[Pokémon] Truth & Ideals

[Verseity]

His brother Nick and his mom left for Kalos, while he and his dad left for Unova. That was at age eight. He had made friends while he was in Hoenn, and why were they moving to another region? Why weren't they moving together? Or at least nearby? Something about cheating. Or not working hard enough to support the family. Something like that. Just plain noise neither of them cared about as little eight-year-old children.

Divorce sucked.

At first, their parents were hesitant to keep contact with one another. But after stomping their feet and demanding – no that's my brother, you can't take him away! They sighed, recoiling what little anger they had against each other and released it in private when they met up once a year in Hoenn. Where it all began. Neither of them were comfortable letting the other see their new living arrangements, but that was fine. It was only two years away before they got to be pokemon Trainers, and that meant they could do whatever they wanted.

When they got to the point where they conquered their region's leagues – they travel to another region, this time, together, and their parents couldn't separate them no matter what.

Today, Tyler Adams was ten-years-old. Today, he was getting a pokemon of his very own. Today- he would show the world what he was capable of all by himself. Brother or not, watch out world – The Adams are not people you should mess with.

. .

"Ah! Mr. Adams. I was wondering when you'd show up." Professor Juniper, someone his cousin Ivy boasted about very much – as she was the only female Pokémon Professor who was registered as a sponsor to trainers. Tyler could see how that was cool, and he respected badass female leaders. Especially girls that battled. It wasn't that he didn't like Contest Spectaculars or anything – he just found them too showy for his own personal liking.

"I just got off the phone with my brother. Sorry if I'm late."

Professor Juniper nodded. "That's fine. All the starters are here for when you're ready. Take your time choosing, a starter is very important."

Tyler nodded, and went over to the counter that displayed the three Unovian Starters. Oshawott, snivy, and tepig. "I think I know which one I want. I've been preparing for this journey for my whole life, and back and forth my brother and I have been debating which starter is the best."

"Oh? Is that so?" The female Professor smiled, curious at how analytical this new trainer was.

"And well. All three are good. But personally, for what's going to benefit me the most is snivy. It's grass typing can do so much as electric cant damage it."

Juniper nodded. "That's true. You've certainly thought this out. Elsa is a problem for Trainers who rely solely on water-types."

Tyler shuddered. Elsa. The beautiful model of Unova. When he first found out she was pretty much the opposite of Wattson he wondered how old she was, as she rocked whatever look she was in. He wondered how strong she really was, and if she was going to be a real challenge for him? He heard online that with each member of her team had the move Volt Switch, which he looked up he realized it was going to be a pain in the ass to counter if he didn't have a proper Ground-Type by that time.

Tyler shook his head. "I'll be fine." Smiling, he walked up to the Grass-Starter. "Hi. My name is Tyler. I was wondering if you'd like to be my Starter Pokémon?" Squeezing the strap of his messenger back tightly, Tyler breathed, this was the moment of Truth. Would their Ideals clash at this time? Or would his patience and planning all be for nothing. "I'd really like it if you came with me, snivy."

Snivy looked up at the burnet. Somewhat unimpressed by the boy's shaky frame. If this this human wanted to impress them – they were doing a poor job so far. They seemed weak, and frail. Someone that could easily be shifted from their motives and swayed from the Truth. They didn't look like a native Unovian, if anything he had no idea where they were from but judging by his current appearance the boy was a wreck. Should he take pity on the human? What benefits would come from a pokemon Journey anyway?

He didn't want to be used as a tool. So, why. Why would he be willingly be used by a trainer- who had no experience and could easily be swayed? What was the point? Yet, he wanted to be strong. That snivy knew. He wasn't the strongest in the wild, leaving the nest early and fighting against many different pokemon that tried to claim his territory without permission. It was stupid, how weak he was. The grass-type clenched his fists, and glared into the human child's eyes.

'Make me strong.'

Tyler's head popped up and looked around. He heard a voice – but from where? Was it from the Professor? "Did you say something Professor Juniper?"

"No, I didn't…" The Pokemon researcher looked in distain. She looked around the room to find the source of the noise, as snivy charged at the boy with two vines coming from it's shoulders, letting out a full-on war-cry. "No attacking trainers!"

'If you want to prove to me, then show me what you're worth, human!'

The other starters scattered from the scene. Snivy jumped down from the table, waving a hand. 'Fight me. Come.'

"You want me to fight you?" Tyler asked, puzzled. A pokemon fighting a human? Was that even a thing? Wasn't there a law against that?

"I'm sorry Tyler- this snivy was wild-caught and isn't trained. I'll recall it – "

Tyler held up a hand. "No!" He crouched down. "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get. If that's what it means to be your trainer. Sure, I could wait for another starter to be ordered in, but I want you – I want to go on my journey today. I'm not letting Nicky get ahead start."

Tyler's eyes flared, so did snivy's. Determination filled their souls.

"Let me just set this down." Tyler set down his messenger-styled bag. "And this." He placed his hat on the floor next to his bag, neat and tidy.

Thank Arceus he's clean, thought snivy as he watched the human's movements.

"Snivy, I don't want to hurt you. But if you want to fight, that's fine." Tyler stood up and showed his head high. "We start when you want to."

Professor Juniper sighs. "Fine, but you two stop when I say stop. I don't want any aggression showcased here. Understood?"

Snivy glared at the Professor, the Professor gave a stern glare back. Yet, he humbly nodded.

"You ready?" Tyler asked snivy, who nodded, and charged up an attack.

It was Iron Tail! Snivy slammed into Tyler, making him push back twelve feet. Tyler caught snivy's metallic tail and slammed the grass-type to the ground. "Come on, show me what you've got snivy!" Tyler bent down, rubbing his knees. Snivy growled in frustration, charging up the next attack.

Snivy charged up a Pursuit. This time, Tyler dodged it. "I used to wrestle all the time with my twin-brother. So, this is a cakewalk."

Snivy clicked his tongue, so the human had some moves. But he was a pokemon, he battled for a living. Just then snivy used Vine Whip to trip up Tyler, he succeeded, and proceeded to land an Iron Tail into his stomach- when Tyler blocked the metallic tail with his arm.

Snivy's eyes went wide. How did he manage – since when?

"Impressed yet?"

'He's good.' Snivy couldn't react as he was slammed back into a table, his tail's power dying down. 'Better than I thought, and ouch, that hurt a little.'

Tyler sat up, looking over at snivy. "Are you okay?"

Snivy rubbed the back of his head, wincing. "Sni." He replied back for confirmation. Tyler grinned. After trying to stand up, but then falling down, snivy was caught in Tyler's arms. Tyler laughed. "Sni?" Snivy looked up at the human he just fought, confused.

"Guess we over did it, huh? Sorry about that."

"Well, no one seriously got hurt, so you're okay for now." Professor Juniper sighed, shaking her head.

"Do you want to come with me, Snivy? I promise I can teach you to be strong, and help you grow. What do you say?"

I don't want to be a tool.
Yet, I want to be strong.
Stronger than others who have fallen before me.
My Truth & Ideals will not be swayed.
And they are not – but perhaps- this is a compromise.

Snivy smiled slightly, pushing back his new human friend's hand with his paw, and held out his own to give him a thumbs-up. "Sni!"

But yes. I'll travel beside you. Even if it's for now. Human.

. . .

Tyler said goodbye to his dad, texted his brother and his mom, and set off from Aspertia City. Today he was going to change the world and show them what he was made of.

. . .

Making his way onto Route 19, it was bustling with wild pokemon. He gaped in delight as he saw so many different kinds of pokemon fly and rustle about. He wanted to catch one, but first he needed to get his priorities straight. He had a plan, but first he needed to understand what kind of team he wanted. So, he dug out his pokedex and released snivy. The grass-lizard pokemon looked up at his trainer curiously as he fiddled with the electric device, and smiled.

"I need to scan you to see what moves you know, snivy." He said, bending down. "This will give me a better opportunity to build a team best suited to your moves, stats, etc."

Snivy nodded. So, it seemed the human had done some planning after all. Good for him. "Sni."

This Snivy is Male and is level 10. Its ability is Overgrow. It powers-up grass-type moves when it's in a pinch! Its moves are Tackle, Leer, Vine Whip, Iron Tail, Magical Leaf, Pursuit, Aqua Tail, Knock Off, Giga Drain, and Wrap.

Tyler gaped at the move-pool. Not only did snivy know a steel-type move which would be handy for coverage against ground-types, it knew a water-type move! "How on Earth did you learn Aqua Tail, snivy?" Snivy looked up with a slight glare. Tyler rubbed the back of his head, yet he was happy his starter had such an expansive move-set early on, that would limit how much time it took training and more time leveling up. "Never mind, you can't answer anyway." Tyler smiled and tucked the pokedex back in his pocket. "Wanna catch a pokemon?"

"Sni."

"We should catch a flying-type, since it'll have good coverage against bug and grass."

Snivy nodded, and there they set off looking for a pidove. One of the regional flying-types. Sure, it wasn't much to choose from considering other regions had at lest two or three birds, but pidove could get them the places they needed to be, even though it wasn't the most powerful flying-type out there. Tyler let snivy wander as he searched the trees, searching for the perfect specimen to catch. He wanted a strong one, one that would fare well in battle and not get knocked out in two hits. Plus, he didn't want to waste his time training it when snivy was so op-as is.

Just then, something fast swooped down and hit Tyler in the head, knocking off his hat. "What the?" Tyler looked up – and gaped wider than a magikarp. It was a pidove! "That's what we need! Snivy, get ready for battle!" Snivy immediately got into a battle stance, there wasn't much Tyler could do since he knew he only had one pokemon. But this was it – this was going to be his first capture. "When it gets close, use Aqua Tail."

A bad thing was that Tyler didn't ask snivy how experienced he was using some of his moves. Oh well. This was a good place to learn that. When pidove swooped down in for- was that a Night Slash? Holy crap! It's fast! Snivy charged up an Aqua Tail and jumped, landing a hit in mid-air, making the bird pokemon lose its balance while in flight. While the Pokemon was falling, snivy charged up another attack through Tyler's orders.

"Use Pursuit!"

Before pidove could stand, snivy landed a hit on pidove, sending it back three feet. Tyler readied his pokeball, and then threw it. About three seconds passed, and with three wriggles the pokemon was encapsulated tightly in the device. Tyler smiled, walking over to pick up his newly-captured pokemon. He was literally cheering and jumping up and down on the inside, but remained his cool just in case others were watching.

'I – no. We did it. We managed to catch a pokemon! Together!'

Tyler grinned, releasing the pidove. It immediately attacked him.

"Ouch! Hey!" Snivy got ready to fight, when Tyler reached in his bag slowly for an Oran Berry. "Here. Take this." He held out the Berry in hopes the bird would accept it. "We fought and won fair and square. Now, you're apart of my team. I would like you to join me on my journey so I can be the Champ. Waddya say, pidove?" Tyler smiled as the pigeon looked oddly at the berry. "It's just an Oran Berry, you eat these in the wild."

Pidove decided nothing was harmful about it, and gobbled it down, liking it, it sung. "Great! Anyway, my name is Tyler. I'm ten-years-old. My dream is to become Champion of Unova, so that way my brother Nicky and I can travel to a region together by ourselves without our parents breathing down our necks."

Snivy looked at his trainer, he hadn't mentioned anything about his family before, aside from his father, which he had shown the grass-type to before leaving. He had a brother? Where was he if he wasn't in Unova? "Sni." Snivy prodded Tyler's leg, wanting to hear more.

"You wanna hear about my brother?"

Snivy nodded, pidove also leaned in with interest. Pokemon didn't associate familial bonds very often, especially not wild pokemon. They fought to become strong and better than their siblings and parents, and when they were old enough they left the nest. Pokemon matured differently from humans, a one-year-old pokemon depending on its species may be considered old enough to be considered an adult. Again, depending.

"I have a twin brother. He's my best friend. We were born and raised in Hoenn. My parents got a divorce. It's when two humans decide to split, I guess pokemon don't know this because it's either they mate for life or they just mate to survive huh? Well, a divorce is when they don't wanna be together anymore." Tyler shuddered, snivy and pidove's faces were distraught. No. They didn't know, bird-pokemon mate for life, and snivy mate to survive. They had no clue how human marriage worked.

"Dad and I moved to Unova, and mom and Nick – my brother – moved to Kalos." Tyler sighed, rubbing his hair back so it wasn't falling in his face. "Nick and I planned to conquer the Hoenn region together, become champions, but our parents took it away from us. Now, we're proving to them we can defy their rules even if it means being apart."

Tyler grinned, giving his new partners a thumbs-up. Both pokemon gaped, how could he be so cheerful after he was near-tears a moment ago? It was astounding, this human. How he managed to turn his emotions around like a drop of a pin. He was something else. Something else, and they were wondering if that was a good thing or not.

"Maa," Tyler rubbed his head trying to ignore the awkward silence. "Let's forget about that sappy talk, alright? Journeys are supposed to be fun! "Anyway. I need to scan your moves, pidove. That'll give me a better understanding how to train you, okay?"

Pidove nodded as Tyler took out his pokedex. "Let's see now…"

Pidove. The Tiny Pigeon pokemon. This Pidove is male, and is lv. 10. Its ability is Super Luck and increases the critical hit ratio by one stage. Pidove's moves are: Gust, Growl, Leer, Night Slash, Steel Wing, and Heat Wave.

"Awesome moves, pidove!" Tyler whistled, tucking the pokedex back into his pocket. "By the way, do you guys want nicknames? It's weird just calling you by your species name."

"Sni." Snivy nodded. Giving an OK to his trainer.

"Coo!"

Tyler smiled. "Right. For pidove, how about… Gale."

Pidove and snivy looked at each other, then nodded and pidove trilled.

"Great! For snivy, how about Blade? As in Leaf Blade? That's a move you can learn."

Snivy thought about it for some moments, then nodded his head in agreement. "Sni."

"Great! Glad to have you two aboard!"

"Young man," Tyler's head shot up at the strange new voice. "That was quite the battle. Even if it was to capture a small pidove. I was quite impressed!"

What he had not expected was the voice to belong to the great Champion Alder! "You're Alder! Unova's Champion!"

"Former Champion." He smiled but waved a hand. "Two years-ago, I passed the torch to some one else more deserving than me." The redheaded man gave out a loud laugh, Tyler stared in awe as if he were a kid again. Well, he was still a kid, but it was like meeting a superhero from the comic books for the first time. Though truth be hold super-heroes' didn't exist, but Champions like Alder did.

"Who's the Champion now?" Tyler asked, agape slightly.

"That, young man. Is a secret. She doesn't like being out in the limelight very much, so keep that in mind if you meet her." Alder winked, and Tyler nodded. "What are your plans so far? Where are you headed next? Or do you plan on just riding where the wind tells you?" Alder laughed, Tyler smiled and nodded.

"I have everything mostly planned out. I know I'll need a ground-type for Elsa, I'll need my snivy and possibly a water-type for Clay, for Burgh I'll need a fire type or a flying type, which I'm good at. So, my TEAM is planned out. What I plan on doing with that- I want to be Champion!" Tyler gave a thumbs-up, both of his pokemon strutted and Alder grinned. This kid was something else!

"That's good you have a plan. The League is pretty though. What was your drive to become Champion, if I may ask?"

"My brother. He's my twin, and – he and I were separated at eight due to our parent's divorce. He went to Kalos, and I went to Unova with dad while he went with mom." Tyler sighed, looking down a bit, he didn't like going on about his dysfunctional family- as he'd hoped their wins would bring them all somewhat closer together. "I'm not delusional. I know they're broken up for good, but I want them to just stop fighting… At least a little. So, we can meet up in the same region for once in peace?" Again, he sighed, then shook his head. "Sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with this."

"No. It's fine. When a family splits, it's hard on everyone. You have admirable goals set in stone, keep that in mind when you're facing the League." Alder scratched his chin, but noticed the boy was still looking down. He noticed this, and did a similar thing he did with his own grandson when he was down. He placed a rough hand on his head, and rubbed his hair. "For now, don't worry about your parents, they've got their own problems. Focus on having fun and enjoying yourself! The world is endless and full of possibilities." Alder removed his hand from the boy's head. "There are just too many places in the region to explore to not have a call for adventure. That's why we're called the Melting Pot of the world, y'know."

"Uh! I'll do my best!" Tyler clutched his hands tight to his chest, and his pokemon beside him smiled. "I wanna go to Floccesy Ranch though. There are so pokemon I want to catch there…" The boy looked in the direction of the wind's breeze- which was blowing towards the ranch. Which happened to be Alder's hometown. Floccey Town.

"Well, stop by my mansion in Floccey Town if you have time. I'll give you some tips on how to train your pokemon that you just caught, alright?" And with that, Alder took his leave.

"Uh!"

Wait…

"Mansion!?"

Also posted on Ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/13522614/chapters/31018467

 

[Verseity]

Tyler made it to Floccesy Town. It was a fairly large town with several-hundred-people sprawled across a large countryside-like landscape. Many people had white-picket fences and flower beds in their homes. Right now, he found himself in a suburban area with red-roofed houses and red-bricked chimneys. It felt homey, and so much out of place compared to Asperita and his own house he and his dad shared.

Making his way to the Pokemon Center, he stopped in to heal up his pokemon. There, he looked over at the store while he was waiting. He had exactly 6,000 PD. Not a lot, and certainly not enough to buy a TM. He'd have to wait a while before he got enough money for more supplies. Even though he had a Berry Case with about 50 different berries of each kind in his bag, as his dad didn't want him to come unprepared.

He also had 30 Potions. He would heal his pokemon with berries and buy more status-healing items if necessary, that was his initial plan anyway. He knew mareep inhabited Floccesy Ranch, common knowledge to all Unovians. So, he stacked up on Cheri Berry's in case of paralysis. He had to watch out for mareep's static, as he heard it was a pain in the ass to deal with. Moving on from the pokemart's counter, he went to pick up his pokemon. There, he turned on his Xtransciever and turned on the news.

His dad reminded him with the new wave of pokemon hitting Unova in the past two-years more and more varied pokemon were showing up. Checking pokmon News was a way to determine what wild pokemon were in what area that day, so he checked the scanner for Route 20 to see if he struck gold.

' Listen up viewers! Today we're in for a treat! Though you may have to wait till nightfall, shuppet's migration pattern is nearing Route 20 this season! On top of that, there's a 5% chance of catching ralts in Floccesy Ranch today! Better get started on catching those pokemon! Make sure to stay tuned for more!'

Two Hoenn pokemon! In Unova! He HAD to catch it! But ralts only had a five-percent chance. Five percent. And he'd have to wait till nightfall for shuppet. Oh well. He still was determined, so that was something at least. Smiling, Tyler tucked his Xtransciver into his pocket and made way to Floccesy Ranch. He strapped on his messenger-bag around his shoulder, and began to walk.

You have two working legs and a brain, so use them to move forward.

. . .

Tyler finally made it to Floccesy Ranch. There, the city became country as he entered a large meadow and was met by to of the ranch owners. Here, he was given ten Great Balls, perfect for catching his selective list of pokemon. He made way into the deeper parts of the ranch, where there he released Gale and Blade. He told them to search out for any mareep that seemed strong enough to battle, when he came to the upper parts of the ranch he found ralts! Sleeping comfortably underneath a tree.

He didn't want to disturb it in anyway, so he carefully took out his container of pokemon food, in hopes of luring it in. Ralts heard the rattling and looked up, it leaned back trying to make a move for it- was it about to teleport? When Tyler emptied his food out on the ground. "Here, you can have this. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to be friends!" The ten-year-old said cheerfully, hoping ralts's ability to pick up on feelings would kick in and would soon feel Tyler's emotions.

' Friends? Human?'

It was Psychic, so it could speak with Telepathy. Tyler smiled and nodded.

' Human is sincere about words. Are they not?'

"I am. I'm from Hoenn too. Do you know where that is?"

Ralts shot up after taking a bite of the food, humming happily as it ate. 'I am aware. Hoenn is my species birth-region.'

"Have you ever seen pictures or video of it? I'd be happy to show you what it's like. Once a year I go there, and it's amazing!" Tyler said happily, Ralts seemed to let its mind wander with interest, Hoenn did seem interesting to it as they always wanted to explore. "This is the map of the Hoenn region. See that? It's mostly surrounded by water. People use boats or water-types to navigate."

'Why are you in the region of Truth & Ideals, human?'

Tyler blinked for a second. Then, he realized Ralts meant Unova. "My parents got divorced when I was eight. My twin brother and my mom left for Kalos, and my dad and I left for Unova. My brother and I plan on conquering Hoenn together once we're done with our regions alone."

'Siblinghood is a foreign concept to me, as I was born yet a single egg from a pair that split shorty after mating.' Ralts said sadly. Tyler frowned.

"I'm sorry. It's not easy when you don't know your family, is it?"

Ralts nodded. 'I have let my mind wander too long thinking of the what-ifs and maybes. Now, an opportunity is in front of me to take hold and go on a journey.' Tyler gaped, ralts was considering joining? 'I am. But I must ask you, human Tyler. What will you do with me when I no longer become of use to you?'

"My Pokemon will always be with me." Tyler stated simply, yet with confidence. "They're my partners and friends. More importantly, I'll never run out of use for my friends and family."

There was its answer, time for judgement.

'I see.' Ralts closed its eyes to analyze the human further. 'I will join. I wish to become strong. I also wish to see my species' birth-region.'

"You want to go to Hoenn?" Tyler blinked.

'Yes, I do. I want to travel the world and see what Ideals clash with mine. What the meaning truly retains. Do you not agree?'

Truth & Ideals. Order & Acceptance. Patience & Understanding. These were things you learned while on a journey.

"Of course, I know we'll learn things together while on this journey, and I'll be happy to do so while by your side." Tyler smiled. "So, do you want to battle, or do you want me to catch you here?" Tyler asked, looking over his shoulder to see his pokemon hadn't returned yet.

'Capturing me now is fine.'

Tyler grinned as he took out a Pokeball, he let ralts touch it with its head and wriggle three times until it was captured. His first capture and he didn't even have to battle! So far, so good. Tyler smiled as he released ralts, and took out his pokedex. "I need to scan you to see what moves you know. OK?"

Ralts nodded.

This ralts is male and is lv. 10. It has the ability Synchronize. When a pokemon is burned, paralyzed, or poisoned by another pokemon, that pokemon will be inflicted by the same status condition. Synchronize will not inflict sleep or freeze. This ralts knows the following moves: Growl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport, Confuse Ray, Mean Look, Disable, and Shadow Sneak.

"Sni!"

Tyler heard Blade call from over by the pond that was in the center of the ranch. He looked down at ralts, who nodded and allowed itself to be picked up by its new trainer. Tyler and ralts hurried over to where the noise was coming from and it was of Blade battling an angry psyduck. Tyler gaped, ralts teleported out of Tyler's arms and onto the ground. "Blade, come back!" Tyler recalled Blade into its pokeball.

'That pesky snivy was disturbing my sunbathing.' A low growl came from the psyduck. Tyler was still gaping as ralts stepped forward. 'Human, what is your reason for being near my pond?' Ralts snarled angrily at the fellow psychic as Tyler's head snapped towards the noise.

"Ralts, do you want to fight psyduck?"

"Rii…" It didn't respond with words, but with a low growl. Its white teeth were clattering together, could ralts be angry that psyduck was attacking one of it's fellow pokemon? 'Fellow warrior, challenge me! We'll test our powers in a duel!' Ralts cried, getting ready to fight.

'A duel, you say. Tell me, human, is your companion worthy enough to fight me? Or are you wetting yourself from the pure power I'm emitting right now!' The duck cackled in might and pride, Tyler clenched his fists.

"Ralts! Use Confusion!"

Ralts charged up its attack. Psyduck endured the energy. 'Ha! Foolish child! Such an attack won't work against a warrior like me!'

"Use Double Team, followed by Shadow Sneak!"

'Clear Smog!' The water-type took a clump of mud and hurled it at ralts, leaving it caught in the fog for a few moments.

"Shake it off, ralts!"

'I can't see!' Ralts struggled to see with its psychic-vision but it was too late when psyduck landed another hit on it.

'Ice Punch!'

Ralts flew back ten-feet, falling to the ground. "Damn it!" Tyler cursed. Just then, Gale swooped in. "Gale, let's go. Blade and ralts are hurt, we need to heal them at the Pokemon Center, can you fly back with me?"

Gale nodded and looked over at psyduck who was smirking. 'Come back and fight me when you've healed, human. I'll be waiting.'

. . .

Tyler waited for Blade, Gale and Ralts to be healed. He felt so stupid for being tricked by a wild pokemon like that! That psyduck was strong, it was impressive how it managed to survive on its own for so long, and it was even more impressive how it managed to learn to speak on its own. He wanted it as a member of his team, that's for sure. He just had to catch it first. Clenching his fists, Tyler bit his lip, he had to think of a way around psyduck's Ice Punch and Confusion, which were super effective against Blade.

He could catch mareep. Which he was planning on doing until he got distracted…

No. This time no distractions. He'd set out once his pokemon were healed, catch a mareep, and fight psyduck again.

. . .

They were back at the ranch, this time with a plan he had gone over his whole team.

"No distractions you guys. We're going to catch mareep and use it in the battle against psyduck. Of course- I'm using you guys too. But I really need mareep if I'm going to make this work, OK?" His teammates nodded and went off into the ranch to find his new partner. Tyler smiled.

A few moments passed by, Tyler sat down, he sighed to himself. Maybe it was stupid and he should give up, he didn't really need a psyduck, did he? He didn't want to put too much stress on his pokemon anyhow… But – that pokemon beat him so easily, it was almost impossible to say it wasn't taunting him. Because it was. People say pokemon have simple minds when that's not true, they have very complex emotions sometimes even more than humans. Take psychic-types for example, their brains worked faster than a super computers'.

'Over here, friend, Tyler!'

Tyler leapt up from his sitting position and began to ran. He listened to ralts's cries and ran further into the ranch, avoiding psyduck's pond as he didn't want to get caught up in a fight again. When he found his ralts fighting a mareep he grinned. Bingo. Smirking, he pulled out a pokeball and readied a battle-stance.

"Ralts, use Confusion!"

'On it!"

Confusion was a special-attack move, it wasn't going to make contact with mareep so static wouldn't have any effect.

Yet, mareep seemed only a little bothered by ralts's attack and shook it off. It let out a whine and let out a powerful Thunder Shock. "Re-direct it with Confusion again!" Ralts barely managed, but pushed mareep's attack back and hit it again. It wasn't very effective, sure, but it did damage. "Use Disable!" Tyler cried, and ralts disabled mareep's Thunder Shock!

"Nowhere to run now, mareep! Now, use Confusion again! This time full-power!"

Ralts's eyes began glowing white as it charged up it's powerful attack and pushed mareep back about five to six feet. Tyler grabbed a Great Ball and threw it. With three shakes, three seconds passed by- the electric-type was caught inside his device. "We did it!" Tyler jumped. "Come on out, mareep."

Mareep seemed to have calmed down after being caught. Tyler got out an Oran Berry and fed it to the wooly pokemon. "Here, an Oran Berry." The electric-type gobbled it up and cried as it seemed full of energy now. "I need to scan you to see what moves you know, is that okay mareep?"

Mareep nodded. "Mari." It cooed happily as Tyler scratched it underneath its chin.

"Good! Let's see what you have."

' This Mareep is female and is level 10. Its ability is Static and it paralyzes when it makes contact with another pokemon. Its moves are Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Thunder Shock, Agility, Charge, Iron Tail, Sand Attack, and Electroweb.'

Tyler blinked. "How did you learn Electroweb?"

Ralts looked at mareep who whinnied. Ralts nodded and conveyed the words back to its trainer. 'She said she learned it from watching bug-types use it in the area.'

"Huh. I guess that means you're really smart!" Tyler smiled as he petted the sheep's wool. It was so soft! "Alright, we have a duck to catch!"

. . .

"I challenge you psyduck!" Tyler's voice roared across the pond. "Come on out, I'm ready!" Psyduck came out from the water and shot a water gun at Tyler's face. "Agh!" Tyler fell back as the duck-pokemon jumped out of the pond and landed onto its feet. "What was that for?!"

'You woke me from my nap.' The water-type clicked its tongue. Tyler blanched, feeling the annoyance in psyduck's tone. 'But I will challenge you, as I did tell you to come back. Now hurry, it's nearing nightfall.' The older pokemon clearly was not in the mood, but wanted to see what the human was capable of. Instead, Tyler got up and wiped the water off of his face, grabbed Blade's pokeball and tossed it high in the air.

"I choose you, Blade!"

Psyduck blinked several times. Why start off with the one that lost before? Unless he developed a new strategy. Perhaps this one would surprise him.

'Ice Punch!' End it quickly, so he can go back to napping. Thought psyduck as it geared up the attack.

"Iron Tail!"

'What?!' Psyduck's fist collided with Blade's tail, making psyduck go back a few feet.

"Use Leaf Tornado, Blade!"

Psyduck attempted to freeze the leaves with Icy Wind, but his efforts showed no avail and was forced into the ground by the grass-types leaves. Tyler smirked as he saw Blade's progress and called out another attack. "Use Vine Whip and toss it!"

Before Blade landed a hit with its vines, psyduck managed to stop it with confusion as it stood up. 'I see you've improved and actually landed a hit on me.' Psyduck got up and wobbled a bit. 'But I'll send this back before you can get a hit!' Sending it back, psyduck managed to turn its fist into ice, then geared up for an Ice Punch. 'Try this one on for size!'

Blade was out. Tyler clenched his teeth as he recalled his starter. "Blade return." Getting mareep's pokeball, he quickly went over his backup plan. "Mareep, use charge followed by Thunder Shock!" Tyler commanded before sending her out. Mareep began charging power as psyduck shot a colorful beam of light towards the sheep. "Watch out!"

'Psybeam!'

"Counter it with Thunder Shock, let's go!"

Mareep let out a powerful attack and battle-cry. Much more powerful than when they and ralts were battling. "Mari!" Psyduck was knocked to the ground, and Tyler readied a pokeball. But he wanted to make sure it was at least paralyzed before capturing it so he had a better chance.

"Electroweb at it's feet!"

With its tail, mareep launched a sticky web-like material at psyduck's feet. Nothing happened until psyduck stood, then shocked it ten-fold and it cried out in pain. Tyler smirked, then tossed a Great Ball while it was recovering from the shock. He didn't know if it was paralyzed or not- but it was severely damaged, so that would help. "Go, pokeball!" Tyler cried and it began to wriggle for a few seconds. Clenching his hands tightly, Tyler prayed that it would work. Then one more ding passed and he smiled like an idiot. He managed to capture it!

"We did it! Alright! Way to go mareep!" Tyler danced about, grabbing the Great Ball in his hands. Psyduck had too many injuries to be treated here. So, the best thing was to treat it at a Pokemon Center. "Alright, there's one more Pokemon I wanna catch since it's night now. I heard on the news that Shuppet were in the area tonight. Wanna help me catch one?"

"Mareep!" Mareep cried. Tyler got out his flashlight and began to get to work on searching for shuppet.

. . .

Making his was to Route 20, Tyler shone his flashlight in all directions so he and mareep wouldn't trip. He smiled to himself, thinking what a good day it had been. He hoped he'd get catch shuppet soon, so that way he could close the day off well too. When Tyler came to a small forest-clearing where moonlight shone through the trees, he looked around. Suddenly, mareep wasn't there anymore. He wondered, did he take a wrong turn?

"Hello? Mareep?" He called out for his partner, and once again, his friend didn't answer back.

' DO NOT ENTER. DO NOT ENTER. STAYAWAYSTAYAWAY.'

Tyler's hand clutched the flashlight tighter, he reached for his pokeballs and for some reason his fingers ghosted over his belt. They weren't there! Where had they gone? "Hello? Is anyone there? Can anyone here me?! Hello!?" All he could hear were the ghostly moans and whines of the forest, the trees blowing and the wind. It was something out of a horror movie – when Hansel and Gretel got lost in the forest… He shivered. What was that chill just now?

' RUN. HuMan. LeAvE ThIs PlAcE!'

That sounded like a pokemon's voice. Was it a psychic-type? No. It had to be a ghost! Yet, why were his legs not moving!?

' Help.'

A small ringing noise echoed. Followed by what sounded like droplets of water. What was that? Someone just asked for help just now?

' Help me… Not much time… left…'

Not much time? Death? Dying? Were they dying? Who needed help?

' No NeEd fOr HeLp.'

The clash of Truth & Ideals. But why did he have to get caught up in it.

' Fading. Cannot see light. Need…'

"Go towards the light!" Tyler stood, despite the tears and agony the other voice was giving him he stood, yelling at the pitch-black sky. "Go towards the light, live, don't give up!" He didn't know what but it felt like something natural inside him when he yelled towards the voice. Like something inside of him sparked life that day.

' Help… me…'

"Where are you?! Why do you need help?! Tell me how I can help!" Tyler called, tears streaming down his face and burning his cheeks. It hurt like hell but he had to move on if he had wanted to help whoever needed it. Someone was dying!

' HUMAN. DO YOU TRULY WISH TO SAVE THIS LIFE?'

What kind of question was that? What did this second voice take him for? "Of course I do! I wouldn't just leave someone to die!" Tyler raged, then there was silence. "Where are you!? I want to help! Agh!" Tyler ran into the woods deeper, somehow, forgetting about mareep for a split second and his other pokemon. He pushed back the tears that burned his face and fell when he tripped over an uprooted tree-branch.

Tyler hissed as he grabbed his foot, then, it seemed whatever had caught him in that illusion had wore off. He saw the moon shine brightly at him again, and he looked down at his belt, seeing all of his pokemon in place. But where was mareep?

"Mari!" Mareep trotted along, licking its trainer in the face. "Mari?"

"Mareep! I was worried about you!" He hugged his partner lovingly. "I thought you had gotten hurt." Tyler wiped his eyes. "Don't worry about me, I just tripped." He yanked his foot out of the uprooted branch, hissing as his foot tinged in pain. In the shadows, he didn't realize someone was watching him. "Did you hear a voice just now?"

"Mari?" Mareep titled her head.

"It sounded like someone was speaking telepathy, almost they weren't… I wonder what it was."

'I can answer that.' A shuppet appeared from the black shadows and Tyler looked up, mouth wide-open. 'Forgive me for startling you. I had no intention on you getting hurt. There has been a stir in activity lately and the pokemon around here are becoming unruly. It is my duty to keep peace amongst those who live here.'

"It's no problem. You had every reason to be worried for your friends." Tyler stood, then winced as he put pressure on his foot.

' Is your foot alright?'

"It's fine!" Tyler gave a thumbs-up. "Say shuppet. What was that other voice I heard? The one calling for help?"

'Ah.' Perhaps, thought shuppet- this human could be the one. 'Have you ever heard of Aura?'

"My brother told me about it. It's what all pokemon posses as a natural ability – like a sixth-sense. Humans have it to, but pokemon especially are good at sensing Aura."

Shuppet nodded. 'Very good. It's rare to find a human with such expanded knowledge these days.' Tyler flushed, rubbing his head. 'A riolu was injured by a team of hooligans called Team Plasma a few days ago. It has been staying with me in my den deeper in the woods. I'm surprised you managed to hear its wavelength. That means you're truly special.'

"Team Plasma?!" Tyler yelled, clenching his fists.

'You are aware of them?'

"They were a group that tried to take over Unova two years ago, but they disbanded after a group of trainers and the new champion defeated them."

Shuppet nodded. 'I see.'

"Where is riolu now? What's its condition?"

Shuppet blinked. Surprised that the human cared still. 'Not good. It had a severe wound to its side, and was bleeding intensely. There is nothing I can do. But perhaps a human healer can tend to it. Do you wish to save riolu?'

"Of course I do! I won't just leave a pokemon-or anyone to die!"

The ghost-type's eyes went wide, but then it smiled. 'You are a good human, Tyler Adams. I will lead you to my den and then guide you to civilization. I hope you can assist riolu from then.' Tyler nodded, and followed shuppet to its home. 'I know you came to the forest to capture me.' Shuppet said, but Tyler didn't stop walking, he just merely looked at the ghost-type, surprised.

"Then why are you helping me?"

' Because you still are good at heart. It's very rare that you come across a human with the ability to use Aura. That is unique, and perhaps will be very useful to learn.'

"I still don't know anything about Aura or how to use it though." Tyler mumbled, they were heading up towards the cave when Tyler plugged his nose, he smelt dried blood and heard moaning sounds echoing from the den. "Riolu! Hang on! I'm here!" Tyler grabbed a towel from his bag and managed to wrap it around riolu, who yelped out in pain.

"Mareep return."

' I will accompany you to the human healing center.'

Tyler blinked for a moment. But instead of pausing for long, he got up and began to run, with shuppet tailing behind.

'Besides, to train under an Aura Guardian could be quite fun…' Shuppet smirked, ducking past branches and shifting through the trees. This would certainly be an interesting outcome indeed. Only time would tell how riolu would survive this fight, though. He hoped his friend would fare well.

 

[Verseity]

Truth & Ideals Ch3.
. . .
Tyler rented a room which was free of charge in the pokemon center. He got a room upstairs third door on the right. Shuppet let everything sink in as Tyler explained the trinkets and devices and what they did to help pokemon. Shuppet was unsure they would help, but Tyler reassured it that things would be okay, Nurse Joy knew what she was doing. The trainer and ghost-type laid down on Tyler's comfortable bed, shuppet snuggling up by Tyler's feet and Tyler curling up under the warm, fresh blankets.

Tomorrow would be a better day.
. . .
"Tyler Adams?" Nurse Joy called him right after he had eaten breakfast. The pokemon center doesn't usually feed wild pokemon, but Tyler paid for it so everything was good. "Your riolu has made a full recovery. It may take a few days before it's ready to battle again. But, may I ask some questions first?"
Was the nurse thinking he was the one who caused the injury? Tyler paled. "Go ahead." He had shuppet to back him up. He'd be fine.

"Why was riolu so badly injured in the first place?"

Tyler took a deep breath, recounting the night before. "I was originally wanting to catch a shuppet after hearing about them on the daily Pokemon News."

He began, and Nurse Joy nodded knowing ghost-types only come out at night fall. So, he was clear there. "Then, as I entered Route 20 I started seeing a bunch of illusions."

"Illusions? How did you know they were illusions?"

Tyler shook his head. "Not until later. I started hearing voices – well. A voice calling for help. When I tripped and fell, shuppet appeared and broke the illusion, coming to me saying Team Plasma had been disrupting the wild pokemon lately which is why it was trying to scare me off."

"Team Plasma? Didn't they disband?"

'I can testify to that.' Shuppet appeared behind Tyler, and he jumped for a moment. 'While I have never seen Team Plasma in their original form, a group of men in black and grey uniforms entered my forest and threatened the pokemon that lived there. They all became unruly and untrusting of humans after. Whether or not this is the Team Plasma we both speak of, the matter of it is, I was doing it to protect my fellow pokemon from harm. Riolu just happened to trust this human's aura and called out to it. You should keep note when an Aura-wielder trust another, it should not be taken for granted.'

Tyler gaped… Shuppet said all that for him?

"Very well. That seems to answer any questions I have for now. You may see riolu if you'd like."

"I can?"

"Well, you were the one who brought it here. You might as well. I can lead you to the back when you're ready."

Tyler nodded. "I'll see it now. Can shuppet come along? Do you want to come along, buddy?"

Shuppet nodded. 'I would like that.'

"Alright, follow me."

So, Tyler and shuppet followed the nurse to the back where riolu was located. It was a white, barren-room with a window. Much larger than his own, as it needed to hold more equipment, and the bed was slightly larger and more wide-spread too. He was happy that pokemon got good treatment in Pokemon Centers. Riolu jolted awake as Tyler opened the door, shuppet floating in behind him.

"You're awake!"

'Friend, human, I'm alive?'

Tyler rushed over to the injured pokemon. He gripped the side of the bedrail. "How do you feel, riolu?"

'Sore. Achy.'

'I am glad you are alright, child.'

Riolu's red eyes blinked in wonder. 'Phantom? You came!' Riolu trilled, scooting upright. 'Is Phantom hurt?' Now that Tyler could hear it clearer. It sounded male, and like a child's. Just how old was this riolu? Was it a newborn and/or recently hatched?

'No, my dear child, I am not hurt. This human aided you in your rescue. He wields the power of Aura and a good heart, which is why I lent him to our den.'

Riolu's ruby eyes blinked slowly. 'An Aura Guardian?'

Tyler let his mouth hung open. "I'm not – I mean. I think I can use Aura? To a limited degree. Like, that's what allowed me to find you. But I've never used Aura before."

'Oh.' Riolu pouted. Tyler smiled, it looked really cute when it did that. 'So, if not a Guardian, then what are you?'

"Me?" Tyler pointed to himself, and riolu began to nod, wagging its tail. "I'm a Pokemon Trainer."

'With the potential to use Aura.' Shuppet chuckled. Tyler flushed.

'What is a Trainer? What do you do?' Riolu chirped, Tyler cocked his head to the side, and arched a brow. How to describe what a Trainer does?

"Well, a Pokemon trainer Trains Pokemon. They can capture and train various different types. Or, just one specific type. They usually go on a journey with their pokemon, battling others and growing stronger together. And that's apart of it- the journey of the Pokemon Trainer. Learning new things along the way, whatever they may be, each and every day is full of endless possibilities and the world is open to great new things to explore and discover. That's only half of it!"

Riolu's eyes were full of stars. 'Sounds like fun! Adventure!' Both Tyler and shuppet laughed. 'Can I come?'

Tyler paused. "Eh? What do you mean?"

'On the adventure, silly! I want to explore and learn!' Riolu's tail was like a motor's – it just wouldn't stop wagging. Tyler and riolu's eyes met for a moment, staring each other down intensely until Tyler smiled, nodding.

"Uh! The more the merrier! Let me just get a pokeball."

… A few seconds pass, and riolu cocks its head to the side. 'Pokeball?'

Oh boy.

. . .
After riolu was done resting for a few hours, it was cleared to walk outside. There was a large garden in the back, where all of Tyler's pokemon could gather around. Shuppet decided to stay and watch the display of Tyler's teammates as he introduced everyone to the newest members.

"Right. So, a lot happened yesterday." Tyler clapped his hands. "First, we caught mareep." Everyone looked at mareep, who made a trilling sound happily. "Next, we caught psyduck. I want everyone to properly welcome them to the team."

'Though I fought like a warrior, I still was defeated.' Psyduck huffed. Tyler chuckled.

"You fought great, no need to get discouraged."

Psyduck opened its eyes at that looking into his trainer's aqua eyes. 'I see, thank you for your kind words, human Tyler.'

"Next, we caught riolu. Say hi. It's a little young and – I don't know your gender. Are you a boy or a girl, riolu?"

Riolu chirped. 'I'm male!'

Tyler nodded. "He's still young, so be nice."

"And – "Tyler began when shuppet came and headbutted him. "Whoa. Shuppet, what's with that?"

'I would like to join you. But first, battle me.'

Tyler blinked several times. Then he rubbed his face. "Uh. Okay. So… Who's up first?"

"Coo!" Gale flapped his wings with might as it perched on-top of Tyler's head.

"Okay Gale, you're up! You ready for this shuppet?"

Shuppet nodded while floating in mid-air. 'I am. Show me your worth, human, Tyler.'

"Gale use Steel Wing!"

'Pursuit!'

Pursuit and Steel Wing collided with great force, but Gale's metallic wings managed to push shuppet back a few feet. "Use Gust, Gale!" While shuppet was still recovering from Steel Wing Gale managed to get in a Gust Attack, and it seemed that Gale's ability kicked in. "Alright we got a critical hit! Way to go!"

'Icy Wind!'

"Use Heat Wave!"

"Coo!" Gale flashed a wave of heat from it's body and it oozed out from all directions in the air. It managed to hit shuppet directly.

"Night Slash!" Tyler commanded, and just as shuppet was going to hit in it's final attack, Gale used an all-powerful and super-effective Night Slash against the Ghost. When it began to fall towards the ground, Tyler geared a pokeball ready and threw it, within three dings it managed to hit and capture shuppet. "Alright! We did! Welcome to the team shuppet."

'Yay, Phantom's joining our adventure!'

Riolu jumped up and down, though careful of his wounds. Tyler blinked, then looked down at the Emanation Pokemon. "Why do you call him Phantom?"

'Because Phantom is Phantom!'

Riolu giggled, and Tyler shrugged. "Guess we should head to the Pokemon Center huh?" His team groaned, Tyler rolled his eyes as he trekked back to the hospital to heal the newest member of his team.

Today was a good day.

. . .

After Tyler managed to heal shuppet, he began to walk around Floccesy Town again. He remembered Alder's words. 'Come to my mansion' yet he hadn't seen any mansion in Floccesy Town so far, and so he was now looking for a big-ass house with a large yard… Or something like that. Maybe he wouldn't find it, and maybe he would just head on to the next town.

"Ah! Tyler, there you are."

Tyler spun around, meeting face to face with the former Champion of Unova. "Alder!" With the former Champion was boy that had the same hair as him, except he seemed to be about twelve or thirteen or so. Tyler let this sink in for a moment, then popped the question. "Who's this?"

"This is Benga, my grandson. He's thirteen and quite the experienced battler. I'm going to have him give you some tips on training. Did you catch the pokemon you wanted yet?"

Tyler smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Yup! I have a whole team now!"

Alder smiled. "That fast, huh? Well way to go sport! Come with us and we'll show you to our private battle arena."

Tyler paused for a moment. Wait. PRIVATE ARENA?"

"What?"

Alder laughed. "Come on! Don't be shy!"

. . .

The house was a huge two-story, six-bedroom mansion with a large battle arena with two electric bulletin boards out back. Just thinking how much money you get as a Trainer/Champion really made Tyler wonder. He also wondered if he could buy a house like this for him and his brother to live in in the future. But that would wait, now he had training to do. When he was guided to the backyard, which was actually more than just dirt and gravel- a nice garden was kept in the back as well for pokemon to play in. He took it all in. He was in the former Champion's home. He needed to pay respect.

"Why don't you release your teammates? That way I can get a good look at them."

"Uh!" Tyler tossed all six pokeballs to the field, and Blade, Gale, ralts, shuppet, riolu and psyduck were standing there in awe. "Guys, this is Alder. The former Champion of Unova.
He's going to help us with training so be respectful please."

Alder laughed and rubbed Tyler's head. "No need for that! I can take a few unruly pokemon or two. How do you think I got my start?"

"Um, Mister Alder?" Tyler asked, seeing his pokemon wander a bit. Riolu was enjoying the flowers laid out in the expansive battlefield. Tyler showed a shy smile.

"Alder is fine kid, and what?"

"What was the most difficult pokemon for you to train?"

Alder placed his hand on his chin, rubbing it with deep thought. "The most difficult pokemon? Well, as a beginner trainer all of my pokemon were fairly difficult, but for me it'd have to be my bouffalant. Damn thing was stubborn as a brick wall, wouldn't listen to a thing I said!" Alder laughed, Tyler blinked.

"Really? How did you train it?"

"It's a long story, and I'll tell you later. Right now, call back your pokemon. I wanna take a look at them!"

Tyler nodded. "Guys, let's get started on our training! Come on over here!" A few groans could be heard from some of the pokemon, Alder laughed. Ralts teleported onto Tyler's head and his forehead ticked. "On the ground, ralts. This training is important."

Gale and Blade assembled next. Then, it was riolu and psyduck. Mareep stood next to shuppet who was casually floating in place in the line when ralts was placed neatly in a row with them. Six pokemon. Sure, he had a full team but that didn't mean anything if he wasn't trained properly or knew how to take care of them.

"Let's see, a snivy, a pidove, a ralts pretty good. Where did you catch the ralts?"

"I watched Pokemon News and they had reports of one being in Floccesy Ranch." Tyler said with a smile while petting ralts's horns. "Riolu was injured by Team Plasma – "

"Team Plasma is back?!" Alder roared, Tyler winced. "I thought they disbanded. Damn. Guess I was wrong. Did you happen to meet any of the members of Team Plasma?"

'I did.' Shuppet spoke calmly, and gave a firm glare showcasing his distaste for the group. 'They were men and women in black and grey with a blue P on their bodies. They were nothing but tyrants and treated pokemon unfairly and cruelly in my forest.'

"I'm sorry your forest was disturbed by them." Alder said, Tyler frowned. "They nearly destroyed the world two years ago. I can't believe they reformed…" Alder held his chin, contemplating what move to make about this situation. "Well. There's nothing we can do right now. We're here to train your pokemon. Do you know what moves they know?"

"Uh… I need check a few of them. Gale, Blade, ralts and mareep I know. But the others I need to check. So- lemme get my pokedex really quick."

Tyler took out his pokedex and scanned the fourth caught member on his team, psyduck.

'This psyduck is male and is lv. 10. It has the ability Damp which disallows self-destructing moves to be used. It knows the following moves: Scratch, Water Sport, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Confusion, Psybeam, Mud Bomb, Refresh, Hypnosis, Clear Smog, and Ice Punch.'

Tyler smiled and so did Alder, who let out a whistle. "That's a good pokemon you got there. Good move-set in the making."

'Thank you.' Psyduck bowed his head. Alder blinked. A psyduck with psychic abilities? Even more impressive!

"Next up, riolu." Tyler bent down to his riolu who was wagging its tail happily and making trilling noises, Alder smiled.

'This riolu is male and is lv. 10. It has the ability Steadfast. It increases speed when the user flinches. It knows the following moves: Quick Attack, Endure, Foresight, Counter, Agillity, Crunch, Blaze Kick, Iron Defense, Vacuum Wave, Mind Reader, Laser Focus, and Ice Punch.'

Tyler blinked. "Where did you learn Ice Punch riolu?"

'Mr. Psyduck!'

The team looked at psyduck who merely closed his eyes in deep thought. Shuppet chuckled deeply finding it amusing how riolu managed to stray so far from home against his orders, it couldn't be helped, children were curious things after all.

"Finally, shuppet."

'This shuppet is male and is level 10. Its ability is Insomnia which keeps the pokemon from sleeping in battle. It knows the moves following moves: Screech, Night Shade, Spite, Astonish, Confuse Ray, Gunk Shot, Ominous Wind, Shadow Sneak, Pursuit, Phantom Force, Icy Wind, Magic Coat, and Foul Play.'

"You have great pokemon!" Alder let out a roaring laugh. Tyler gave a weak smile. "What's with that face? Aren't you happy?"

"Uh! I'm happy. I just – I just never thought my own pokemon would gain approval from someone important like this." Tyler rubbed his head, an iconic thing of his. Alder smacked him in the back and he stilled for a moment nearly giving out a girlish shriek.

"Young man. You need to stop thinking like that if you're going to get anywhere. You need to use your own judgement sometimes to push yourself. Though I'll help you this time."

Tyler nodded, rubbing his sore back. Alder smiled. "Let's meet my precious partners now! We've been together for a long time, so we've got some experience under our belt but trust me- we're not that scary." Alder laughed once more, and called over his pokemon. Tyler gaped at the size and mass of the beasts that Alder had in his arsenal.

With him he had – accelgor, bouffalant, druddigon, vanilluxe, escavaller, volcarona, braviary, conkeldurr, reuniclus, chandelure, and krookodile. Massive beasts indeed.

"We'll have Brav work on Gale's speed and stamina, reuniclus can help with psyduck and ralts's psychic powers, conkeldurr can work with riolu, and chandelure can work with your shuppet. Try to get mareep to practice her electrical attacks against krookodile, as a base for strengthening them up. Then for speed she'll move onto practicing with bouffalant. As for Blade, hm. Interesting. Perhaps resistance training?"

"Resistance training?" Tyler asked, Alder grinned. "Like against volcarona?"

"You got it!" Alder gave a thumbs-up. Tyler smiled. "The only grass-type-move my accelgor knows is Giga Drain, so it won't be much help there with Blade. But ole volcarona can be a good sparring partner for type-resistance against fire and bug."

Tyler nodded and looked down at the little snivy who seemed interested, gazing intently over at the giant fuzzy dual-type pokemon. "What do you say Blade? Do you want to spar against volcarona?"

"Sni." Snivy gave a thumbs-up. Tyler smiled a punched a fist in the air.

"Alright! Let's do this!"

 

[Bay]

Hi, thought I would drop by giving some thoughts on your story you posted so far!

First off, interesting you reference your main character's parents divorced. While many fics probably have kids with parents separated, you have Tyler have a basic idea of what a divorce is and being frustrated about it, which is a natural reaction for a kid to have. The first chapter you did have Alex repeat his goals for journeying a few times, but that's minor.

Part of me feels when Tyler is leaving with Snivy/Blade that you should have written out in more detail instead of a bit of info dump. Would be a good opportunity to showcase the father's personality and such.

I admit, I'm having a hard time distinguishing some of the Pokemon there. I feel Blade and Psyduck are the same with them wanting to be stronger, and almost everyone seems to have this "If you must human trainer" voice there. You're able to have Mareep and Riolu be distinguishable more with their shy and child nature, so I know you're capable of giving the other Pokemon a stronger voice.

The stuff with the Aura came off a bit left field, or at least how it was revealed. I'm mixed with fics that has "chosen ones" to put it bluntly, and I'm getting vibes with Tyler here. Alder having an early interest with Tyler did send off some alarms too, but I'm not that worried since in the games it was basically went the same way. One advice I would give is to not suddenly have the world revolve around Tyler and I think you should be fine.

I know I mentioned stuff that could be worked out, but you have some positives too. I already mentioned about Alex's thoughts on his parents' divorce which I think you did fine. I like that you showcased the Pokemon's swamp feature and Tyler's Ralts wanting to see Hoenn. Alder I think you characerized him fine and I like his way of training with Tyler.

Overall some of the Pokemon's voices could use some polish and the Aura stuff is YMMV, but this is pretty enjoyable so far. I'll keep an eye on this!