Failure to Communicate: Chapter 4

My first battle with another trainer. The sun is setting, casting an orange glow over the beach. Cameron stands across from me with a confident smile on his face.

“So, how d’ ya’ll wanna do this?” Cameron asks.

“I’d prefer a quick battle. One Pokémon each.” I respond.

He tips his hat. “Fine by me.” He throws out a Pokéball. “Come on out, Charmander!”

“Char!”

A Charmander? Is he from the Kanto region? I’ll ask later. For now, who should I- “QUIL! CYNDAQUIL!” Cynder suddenly rushes in front, flames shooting out of her back.

“Well, well, it seems we have a volunteer.” Cameron says.

“I guess if she really wants to then, I choose you, Cynder!”

“CYNDAQUIL!” Cynder is really fired up for this battle…I know, that was a horrible pun. Anyway, Cameron gives the first command.

“CHARMANDER, SMOKESCREEN!”

“CHAAAR!” Black smoke starts shooting out of Charmander’s mouth.

“Cynder, use Smokescreen as well!”

“QUIIIIIIIL!” Cynder mirrors her opponent’s move. The impromptu battlefield is now covered in smoke. What do I do now?

“Charmander! Tackle!” I hear the sound of the two colliding. Cynder is tossed out of the cloud but lands feet first.

“Are you okay, Cynder?”

“CYNDAQUIL!” Flames shoot out of her back.

“Use Tackle!”

“QUIL!” Cynder charges back into the cloud.

“Tackle again, Charmander!”

“Char!” Another sound of impact clears some of the smoke away.

I yell out to her. “Keep going, Cynder!”

Hit after hit, the cloud of smoke gradually fades, pushed away from the force of the two Pokémon duking it out. It seems like Cynder is putting up a fight but I think it’s safe to say that the Charmander is stronger. Soon the smoke clears away.

“Quil…” Cynder is on the ground, knocked out. Charmander stands, beaten but triumphant.

“Good job, Charmander! Return!”

I go over and pick Cynder up. “You did your best.”

“Ya both did yer best.” Cameron says, walking over to me. “Ya just need to keep working at it.” He holds out his hand. I shake it in an expression of camaraderie. “Let’s head back.”

“Indeed. Both our Pokémon are tired.” I suddenly hear the growl of an empty stomach. I can’t tell if that’s from me or him.

“And I think we both need some grub.”

With that first battle behind us, Cameron and I walk back to the Pokémon Center. After handing over our Pokémon to Nurse Joy, we sit down to eat. Of course, I’m curious so I almost immediately ask. “So, you’re from Kanto?”

“Yup. Ah’m no rookie trainer neither. I went and got all 8 badges.” He opens a case holding eight gym badges.

“And how old are you again?”

“Fifteen. Ah got a recommendation from Professor Oak 5 years ago.”

“Amazing! Do you have any tips?” I ask. I hope that he has some kind of veteran knowledge that could help me.

“A’ right. First, git some camping gear.”

“C-camping gear?” Oh dear.

“Ya won’t always make it to a Pokémon Center ‘afore night. If ya’ll want to keep going while it’s dark, bring a flashlight or a lantern.”

“A Lanturn?”

“Not the Pokémon.”

“Oh. Uh, I don’t have any… and I don’t think I have the money for it either.” I admit.

“Ah can give ya a few bucks, don’t worry ‘bout payin’ me back.”

“Oh, thank you.” He goes on to list off various things including how to care for various kinds of Pokémon, and a spooky story about a place in Kanto called Lavender Town. “So, if you have all the badges for the Kanto region, why aren’t you there challenging the Elite Four?”

“Ah got a request from Professor Oak. Can’t give details right now.”

“I see.”

“There’s one more thing ya’ll should know.” Whatever he’s about to say, he’s deadly serious. “Watch out fer Team Smog.”

“Team Smog? Aren’t they a rumor?”

“No ma’am. They’re as real as yer Cyndaquil and they’re somehow behind all the screwy stuff going on ‘round the planet right now.” He finishes off his food. “Well, ah got a long walk ahead of me. Gonna grab Charmander n’ hit the hay. G’night.”

“Good night.”

Night passes. The next morning, after taking care of my daily cleaning rituals, I grab my things and head for the lobby. There, I see Cameron waiting by the door.
He tips his hat. “Mornin’, Sylvia.”

“Oh, good morning Cameron. I thought you would have been on your way by now.”

“Still got a couple things left ta do.” He pulls out a small stack of bills. “First, ah said ah’d give ya some cash fer campin’ stuff. Here ya go.”

I graciously accept the money. “Thank you.”

“Second, ya’ll reckon I could git yer PokéGear number?” Oh yeah, my PokéGear. I’ve been so excited to start my journey that I haven’t really bothered to use it.
“Uh, sure, just give me a moment.” I open my PokéGear and switch over to the phone… to see a few numbers already installed. Professor Elm, Mom, Melissa and 2 other names I’m unfamiliar with: Faye and Cyrus. In case you’re wondering, Professor Elm gave this to me. If Melissa really is from Hoenn, why do I have her contact information in my Gear? The PokéGear does not pick up signals outside of the Johto and Kanto regions. Or maybe this was an accident and he just forgot to take the names and numbers out. But then, why would my mother’s information be here? Maybe I should call him and-

“Sylvia?”

“Huh? Oh, right.” After we exchange numbers, he tips his hat one more time.

“See ya’ll out on the road.” He leaves.

“Goodbye.” After buying some surprisingly compact and light camping gear (hooray for science I guess) Cynder and I head out to Route 30. It is a gorgeous day today. There’s dewy greenery, a pleasant breeze, and not a cloud in the big, blue sky. After what feels like an hour or so, we come across our first wild Pokémon battle of the day: a blue-green Ledyba.

I pull out my Pokédex. “Ledyba. The Five-Star Pokémon. ERROR: IMPOSSIBLE COLORATION. IMPOSSIBLE MOVE: WING ATTACK. STATUS: IJŌ.” Looks like it could be a flying type. I have just the thing for it.

“GO! SHINX!”

“Shinx!”

“Shinx, use Ice Fang!” Shinx’s fangs glow an icy blue and he lunges at the Ledyba. The Ledyba dodges the hit. “Try again!” Fangs still glowing, Shinx jumps at the Ledyba again, this time managing to bite down hard.

“LEDYYYY!” The Ledyba falls to the ground and dissolves.

“Shinxshinx!”

“Good job, Shinx! Return!” Today is going be a good day… Or so I thought. As opposed to my relatively dull path to Cherrygrove yesterday, today becomes a gauntlet of Ijō battles. Not a normal Pokémon in sight. Rock type Metapod. Psychic type Rattata. Ground type Weedle. I end up fighting virtually every type except Dragon, and Arceus knows what a pain that could have been even with Shinx’s Ice Fang. The sun begins to set. I need to look for a place to c- “AGH!”

All of a sudden, rainbows of Pokémon, that I can only assume are Ijō, swarm out from the forest in various directions. Where did they all come from? Curiosity overtaking me, I decide to head into the forest in the direction they all sprang from with Cynder on my shoulder. I slowly pass by the trees and a couple sleeping Spinarak and soon I start hearing voices… Not in my head, I actually hear two people nearby. I soon stumble upon a clearing where two men in purple uniforms have many cages full of Pokémon. One opens a cage. Maybe these guys are Team Smog. Then, Cameron was right.
I start to walk away, but I accidentally trip and let out a loud yelp. One of the men speaks. “What was that?”

“Probably just a Pokémon,” the other one answers. What do I do?

“Cyndaquil!” Cynder speaks up. My muscles tense up for a second, hoping that she didn’t just give away our position.

“See? Just a Cyndaquil. Probably wandered away from its trainer.” That’s a reli-

“I’m not taking chances.” The first guy says. I can hear his footsteps drawing closer. There’s only one thing to do now…. RUN! I grab Cynder and run as fast as I can, away from Team Smog. Away from the guys who would do who knows what to me if they caught me. I find an abandoned cabin and get inside as quickly as possible. I sit with my back against the door, catching my breath and trying to stay quiet to hear if they’re after me. I wait… and wait… not a sound from outside. I breathe a sigh of relief and set Cynder on the floor.

Moonlight shines in through the broken windows. I flip a nearby switch and the lights slowly flicker on. I look around and I notice this place is a dusty half-house, half-laboratory. Doesn’t look that old. I go over to the desk and look at the various documents on the top. They’re notes on various aspects of Pokémon. Notes on how various eggs look, what traits enable what Pokémon to learn what moves, and quite a bit of notes on Eevee and its various forms complete with pictures. Oh how I’d love to have a Glaceon. Curiosity continues to overtake me and I look through the desk drawers. There are more documents and… a small marble-looking thing. It’s rainbow colored too. I wonder what it is.

Looking through the drawer, I find notes on Mega Evolutions. That new kind of evolution from Kalos. These notes are rather detailed on what exactly happens to the Pokémon who reach this “Mega Form” as the notes put it. Looks, abilities, how this comes about, but nothing on WHY all this happens. One of the great mysteries, I guess. Among the Mega Forms listed is one for Gardevoir. Maybe someday I’ll be able to get Guardenia to Mega Evolve. The last page talks about various stones involved in the process. What I have is a Key Stone. Part 1 of the Mega Evolution process uses this stone. I wonder if any of these other stones are here.

Looking around, I find measuring tools, Pokémon egg hatching tool, all kinds of lab equipment, but no stones. However, I do find a journal.

“The League has labeled these odd Pokémon as ‘Ijō’. With special permission, I have taken in one of these creatures to study. For clarification, it’s a red Caterpie that knows Ember.” “Well, my work got set back a bit. The Ijō Caterpie finally evolved but got into a fight and lost before it could become a Butterfree,” “I have to leave. When I went out to find another Ijō to study, I stumbled upon two men in purple outfits. They claimed to be from Team Smog. I managed to incapacitate them, but their organization may come for me. I have to get out of here…”

This is all too much to take in at once. I look over at the house side and see Cynder curled up in the bed. It’s late and I do feel tired… Rest… I need to rest. I’ll figure everything out in the morning.