Kitaru went to retrieve the fallen Pokéball after it had successfully captured the bug type Pokémon Azura watched him with mild interest. He picked the Pokéball up and returned to his tent where he sat down. Then he released the Pokémon from its ball.
"Hello." Kitaru said to his new Pokémon he felt a bit weird talking to it and didn't know what to say. "I don't exactly know what kind of Pokémon you are so if you could tell me that would really help." He didn't know if the Pokémon would understand but he hoped to get some kind of response.
"Yanma!" The bug Pokémon hummed ecclesiastically. It stretched its wings and flew a few feet into the air before landing again.
"Well I guess that your a Yanma then." Kitaru said studying the Pokémon carefully. Azura came across form where she had been laying as well to study the new member of Kitaru's team. It or rather she was a female Yanma. "Well I guess I need to give you a name now. This is Azura." Kitaru said motioning to his Glaceon.
"Eon." Azura cried softly.
"The Pansage you fought was Mischief and I'm Kitaru." Kitaru finished, while the Yanma looked at him. "So now for your name..." Kitaru started.
"Yan!" The Yanma called, Kitaru looked at the Pokémon a little surprised.
"So you want to be called Yan. Well I think it sounds a bit too muck like Yang and that is a symbol of masculinity. So how about Yin? It's the very opposite it means femininity." Kitaru offered the Pokémon a suggestion while he pulled up his sleeve and stared at the mark on his wrist.
"Yanma! Yanma!" The Yanma cried jumping into the air and fluttering back down with excitement.
"I guess that's settled. Hello Yin." Kitaru said smiling at the Pokémon. Yin's stomach growled. "Are you hungry?" Kitaru asked as he went into a pocket of his bag and pulled out the bag of berries normally reserved for Mischief. He pulled out one of the smaller berries and held it in his hand so that Yin could eat it. She floated into the air and plucked the berry from his hand, wafting Kitaru a little with her wings.
***
Kitaru fed her several more berries until he spotted a light on the road bellow where he had set camp.
"Hey down there." He called at how ever was travelling past, as it was obvious that the light came from a torch.
"Hey, your self!" Came the reply, in a male voice, from not too far away. The voice was close enough so that Kitaru could hear a light hearted chuckle from the person who had just shouted. The person approached climbing the hill until he was in sight of Kitaru. Well not quite, his flash light was aimed at the ground but Kitaru was only able to make out the man's silhouette in the gloomy woods. "Hello friend." The man said, as he approached the fire light, his voice betrayed him as a foreign, his Arcanian was good but it had an accent that Kitaru couldn't place. The man came into sight and gestured at a near by log. "May I?"
He asked and Kitaru nodded. To which the man drew the log closer to the fire and sat down. On closer inspection Kitaru could clearly see that the man was foreign he didn't have the look of a Arcanian he was also a lot older that Kitaru. A nearby sound startled Kitaru, a Growlithe presumably belonging to the man had approached. Kitaru had been so focused on the man he hadn't even noticed it. "So kid what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" The man asked as he picked up a stick and poked the fire.
"I'm setting off on a journey." Kitaru said. "Are you a trainer?" He asked the man.
"Yes, the name's Flint Watson." The man replied, with out looking up from the fire. "I don't think I need ask you. Many a kid your age set off on journeys don't they." Kitaru nodded.
"Do you want a battle?" Kitaru asked, he didn't know why but it just seemed the natural thing to say to another trainer.
"You are joking right?" The man asked staring at Kitaru like he was out of his mind. "Yes, trainers do battle each other for sport, but sometimes in this world there are more pressing needs. For example look around you. It's the middle of the" The next word Kitaru didn't recognize as Arcanian. "night. Excuse me but I don't know any Arcanian curses." The man said in response to the Kitaru's funny looks. "And by the way, how long have you been a trainer?" The man asked.
"Well I set of this morning and I only got my Pokémon the other day." Kitaru said, the man nodded.
"So you've been a trainer all of one day and you think that you can just challenge anyone you meet? Not yet lad. Now I've been a trainer for over ten years already, the time I've spent training just the Pokémon I've got with me is likely longer that your entire lifetime. Do you think that you would stand a chance against my Pokémon." The man said, Kitaru was starting to get a little angry with him and it was showing. "I'm not trying to offend you. You've got spirit and guts that's a lot for a start but until you've got experience. Until you and your Pokémon have trained together for tireless hours you'll still be rookie. Even then there'll be thousands of people better than you. So if one day you want to be able to just go up to anyone you meet and challenge them to a battle you had better work hard kid." Kitaru nodded what Flint said made sense. "Now how about offering me a name kid?"
"Oh. I'm Kitaru Chida." Kitaru said, bowing his head slightly.
"Nice to meet you Kitaru." Flint said, then his Growlithe growled. "Yes Fido, I know you hungry me to." He said to the Pokémon. "Kitaru you eaten yet?"
"Yes I have." Kitaru nodded.
"Mind if I cook on your fire?" Flint asked.
"Go ahead." Kitaru replied gesturing towards the fire. Flint put down the twig he had been poking the fire with and got out some tins and cooking equipment. Kitaru watch transfixed, as Flint prepared his meal. He began by opening a tin of minced beef and pouring it into a pot. Next he took a tin, a board and a knife. He unscrewed the top from the tin and took out a number of berries. Amongst them was a few plump juicy Tamato berries, a hot and spicy looking Touga berry and a number of Rindo Berries. There were other berries and root vegetables that Kitaru associated with his mother's cooking. Firstly Flint tended to the Tamato berries he cut them up and chucked them in the pot. Followed by repeating the same process on the Touga berry but he only used half putting the rest away for another time. Next he prepared the other berries and vegetables and added a little water. He then put a lid on the pot and placed it in the fire to cook. Kitaru had time to study Flint more carefully while he cooked. He had short stubble across the lower part of his face and parts of his brown hair were starting to turn grey. His face was weathered and his clothes looked just as worn, Kitaru noted several patches in his jeans.
***
When the food was done Flint dished up a bowl and offered it out to Kitaru. Kitaru just looked at him, should he really be accepting food from this guy, he though to him self.
"It's safe to eat." Flint said sensing Kitaru's hesitance. Kitaru took the bowl and looked at it's contents, it was some kind of stew or something. "It's chilli." Flint said dishing himself and Fido up a bowl. "It's a recipe I picked up on my travels." He said as he and his Pokémon began to dig in. Kitaru took a spoon full and ate it. It was good, a little on the hot side which made Kitaru happy that Flint had only used half a Touga berry.
"This is really good." Kitaru said with a mouthful of chilli. "Thank you."
"Your welcome." Flint replied.
***
They all finished eating in silence. Kitaru was the first to finish he had already eaten and so didn't manage the last of his chilli, instead Flint had given it to Fido.
Flint took a small kettle from his bag and filled it with water, he prepared a hot chocolate drink and made a cup for Kitaru and himself. They sat drinking their hot chocolate and talking.
"Flint, why did you become a trainer?" Kitaru asked after a long silence.
"Why I did isn't important. Why am I still a trainer is." Flint began. "Being a trainer can be a hard life. You won't get rich easily and there is a lot you have to sacrifice but it has its rewards." He gazed into the fire. "You get to see the world. To sleep below the stars. And to train alongside friends who will be with you for a lifetime. But ultimately you do have to give things up. I travel from place to place spending a few months here or there working for money never settling down or getting to know anyone in depth. The thing is that you never stay in one place long enough to really get to know that place. It's like staring at a pool of water from a boat. You can see the surface but as you row the ripples hide what's under the waves."
Flint said, his words were poetic but tinged with sadness. Kitaru pitied the man. "Kitaru do you know what you want?" Kitaru open his mouth to talk but Flint stopped him. "I don't need to know, as long as you do that's all that matters. Well go out and get that thing and once you have it go back home. Go back and be with those who care for you. Your family and friends." Nothing more was said after that until Kitaru said a short good night and retired to his tent.
***
In the morning Kitaru awoke to the buzzing of bug Pokémon. He opened his eyes and immediately noticed that his bag had been emptied and that Mischief had gotten out of his ball. Kitaru put two and two together and got up to search for the Pokémon of whom there was no sign of in the tent. He had barely gotten out the flap of the tent when he spotted the small green monkey rooting through Flint's bag. Flint was still asleep so Kitaru went over to Mischief and grabbed the Pokémon, dragging him back inside the tent.
"Mischief! That was wrong!" Kitaru scolded the Pansage in a hushed voice but stern tone. Mischief looked like he was going to cry but Kitaru ignored him. "I'm going to put you back in your Pokéball now. I want you to think about what you've done." He returned the Pokémon to it's ball and set to cleaning up his stuff. There were no berries left so Yin was going to have to go with out. Kitaru was a little annoyed that Mischief had eaten all the berries and Yin had none. Only Azura had slept out of her ball the night before it comforted Kitaru to know that she was there. She was still asleep, so Kitaru went outside to get breakfast.
***
When Flint woke Kitaru went over to him he wanted to apologize.
"I'm really sorry but when I got up this morning my Pansage had gotten out of it's ball and was digging it's way through your bag." Flint said nothing at first he just went away to check his belongings. Kitaru wouldn't have blamed him if he didn't want to speak to him again after this. He returned just after Kitaru had finished his breakfast, which had been a simple bowl of oats, a far cry from his usual breakfast. "Was anything missing? Can I offer you any compensation?" Kitaru asked.
"No and there's no need to." Flint said but his face looked concerned. "Let me take a look at that ball." Kitaru hesitated again, was he trusting this guy too much. "Well then." Flint said and Kitaru handed Mischiefs ball to him. He examined it very carefully and then said. "This Pokéball has been damaged some time in the past and it's a little faulty now. I can fix it for you, prevent any repeats of this morning happening."
"That would be great!" Kitaru said, it would be one less thing to worry about. Flint nodded and took a screw drive to adjust the Pokéball. Five minutes later it was fixed. Flint packed his stuff to leave with out having any breakfast and released Fido. He was about to set off for the day while Kitaru was packing his tent away but then he turned back.
"Kitaru do you happen to know which way it is to Januvale?" Flint asked.
"It's my home town." Kitaru said laughing and gave him gave him general directions to it.
They said their good byes and Flint set off. Kitaru set off half an hour later.
***
It was mid-morning and Kitaru was walking along a fast flowing river. Up ahead there was a bridge crossing it that and a sign post saying that Feborough Town was over the bridge. As he neared the bridge he could hear a panicked Pokémon cry.
"Dian! Ledian!" It cried, but Kitaru couldn't make out where it was coming from. The Pokémon continued to cry as Kitaru stopped and looked round. The cry was getting near and the Pokémon sounded like it was in trouble. Then Kitaru spotted it. A Ledian had fallen into the river and was being washed down stream by the fast flowing waters. Right now it was the other side of the bridge. Without wasting a second. Kitaru grabbed a long stick and sprinted to the wooden bridge. The bridge was only low and with the stick he could reach the surface of the water. He positioned himself to catch the Ledian on the stick. As it was swept under the bridge the Ledian grabbed hold and clung on. But the current was too strong and it washed the Ledian off and down stream. Kitaru was help less as he watched the bug type bob in the water it's wings too wet to fly. Fly that was it it would be risky but it was worth a shot. Kitaru released Yin.
"Do you think you can rescue that Ledian?" Kitaru asked, if Yin didn't want to go she didn't have to after all there was a chance she would end up in the same situation if her wings got wet. With out even responding to the question Yin set off flying along the river. She dived low along the surface of the river where the water splashed up around her but her good eyesight and fast reflexes meant that she could avoid getting too wet. She reached the Ledian and it grabbed hold of her. Straining under their combined weight she flew back to the back where Kitaru raced to meet her. She set down the Ledian and Kitaru congratulated her before returning her. He looked at the Ledian and it at him. It shook off the water. Quite out of the blue, in one smooth motion it jumped into the air and while Kitaru was watching, it delivered a sharp uppercut under his chin. Kitaru was almost knocked off his feet and bit his tongue.
"Ah! What was that for!?" He exclaimed.
"Ledian! Ledian!" The Ledian insisted that she didn't need any help. But then she bowed sighing deeply. "Led, Ledian" And she stood their looking at Kitaru expectantly.
"Oh so you think you owe me and you want me to catch you. Is that right?" Kitaru asked after a few seconds contemplating what she could mean.
"Ledian!" The female Ledian responded, which Kitaru took as a yes. He took a Pokéball and threw it at her hoping that he had interpreted the meaning behind her words correctly.