Hazard and Zubat need rest. And I have other things to do than stand around here all day getting lectured." Without waiting for a response, he turned and stormed away.

As he exited the gym, guilt consumed him. Roark had always been a friend to him and Blake. Still, he didn't need to hear all the ways that he failed. All he'd asked for was help reviving his fossil. So what if he didn't have any badges? That didn't mean he couldn't tame a Tyrunt. For a moment, he considered sneaking into the museum and doing it himself, before dismissing the thought. No need to become a criminal. Not yet anyway, he thought jokingly.

After healing his pokemon quickly at the Pokemon center, he stocked up on supplies, then found a quiet spot near the edge of town. He needed to figure out where to go next. Taking out his two pokeballs, he sent out Hazard and Zubat. Hazard gave him an apologetic chirp and nuzzled his ankle.

Koa chuckled and stroked his fuzzy body. "It's alright buddy. You did your best. I should have trained you better before fighting Roark, especially since you were at a disadvantage. And I should have researched him. I didn't realize he had three pokemon." He mentally cursed himself for not looking up Roark's third pokemon while he was at the Pokemon Center. Oh well, he could do that later.

Hazard chittered and scurried up his arm, nuzzling into his neck. With that settled, Koa whirled on Zubat, who had perched on a rock nearby.

"You! I didn't even want you on my team. And today's battle proved you don't have what it takes." He frowned. In a slightly quieter tone, he continued. "It's my fault for not getting rid of you sooner. I'm taking you back to the Pokemon Center and releasing you." Even as he spoke the words, a pang of guilt flickered through him. He'd thrown Zubat into a battle he was utterly unprepared for. Whose fault was that?

Zubat chittered in alarm and fluttered in circles. Koa tried to brush him away, but he remained undeterred.

Koa groaned and reached for Zubat's pokeball. Zubat screeched in alarm dived into the pokeball, knocking it out of his hand. "What the heck!" Koa yelped. He gave a resigned sigh. "Look, Zubat. I'm sorry." Zubat stopped flitting about and hovered in front of Koa.

"I never should have even caught you in the first place. And I definitely shouldn't have thrown you into that battle. You weren't ready and I didn't even try to help you. That wasn't fair to you," he sighed. "But... you're not part of my plan, so you can't be on my team."

A jolt of electricity shot through his body, making his fingers tingle. "Ow!" He looked down at his shoulder to see Hazard glaring at him. Realizing his words, Koa tentatively patted him. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean you. Besides, you still fit into the Plan, sort of."

Hazard's fur fluffed up and he continued to glare at Koa. Koa withdrew his hand and sighed, looking at Zubat again. Perhaps Hazard had a point. Truth be told, Zubat was a nice pokemon. Loyal and eager too, it seemed. But you didn't make it to the top or catch legends with 'nice' pokemon. He needed a strong team. It was the only way...

"Okay, fine. I'm not catching a Starly until after I get Tyrunt, so you can stay for now."

Zubat screeched happily.

"But, as soon as I do, I'm releasing you. Or sending you to stay with Professor Rowan. Got it?"

Zubat shrieked and did a loop, then landed on his head. Hazard buzzed with annoyance from his shoulder, clearly not fully satisfied with the decision. Koa did his best to ignore him. The Zubat had pluck, sure. But Zubat just wasn't a good pokemon. Starly was naturally strong and became even more of a powerhouse when it reached its final form. He sighed inwardly. That was just how it was.

"Well, the next step is Eterna City." He paused for a moment, contemplating. The fastest route would have been going north and taking the Bike Path. Unfortunately, the Bike Path required a bike, which he did not have. That left one other option. Backtracking to Jubilife, traveling north to Floaroma City, then continuing north through Eterna forest. The trip was at least a week, probably more, since Eterna Forest was huge, and difficult to navigate. Oh well, at least he could get in some good training for Hazard. His route featured plenty of weak pokemon, as well as some water types.

xXx
Tall grass tickled Koa's legs as he followed Route 204 north. With every inhale of breath, he could smell a faint sweet scent of flowers, carried on the southern breeze. The trees all around had been cleared to make a straight forward grassy path. Small ponds dotted the area, giving the route a calming feel. He'd been traveling for the better part of a day and a half, and in the distance, he could just make out the cliff face that signified the start of Ravaged Path. The quickest route to Floaroma town. The walk had been pleasant, but prosperous as well. A few weak Starly even gave him the chance to train Hazard a bit.

As he waded through a patch of grass towards the entrance to Ravaged Path, a spot to his left rustled. A brown furry pokemon emerged, followed by a young girl.

"Hey there!" she called, waving at him. "Wanna battle?"

Koa sized her and her Bidoof up. "Sure!" he replied.

Hazard could use the chance to train against something that he didn't have a super-effective attack against.

Koa grinned and took out Hazard's pokeball. "Go Hazard!"

Hazard emerged onto the path with an excited chirp. He and the Bidoof locked gazes for a few seconds.

"Start with String Shot and immobilize it!" Koa called.

Hazard sprang earnestly into battle. In just a few minutes, Hazard managed to use smaller size and speed to slip through the Bidoof's rather impressive defenses and immobilize it long enough to deal the finishing blow.

Koa cheered as Bidoof was recalled. "Nice job, Hazard!"

Hazard chirped happily and discharged a few sparks triumphantly, his eyes flashing with smug delight.

Bidoof's trainer returned it, then nodded. "Your Joltik is pretty impressive. Here, a little reward from Bidoof and I." She handed him some poke. which he accepted, then bid the trainer farewell. After she had gone, he took out the battery pack he'd bought in Jubilife, allowing Hazard to recharge himself. The device had cost him a pretty penny, but it was worth it.

"Alright, take a good rest. We'll be at Ravaged Path soon, and I want you ready to battle." He took out Hazard's pokeball and returned him. Standing up, he continued down the path. As he walked, he spotted a few trainers, some having battles or training, but didn't challenge them. He to save Hazard for Ravaged Path, after all.

Koa pressed on, emerging from the grass at the entrance to Ravaged Path. He strode inside, the light behind him fading. The main area of Ravaged Path was fairly straightforward. A staircase sloped steeply upwards to a path that curved to the right, emerging on the top of the cliff. Unlike Ore cave, which had yet to be fully mapped, thanks to Onix's and such, Ravaged Path was no more than a small cave with an underground lake. Just as he ascended the stairs, a Geodude leaped from a ledge above, barring their path. A grin spread across Koa's face. Perfect. Training time.

As it turned out, Hazard was able to take out the Geodude fairly easily. Using a combination of String Shot and Absorb, he wore it down rather quickly. From there, it was simple to finish it with Bug Bite.

Despite how easy the battle was, it did give him some confidence for his eventual rematch against Roark. In the back of his mind, he was already trying to figure out a strategy to beat him. Of course, it would be a cinch once he caught his Tyrogue. They were known to hang outside Eterna, and he planned to catch one after fighting Gardenia. Within the hour, he exited the cave to the upper half of Route 204.

From here he knew it was a fairly straight shot, past some trees and through some patches of overgrown grass. At the pace he kept, he figured he could make it to Floaroma by tomorrow morning. He only saw a few other people along the route, which didn't surprise him. Floaroma wasn't a very large town, so there weren't many travelers. Once the sun started to set, he made camp for the night. Hazard seemed content to remain in his pokeball, so he let Zubat out to stretch his wings.

The next morning, he awoke to a strange weight on his chest. Blinking his eyes, he opened them to see Zubat nestled against his chest, sleeping peacefully. Or at least, he assumed he was sleeping. Zubat's lack of eyes made it hard to tell. Watching it, he almost pitied the poor creature. Yet he also respected the uncommon stubbornness it displayed. Almost unconsciously, he reached up and stroked it gently between the ears. Its blue fur was extraordinarily soft and fluffy. A small smile began to creep across Koa's face.

After several moments, he sat up slowly. Zubat gave a soft squeak and fluttered into the air, shaking its head. "Time to go, buddy." Zubat screeched excitedly and began to fly about. He seemed so happy. Koa decided to let it stay outside its pokeball. Floaroma town was close anyway, so he wouldn't be flying far. He packed up camp, then released Hazard to travel on his shoulder.

A few hours later, he spotted Floarama's infamous wooden arches, which had been built only a few years ago. They marked the entrances to the town and added to the flowery, bright feeling of everything.

As he passed under the arch and into Floaroma town, he was assaulted by a mix of earthy and flowery scents. Floaroma town consisted of groups of small, quaint cottages with large fenced-in gardens all around. Just inside the town walls, to his right, was the Pokemon Center, and just north of that, the Pokemart. Directly beside the Pokemart, he saw the town's most well-known attraction. The Pick-a-Peck of Flowers shop.

Hazard scuttled off his shoulder towards the shop, eyes gleaming eagerly.

"Man I guess you guys must be pretty hungry," Koa mused. He'd run out of fresh berries not long ago. Now would be the perfect time to stock up.

Hazard trotted ahead, up to the flower shop. A young lady who was tending a berry plant noticed him.

"Hello there!" she said cheerfully. Her hand shot out as she tried to pet him. Hazard chittered in alarm, his fur fluffing, and nipped her. "Ouch! What was that for?" She shook her hand and frowned.

Koa hurried over to the woman. She shot him a glare. "Is this your Joltik?"

"Yeah-"

"Well, you should teach that thing some manners! What a beast."

Koa clenched his fists. "Maybe you shouldn't just touch other people's pokemon!"

"Hmph. Just keep that thing away from me. I don't want it trampling my plants."

Hazard shot her an angry glare as he returned to his perch on Koa's shoulder. Koa glared at her back, wondering how a Pokemon as tiny as Joltik could possibly trample anything.

"Don't worry Hazard. You're not a beast, and your manners are fine," he murmured. He stepped inside the shop, a bell above the door chiming as he walked in. Zubat darted inside after him, then landed on his head. He sighed, not bothering to shoo it away.

"Hello, welcome to Pick a Peck of Flowers!" A young woman behind the counter greeted him cheerfully. A Roserade stood beside her, watching them. "Can I help you?"

"Well I want to get some berries for my pokemon," Koa said. His voice trailed as he stared at a sign behind the lady, detailing the different berries they carried. He realized he had no idea what kind of berries his Pokemon liked. Most Pokemon would eat Oran berries, but they usually had a favorite as well.

"Is it for that adorable little Joltik?" the woman asked. "And Zubat I assume?"

Koa nodded.

The lady smiled. "A Zubat? I'd definitely go for a Pecha berry. They usually love sweet things. As for the little guy..." She tilted her head and tapped her chin. "You look like you'd like something spicy, wouldn't you?" she cooed.

"Rosy, bring some Pecha berries and Tamato berries please."

Koa suddenly remembered the honey tree where he first found Zubat. "Actually, can you add a jar of honey as well? I think my Zubat acquired a taste for the stuff."

At the mention of Honey, Zubat perked up and shrieked happily.

The Roserade nodded and disappeared into the back of the shop. A few moments later, she returned with three packages balanced expertly in its hands. She placed them on the counter. One contained a few Pecha Berries, the second Tomato berries, the final one a jar of honey.

"200 Poke!" The saleswoman said.

Koa dished out the money, then purchased some sandwiches for himself from a nearby cafe. Then he led his pokemon to some picnic tables near the flower meadows where he sat down to enjoy his meal. As soon as he opened the jar of honey, Zubat screeched and attacked it voraciously. Koa laughed at the display, watching as the little Zubat practically buried his head inside the jar. Hazard made a strange noise he could only assume was some kind of laugh. Zubat was rather sweet, he supposed. He would almost be sad to see it go. Almost. Shaking his head, he set to enjoying his own lunch.

After he finished eating, and his Pokemon finished their meals, he headed for the east gate, towards Route 205. If he continued east, he could reach the famed Valley Windworks. Valley Windworks was only an hour or so outside town, making it a suitable place for training. He planned to train there a bit, before heading north for Eterna Forest.

Once he reached the Windworks, he paused to take stock of the area. A wide open grassy expanse spread out before him, with a paved road leading to the gates of the actual Windworks plant. In the distance, Windworks river wove around the factory before flowing back to the west. Suddenly, Zubat gave an ecstatic screech, launching himself off his head. He flew straight towards a small golden leafed tree on the side of the road. He latched onto the bark and began licking it delightedly. Koa rolled his eyes. Well, as long as Zubat was distracted with his honey, he could work on Hazard some more.

Koa singled out several small rocks scattered in the area. "Alright Hazard, let's keep working on your electricity. Rapid-fire Electroweb on those rocks."

Hazard sprang off his shoulder and began launching Electrowebs at the rocks. At first, it could barely last five minutes without a recharge. Koa continued working with him for the next hour, however, only stopping to allow him to recharge. According to the Pokedex, by discharging all their electricity and then recharging, they could slowly expand their storage capacity. Pretty soon, Hazard was able to last longer and longer without a recharge. Koa guessed he could go at least fifteen minutes. That would be more than enough to last in a battle against Roark.

Feeling satisfied, he let Hazard rest for awhile. In the distance, he saw Zubat flying about, dipping and diving through the sky. As he watched, he couldn't help but marvel at how well the Zubat had adapted to sunlight. He supposed Zubat had gotten used to it from its time pursuing honey trees.

Looking a little closer, he realized Zubat wasn't just goofing off, however. Was he... training? Curious, he continued to watch. Zubat would spiral through the air, pull off some acrobatic tricks, then pause to open his jaws and fire a soundwave at a small tree. It looked like he was trying to use Supersonic. Each time he did it the waves of sound spread out across a wide area and disperse quickly, not even reaching the tree. Koa frowned and narrowed his eyes, watching carefully.

"You know, you barely open your jaws when you use Supersonic, but if you open them wider you can make your attack stronger."

Zubat paused, hovering, and stared in Koa's direction. Then he did another loop and fired a wave of sound energy at the tree, this time opening his jaws much wider. The soundwave carried several more yards this time, visibly rattling the sapling. Koa smiled to himself before turning back to Hazard. "Good job, buddy." Hazard chirped appreciatively, then looked pointedly at Zubat.

Koa gulped and shifted awkwardly. "Uh... Nice work, Zubat."

Zubat shrieked happily and landed on Koa's head again. Koa held back a sigh. It occurred to him he was beginning to grow used to the Zubat's presence. After a good rest, he started towards Route 205 once more.

The walk to Eterna forest was nearly two days from where he was, but he was looking forward to it. Route 205 was a simple route. The first bit consisted of a beautiful flowered meadow, shifting into grassy plains and small canyons. He traveled in relative peace for several hours. He battled a few trainers with Hazard and won most of them. That evening, he made camp at a spot where the canyon split, and the land met the bank of Windworks River.

As usual, he set out early next morning. He hoped to make it to the edge of Eterna by nightfall. According to the maps he'd studied, there was a small cabin just outside the boundary of the forest. It served as a rest stop for weary trainers. If he could reach it, he could rest there and get a solid start on Eterna Forest tomorrow morning.

He hadn't been walking long before he spied a young boy in a purple tunic. The boy was instructing his Meditite to attack a tree. The Meditite would summon an attack, then strike the tree. Over and over, they repeated the motion, not unlike the training he did.

As Koa approached, the boy stopped and whirled to face him. His eyes darted to Zubat before breaking out into mocking laughter. His Meditite stopped training to mimic him.

Koa clenched his fists and strode up to the boy, stopping less than a foot away. "What's so funny?"

The boy pointed and laughed again. "A Zubat! How pathetic indeed, to use such a weak, common pokemon."

Koa punched him in the face. "No one calls my pokemon weak!"

Zubat screeched at the boy, who crawled to his feet, a hand clamped to his nose. "How dare you attack me in such a manner?"

"How dare you talk to my pokemon like that?" Even though he didn't intend to keep Zubat, he wouldn't put up with anyone insulting his pokemon either. "How about your Meditite vs my Joltik? I'll show you what power looks like."

The boy laughed. "No way! Your Joltik looks almost as pathetic as your Zubat. Almost. It doesn't prove a thing unless your sad little Zubat can beat my Meditite." The Meditite grinned cockily and smirked at him.

Koa balked. He highly doubted Zubat stood a chance against the Meditite. Hazard could handle it. But Zubat was weak and inexperienced. Still, his pride (and Zubat) had been challenged. If he backed out now, he would be a coward. "Fine," he growled. "What's your name?"

"Kody," the boy replied arrogantly. "With a 'K'. Meditite and I are going to become the greatest Psychics ever."

Koa rolled his eyes. "Alright Zubat, get ready to fight."

Zubat launched himself off Koa's head and took up a battle stance, hovering a few feet above the ground.

Koa glared at the boy. "If I win, you admit that my Zubat is awesome. And give me, say, 200 poke."

"What if I win?" Kody demanded.

"You get the satisfaction of knowing you're right. And 200 poke."

The boy mused for a moment before nodding. "Alright fine. I'll show you just what a mistake you made with a weakling like that. Go Sai!" Meditite hopped forwards took up a fighting stance.

"I'll give you first move," Koa said, smirking.

"Your loss. Sai, use Confusion." A wave of blue energy surged towards Zubat.

"Confuse it," Zubat opened its jaws, firing a nearly invisible soundwave at Meditite. It struck Meditite, who began to teeter.

"Wing attack!" Zubat dived down and struck Meditite, knocking it back.

"Come Sai, let us finish off this foolish Zubat! Use Hidden Power."

Sai began to charge a ball of energy, but his concentration slipped and it exploded, knocking him into a tree. Zubat dived down and struck him again with Wing Attack. Sai yelped and slumped to the ground.

"Finish him!" Koa cried. Could he actually get lucky and win this?

"Counter with Psyshock." Sai shook his head, clearing it, then launched a glowing bluish orb.

Koa didn't even have time to process what was happening, and neither did Zubat. The attack knocked him out of the air, and he crashed to the ground, stunned.

"One more time Sai." The second Psyshock hit Zubat, sending up a cloud of dust from the force of the impact.

"Zubat no!"

Zubat gave a groan and tried to stand.

"See! Just as I predicted, your Zubat is weak." The boy smirked and Sai gave a taunting cry. As much as he wanted to, Koa couldn't bring himself to make a retort. Kody was right.

Zubat made one last attempt to stand. To Koa's surprise, he let out a defiant shriek and charged Meditite with Wing Attack.

Kody remained unfazed. "Confusion, slow it down."

Meditite's eyes glowed blue, and a blue glow surrounded Zubat. Zubat briefly halted midair before being slammed unceremoniously into the ground, unconscious.

Koa's shoulder's sagged. He returned Zubat, then paid out the money he owed.

"Ha! See, I was right," Kody gloated. "Zubat is pathetic." He strutted off, his Meditite floating after him.

Once he had gone, Koa released Zubat again. He gave it a potion to restore it, then sat back and sighed. Zubat fluttered to life and stood up awkwardly. He squeaked sadly and ducked his head, almost as if he was ashamed. Koa stroked his furry blue head thoughtfully.

Zubat had lost, unsurprisingly. What did surprise him was that he should have fainted much earlier, after the first Psyshock. The fact that he survived the second shocked Koa even more. And then... he reflected on the battle, how Zubat bravely tried to keep fighting anyway. Even when he was exhausted. Despite how he'd rejected Zubat constantly, he had clearly put everything he had into the battle. Another thought occurred to him, one he'd tried to avoid thinking about. Technically, Zubat was his starter. Not Joltik. It was the first pokemon he acquired after becoming a licensed trainer.

A trainer's starter was special.

Confusion brewed inside him. His head said not to keep Zubat, regardless of what it had done. Plenty of books he read mentioned how flighty and unpredictable they were. How they were a weak species, hard to train. Yet his heart said otherwise. Even after he'd gotten angry at Zubat after their loss to Roark, it had persisted. For him.

"Oh Zubat, I'm sorry!" he cried out. "I've been an awful trainer to you. You fought so hard for me and I didn't fight for you."

Zubat perked up slightly, lifting his head as if staring straight at Koa.

Hazard chirped encouragingly from his shoulder as if to say 'about time'.

"This whole time I've been thinking what a terrible pokemon you are, but I'm the one who's terrible. I should have been training you to bring out your strength. A good trainer works with his pokemon, no matter what. But instead, I doubted you, ignored you, and dismissed you. " Koa took a deep breath. "Can you forgive me, Zubat?" Even as he spoke the words, he felt a pang in his heart. Why would Zubat even forgive him, after he'd been so awful?

Without hesitation, Zubat shrieked happily. He flew into the air, doing a little loop before landing on Koa's head.

Koa blinked, then laughed and patted him, grinning from ear to ear. The tension in his heart lifted. Even if he didn't deserve Zubat's forgiveness, he vowed to make it up to him. By the legends themselves, he would help Zubat become strong, no matter what. "Now that that's settled, how about a nickname?"

Zubat squeaked amiably.

"Hmmm... let's see. Flutter? No, that's dumb. Dracula? Too cliche. How about...Echo?"

Zubat gave a delighted screech and nuzzled against his cheek.

"Echo it is then." He glanced happily between his two pokemon-no, partners. A surge of pride flowed through him. They weren't part of the Plan, but they were good. Besides, there were still 4 more slots on his Plan. It just needed a bit of adjusting. "Now, it's time for some hardcore training! Roark is too tough to beat right now, but Gardenia is a grass-type gym leader. The two of you should be able to handle her pretty easily." The only obstacle standing in his way now was Eterna Forest.
xXx​

  • Hazard (Male Joltik)
  • Echo (Male Zubat)
Yeah, I few people have mentioned how Koa punching the kid seems a little over the top. I'm not changing it though, I like it. I don't think it's too crazy when you look how kids in animes behave, especially early season Pokemon. Plus Koa is temperamental and a little bit aggressive.

That said I also know there's merit in that it feels a little abrupt here specifically. If anyone has specific suggestions for smoothing this over, I may eventually revist.

ALSO. Yes I have been made aware that Koa's attitude change towards Echo feels abrupt. I tried to do small tweaks to make it clear that Koa like Echo but his hangup is his faulty belief that Echo is both weak and he personally didn't want a Zubat. He's being stubborn, even though he's been told otherwise by people like Rowan/Blake.

Unless anyone has a specific change to implement, this is a mild hangup I'm already aware of.
. Anyways, just wanted to say that bit! Happy reading!

And there's chapter 3! Koa has suffered a humiliating defeat, though it is due to his own poor choices. But he has learned a valuable lesson about being a trainer. Next up is the Eterna gym. Will he put his lessons to good use?

A wild RAEG appeared! The wild RAEG used post reply!

Koa groaned and reached for Zubat's pokeball. Zubat screeched in alarm dived into the pokeball, knocking it out of his hand. "What the heck!" Koa yelped. He gave a resigned sigh. "Look, Zubat. I'm sorry." Zubat stopped flitting about and hovered in front of Koa.

"I never should have even caught you in the first place. And I definitely shouldn't have thrown you into that battle. You weren't ready and I didn't even try to help you. That wasn't fair to you," he sighed. "But... you're not part of my plan, so you can't be on my team."

A jolt of electricity shot through his body, making his fingers tingle. "Ow!" He looked down at his shoulder to see Hazard glaring at him. Realizing his words, Koa tentatively patted him. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean you. Besides, you still fit into the Plan, sort of."

Hazard's fur fluffed up and he continued to glare at Koa. Koa withdrew his hand and sighed, looking at Zubat again. Perhaps Hazard had a point. Truth be told, Zubat was a nice pokemon. Loyal and eager too, it seemed. But you didn't make it to the top or catch legends with 'nice' pokemon. He needed a strong team. It was the only way...

The mind can be one's greatest ally or one's greatest enemy. It has a point but it also wants Koa ignore his heart, which is shown nicely:

The next morning, he awoke to a strange weight on his chest. Blinking his eyes, he opened them to see Zubat nestled against his chest, sleeping peacefully. Or at least, he assumed he was sleeping. Zubat's lack of eyes made it hard to tell. Watching it, he almost pitied the poor creature. Yet he also respected the uncommon stubbornness it displayed. Almost unconsciously, he reached up and stroked it gently between the ears. Its blue fur was extraordinarily soft and fluffy. A small smile began to creep across Koa's face.

Something made him pause, however. You already have a flying type. Zubat. You should train him. He stared at the Starly, uncertainty gripping him. He would desperately love a Staraptor, yet... His hesitation cost him. In a moment, the Starly recovered. It blinked a few times, cheeped smugly, then took off. Koa watched it go and groaned. Well, there would be plenty of opportunities to catch another Starly. He just wanted to catch the right one. That was all. And when he did, he would release Zubat. For sure.

His mind tells him one thing but his heart tells him another. The heart seems to be winning but his mind's nagging him.

For the next few hours, he traveled in peaceful solitude. As the sun began to set behind the mountains, he spotted the glimmering surface of a small lake. With a whoop of delight, he ran the short distance to the water's edge. He dropped to his knees, splashing his face with the cool, refreshing water. After enjoying the water for several moments, he sat back. Time to make camp.

I like this mix of setting and Koa's movements.

Once he reached the Windworks, he paused to take stock of the area. A wide open grassy expanse spread out before him, with a paved road leading to the gates of the actual Windworks plant. In the distance, Windworks river wove around the factory before flowing back to the west. Suddenly, Zubat gave an ecstatic screech, launching himself off his head. He flew straight towards a small golden leafed tree on the side of the road. He latched onto the bark and began licking it delightedly. Koa rolled his eyes. Well, as long as Zubat was distracted with his honey, he could work on Hazard some more.

Another example of a good mix of setting and movement.

As Koa approached, the boy stopped and whirled to face him. His eyes darted to Zubat before breaking out into mocking laughter. His Meditite stopped training to mimic him.

Koa clenched his fists and strode up to the boy, stopping less than a foot away. "What's so funny?"

The boy pointed and laughed again. "A Zubat! How pathetic indeed, to use such a weak, common pokemon."

Koa punched him in the face. "No one calls my pokemon weak!"

Zubat screeched at the boy, who crawled to his feet, a hand clamped to his nose. "How dare you attack me in such a manner?"

"How dare you talk to my pokemon like that?" Even though he didn't intend to keep Zubat, he wouldn't put up with anyone insulting his pokemon either. "How about your Meditite vs my Joltik? I'll show you what power looks like."

The boy laughed. "No way! Your Joltik looks almost as pathetic as your Zubat. Almost. It doesn't prove a thing unless your sad little Zubat can beat my Meditite." The Meditite grinned cockily and smirked at him.

Perhaps Koa saw that his behavior towards Zubat wasn't that different? Looks like we have a rival too.

Confusion brewed inside him. His head said not to keep Zubat, regardless of what it had done. Plenty of books he read mentioned how flighty and unpredictable they were. How they were a weak species, hard to train. Yet his heart said otherwise. Even after he'd gotten angry at Zubat after their loss to Roark, it had persisted. For him.

"Oh Zubat, I'm sorry!" he cried out. "I've been an awful trainer to you. You fought so hard for me and I didn't fight for you."

Zubat perked up slightly, lifting his head as if staring straight at Koa.

Hazard chirped encouragingly from his shoulder as if to say 'about time'.

"This whole time I've been thinking what a terrible pokemon you are, but I'm the one who's terrible. I should have been training you to bring out your strength. A good trainer works with his pokemon, no matter what. But instead, I doubted you, ignored you, and dismissed you. " Koa took a deep breath. "Can you forgive me, Zubat?" Even as he spoke the words, he felt a pang in his heart. Why would Zubat even forgive him, after he'd been so awful?

Without hesitation, Zubat shrieked happily. He flew into the air, doing a little loop before landing on Koa's head.
The right thing may not be what he had planned, but it'll all work out (said the Crobat fan typing this)

Did those books Koa read mention anything about Crobat? Crobat's a boss so Koa should go leave one star reviews online for Crobat.
 

Ambyssin

Gotta go back. Back to the past.
Location
Residency hell
Pronouns
he/him
Partners
  1. silvally-dragon
  2. necrozma-ultra
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. dreepy
  6. mewtwo-ambyssin
Merry Blitzmas
Disclaimer: Reviews are generally stream of consciousness stuff. Feel free to take with a grain of salt or ignore them entirely.

6: Alternate title is "Force, Object."
-I guess this wouldn't be an anime-inspired fic if there weren't reminders of the #squad and what moves they know. I'm personally not a fan of this and would rather the moves just be shown off in combat but to each their own i guess sksksks
-Fun fact: these days heart monitors only tend to beep when there's something wrong (tachy or bradycardia, certain arrhythmias, etc.). actually maybe it's not such a fun fact.
-You could probably call this lady a neurologist if she's a doctor here because Koa suffered a head and/or neck injury. Though given she introduces herself with her first name, maybe she's an NP or a PA. Could still say "I'm with the neurology team."
-Oh right Koa met the Obsidian Highlands rapidash and got WASTED. It sounds like he has a concussion, judging by the dizziness when he tries to sit up. Not much that can be done for that medicine wise. Hope he's going to take it easy. [beat] He's not going to take it easy, is he?
-Nice little Easter egg with the swarms on the news.
-Both of these guys have a point. Yes, Koa did a dumb, but now he needs recovery and yelling at him does little good.
-"The scar was a serious wound, so it did leave a slight scar." I, uh, think one of these was supposed to be something else? That said, I like your description of the pokémon wing. It gives me similar vibes to a hospital nursery or family area.
-Tyrunt is definitely Sassy natured. 😎
-Team Blackout seems interesting on paper if you consider Avis' theory about them being ex-grunts valid. Considering that, in canon, Galactic Grunts are depicted as... not being the brightest bulbs on the Blitzmas tree. So this type of coordination would be impressive. More Rocket-like, if anything.
-UH-HUM, ACKSHUALLY, Shaymin is a mythic, it doesn't belong on Legend Avenue. >B(
-No gible for Koa. Because Koa can't have nice things.
-Ah! Ah! They said the thing! The chapter title! (I do think it was cute how the dinos got stuck like that and I saw it coming when Tyrunt learned Bite.)
-oh no cranidos got bit by the love bug.

7: These are opposite directions
-Koa thinking about pioneers and untread paths reads hilariously in light of Legends now being a thing.
-lmao Machop legit flexed on Tyrunt in more ways than one.
-When you think about it, Dragon Tail is just a really strong, literal Tail Whip. So, of course it's a logical replacement. Koa with the big brain strats.
-Koa nearly a victim of greed going for that star piece. I can't help but wonder if he had a really bad experience with water. Maybe it was mentioned in an early chapter and I forgot, but he showed a primal fear when it was the only way out.
-Also got a chuckle out of single-use TMs being an "older model" since the Sinnoh remakes are stuck with single-use TMs... as is the rest of the franchise, seemingly.
-Cade's getting all the pseudos, but his taste in 'mons is [chef's kiss].
-The meditation part was nifty because it gives me the impression Koa needed to stop and think for a while to put himself in someone else's shoes. Which fits in nicely with the "rushes without thinking" aspects of his character. I do think getting Tyrunt to warm up to him by biting her back made for a cutesy moment between the two. Y'know, as long as that's not some sort of tyrunt equivalent of flirting.

8: This pun gets the Amby Seal of Approval™
-But here's the real $64k question: does Koa sleep on his belly, side, or back? Inquiring minds want to know.
-Even long after the events of DPPt, Fantina still doesn't do her job and goes away. Koa, again, can't have nice things.
-I do appreciate that Koa's journey is going in a different order compared to the Sinnoh games. Gives it an original flavor.
-Wyatt showing up with a clefairy? Which evolves from cleffa via friendship IIRC. Is this foreshadowing him assisting with Echo's friendship evolution down the road?
-A clefairy getting stolen at the second major city the protag visits? That's gotta be an intentional DPPt callback, right? Also, Fs out for the poffins. o7
-LMAO Koa throwing hands was unexpected yet hilarious to see (in a bit of a dark humor way, I guess). At least the poffins got avenged!
-He has acquired... EGG. Unsure what blue with white spots is suggestive of. Too many blue 'mons out there for me to hazard a guess. I'd laugh if it was a wingull, though.
-PUPPER ACQUIRED! Very good boi. Deserves more pets.

9: This is basically just the title of a Johto episode
-Noooooo don't make the pupper an angy, distrusting boi. 😢
-This really is like the games with random people challenging Koa to pokémon battles.
-I'm too lazy to look up if the mansion duo have the same names as people you can fight there in the canon games. He handles himself well in the double battle and I do like the duo's techniques and Chatot's constant use of sound-based moves is a nice touch, too.
-Living the highlife at the pokémon mansion, huh? What a lucky devil.
-Celeste and Liam couldn't be any more rich bitch if you tried. Everything stereotypically snobbish they're basically cartoon characters. Which is probably the point, but then I remember some of the uber wealthy IRL and I get sad. 😔
-I think the battle against Echo is supposed to speak to Anubis' pack mentality or something. It might have been better closer to the part where it mentions Koa reading up about that? There are a lot of little battles this chapter and they are blurring together for me.
-I'm (jokingly) calling BS. Koa spending multiple days in pouring rain without proper shelter should have given him hypothermia. Or maybe some cellulitis in his feet.

10: More like "From Marsh to Swampy Marsh," am I right? [laugh track]
-Koa, buddy, you would be the "lunatic" who'd try to brute force the marsh with a bike if there wasn't a sign there. :^)
-Avis wants to join Interpol, huh? So, she's a Looker in training. All she's missing is a part of the croagunk line. Wouldn't it be funny if they're actually related?
-Glad Koa patches things up with Blake rather quickly, since the blow up a few chapters back was equally as quick.
-It's funny to hear Koa saying he likes having some sort of plan when he's acted rather impulsively in a number of situations and only minor plans (like finding the shard guy) have actually worked for him.
-You refer to Shroomish as fighting a toxicroak initially, but then it changes to a croagunk.
-So Shroomish is the Ash's charizard and pignite of this fic. Aaaaand the trainer is one of the rich bitches from the last chapter, just to rub salt in the wound. I get the strange feeling that Koa will run into Liam again eventually.
-Looking at the team composition now (still think it's weird they're given at the start and end of every chapter), Rascal's really got herself a reverse harem, huh?

11: Is this going to be about Mach Punch?
-No way Koa wakes up at 5AM as a teenager. 0/10 no realism whatsoever. /s
-Nifty little pre-gym training montage. Full of grass. Since chapters are a bit on the longer side it feels like this squad's been together much longer than they actually have. Might speak to your ability to write them as a team, even with dysfunctional moments.
-BY GAWD IT'S CRASHER WAKE WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!
-I agree with Koa. Using String Shot as a makeshift cocoon is a cool idea. I was just expecting Hazard to swing around the rafters or something, but this is both cunning and quicker! :V
-THE QUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG. A shorter battle than the first one, but it does show the fruits of the training from the last scene. And the spores spreading through the water is a nifty way of twisting the environment around in a way that plays off Shroomish's natural ability.
-And to wrap up, I think you show Floatzel's ace status well, having it get some solid hits in compared to Gyarados and THE QUAG and needing Koa to rely on some well-placed statuses to gain the upper hand. It has a bit of that "power of anime" with how many hits Echo is able to take, but the end result is solid. And Wake even alludes to the canon rematches with full, stronger teams.
-Wasn't sure if Koa would double back to Hearthome or start pressing on to Veilstone. I think I was hoping for the latter, but the former works, too.
-Hitmonchan pulling a Gladion's lycanroc and snapping itself out of confusion like a boss. Overall a lot of little twists and turns in the battle with Kitto and the aftermath that follows the with the evolution and the zigzagging test of character. I do wonder if this would have been more significant if it was split into its own chapter from the gym battle. As it is, it's a lot of stuff happening at once compared to some of the other chapters which just have some traveling and not much else.

12: This pun made me cringe. Perfect.
-Is... is that a Cars 3 reference? I feel like that's what Kitto and Kora are talking about with the punching technique.
-The irony in Mach Punch needing time and patience is thick enough for a butter knife. Though given Koa ran and threw a punch at a poacher earlier, it's for the best that Kitto would teach him how to fight. It's probably going to be important for later confrontations in the story. Overall, there's something interesting about the key to Scrapper getting Mach Punch coming through Koa also gaining better punching technique. Speaking to the whole human-pokémon bond.
-Hey, look, I was right. They did run into rich bitch again. Except, in another subversion, instead of being able to show Liam up, Liam just uses a 'mon he doesn't have enough badges to train to nuke Rascal. I was actually expecting him to use Scrapper but I guess that's part of the subversion? Fortunately there are some cooler heads to make sure there aren't any serious consequences for Koa, but it would've been shocking if things did go badly.
-Kitto's goal being to beat Cynthia's garchomp is absolutely hilarious in light of Pokémon Journeys. Sorry, bud, someone beat you to the punch.

13: Damn, and Koa never even reached first base. 😔
-Kitto really jetting off to Unova. Where'd he get the money for that? Flights are expensive.
-Only thirty people searching for Entei besides Koa? Or was that all he saw personally, because I imagine that's the type of news to get a lot of people to go out looking.
-Suddenly Cynthia. I like how she gets more of a crowd than Entei, apparently. The Sinnoh people know what they like [insert lenny face here]. Really, though, Fantina's absence must be concerning for Cynthia to pop up out of the blue.
-Another "pre-gym" training scene here. Brief enough, though I'd like to have seen the pokémon duos working together to brush up their techniques.
-lmao Koa so impatient to finally challenge Fantina he interrupts the speech you lifted straight out of the games. (I think you do that for every leader, actually, hers is just instantly recognizable.)
-I think I'm just now noticing it, but is Dragon Tail not forcing out the 'mons it connects with? I thought it was meant to force the target out. Guess you're just having it be a smack with a tail here?
-The end of the battle mentions it going very smoothly because Koa had the chance to strategize and it certainly shows in the way it's written. Yes, Fantina's 'mons get a few hits in, but for the most part things are going how Koa wants them to. Which is a big turnaround from how things went against Roark.
-Fs out for Fantina. Cynthia read her the riot act. I see in your author's note this was your own personal way of getting back at her. If I had a nickel for every fic where the author took out their frustration toward gym leaders in their fics, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

14: Another groan-worthy pun. Delightful. ^^
-Aww, I do wish we got a galvantula out of this. But he's either in full Pikachu mode or we'll be waiting until the point where he feels he's ready to be... less smol bug.
-Suddenly volcano dog in the park! A good sense of panic here from Koa's perspective as he scrambles to get all his pokémon back and then the ensuing skirmish with Entei itself. Anubis' evolution reminds me of a couple of the XY episodes where Ash had 'mons evolve from events involving the legendary birbs. The way Koa describes (the first) Entei's appearance makes me think of, like, shadow pokémon. Or maybe something similar to the Red Chain? Who knows? You do.
-Oh, wow, I had completely forgotten about the egg until Wyatt reappeared.
-It does feel like Koa moves on from this even remarkably fast and is back into "Okay, next destination" mode. With the constant mention of meeting and catching a legend I would expect him to... think a lot deeper about what just happened. Maybe questioning his goal. But that doesn't really happen. Think it would've been a better note to end on than berries, but that's just me.
 

Umbramatic

The Ghost Lord
Location
The Yangverse
Pronouns
Any
Partners
  1. reshiram
-rises from the smoke like Mushu- I LIVE

I DID IT

13 CHAPTERS OF LA IN EXCHANGE FOR 13 CHAPTERS OF HAA

AND IT ONLY TOOK ME TWO GODDAMN YEARS AND TWO REVIEW BLITZES TO DO IT

I WILL NEVER BE THIS SLOW AGAIN

FUCK

...Anyway let's get into the meat of things shall we? This review covers chapters 11-13!

We start with Koa and his new, adorable Shroomish meeting CRASHER WAKE and challenging him to a gym bsattle! Things get CRASHER WAKE tough but Koa defeats CRASHER WAKE, whio decides Koa has spunk, kid

After that they meet a a dude named Kitto, who has a really tough Hitmonchan and is like if you stuffed a wise old marttial arts master inside of a child. They exchange philosophical arguments and shit as their Pokemon exchange blows, and soon Shroomish evolves into Breloom, earning him: A NICKNAME! It's Scrapper. Scrapper is very cute and I want to feed him beans.

The next chapter is a TRAINING MONTAGE with EYE OF THE TIGER okay maybe not really but I heard it in my head maybe. Then Liam shows up and Koa PUNCHES him and I cheered and Liam gets caught CHEATING and I cheered.

Then next chapter Kitto goes "my time has come" and dissapears in a breeze oif cherry blossoms but Koa does not care because ENTEI IS HERE or was here but now CYNTHIA is here and she's super cool and awesome and badass then, and then...

....

Okay, this is the part where I temporarily turn the excited jokey gushing off and turn the actual concrit on because the Fantina stuff didn't sit well with me.

Like, I know you based her on kinda being off the job a lot in the anime, and this fic does lean heavily on the Vibes of the anime, usually for the better, but my impression of her anime incarnation is incredibly fuzzy and I mostly a,m familiar with her stuff from the games and there I... I love her a lot, she is cool and fabulous and... Goals. I think about @WildBoots ' trans Fantina a lot when I think about Fantina in relation to me. So like this all feels really cruel and unfair without the anime conrtext? And like. Cynthia's role in this. Fantina just wanted some time off from one of her jobs to TRAIN and do both of her jobs better and like. Cynthia punishing her for that doesn't make Fantina seem unsympathetic, it makes CYNTHIA seem unsympathetic

I don't know how many revisions you plan on doing to this fic at this point, though, so feel free to take iot or leaver it, especially given most of that is Personal. And like. while it did make me feel strongly enough to rant a ;little It's barely a blemish on the fic. If tf this is the one, ultimately TEMPORARTY thing to get me 200% mad you're doing a good job imo.

Overall Legendary Adventures is Umbra Certified Good Shit. If I sound like a kid gushing (or complaining) about his favorite TV show when I review it it's because that's how this fic makes me FEEL, and the Pokeani energy does wonders in that department. I do very much look forward to reading more of it.

....And it hopefully won't take two fucking years to get back to it.
 

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
Somehow? I have never reviewed?? Tetra fic??? I thought i had to be mistaken, but no, I keep rolling you for Smeargle, not Catnip. :mewlulz: Well, this works out!

I'd already read chapter 1, so onto chapter 2! I'm still constantly amused by just how thoroughly Koa expects everything to go exactly 100% as intended. It's not even in a "boundless optimism" kind of way! He doesn't feel like other optimistic characters. It's just so funny to see him wandering though this cave genuinely expecting to just stumble across Regirock for no reason other than... sheer desire? He just wants things really badly so that means they're gonna happen ok. And maybe everyone should want things really hard! Oh Koa, this is why it's so fun to mess with you.

I can tell this chapter's been through a lot of polishing because as much as Koa is concerned about cool Pokemon species and wouldn't be caught dead with lame Pokemon (except when he is), he clearly does still care about doing right by them. I recall that landing a good balance on that was a priority with some past edits, and it seems to hit the mark now, imo. Also I love how he pretty much gets social-pressured into a wild pokemon battle that he wasn't all that psyched about because it's not like he could turn down the Machop's challenge, could he? That'd just be rude. :V

I was surprised that Hazard joined him so quickly! A little convenient that he joined with this random kid 30 seconds after he got mad at a poacher, but tiny spider friend is cute. Maybe it'd feel less sudden if Galvantula had more presence in the scene--she sort of faded into the background while Hazard approached Koa, but I imagined her having a bit more of a goodbye with Hazard, or a bit of inquisitive chittering like "this is the human you've chosen, is it?" Just something small like that.

Two minor errors:
"I... I don't want to know what kind foo pokemon it was," he said quietly.
typo
The disappointment of missing out on the pokemon Rowan had for him still weighed heavily on his mind. Even if Houndour was an odd choice...
I think this inconsistency was caused by editing--the current version of the chapter has Koa ask Rowan not to tell him.

Hope I get to return to this soon!
 
Chapter 24: Iron Heart

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
After having his gym match against Byron rather humiliatingly cut short, Koa decides to take a trip to Iron Island to visit an old friend. His Breloom, Scrapper, is almost recovered from his injury, and Koa hopes some training will give him a fresh perspective. Meanwhile, the mysterious threat of the Legendary Beasts and their attacks looms ever present over Sinnoh...

Chapter 24: Iron Heart

Echo (Male Crobat) {Ability: Inner Focus}

Hazard (Male Joltik) {Ability: Compound eyes}

Rascal (Female Tyrunt) {Ability: Strong Jaw}

Anubis (Male Houndoom) {Ability: Flash Fire}

*Scrapper (Male Breloom) {Ability: Effect Spore}

Flurry (Female Spheal) {Ability: Thick Fat}


The ball arced through the air, sunlight reflecting off the white bottom as the red contrasted against the clear blue sky. Time slowed. The weakened Latias, whom he'd whittled down with the help of his team, watched in anticipation. It made contact with her head, and the light drew her inside. Koa's breath paused and he clenched his fist.

The ball shook once and then... ding! Koa cheered, grinning wildly, as his heart soared—


"Only a couple more badges," he murmured to Hazard, still lost in his daydream as he sat in the waiting room. Hazard chittered in excitement from his perch on Koa's shoulder.

Upon landing on Iron Island, Koa had headed to the Pokemon Center to give his team a checkup. All of his pokemon were given a clean bill of health, save for Scrapper, whom Nurse Joy was currently giving a closer examination. There was plenty of time while he waited for her to finish, and that meant plenty of time to daydream about his future.

Starting with getting stronger. A few good wins under his belt would be perfect, and he could make things up to Rascal. Guilt still gnawed at him every time the memory of his disastrous gym battle surfaced. He'd failed her, and he intended to make things right. Then he could put everything behind him and train with Kitto.

Latias... A lofty goal. If he even ended up finding one. Supposedly Hoenn was the most likely spot to see them, but apparently sightings ranged from Paldea to Kanto, and even Sinnoh. Still, it was a goal for now at least, though he had decided on the boat ride that it would be smart to keep his options open. There was no telling what legendary he might encounter after he'd gotten his team strong enough.

Of course none of it mattered if things kept going the way they did. If the beasts were truly retaliating at humanity, how long before other legendary pokemon followed suit? Shaking his head, he pushed the thought away. Things would improve, he was sure of it.

"... attack at Snowpoint Temple."

The crackle of a radio in the back room being turned up caught his attention.

"Witnesses report seeing a quadruped blue creature with a purple mane attacking the Temple in Snowpoint City. Rangers believe they have identified the being as the legendary pokemon Suicune, making this yet another in a string of inexplicable attacks by Johto's famed beasts of the Brass Tower. This station has reached out to Professor Elm, who has declined to comment so far.

Police are advising trainers and travelers to stick to the protected routes and to be extra cautious. If you see one of these pokemon, do not attempt to engage it. Report it to the local Ranger Station or Police Headquarters.

It is still unknown what is behind these attacks, or if Johto's beasts are truly responsible. If you have any information, please inform local authorities."

Koa's heart sank, a chill settling over him, despite his jacket. Hazard tensed on his shoulder, digging his claws in. It was getting worse. His fingers dug into his thighs as he stared at the floor. Half of him longed to get up and catch the first boat to Snowpoint, except what good could he do? Whatever was behind these attacks, he was powerless against. Amity had proved that.

"It's awful, isn't it?" Nurse Joy's voice disrupted his thoughts, and he looked up. She held Scrapper's pokeball in his hands, though her cheery smile from earlier was gone. "I can't fathom why they would want to attack Sinnoh."

"It's not them!" Koa blurted out, standing abruptly. Hazard fluffed his fur in displeasure.

She flinched slightly at his tone. "Oh?"

Koa shook his head, then continued in a calmer tone. "I... I've seen them. Twice. Once at Celestic and once at Amity Square."

Her eyebrows rose at the mention of Amity and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my..." she whispered. "You were at Amity Square? Are you the kid with the Houndoom who evolved?"

Koa blinked, taken aback. "Uh... yeah. You heard about me?"

She nodded. "Most of us nurses are friends and we swap stories all the time. I remember Hearthome's nurse telling me about a Houndoom she examined who evolved after getting attacked by Entei."

"It wasn't Entei," Koa said firmly. "The thing I saw... it didn't look right." The Thing's cold gaze flashed through his mind, sending chills down his spine. Yet the second Entei he'd seen had appeared so gentle. There'd been two there that day, he was sure of it... "Whatever it was, it was some kind of imposter."

The nurse frowned. "How awful... to impersonate a legendary like that. I do hope the Rangers find whoever or whatever those things are then." She held out Scrapper's pokeball. "He's in good health and his leg is healing wonderfully. Give it another day or so to make sure it's fine, then he'll be good as new!"

"Thanks," Koa said as he took the ball and clipped it back onto his belt.

"Koamaru?"

He glanced over his shoulder at the nurse.

"Be careful out there."

Once outside the center, Koa took a long deep breath. He had come here to train, and he intended to focus on that. He'd already formed a loose plan during the boat ride that included training more with Rascal and helping Flurry learn some new moves. And by the day after tomorrow, he could start working on Scrapper, whom he was sure was looking forward to battling again.

He started up the hill, unable to keep the surge of excitement at bay. Picking up his pace, he scrambled up the hill with relative ease, stopping at the mouth of the cave. A faint chill hung in the air, mixing with a metallic tang.

"Iron Island, here I come."

First, he retrieved a headlamp from his backpack and strapped it on. Then he turned his head so he could see Hazard, still perched on his shoulder. "You wanna stay out or go into your ball?"

Hazard clicked his pincers together twice, then scurried down Koa's jacket to his belt, returning himself. Koa patted his pokeball, then turned his attention back to the cave. Still grinning faintly, he headed inside.

Before him sprawled a large cavern, easily as big as a gym's battlefield. The waning light from the entrance showed remnants of the island's history as a mine. Old tracks spiraled off into the darkness, barely visible under new layers of rocks. Metal support beams lining the tunnels sported bite marks, likely from the wild Onix population.

Singling out a random tunnel, Koa wandered towards it, sweeping his headlamp around the area in case anything interesting happened to be lying around. Daylight faded away entirely as he entered the tunnel, and the distant sounds of the ocean faded, replaced by a peaceful stillness. Every so often he heard a faint rustle of wings from roosting Zubat and Woobat.

The tunnel eventually led to another cavern farther down the mountain, somewhat smaller than the first one. He did a broad sweep of the cavern. Rusted ore processing machines lined one wall, ringed by headless pickaxes and wheel-less minecarts. Various minecart tracks led into other tunnels, some of them caved in.

He supposed this had once been a base of operations for the miners, though the pokemon had long since reclaimed it. The thought brought a smile to his face. He remembered learning about how Byron had passed a law a couple decades ago to give Iron Island back to the pokemon, now that most of the ore had been mined.

Halfway into the cavern, just as he was deciding what tunnel to pick, his headlamp passed over something odd. A large black plastic crate, half buried under a rockslide. It looked old, really old, but not nearly as old as everything around it did. He edged closer and peered at him. Under the thick layer of dirt, he could just barely make out some kind of symbol on it...

A yellow, stylized G.

Nausea rolled through him and he turned away. His hands clenched into fists. On an impulse, he grabbed Anubis' ball from his belt and released him. The fire type emerged with bark, then looked around before looking at Koa, head cocked as if to ask 'where's the battle?'

Koa pointed his headlamp back at the crate. He spoke through gritted teeth. "Burn it."

Anubis growled softly, confused.

"It doesn't belong here. Burn it."

Gazing at Koa a moment longer, Anubis turned, embers flickering in his jaws. He took a deep breath, then let loose a stream of fire. Shadows cast by the orange flames danced across the walls as Anubis kept the fire up. In the flames, Koa could see the crate begin to deform, then liquify. A few minutes later it was nothing more than a misshapen, unrecognizable puddle of black ooze.

Darkness fell as Anubis extinguished his fire. Pushing down the trembling rage in his chest, Koa scratched Anubis on the head. "Thanks buddy."

He whined, nuzzling Koa's hand.

"Leftovers from Team Galactic," Koa spat. The scent of the burnt plastic made his stomach churn. He turned away from the remains and hurriedly selected the nearest tunnel and started walking. "They're bad guys, like the people who kidnapped you. Years ago, they came here and messed this place up. They used machines that hurt the pokemon and placed bombs and..."

A growl rumbled in Anubis' throat and he spat embers as his tail lashed back and forth.

"Yeah, me too," Koa said. A pit yawned in his gut that he did his best to ignore. Anger tensed his shoulders. The mere thought of Galactic... their commanders, and—

Taking a shaky breath, Koa ran his hands across the tunnel walls. Unlike the first tunnel he'd taken, this one had smooth, uniform ridges spaced a few apart, and had a rounded shape. Definitely made by a pokemon. It almost appeared like an Onix tunnel, but the ridges seemed shaped a little different.

He wandered through the tunnel as it twisted and curved, Anubis keeping him company. He focused on his ideas for training as much as he could, and kept an eye out for any wild pokemon who looked like they wanted a fight. The ground began to slope sharply downwards, and Koa had to slow down to descend safely.

The tunnel eventually led to a single, empty, dome shaped chamber. No other tunnels seemed to lead out from it. Dead end. Something on the floor caught his attention, and he walked out to the middle. As he drew closer, he could see it looked like... a hole?

What on earth—?

Anubis tensed abruptly and growled. The ground began to shake and a loud rumble shook the whole chamber, tiny rocks plinking from the ceiling to the floor. Something burst out of the hole, filling the chamber with a metallic cry as it rose up.

Koa scrambled backwards, pressing himself into the wall to get away. As he did, he got a good look at the thing. A huge metal serpent, as big as an Onix, lay curled before them around the hole. It looked a little like an Onix too — a body made of segments, though instead of gray it sported a steelier red body.

It gazed at him, its two pale blue eyes glinting in the light.

Anubis had positioned himself between Koa and the strange pokemon, his hackles raised.

Koa quickly withdrew his Pokedex and scanned it, skimming the entry.

"Orthworm. This Pokemon is native to Paldea, and is known to live in dry arid places. It eats iron from the soil for nutrients and is frequently seen with just its head poking from the ground."

"Steel type..." Koa mused to himself. Almost instinctively, his hand started to move towards Scrapper's pokeball before he stopped himself.

Anubis took a half step forward, and the Orthworm's eyes shifted to him.

"Wait Anubis. Let Rascal fight."

Nodding, Anubis relaxed slightly and trotted to Koa's side. Simultaneously, Koa tossed out Rascal's pokeball. She emerged with her signature roar and lowered her head, ready to charge. Orthworm responded with a screech of its own, tightening itself and lowering its head.

No hesitation, Koa chided himself. He wouldn't let this go the same way the gym battle had. "Dragon Tail!"

Rascal exploded forward, tail aglow.

Orthoworm tucked its head in, energy rippling across its body as a metallic sheen enveloped it.

A moment later Rascal made contact. An audible 'clang' sounded and Orthworm barely flinched. Three blue arms shot from the gray segment of its body, and with a swift movement it punched Rascal in the side, sending her stumbling back.

Koa blurted out the next move that came to his mind. "Ice Fang!" It only occurred a second later that maybe if he froze it he could get the upper hand.

As Rascal rushed forward, Orthworm opened its jaws, energy coalescing within. Indecision seized Koa but he barreled over it, quashing his instincts as well. Don't think, just act. "Don't stop!" Koa shouted.

Rascal leaped at Orthworm's head just as it blasted a glob of mud at her. The blow knocked her out of the air and she crashed to the ground, rolling a few feet. Then, before she could rise, Orthworm whipped its tail at her, steel energy encasing it.

Thwack!

Rascal slammed into the wall of the chamber and Koa flinched. She slumped heavily to the ground and didn't rise again.

The Orthworm roared in triumph, then in the blink of an eye, spun around and dove into the earth, tunneling away.

Biting his lip, Koa turned back to Rascal, who was beginning to rise, and walked over to her. He knelt next to her and dug out a Potion from his bag. She cracked one eye open to stare at him, and Koa found himself unable to meet her gaze.

He'd screwed up. Again. Even after trying to start fresh and trying to change his approach. And worst of all, he failed Rascal again. Heat rose to his cheeks and he wished he could vanish into the earth like the Orthworm had. His hands shook as he started to treat her wounds, and a growing pit began to form in his chest. The entire time she remained still, watching him with an unreadable gaze.

Part of him wished she'd be angrier. Roar at him or storm off or return herself to her ball. It was what he deserved. A lump formed in his throat. He opened his mouth, but he couldn't find the proper words. Failure. The words rang in his head over and over. If he couldn't even win here, how was he going to climb Mt. Coronet? How could he possibly hope to reach Spear Pillar, much less fight a legendary pokemon? How could he protect his team if he couldn't help them get stronger? How could he—

"Rascal, I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "I let you down again and I—"

Rascal rose abruptly, and in a swift movement, grabbed his hand in her jaws. She didn't bite down, but she squeezed, hard enough to pinch him. "Ow!" he protested. He pulled, trying to free his arm, but she squeezed tighter. He stopped, staring at her in confusion. She glared back, looking determined.

Koa glanced around, then gave Anubis a pleading look. The Houndoom simply huffed and shrugged.

"What?" Koa protested. Rascal hadn't pulled something like this since—

Since that day, on the cliffs of Coronet. Spending the night with her on that plateau. He'd connected with her by trying to give her space. And understanding her. Taking a deep breath, Koa looked into her eyes, pushing aside the dark spiral of thoughts that lurked at the edge of his mind.

Her gaze seemed calm, determined. But beneath it he could sense a forceful anger. Anger directed at him. With a great effort, he forced himself not to look away. Then, as he gazed into her reptilian eyes, something clicked. She wasn't angry because he'd failed... she was angry because she cared.

He'd been so caught up thinking how he'd failed Rascal and his team...Had he even asked how she felt?

He spoke softly, slowly, as he gathered his thoughts. "Do you feel like I failed you?"

Still holding his arm, Rascal shook her head slowly.

Koa swallowed with difficulty. The knowledge hurt somehow, even as he felt the pit in his stomach shrink. "Do you... a-are you mad at me for messing up in our gym battle?" For a good couple seconds, she didn't move. Then she gave a small shake of her head again.

The pit shrank even more. His next words lodged in his throat, then tumbled out all at once. "Do you think I'm a bad trainer?"

Immediately she quickly shook her head. Then she gently opened her jaws and stepped back, sitting down. Anubis trotted over and flopped down nearby, watching him with amusement in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rascal." The words tumbled out, stiff and awkward.

She narrowed her eyes.

"But not about the battle or losing." He shifted and swallowed, some of the tightness in his chest easing as he found his words. "I got so caught up in everything, I still wasn't thinking about you, or asking how you felt. I should have talked to you first." He reached out and rested his hand on her snout. "Can you forgive me?"

Rascal nodded, then lovingly headbutted him in the chest.

"Oof!" Koa grimaced, clutching his stomach. "Thanks for sticking with me," he wheezed. His eyes watered slightly. "And for caring about me."

Puffing out her chest, she stood, snout upturned pridefully. Then she trotted over to him and returned herself to her ball.

Chuckling, he stood up. Uneasiness and doubt still lingered, but at least now they felt more... manageable. The pit in his stomach felt more like a tiny knot. He'd messed up, but his pokemon would forgive him, as long as he didn't give up on them. And stopped focusing on his mistakes...

He snorted and shook his head. How many times had Blake tried to tell him that? Easier said than done, he supposed. "Next time, I'll do better," he murmured out loud. Dusting himself off, he turned to Anubis, who had been waiting patiently.

"What do you say, Anubis? Shall we go find Kitto?"

Anubis barked heartily, nuzzling his hand, and Koa scratched under his chin.

With a sigh of relief and a grin, he headed out of the chamber and back the way he came.

A short time later, thanks to the help of Echo's echolocation and Anubis' tracking skills, he was trekking up a tunnel towards a circle of light that he assumed led outside. He'd run into a few more wild pokemon, not particularly strong, but they gave him a chance for Flurry to stretch her flippers. Anubis had opted to return to his ball eventually, leaving just him and Echo as he followed the Onix tunnel upwards.

The light at the end slowly grew brighter and brighter, until Koa no longer needed his headlamp. As he approached, he could hear distant sounds of pokemon fighting. He emerged onto a sprawling plateau, one end open to the sea. Steep walls surrounded the other three sides, and in the center an Orthworm loomed over its opponent. Koa briefly wondered if it was the same one. Judging by appearances, Koa had arrived mid-battle.

The Orthworm appeared weathered, its hide dotted with faint dents. Its opponent, Jackie, seemed unfazed, dancing lightly on his toes around the larger pokemon. As he watched, Kitto called a command, and with a swift fake out followed by a Fire Punch, the steel snake went down.

After a few seconds, it rose again. Inspiration struck Koa, and he began to creep towards Kitto, who stood with his back to him. As the Orthworm dipped its head in a nod of respect and departed, Koa crept ever closer to the white-haired trainer. A foot away, he grinned raising his arms, fully prepared to jump him.

"Hey Koa," Kitto said, calm as ever, his back still to Koa.

Koa scowled and dropped his arms to his sides. "Come on," he grumbled. "How could you possibly know I was there?"

Without turning around, Kitto gestured to the ground. Koa looked down, then groaned. Clear as day, his shadow stretched out before him; a dead giveaway.

Kitto shook his head and laughed, then turned around. "Nice try, though. Maybe one of these days you'll learn to watch your surroundings. Speaking of..." His voice trailed off and his gaze drifted upward. He smiled widely. "Echo evolved! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Koa replied. He held out his hand and Kitto grasped it, shaking it firmly. Kitto's gaze followed Echo as he swooped through the air. He beamed as he watched Echo's midair acrobatics. Remembering his evolution brought a special feeling of warmth and pride.

"So, are you ready?" Kitto's voice broke into his thoughts.

"For what? Me to beat you again?" he retorted, grinning.

Jackie snorted audibly in disbelief.

Kitto chuckled. "Sorry Koa, I'm with Jackie on this one. You're going down."

"One on one again?" Koa asked.

Kitto shook his head, a smile growing on his face. "How about two on two?"

"Two on two? Are you sure?" Koa asked. "Is Kaze's wing healed? I thought the nurse said he might never fly again."

"Oh I'm sure. And as for Kaze... Well, you'll see."

Koa thumbed the pokeballs on his belt. "Fine. You're on."

A familiar rush began to grow in him and he locked gazes with Echo. This battle could be different. All he had to do was focus on what was important. Just like old times. "Alright Echo, you hang back for now." Reaching to his belt, he sent out Scrapper first.

The Breloom emerged. As soon as his gaze settled on Jackie, his eyes lit up.

"I know you've still got another couple days before you heal but you can watch if you want."

Scrapper nodded rapidly, and Koa grinned. Good. It seemed some of his old fire was back.

Kitto, meanwhile, selected a single pokeball from his belt. A moment later a Pidgey emerged.

It alighted on Kitto's shoulder, head held high and eyes blazing and chest puffed out. Its feathers shone and it looked a bit larger as well.

Koa's eyes widened. Definitely not the same shy little bird from Celestic town. "Whoa. That's the same Pidgey? Kaze looks completely different."

Kaze preened his feathers at the compliment, clearly pleased. Kitto smiled, stroking his head gently. "Turns out he's a proud little guy, once he started training."

"So does this mean he can fly again?"

Kitto's only reply was a coy grin. "Well, you'll have to battle us to find out."

With an eager shriek, Kaze fluttered off Kitto's shoulder and onto the ground.

If he was going to use Kaze, then he had a perfect choice. He quickly selected his pokeball and tossed it out. "Go Flurry!" he called.

Flurry emerged onto the battlefield and rolled in a circle, letting out a happy squeak. Then she settled down, narrowing her gaze and staring determinedly at Kaze. Kaze glared back, his gaze burning with equal ferocity.

"First move is all yours," Kitto declared, gesturing.

"Flurry, Aqua Ring." She squeezed her eyes tight. Blue rings of water formed around her body, then condensed around her form, causing her to glow briefly.

"Kaze, Quick Attack."

Letting out a loud shree, Kaze lowered his head, tucked his wings in tight, and sprinted across the ground, becoming nothing more than a white streak.

"Defense Curl!" Even as Koa spat out the command, Kaze drove his beak into Flurry's body and sent her rolling backward. He hopped backwards, almost smirking with delight.

Flurry rolled to a stop and tucked her fins in tightly, a silver glow flashing across her body, then uncurled and stared fiercely at her opponent. Koa quickly composed himself. He hadn't expected Kaze to move like that. "Okay Flurry, get him with Water Gun!"

She took a deep breath and fired a tight stream of water towards Pidgey.

"Counter, Twister."

Kaze shrieked and flapped his wings. A small tornado of purple winds formed, then surged across the battlefield, wrapping up the water before crashing into Flurry, sending her tumbling back. "Now, Gust!" He beat his wings rapidly, stirring up a powerful current that hit Flurry again before she could recover.

Squeaking in frustration, she slapped her fins on the ground. A blue glow flashed over her body as the healing from Aqua Ring kicked in.

Koa scowled. Kitto had trained Kaze well. He moved effortlessly across the ground, as naturally as a bird in the air. "Flurry, use Rollout!"

She hurled herself forwards, rolling straight for Kaze, and barreled into him at top speed. Knocking him aside, she circled around to strike again as the Pidgey got to his feet.

"One more Twister," Kitto called.

Spinning on a dime, Kaze dashed to the side, narrowly dodging Flurry's attack before turning around casting a purple twister of wind at her.

Not again. "Flurry, spin around it!"

Still rolling, Flurry whipped around the twister, using its momentum to hurl herself at Kaze twice as fast. At nearly the same moment, Kaze blurred into another Quick Attack at Kitto's behest. The two pokemon collided, bouncing off each other and rolling backwards before coming to a halt.

For a moment, neither pokemon moved. Koa gritted his teeth. "Come on Flurry..." he whispered. To his relief, Flurry shook herself and started to rise, while Kaze still looked stunned. "Water Gun!" Koa called frantically.

Flurry drew in a deep breath. A pulse of energy flowed through her from Aqua Ring. Then he saw a faint glow of energy in her jaws. She opened wider and unleashed a torrent of water across the field, sending the Pidgey reeling and drenching it.

Kaze didn't rise again.

"Yeah Flurry!" Koa called happily. "That was amazing!" She gave a rapid series of happy squeaks. Meanwhile, Koa pulled out his pokedex to do a quick scan. "Flurry, you picked up Brine?" He asked, surprised.

She nodded, rolling her whole body as she returned to his side.

"Amazing work," he murmured, reaching down to rub her head.

Kitto nodded as Kaze recovered and hopped back to his side. The Pidgey shook himself and began preening irritably. "Not bad, using my Twister to counter like that," Kitto called. "And learning a new move too."

"Thanks! And Kaze is really something, I can't believe he can move like that." Flurry nuzzled against his leg, and he reached down to rub between her ears. "You did so good," he murmured. Kaze was amazing. He should've guessed as much, looking back. Kitto had received Kaze sometime in Unova. He'd surely been doing intensive training with him, especially since he only had two pokemon to focus on.

Jackie slammed his fists together, then jogged onto the field and took up a battle stance.

"Well, who will you use next?" Kitto called.

Scrapper. Scrapper would have been the pokemon he wanted to use next. The Breloom probably would have loved the opportunity to rematch his old rival. But he couldn't.

Koa forced himself to smile, then grabbed Rascal's pokeball, tossing it onto the field. With all their time spent working on Ice Fang and training recently, she could definitely use the experience. Not to mention, she possessed the most raw power out of his entire team. She emerged with her usual roar before cocking her head back and giving him a sharp glare. Koa nodded reassuringly, and she turned her attention back to Jackie and Kitto.

Swallowing, Koa set his jaws and clenched his fists. He wouldn't let Rascal down a third time.

Rascal fixed a predatory gaze on Jackie, who gestured for her to 'come at him' with a glove.

The two pokemon stared at each other for a long moment.

"You ready?" Kitto called.

Koa nodded. "You can go first."

A dangerous smile flickered across his face. "Are you sure?"

Koa nodded.

"Very well. Jackie, it's time. Now! Full Combo Strike!"

Confusion flickered through Koa. What kind of command was that?

Jackie's eyes glinted and ice built up over his fist. Bending low, he spun in a tight circle, driving his fist into the ground as he did. The ice from his fist kicked up, swirling around him and forming into a jagged icy barrier, surrounding Jackie completely.

For a moment, Koa found himself unsure if the result was intended or not. What reason could Kitto possibly have to nearly immobilize Jackie? Pushing aside his musings, he called his attack. "Rascal, break through with Crunch!"

Rascal charged at the ice and sank her jaws into one of the spires, shattering it. That's when Koa saw it. Blue light pulsed from within the ice, growing in intensity. Something inside the ice flashed orange, and Koa's eyes widened. "Get back!" he shouted.

Rascal turned to run backward. The ice shattered and a flaming sphere of blue and orange energy erupted from within. There was no time to dodge, move, or even counter. It smashed Rascal full in the face, launching her into the air. She crashed to the ground and for a moment, lay still. Koa's jaw actually dropped. His mind blanked as he tried to process what he'd seen.

"What...?" was the only word he could think to say.

A huge smile spread across Jackie's and Kitto's faces, and they turned to look at each other. "It worked!" He pumped his fist in the air.

Reeling, Koa quickly gathered himself. "Rascal?"

She huffed, then rose to her feet. "Do you want to keep going?" Her scales were bruised and battered, and she seemed to sway slightly on her feet. Still, a spark of anger still flared in her eyes.

A snarl formed in Rascal's throat and she stamped her foot before nodding.

"What was that?" Koa asked, eyeing Jackie, who bounced lightly in place as he watched his opponent.

"I'll tell you after I win," Kitto teased.

Koa snorted, then turned his attention back to Rascal. "Alright, let's do this."

"Ancient Power!" He'd barely finished giving the call before Rascal acted. She roared and raised a foot, stamping the earth. Chunks of rock surrounded by a purple energy rose into the air. With a swing of her tail, they were flung across the field at Jackie.

Koa had only a moment to absorb what she'd done. Somehow, she'd managed to use Ancient Power to shoot a barrage of attacks instead of a single strong one. He grinned. "Rush in and use Ice Fang and slow him down!"

"Fire Punch double-time!" Flames burst to life around Jackie's fists and he pummeled the slew of rocks as Rascal charged. A few managed to hit, pelting Jackie's face and chest, but the worst of it was countered by Jackie's speedy punches. Of course, that barely mattered to Koa, as he had something different in mind.

Jaws open wide, Rascal lunged forward, biting Jackie's ankle. A swift layer of frost formed, creeping down to his foot and the surrounding earth. At the same moment, Jackie retaliated with a flaming strike to Rascal's face.

She barked in pain and jerked away.

"Ancient Power, full strength!"

Rascal gathered herself and effortlessly launched the rocky sphere at Jackie. Unfortunately, the Hitmonchan seemed hardly tired, and reacted instantly, vaulting sideways and dodging the attack.

"Finish this!"

Rolling to his feet, Jackie put his fists together, a sphere of blue forming between them. He shot it at Rascal, who tried to jump to the side, only to stumble weakly. The Aura Sphere struck her in the side, knocking her to the ground.

Silence fell and Koa gritted his teeth. Not again. Rascal lifted her head, and for a moment hope rose in Koa. Then she slumped back to the ground and lay still.

Koa sighed and returned her. "You did your best," he whispered to her pokeball, before clipping it back to his belt. For a brief moment, a surge of frustration rose up, but he let it pass. Kitto had been training hard, and Rascal had fought well. He couldn't ask for more than that. Next time, he'd be more ready. "So will you tell me what you did now?" he said as he approached Kitto.

The older trainer patted Jackie's back affectionately. "I call it the secret of the fifth move. It's what I came here to work on. A way to combine all of a pokemon's moves into a single combo. We're still refining it, but Jackie is getting the hang of it very well."

"Teach me!" Koa demanded, grinning. Something like that would be perfect to nab him his next win. And give him a leg up over other trainers.

Kitto frowned and glanced at Jackie. "We'll see," he said finally. "It's something that we don't have down yet, but maybe we can figure something out."

Koa shrugged and nodded. That was good enough for now he supposed. He tucked Rascal's ball away and nudged Kitto playfully. "I won one, and you won one, so technically we're even, right?"

"Won?" Kitto snorted. "You're lucky Flurry pulled off Brine at the end there."

Flurry squeaked indignantly at his comment.

Koa rolled his eyes. "Please. Just because Flurry is more skilled than Kaze doesn't mean it doesn't count."

Jackie grunted, and Kitto patted the Hitmonchan's shoulder. "It's okay Jackie, Koa is just mad because he still can't beat you."

A chuckle escaped Koa. "Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"Dinner?" Kitto questioned. "I was planning on making something right before you came."

Koa started to answer, but Echo beat him to it with an eager screech. "Sure," he said with a chuckle.

Less than an hour later, Koa and his team were arrayed around a fire with Kitto and his team, a bowl of curry for each of them.

"So what's the story there?" Kitto asked, nodding to Echo as he took a bite of food.

The memory of Echo's evolution filled Koa with a pleasant warmth, and he smiled. "He evolved after I lost to Maylene the first time I challenged her." Kitto quirked an eyebrow in question, but remained silent as Koa continued. "I got uh... pretty overconfident I guess. Stupid, now that I look back, but I rushed into her battle to prove something to some trainers and lost."

Hazard looked up from his tiny bowl of food to give Koa a pointed look. "Lost badly," Koa added with an awkward laugh. In between bites of dinner, which was as delicious as all of Kitto's meals, he caught Kitto up on his gym battle with Maylene, Echo's evolution, and then his rematch.

"Pretty impressive," Kitto said. "Did you challenge Byron yet, if you were Canalave?"

Koa chuckled awkwardly. "I uh... Byron sort of called off our match. So that's why I came here. To train and get back on track," he added cheerfully. He glanced at his team, who had all almost finished eating. Except Scrapper, who'd barely touched his food. Koa looked away, back to Kitto. Suddenly he got the impression Kitto was studying him.

"I saw something outside Veilstone." He blurted, smirking. His hand unconsciously brushed the feather. Gently, he withdrew it and held it up for Kitto to see. In the fading light of the sunset, it rippled with a prism of colors, sending light dancing across the rocky earth. The pokemon fell silent for a moment as they gazed at it.

Kitto gasped as he stared at it, the rainbow reflecting in his red eyes. He looked down slowly and made eye contact with Koa. "Is that... you saw Ho-Oh?"

Koa nodded, his cheeks hurting from grinning. He handed it off to Kitto as he recounted the sighting breathlessly. Even as he did, the words felt paltry compared to the memory of the great phoenix, soaring overhead, feathers shining like fire.

Kitto handed the feather back with a low whistle. "Incredible," he murmured.

A comfortable silence fell as Koa tucked the feather away and took another bite of his food. He couldn't help but notice Scrapper's meal was still only half eaten. His gut churned and he put aside his meal with another forceful still remaining. He swore he could feel Kitto scrutinizing him.

"The news said that Suicune attacked the temple at Snowpoint," he blurted.

Kitto's brow creased, and his frown deepened to a scowl. "Another attack?" he asked, voice dark.

Koa nodded numbly, both angry at the thought but relieved to focus on a different problem. "Between Celestica, Amity and now Snowpoint... that's all three of them."

"And now Ho-Oh."

Koa's gut churned. "It's not a coincidence. Something is wrong."

"So what do you think Ho-Oh was doing here?" Kitto asked.

Koa shrugged and shook his head. "Ho-Oh sightings are almost always around Kanto and Johto... but if the legendary beasts of the tower are being seen here then maybe Ho-Oh came because of that."

Kitto nodded thoughtfully. "So Ho-Oh is chasing the beasts here?"

"I don't think so," Koa said. "Assuming that what I saw was somehow fake, then maybe Ho-Oh and the beasts are trying to fight the fake ones?"

"That sounds plausible," Kitto replied. He hummed in thought. "Something doesn't add up though. Why here?"

Hazard finished off his meal and crawled onto Koa's shoulder to listen. "What do you mean?" Koa asked, cocking his head.

Kitto leaned forward. "Okay, what could fake a legendary?"

"Hmm..." Koa drummed his fingers on his leg. "Mew can transform into any legendary, but I don't believe for a second that what I saw was Mew. I know people have tried to use machines to make illusions, but the thing I saw seemed to have real power. And the only other pokemon who can really do proper illusions like that is a Zoroark, I think? But like I said... the thing that attacked Amity seemed too strong for a Zoroark. Oh, or a Ditto but...the eyes were wrong."

"Exactly. So regardless, it's not by accident. If the legendaries are being faked, it would take a lot of effort to do. Someone who knows what they're doing."

Koa blinked and stared blankly at Kitto. "Yeah, and...?"

"That's just it, this can't just be about making illusions or fakes. Whoever is doing this has to know what the result would be. If we assume the real beasts are here trying to chase the fakes..."

"Then whoever is doing this wants the beasts here on purpose," Koa said slowly, his eyes widening. He met Kitto's gaze, his horror reflected in them. His stomach churned and static buzzed in his ears. It was happening all over again. Someone using legendary pokemon. First Team Galactic, and now whoever was doing this.

And you're too useless to do anything.

Setting his jaw, he stood up, jostling Hazard. Mumbling an apology, he nodded to Rascal. "How about some training before we turn in for the night?" A spark flared in her eyes and she stood up, growling eagerly. Koa couldn't help but notice Scrapper staring at her. He looked away and picked a spot a safe distance from Kitto and their camp.

As he walked, he could see Kitto in his peripheral vision, watching him with a thoughtful gaze. He kept his gaze ahead. Better to get away before Kitto could ask questions he didn't feel like answering.

For the next hour, Koa lost himself in training. He ended up working with his whole team, save Scrapper, refining their moves. He worked with Flurry as well, trying to get the basics of Aurora Beam down, though to her disappointment the closest she got was a jet of chilly water. She gave a mournful bark as she shot yet another jet of water at the rock they'd been using for target practice.

Koa patted her head as he knelt next to her. "Don't worry Flurry, we'll keep working on it, you'll get it."He stood up, stretching and yawning, and glanced towards camp to see that Kitto had cleaned up and was training with Jackie and Kaze. He briefly considered trying to explain his abrupt departure, then quickly decided against it. Even thinking about the legendary situation caused a surge of unpleasant emotions.

Blake was probably right. He couldn't do anything, so he should stay out of it. Maybe tomorrow things would look up... somehow. His team lounged around the fading the fire, either dozing off or relaxing after training.

"I'm turning in," he called to Kitto. He started towards his tent, only for Kitto to call out to him.

"Wait."

Swallowing, Koa turned around.

Kitto had stopped training with Jackie to walk over to Koa. He spoke in a low voice, brow creased in concern. "Is everything alright with Scrapper?"

The knot of emotions resurfaced full force and for a moment, Koa blanked. "Yeah, he's fine," he managed after a moment, hating the way his voice wavered. "Just a minor injury he's healing from, but he'll be fine. Actually, the nurse said he's ready to get back to training tomorrow." Regret swallowed Koa as soon as he finished talking.

Liar.

It's not a lie, just a condensed version of the story,
he argued to himself. Kitto didn't need to hear how he'd gotten Scrapper injured. That was done and gone. "Maybe Jackie can show Scrapper some moves then?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kitto replied, his tone light. Too light.

Koa nodded and ducked into his tent as quickly as he could, then dropped onto his sleeping bag. He was sure Kitto knew he'd lied. It's not a lie, he protested. Somehow the argument failed to make him feel any better. With a sigh, he crawled into his sleeping bag and did his best to steer his thoughts away from Scrapper, legendary pokemon, or his half-truths.

Long after Echo crawled into his tent with Flurry and Anubis, Koa still lay awake. Time dragged and he tossed and turned as quietly as he could so he didn't wake his sleeping pokemon. He mentally reviewed his plans for tomorrow's training, then reviewed them again, then again. Then he tried to quote his favorite book from memory and got as far as the first paragraph before drawing a blank. He eventually entertained himself by inventing a story about traveling to another world and being turned into a pokemon who became a hero. Just after he'd settled on a Manectric as the pokemon he was most likely to turn into, he finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Imagination blurred into dreams and he saw himself climbing a mountain. His boots sunk ankle deep into the snow as the winds around him howled endlessly. He could just barely make out Raikou's tracks winding upwards. Lightning split the sky. Thunder crashed and ice slowed his ascent.

As he neared the summit, Raikou's shadow stretched out, beckoning him onwards. Except when he reached the top of the mountain, a Manectric lay waiting, a Manectric as big as a Raikou. Slowly it turned around and fixed him in a cold, sightless gaze. It howled with the voice of a Suicune, ice surging around it.

Then it lunged.

With a strangled cry, Koa turned and fled. The dead-eyed beast gave chase. Snow and panic swallowed Koa as he surged forward. He threw his weight into the drifts, only to stumble as the cold suddenly gave way to hard pavement and absurdly tall warehouses hemming him in on all sides.

He tried to move forward, only to find his leg stuck. Looking down, he saw the steel jaws of a trap clamped around his boot. A voiceless scream escaped his lips. He tripped and fell onto the concrete. Ahead, another figure struggled, also caught in a trap. His heart lodged in his throat. "Scrapper!"

The Manectric stalked past him as if he were invisible, closing in on Scrapper. Shadows gathered around it and its body began to morph, legs growing stockier and a smoky mane billowing from its neck, until it resembled an Entei. Scrapper, oblivious to the approaching beast, struggled fruitlessly in the jaws of the trap.

Koa's cry of warning died on his lips, coming out a whisper. He tried again, the hoarse squawk drowned by Entei's howl as orange-red energy gathered around it. Koa's breath caught. With leaden limbs, he lunged for the legendary, only to flop helplessly to the ground. He had an instant to look up at Entei, standing over Scrapper, before fire engulfed everything in smoke and searing heat, his own scream of despair lost in the cacophony.

Charred grass crunched beneath his hands as Koa coughed and crawled sluggishly forward, searching for any sign of Scrapper. He kept crawling until the smoke around him faded and he saw endless sky, all of Sinnoh laid out around him. He was on top of Mt. Coronet. Sheer cliffs surrounded the peak on all sides, trapping him.

A primal avian shriek split the air. Golden light burned away the last of the smoke and a great shadow blanketed Koa. He looked up, his heart stuck in his throat. Above him hovered Ho-Oh, massive wings covering the sky and blotting out the sun. It scrutinized him with burning scarlet eyes.

Koa shrank back, searching its gaze for gentleness or mercy, but found only disappointment. Disgust. It shook its great head. Opening its beak, it released a stream of prismatic fire, razing the earth around Koa before letting loose a terrible cry that shook the skies. Koa fell back, cowering as the legendary loomed over him.

Ho-Oh advanced, and Koa scrambled backward, his own shadow stretching out in front of him... growing longer and longer, until it spread unnaturally outwards. Terrible oozing blackness rose from his shadow, crawling up Ho-Oh's legs and up its body, draining all color from it; swallowing and consuming until nothing remained of the great phoenix but writhing darkness. Six black tentacles tipped in scarlet sprouted from the abhorrent crimson-eyed beast, looming larger and larger—

Koa's eyes shot open. Two yellow eyes floated in the air above him and he almost screamed until he recognized Echo's concerned gaze. The Crobat had perched on his chest, and judging by the sticky dampness on Koa's face, had just given him a good lick to wake him. Blinking groggily, Koa reached out and scratched him behind the ears.

"Hey buddy." His heart drummed in his ears and he drew an unsteady breath.

Echo trilled softly and nuzzled his chin.

"I'm fine. Just a..." The ominous red eyes flashed through his mind and he mentally winced. His gaze darted around the tent until he spotted the shadow of Scrapper's sleeping form. The knot of fear in his chest eased. "Just a weird dream. You can go back to sleep."

The only response was a doubtful narrowing of the Crobat's eyes.

Koa did his best to ignore his starter's worried look and push the images of the dream from his mind. In some ways, he was beginning to regret coming out to Iron Island, even if it meant seeing Kitto. With a soft sigh, he rolled over in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. Despite his reluctance, he soon drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.
 
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Seren

Lurking
Staff
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. sableye
Alright, I've decided it's time I settle down and try to get caught up! It seems I've not reviewed chapters 6 and 7, however I know I've already read them, so I'll just simplify my thoughts there and say that I enjoyed how Koa had to befriend Rascal and earn her respect. It was very unique and made a lot of sense, and I appreciate that Koa managed to stick it out and pull it off! I kinda hope he has to continue proving himself to her.

I hope these line-by-lines are within your review criteria! I feel they're light enough with a few "hmm" thoughts in there; nothing I feel needs to be immediately addressed, but a few things that might be worth looking over if/when you ever edit/revise after completion. (Also I'm aware that these are still older/earlier chapters, so I'm not pulling out a lot of specifics, either.)


Chapter 8:

I liked the mixed tones in this one! The slice-of-life stuff is something I really appreciate, since it's something I feel I really do need to work on in my own writing - just the trainers and their teams having some fun downtime. On the other hand, some Plot in the second half! Koa deciding to join the battle is honestly my favorite scene in the fic so far.

Here's some more specific lines and/or thoughts I found noteworthy:

"In that case, you may consider traveling to Pastoria after the conference. Crasher Wake will be a challenge, but I believe you can handle it. The Great Marsh is also an excellent place to meet rare or powerful pokemon."
Oh no. I hope you've spiced it up compared to the games, because the Great Marsh was sorely lacking in Great the last time I visited it!

After a few years, the rules regarding 'cute' were expanded, then eventually wiped out altogether.
I'm so glad Amity Park was re-opened as a playground for all pokemon! It's a cute concept.

"It's fine. I'm glad someone else is enjoying it. My name is Wyatt, by the way."
Oh no, you have a Wyatt too! I forget how far you'd gotten into SS but eventually I have a Wyatt turn up, too. I appreciate seeing uncommon names used! At least yours is not a little snot like mine is!

"Ha ha." Wyatt stretched, then stood up. "I have to head back to the Poffin House for a class. You should join me. Any aspiring Pokemon Trainer should make poffins for their Pokemon at least once."
Something else I'm enjoying so far is how you're actually including these lesser-seen areas of the games and doing something with them. One would expect Hearthome to feature the gym and contest hall, but the poffin house certainly isn't one I've seen utilized before! Also Wyatt's clefairy reminds me of that one Pokemon Stadium minigame, haha. All she needs is some glasses!

Oh, hm. Reading someone stealing Clefairy, I feel like I've actually read this part before? Did I just not post my review last time? I do vaguely recall Team Blackout... A search only came up with one post from me, so if for some reason I missed it, now you get two.

"What in the name of Arceus are you doing, kid? This is a pokemon battle!"
LOL I love Koa just flat-out punching the Blackout guy! This line never gets old. Best scene in the entire fic so far!

"Okay. Thanks. A lot. I really appreciate it." And he did. A pokemon given as a gift, or even an egg, was not something to take lightly. Whatever Pokemon hatched from it, he would treasure forever. "Do you know what- Never mind, actually. I don't want to know."
I'm going to shoot in the dark and say azumarill! (I'm actually fairly certain this is not what it hatches into but that's what comes to mind when seeing the egg's description.)

One of the Pokemon they recovered is the very same one Blake and I were going to give you."
Ooooh, so Koa is going to get that lost pokemon after all! A new pokemon and an egg in the same chapter! His team is filling out quickly. Should be fun to see how he handles that!

Ooooh yeah, houndour! I do remember this, too. Solid choice!

Chapter 9:

I noticed a few grammatical stuff in this chapter (not a lot, just some minor typos, easy to fix). There was also one spot where Koa had a line of dialogue in the same paragraph as someone else's dialogue, which should be broken up... but I can't find it again.

Also in this chapter, a lot of battles as well! Koa's team getting in some training. The battles themselves were... somewhat less interesting than I've come to expect, but they're also really complicated and difficult to make exciting in general, especially when there's not really any plot relevance to them. I admittedly found myself having trouble getting into most of them; the one against Jeremy and Reina was the best of the bunch, and I did enjoy the teamwork from Hazard and Rascal.

Also my least favorite route in the game coming up, stupid marsh. (Although... it does give me whump ideas... you like drowning, right? lol )

"Everyone, meet our new team member, Houndour." Echo screeched excitedly, fluttering off over to land in front of Houndour. Almost immediately, his demeanor changed. A growl rose in his throat, and his ears lay flat. Echo took a step back before fluttering several feet away, crestfallen.
Ah, first a dragon and now a dark-type. And they don't get along! Koa's going to have his hands full! Gives some life and personality to his team, who to this point I haven't felt have been featured enough. It's weird. They're battling (a lot, in this chapter alone), and they're out of their balls a lot, but usually just for a "he let them out and then went to sleep" scene or something short.

"Dodge, Hoot hoot," Bobby called. Hoothoot whirled out of the way of the embers, only a few grazing it, then struck Anubis head-on.
Minor grammar nitpick here; seems like some spell-checking may have split hoothoot's name into two words here in this line.

"A Tyrunt," Koa said proudly. " They're from the Kalos region I revived her from a fossil I found myself."
More grammar nitpick; missing a period in this line after "region".

"Okay Anubis, you're gonna have a battle." Anubis ears immediately perked up and he began wagging his tail. "Against one of my current pokemon,"
Ooooh, I love when trainers train their teams against each other! I haven't done this yet, at least on-screen, since I've got two MCs traveling together, but I may adopt this idea.

Echo remained somewhere in the woods nearby, no doubt trying to find a Honey Tree if he had to guess. Every now and then, he caught a glimpse of the Golbat's furry body through the trees.
Something else I love is when pokemon are allowed to just. Be out on their own. Koa trusts Echo enough to let him fly around out of sight, confident that the golbat is still nearby. That's something else I have trouble with; I like letting the pokemon walk with the MC, but letting them out of sight is harder for me to justify.

Koa nodded in reply. "I couldn't challenge the Hearthome gym"- This comment elicited an eye-roll from both Gail and Fred-
I love how everyone in Sinnoh laments Fantina's tendency to travel on a whim.

Chapter 10:

This one was a lot of fun, honestly! Koa's feelings about the Marsh are so relatable. Seeing all the same pokemon you would outside is very disappointing, although I do see you went with Platinum's expanded choices (tropius I thiiiink was originally here, but there's also tangela and shroomish!). This whole chapter I think benefited from having a more focused centralizing mini-plot behind it.

Thanks to everything that happened on his journey, his team had changed rather drastically from his Plan. Which meant that it might - and just thinking the thought made him shudder - be time to reconsider his Plan.
Character growth! Koa actively trying to update his Grand Plan with his new additions! :D Even if he still doesn't like the thought of it.

Koa shrugged. "I hate small talk."
Mood, Koa. Mood.

"That was impressive," Jeffrey admitted, crossing the field towards them. "Especially your Noctowl," Allison added, staring adoringly at the large bird.
Noctowl is my favorite regional bird, glad to see it getting some spotlight! Also, Avis has a staraptor... is she a flying-type specialist? I don't actually remember.

He just hoped he didn't lose out on a cool catch because a Pokemon tried to he'd really be mad.
Minor grammar thing: This line doesn't really make sense to me, like a part of it was accidentally deleted in the middle.
Ahead, a group of trees formed a sort of alcove, tucked away from the rest of the marsh. And within that alcove, a Shroomish stood, facing down a massive Toxicroak.

Koa quietly found a spot hidden within the trees and crouched down to watch. Echo alighted on a branch somewhere above his head, but he kept his gaze fixed on the battle that unfolded before his eyes.

The Shroomish looked like it had taken a few hits. Its body was scratched, and covered in mud. Its opponent, a Croagunk, towered above it. Unlike Shroomish, it appeared mostly unharmed. Koa guessed the Croagunk to be female, based on its markings. The Shroomish he wasn't sure about.
You refer to Shroomish's opponent here as a toxicroak at the first line, but every reference after that refers to it as a large croagunk. I assume it's meant to be the latter, perhaps originally a toxicroak but later you changed your mind?

A few pokemon watched curiously from the mud, but didn't approach. Then he saw the Toxicroak.

The frog-like Pokemon was over four feet tall and looked to be the prime of its species. Its red throat sac bulged and it let out a loud croak. Shroomish seemed to see it as well, and its eyes gleamed. With a cry of challenge, it sprinted across the mud at the Toxicroak.
Ah, here's the likely answer to above; Shroomish is fighting a toxicroak here, instead. So it seems as though the original line was supposed to be croagunk.

Anyways, this was a good fight! I honestly half expected Shroomish to win here. The loss makes sense, though. I hope we're going to get to meet this former trainer and learn his backstory!

She gave a sharp nod. "His name is Liam Akihiko."

...Oh. Well then.

So we end off here with Koa keeping the shroomish, and it looks like his team is complete! Or, it will be, once his egg hatches. Looking at his lineup, I'm almost certain it has to be a water-type of some sort!

But it looks like he's going to be challenging Wake before that happens, so excited to see that!


I had hoped to get more than this tonight, but three chapters plus reviews took me longer than I expected, so I'll wrap it up here for now.
 

Joshthewriter

Charizard Fan
Location
Toronto
Pronouns
He/him
Partners
  1. charizard
YOOOOO LETS GOOOO

Full disclosure, I did start this fic back just before I started Journey. I... remember nothing except for Koa being obsessed with a “perfect team”.

Chapter 1:

Oh, I love the worldbuilding around legends and the apparent stigma surrounding them due to recent events. I know they aren’t the focus, but these “legendary events” are like poke-fic crack to me.

Love the look into Koa’s mind and the loneliness inside (that almost seems like he’s trying to suppress). He seems sad about how legends and the people who train them are perceived. I bet (and hope), that this is expanded upon more, because it’s a great character dynamic.

I think I’ve read your explainer on the “Trainer’s License Exam” before on discord and it makes a ton of sense. I know we kinda just handwave at the “sending out kids into the wilderness”, but the system makes sense how you lay it out. Of course there’s a license and an exam required, why the hell wouldn’t there be?

Ah, theres the “perfect team”. I remember it well. Is that my team or did you just reach into my mind to pull out the perfect fantasy team?

Man, it does seem slightly odd to send Koa alone to Jubilife. But, it is the pokemon world. We can do some hand waving every now and then lol. He is 14 after all.

A zebstrika trainer in Sinnoh? I bet that gets followed up on.

OH HELL YESS THE FAINTING PROCESS

Legitimately, that might be the best explanation of pokemon fainting in battle. I adore little explanations and worldbuilding quirks like this, love it!

I get that Koa likely just met his starter, but I love small trainer interactions with wild pokemon. Love it. Too often, poke-fics just go to “battle with wild pokemon” and I adore when MC’s have peaceful interactions with wild pokemon.

I do like the set up for your world. It’s not quite the anime-world, it’s not quite a “realistic” world. It’s somewhere in between. I think that lends itself really well to the focus on friendship that I’ve seen you mention on discord.

Oh? Angry mightyena! A pre-Echo appearance from the best zubat. I do like the Mighteyena scarpering off. Wild animals typically would run rather than fight. Too often, pokefics forget that and have every wild pokemon battle to the bitter end. But here, this mightyena runs after the ”battle” gets interrupted. Nice touch.

Nice intro with the supporting cast. I think I’ve seen some of these names mentioned on discord, so a great little scene. One, it just makes sense for them to introduce themselves by saying what their goal is. Second? Fantastic job at expanding on the legendary worldbuilding earlier in the chapter. I‘m interested to learn more about Koa’s past (knows a little too much about galactic), and I’m almost certain that his parents were killed in that apparent crisis.

I liked the exam scenes. Koa’s nerves are something very relatable and you do more good work setting up his apparent “rival” in Cade very well.

One little thing that bothered me was the geography you laid out (here’s where the strategy game nerd comes out). Canalave having a bridge to Jubilife makes sense (having to surf across seems like just a game-verse limitation). But, a mountain range south of Canalave? Isn’t Canalave supposed to be on an island? Idk, I could be wrong, it’s been a hot minute since I looked at a Sinnoh map.

One thing that I enjoy here is how vividly you’ve described Koa. The jacket, the hair, distinctive colours. Gives Koa a little bit of “anime protagonist“ vibes.

I do love the story’s way of almost shitting on the zubat line. It’s kinda funny, knowing what’s coming for Koa.

And then… after all that… it almost seems like too anticlimactic of an ending. Koa almost seems to not even realize that he just caught his starter. Even if he was intending on releasing it, he just caught his first pokemon. That should at least warrant a mention IMO.

Other than my quibble with the ending there (a product of my preference for bombastic and climactic finales more than any real crit), this is a really good first chapter. You give us a peek at Koa, some very intriguing worldbuilding and finally, the starter.

One of my biggest pet peeves with journeyfics is how damn LONG most of them take to get going. Half the time, we get a few chapters before we even get the starter. Avoided entirely and set up for a great potential second chapter!
 
Chapter 25: Iron Fist

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
Chapter 25: Iron Fist

Koa's adventures on Iron Island are just beginning...

Echo (Male Crobat) {Ability: Inner Focus}

Hazard (Male Joltik) {Ability: Compound eyes}

Rascal (Female Tyrunt) {Ability: Strong Jaw}

Anubis (Male Houndoom) {Ability: Flash Fire}

Scrapper (Male Breloom) {Ability: Effect Spore}

Flurry (Female Spheal) {Ability: Thick Fat}



Koa jolted awake, opening his eyes as he sat up abruptly. Darkness greeted him. With a yawn, he glanced at his poketch and squinted at the time. Not even sunrise yet. He laid back on his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, but his thoughts kept racing. No chance of sleep. He crawled out of his bag and poked his head out of his tent.

By the faint light from the mouth of the cave, he could just make out five silhouettes of sleeping pokemon around the dying embers of the campfire. He blinked again, and rubbed his eyes. Five? That wasn't right. Another frantic search still showed only five - Echo draped across Anubis' back, one wing covering Flurry; and Hazard nestled into Rascal's neck ruff.

No sign of Scrapper. Koa tensed. "Scrapper," he hissed. Nothing.

Echo's ears twitched and he looked up at Koa.

"Have you seen Scrapper?" he whispered, easing out of the tent.

Echo tipped his head towards the far side of camp, and flicked his ears towards a tunnel Koa hadn't noticed before. Frowning, Koa pulled on his boots, grabbed his flashlight, then headed towards the tunnel, shining the flashlight ahead of him. The tunnel seemed to be another of many pokemon burrows he guessed, and sloped up at a slight incline.

As he walked, his thoughts kept turning to Scrapper. He couldn't shake the image of rushing down that stupid alley, Scrapper ahead of him, and then the awful snap— Koa shivered and shook his head. If only I'd paid more attention... No. He couldn't keep thinking like that. His only worry now was if Scrapper was okay.

Eventually the tunnel grew a bit lighter before flattening out and opening onto a wide overlook. Koa switched off his headlamp and peered out from the tunnel. At the far end of the overlook, he spotted the familiar silhouette of his Breloom, and heaved an internal sigh of relief.

Scrapper was facing away from him, practicing a series of rapid punches followed by swift kicks. A brief flicker of concern rose in Koa. Technically he was sure Scrapper was fine to train but he couldn't bear the thought of Scrapper hurting himself more. Besides, Nurse Joy had said he'd be ready tomorrow, not today. Koa started towards him.

"Hey," he called. Scrapper froze and slowly turned around. "Scrapper, you should be taking it easy you know. I don't want you straining yourself too soon."

Scrapper grunted in response and went back to practicing, turning his back to Koa. Koa couldn't help but notice his motions seemed less smooth than before, and more stiff and erratic. Was he hurt, or just distracted?

"Is your leg feeling okay?" he ventured again. Scrapper nodded abruptly, then continued, his back still to Koa. He didn't appear to be in pain, at least.

After a moment, Koa spoke again. "Is... is there something else bothering you?" More silence. The Breloom's gaze had hardened and he shook his head. Without warning, he turned and drove his fists into the wall in a series of rapid strikes that dented the rock. Then he drew back with a grunt and seemed to hesitate for a moment, his arms dropping to his sides, scrutinizing his work.

Now that Koa looked, he could see a series of dents running all the way down the wall, starting at the tunnel's entrance. By the looks of it, Scrapper had been training for some time. Unease simmered in Koa. "Scrapper, come on what's wrong?"

Scrapper gave another grunt, then turned back to his training once more. The message was clear. Nothing is wrong.

"Are you sure-" he'd barely finished the sentence before Scrapper paused his training and gave a frustrated bark. I'm fine.

Koa withheld a sigh and nodded. He stared at Scrapper's back for another several seconds, torn. Maybe if he pushed more... He shook his head to himself. Perhaps it would be better to drop it. "Okay. I'm gonna go back to camp then."

Scrapper gave little indication he'd even heard Koa.

"Don't stay out too long."

Silence. With a sigh, Koa turned and headed back the way he'd come.

XXX

By the time he'd made it back to camp, the sun was already halfway up. It was far too late to get any more sleep, so he'd decided cooking breakfast would serve as a good distraction.

Koa poked idly at the breakfast scramble of berries, vegetables and eggs in the frying pan. His breath fogged the air ever so faintly, and he could barely make out the food in the dawn light. He couldn't help but think about Scrapper every time his gaze drifted to his team.

Why would he want to talk to someone like you? He wouldn't be hurt if you'd done better.

Koa's brow scrunched up and he jabbed at the pan harder than necessary. No. He refused to believe that. And he couldn't keep dwelling on his mistake. What did Scrapper need? Time? Space? Or maybe extra training? He hadn't seemed to want to train with Koa like he usually did. Maybe just giving him some time alone would help?

Eager to distract himself further, he tried to turn his thoughts to legendary pokemon. He felt sure the Johto beasts weren't responsible, which meant they had to be some kind of illusion. But why? He couldn't shake the sense he was missing something, that there was more to this than simply illusions and bad press. Maybe he could ring up Avis and see if she knew anything...

A slight acrid tang filled the air and Koa snapped back to reality. Swirls of gray smoke were rising from the frying pan. With a frantic yelp he pulled the pan off the fire and stirred it, groaning as he noted the burnt patches. Great.

"Where's the fire?! Should I call the Squirtle Squad?" Kitto quipped, emerging from his tent with a grin.

Koa rolled his eyes. "I did that on purpose. It's the newest cooking trend, a real delicacy. Seared food."

Kitto chuckled. "Right, 'seared'. Well let's try your delicacy, I'm starving."

To Koa's relief, as he started portioning out the food, Scrapper emerged from the tunnel and took a seat in front of his bowl. Once Koa had finished, he took a spot for himself beside Anubis, suddenly realizing how hungry he was. He started to wolf down the food.

A few bites in, he paused, chewing slower. The food was... a bit plain, compared to some of the dishes Kitto had made. In fact, it was barely different from some of the bland pre-cooked trainer meals he was accustomed to. A twinge of disappointment filled him and he found himself longing for the flavorful twist of Kitto's dishes. Casting a discreet glance around camp, he saw his team eating their meals. It was hard to tell for sure, but he felt like their expressions lacked enthusiasm.

Finishing off most of his meal, he looked up to see Kitto had cleaned his plate and was reading something in his pokedex. "Hey Kitto," he began hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"How come your food always tastes so much better? I tried to add some flavors and spice but it's not the same."

Kitto grinned but didn't look up. "Cause I'm a better cook."

Koa mock-scowled and flicked a piece of berry at him, pegging him on the shoulder. "Come on, what's your secret?"

"There is no secret, Koa," he said as he set down his Pokedex. "There's tips and techniques I learned, but I became good at cooking the same way you probably got good at pokemon identification or I got good at battling. Trial and error. Practice."

"Huh... Okay. Any tips then?" he asked finally. Somehow Kitto's point seemed obvious, but he realized a part of him had always assumed Kitto was naturally good at everything.

Kitto stared upwards, tapping his chin. After a few moments, he looked back down. "Here's an easy one. Always smell your ingredients before you combine them. If the scents blend well, the flavors probably will too. You can try a lot of unique combinations that way. And always use more seasoning than you think you should. Most people under-season their food."

Nodding intently, Koa made a mental note of everything. Now that he thought about it, he had only used a pinch of seasonings...

As Kitto started to gather up the dishes, he paused to look back at Koa. "Oh and, last thing. You can't be afraid to mess up. Experiment a lot and eventually you'll figure out what works. There's not a right or wrong, just whatever works and doesn't work."

Koa grinned. "Thanks." Kitto's words had set his mind running, already thinking about his next stop in at a mart to see what new things he could try. He set aside the thought and turned to his team, who'd finished their own meals. "You guys ready to train?"

A chorus of excited barks and squeaks greeted him, and Koa smiled as he rose to his feet. His gaze went to Scrapper first, but to his dismay the grass-type averted his gaze. He'd planned to try and train with Scrapper first but... maybe giving him space would be better. "Are you okay doing some group training, Scrapper?" Scrapper shrugged and nodded noncommittally.

Koa frowned. He considered pressing him, then decided against it. "So I was thinking we can try and work on tightening up dodging—"

"We're gonna work on dodging alright," Kitto's voice came from right behind Koa and he jumped, startled. "I'm gonna see how you've been keeping up with your training. Let your pokemon train among themselves for a bit."

"Oh great," Koa groaned.

XXX

"Again!" Kitto shouted, his voice echoing through the cave and above the sound of the pounding rain outside.

Shortly after breakfast, a storm had rolled in with almost unnatural swiftness, forcing them to shelter in the cave to train instead of outside. Most of his team were further inside, save for Flurry who seemed pleased with the development. Every few minutes she would go a few feet out into the rain, splash around then return to the cave.

Picking himself up off the floor, Koa ignored his aching arms and legs. The training gloves they wore blunted the impact, but did little to protect his now bruised ego. He resumed the fighting stance Kitto had taught him, his gloved hands clenched into fists and raised in front of his face.

For the past couple hours, Kitto had done little but train him how to fight, leaving their pokemon to work among themselves. 'You can't expect to improve as a trainer if you don't improve yourself as well' had been Kitto's words. Which had led to grueling combat training. On the bright side, it was much less boring than the coordinated punches he'd had to practice before. On the less bright side, it hurt. And worst of all, he'd barely gotten any proper hits in.

A brief flash of lightning lit the cave, followed by a peal of thunder. Koa's dream flickered through his mind and he pushed it away. He spotted Hazard at the cave's entrance, staring into the storm. Focus.

Dancing lightly forward, he took in Kitto's stance, trying to find an opening. Zeroing in on his chest, Koa threw a sharp jab. Kitto brought his left arm down and threw a jab with his right hand, blocking the attack and delivering a strike to Koa's chest with an open palm.

Koa gasped from the impact and staggered back. Grimacing, he reached up and rubbed the spot. His pride stung more than the hit had. His frustration surged for a moment but he quashed it. He was starting to get sick of missing the mark.

"Remember," Kitto began. "Fighting isn't just about launching an attack, or defending against one. You have to strike a balance. If you attack, you leave yourself open to one, so you must be prepared to counter. And if you only defend, you can never defeat your opponent."

Koa nodded, clenching his jaw. Balance. Defense and offense. Like you couldn't defend Scrapper? His throat clenched. Never again. He'd train as much as it took to be strong enough. His eyes narrowed and he studied Kitto's stance, a heat burning in his chest.

"Now, again."

This time, Koa didn't hesitate. He sprang forward and threw a hook at Kitto's jaw. When his strike was blocked, he was ready. As Kitto threw a strike of his own at Koa's face, Koa anticipated and jerked his head to the side. The glove grazed his cheek as he brought his knee up into Kitto's stomach, all his frustrations pouring into the attack.

His knee connected and Kitto gasped, stumbling back. Koa pressed forward, swinging for Kitto's face. Still disoriented, Kitto threw up a palm, narrowly redirecting Koa's blow from his face to his shoulder. Coughing, he staggered back.

Before Koa could try to follow up, Kitto held up a hand. "Enough," he wheezed, annoyance coloring his tone. He doubled over, hands on his knees as he gulped for air.

Koa's eyes widened and he grimaced. "Are you ok?" He hesitantly moved towards him. A sinking feeling settled over him as it dawned how hard he'd probably hit him.

Kitto managed a nod as his wheezing slowly turned to normal breaths. He was muttering something to himself, his voice too low to make out.

"Sorry," he mumbled awkwardly, staring at the floor.

With great effort, Kitto spoke, forcing words out through still gritted teeth. "Take it down a notch, will you? This is just training."

Shame settled over Koa and he backed up, giving Kitto space. Every movement of his body suddenly felt stilted, and his arms hung heavy at his sides. What was he thinking? He unclenched his fists and tried to force his body to relax. His head buzzed and he found he had to make a conscious effort to breathe.

"You need to learn control," Kitto said, once he'd gathered himself. Motioning to Koa, he led him further into the cave, away from their training spot near the entrance. "Anger should fuel your fists, not cloud your mind." He took Koa's gloved hand in his own. "The worst mistake you make in a fight is to fight angry. You get sloppy and drop your guard. Or do something stupid," he added pointedly.

Koa grit his teeth and nodded. Kitto was right, but his words still stung. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so small and stupid. He'd lost himself. Forcing himself to focus, he zoned back in to realize Kitto was staring at him. "Sorry. I guess I've got a lot on my mind." He studied the rock wall of the cave for several seconds. "I'm... worried about Scrapper," he said slowly. "There's more to the story of what happened to him."

Nodding thoughtfully, Kitto gestured to a low plateau of rock and they sat down.

With some trepidation, Koa explained the full story. Losing; then winning against Maylene, getting attacked at the pokemon center, and then chasing the criminals and Scrapper getting hurt. "Scrapper is injured because of me. And I thought he was doing better but he's still not himself. Something is bothering him but he's being weird. Distant. I don't know what's wrong."

"You've tried talking to him?"

Koa shrugged then nodded. "I tried to. He acts like he's okay but I know he's pretending. The nurse at the center said he's fine physically. And he's training on his own so it's not pain, I don't think."

Kitto hummed in thought. "Clearly there's more to this then. Do you think he's afraid of getting hurt again?"

"No. I mean probably not, I don't think he's the type to be afraid of that." He tapped his fingers on the rock and stared at his boots. "Maybe he doesn't need my help. I should just leave him be."

"Don't be so hasty. Sometimes staying silent isn't the way. What—"

A loud shriek pierced the air, echoing through the cave, followed by a burst of cries and noise from outside.

Koa whipped around to face the cave mouth. The rain had died down and he could see the rest of his team gathered by the exit. Echo glanced towards him and called out with a nervous shree. Koa scrambled to his feet and started towards the exit, Kitto following.

As Koa stepped outside he spotted Scrapper taking jabs at a feathered reptilian pokemon he recognized a moment later as an Archeops. The Archeops had perched itself on a rock just outside hitting distance and kept hopping up into the air to avoid Scrapper. Scrapper kept throwing casual jabs at it and barking, trying to goad it into a fight. Archeops wore a conflicted expression, as if it wanted to fight him but wasn't sure.

"Scrapper!" he called in admonishment.

Scrapper turned to him and cried out demandingly. Koa eyed the Archeops curiously. Surely it had to be a trainer's. He'd never heard of a wild Archeops population, except maybe in preserves in Unova. His question was answered a moment later when a trainer came scrambling from over a ridge.

He moved across the terrain with a casual confidence, descending the hill with ease. His vest, turtleneck and olive hair looked slightly damp, and his boots were scuffed and dirty. No stranger to the outdoors then.

"Shale!" he called as he approached.

The Archeops gave a relieved squawk and swooped away from Scrapper to return to the boy's side, following him on foot.

Koa gave a wave of greeting, which the trainer returned as he approached. As the trainer drew near, Koa could see he looked around Kitto's age.

"Ho there! I see you met Shale," he said, once he was close enough to be heard. The Archeops landed beside him and squawked in greeting. "Nice Breloom you got." He held out his hand. "Name's Fossie, by the way." He cocked his head expectantly.

"Koamaru." He shook Fossie's hand, slightly surprised by his friendliness. "That's a weird name."

Fossie chuckled. "Coming from the guy called Koamaru?" he gave a wry grin before continuing. "It's actually a nickname though, I've used it so long it's all I go by." His gaze shifted over Koa's shoulder.

Kitto stepped forward and gave Fossie a light fist bump in greeting. "Kitto."

"Nice to meet you, Kitto and Koamaru. And what about you?" he smiled at Scrapper, who was still looking impatient for a battle.

"Scrapper," Koa said. "That's an awesome Archeops."

"Thanks, she's really a beauty. Looks like your Breloom was trying to get her to fight. You down for a battle?"

Koa grinned. "You bet. Is a one on one good?"

"Sounds perfect!"

As Koa moved to take up a position a little ways away on the plateau, Scrapper hurried ahead of him, bouncing in place and shadow boxing the air. Koa paused in front of Scrapper. "Scrapper... Are you sure you're read-"

Scrapper shot him a glare and nodded.

"Okay." He smiled encouragingly at him. "Let's win this then."

"Well? First move is yours," Fossie offered with a friendly grin.

Koa hesitated a moment. "Nah, you go first. We did take you by surprise after all." He swore Scrapper gave him an annoyed look, but Koa ignored it. Better to try and play safe for now.

Fossie shrugged, then smirked. "Your loss. Shale, let's speed things up! Tailwind!"

Regret washed over Koa as Shale shot into the air and summoned a swirling jetstream that washed across the battlefield. Wind whipped through Koa's hair and pushed back against Scrapper, who leaned forward to steady himself.

"Seed Bomb, rapid fire!" Koa shouted.

Scrapper planted his feet and fired a small barrage of green orbs from his jaws.

Fossie looked utterly unperturbed. "Sandstorm!" Shale reacted almost instantly, whipping her wings in a frenzy and summoning a swirling storm of sand around herself. The tornado of sand swallowed the barrage of seeds and almost completely obscured Archeops. "Now, Pluck!"

Koa hesitated. "Hold..." Scrapper tensed. From within the sand, a glow flared up. Archeops burst out, beak glowing, a blur of feathers. "Mach Punch!"

Energy flared around Scrapper's fist and he struck swiftly, meeting the Archeops attack with his own. Time stilled for a moment and Koa gritted his teeth. Then the collision of energy burst and the two pokemon skidded back a few feet. The tornado faded into a steady stinging storm that he could barely see through.

"Again!" Fossie called.

Shale shrieked as she darted forwards, beak still glowing with energy.

Koa reacted quickly. "Mach Punch!"

The two pokemon clashed, then engaged in a flurry of blows so rapid Koa couldn't track them. He saw Scrapper deal out a few solid blows, but he saw Shale's beak make contact more than once, each blow making Scrapper wince. Sand continued to swirl around the battlefield, eating away at Scrapper's stamina as well.

A grimace formed on Koa's face as he watched the two. Maybe playing cautious would be better for this fight, watch Shale more and not try anything crazy. There was the flying-type advantage to consider. Could he wait and try to counter if he got an opening?

Then Fossie shouted another command. "Rock Tomb!" Glowing boulders rose around Shale.

Koa hesitated for a moment, torn. Try to counter, or dodge? The moment cost him, and suddenly an array of boulders was hurtling through the air towards Scrapper. He saw the Breloom tense, then lunge to the side, narrowly missing getting hit.

As Scrapper landed, he whipped around and growled at Koa. Even without speaking human, the message felt quite clear — stop messing around and fight.

But was that what—

"Koa!"

Koa turned at the sound of Kitto's voice.

Kitto was staring at him pointedly. He spoke one word. "Again."

Slowly, a grin formed on Koa's face. Balance. That's what Kitto had told him. "Okay Scrapper," he said, grinning. Clarity settled over him. "I hear you. Stone Edge!"

With a wild cry, Scrapper drove his fist into the rocky earth. Spires of stone shot upwards towards Shale, who hovered just above the ground.

At a quick command from Fossie, Shale beat her wings to rise upwards. Exactly how Koa expected.

"Jump, Sky Uppercut!"

Scrapper was already moving before the command finished, leaping upwards onto his own rocks and launching himself even higher. Shale didn't have a chance to move before Scrapper drove his fist into the Archeops' chest. She squawked and faltered as Scrapper fell back to the earth and landed.

Fossie grinned. "Not a bad combo. Shale, whip that sandstorm up some more!" Shale recovered, shaking her head, then began stirring up an even denser cloud of sand, almost completely obscuring her and the battlefield, pelting Scrapper with sand.

Koa grimaced. Shale was well hidden now, and he could only barely make out Scrapper. A second later, a deluge of rocks burst from the sandstorm, burying Scrapper almost to his chest in a tomb of rocks.

Scrapper screeched in shock and began thrashing to get free to little avail.

"Use Mach Punch to break free!" Koa called.

With his fists lit up, Scrapper began a fierce barrage of strikes on the rocks, shattering them. Before he could make enough progress to get free, Shale burst out of the storm and lunged beak-first for Scrapper.

The blow struck Scrapper in the chest hard, knocking him free. Scrapper tumbled across the ground and skidded before recovering, standing shakily.

Koa winced but didn't hesitate. "Seed Bomb!" Scrapper didn't hesitate either, managing to summon a decent showing of explosive seeds and firing them.

The barrage of seeds came down on Shale, exploding on top of her. Almost immediately, Scrapper charged in again. Shaking off the blow, Shale shrieked and charged at Scrapper.

The two clashed again, launching a flurry of blows. Koa did his best to call any openings he saw, or dodges he could. Despite his efforts, a clever feint from Shale gave her enough of an opening to deal a good blow to the Breloom, making him stagger.

Koa frowned. This couldn't go on forever. If he wanted to win, he needed to act now. His gaze darted between Scrapper and Shale. Play the game. Anticipate. Maybe...

"Scrapper, another Seed Bomb!"

With a loud cry, Scrapper hopped back out of reach of Shale and fired the attack. As Koa had hoped, Shale dodged, using a powerful wingstroke to soar upwards.

"Great job! Now get back in there!" Fossie called. Shale gathered herself then shot down towards Scrapper once again, flying lower to the ground.

"Charge and dodge!" Koa cried. Scrapper gathered his legs and exploded forwards before leaping upwards at the last moment. Shale sailed underneath him and he landed, skidding forward.

"Rock Tomb, trap it!" Shale braked and turned effortlessly on a dime. Rocks rose into the air and with a flick of her wings she sent them flying at Scrapper. With no time to dodge, the deluge crashed down around Scrapper, pinning his legs. Fossie smirked. "Trapped you."

Scrapper's eyes widened and a glow began to form around his fists as he prepared to try and escape again.

"Wait," Koa called. He hoped Fossie might try the same trick again. Except this time he planned to give it a different ending. Scrapper shot him a confused look, but paused anyway.

Shale gave a resounding shriek, clearly triumphant and confident. Fossie gave a nod. "Finish it with Pluck!" Folding back her wings, Shale flew forwards like a bullet, aiming straight for Scrapper's head.

"Stone Edge! Protect yourself!" The confusion in Scrapper's eyes turned to understanding. With a cry, he struck the earth. Spires of stone surged up, knocking side the rocks and surrounding Scrapper just as Shale approached. They enveloped the Breloom almost completely, giving no avenue of attack. Shale backpedaled for a moment, easily avoiding getting hit by the outer spikes, and shrieked angrily as she rose higher into the air. Her eyes frantically scanned the makeshift shield for an opening.

Fossie tilted his head. "Not a bad defense, but you can't hide there forev-"

"Now Scrapper! Mach Punch the rock!" A glow shone from within the rocky prison. Scrapper threw his punch. A chunk of stone exploded outwards, shooting through the air and nailing Shale full-on.

As Shale spun through the air, dazed, Koa grinned. "Now use Sky Uppercut!"

Scrapper lunged out of his rocky shield, jumped, and slammed his fist right into Shale's head.

A garbled squawk came from the Archeops as she plummeted through the air then crashed to the ground. Scrapper landed as well, panting.

Shale shook herself, then slowly rose to her feet. Koa tensed for a moment. The strikes she'd landed had battered Scrapper quite a bit. If she kept fighting...

Archeops staggered a few steps, then collapsed and did not rise again.

A huge smile formed on Koa's face and he whooped. Scrapper raised his fist and let out a victory cry. Just as his call petered out, he swayed on his feet and then collapsed.

"Scrapper!" Koa rushed forward and dropped to his knees next to him.

The Breloom's eyes were closed, but he otherwise appeared fine. A second later, one of his eyes cracked open and he grinned, before pushing himself upright.

"You alright?"

Scrapper nodded eagerly, and Koa smiled, relief filling him. Some of the old fire was back in Scrapper, to his delight.

"Everything good?"

Koa looked up to see Fossie and Shale, looking concerned.

"Yeah," Koa said standing up. "That was a good battle. It really wore Scrapper out."

"I'm impressed, you're pretty strong to beat Shale." He stroked her neck. "She's one of my strongest team members in training."

Koa frowned. "Wait, she's in training?"

Fossie nodded. "I've got a few pokemon that don't travel with me regularly. She's one of them."

"Awesome! What's your team like then?" If Shale was that strong...

"Want to meet them?" Fossie's hand was already at his belt before Koa could nod eagerly. Five flashes of light burst forth and an array of pokemon emerged.

A hulking behemoth of a Tyrantrum drew Koa's gaze immediately, its indigo scales shining in the sunlight. His mouth dropped open. Still in shock, he took in the rest of Fossie's team.

Perched a few yards away was an Aerodactyl, regarding everyone with a bored expression. Flanking him were a bright-eyed Kabutops and a cheerful Aurorus. Last of all was a pokemon he'd only read about in a scientific study - a Dracozolt. Only a few existed, thanks to some strange fossil restoration accident by an inexperienced Galarian scientist. The only ones he'd read about were staying at a nature preserve.

Kitto gave a low whistle. "That's some team." A blue-scaled Tyrantrum... It was gorgeous.

Koa's own team seemed both in awe of and excited by the newcomers, particularly Rascal, who seemed enthralled by the Tyrantrum, gazing at it with a mix of anger and envy.

A touch of jealousy ran through Koa before fading. Fossie's team was incredible and probably the exact kind he would be salivating over just a few months ago. But now he wouldn't trade any of his team for anything, even a fossil pokemon. Even so, it was impossible to look away, especially from the Tyrantrum.

"I've never seen a Tyrantrum with those colors. Or a live Dracozolt! How'd you get them? I mean I've read about the restoration process sometimes affecting the color but I've never actually seen one. And how'd you get a Dracozolt, I thought all of them were in special preserves?" He couldn't help but ramble a little as he moved closer to the Tyrantrum and held out a palm to it. It lowered its huge head and huffed lightly, tousling his hair.

"Koamaru, meet Cobalt," Fossie said proudly, gesturing to the Tyrantrum. "Sidian is the Kabutops, Aurorus goes by Seraphi, and Dracozolt there is Tourmal. And of course, my faithful starter, Apex." He nodded towards the Aerodactyl, who tipped his head in acknowledgement.

"You guys are incredible," Koa whispered. He gave Cobalt a gentle rub on his snout. A second later, Tourmal almost bowled him over as it stomped up to him and headbutted him before holding out its chin. Grinning, Koa scratched its chin obligingly, surprised to find it covered in a fine layer of shiny feathers.

"So how'd you get a Dracozolt?"

Fossie seemed clearly delighted at the chance to talk more about his pokemon. "I help out a lot at labs and with researching fossil pokemon and helping to care for them. Tourmal and I grew close while I was interning in Galar. The head researcher there decided it would be healthier for her to stay with someone she was familiar with, and agreed she could accompany me. As long as I reported back with any observations."

"Sick..." Koa murmured.

"Take it you're a big fan of fossils then," Kitto asked wryly.

Fossie put his hands up. "You caught me. I've been fascinated with ancient pokemon ever since I was a kid. Anything and everything I could find about them. I was cave diving practically as soon as I could walk, begged my uncle in Paldea to send me all these Occulture magazines about weird pokemon, and I probably spent more time in school reading about fossils than actually doing my classwork. All the librarians knew me by name too."

The longer Fossie spoke, the more Koa found himself smiling. He wondered if he'd ever run into him at the Canalave library. Fossie sounded like the kind of person he would have liked to have been friends with. "Oh yeah, I spent hours in Canalave library when I was a kid."

Fossie's eyes widened. "Whoa you lived near there?"

"Yeah, I'm from Canalave actually!"

"Dang, lucky! Can't really complain though. I'm actually from Pewter City, so if I wasn't at the library there, I was at the museum."

Lucky indeed. Pewter Museum of Science was on his list of places he wanted to go if he ever left Sinnoh. "Nice." Koa hesitated for a moment, glancing briefly at the sky. Around noon, by his estimate. After another moment's consideration, he asked, "Hey, you want to join us for lunch?"

A flicker of something passed through Fossie's eyes. He glanced at his watch, then shrugged. "Sure, why not, I have some time. Only if I don't have to cook though."

Kitto cut in. "I can handle that."

"Count me in then."

XXX

With Kitto all too happy to handle all the cooking, Koa ended up passing the time by watching his and Fossie's teams hang out, and swapping stories. Fossie told him how he got trapped by a cave-in which inadvertently led to finding the amber he revived into Apex. Koa ended up sharing how he'd found and finally befriended Rascal on his trip through Mt. Coronet.

Lunch turned out to be a quick but tasty affair both their teams enjoyed thoroughly. Afterwards, Fossie lingered, which Koa realized he didn't mind. The fossil trainer was good company.

"Shale took a long time to get used to battling. I actually thought she didn't like it at first and I didn't battle with her as much. Turns out she loved to do it; she just really really hated losing. Any time she lost she'd practically throw a fit," Fossie said, chuckling. "Had to get her to realize nobody wins all the time."

Koa held back a bitter laugh. He couldn't help but be a little reminded of himself. Almost unconsciously, he found himself watching Scrapper for a moment as he casually sparred with Sidian. Was Scrapper worried about losing? He'd never seemed to be this bothered before though... "So what brought you to Iron Island?" he asked Fossie.

Fossie shifted, crossing his arms then leaning back slightly. There was a slight pause before he replied. "Training. Lot of good rock types out here for practice, and there's always a pretty strong trainer around. Yourself included," he added.

Koa chuckled "Thanks. Couldn't do it without such a great team. Are you training for the Sinnoh League then?"

"No... just training," Fossie said slowly. "I did a couple leagues already in Kanto and Johto actually."

"You've fought in league tournaments?" Koa asked in surprise. That meant Fossie was even stronger than he first thought.

"Ah yeah. Didn't place super high. Top 64 in Kanto and then top 32 in Johto. Everyone except Tourmal and Shale were on those teams. What about you? Any dreams of trying to beat the champion?"

"Hah... no," Koa said, shaking his head. "Just here to train too. I need to earn my gym badges for now. Byron is my next so I figured I could get some good training here."

"Hm." Fossie tipped his head, studying Koa for a moment. "Why the gyms then, if you don't mind me asking? You seem like you have more plans than just going home and putting your badges in a display case."

Koa swallowed, fidgeting slightly. How much should he say? He tried to catch a glimpse of Kitto in his peripheral vision but his back was turned as he worked on packing his backpack. "Well actually... I need 8 badges to be allowed to climb Mt. Coronet. I've always wanted to try and reach the Spear Pillar." He studied Fossie's face for any kind of reaction. Strangely, Fossie's amiable expression had become a mask, and Koa couldn't read him at all.

"Spear Pillar? You mean the place Team Galactic was trying to reach?"

Ice shot through Koa's veins and he shivered even through his jacket. His fingers dug into the fabric of his pants. His voice wavered. "I just want to get there is all." Lies. "See if I can reach the top."

"Sounds cool!" Fossie shrugged, some of the mask fading again and his cheer returning. "Too cold for my taste but I've heard the views there are beautiful. Or well, used to be," he added with a humorless laugh. "Cursed now and all, but I'm sure you're ready for it. I bet it'll be one amazing hike if you can do it. And after that?"

The words came out before Koa could stop himself. "I'm actually hoping I'll get lucky and see a legendary someday. Maybe not Palkia or anything but I hope I get to—"

"You're kidding, right?" All the jovial friendliness had vanished from Fossie's expression, his jaw set and his eyes hard.

Koa tensed, and he felt a heat rising through him. "Excuse me?"

"Haven't you paid any attention to the news? You seriously want to see a legendary?" Now Fossie was leaning forwards, and there was a distinct challenge in his tone.

"Yeah, I do," he retorted. "The news isn't even accurate, the legendaries wouldn't even do that."

Fossie snorted and folded his arms. "Great. You're making excuses for them. Legendaries are dangerous. People should stay away from them, and they should stay away from people. They cause enough trouble without trainers like you trying to 'seek them out' or whatever."

Koa snapped to his feet. "How can you say that! Legendaries aren't dangerous, they're protectors! They're—"

"Hah! Like they 'protected' Amity Square?" He glared evenly at Koa, utterly unflinching. "Like they protected Celestic Town? Like they protected the Snowpoint Temple? Or the Brass Tower?"

"But that wasn't them!" Koa's voice shook and a knot formed in his chest. His mind scrambled to find words. Fossie spoke before he could.

"So it's all coincidence those things from Johto are everywhere lately while Sinnoh is being attacked? Legendaries are dangerous, powerful pokemon who only cause problems."

Around them, Koa could see his team had moved away from Fossie's, each eyeing the other trainers' pokemon defensively.

Koa glared at Fossie. "That's not true! It wasn't them, it was something else!"

"Oh yeah? What was it then?"

Behind him, his Aerodactyl snorted and leveled a demanding glare at Koa.

"A mirage or illusion or something," he blurted out. He hated the way his voice trembled, the way he struggled to keep his hands steady through the haze of anger in his mind.

"Or something?" Fossie gave him a dubious look. "What, is that your expert opinion? Okay, let's pretend for a second you're right, they didn't do it. Well, if they didn't exist in the first place, there wouldn't be anything to fake and there wouldn't have been a fire at Amity at all." Finally, he rose to his feet. Even though he was only a few inches taller than Koa, he suddenly seemed bigger than that. "So no matter which way you look at it, they're the issue."

A buzz filled Koa's ears. "Are you kidding me? You can't possibly blame the legendaries for someone using them! Evil people are the problem! That's not their fault!"

In his peripheral vision, he saw Kitto had stopped what he was doing and stood nearby, arms folded.

Fossie took a step forwards, still infuriatingly calm. "Oh yes it is. Legendaries are the problem. If legendaries didn't exist, Celestic Ruins would still be standing. If legendaries didn't exist, there wouldn't be some freaks in secret labs making clones and there definitely wouldn't be any Team Galactic trying to destroy the entire freaking universe."

"I think that's enough," Kitto began, tone quiet but firm.

Red clouded Koa's vision. He stepped forwards, glaring at Fossie. "Shut up!" he snarled. "You're wrong! I was there at Amity and there was a second Entei! You're an idiot if you think the pokemon are to blame for evil people! We wouldn't even be here if Giratina hadn't stopped Galactic!" Stupid stupid stupid. He never should have said that. A threatening rumble came from Anubis.

Fossie paused for a moment and blinked. "I don't know what absurd blog you read that rumor on but even if that were true, it still wouldn't matter if legendaries were around. They should either be locked up or stay away from humans permanently. That's the only solution."

"What?" Koa practically shouted. "You're a monster! You're no better than groups like Team Rocket."

"Excuse me?" Fossie stepped forward now, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Apex rumbled a growl, and Cobalt tensed, lowering his head.

Anubis began to snarl, embers flickering in his jaws and Rascal had risen to her feet, glaring up at Cobalt.

"I think that's enough." Kitto's stern voice broke the tension.

Blinking, Koa turned to see Kitto standing beside him now, arms crossed and eyes glinting dangerously.

Kitto continued, his voice like cold steel. "Responsibility for evil is on the ones who commit the crimes. Not the innocent."

Heavy stillness settled. Fossie glared between Koa and Kitto for a moment before shaking his head. "Naivete is a dangerous trait. Stay out of my way, Koamaru." Fossie gave him a final, reproachful glare. He silently returned his team. Then without another word, stalked up and back the way he'd come, disappearing over the hill.

Koa glared after him for several long moments after he'd gone, fists still clenched and a buzzing still filling his ears. Finally, he turned to Kitto. "Can you believe him?" he raged. "How dare he say that! It's not legendaries fault if people—"

Kitto held his hand up. "I know, I get it."

"It's wrong!" His thoughts still raced and the boiling heat in his chest wouldn't go away. He paced back and forth, aware of his team, especially Echo, watching him. He almost wished he'd slugged Fossie when he'd had the chance but he also figured he would have regretted it. Knocking his lights out probably would have felt good but it wouldn't have changed his mind. "I hate it! It's not fair." His voice echoed loudly across the clearing. "They don't deserve to have people hate them for things they didn't even do, just because they exist. Why can't people give them a chance? They didn't do anything wrong!"

"Koa-"

"They're trying their best but that's not good enough for anyone and now it's happening again and everyone is blaming them for something they didn't do! And I can't even do anything yet. I need to show everyone that things can be better. That legendary pokemon can trust humans but I can't do anything right! I can't even get my stupid gym badges!" He breathed hard, suddenly painfully aware of how quiet it had gone, and everyone's eyes on him. Where was a Dugtrio hole when you needed one?

Forcing his fists to unclench, he let out a slow breath, then took another. Without thinking, he started to talk, words he wasn't even meaning to say at first. "I know I'll get there one day. But Fossie isn't the only person who probably thinks like that. What if it's not enough? What if I'm too late."

Silence lingered, and he glanced toward Kitto from the corner of his eye, half expecting to see him look exasperated or annoyed. Instead he mostly seemed thoughtful. After several seconds, he met Koa's gaze, then spoke carefully. "I have no idea what's really going on with all this. But legendaries have been around for centuries, right? Wanting to do something good is good, but they can take care of themselves"

"Yeah," Koa admitted. He stared at the direction Fossie had disappeared. Kitto was right. As far as he knew, legendaries existed since the beginning of time. They'd be fine. Even so, Cynthia's words to him rang through his thoughts. Everyone must uphold their responsibility. No matter how small. This was something he had to do. To make right.

After several seconds he turned back around to Kitto. "Is this what the person behind all this wants? Are they trying to make legendary pokemon look bad?"

Kitto sighed, then shrugged. "Honestly Koa? I'm not sure. But there's no denying it's not helping legendaries either way. But..."

Koa narrowed his eyes.

"Remember what I said during training?"

Rolling his eyes light heartedly, Koa nodded. "Let anger fuel my fists?"

"So you do pay attention," he said, nudging Koa. "Anyways, that applies here too. If you let your anger overtake you, you can't think clearly. It makes it easy for people like Fossie to get you riled up."

"Yeah yeah, okay." He glanced upwards, noting a few gray clouds on the horizon. "Might as well train some more before another storm starts." His gaze dropped to his team, who'd settled down somewhat with Fossie gone. He singled out Rascal and grinned. "How about it, Rascal? Want to get ready to beat that Bastiodon?"

Her loud roar was more than enough confirmation for Koa.

XXX

The afternoon passed by sluggishly as Koa alternated between training team members. Only an hour in, another rainstorm started, forcing them to shelter once more in the cave. Scrapper and Jackie picked up some training, while he did his best to work on what he could in the cave.

As the rainy day wore on, he couldn't help but notice Hazard, constantly watching the cave entrance. Twice he missed an easy dodge and got nailed by Flurry practicing her Brine. Finally, almost some hours after it began, the storm finally subsided.

"Finally," he said, ambling towards the exit. As much as he enjoyed caves, he couldn't say he was overly fond of being stuck in one because the weather decided to get freakishly stormy. He stood outside the cave and stretched, enjoying the sensation of sunlight before moving further onto the plateau. Unsurprisingly, his stomach began to rumble.

He glanced at his poketch. Too early for a full dinner, but maybe time for a quick bite. Koa nodded absentmindedly to himself before he started to turn back towards the cave. He stopped short, his gaze catching on something on the muddy ground beside the cave mouth. Squinting, he took a few steps closer.

"Huh..." he muttered, staring. A set of pawprints. Pawprints were a bit odd somewhere like Iron Island, considering it was mostly home to rock, steel and ground types. He studied them curiously. Somehow they felt familiar. Feline, three toes, and narrow. Three distinct holes at the tip of the print marked the claws. Maybe a Luxray...? Some instinct told him otherwise.

He'd taken a basic pokemon identification course for his Trainers License exam, and they covered a few types of prints, but his memory of that was fairly foggy. Still, something nagged at the back of his mind.

Still puzzled, he wandered over to a drier bit of ground (which really, was only slightly drier and rocky instead of muddy) and laid out his waterproof blanket. He was halfway into eating a small sandwich when it clicked. Swearing, he nearly dropped his sandwich.

Kitto looked up from his own food, confused.

"Zeraora!" he exclaimed. Koa's team stared blankly, save for Hazard, whose eyes widened.

"Zera-what-a?" Kitto asked, looking around.

Koa scrambled to his feet and rushed back over to the print, Hazard hot on his heels. The sun had nearly set and he had to pull out his flashlight to see it properly. Two individual prints, side by side. Three toes, three claws. Hazard stood by the print, which was as big as he was, and stared at it, a strange shine of excitement in his eyes. "It's biped!" he nearly shouted.

"What is?" Kitto asked as he came up beside Koa. The rest of Koa's team squeezed around him to see what he was looking at.

In a breathless rush, heart beating wildly, Koa continued. "That's what I was missing! It's biped with protracted claws. That's why I know this print, it's not a Luxray or something, it's a Zeraora!" he looked up to see Kitto staring blankly at him.

Undeterred, he pressed on. "I studied all the different tracks of legendary pokemon. Zeraora is a legendary pokemon. Or well, mythical I guess? The distinction is weird but it's really rare and..." his brow furrowed. "...definitely not native to Iron Island."

"So... a mythical pokemon is on Iron Island?" Kitto said slowly.

Koa nodded, beaming despite his confusion. "Yeah... Yeah it looks like it," he said breathlessly. His whole body felt as if it were tingling and he felt as if he could run a mile. Even despite his encounters with the strange beasts of Johto, and his glimpse of Ho-Oh, the idea of meeting a mythical pokemon was exciting. Especially if it was a real one. "But why?" he mused out loud.

Still deep in thought, he snapped a photo of the print, then headed back to his blanket and sat down. Kitto followed, looking intrigued. "So Zeraora is a powerful electric type."

Koa held out his phone to show Kitto an artist's rendition.

Kitto studied it, fascinated. "So what's the story with this Zeraora?"

"Nobody knows for sure where it's from but there's a myth that an Entei and a Zapdos fought over territory. Or a Moltres and Raikou, depending who you ask. When they clashed at the peak of a volcano, Zeraora was born. Realizing they were stronger together, the two stopped fighting. They say Zeraora is considered a protector of wild pokemon. It roams across Kanto and Johto, but also its been seen around Alola and sometimes Kalos."

"But never around here?"

"No," Koa said, shaking his head. "I don't even think there's confirmed sightings in Sinnoh. Much less way out here on Iron Island. It's got to be here for a reason." His thoughts drifted as he stared down at the ground, puzzling over it, wracking his brain for any connections between Iron Island and Zeraora but coming up with none.

Finally he shrugged and shook his head. "I guess I'll just have to keep an eye out."

"Maybe he likes rocks," Kitto suggested with a grin. Despite his light tone, his eyes betrayed a glimmer of worry.

Koa chuckled, but he couldn't help but feel vaguely unsettled as well. What if there was something worse going on?

XXX

For the few remaining hours of light, Koa did his best to focus on training again and put all the events of earlier out of his mind. Which proved easier said than done. Between Fossie, Scrapper, and Zeraora's prints he found himself thinking about everything but training. Particularly every time his thoughts circled back to Scrapper.

Even as Koa watched him train with Jackie, he could see Scrapper was not himself. He was too focused, too frustrated, too tense. But every time Koa wanted to talk to him, his thoughts went to that morning. Scrapper refused to open up. Maybe pushing too hard would only make things worse. Doubt lingered in his mind. Something told him whatever was bothering Scrapper wouldn't resolve itself.

Winning the battle earlier had lifted his spirits slightly, but he was still troubled. This was about more than losing and yet... Scrapper was pushing himself. Trying to get stronger, battle better. Why? This was more than a pokemon's natural inclination for battling; this felt like obsession. The question nagged at him for his entire training session, which ended up being less productive than he hoped.

"So you're cooking tonight, right?" Kitto teased as they were resting, sitting against the rock wall of the cave and sipping water. "Given the lovely lunch I made."

"Yeah, but I made breakfast," Koa pointed out.

Kitto elbowed him. "Not a very good one."

"Ah, but I did make one. So that makes us even."

"Fine, then we both cook?"

Koa sat forward and blinked. Experiment... "Actually..." he frowned, an idea forming in his mind. "I think I will cook."

"Oh?"

Koa grinned as he stood up. "Yeah. I've got an idea."

"Be my guest."

XXX

Five minutes later Koa had set up a short distance away from his team and from camp, and brought Scrapper's pokeball with him. He'd told the rest of his team to stay at camp for his idea. It was only a vaguely formed idea in his head, but it was better than nothing. He sent Scrapper out, who emerged and eyed the array of berries and vegetables Koa had set out.

He grunted and looked at Koa questioningly.

"You're gonna help me cook. If you want," he added.

Scrapper deliberated for a second before shrugging and nodding. Koa beamed.

Time slipped by as Koa worked with Scrapper in relative silence, cutting and chopping. "Kitto told me you should always smell the flavors and spices together to see if they fit." He took a Tanga berry he'd saved, sniffing it next to a few different spices before stopping on a clove of cinnamon. The cinnamon and spice flavor blended together in a surprisingly aromatic way he wouldn't have thought of. He handed it to Scrapper. The Breloom sniffed the two, then nodded enthusiastically.

Koa added the food to the pot.

"Kitto also told me that in cooking, you'll always end up making mistakes, but that's how you learn." Scrapper stared quietly at the pot, but Koa got the impression he was listening. "It took me a long time to figure that out. I mean to really get it. I thought I knew what I was doing but I was still letting my mistakes get to me. I think part of me wanted..." he paused, trying to find the words, his throat feeling tight. His mind flashed back to his battle against Byron.

"I guess I wanted to be perfect. To do everything right, all the time. I kept thinking if I tried hard enough I'd never make a mistake again. But that didn't help me get better or improve. I got so hung up on thinking I could be perfect it just made me mess up more."

Koa stopped stirring the soup and turned to look at Scrapper. The words he wanted to say felt almost silly, but he hoped Scrapper would understand. "You don't have to be perfect for me, Scrapper."

Scrapper's gaze shifted and he tensed, uneasiness seeping into his eyes. He pulled away, the mushroom on his head wilting ever so slightly.

Steeling himself, Koa pressed on. "I've seen how you push yourself in training. I know you're working really hard to get strong again. But I can tell you're still mad about getting hurt. You want to get back to the way things were before."

Scrapper huffed and crossed his arms, and tilted his head up in challenge. Koa could tell exactly what he meant. What's so bad about that?

"Nothing. I'm glad. I love that about you, the way you always try your hardest and push yourself. And me." Hesitantly, Koa reached out and took one of Scrapper's claws in his hand. He knelt down and peered into his dark eyes. "Listen. This isn't about how hard you train. I just... I wanted you to know you can make mistakes." He felt Scrapper's claws tense and then felt the tug as he tried to pull away. Koa held him firmly. After a moment, Scrapper stared at him, hesitant. Guilty.

His suspicion was true then. Scrapper was mad at himself for getting hurt. Not just mad, he didn't feel worthy anymore. "You can lose matches and mess up and get hurt and I won't care about you any less. So... so if the reason you feel like training so hard and pushing yourself is because you feel like you have to make up somehow... you don't. You don't have to earn my love or my respect or anything else from me by being good enough. You're my friend, that's never going to change."

Scrapper's grip on his hand tightened, and he gave a small nod. Yet something almost like fear or hesitation shone in his eyes. As if he almost wasn't sure he believed Koa.

A lump formed in Koa's chest. He couldn't help but remember how he'd first met him, all those weeks ago, in the Safari Zone. And why he'd been out there in the first place. Always wanting to be strong enough, good enough. Pushing himself for his first awful trainer. Abandoned. All because he wasn't strong enough.

Acting on instinct, he pulled him into an awkward hug. "I love you, Scrapper."

Something almost like a squeak of surprise came from him. Then he relented and accepted the embrace. The knot of worry in Koa's chest unwound and he cleared his throat and sat back. "I'm glad I met you."

Scrapper's eyes widened and he frantically pointed to the pot of stew. Dark smoke had begun to rise from it.

"Oh shoot," Koa yelped. He turned around and quickly started stirring it. To his relief, it wasn't completely burned yet. "Phew..." A few minutes later a delicious aroma wafted through the air.

"Ready to eat, Scrapper?"

Flashing a smile, Scrapper nodded.

Koa smiled back. He had a feeling everything would be okay.


AN: It would not be okay.

Also the cooking tips in this are real! Sniffing seasoning helps a ton.


I had a lot of fun with this chapter. I wanted to do something tender and meaningful after the troubles arising in the last chapter, and I felt like Scrapper's troubles weren't quite resolved yet. There was more to say with him and this was the perfect cap off for him after his injury.

Look forward to chapter 26 next week, in which More Things happen and Koa encounters something rather unexpected...
 
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Chapter 26: Iron Claws

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
Chapter 26: Iron Claws

Chapter 26! Koa has repaired his relationship with Scrapper, but more trouble awaits...


Koa lay awake, listening to the sounds of wild pokemon in the night. Two days of training had passed since his encounter with Fossie, but the memory still lingered - not because of Fossie himself, but what he'd said. How many more people probably agreed or were starting to agree that legendaries were dangerous? Did legendary pokemon also dislike humanity then? His thoughts swirled, dancing around others he tried to avoid.

Time slipped by, but sleep never quite came, and at some point he realized he'd been lying awake for some time. With a sigh, he sat up. His tent was empty tonight, since his pokemon had all opted to return to their pokeballs for the night, save for Hazard, surprisingly. Koa poked his head out of the tent and glanced around. The camp was quiet, and the campfire had long since died out. Pulling on his boots and jacket, he slipped out, past Hazard, and headed out of the cave.

A few minutes later he found himself hiking upwards away from camp and through the hills, enjoying the peace and quiet. He spotted a few Murkrow darting through the skies, and the occasional Geodude or Sandshrew hanging around. As he walked, he kept his eyes on the ground. The moon was full, giving him plenty of light to see by, and he kept hoping he might see another Zeraora print.

The mystery of it still baffled him. Why was a Zeraora on Iron Island? It couldn't have always lived here, someone would have to have seen it. Maybe it was just... sightseeing? Did legendaries do that? Or was it somehow connected to everything else going on...? Unless... Unless it was another fake. But the pawprint had been real. Unlike Celestic. Maybe he'd missed it but there hadn't been any prints there, right?

Minutes ticked by as Koa wandered ever further, always keeping track but not heading in any real direction otherwise. A distant rumble filled the sky. Koa looked up, and realized for the first time that darkness had fallen over the area. He could still spot the moon, but pitch black clouds now obscured much of the stars. Blue lightning tore across the sky, blinding him, just as a deafening thunderclap shook the air.

Drops of rain splattered his head and shoulders. Koa's brow knit as he blinked to clear his vision. The weather report for tonight had said it would be clear. Was this somehow connected to Zeraora? He couldn't help but think of Fossie again. "Legendaries and humans aren't meant to mix". A frustrated sigh escaped Koa. Too many mysteries, not enough answers. Not enough time. He shook his head and turned around. Might as well head back to camp.

Another flash of lightning and clap of thunder shattered the air and Koa jumped. The rain abruptly shifted from 'friendly drizzle' to 'downpour'. Muttering angrily, he hastened his pace, though in a minute, he was already plenty soaked. Again, he thought wryly to himself. He really did have a knack for getting caught in rainstorms.

Still muttering, he picked his way through a slight valley between two hills, scanning the area for any caves he could duck into. And then there was another flash of lightning and all of his annoyance vanished in an instant as the light illuminated a figure standing just yards away.

Zeraora.

Koa's mouth dropped open.

It faced away from him in a low crouch, studying the area, its yellow and black fur glistening in the darkness.

Koa's mind reeled and his heart surged. He stifled a cry of excitement. A familiar tingling filled him, almost like when he'd seen Ho-Oh. This felt real. Not at all like Entei or Raikou.

Zeraora might not have been as awe-inspiring like Dialga or Xerneas or the like, but it was still a legend in its own way. And it was standing right there. Almost close enough to walk over and touch.

Now's your chance.

He blinked as the thought ran through his mind. Time stretched and in a daze, he realized he still had a spare ball in his jacket pocket. His heart raced as the sound of the rain fell away. Fossie's words echoed through his mind again. Legendaries and humans don't mix.

Koa's jaw tightened. He was wrong. Legendary pokemon and humans could be friends. He believed it with all his heart.

Then prove him wrong.

Zeraora was still standing there, back to him.

Koa's heart thundered in his ears as rain soaked his hair. Taking the ball from his pocket; he primed it. Then he threw it.

The moment the pokeball left his hand, a pit of guilt and regret opened inside him.

In slow motion, he watched the ball arc through the air. Lightning lit the sky like daylight. Zeraora turned, eyes glowing in the night, and caught the ball in one paw. Then it squeezed, shattering it effortlessly.

For one second, Koa met its eyes, and every hair on his body stood on end. Pure unbridled rage burned in its blue irises.

Yellow blurred toward him, an impact against his chest, then pain in his back, and throbbing in his head. His vision spun. Rain splattered on his face, mingling with tears as he laid on his back - when had he ended up on his back? A terrible yowl filled the air, though it somehow sounded close and far off all at once. Darkness encroached on his hazy thoughts.

A great weight landed on his chest and then a thousand pinpricks of white hot pain pierced his shoulders, his whole body on fire, couldn't move couldn't think couldn't breathe-

Zeraora on top of him, pinning him. Stunning black and yellow and eyes like lightning incarnate filled his vision, burning with such vitriolic anger that pierced his soul. The pain receded from his shoulders for a moment and he gasped—

One of Zeraora's paws slapped down on his throat, squeezing. The other it raised, claws glistening in the rain. Koa thrashed. He grabbed feebly at its paw, vaguely aware of his mouth moving, pleading, but no sound coming out, searching Zeraora's eyes desperately for mercy or compassion and goodness. He found only anger.

His lips moved in a silent plea. Please.

The rain battered down endlessly. Koa felt his struggles weakening. His vision pulsed and throbbed. Maybe this was what he deserved...

Rain soaked through his jacket. He stared dully up at Zeraora. The sky darkened and his limbs grew slack. His eyelids started to drift shut... Zeraora's searing gaze burned into in his mind, behind his eyelids—

The pressure withdrew.

Koa sucked in heaving breaths, coughs wracking him, hard rock biting into his upper arm as he lay awkwardly on his side, shivering and wet and gasping. He coughed again, the movement awakening fresh pain in his shoulders. Jumbled thoughts rattled through his mind as he tried to gather himself.

Through blurred vision, he looked up to see Zeraora standing a few feet away, another small yellow shape in front of it. His heart skipped a beat. "Hazard!" His cry came as a garbled cough. What was Hazard doing here? Dazed, he stared at the scene before him, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

Hazard stood defiantly between him and Zeraora, his fur fluffed to twice its usual size. Tiny sparks kept shooting from his body to Zeraora; followed by flashes of blue electricity connecting harmlessly to Hazard.

Curiosity superseded fear. Hadn't he seen this before...? A long time ago, at Rowan's lab. A Raichu and an Electabuzz, communicating through electricity. Was Hazard talking to Zeraora?

The light show seemed to stretch on, and for a moment he caught a hateful look from Zeraora, directed towards him, its eyes burning with disdain. A spark of fear tickled the back of his mind, but he couldn't summon the will to move or do anything except watch.

Finally, with a last crackling blue spark from Zeraora, it seemed some kind of resolution was reached. Hazard's fur settled and his stance relaxed, and Zeraora shifted, standing taller and more at ease. Then he turned, glaring at Koa. Koa swallowed and winced, inching backwards.

"One."

Stunned, Koa managed to croak out a response. He hadn't even realized Zeraora could speak human. Or had he imagined it? "O-one?"

Its' voice sounded again, in Koa's mind. Firm and piercing. "One mercy. Stay away, human."

Hot, blinding light filled Koa's vision, followed by a thunderous crash. When he could finally see again, Zeraora was gone, leaving only a charred, smoking crater where it'd been standing. The rain ceased unnervingly abruptly, blanketing Koa in eerie silence.

xxx

Koa sat huddled in his tent, still shivering. He'd managed to slip back into camp without Kitto waking, then dried himself off and changed out of his wet clothes. Then he'd sat in his tent, arms wrapped around his knees, Hazard tucked into his chest, staring vacantly at his wet jacket. Hazard must have sensed Zeraora, he reflected. Normally he would have been fascinated by the idea, but the light of rage in Zeraora's blotted out all his thoughts. The silence dragged on until he couldn't bear it any more.

"Why... why was Zeraora here?" he rasped.

Hazard gave an uncertain chirp.

"It didn't say?" He looked down at the Joltik.

Hazard shook his head.

Koa stared at his jacket again, digging his fingers into his kneecap. "This is an island. Why is Zeraora out here? It's not right." Why did it attack him? Why was it so angry? What did I do wrong?

Hazard clicked his mandibles together and crawled down Koa's arm to nudge his hand.

"It attacked me because I tried to capture it, didn't it."

A soft churr and a single click. Yes.

He knew. From the moment he'd thrown that stupid ball he'd known it was wrong. No. He knew before that. Unconsciously, Koa rubbed his neck, memories still bouncing through his head. Stupid... How many times had he pictured the scene in his head? Battling a legendary. Doing it the right way. But as soon as you had the chance you took it. He shivered again. What kind of person does that make you?

Still in a daze, he picked up a mirror from his bag, running his hands through his stiff hair as he examined himself. He blinked dully at the image that greeted him in the mirror.

Dark circles had formed under his eyes and he could see a slight bruise on his neck. His shoulders still stung, but when he'd checked them out earlier he'd realized Zeraora's claws never dug very deep and only barely drew blood.

But they could have. In his mind he could see it, he could feel Zeraora giving him what he deserved, claws slicing easily into his flesh, the pain- Had Fossie been right? Were legendaries dangerous? No. There was more to this. Legendaries might be dangerous but they weren't cruel. Something else had Zeraora angry already. Yes he'd upset it but that didn't make legendaries killers.

With a weary sigh, he tossed the mirror aside and ducked out of his tent. By the campfire, he spotted Kitto.

Kitto's back was to him as he stirred a pot of some kind of stew. "Well look who finally decided to wake up."

Koa opened his mouth to snark out a reply but drew nothing.

"Delcatty got your tongue?" As Kitto stood and turned, his words faded as he took in Koa. "Lugia below, What happened to you?"

The image of Zeraora's hateful eyes flashed through his thoughts. He saw himself throwing the pokeball, like an idiot and felt sick to his stomach. What had he been thinking? No battle, no challenge he'd just...

You saw the opportunity and you took it. You're no better than every criminal out there, no better than-

"Koa?"

He felt a firm pressure on his shoulders. Kitto was standing in front of him, hands gripping him.

"Yeah sorry. Lost in thought," he muttered, voice still raspy. "I-"

I tried to catch a legendary when I shouldn't have when I should have battled and done it the right way? I...

You what? You showed your true nature? You proved what you are?


His words choked him and he stared anywhere but at Kitto's face. He was sure he could feel Kitto's gaze boring into him, accusing him, demanding answers. He knew what was coming. Kitto would tell him how stupid he'd been, how reckless, how wrong and bad-

Strong arms grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

Koa blinked, face pressed against Kitto's chest. His chest tightened and for a moment, he stood there, unable to move. Then hesitantly, he returned the hug.

"So what happened?" Kitto finally asked some moments later, as he stepped away. Casual and collected, as if everything were ordinary. Koa found himself appreciating it. He did his best to recount what had happened with Zeraora the night before.

"Something's not right, Kitto. Zeraora shouldn't be here at all. Sure, they roam around but it wouldn't be on some island way off the coast of Sinnoh for sightseeing. And... and I wasn't thinking when I threw that ball to try and catch it but..." He shifted his weight from side to side. "It was angry. Really angry about something. There's something bad going on."

Or maybe that's what you want to believe. If only he could take it back.

"That seems pretty likely," Kitto said with a frown. "But we haven't seen anything on this island yet. The most recent attack was at Snowpoint Temple, right?"

Koa nodded. "Exactly. I mean as far as I know there isn't even anything happening around here. Unless an attack is going to happen? Could Zeraora have found out and come here to stop it?"

"For now that seems the most likely, although we can't rule out other possibilities," Kitto mused. "Tell you what, we can explore the island later today while we train. I'm sure there's some trainers around to challenge, and it's a good chance for our teams to put into practice everything they're been working on. And while we train, we keep an eye out for anything weird, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

xxx

Shortly after breakfast, they put out their fire completely, packed their camp, and ventured deeper into Iron Island. As they walked, Koa kept Echo out with him. An idea had come to him while breaking down camp and he wanted to test it out.

"Okay, remember Echo, focus on how it felt to be a Golbat."

Echo twitched his ears in acknowledgement and flew up a little higher before narrowing his eyes. His rear wings grew still and he began to beat frantically with his forewings. A moment later he began to spiral out of control before going into a nosedive. Koa lunged forward, catching him before he could hit the ground.

"That was a good try," he said. "Want to go again?" Echo nodded.

"What're you working on?" Kitto asked as he scrambled over a small rise.

"Well, I had an idea earlier. If something ever happens to Echo in battle, I figured it could be good if he could learn to fly a little with just two wings." He glanced upward as Echo took up a spot in the air just above Koa and and once again tried to glide without using his rear wings. He managed for all of one second before pitching forward and instinctively righting himself with his rear wings.

Kitto hummed in thought. "The old 'less is more' principle."

Koa nodded. "I'm not sure if it can actually work though... Usually when a pokemon evolves their body instinctively adapts to their new form pretty quickly. I don't even know if he could fly with just two wings again."

"I know what you could try," Kitto said. There was a tone to his voice, almost mischievous. Koa cast him a wary look.

"What is it," he asked slowly. Something told him it probably wouldn't be fun.

A grin crossed Kitto's face. As he walked, he unslung his backpack and fished out a length of rope.

"Oh no," Koa muttered under his breath, without real malice.

"Oh yes," Kitto said.

A few minutes later, Koa found himself bound, his arms tied to his sides with rope and only his legs free. It was unnerving, he realized. And weirdly hard to balance.

Kitto folded his arms and nodded, clearly proud of himself. "The best way to help your pokemon learn something is to try and do it yourself. That's how Jackie and I get so strong."

For what felt like the better part of the next hour, Koa hiked along the trails winding through Iron Island, arms pinned to his sides, while Echo tried his best to control his flight with only his forewings. At first, nothing felt any different. Mostly, Koa kept stumbling and staggering across the terrain. Twice he would have fallen face first if not for Kitto grabbing him once, and Echo the second time.

His annoyance started to rise. A shrill call from Echo broke through his thoughts. He looked up to see the Crobat flashing a grin at him. Don't give up. Koa nodded. Maybe there was a trick to this he could figure out. Pausing for a moment, he studied the landscape, then looked up at Echo, who seemed to be pondering as well. Then Echo's eyes widened and he gave an excited screech.

"What is it?" Koa asked.

Echo swooped down and began dancing around Koa and giving a series of soft squeaks, bumping Koa before pointedly closing his eyes and swiveling his ears.

Koa frowned, steadying himself on the gravel. "What, I don't get-" And then he remembered. Battling Gardenia, and Echo getting blinded, guiding him by hearing alone. But what did that have to do with what was happening now? It was hardly like flying blind would work here. Echo stared at him imploringly. Taking a deep breath, Koa closed his eyes and listened.

Wind whistled across the rocks, waves crashed against the distortion shore. A Starly sung its song, and he heard the faint clatter of rocks from some burrowing pokemon emerging. The faint flutter of Echo's wingbeats came from overhead.

What am I supposed to listen for? He thought, annoyedly. He shifted, and felt the rock under his boots move as well. And then it clicked. His eyes shot open and he grinned.

With a surety of step, he began to move across the trail, focusing less on the loss of his arms and more on what else he could use. What angle he was walking at, the shift of the ground underfoot, the way he could move with the terrain instead of fighting it. Overhead, he could almost sense Echo, even without looking. Echo had understood it too - to fly as a Golbat again, it wasn't about what he'd lost, but what he'd gained.

Echo's irregular flight was beginning to even out, just a little. He still dipped awkwardly and struggled to control himself, but as he learned to guide himself through the air, Koa could see he was improving, slowly but surely.

The next hour or two dragged by. Despite his revelation, Koa found progress after it to be painfully slow, though at least it was steady now. Kitto would occasionally call out advice, but otherwise they mostly traveled in companionable silence.

By the time the sun had passed the halfway point in the sky, and Koa's legs were thoroughly aching, Echo had managed to reach a place where he could perform basic flight without relying on his hindwings at all. It would never be as proficient as actually using all four wings, but it would be helpful in battle anyway.

After a brief break for lunch, Koa resumed training, this time without ropes, so he could keep an eye out for trainers to challenge. As it turned out, it wasn't long before he spotted someone. A figure in the distance, picking their way among the rocky hills. Perhaps it was another trainer?

"Hey there!" Koa called out, waving.

The figure waved back, and Koa hiked up the hill. As he got closer, he quickly evaluated them, like Kitto had taught him to do. A girl, around his age. Her yellow hair had been woven into a neat braid. She wore sturdy dirt-stained boots, and a rugged vest, worn but well-cared for. Five pokeballs hung from her belt, and she carried herself with her head held high.

A fellow explorer, if he had to guess.

Echo fluttered into the air and squeaked a greeting.

When she saw Echo, her eyes lit up. "Oh that must be a real Crobat, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah," Koa said, cocking his head. She spoke with an odd lilt to her voice, but he was sure he had heard it before...

She held out her hand, and Echo butted against it, shreeing in delight. "Zubat are actually rare back home in Galar. They only live on this one particular island. So seeing a Crobat is really rare."

"You're from Galar?" That explained the accent he'd picked up on. Seeing anyone from Galar was rare, considering how far it was from Sinnoh.

"Gal-er," she corrected. "And I sure am. Parents moved me there when I was younger. I came out here to catch myself some different pokemon and to train. Name's Joan by the way."

Koa narrowed his eyes. The pronunciation definitely sounded off to him...

Before he could say anything, Kitto walked up. "Found a trainer?" he asked Koa. Turning to Joan, he smiled amiably and held out his hand. "My name is Kitto."

"Koa." He held out his hand as well.

"Joan. Good to meet ya."

"So where did you say you're from?" Kitto asked, once they'd shook hands. "Galar?"

She laughed awkwardly. "It's Gal-er..."

Koa frowned. "Pretty sure it's Ga-lar."

Joan narrowed her eyes. "Gal-er."

"Galar," Koa and Kitto said, speaking in unison.

Silence fell. Tension grew. Joan glared at Koa, and he glared back. "Fight me," she growled.

Koa stepped forward. "Gladly."

Joan's hand dropped to her belt and she selected a pink and cream colored ball from her belt.

Before she could throw it, Kitto held up his hand. "Perhaps we ought to move to a better spot?" he gestured further up the slope where the ground flattened into a small outcropping.

Koa shot Joan one last look, then scrambled up the slope, scattering pebbles as he climbed. Joan glared back with equal ferocity and began climbing, moving quicker to keep pace with him. By the time Koa reached the top, he was winded, but triumphant. He'd beat Joan up by a full two seconds.

All his exercise with Kitto was paying off.

She snorted in displeasure as she stood, dusting her hands off. "Not bad, for a pampered Sinnoh trainer, I guess." She smoothed her braids, frowning. "But you'd never last in the wilds in Galar," As she said the word, she enunciated it slowly, shooting him a smirk.

"You can run home crying to Galar when I'm done beating you."

Joan snatched the ball from her belt and tossed it into the air. Light burst out and took the shape of one of the strangest pokemon Koa had ever seen. The top of its body looked almost like a fluffy blue nightcap, worn by a diminutive little pink creature crouched underneath.

Echo shrieked and flew forward as Koa stepped back, making room for the pokemon to battle. As the two pokemon faced off, Koa took the opportunity to scan his opponent with his pokedex.

"Hattrem. The Serene Pokemon." He skimmed the information about it. Hattrem were native to Galar, which explained why he'd never heard of it. Galarian pokemon were nearly impossible to see in the wild outside of their home region. Psychic-type, apparently. A bit tricky, but not a huge issue. Echo had fought at a type-disadvantage before.

Kitto moved away to give him space, and Koa stepped towards Echo. "Ready buddy?" he asked in a low voice. Echo nodded, and Koa withdrew a soft, durable band from his backpack and wrapped it around Echo's rear wings. When he was done, his wings had been secured in such a way that they were rendered safely immobile.

Echo shrieked determinedly and rose into the air once more, this time with only the power of his two forewings.

"Ready?" Joan called out. Her Hattrem let out a low trill and tensed.

"First move's all yours!" Koa called back. He let his senses fall away, fixing his gaze only on the opponent.

Joan's voice carried across the battlefield, her tone even. "Calm Mind."

Hattrem raised its hands and shut its eyes as a pink glow began to envelope her body.

"Confuse Ray!" Koa snapped out the command. Echo flew forwards, his movements still a bit awkward, and fired a series of golden orbs at Hattrem.

To Koa's surprise, Hattrem didn't move or make any attempt to dodge. The orbs struck her body, then bounced back, straight at Echo.

"Dodge!" Koa yelled. Echo started to move, but was moments too slow. The orbs struck him in the face. His eyes glazed over and he fluttered slowly to the ground, looking dazed and, well, confused.

Koa muttered angrily under his breath. Hattrem must have had some kind of ability that could bounce attacks back.

"Now, Brutal Swing!" A Dark aura formed around Hattrem's head. It lunged forward, and before Echo could gather himself, spun and smashed her head into Echo, sending him tumbling across the ground.

"Echo! Come on, you can do this! Snap out of it!"

"Psychic, Hattrem."

A blue glow flashed around Hattrem's eyes and Echo's body. Slowly, Echo rose into the air. With a loud cry, Hattrem raised her hands and brought Echo crashing back down again, belly first. At the same moment, Koa felt a strange sensation in his mind, almost like shivers down his spine.

An idea flashed through his mind. If Echo moved just right, he could-

"Echo, Poison Fang!"

Fangs bared, Echo drove his forewings into the ground, launched himself forward and crashed into Hattrem. The impact bowled the both of them over, and he heard Hattrem yelp. Echo had gotten a good hit. With a triumphant cry, Echo rose into the air again, his movements much more confident. Hattrem lay on the ground, still stunned.

Koa could feel his own confidence rising. Echo had understood his precise intentions. "Now Echo, Air Slash!"

Echo whipped his wings forward and hurled blades of wind at Hattrem, pummeling her. Hattrem recovered and shook herself, then charged forward again, head glowing with dark energy.

"Dodge, use Steel Wing!" Just as Hattrem swung at Echo, he twisted his body to the side, letting her sweep past him, then spun and drove his wing into her back.

She crashed to the ground and fired a ball of pink energy in retaliation, hitting Echo and knocking him through the air. He flared his wings and managed to catch himself, just as Hattrem fired another blast.

"Steel Wing." Echo's sliced through the orb with his glowing wings. "Now, Poison Fang!"

Echo continued his dive and bit Hattrem's head. She yelped and staggered, her skin taking on a purple sheen.

"Psychic!" Joan called.

Flinching and mustering up her remaining strength, Hattrem's eyes glowed and she shoved Echo back, although with much less force than before. She was growing weaker. He glanced up at Echo for a moment. Despite his determination, he could see by the beat of Echo's wings he was weakening as well.

Joan frowned. "Hattrem, let's end this. Give it your all! One last Brutal Swing!" Hattrem gave a loud cry, the familiar dark aura flaring around its head, this time even larger than before.

Koa shared a quick glance with Echo, then nodded. "Echo, you too! Steel Wing!"

The two pokemon surged towards each other with loud cries, colliding in the middle of the battlefield. A wave of energy exploded outwards and the two pokemon skidded back.

Hattrem growled, panting, and Echo let out a low cry. He hovered a few feet off the ground, eyes narrowed.

Before either of them could give another command, both pokemon collapsed. The tension left Koa's body and he let out a long sigh. A tie. Not exactly the outcome he'd hoped for, but that didn't matter.

Striding across the ground, Koa knelt next to Echo. The Crobat's eyes fluttered open and he squeaked sadly. "You did great," Koa said, smiling. "And you're really getting the hang of flying like that now!"

Echo perked up and squeaked happily. Koa gently scooped him up and then took out his pokeball. "Take a rest, ok?" Echo nodded, and a moment later was withdrawn into his ball. Koa stood, eyeing Joan. "So..."

Joan eyed him back. "A tie." The silence lingered. "Not bad," she said finally. Her serious expression shifted into a grin. "Anyways, good luck with that trick you're trying to teach your Crobat, yeah?"

Koa stared a moment longer before slipping into a smile. "Good luck to you too."

xxx

They encountered a few more trainers throughout their hike. He saw Kitto's Pidgey defeat a wily Prinplup, and Flurry managed to take down a tough young Onix. Their walk had seemingly taken them through a tunnel and to a somewhat more deserted section of the island, closer to the north side. Koa squeezed between a narrow gap and down a short slope.

He'd only taken a step before an unearthly yowl broke the peace and quiet. Almost immediately it was followed by a second enraged cry. The sounds sent shivers down Koa's spine and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He recognized it almost instantly. Zeraora. Except unlike its fury filled yowl the night before, this one carried something else - pain.

Koa charged ahead, easily scaling the rocky terrain and zigzagging up the slope towards the noise. From behind, he thought he heard Kitto calling to him, but he pressed on, skidding and scrambling on the terrain. The sounds grew louder as he drew closer, and he could feel faint rumbles in the earth and the sounds of pokemon fighting. He crested a rise and spotted a box valley some distance below, a natural dead end formed by three hills. And there, backed into a corner, stood Zeraora.

An Aerodactyl hovered above it, pestering it with rocks while staying well out of reach of its claws, while an all too familiar Kabutops, Tyrantrum, and Arctozolt hemmed it in on all sides. Anger surged through Koa. Fossie.

As he watched, a spire of stone shot from the earth. Zeraora tried to dodge, only to get berated by a flurry of strikes from Aerodactyl just as more rocks surrounded Zeraora. A second later, Koa spotted the trainer standing several yards behind his team, commanding them.

Even from a distance, Koa could see Zeraora looked worn, even as it did its best to counter attacks. It seemed as if it had been fighting for some time, and sported a nasty looking graze on its forearm where the fur around it had turned purple. Poison. Toxic poison too, no doubt.

Zeraora slammed its paws into the earth, sending a surge of electricity towards Kabutops, only for Dracozolt to lunge into the path of the attack and absorb it. Kabutops moved in a blur of brown, and slashed Zeraora across the chest. It staggered and before it could recover, Tyrantrum roared and summoned a hail of stone down upon it once more. In a blur of yellow, Zeraora weaved through the attack, though several shards of rock still hit home.

Koa winced as he watched the pokemon trade blows. Zeraora was still going strong but how long could it face a team of six before succumbing to that poison? He had to do something. He felt himself take a step, then for a split second, hesitated. The image of Zeraora on top of him flashed through his mind, the air being crushed out of him, the rage in its eyes...

One mercy. Stay away.

What if he shouldn't help? Surely a pokemon like Zeraora could hold its own. And Zeraora's warning had been clear. Stay away from it. Or maybe Fossie is right, they're dangerous.

As soon as the errant thought crossed Koa's mind, he banished it. Zeraora was getting ganged up on, and Koa had no idea what Fossie planned to do, but he couldn't stand by and watch. Not after what Fossie said. Maybe Zeraora would hate him forever for interfering, but he had to help.

With a wild yell, Koa charged down the hill. The skirmish paused for a brief second as Zeraora and Fossie's team both turned towards him, as did Fossie. Koa skidded into the valley just yards away from Fossie, one hand at his belt.

"Back off!" His shout echoed across the walls.

Fossie clenched his fist. "Stay out of this," he growled in a low voice.

"No I don't think I will," Koa snapped. His gaze shifted briefly to Zeraora, who was regarding him with an unreadable look, still in its battle stance. "Whatever you're planning, I'm not letting you get away with it. Let Zeraora go."

Fossie whipped back around to face his team. "Don't stop, keep attacking!" he shouted.

As Fossie's pokemon started to attack again, Koa released his team. They emerged with a cacophony of cries. "Help Zeraora!" he called.

His team leapt into action. Echo picked up Hazard and shot through the air towards Aerdoactyl, while Scrapper fired off several seed bombs to distract Kabutops and Dracozolt. With a roar, Rascal and Anubis jumped Tyrantrum, dodging in and out to pepper it with attacks.

"You stupid—" Fossie began to snarl. "Cobalt, dodge!"

The blue-scaled Tyrantrum jerked back, narrowly missing a blast of water from Flurry, who was launching attacks from the edges of the skirmish.

For seconds that felt like an eternity, Koa watched his team scuffle with Fossie's stronger one. Would it even make a difference? His pokemon were tough but Fossie was a league fighter. A few seconds later relief flooded Koa as the brief distraction turned out to be all Zeraora needed. It zigzagged forward like a bolt of living lightning, slashing and striking as it moved forwards, no longer blocked by Aerodactly from above, who found himself too distracted by Echo's harassment and Hazard clinging to his back to stop the legendary.

With Fossie's team's attention drawn by Koa's pokemon, Zeraora struck back with devastating force against them. A pummeling blow to Dracozolts skull, a bolt of thunderous lightning knocking Kabutops off its feet, and a slash to Tyrantrum's vulnerable belly followed by a bolt that knocked Aerodactyl from the sky. Moments later, a silence had fallen as Fossie's team lay fainted, leaving only a battered but very angry looking Zeraora standing silently amongst them.

Koa's breath caught and he saw Fossie tense. Zeraora looked between Fossie and Koa, narrowing its eyes before glancing at Koa's team. Its gaze seemed to linger on Hazard for a brief second. And then a moment later, with a furious yowl, Zeraora exploded forward in a burst of light and heat, shooting past them and out of the canyon, then vanished.

Fossie whirled upon Koa, storming up to him with clenched fists and fury in his gaze. "You stupid child," he snarled, getting right into Koa's face.

Koa glared back with equal ferocity, separated by just inches. A low, building growl from behind Fossie shattered the stillness. Anubis and Rascal and come up behind him, along with Flurry and Scrapper. Fossie's own team was only just beginning to rise, and looked much worse for wear.

With a final glare, Fossie grabbed the pokeballs off his belt and returned his team one by one. "You got lucky this time, Koa. But one day you're gonna learn. Humans and legends don't mix." And with that he turned and stormed off.

"You did good."

The sound of Kitto's voice from behind him made him jump, and he whipped around. He'd been so focused he'd completely forgotten about him. "Kitto! When'd you get here?"

Kitto surveyed the area for a moment, taking in the setting. "Not long after you actually, but by then it looked like you managed to settle things. That yellow pokemon was a Zeraora, right?"

Koa nodded. "Yeah I... I had to do something. I don't know what Fossie was planning but he was trapping Zeraora and..." he shrugged. "I don't care if Zeraora hates me forever for stepping in. I couldn't abandon him."

"You made the right call," Kitto said, nodding slowly. "Although perhaps Zeraora doesn't hate you for it as much as you think."

A lump formed in Koa's throat again. "I wish I'd had the chance to apologize for last night. I didn't mean... well I did I guess, but I made a mistake." He shook his head, then shrugged.

"You did your best to help it here. That counts for something. And maybe we'll see it again."

Koa nodded absentmindedly. "I hope so..."

xxx

That evening, Koa found himself still stuck running through the events of the past days. No matter how much he thought about it, he still couldn't manage to make headway. Finally, on a whim, Koa pulled out his phone and dialed the number Avis had given him. He hadn't checked in with her in awhile, and maybe talking to someone new could give him perspective.

It rang several times, and Koa was beginning to worry she wouldn't answer at all when the line picked up.

Her cheerful voice crackled from the speaker. "Well well well, I thought you'd never call, Koa! What's up?"

"I'm training at Iron Island for my gym battle against Byron. How's your training going?"

"Great! It's been crazy though. Lots of battling and even more studying. But I'm just happy I'm actually getting to do something more, you know?"

Koa smiled. "Yeah, I get that." A momentary silence fell. No sense beating around the bush with Avis, he decided. "I actually need your help. Something's been bugging me, and I thought maybe you could help."

"Sure, shoot. What's got you so bothered?"

"Everything," he blurted. His frustration surged, but he let it pass. "Team Blackout. And these legendary attacks. You ever feel like you're missing something obvious but you just can't really get it?"

Avis snorted. "All the time, Koa."

Maybe he could glean some useful information... "What do you know about them? Team Blackout I mean?"

There was a pause on the other end for a moment. He almost thought she'd refuse to answer, which he couldn't have blamed her for.

"I can't tell you anything we're working on now. But I'll save you the hassle of combing through news reports and police records. As long as you're not going to run after them alone, are you?"

"No," Koa replied quickly.

"Hmm... Promise me you won't do anything reckless?"

"I promise," Koa said solemnly.

"Good," Avis replied cheerfully. "A lot of it I already told you about. Grunts that escaped from the initial arrests of Team Galactic got together and formed their own group."

Koa gritted his teeth at the mention of the name, grunting in acknowledgement.

"Most likely, without the funding and stability of Galactic they needed something else to fill that void. At first, it looks like it was all about money. If you check the reports that match their MO, its basic things. Jewelry, TM's, money and the occasional mugging or theft, you know. They were a nuisance, but not as dangerous, and the International Police weren't even looking into them, just local Sinnoh authorities."

"But then something changed, right?" Koa asked. "They went after pokemon?"

"Precisely. Just over a year ago, it shifted. Rather abruptly, a string of pokemon abductions and poaching happened. At first, Sinnoh PD didn't even think it was the work of Team Blackout because that wasn't their usual target. But the MO matched and witness reports lined up. Thieves in all black, and using electric type pokemon." Avis paused for a moment. "Here's what's really weird. Almost all the pokemon taken in their initial strikes were fire-types."

Koa's eyes widened. "Like what happened at Professor Rowan's lab?"

"Exactly. Some of the last fire-types taken were from the lab, your pokemon and a Chimchar and a few others. Sure, they nabbed a few other ones, but that seemed to be opportunistic."

Old anger surfaced in Koa at the mention of the robbery. Unconsciously, he began pacing back and forth across camp. Robberies, then poaching, then stealing fire-types. Like Anubis. "But why only one type? Poachers usually target rare pokemon, don't they?"

"Usually, but sometimes certain types get 'hot' on the market... Except as far as we can tell there was nothing to indicate an influx of buyers seeking fire-types."

"And now they've moved on from fire to electric?" A thought began to form in his mind, one he couldn't shake. It was a weak connection, but certainly something.

"Seems that way..." Avis' voice trailed off. "There's another possibility for the strange shift in their MO."

Koa stopped pacing and listened.

"Someone could be paying them. There's no concrete evidence yet, but it would certainly explain why a group of petty thieves would graduate to pokemon poaching. And it could explain the weird type obsession."

Koa's heart twisted and he gripped the phone. "So some sicko is trying to collect a bunch of pokemon of certain types?" he growled under his breath. And what did this have to do with Zeraora? "I don't get it..."

Silence fell for a few moments.

"What are you thinking? She asked finally. "I can practically hear the gears turning."

"You know about Amity Square burning, right? And the attack at Celestic Ruins?"

"...You think this is all connected?"

Now that Avis had said it out loud, it seemed to click. "Yeah, maybe. Think about it, not long after taking a bunch of fire-types, something resembling Entei appears and sets fire to one of Sinnoh's biggest destinations. Then electric-types, and Celestic Ruins are supposedly destroyed by Raikou?" Koa's heart beat a little faster. "I thought this was about luring the beasts here but... What if Team Blackout is trying to take attention away from themselves? I mean, setting up a bunch of fake legendary attacks would be a good distraction, wouldn't it?"

"Fake attacks?"

"It's not Entei," Koa snapped. Almost immediately he regretted his harsh tone. "Sorry. It's just... I was there. I know everyone thinks it was the legendaries but it wasn't."

"Relax, I know. I believe you, remember? But clearly something weird is going on. If it really is all a distraction, that's a lot of effort and damage to do though... but you might be right. If everyone is talking about that they won't be as focused on catching a group of criminals."

Koa found himself rubbing at his neck as he chewed on her words. "There's something else..." he said finally.

Avis said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"I saw a pokemon called Zeraora here, on Iron Island." He grimaced inwardly, wondering how much to share. A prickle of shame still ate at him whenever he thought about what he'd done. "Zeraora is... a mythical pokemon. An electric-type, and supposedly it's a protector, especially of wild pokemon. But the weird part is it's never been known to come to Iron Island."

Avis hummed in thought. "So you're thinking that if it's there that means something is up." The words sounded more like a statement than a question. As if she herself had guessed what he was thinking already.

"I think it's here because of Team Blackout." It was a thought that'd crossed his mind briefly, but he hadn't fully considered until now, talking to Avis. It tracked, though. If Zeraora truly had come to help wild pokemon, perhaps it was enraged because of Team Blackout, not just him.

And you got in its way.

And why it had been determined to flee from Fossie instead of continuing the fight.

"I see..." Avis said slowly. "I'll have to let my superiors know... We've been so busy with what happened in Alola but it might be worth checking out."

Koa blinked and frowned, the memory of the news report from some days ago resurfacing. "Wait, Alola was Team Blackout too?" Just how far was their reach? And what did they want with their research?

A bitter laugh came from Avis. "The Aether Foundation is refusing to cooperate much so technically we don't know anything yet. It's been a hassle and a half... " she gave an exasperated sigh. "Anyways, good luck with your training. I'd better go, I have a class I'm about to be late for and I'll get an earful if I am. I'll pass on what you told me to Looker."

"Alright. Thanks for the help, and good luck to you too."

After he'd hung up with Avis, he turned to Kitto. His mind was still ruminating on their conversation and everything else going on. Fire-types... then electric-types... Now Zeraora.

"So what did you find out?" Kitto asked.

Koa relayed the jist of his conversation with Avis to Kitto. "There's two theories I guess. First, maybe it is about somehow luring the legendary pokemon. Maybe whoever is doing this is trying to catch them. Or this is about something else."

Kitto quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Maybe this isn't about the beasts themselves. It could be that Team Blackout is trying to distract everyone from their actions by stirring up the legendary pokemon. That and Zeraora might be here because Team Blackout is."

"Divert the focus..." Kitto mused out loud. "Could be. If everyone is fixated on when the next attack will happen they won't be watching out for a gang of thieves... but you also said Avis mentioned that they could have someone funding them. If that's true, whoever is paying them might be up to something even worse."

"What do we do then?" Koa asked.

"For now, we stay aware. And keep an eye out. That's all we can do."

Koa managed a nod, but he couldn't help but feel increasingly uneasy.

Would it be enough?


Koa has encountered Zeraora, but in an impulsive act, almost jeopardized himself. Only thanks to Hazard was he seemingly spared. But what made Zeraora so angry in the first place? And what is the truth behind the legendary attacks? Unfortunately there seem to be more questions than answers...

I was really excited to write this, especially the initial scene! The mental image has been in my head for some time. I love the idea that an angered legendary can be a force to be reckoned with, and some legendaries are likely to be less gentle than others.

Also had some fun poking at the pronunciations of Galar. Before the trailers mentioned the name I definitely recall there being some talks about, and even after there were different perspectives. Just thought it would be fun having characters take different sides.

The final chapter of this arc is set to be posted next week... Quite excited to have finished this arc finally! Hope everyone enjoyed! As always, your comments are read, loved and appreciated.
 
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Seren

Lurking
Staff
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. sableye
Time to chip away at getting caught up!

Chapter 11 was a fun one! Wake's a good character to begin with, and you did well keeping true to his personality. The gym battle was indeed easier for Koa, but there were quite a few unique tricks used in here, too! And then the second half, the battle with Kitto - this is another fun fight, and one that has proper story implications; it's clear you enjoyed writing this one a lot! (And, given the impression I have from various storycrafter questions and the like that Kitto is almost like a secondary MC, I'm not surprised that you were excited to get to this point.)

Only a few line-by-lines on this one:

Shroomish set the pace, charging ahead and forcing Koa to keep up.
I love this tbh; shroomish is not a pokemon that comes to mind when one thinks "fast", but here both Koa and Hazard struggle to keep up with Shroomish's stubbly legs!

Koa dragged out one of the training dummies kept on hand at the pokemon center. It was nothing more than a large, stiff rubber statue resembling a Rhydon.
Love the Substitute-doll training dummy, haha.

"Hitmonchan, battle stance north," Kitto called.
I got to this point and thought "The hell is going on here? He's got a personal battle style, this should be a good one." And I was not disappointed! Very fun fight. Kitto and Jackie are very clever!

"Alright Koa, Confuse Ray!" A trio of golden orbs swirled in front of the Golbat's jaws, then he fired them at Hitmonchan.
This one I think is a typo/grammar glitch; "Koa" here should be "Echo". Koa's the one issuing the command.

Chapter 12 felt slower-paced compared to 11, but it was fun too. I still love those slice-of-life bonding moments, and learning more about Kitto. I do really hope we eventually see he and Koa come back to fight Jeremy as a team.

Kitto continued. "Tell me, how do you think one learns to punch fast?"

Koa shrugged. "I don't know. Punching faster, I guess."

"And how do you 'throw a punch faster'?"

Koa blinked and frowned. He hadn't thought about how one actually punched faster. "I don't know," he admitted. "I guess you just... train? And move fast?" Even as he said the words, he was aware of how ridiculous the idea sounded.
Koa big galaxy brain here

"Your punch sucks," Kitto said flatly. "You may not be able to use Mach Punch, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to defend yourself. I'm going to teach you how to fight."
It was in this moment I was sure, Kitto is awesome.

Kitto held out his hand to stop Koa's rant. "No, I heard everything. I mean, what are you doing? Do you really plan on giving Scrapper back if you lose?"
I love this one line, and this part in general. Very logical; Koa is very overconfident, and that can lead to trouble - though in this case, the trouble was his opponent cheating - so Kitto gives him solid advice, in... not so many words. He's basically telling Koa here "chill out, there's no guarantees in a battle". And sure enough, Koa gets clobbered. (Again, mostly due to his opponent not playing fair, although I do love how Abomasnow doesn't listen to Liam despite still being his trainer's son, hah.)

Anyway, Koa and Kitto already seem to be perfect compliments to each other (or, well, Kitto's calm, rational thinking compliments Koa's rash, quick-to-act attitude).

Jeremy stepped between them. "It seems a rematch is in order. Liam, you will battle Koa again, this time with one of your own Pokemon. However, regardless of the outcome, you will not be taking Breloom back." He nodded his head towards Scrapper. "It is clear to me that Breloom has made his choice of trainer."
Another rather minor thing here, but here, where Jeremy nods to Scrapper... the breloom shouldn't even be here. Koa recalled him a few paragraphs above, when he recalled Rascal, and I didn't see anywhere during Koa and Liam's fight for the pokeball that told me Scrapper was re-released.

Only two chapters tonight, but I plan to tackle a couple a night from here on out, assuming no unexpected complications arise with my nightly routine. Anyway, I'm kind of surprised Koa decided to head back towards Hearthome instead of Veilstone; I figured you were writing this in the order of the D/P gyms, and Fantina's not back until gym 5. Then again, with Kitto mentioning something about challenging Maylene... I suspect there's a story beat to be had there that needs time to build up, given Kitto was just introduced. Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds!
 
Chapter 27: Iron Chains

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
Chapter 27: Iron Chains

Finally, the penultimate chapter of this arc! Without further ado, I present Iron Chains. In which things take a 'shocking' turn and danger is just around the corner...

Echo (Male Crobat)

Hazard (Male Joltik)

Rascal (Female Tyrunt)

Anubis (Male Houndoom)

Scrapper (Male Breloom)



A weak buzz of electricity shot through Koa's body and jerked upright, gasping. He blinked, pushing aside an unpleasant dream of trying to flee from Entei, and looked around.

Hazard stood an inch in front of his face, his blue eyes shining with urgency and fur fluffed. "Hazard?" he mumbled, still fighting off the remnants of sleepiness. "What's up?"

Hazard chittered softly, then scurried a few feet away before looking back expectantly.

"You want me to follow you?" If Hazard had woken him to show him something, it was probably important. But what could be that important? Quickly grabbing his flashlight, he crawled out of his tent.

Cool air greeted him. Several yards away, he could just barely make out the shape of Hazard, body glowing faintly with electricity and waiting expectantly. He started moving again, and Koa quickly hurried after him.

Once he began walking, his brain started to wake up. Worry set in. How far were they going? What did Hazard want to show him? For another minute, Hazard just scurried quickly forwards, determinedly following some kind of route he seemed to have memorized. As they delved deeper into the caves, he glowed a bit brighter, lighting the way.

"Hey Hazard," Koa began slowly. "How much further?"

Hazard slowed only barely, chittering urgently before hurrying along once more. He scurried through another cavern, past a sleeping Onix and into another tunnel that sloped sharply upwards.

As Koa stumbled after Hazard, he became aware of a constant crashing noise. It reminded him of something he'd heard before... He'd only been following the new tunnel for a minute before it widened and opened up. Koa stepped onto a small open area that seemed to overlook a much larger cavern below. The noise had grown much louder now, and he instantly recognized it - waves, crashing against a shore.

Below him spread out a wide, flat cavern. The ocean stretched into the cavern itself a good distance, and a boat lay moored within. Dim lightning on the boat provided a semblance of visibility, though his own spot remained cloaked in shadow. His gaze was drawn almost immediately to a yellow and black shape on the deck of the boat. A second later, as his eyes adjusted, he could make out the shape properly.

There, chained to the deck of the boat, was Zeraora.

Four sets of chains restrained each of Zeraora's limbs, and a heavy collar of chains wrapped around his neck. Each chain had been securely bolted to the boat in a way that stopped Zeraora from moving more than a few inches. It was hard to see from a distance, but he looked injured as well, and lay mostly still.

A soft pressure on his arm made him look down. With one foreleg, Hazard pointed across the cavern. Koa looked to where he gestured. Past the boat, on the far side, a huge tarp covered something. A gust of sea wind swept through the empty cavern, lifting the tarp for a few seconds before it settled again. Cages.

Chills crept down his spine and his stomach twisted. Cages upon cages were stacked, each one containing a pokemon, some even with two crammed inside. By his estimate, over twenty cages filled the cavern. "What the-"

Every single pokemon was some kind of electric type - Plusle, Pikachu, Luxio and more. Many of the pokemon appeared poorly kept as well, weak or injured in some way. His heart dropped. Was this the fate that had awaited Hazard? Where had they even gotten this many? Forget that, what were they planning on doing?

Rage filled him and he clenched his fists. He could feel his heart racing as his breaths quickened. This had to be the work of Team Blackout. He had to stop them, to get those pokemon free somehow, get Zeraora out.

His eyes darted frantically around the area. Just below the ledge he perched on he could see an area where the wall seemed to jut out and slope downwards. It was just close enough to reach, and if he carefully scaled the wall, he was sure he could remain unseen among the shadows.

Every urge screamed at him to leap down from his hiding place, run in and fight them himself. Memories of Scrapper's leg getting broken flashed through his mind. He grimaced and shook his head.

He couldn't just jump into a situation again and let his pokemon get hurt. He scanned the room again, quickly as he could. At least five people were below, standing near the boat, dressed in typical black clothing. No less than two pokeballs each on their belts. Some had three or four each. Too many for him to try and handle alone. He needed help.

A warning chitter from Hazard broke him from his thoughts. He glanced over to see the little Joltik staring fiercely back at him, his eyes blazing with equal, if not greater rage. "Yeah, I know," he growled. His gaze lingered on Zeraora. Chained like a mindless creature. Held captive. His fingers curled into a fist.

Turning around quietly, he edged away from the ledge and back into the tunnel, Hazard by his side. Once he was certain he was far enough away, he broke into a run, Hazard leading him back through the tunnels. The journey back felt twice as long, but eventually he emerged onto the plateau he and Kitto had made camp on.

With the light of the moon to guide him, he raced across the expanse and burst into Kitto's tent. "Kitto!" he shouted. "Kitto get up!"

Kitto's eyes blinked open and he stared at Koa. "Koa? What are you doing?" he grumbled hoarsely.

"Kitto, get up!" he hissed. All he could think of now was the pokemon. Of Zeraora, trapped on that boat.

Kitto sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What?" he demanded. "Spit it out."

"They have Zeraora and a bunch of electric pokemon there was something going on on the island, that's why Zeraora came here because Team Blackout is here and I saw them and they've got cages and cages full of electric pokemon and they're up to something horrible and they've got him chained up and we have to try and stop them -"

"Whoa, slow down!" Kitto said, holding up his hand, clearly wide awake now. "Take a breath, then tell me what is going on." His tone remained calm and level, but his eyes betrayed his anger.

Koa forced himself to take a long breath, then let it out slowly. He refused to make the same mistake he had with Scrapper... "Hazard led me to a cave across the island. I saw a bunch of guys dressed in black, and they've got Zeraora chained up on a boat and there's cages of electric type pokemon. I'm pretty sure it's Team Blackout. We have to go down there and stop them!"

Kitto frowned, his gaze growing dark. "Do you know how long they've been there?"

Koa shook his head. "No, but there's at least five of them, and about three to four pokemon each."

"Do you know if they're planning on leaving soon?"

Koa shook his head again.

"Hmm... Then we need to try to find out as much as we can, without being seen," Kitto said slowly.

"So we can stop them, right?" Koa asked.

"So we can alert the police," Kitto said firmly. "Taking on all of them at once is not a great idea. Especially if we don't know what we're up against. We need backup." Almost as if reading Koa's mind, he added, "Trying to stop them ourselves could just get our pokemon and those pokemon hurt. We don't have the numbers. We let the police handle this. Got it?"

Reluctantly, Koa nodded. Kitto was right, they had to play it safe. They had no idea what they were dealing with. "So what do we do first?"

"Show me where you saw them."

xXx

Koa crouched just inside the tunnel while Kitto scoped out the cavern. He didn't want to see them again, to see what they were doing. His thoughts felt crowded, distant. Memories of Veilstone kept flashing through his mind. Scrapper, racing down the alley, and the chilling 'snap!' that followed.

Kitto moved away from the ledge, past him and back down to the tunnel's entrance. Koa followed, navigating by the dim light of his phone. When they reached the exit, Kitto lit a lantern, providing a passable amount of light to see by.

"You're right, there's at least five of them down there," Kitto said. His red eyes glinted in the lantern's light, full of simmering rage. "Zeraora looks like it's chained up with some kind of special chain. They must have ambushed it to subdue it."

Anger boiled inside Koa, mixed with another emotion. Fear.

Kitto continued. "I'm going to place the call to the police. Let them know what they're dealing with." His voice was somber.

"Wait," Koa whispered. "Don't tell them about Zeraora."

Kitto nodded then turned and walked a few feet away, quickly dialing a number. Koa watched him for a moment, then walked away.

Crouching down, he sent out all of his pokemon, one by one. All of their gazes were somber and serious, even Echo. His gaze briefly settled on Flurry. Anubis stood protectively over her, and her dark eyes flickered with fear.

He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts, glancing at Scrapper encouragingly. "I don't know what's going to happen down there. Hopefully the police will get here quickly and handle everything. But just in case..." He took another deep breath. "I want you guys to stay out of this. Team Blackout is dangerous. If anything happens, I don't want to see any of you hurt-"

Scrapper stepped up, pushing past the others, and raised his fists. He stamped his formerly injured leg on the ground. A snarl rumbled in Anubis' throat. He stepped forward as well, eyes blazing. Echo shreed softly in a clear signal of agreement, and the rest of his pokemon all gave soft cries as well, indicating their desire to fight.

Koa blinked. He wasn't surprised at the show of support, not really. Yet seeing it was still heartening. They all shared a hatred of Team Blackout, just as he did. He looked once again at Flurry. She was much too inexperienced in battle for something like this. If something happened, and it came to a fight... "Listen Flurry. No matter what happens, stay in your pokeball, ok?"

She stared back at him for a long moment, then nodded. Koa looked over the rest of his pokemon, taking a measure of comfort in the knowledge they had his back.

xxx

A short time later, he was on his way back to the overlook.

"Now remember," Kitto said, his voice a low whisper, "We're only here to observe. Got it?"

Koa locked eyes for a moment with Kitto, then nodded.

Tense silence settled over them as they crept back out to the ledge, lying prone to stay hidden. Koa took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm and take in the scene before him. The cavern was large, even bigger than a league battlefield. A couple of dark tunnels could be seen along the shadowy edges of the room to the left. Most of the room was flat, rocky ground and on the far end, the inlet of water where the boat was moored, surrounded by dark water.

His stomach twisted and he swallowed. The sound felt loud in his head, and he felt certain everyone in the whole cavern could hear him, though they never looked in his direction. What if the police didn't arrive in time? What was Blackout going to do to Zeraora and the other pokemon? He saw a few of the poachers milling around, and one of them appeared to be checking the locks on the cages at the far side.

A short ways below, he saw a couple of the thieves watching over the process, making conversation amongst themselves. By leaning close and tilting his head just right, he could make out snatches of their conversation.

"You believe... thing is really... legendary?"

"Ythica, legenda, hell if I ca-. I ... Silas talki...buyer earlier ... pay good for it."

Silas? Was that their leader's name? He leaned closer.

"...Heh. So I guess we get a bonus then."

"We'd better. That thing was a beast to knock out. Half of our pokemon are still recovering. Excadrill's gonna be feeling that hit for a week."

"Eh, better than having to fly all the way to Alola to steal a bunch of nonsense. I don't get what the deal is with all these stupid fetch quests we're going on."

"It's that muking guy Boss has us working for. Guess he must pay real well for Boss to take orders from him."

"Yeah well I wish he'd grow a backbone. Getting sick of being someone else's fetcher. Give me a nice simple robbery, not all these battles against freaking legendaries and holing up in some damp cave."

Koa frowned. It sounded like Team Blackout had been hired by someone to catch all these electric pokemon. And Avis had been right, they were behind whatever happened in Alola. He glanced at Kitto, and they shared a brief look before focusing their attention below. Koa tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that the police would be here soon.

From some annex of the cavern, another figure appeared, a woman with dark teal hair and a bulky build.

"Listen up!" her voice came out like the crack of a whip, and immediately the grunts jerked to attention and faced her.

She slowly took in the group of them almost robotically. "Change of plans. Buyer only wants that thing—" she gestured at the Zeraora chained on the deck "—and he's coming early to pick it up. Which means he's not taking all those other pokemon we brought him. If he ain't gonna buy em we'll have to try and sell them elsewhere. Which means I want everyone to start loading those cages back onto the boat. Got it?"

They nodded.

"Good. Now check the locks on the cages and move them, double time."

"Yes Minerva!" they replied in unison, bowing low.

Seemingly pleased with the response, she spun and began to walk away towards the oceanside exit.

Koa's blood turned to ice. 'Within the hour'. Those had been her words. The police wouldn't be here in time at this rate. They needed to try to rescue the pokemon now. He dragged his eyes away from them to look at Kitto. Kitto met his gaze, eyes blazing.

Kitto tapped his shoulder lightly, and they crept away from the ledge and deeper into the tunnel.

"We have to do something," Koa growled, keeping his voice as low as he could manage. "If the buyer gets here, Zeraora is gone. All those pokemon will be gone. We have to-"

"I know," Kitto's voice was terse, filled with more anger than he'd ever heard from him before. "We will." He paused, thinking. "Echo knows Confuse Ray, right?"

"Yeah..." Koa said, nodding slowly. His mind raced as he tried to concoct a plan. "We could stun the guards. And then get their pokeballs." A Confuse Ray wouldn't have quite the same effect on humans, but it would be more than enough to stun everyone if they moved fast.

"Hazard can immobilize them," Kitto added.

Koa nodded. "And I'll try to get to Zeraora while you take the guards pokeballs."

Kitto nodded and whispered in acknowledgement. "Let's go then." There was a shuffling noise, then he moved back towards the ledge. Koa followed, then released Echo from his ball. He glanced at Echo, and a flicker of understanding passed between them. He quickly whispered the plan. "Ready?"

Echo nodded, eyes glinting.

Everything happened quickly after that. Echo dove from his perch at the guard farthest away. Just a foot away, he fired a golden orb at his face. The man staggered, then crumpled to the floor. His comrades hadn't even noticed. Moving like a blur, Echo quickly disabled two more.

Minerva, who'd been near the east exit, gave a cry of shock and reached for the pokeballs on her belt. She was too slow. Echo acted first, striking her with a Confuse Ray, and she slumped to the ground. The rest of the guards swiftly met the same fate. In the space of less than a minute, the room had been subdued.

He and Kitto slid down from their perch. Now was the crucial aspect of their plan. A Confuse Ray attack would only stun and disorient for a few minutes. They had a short window to act before the guards would recover and start sending out their pokemon. Starting with the guards closest to their perch, Koa quickly took the pokeballs off one of them, while Kitto did the same with the others. They tossed the pokeballs aside to retrieve later.

Then he sent out Hazard, who quickly began using his webbing to secure the guards.

Koa was halfway across the cave, heading for the boat, when a piercing yowl filled the cavern. His blood froze and he flinched instinctively at the noise, stopping in his tracks. A second yowl sounded and he turned to see a positively giant Luxray standing near the east entrance to the cavern. Behind it stood a man with more pokeballs on his belt, wearing the same black attire, though he carried himself with a greater air of authority and wore no black cap.

Dread rushed across Koa's body. They had missed someone. One person, just outside the cave. Only one. Silas?

"Well. You must be the blue-haired brat my grunts keep talking about." His voice was cold and unconcerned, as if their presence meant nothing.

"You must be Silas," Koa spat. It was a guess, but the expression on the man's face told him he was right.

Silas sighed. "You trainers, always trying to fight back. No matter." With an almost bored expression, he reached inside his vest.

And just like that, everything fell apart.

Flashes of light lit the cavern as more pokemon were released from their pokeballs - Drapion, Toxicroak, Gastrodon, Weavile. To Koa's dismay, Silas wasted no time hurrying to the side of Minerva to release her pokemon as well. A massive Purugly was quickly joined by a Toxicroak and a Jolteon as well as a Gliscor. Koa's heart started racing. They were outnumbered, too many pokemon—

Lights flashed from Koa's belt as his own pokemon released themselves. Anubis' howl echoed, a chilling call to battle. Then he surged forward, no more than a shadowy blur, and slammed into a Luxray. They rolled across the cavern, snarling and howling, a tangle of dark fur.

A raucous din filled the cavern in seconds, a wild cacophony of shrieks and howls and snarls. Koa froze and his mind blanked. He stared as Anubis brawled with the Luxray. Its claws moved in blurs, slashing Anubis' shoulders. He retaliated with a blaze of fire straight to its face. Blinding light flashed from its body as it delivered a powerful shock to Anubis, stopping him in his tracks.

He seized up, his entire body shuddering. Luxray yowled and lunged, tackling him to the ground. Fear for his pokemon flooded Koa. But before he could make a move, a silver boulder smashed into Luxray's side, knocking it halfway across the room.

Anubis got to his feet, and Koa looked to see Rascal, looking smug as ever. A loud screech drew his attention and he looked up just in time to see a Gliscor raise a shining claw and bring it crashing down on Echo's head.

Stunned, the Crobat sailed across the room, straight for a stalagmite. "Echo!" Koa's heart skipped a beat. He leaped into action, dodging around a stray blob of mud from a Gastrodon. A couple yards from crashing into it, Koa leaped up. Echo crashed into Koa and he slammed into the stalagmite. The impact jarred his body, the rock biting into his skin. Echo dropped roughly to the ground.

Koa slid to the floor, coughing. Wincing, he looked over. Echo had fluttered back into the air, looking winded but mostly unharmed.

"You ok?"

Echo bobbed up and down. Yes. His gaze shifted to the Gliscor, who had joined with a Weavile and was now fighting Jackie several yards away. Letting out a piercing screech, Echo shot towards them, colliding with Gliscor, knocking out of the air and sending it careening towards the ground. The Weavile hissed and whirled on Echo, momentarily distracted. The opening was just enough for Jackie to clobber it in the face with a powerful Fire Punch. It rolled across the floor and back onto its feet, baring its fangs.

Meanwhile, the Gliscor had risen again. A purple sheen shimmered in its eyes, and Koa couldn't resist a smirk. Echo had got it with Poison Fang. It dove at Jackie, swooping just out of range while kicking sand and gravel at him with his tail.

Echo shrieked again. His wings glowed as he prepared an attack to aid them. Until a flurry of icy shards struck him in the back. He faltered mid flight as ice completely solidified over his rear wings. Weavile smirked, seemingly pleased with itself.

For a brief second, Echo dipped, ready to nosedive. Then he caught himself, his front wings beating faster. They glowed silver and he circled and dove at the shocked Weavile, slashing it across the chest. It emitted a shocked yelp, then skittered away.

Koa smiled. Despite the situation, pride filled him at seeing Echo flying with ease, despite his wings being disabled. Echo would be alright. Already he had engaged the Gliscor again and the ice was beginning to dissipate. Between him and Jackie, Koa felt certain they'd be fine. Tearing his gaze away from Echo, he quickly scanned the battlefield.

Along with Weavile, he could see a couple other pokemon had been knocked out. A Jolteon lay sprawled out, and one Toxicroak lay near it, both unconscious. Anubis was fighting the Luxray still, but seemed to be going strong, while the Luxray looked exhausted. Every few seconds, Rascal would dodge away from the Drapion she was brawling to fire a haphazard attack at it, keeping it off balance.

A tiny seed of hope grew in Koa. Maybe they could win this, or at least hold off Team Blackout until help arrived. He quickly glanced around again. Where was Scrapper? He spotted him a second later, dancing around another frustrated looking Toxicroak. It kept jabbing at him and spitting poison, but he managed to leap to the side just fast enough each time, never getting hit.

Yes. They could win this, just a little more—

And then another light flashed. Koa whipped towards it and spotted a behemoth of a Rhyperior standing before Silas, a taunting look in its eyes. Slamming its fists together, it let out a grating roar that made the earth tremble.

It smashed both arms into the ground, and two lines of stone shot from the earth, one erupting beneath Scrapper and the other hitting Rascal in the side. The two pokemon were knocked aside, staggering and stunned. Koa's eyes widened, his cry to dodge dying on his lips. Rhyperior was clearly a level above the other pokemon. Rascal rose to her feet, then hastily scrambled away from Drapion's tail as it embedded it right where she'd been standing.

Scrapper had managed to shake off the Stone Edge, blinking and growling as he turned towards Rhyperior. Toxicroak crept up from behind, readying a strike.

"Scrapper, right!" Koa shouted. Scrapper hurled himself to his right. The Poison Jab from the Toxicroak met empty air and it croaked furiously.

Rhyperior, however, had turned its sights elsewhere. Its gaze had locked onto Anubis, who was still facing off against the Luxray. The two quadrupeds paced around each other, spitting sparks and embers as they sought an opening to strike. Anubis was blissfully oblivious to Rhyperior singling him out.

With another earth-shaking roar, Rhyperior threw its head back, a golden aura flaring around it. A similar glow spread into the earth around it, then zigzagged through the ground towards Anubis.

"Dodge Anubis!" Koa cried frantically. Before Anubis could move, Luxray swiped at Anubis, knocking him off balance. A moment later the earth under the Houndoom erupted. The blow tossed him and sent him rolling.

Fear flooded Koa. Anubis rolled to a stop and lay still, dazed. Except that didn't seem to be enough to Rhyperior. It held its arms out in front of it and a rock shrouded in a sinister red aura began to form.

Koa scrambled to grab Anubis' pokeball before Rhyperior could strike. Hardly had his hand started to move to his belt before a light flashed from it and Flurry appeared. The light didn't have a chance to fade before a jet of water shot across the room, nailing Rhyperior in the side of the head.

It flinched and grunted, the attack crumbling, and it turned to her with a furious glare.

"Flurry no!" Koa grabbed Flurry's pokeball and tried to return her, only for her to deftly dodge the beam. With a battle cry, she set off rolling and hit Rhyperior with another rapid blast of water.

Enraged, it started firing chunks of rock at her, which she zigzagged through, each one missing her more narrowly than the last, until she hit it with a final jet of water, this time making it flinch and shift backwards. The distraction had been enough. Anubis rose to his feet, shook his head, then charged back at the Luxray, who had since turned on Scrapper. Tackling it, the two rolled back into their brawl.

Golden aura flared around Rhyperior once more as it screeched in rage at its lost prey. The earth began to shake and Koa staggered, scrambling for balance as everything around Rhyperior and Flurry erupted.

Flurry screamed as she sailed through the air and Rhyperior followed up with a swift rock blast, right at her falling form. Koa's heart lurched, his hand reaching for her ball in slow motion. Too slow too slow she was falling, the rock flying towards her helpless body—

A blur of purple and suddenly Flurry was gone and the rock struck the far wall instead. Koa whipped to the side and spotted Echo awkwardly dropping Flurry back to the ground, unharmed.

Shaking, Koa returned Flurry. He opened his mouth to call a thanks to Echo when he saw Rhyperior furiously charging another attack.

"Roll!" Koa shouted.

Echo spiraled to the side, rolling through the air as a barrage of rocks flew at him. One, two, three, four, five. The fifth one sailed wide as Echo faked out Rhyperior before soaring upwards towards the darkness of the ceiling.

Koa seized the opportunity. "Steel Wing!"

Echo screeched and became a shining blur as he dropped down and delivered a rapid one-two strike with each wing before shooting back up into the air.

Rhyperior cried out again as it turned fruitlessly in circles, trying to spot Echo.

"Again!" Koa called, his heart hammering in his ears and his chest tight. This Rhyperior needed to go.

Echo swooped down once more, but only managed to deliver a glancing blow before Rhyperior swung a glowing fist that narrowly missed nailing the Crobat.

Koa scowled. At this rate they'd never do enough to stop it. And then salvation came in the form of a blue sphere from far off, hitting Rhyperior in the back and causing it to fall to one knee.

A slow grin formed on Koa's face as Jackie came sprinting across the room, fists glowing. Without slowing down, the Hitmonchan exploded forward even faster and slammed both fists into Rhyperior's back. It whirled upon Jackie with frightful speed, slinging its own fist, but Jackie ducked and delivered a devastating uppercut that made it reel backwards.

Koa's heart soared and he cheered inwardly as the two began to exchange blows in a rapid brawl. As fast as the Rhyperior might have been, it simply stood no match against Jackie's martial arts. Every movement precise, every strike perfectly-timed.

A frantic clicking and a tug at his ankle jerked Koa's attention downward to see Hazard, eyes wide with fright and gesturing frantically to something behind them.

Whirling around, Koa turned his back on Jackie's brawl and looked towards the inlet, where the boat was. Or rather, had been. Half of it had sunk beneath the water, while the deck where Zeraora was chained remained tilted about the surface, but steadily sinking.

A curse slipped from Koa's mouth as he spotted a smoking hole in the hull. A stray attack had to have struck it. Panic resurged in Koa as the full weight dawned on him. Zeraora would drown. He had to do something. "Come on!" he sprinted towards the boat, Hazard hot on his heels.

"Koa, to your left!" Kitto's shout came from across the cavern, and Koa spun and spotted Silas making for one of the downed guards. One whose pokeballs he'd hadn't had a chance to take.

Hazard skittered past Koa, firing a bolt of electrified webbing. The blow caught Silas around the ankles and he tripped, falling to the ground. Koa couldn't help but smirk. His gaze shifted back towards the boat, still sinking.

How—

With a flick of a knife, Silas cut himself free from the webbing and rose to his feet. Hazard gave a low hissing sound and advanced towards him. Koa's eyes went wide. "Hazard, use—"

Silas charged Hazard. His foot shot out, connecting solidly with the tiny bug-type, knocking him across the ground. Rage filled Koa and red blurred his vision. He raced to his fallen Joltik's side and let out a sigh of relief as he saw Hazard crack one weary eye open. Good, he was stunned but okay. Before he could protest, Koa returned him.

"A move befitting a foolish trainer such as yourself," Silas' taunting voice rang out from behind Koa and he turned to see the Blackout leader standing over the body of the guard, four pokeballs in hand. "Should have come after me instead of the bug."

With a cold smile, he tossed them out and gave the command. A Skuntank and Golem emerged, alongside an Onix and Excadrill, and a second later all four shot past Koa and towards the battling pokemon.

No no no. Even just four fresh pokemon would change everything, his team was tiring and as strong as Jackie was, the tide could too easily be turned back towards Blackout.

The boat was still sinking as well, water now lapping dangerously at the deck. Zeraora appeared barely conscious, still immobile on the deck. And between Koa and the boat stood Silas, cool and confident. In his hand, he casually tossed a single pokeball up and caught it again.

Koa's gaze shifted once more to the boat behind Silas, desperately trying to calculate his odds of getting past him. They didn't look good.

Suddenly, a furious roar came from Koa's right and he turned just in time to see Rascal racing toward him. She skidded to a stop before Silas and took a menacing step towards him, before glancing behind her and grunting at Koa. The message was clear: I'll distract him. Go.

Koa had only made two steps toward the boat when Silas released his final pokemon. A fiery mane and tale, cream fur and horn honed to a deadly point. Koa's body froze and he saw Rascal lock up as well at the sight of Rapidash.

"Flame Charge".

Rearing up, Rapidash cloaked itself in fire and charged. Right at Koa.

For a moment, memories flared to life in Koa's mind like a lit match. Rascal's injured form, racing to protect her, Rapidash bearing down on them, to slow to move—

Koa's mind blanked. His mind screamed at him to move, but his body refused. Fire filled his vision. And then a shining burst of rocks slammed into the Rapidash's side, knocking it off course and interrupting its attack.

Still in a daze, Koa looked to see Rascal, a triumphant gleam in her eye. And then, the spell seemed to break. He shook his head, then focused on Rascal. His heart still thrummed in his ears and his throat remained tight, but he could at least move. Think.

He shouted with a confidence he didn't feel. "Another Ancient Power!"

Rascal began to summon a single boulder this time, a shining silver aura flaring around her as she did. A glint flickered in her eyes and abruptly, the boulder crumbled. A momentary confusion rose in Koa. "What..." his voice trailed off as understanding struck him, like a mental image in his head.

Silas' voice rang out. "Smart Strike."

Lowering its head and aiming its horn, Rapidash exploded forwards, all but a blur. Just a mere couple feet in front of Rascal, a massive deluge of rocks from above buried Rapidash, halting its charge instantly. Rock Slide.

A furious cry came from within the pile of stone, and Koa could see Rapidash thrashing to break free. Ever unflinching, Silas called a counter. "Inferno."

An orange glow began to shine from within. The temperature in the area abruptly spiked. Koa grimaced and moved back, calling for Rascal to do the same as everything suddenly began to grow much, much hotter. The rock pile exploded in a blaze of fire, sending shards of flaming rocks everywhere. Koa yelped and ducked as one shot past his head.

A few battered Rascal, making her stagger, but she stayed upright, jaws twisted into a furious snarl. Black marks scorched her scales and Koa could tell that the blast had done a number on her. "Dragon Tail!" Koa shouted. Could they try to end this? The familiar green aura formed around her tail and she charged at Rapidash.

"Flame Charge."

Wheeling around, the Rapidash took off away from Rascal, fire encasing its body. It galloped in a fiery blur, outpacing Rascal in a few strides before turning sharply around to face her again. The two pokemon met, tail clashing against Rapidash's larger body.

For a brief moment, Rascal struggled against Rapidash, valiantly trying to force it back. In the end, its size won out, and with a triumphant neigh, the force of the attack sent Rascal sliding backwards.

Brand new fury flared in her reptilian eyes. Fury at being pushed back once again. Fury at being weaker, at not being enough, at losing. A chill traveled down Koa's spine. She threw her head back and roared.

The sound shook Koa to his core, deeper and more primal than any noise she'd ever made. He covered his ears and he saw Silas do the same, and even Rapidash flinched back, pinning its ears to its skull.

Koa waited for the roar to fade as it usually did, but instead, it only seemed to grow louder and louder until a searing glow illuminated the cavern, forcing him to shield his eyes.

Through his fingers, he saw Rascal's shining shape began to morph and grow, every part of her body growing larger, bigger, stronger, her proportions evening out and a crest forming on her skull.

And then, after a seeming eternity, the light faded, revealing the towering form of a Tyrantrum, glaring down at the Rapidash, dwarfing it. Koa's jaw dropped.

Silas took a step back, the first sign of fear showing in his eyes. He tried to mask it quickly. "Smart Stri-"

Rascal's head snapped down, clamped around Rapidash and hurled it across the room. It sailed through the air, before coming down on top of a Skuntank, crushing it and knocking both pokemon out cold.

Koa gulped at the display. Before he could say anything, Rascal lumbered over, spun and slapped her tail into Silas, barely putting any force into the blow. Even so it sent him careening sideways where he thudded into a rocky outcropping and lay still.

Then she roared again, and charged across the cavern towards the brawling pokemon and her team. Without slowing, she barreled into the Rhyperior, sending it tumbling, before swinging her tail and smashing its side. Even from here Koa could see the vengeful gleam in her eyes. Whirling, she set her sights on the Onix, who was looming above the brawling pokemon and trying to strike with its tail.

With not even a hint of hesitation, Rascal charged the serpent and full body tackled it. The two devolved into a raging, chaotic mass of rock and scales. There was nothing Koa could offer now, she'd have to handle it herself.

His heart lurched. In all the commotion, he'd completely ignored the most important thing in the room. Shaking and still in shock Koa whipped back around to the boat.

The boat was gone.

Oh gods was Zeraora-? No. He had to try.

He shot one final glance over his shoulder at his team. Rascal had bowled over the Rhyperior and they were still scuffling with the pokemon Silas had released, but with the arrival of Rascal - she was a Tyrantrum now, he still couldn't believe it - things had once again balanced. It was enough. It would have to be enough.

Koa rushed up to the water's edge, then unclipped his pokeball belt, setting it on the ground. Then he took a deep breath and dove into the dark water.

Immediately, a chill set in as the water rushed around him, soaking past his jacket and through his shirt and pants. For once, he found himself glad to have his jacket and boots on, since they weighed him down. Forcing his eyes open, he began to swim downwards.

Through the darkness, he could just make out a shadowy gray mass below, seemingly at the bottom of the inlet. Chest growing tighter with every second, Koa kicked steadily as he pumped his arms rhythmically. He forced all thought of fear and depth and water swallowing him, filling his lungs— buried it, buried it deep, keeping his gaze only on the hazy smudge of yellow below him.

And then, quite suddenly but still too long, he found himself before the battered form of Zeraora. He could see it thrashing, even though it could only move a few inches in any direction.

Chains looped around its paws, ankles and neck, securing it to the ship's deck. To his dismay, the steel of the deck was well intact. Zeraora's eyes flicked open and locked on him. Time stilled as the lightning pokemon glared at him. Koa could see the anger, feel it snarling, even as they were underwater. The warning felt clear. Back off.

Koa glared right back.

Hesitantly, he swam around to the anchor point where the chain met the deck and tugged experimentally. Solid. His chest grew a little tighter as he moved back to examine Zeraora again. Time was running out. His gaze broke away from Zeraora and back to the chains again, this time on Zeraora. They were tight, digging into the skin beneath the fur. The chains themselves were thick, coated in some kind of rubber material. They'd never break.

Koa's thoughts raced at lightspeed. Cutting them was out of the question, unlocking them impossible without a key, and Zeraora had no hope of breaking them like this.

And then, all at once, it struck him.

His hand shot to his jacket pocket. He withdrew the empty pokeball that he kept inside and primed it.

Zeraora's eyes widened and it snarled soundlessly, bubbles escaping its jaws. It jerked towards him and Koa felt the faintest buzz of weak electricity course through his body.

Koa's chest grew tighter and he felt his body crying for air. Forcing himself still, he stared defiantly at Zeraora as the first threads of blackness danced around his vision.

Legendaries and humans don't mix. He refused to believe that. He refused to let Zeraora die here, like this. Staring into its eyes, he willed it to understand.

Please.

Zeraora's response was a defiant glare and tensed body. Never.

Koa lurched forward and grabbed Zeraora by the chain, pulling its head right up to his own, pressing his face against it. Its eyes widened and for a single moment, Koa forgot about everything around him - the water, the ship, the chains, the despair and ever growing vice around his chest.

Blue eyes met his own brown ones, and he saw beneath all the anger, determination. And beneath that, fear.

And then Zeraora nodded.

Koa acted instantly, pressing the pokeball to Zeraora's snout. Red light encased its form and drew it inside the confines of the ball and right out of the chains. Clutching the ball tightly, Koa began kicking frantically, panic seeping in. Suddenly the surface seemed so far away...

He stroked with one arm, keeping the pokeball tightly clutched in the other. His chest burned more and he forced out a small breath, kicking... kicking... Instead of it growing lighter as he neared the surface, it felt darker and darker and he could hardly put any effort into his kicks. His boots felt so heavy. His jacket felt like a Hippowdown sitting on his shoulders.

He gave a half hearted kick with his legs, but the effort felt too much. The surface didn't look any closer than before... Where was the surface again? Where... where was he trying to get to? Maybe if he couldn't remember it wasn't important.

His arm slackened slightly. His grip loosened on whatever he had in his hand... what was so important that he was carrying? The burn in his chest overrode the rest of his thoughts. Air. He needed air now now now. Maybe if he just took a quick gulp, he'd be okay. Right?

Cold water filled his mouth and nose. He gagged instinctively, sucked in more. Panic gave clarity, but not strength. A watery scream swallowed him. The moment crystallized, then his panic and fear faded. Peace filled him. The surface wasn't so far off... Yet now such a detail seemed unimportant. It was close, yes, but not close enough. Shame...

Great... ruined another jacket probably. Maybe he could get one in Canalave. Where had Blake gotten the first one?... His thoughts trailed away as bliss enveloped him and he finally stopped struggling. At least he'd tried. Maybe the police would retrieve the ball with Zeraora.

Sorry...

Somewhere above, a tiny flare of light shone. Then a blur of something pale blue in the water, something soft and dense and round and he was surging, surging upwards— his head broke the surface and he gasped and coughed and choked as he scrabbled for purchase and something shoved him up onto the rocky ground.

Water spilled from his mouth and he coughed and coughed compulsively until his throat and nose burned and tears streamed from his eyes. His head throbbed and darkness pulsed in his vision in time with his heartbeat. At some point, he found he could finally breathe normally, though his throat still felt raw and his stomach churned. Awareness came with oxygen, and he realized his right hand was still clenched around something... he'd been holding something down there.

A jolt shot through him. Zeraora!

Sitting up so fast his head spun, he managed to stabilize himself before glancing around. The sound of battle still raged on, somewhere to his left. Behind was the inlet, and before him sat Flurry, her dark eyes wide with worry. He stared at her a full few seconds before realizing it had to have been her who'd saved him. "Thanks," he whispered hoarsely. She butted against his leg.

Still dazed, Koa held up the pokeball in his hand. He realized he was shaking all over still, and his heart hadn't stopped racing. His breath came in lurches, but he ignored it and pressed the button on the pokeball. Light spilled out, taking the form of the mythical plasma pokemon.

It blinked, taking in its surroundings, before looking down at him. Something akin to surprise registered in its blue eyes, along with relief. Swallowing, Koa reached into the pocket of his soggy pants and withdrew a Full Restore. He half rose to his feet and held it out towards Zeraora. For a second, it drew back. Then it stopped, hesitantly.

Koa sprayed the gash on its arm. It flinched and hissed reproachfully then seemed to relax as the healing effects kicked in. A second later, the light returned to its eyes and sparks began to crackle across its body.

Then it let out a mighty yowl. Lightning surged through the cavern and in an instant, Zeraora was gone, tearing across the room in a raging blur of yellow fur and blue electricity.

All Koa could do was watch as the newly unleashed Zeraora decimated the remainder of Blackout's pokemon, and none too gently. Every strike knocked out or incapacitated its target and in less than a minute, every one of Blackout's pokemon was unconscious.

Koa stared as Zeraora stepped around the bodies, sprang across the inlet, and strode over to the caged electric types still stacked along the wall. With a flash of claws, it made its way down the line, shattering the locks one by one. The pokemon began to emerge, some timid, others relieved or angry or confused.

Just as the last pokemon was freed, an ear splitting howling sound shattered the stillness. It pulsed and reverberated almost unnaturally as lights began to flash near the mouth of the cavern.

Koa clamped his hands over his ears as he dropped to his knees. Turning around he saw an Exploud standing near the ocean entrance, mouth agape. Behind it stood several police officers, flanked by powerful looking pokemon - Arcanine, Alakazam, Machamp and more. Beyond that, he spotted several police boats.

Koa sagged back and let out a breathy sigh of relief.

Movement at the far end of the cavern caught his attention and he turned to Minerva trying to edge away to escape down one of the tunnels. Before he could even consider trying to warn someone, a Yanmega buzzed through the air, blocking her way out. Its eyes flashed pink and a wave of light struck her. She slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

A couple of the other guards had seemingly recovered from Echo's initial strike at some point, and picked now to try and escape. Lights flashed as they released their own pokemon to try and make a run for it, only to be swiftly overwhelmed by the police. Staraptor and Swellow dive bombed them as the police pokemon dispatched them with frightening ease.

For every one of them, there were now two or three Pokemon. The remaining poachers who were conscious either surrendered or were swiftly being subdued by the officers, Silas among them. In seconds, it truly had ended.

Quiet. Overbearing, uncomfortable quiet. The cavern had fallen still. Compared to the sounds of battle it felt creepy.

Koa blinked. In a daze, he searched for Zeraora, but the mythical pokemon had seemingly vanished. A swift headcount confirmed his own pokemon were still standing. Battered, but standing. Echo fluttered over and flopped into Koa's lap, tired but clearly proud. His gaze shifted back to the police, some of whom had gone to check on the stolen pokemon, while he saw another heading towards Kitto.

Good... Kitto was okay. Jackie too, by the looks of it, though the Hitmonchan looked much worse for the wear.

They'd made it. Everything would be okay now. The police moved with impressive efficiency, locking down the rest of the room, sweeping the area, and calming the escaped electric types.

"It's over buddy," he mumbled, idly stroking the Crobat. Anubis trotted over, as did Scrapper. Both looked exhausted and covered in scrapes and bruises, but he didn't see any permanent damage. With great, lumbering steps, Rascal came over and settled protectively behind him. Of all his pokemon, she seemed the most fine, thanks to her evolution.

A dazed smile came over his face at the memory, and he stared at her new form in delight. She was gorgeous... big too. Maybe almost ten feet standing. Her scales had changed to a rich reddish-brown that gleamed in the faint sunlight from outside.

Was it really dawn already?

"Mr. Averon?"

Anubis let out a warning rumble. Koa was suddenly aware of one of the officers kneeling beside him, asking him something. "Huh?" he asked, staring at her dumbly. He found himself staring at her nametag, which read 'Jamie'.

"Are you and your pokemon alright Mr. Averon? Do you require healing?" her sharp gaze was roving across each member of his team scrutinizing them, lingering on Rascal.

Wearily, Koa summoned the strength to look around again and survey his team, then take stock of himself. His limbs felt like weights and his body ached, but he felt fine otherwise.

He opened his mouth to speak but the words felt thick and jumbled. " 'm fine... tired." Suddenly, he very much missed his bed at home. "My pokemon need some healing though," he mumbled. "Rascal evolved. She's OK I think."

Jamie nodded curtly. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of them."

At his side, Flurry pressed against him, and he found himself leaning back against Rascal. With his head to her side, the steady beating of her heart felt oddly relaxing.

Jamie was talking, asking him something else, but the steady thumping of Rascal's heart drowned out her voice.

They were safe.

XXX

Jamie waited with him while the rest of the officers handled rounding up Team Blackout and their pokemon. He half expected her to start peppering him with questions, but she seemed much more concerned with the stolen pokemon and Koa's own team for the moment.

Rather quickly, a Chimecho and a Blissey arrived, and started healing up his pokemon. Only Rascal seemed completely fine, dismissing the healer pokemon with a snort after they'd done a quick checkup.

Koa watched tiredly as the officers moved efficiently about the room, marking the area and leaving a buoy in the inlet where the ship had sunk. Hasty provisions were made for the electric-types. An extra boat was called in to ferry them to the mainland, where he guessed the trained ones would be returned to their trainers and the wild ones could be taken to their proper territory.

His thoughts drifted as he pulled the blanket they'd given him tighter around his shoulders. Kitto sat a few yards away, sprawled against a boulder. Jackie sat next to him, half-asleep, head on Kitto's shoulder. Both looked thoroughly tired.

All of Koa's pokemon had refused to return to their pokeballs for the time being, instead staying near him. Not that he minded. Having them out made him feel better. Between Flurry's thick fur and Anubis' warmth, he began to warm quickly. He let himself drift into a pleasant, half-asleep haze.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the boat holding the captured members of Team Blackout departed, and one by one, most of the others left, save for Jamie and one other officer. Koa returned his pokemon to give them a chance to rest.

"If you like, I can arrange for both of you to head back to the mainland. We can take your statements there instead, and save you the trouble of a ferry ride," Jamie offered.

A grateful smile crossed Koa's lips and he glanced over to Kitto. Despite his confident stance, Koa could spot the weary edge in his gaze, and he nodded in agreement as well.

"That's settled then. We'll take you two back to Canalave then."

Koa began to rise somewhat unsteadily, and Jamie reached out, steadying him. He took a step to follow her to the boat, then paused. "I... can I do something before we leave, please?"

Jamie frowned, scanning the room before her gaze settled back on him. "Sure, kid. Just don't be long."

Koa nodded. He selected one pokeball from his belt and headed in the direction of the back of the cavern, opposite the ocean entrance. He tapped the release button on the pokeball, and Hazard emerged, looking once again bright-eyed and perky.

"Is he down there?" he asked softly, nodding towards the tunnel before them. Hazard closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and nodded. Koa started down the tunnel, Hazard lighting the way.

A minute later, they emerged into a small chamber. And there, at the end of the cavern, stood Zeraora. Its gaze was unreadable as Koa approached, but it was clear it had been expecting him.

Standing before the mythical, he had a chance to fully take in Zeraora. It had looked so tall and huge before, but now he could see it was around his height, though it carried itself with such a presence it seemed larger. When upright, he was just able to look it in its eyes. Its fur gleamed in the light provided by Hazard, who gazed up at it in awe and admiration.

Koa's mouth suddenly went dry, and all the things he wanted to say suddenly seemed paltry and silly. In hindsight, it was plainly obvious what had been going on - Zeraora had been drawn to the island by the electric-types and sought to free them. And both he and Fossie had interfered. Now he understood its rage the night before, trying to catch it when it was on a rescue mission. It must have believed he was with Team Blackout. 'Sorry' seemed so empty.

If only he'd just waited, just challenged it the right way...

Wordlessly, he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew the pokeball that he'd caught Zeraora in, then held it out.

Zeraora narrowed its eyes, though Koa swore he caught a flicker of something else behind the suspicion and irritation. Surprise? Respect?

With surprising gentleness, it reached out and took the pokeball from him. Then in a swift movement, it shattered the ball and incinerated the remains in a burst of plasma.

Hazard chittered something, and Zeraora shot it a sort of sly grin before putting out its paw and firing a small burst of blue electricity. The jolt made Hazard's fur stand on end, puffing him out to almost twice his usual size.

Then Zeraora turned back to Koa, his piercing gaze boring right into Koa. He resisted the urge to flinch and look away, even as he felt as if his soul were being bared and his defenses peeled away until he was an open book. Almost unconsciously, he held his breath, half expecting Zeraora to be angry. Disgusted. Disappointed.

Instead, Zeraora took a step back and then, so slightly Koa thought he imagined it, nodded. For another moment, its gaze lingered. It didn't speak, but Koa sensed rather than heard Zeraora's sentiment. Gratitude. And an apology.

Then a second later, it vanished in a burst of lightning.

A long sigh escaped Koa and a weight lifted off his shoulders. It was over. The debt was paid. He never imagined that uncatching a mythical pokemon would feel so good.

Now he understood that his team would have his back, no matter what. Today they had proven what they were capable of. And what he could do with their help, if he trusted them as they trusted him. Despite the nagging exhaustion of his body, a renewed determination burned within him. His doubts and fears the past week were smaller now. Distant.

Koa leaned down and picked Hazard up, setting him on his shoulder, then turned toward the tunnel. "Let's go home."


And thus concludes the Iron Island arc! I hope this was an enjoyable arc and worth the wait!

There will be one more 'special episode' to follow this, a unique POV which I will post either over the weekend or next week.

I had a lot of fun writing Zeraora in this. I always enjoyed the idea of some legendary or mythical pokemon being very calm and others being more aggressive, and I liked the idea that one could easily get the wrong idea and turn on Koa, thinking he was actually one of the bad guys.

Fortunately, Koa was able to reach out to it and prove himself, and they resolved things, and Zeraora offered an apology of sorts. And Koa 'technically' caught a mythical!

Also, writing an all out brawl was an absolute delight! I hope it felt as fun to read as it was to write (even if I did spend ages banging my head on a wall over it). Was inspired quite a lot by the fic 'Legendarian Chronicles' by Chibipika, which also features awesome and epic big scale battles. Its a stellar fic, I highly recommend it, as well as Of Sand and Shadows by helloyellow17, which features lots of gritty brawl battles that are very excellent, very recommend. Also, orre.

Thank you as always for the reviews!


Further thoughts....

Fossie was created on a whim but I am very excited to write him more, hopefully. There's a lot I want to explore about him to contrast Koa. I am equally amused and delighted about his reception. Definitely a bit of a snot, but one I hope to flesh out a bit more.

Something that I really wanted to do was focus on how sometimes as people, even when we learn from our mistakes, change is a hard road and it's not always as clean cut as movies make us feel. Humans have a way of making the same mistakes over and over, or letting doubt consume us the closer we seem to get to our desires.

But even when things feel impossible, there's always a way through with perseverance, faith and hope.

That said, I have been taking a break from preparing these 4 chapters by playing loootts of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. I hope I can work more on this and have another chapter up in a month or two!

Happy writing and reading everyone!
 

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
Hellooooooooo Tetra, back for more LA! I.......admit I thought I was further along, but I've only reviewed up to chapter two :unquag: So here I am with three and I hope to be able to complete reviews in bigger chunks in the future uwu

Alright so WE'RE ONTO THE GYM CIRCUIT. And we're also still on the ball with Koa being an absolute prick to Echo. I was SEETHING this whole chapter; the blatant favoritism was KILLING ME, Smalls. And then to have the FUUUUCKING AUDACITY to be like "wtf Zubat???? You didn't beat the Pokemon that has a clear type advantage against you even though I have blatantly refused to train you, HOW DARE?????" You're doing really well at capturing the sheer stupidity and downright selfishness of a tunnel-visioned and hardheaded 12-year-old, cuz god I just want to sit him and down and be like "CHICO, WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS??????? STOP BEING CHRONICALLY BOY."

It also came through in how he handled that battle with Roark overall. Not heeding the warning to train more, rushing head first into a battle without researching or totally realizing he has not one but TWO 'mon with type disadvantages (one of which he was outright refusing the train, the little shmuck), and then basically refusing to hear any critique Roark had to say about the battle, that most likely would have HELPED HIM, because he didn't want to "hear anything negative." I don't think the chain of events could have gotten anymore juvenile-esque if you TRIED, so good fucking job 😂 You have captured the essence of "boy whos balls haven't dropped yet totally thinks they have and is still in the process of being reminded that that definitely isn't the case." I'm so here for it.

I like how Hazard is also acutely aware of what a dick Koa is being and is actively trying to get him to stop. We appreciate Hazard being Koa's Jimny Cricket in this haus, hope that continues cuz I feel like this idiot is gonna need it LMFAO. Don't get me wrong, I am ENTIRELY here to watch Koa grow and mature into a better trainer but I'm definitely going to roast the absolute SHIT out him along the way because fuck them kids /affectionate

I think I mentioned this in my last review (or both tbh) but I like the gradual progression of Koa realizing he does like having Echo on his team. It feels natural, because it isn't a steady incline up. He has moments where he's like "fuck this stupid ass 'mon i don't want it," only to turn around and scratch Echo on the ear and be enthralled with how soft his fur is and go to bat for him against some snot-nosed kid. There's moments of positive trends, and moments of negative trends, or him just trying to deny the positive trends exist in the first place, and I feel like it's all a nice eventual boiling into realizing he DOES like having Echo around for sure and appreciates how hard its tried in spite of being treated like trash. So anyone who's trying to tell you that it was too abrupt is clearly not reading correctly lmao

I WILL say however I did think the punch to Kody felt abrupt. Not because of it happening in general, it actually felt in character, Koa feels like that dumb 12yo anime protag that would get mad enough by a bully's words and just haul off with a punch without thinking about it, it was more the way it was executed imo. We got from Kody talking into the immediate line of "Koa ran up to him and punched him." The easy fix to that is writing some sort of buildup to Koa deciding "yeah I'm gonna deck this kid." We get a little bit of him in the exposition thinking like "I'm not gonna let him talk smack about my Pokemon!" but you could really cushion the arrival of that punch with some more descriptions of Koa getting mad. Like, tell us about his stomach tying into knots, or his hands balling into fists, and him maybe recalling Blake telling him to not fight with other kids (if thats happened), etc. etc. etc. that eventually leads into a longer description of Koa hauling off with the fatal punch to the nose.

On top of that, in general I felt like a lot of the interactions in this chapter felt rushed/unneeded ish. I feel like Koa running in to greet Roark and subsequently being told "hey can't reanimate this dino corpse for you until you train up" could have easily been a lot more potent if you stuck in some more descriptors of what was happening. Like, the tone of Roark's voice as he tells Koa he can't give him a tyrunt rn, or describe more what happened AS Roark reacquainted himself with Koa's presence in general. For a few beats it felt like I was just reading dialogue against a white backdrop, and I fully trust your ability to paint a more clear picture of what's happening, so I want to see it! As for the fight with the little girl and her bidoof (and this might just be because I'm married to Chekhov's Gun so take this with a grain of salt) but it felt....unneeded? Like perhaps it would make a tad more sense if he'd gone down that route and started beating up other trainers for the sake of training, but the one off random fight with this little girl felt like it was there to just be there. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it was more a matter of personal preference.

Anyway, I'm glad Echo has a nickname now, and I'm looking forward to watching this idiot get his ass handed to him by Gardenia next!!! Until next time 🤍

Line-by-Lines:
And when he did, he would release Zubat.
Bro you are such a PRICK MY GODS

Koa rolled his eyes and shook his head, ignoring the smile that tried to tug at his lips.
YEAH ADMIT IT YOU SHMUCK, YOU LIKE HIM, DON'T TRY TO COVER IT UP

"Roark!" Koa blurted. He hurried over to the gym leader.

"Hmm. Koamaru, isn't it? I remember your cousin, Blake. You live in my father's city, right?" Roark asked.
This is kind of what I was talking about in my essay, but I would have liked to have seen this interaction get a little more fleshed out. It felt too quick and to the point

"I'd love to since I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Tyrunt, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Tyrunt are very tough, stubborn pokemon, and hard to train. Unless you have at least two gym badges, then you'll have to wait."
This too!! I'd want to see some more narrative about how Koa might feel about this as it's being broken to him. Or how Roark might speak confidently not realizing he's crushing this kids current dream rn. Just little things that would bolster this interaction.

"Go Zubat," he said, unenthusiastically.
i once again reiterate, KOA YOU ARE A MASSIVE DOUCHE RN

"Unbelievable..." he muttered under his breath.
Unbelievable that you had two Pokemon with severe disadvantages and thought you could win? Crazy how that works!!!

Not yet anyway, he thought jokingly.
Foreshadowing??? /hj

"You! I didn't even want you on my team. And today's battle proved you don't have what it takes."
GODS I WANNA DECK THIS KID LMFAO

Hazard buzzed with annoyance from his shoulder, clearly not fully satisfied with the decision. Koa did his best to ignore him.
No, DO NOT IGNORE THE BUG, HE IS SPITTING FACTS

"Alright, take a good rest. We'll be at Ravaged Path soon, and I want you ready to battle." He took out Hazard's pokeball and returned him. Standing up, he continued down the path. As he walked, he spotted a few trainers, some having battles or training, but didn't challenge them. He wanted Hazard to save his strength for Ravaged Path, after all.

Koa pressed on, emerging from the grass at the entrance to Ravaged Path. He strode inside, the light behind him fading. The main area of Ravaged Path was fairly straightforward.
I notice in your prose sometimes you have the tendency to get really repetitive with subjects of certain paragraphs, and it was pretty clear this chapter save for this one instance. The overuse of 'Ravaged Path' here really messes with the rhythm of these lines.

His conscience gnawed at the back of his thoughts all night, until he finally fell asleep.
YEAH FEEL AWFUL ABOUT HOW YOU'RE TREATING YOUR STARTER, GET FUCKED (sorry I am sooooo mad at him LOL)

Koa clenched his fists. "Maybe you shouldn't just touch other people's pokemon!"

"Hmph. Just keep that thing away from me. I don't want it trampling my plants."
>Touch stranger bug
>Get bitten by stranger bug
>*GASP* "HEATHEN."

"Actually, can you add a jar of honey as well? I think my Zubat acquired a taste for the stuff."
OH?? KOA, IS THAT.....EMPATHETIC TRAINER BEHAVIOR I'M SEEING????

Koa punched him in the face. "No one calls my pokemon weak!" he spat, breathing heavily.
Ye so you could definitely draw this out. Make it WAY more dramatic so it isn't as sudden and abrupt as it initally comes off. Cuz again, feels in character, I just know you can execute it in a way that it doesn't feel so out of nowhere.

"Oh Zubat, I'm sorry!" he blurted out. Once he started, he couldn't stop. "I've been an awful trainer to you. You fought so hard for me and I didn't even care."
YEAH, APOLOGIZE. GIVE HIM ALL THE HONEY AND APOLOGIZE YOU NINNYWIT

"Hmmm... let's see. Flutter? No, that's dumb. Dracula? Too cliche. How about...Echo?"
LFGGGGGGGGGGGGG
 

Seren

Lurking
Staff
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. sableye
Back for more!

Chapter 13, finally Koa gets his dues against Fantina! I'm kind of surprised he's not following either the games nor the anime route, but rather doing kind of a split between them (taking Fantina as #4), instead of just circling around to Veilstone before coming back, since he'd have to loop through Hearthome again anyway, but its a nice change of pace to keep things from becoming too predictable!

And boy does he curb-stomp her! I got the feeling through most of the last few chapters that you Koa just had it out for Fantina, and I see that was proven right!

.
"Unova?" Koa knew a little bit about the region. It had once been ruled by two legendary dragons, Reshiram and Zekrom. Beyond its legendaries, he didn't really know a whole lot about the region itself, however.
Naturally, Koa knows about the legends! They're all the dude thinks about!

Jokes aside, it's a small but effective way of enforcing his goal in the mind of the reader.

A yawn dragged itself from Koa's mouth as he trudged back towards Hearthome's East gate. Fighting off another yawn, he took out his trainer ID and showed it to the guard. His eyes drooped and his body ached. His mind felt foggy and dull, and he could barely focus. The guard examined his ID, then glanced up at Koa.
This is an interesting note; other than Kanto, I don't recall there being actual guards/checkpoints in between routes and cities! I'm curious for your reasoning behind this. I'm not trying to doubt it or anything, I do rather like the idea, but I'm curious why you've opted to go this route, because I personally have not. I hadn't considered it important!

The door didn't move. Pausing, Koa stared at it. No... He tugged the door again, but it didn't budge.
Ah, yep. Figured she'd be gone again. ...Still? Koa seems to think Fantina was supposed to be back already since his last visit, but I don't think I recall seeing any notice of when she was supposed to be back, so... either that was forgotten, or Koa was just assuming enough time had passed that she had to have come back by now, right??

"Hey!" A young girl ran past him, then stopped to look at him. "Hurry up! Cynthia is by the North gate! I heard this crazy trainer challenged her and her Garchomp!"
I love how friendly everyone is in your setting. Random girl just stops to be like "Why are you sitting around when Cynthia is in town?" to some random trainer she meets along the way, and that's normal!

On that note! Oh no, Cynthia. I was surprised to see Kitto still around! Shame we didn't get to see more of his battle though. And then he's gone again so quickly. I know it's probably not the last we'll see of him, but it was a bit weird for them to have a good-bye and then a fake-out of him showing up for another few minutes just to leave again.

And, if by some miracle Fantina was at her gym tomorrow, then Arceus help her - because he was going to destroy her.
Koa managed a nod. It was all he could do since there were a host of terribly rude things he wanted to say that definitely wouldn't be appropriate.
LOL Yeah, Koa's mad. Good for him for biting his tongue though!

"That is actually what I am here to speak to you about, Fantina." Cynthia's voice interrupted Koa's thoughts.
This part caught me off guard. I would have thought Cynthia talked to Fantina just prior to the battle, since they were both arriving at the gym together and all. What would Fantina have thought Cynthia would be there for?

And oh, Cynthia's actually doing something! Wow, props to her for actually stepping up and doing her job here. Ah, this is what fanfic is for. Poor Fantina, but it serves her right. I see she has to wait two months to regain her position... but Cynthia says "apply for". Which makes me wonder, will Fantina just automatically get it back or does she actually have to like, re-do the entire process?


Discussion time! So it always bothered me that Fantina got away with NEVER being around in the DP anime. Several times she was absent from her gym. Challengers need her badge to compete in the league, and she's off galavanting. So I did throw in my personal bit of justice, along with Koa curbstomping her. I never really liked her in the anime especially. Gym leaders need to take their responsibility seriously.

Should gym leaders be allowed absences? I would think not, unless provisions are made in their absence. Especially if the tournament is time-sensitive.

Anyways, this Fantina is, as you can see, loosely based particularly on the anime version. No shade against anyone who enjoys her, I just don't like her, whoops. Felt like a fun little chance to add some spice to the gym battle!
My thoughts on this: To some degree, yes! Especially if, in your setting, gyms aren't a "full-time" job. Like how a lot of gym leaders have other responsibilities alongside their gym duties (see Paldean gym leaders; I know they weren't a thing when you wrote this, but that's the first example that comes to mind). I know in my fic, I made a reference to Roxie being out on tour, but having to cancel to go back and clean up the mess her substitute had made of her gym.

Also in many jobs irl, you don't necessarily need to find a replacement, but you do need to give set dates you'll be gone, and often need to get that time off approved as well. I went with the substitute angle for Roxie, but I can see why people might not vibe with that idea, given that gym leaders should need to prove their worth to hold that position, and someone getting a badge for beating a substitute might not necessarily be seen as fair among trainers, since that sub is unlikely to pose the same challenge as someone who holds the job professionally.

That all said, I would think there has to be some allowance for gyms to get time off outside of the normal league vacations, but there also should be some kind of backup plan for that! A substitute leader, an alternate gym in a different city, a set date people can come back and expect to find the leader, whatever, just something more professional than just "eh I don't feel like being here for a few weeks, bye".
.


I love 14's title, first of all, very clever anime-like pun!

Lots to go over here, as well, but overall I think this is my favorite chapter so far! Lots of action and things not quite going the way Koa expects!


.
"But what's wrong with him then?" Koa protested.
I seem to recall a flash of white at the end of the previous chapter... and this is meta-gaming a bit, but I also recall seeing somewhere that Hazard did not want to evolve, so my guess is that's what's going on here.

On it, a bright-eyed Hazard perched, his blue eyes gleaming. He clung to a small, smooth stone, barely smaller than him.
Wow, that is one small everstone! Also glad to see my guess was right, although I cheated a bit.

A loud explosion shattered the peace. Koa shot up and glanced around. From the east end of the park, a column of flame erupted. He heard a few screams of fear, and saw the distance shapes of trainers fleeing towards the exit.
I was gonna say, I love these moments of just relaxing with the team, but well... so much for that!

A fire had started in the east.
Hm. There was mention of Entei last chapter. How much you wanna bet it's involved here?

Entei, Lord of the Volcano, beast of fire, one of the three legendary beasts.
Speak of the devil! Didn't waste any time with this one.

Massive spires of stone erupted from the earth, traveling across the ground at blinding speeds.
Something's definitely up with Entei here. Lots of references to cold, soulless eyes. I'd thought Entei might be showing up to fight something, but I didn't expect that something to be Anubis! Why is Entei setting the park on fire, I wonder? Very strange!

Anubis seemed to be leading him somewhere - the lake!
Aaaand incoming drowning whump in three... two... So that didn't end up happening, heh. But you can hardly blame me for thinking "leave it to Tetra to add drowning whump during an inferno"!

Someone screamed. Koa realized the sound came from his own throat. He lunged forwards in a futile attempt to stop Anubis. The fire crashed against the Houndour's form, consuming him in flames. He began to glow bright, vivid orange as Flash Fire took effect. The glow intensified tenfold and Anubis let out a bone-chilling howl. His body became awash in power, and his silhouette turned molten orange. Then, orange shifted to bright, iridescent blue.
I love this paragraph right here. Koa screaming, not realizing it was he himself, trying to leap towards his pokemon as he's swallowed by flames (that by all rights he should be able to absorb), the gradual visual increase in intensity via the color change... a very powerful image.

The aftermath only leaves more questions than answers, though! The appearance of the "real" Entei suggests that there's absolutely something up with the "fake" one; it's even referenced as "fake" in the narration, and I doubt that's accidental. So... what, clones? Lab-grown like mewtwo, but soulless for easier controlling by a master? I'm partial to that second one, myself.

One other minor thing I felt noteworthy as an oddity; Koa doesn't tell the nurse that Anubis was attacked by Entei. I know for narration purposes, keeping Entei's involvement quiet is important, but this feels like an OOC decision, especially given the narration that Koa doesn't think a normal pokemon's flash fire would block Entei's flames. He's very obviously worried about his pokemon, and rightfully so, but this has a big, big air of "don't sugarcoat it, tell your doctor what the problem is so you can be properly diagnosed and treated".

I think if reader's attention wasn't drawn to that detail specifically, about normal pokemon's flash fire not blocking legendary attacks, this scene would have been fine as is, but it kind of feels contradictory. Or counterproductive. It could also have been aided by Koa thinking flash fire would work like normal, or even just him wondering and worrying if it would, and then getting more worried when Anubis starts to change color... but it still feels weird to not mention that to the nurse given that's specifically why he was worried in the first place, y'know?

"Your Tyrunt has good taste," Wyatt commented. "That's a Cornn berry. They are almost exclusive to Sinnoh, and until recently, were extinct."
I see what's going on here. No Sinnoh pokemon allowed in this Sinnoh fic, berries are fine!

The Shroomish seemed to sigh, then investigated the berries again
Hate to end on a grammar issue, but I believe Scrapper's been a breloom for several chapters now.
.


Admittedly, this is taking me longer to get through than I anticipated, but I'm still trucking along! I am very interested in the new plot developments, especially given Koa's interest in legendaries and what this encounter will do to his opinions.
 

Seren

Lurking
Staff
Pronouns
He/Him
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  1. sableye
I don't have a whole lot of thoughts for chapter 15, really. As a whole, I do enjoy these little training sessions. You typically come up with some creative uses for moves, and sky uppercut in particular was a fun one; you make it more than just a leaping punch! And the little intricate details that come with learning new, specific moves, like air slash, compared to similar moves.

Also, hell yeah, noctowl!

"10,000poke to the winner." It was a generous sum, and Koa was sure he would feel it if he lost, but he was also sure he wouldn't lose.
Only the one line really to make note of this time; as soon as I saw this, I knew Koa was in for A Time. Good to see Rascal getting some spotlight here, she's felt relatively absent recently with everyone else getting some battle time or something within the last two or three chapters. You do a very good job of making sure none of Koa's team is left out of the spotlight for too long, and that goes a long way towards making everyone feel relevant and important!

Chapter 16 was a fun one! A lot less chaotic and a lot more setting down in one location for a while. Not literally, because Koa was only in the ruins for like a day and a half, but it felt like he was there a lot longer. The unown are one of those really interesting pokemon in that there's actually quite a lot of lore behind them while also... not really having a lot of lore behind them. I hope they're going to come up again somehow, because I'm eager to see what you'd do with them!

Lots more thoughts on this one, too:


"Sure," Koa replied. Truthfully, he'd been considering visiting it himself. Maybe he could catch a Ghost-type to help at the gym in Veilstone. Although there was still his egg to think about... Perhaps it already contained a ghost type? Either way, checking out the tower might be interesting. He remembered reading that the upper levels contained some fairly strong ones.

This is one of those weird things the games do that I've always struggled to translate to the games. If the tower is meant to lay pokemon to rest, why are there high-level ghosts wandering around? How do people who don't battle - or even, just trainers who are to sad to battle, being at a tower for dead pokemon and all - manage to visit their dead pokemon while being constantly harassed? It's easier to quantify in in-game terms where the player doesn't have to care about the tombs, and the tower's actual purpose is only as a place to catch ghosts, but lore-wise it seems silly. (It does help that your worldbuilding takes pokemon as generally more friendly though, so I imagine they're more respectful of those there just to see the dead, although you don't really go into that detail here.)

"Nice job!" Koa called. The boy glanced at him in surprise, then smiled and waved.

I love this interaction. It's small and lasts two seconds, but I love seeing the casual trainer comradery here. Especially as it's Koa initiating it, and not the Character of the Day coming into the chapter. No, it's just a cute background interaction, and it does a hell of a great deal to add to the friendliness of the setting.

"Who knows? Legendaries are full of mysteries. Perhaps one day I may be able to unravel those mysteries." He cast a glance at one of the memorial stones, a trace of sadness in his eyes. "Such as the secret of resurrection. It is one of the great mysteries that remain about those legendaries. That is part of the reason I've come here. You see, I lost a good friend not long ago. I came here to pay my respect to them."

Interesting that Callahan has a different belief than Koa! I wonder if he's interested in the Ho-oh myths because he wants to resurrect the pokemon he just lost...

An odd silence fell. He wasn't sure what to tell Callahan. It had to be awful, to lose a pokemon. He couldn't imagine how it would feel...

Oooh, this could be fun to play with...

A few moments later, he and Avis were on their bikes and pedaling swiftly towards Solaceon Town.

Koa wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he pedaled into Solaceon Town later the next morning.

Got a little confused here; feels like there should be a scene break or something between these two sentences. Also, it's unclear if Avis is still with Koa at this point because the narration doesn't mention her again for a couple more lines.

"Hmm... Well, baby pokemon all mature at different rates. Some are ready to battle as soon as they hatch, some take time to develop. So you'll have to watch the pokemon closely."

Really glad you added this piece of worldbuilding; I made Olivia battle-ready at hatching somewhat by plot necessity, and worried it would come off as too unrealistic, especially given her personality. I do like the idea that some pokemon are just born for it, though.

Koa recognized them as Quick Balls, pokeballs specially designed to capture weaker pokemon if they were thrown first, before the battle began.

Sort of like the ghosts-in-the-graveyard-tower thing, I always kind of wondered how quick balls made sense in-universe. How does the ball know it's being thrown before a battle begins, and therefore has to have increased effectiveness? I'm actually a little disappointed you didn't go into further detail on this one, if only because I'm struggling to see this particular detail outside game mechanics. (I'd probably treat quick balls similarly to fast balls, in that they're easier to catch speedy pokemon.)

I suppose maybe quick balls could be described as being carved in such a way that they're more aerodynamic and therefore designed to travel faster when thrown than other types of balls, and therefore it's easier to catch wild pokemon off-guard?

Charles nodded. "And you are exactly correct! There cannot be multiple! Just as there is one Lugia and one Ho-Oh. In fact, most legendaries are unique entities. Save for mythical pokemon such as Shaymin, as I'm sure you already know."

Alright, I've had mild suspicion of Charles since he's shown up, but this line practically screams foreshadowing. Canon explicitly shows that there's more than one lugia (even discounting the "baby" lugia... unless you're considering baby lugia's parent the same one from Movie 2000?). So either Callahan doesn't know/believe this, or he's intentionally lying. I'm... actually unsure on your personal thoughts on this; could be author choice, I guess, too. But it does make me somewhat more suspicious of this guy's motives, assuming he's going to show up again in future chapters.

On the other hand, I'm also simply not sure that's the kind of twist you'd do. Doesn't seem to fit the overall theme of friendliness you've gone with to have a "friendly character is actually a villain" twist. Maybe I'm reading too much into this entire thing.

That concludes chapter 16! Koa has met fellow researcher Charles Dragonwood, and his aspirations have been renewed. He also received the box link system. I do intend to have Koa capture more pokemon, farther down the line. So it seemed a fun little device to add for the future.

Oh, that's interesting! I'm pretty sure Koa's egg has hatched by the time I get caught up to the published chapters (27 at time of writing), so that gives him a full party of six... but I don't think I've ever recalled you even discussing a pokemon he's gotten after that! Which means he hasn't actually gotten a new pokemon to use this box link with so far? Wonder how that's going to become relevant in the future! Would be interesting to see a fic protag who actually does rotate his team around, though.
 
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