Story Notes:
Hey, this is my first fic, so please review and since I am kinda new to this, any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you have any questions or personal comments fell free to email me at anytime. Enjoy!Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 2: A Friend
I slowly opened my eyes to find the sun barely creeping over Mt. Coronet in the far off landscape. As I sat up I noticed that a certain pink pokemon was still quietly snoozing against my chest. I felt my face suddenly heat up, having the memories of the previous night suddenly rush back to me.
'Ha, I wonder how embarrassed Gwen will be when I bring this up during breakfast.' I thought, noting Gwen's past sleeping position comically as I gazed at the surrounding route 201. The grasslands surrounded the immediate area, but beyond the fields lay Lake Verity and an almost endless forest that stretches to the western coast.
I quickly realized that it wasn't the sun that woke me up, but rather the stark coldness that accompanies the fall. Shivering slightly, I reached into my pack and pulled out a brown zip-up sweater I thought wouldn't need to wear for at least a month.
'Uh, what time is it?' Gwen asked as she rose from her slumber.
"I think it is about six o'clock right now."
'So...why are we up right now?' asked Gwen while she simply looked at me in a half awake stare that was laced with a small amount of annoyance.
"Well I figured that we should get a head start on the day so we could make it to Sandgem town while there is still plenty of daylight left outside" I replied in a likewise tired voice. "Or you could be sleep in your ball while Holland and I make the trek to Sandgem"
Gwen seemed to frown at the mention of her ball. 'Yah, about the whole ball thing, I was wondering if it would cool if I could stay outside as long as were a team like you said. I mean, I've been in that ball for the past 11 years.'
I blushed lightly at the mention of the previous night, but soon focused my mind at the situation at hand. 'People will probably make fun of me for carrying a little pink pokemon around everywhere I go, but she has been in that ball for eleven years. I can't force her to go back in there. Well, I mean I could, but she would probably resent me for it.'
"You know what, I don't mind at all." I answered while a smile instantly adorned my face as I saw Gwen's face sport a wide grin as she heard my decision.
'You know what John; I bet a lot of pokemon would love to have you as their trainer. I didn't really think that trainers could be nice as you. I mean, the people who captured me didn't give my feelings a second thought as they tossed that damn ball at me. They told me when I was released from the ball for the first time that if I didn't obey what they instructed me to do, they would punish me like all the other disobedient pokemon. ' Gwen explained with bleak tone.
'But after they recalled me for the first time, they never called me out again. So I waited, and waited, hoping I wasn't lost to the world. Hoping I wasn't fated to never see the sun shine again. But then, just when I was ready to give up hope, I was called out. But it was then I remembered the kind of people who had captured me, and I was instantly dreading being called out. I feared that I was cursed to live a life in which I would be eternally miserable, whether it was on the outside, working for evil people and being forced to commit unspeakable crimes, or on the inside, being resigned to a life imprisonment in that awful ball.' Gwen tearfully confessed and she took a few breaths to regain her composure.
'I honesty thought that my life would never be as joyful as it was when I was free.' she said before she gazed up at me and looked directly into my hazel eyes. I was awestruck by the look in her pearl pink eyes. I saw not but pure devotion and admiration in her.
Gwen smiled as she continued to stare into my eyes 'but then I met you John.' She continued as I suddenly found the need to clarify her past.
"Gwen, you know that I wasn't the one that saved you from the Team Galactic facility right?" I asked, nervous she had wrongly believed that I was her rescuer.
She seemed to find this quite funny as she found herself unable to stop laughing for a better portion of a minute.
'Yes, yes John I know that! What meant was that when I was called out, I was expecting to myself in a dark, unknown room surrounded by a number of evil men demanding complete obedience. But instead, I found myself underneath a starry sky on a grassy field, with a very unfamiliar teenager sitting before me with a look of pure curiosity plastered on his face. John, you were exactly what I wasn't expecting, but you turned out to be exactly what I needed, a friend.' Gwen finished with wide grin on her face that seemed to be contagious because I soon found myself with an identical smile spread across mine.
"Listen to me Gwen, even when you lose a battle, or when don't succeed at something on your first try, or even when you feel defeated and want to give up, I'll always be there to cheer you on and support you whenever you need the confidence. Gwen, I'll always be your friend." I said with an air of sincerity that I almost never use.
Once again, Gwen donned her now signature smile that seemed to span from one side of her face to the other. 'Thank you John, I needed someone like you to be in my life, to give me hope, to give me a future.'
'I feel the same way Gwen.' I thought suddenly before I had chance to stop the thought from becoming strong enough for her to hear.
'Oh, well um, thank you John.' Gwen barely managed to say while her neatly concealed blush almost went unnoticed thanks to her pink skin.
I on the other hand, was glowing like a cherry red ember.
'Why did I even think that?!' I thought to myself, bewildered that such a thought would even cross my mind, let alone be strong enough for Gwen to hear. 'What is up with me lately? Heartfelt conversations and talks of never ending companionship aren't really my style. Yet, in the past two days I've shown more emotion than I have in the past year! Could it be Gwen? But why would her presence even affect me in that way? Plus, every conversation we had so far I have either ended up almost crying and blushing or both! What, am I attracted to her? It can't be, I mean she's like 2ft tall! Maybe it's more of her personality I'm attracted to. Now look at me, I'm arguing with myself whether I like a pokemon because of her personality or not! Man, what's going on with me?' I thought, tired of being confused with my own body.
'Well, if you're done thinking now, why don't we get going now? Besides, are you not the person who said that they wanted to get to Sandgem with daylight still left, hmmm?'
"Okay, okay, geez, what a nag." I said out loud to purposely mess with Gwen.
'What?! You're lucky that I don't go back to sleep right now!' threatened my pink Meditite.
"Well, then I guess I'll just have to carry you in my arms like how you slept last night huh?" I jested, knowing how Gwen would react.
'I-I-but, wait, oh never mind. Just forget I said anything.'
"If you insist, but how 'bout we get some breakfast before we head out. I'm starved." I confessed as my stomach rumbled not far behind.
'Hahaha, I guess you were hungry!'
"You have no idea"
After I called out Holland, my team and I ate a simple breakfast of pokechow and hash browns with some jerky I passed around. When we finally ate our share of food, we headed out for Sandgem town.
After walking for about an hour, I decided that since we would have plenty of time to reach our destination and still make our deadline, we should get some training in. As Gwen spared off with a number of local Starly, Holland turned his focus to the many indigenous Bidoof in the area. I carefully watched both of the, making sure to not their particular training styles so I would know how they what kind of style they feel most comfortable with.
I observed that Gwen likes using psychical attacks, yet she later discovered how to use confusion which she effortlessly incorporated into her psychical battle style. It seems that she uses her psychic abilities to supplement her psychical attacks.
Holland seemed at home using various attacks such as bubble and water gun. Right now, he seems pretty dependent on special type moves, but I don't need to worry about that yet.
As I watched my partners face off against other wild pokemon, I noticed my team was quickly gaining levels as my pokedex kept beeping with the arrival of one after another. 'Man with Holland and Gwen as my pokemon, the next gym will be a breeze if we keep advancing at this level.' I thought, remembering my mother telling me that the first gym leader in Oreburg specializes in rock types.
Bu the end of the training session, I noticed we had taken up taken up about three hours training. 'Wow, time flies when you train I guess' I noted, massaging my bruises from my stupid session of sparring against my pokemon. Although I didn't know any crazy attacks, I thought at this level my pokemon couldn't really harm me unless they really wanted to. So I figured it would help them and me, and decided to go along with it. Not my brightest moment. Even though they are at a pretty low level, both of them still managed to hand my ass to me several times over. Yet, they seemed to enjoy it and I did too, for the most part. Maybe I would do it again sometime, after I learned a thing or too from Gwen. After we had a nice lunch of sandwiches and chips, we decided we should continue our walk to Sandgem.
Within two hours we finally arrived in the small, but pleasant town of Sandgem, with the sun barely starting to set against the expansive wooded forest that stood at the fringes of the plains.
'Huh, so this is how humans live' Gwen asked
"You mean in buildings?"
'No silly, I know that! I mean in groups, like.... uh, what's the word? Ah, settlements!'
"Haha, yup, that's how the vast majority of us live anyways. Just wait till you see Jubilife City, its impressive to say the least" I commented as we eventually made our way down the cobblestone streets to the local pokemon center that stood out against all the conventional red brick houses and shops.
"Hello! Welcome to the Sandgem town pokemon center, how may I help you tonight?"
"Well, let me see, how are you doing Holland?"
"Pip, piplup!" energetically replied my downy friend.
"Gwen?"
'I feel just fine John.'
"Well, if you say guys say so" I replied, knowing that Holland and Gwen were quite healthy, but I wanted to double-check to make sure they're okay. "Well, I guess that I will only be needing a room tonight Miss Joy.
"Okay the, just let me see....well I have a room available, but it is only a single bedroom. I assume that's okay, right?"
I simply smiled "Yes Nurse Joy that will be fine."
As I entered my assigned room I noticed that the rooms in the pokemon centers were nicely furnished considering they were government funded. I noticed a queen sized bed in a door-less bedroom that branched off from the main living room that had a decent sized television and a ordinary sofa. A tile kitchen area continued where the carpet of the living room ended and was complete with an oven/stove and a regular refrigerator, along with a microwave positioned in the far corner.
'Wow, you humans sure do know how to live' my Meditite sighed as she jumped onto the bed.
"Just wait till you take your first bath." I remarked.
'Wait, what's a bath?'
"Oh great, how awkward this is gonna be."
An hour later, and I was still getting suds out of my hair from a horrible bubble soap overdose incident that occurred moments ago. I was still sporting a mild blush from by far one of the most awkward moments in my life.
'Wow, you know back in the wild the only thing we did to cleanse ourselves was rinsing off in the cold streams that surrounded our den. But, this is something else!'
"I know what you mean. Baths are just too much fun." I agreed.
'So, do humans always wear clothes?' Gwen asked as she noted the fact that I was wearing swimming trunks in the bathtub that seemed big enough to hold three people.
I actually laughed at this. "No Gwen, I do actually take off all my clothes sometimes.'
'Well, I thought that humans preferred to be naked while bathing' noted Gwen, who I noticed was trying in vain not to be embarrassed by the subject.
"Um, well yes, most humans do prefer to be...naked while bathing, but I do have company, so I decided against that particular option tonight." I replied, trying desperately to be mature about this.
'Oh.........well, you kn-know that I wouldn't care if you were n-naked, right?'
"...Gwen, I-I, well, shit. Uh, okay, how do I explain this? See, Gwen when one person likes another they will allow that other person to see them...without clothing."
'But, I'm always naked, and I don't mind people seeing me without clothing.' Gwen reminded me.
"See, it's more of a human concept to be clothed." I tried to explain.
'Oh, well okay then.........you know, you're missing out. I bet those clothes get awfully stuffy once in a while.'
"You know what; I think I can deal with that"
Just thinking about explaining Gwen anymore about human values and decency makes me tired. Thank Arceus that Gwen didn't ask anymore.
'I mean, what if she wanted to know about sex! I can't explain that kinda of stuff to her! She's not even a year old! Man, this is must be how dads feel.' I thought has Gwen thankfully volunteered to dry herself off.
As I sat down on the bed I couldn't help but voice my fatigue. "Shit, this whole trainer thing is more difficult than I expected it to be." I said to myself as I could feel my eyes growing heavier by the second, despite the fact that the clock radio showed it was only 7:19.
'But then again, how many trainers have a pokemon like Gwen?' my mind answered as I couldn't help but smile.
'John, wake up! I thought we were going to explore the town?' Gwen whined as she decided to plop down on my stomach.
"Woman, you are going to be the end of me, you know that right?" I said, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get out of this.
'Ya, but at least we can some fun before I drive you into the ground.'
"At least you care for my well being" I replied facetiously.
'Oh ha ha ha, you're so witty. Come on, we're wasting time sitting here.' Gwen ordered.
"Aye aye, captain"
We left the pokemon center only 20 minutes ago before Gwen found a small family owned restaurant that served pokemon as well. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant was situated behind the only two buildings in Sandgem that exceeded five stories, effectively creating a dark alley between the main road and the back restaurant. While I opted to take the long way by simply walking around the buildings and down the opposite block until we reached the diner, Gwen insisted on saving time by just strolling through the fairly dark shortcut.
"This isn't spooky at all" I had to say as I proceeded to walk into the alley while Gwen just sat on my shoulder. In my fit of paranoia I constantly re-measured the length of the passageway, only to find it was a consistent length of 20 yards. 'Man, I need to get a grip.' I thought as I forced myself to stop my new O.C.D habit.
Gwen just sighed at my obvious sarcasm 'Geez, you're such a worrywart. What can happen?'
"Well, nothin' I guess." I responded after we safely made it out of the dim corridor.
'See? Sometimes you need to just loosen up and take a walk on the wild side.'
'How can I when your life could be at stake? Wait, did I just think that? Man what is up with my thoughts today?' my mind raced as I noted how thoughts concerning Gwen seemed to randomly pop into my head.
"Well, come on out Holland, you deserve to eat as well." I called as I reached around my belt and swiftly tossed off Holland's ball.
As the light faded away and the pokeball returned back to my hand, I couldn't help but notice how my Piplup's face seemed to have a certain edge to it.
"Piplup, pip piplup, pip?"
"Um, Gwen, can you tell me what he's saying please?" I asked, unsure of what Holland was thinking as he stared at me mischievously.
Gwen only giggled at my request. 'Well, it sounds as though Holland is annoyed with the fact that you haven't let him out since we stopped at the pokecenter. He forgives you now of course, he's happy with just getting you back later.'
"Oh great, come on Holland! What if I treat you to some grilled magikarp?" I asked, hoping to reach Holland in a reasonable exchange.
"Pip....piplup lup."
"Gwen"
'He thinks your offer is acceptable, for now.'
"Just as long as he is content, I'm happy."
'Now, what are you gonna get me?'
"You want something special too I suppose."
'Ah, you pickup quick. I like that in a trainer John. You got real potential kid'
"Wow, thanks coach. Can we just eat now?" I pleaded, praying that this special dinner arrangement won't take too big of a bite out of my wallet.
'Fine, but first let me tell you what I want to eat first.'
A whole miserable hour later, Gwen and Holland where stuffed from their special meals, while I had to make do with a crappy sandwich.
"This taste like shit I hope you know." I said while shooting both Holland and Gwen a glare.
Gwen merely looked up from the booth she was currently laying down in 'Then why did you order it?'
"Because it was the cheapest thing they had on their menu that could actually fill me up! Thanks to you two shanghaiing me into buying both of you 2000 dollar meals each, I barely had enough money for this poor excuse for a sandwich!" I ranted furiously.
'Boohoo, just pay the bill and let's get truckin. Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, I think you might need to carry me again, that veggie lasagna was definitely the best meal
I've had in a long time.'
"You know you never told me you were a vegetarian. I would have picked up some special pokefood for you if you did."
'I must have forgotten. Oh well, but thank you John for buying me that nice dinner. I know you could have easily declined and bought yourself something good instead, but you chose me over yourself. I am truly glad I met you John.'
Once again, my pink Meditite's words hit the mark and a grin spreads over my face. "You know what Gwen, I am truly glad I met you too." I decided that maybe this once I will open up. I mean, without Gwen this pokemon adventure would be fun, but nowhere near as entertaining with her around. 'She truly knows how to make me smile I guess.' I reflected as I led the way down the same passageway we passed through before with Gwen resting contently my shoulder.
'John, something doesn't feel right' Gwen voiced as she started to shiver on top of my shoulder.
"What's up Gwen? Do you sense something close by? Come on, you have tell me if something's wrong." I asked, steadily getting more worried about what could be getting Gwen this worked up.
'I don't know. I just have a bad feeling I guess. Call it psychic intuition.'
"Gwen its okay, nothing is gonna hap-
"Wow, that's a nice pokemon you got there. Not vary often you see an oddly colored one either. How 'bout you hand it over, and I won't have to hurt you." sneered an unknown voice that came from further back in the alley.
"Who are you?! Show yourself!" I yelled, unable to see where the man hiding. I looked up and down the alley, but when I finally noticed the darkly clothed man standing behind a group of dumpsters, he was already unclipping two pokeballs from his belt.
"Let's see how you stand up to my pokemon kid. Come on out Croagunk, you too Gligar!" yelled the crook as his pokemon began to take shape. But only when the light form his pokeballs illuminated his outfit did I realize he was a member of Team Galactic.
'Crap, how can I compete with two trained pokemon? I mean, I just started my pokemon journey yesterday! Holland just barely got up to level 10, and Gwen can't be much more than that!' I thought, scared about what may happen if I actually tried to battle this guy and lost. But, I could never give up Gwen, especially to member of Team Galactic!
'John, what are we going to do?! Are really going to give me up?' Gwen asked in a frightened voice. She looked up at me with the same pale pink eyes brimmed with tears, waiting for my answer.
I put on a strong smile and looked over at her. "Gwen, don't for second think that I will ever give you up, cause I won't! I would much rather go down fighting than handing a friend over for my own safety. We can do this Gwen, together."
She grinned and proceeded to wipe her eyes and jump off my shoulder while getting ready for battle.
"That's the spirit Gwen! Okay then Holland, were going to need you're help with this one. Come on out!" I called out as my Piplup got primed for battle.
"Ha, you want to battle do you? Fine, just don't blame me if your pokemon get a little hurt and won't wake up, hahahahah!"
"You're crazy, I would die first than let you kill one of my pokemon!" I shouted to the deranged man on the opposite end of the dark lane.
"You actually think pokemon have feelings?! Wake up kid, pokemon are just tools, and the sooner the world realizes that, the sooner Team Galactic's visions of a perfect world can become a reality!"
"A madman like you could never know what it means to be a trainer!"
'That's it! Let's teach this guy a lesson John!' Gwen said, her mental voice boiling with anger.
"I wholeheartedly agree Gwen. Both you guys get ready!" I said encouragingly as my pokemon gave their shouts of agreement. We were ready to fight.
"Okay Gwen, hit that Croagunk with a confusion! Holland, nail his Gligar with a water gun!" I ordered feeling empowered as I saw my pokemon execute their respective attacks without hesitation.
"Crap, Gligar dodge it! Croagunk mov-"the man was cut off as his Croagunk was hit hard with Gwen's super-effective attack while his Gligar quickly evaded Holland's water gun. The Croagunk seemed dazed as it fell on its' knees.
"You piece of shit! Get up or I swear you will never see the outside of your pokeball again! Fuck it, Gligar, use poison sting!" commanded the grunt as he apparently given up hope on his other pokemon. The Gligar swiftly gained altitude before releasing a spray of sickly colored needles that seemed to hiss as they flew through the night air.
"Gwen, Holland, take cover by behind those trashcans!" I cried while pointing towards a series of gray tin trashcans that would hopefully shield my pokemon from the potentially deadly attack. If there was one thing I picked up at the academy, it was to always utilize your current environment in a battle.
Thankfully my pokemon swiftly dove behind the trashcans, letting the tin containers absorb the incoming attack, turning the grey cover into an oversized dart board. 'Great.' I thought looking over the trashcans. 'What happens if he orders his Gligar to use the same move again? Gwen and Holland will be toast!' I realized, looking frantically for so more cover incase the man's Gligar gears up for another poison sting.
"Oh, so I see you're up again. Maybe I won't have to punish you after all." The man remarked as his fallen Croagunk slowly stood up, no, longer confused by Gwen's attack.
I grimaced as I saw the Galactic's Croagunk get back up 'Great, now his Croagunk is back up! I guess I'll take it out first since it's already taken some damage.'
"Now then, Gligar use quick attack on the Piplup. Croagunk, use your faint attack on that damn Meditite! And for your own sake, don't let the damn thing confuse you!" hollered the Galactic member as his pokemon started to power up their separate attacks.
Before I could issue a command, the grunts pokemon had already started to carry out their attacks. Gwen instantly fell victim to the Croagunk's faint attack, which was super-effective and basically impossible to avoid. As Gwen dropped to one knee, I felt a sick feeling come over me, a feeling that shouted at me for letting her get hurt. Holland quickly recovered from the Gligar's attack which had managed catch him on his left side as he dove, trying in vain to dodge the incoming assault. Although the attack did make contact, Holland is quite hardy and succeeded in taking off some damage by diving off to the right, making the Gligar's attack merely glance of his side.
"Ha, you're more pathetic than I thought. Gligar, finish the job with poison sting!" demanded the man, ignoring the fact that his Croagunk was also in the way of the attack.
Gligar hesitated for a second before following through with the attack with a depressed look on its' face as it began to power up the attack.
I freaked at the mention of the poison sting. I promptly then began to think of a quick way to make sure my pokemon survived the attack.
'Come on, think fast! We're gonna be shish kebabs if that attack follows through!' Gwen shouted.
"I got it! Holland fire off a bubble attack while Gwen, try your best to use your psychic energy to give Holland's bubble attack some extra strength!" I directed while reassuring Gwen she could pull the move off.
As Holland's bubbles flew off towards the shower of poison darts, a beautiful blue glow slowly encased them.
'Gwen, you did it!' I thought happily as the psychic bubbles collided with the poison sting, only to have the poison shards bounce off the bubbles and harmlessly fall to the alley floor.
'John, I did it!' She cried out mentally.
"I knew you could, both of you!" I cheered merrily as I turned my attention to the obviously angered man who stood in front of me.
"That should have been the end of you! Now, I'll make sure that both you and your pokemon suffer before you all die together! Gligar, Croagunk use poison sting n- what are you doing?!" shouted the crook as his pokemon slowly turned to face him.
"I said finish him and his wretched pokemon off! Move!" continued the man as his pokemon slowly advanced toward him; both sporting furious looks on their faces.
"See what happens when you don't treat your pokemon with respect and love? They turn on you!" I commentated as the man's face quickly turned from that of rage, to horror.
"You can't do this, I won't let you!" the man raved as he drew both of the pokemon's balls from his belt.
"Gwen, stop him with confusion!" I ordered as Gwen happily obliged and instantly stopped the man's movements as his whole body started to glow a familiar eerie blue.
I then noticed that Gligar's and the Croagunk's advances hadn't halted, but increased.
"Croagunk, Gligar! Don't do this. Let me turn him in to the authorities. You two can live with Nurse Joy at the pokemon center until she finds you both good, honest trainers. Until then, Nurse Joy will treat you well and fix up your wounds. How does that sound?" I offered.
They seemed to think it over before responding in their own tongue. 'Well, what did they say Gwen?' I asked mentally.
'They said that as long as their former trainer was punished and never allowed to own pokemon again, they would happily agree.'
'Then tell them to follow us.'
About two hours later I staggered into the cozy bedroom in the local pokemon center room, holding Gwen in my arms since she fell asleep about an hour and a half ago. After I laid Gwen down on her side of the bed, I fell on my respective side and idly wondered if every single day of my pokemon adventure would be like my first two.
I lazily gazed up at the nearby clock radio, and audibly sighed at the timed it showed. 1:14 am. After taking that Galactic member to Officer Jenny's office in the pokemon center I found a absolutely furious Jenny interrogating me for an hour straight, until she finally accepted my story and asked me to fill out some paperwork. Said paperwork took a little over 30 frickin' minutes to completely fill out, while I annoying looked over to Gwen, who had fallen asleep on the way over to the center. After filling out the necessary paperwork and saying goodbye to the Croagunk and the Gligar while wishing them luck, I tiredly made my way to the room I checked out for my stay.
"My God, how tiring was that!" I complained to an unconscious Gwen.
"Although" I said out loud, looking over my Meditite's sleeping face. "These might have been the best two days of my life." I yawned, before drifting off to sleep with Gwen curled up right next to me.Chapter End Notes:As many may have noticed that was my first actual fight scene, so if anyone has any advice or pointers or whatever, just put them in your review. Some people may be wondering when some action is going to happen, but I have to say that this story is planned to be six to seven chapters long before any actual takes place, so please be patient and I will see what I can do. But between the gym battles and all the fluff and events that are coming up, I'm sure that most people will be pretty entertained. Thanks again, don't forget to review
'Ha, I wonder how embarrassed Gwen will be when I bring this up during breakfast.' I thought, noting Gwen's past sleeping position comically as I gazed at the surrounding route 201. The grasslands surrounded the immediate area, but beyond the fields lay Lake Verity and an almost endless forest that stretches to the western coast.
I quickly realized that it wasn't the sun that woke me up, but rather the stark coldness that accompanies the fall. Shivering slightly, I reached into my pack and pulled out a brown zip-up sweater I thought wouldn't need to wear for at least a month.
'Uh, what time is it?' Gwen asked as she rose from her slumber.
"I think it is about six o'clock right now."
'So...why are we up right now?' asked Gwen while she simply looked at me in a half awake stare that was laced with a small amount of annoyance.
"Well I figured that we should get a head start on the day so we could make it to Sandgem town while there is still plenty of daylight left outside" I replied in a likewise tired voice. "Or you could be sleep in your ball while Holland and I make the trek to Sandgem"
Gwen seemed to frown at the mention of her ball. 'Yah, about the whole ball thing, I was wondering if it would cool if I could stay outside as long as were a team like you said. I mean, I've been in that ball for the past 11 years.'
I blushed lightly at the mention of the previous night, but soon focused my mind at the situation at hand. 'People will probably make fun of me for carrying a little pink pokemon around everywhere I go, but she has been in that ball for eleven years. I can't force her to go back in there. Well, I mean I could, but she would probably resent me for it.'
"You know what, I don't mind at all." I answered while a smile instantly adorned my face as I saw Gwen's face sport a wide grin as she heard my decision.
'You know what John; I bet a lot of pokemon would love to have you as their trainer. I didn't really think that trainers could be nice as you. I mean, the people who captured me didn't give my feelings a second thought as they tossed that damn ball at me. They told me when I was released from the ball for the first time that if I didn't obey what they instructed me to do, they would punish me like all the other disobedient pokemon. ' Gwen explained with bleak tone.
'But after they recalled me for the first time, they never called me out again. So I waited, and waited, hoping I wasn't lost to the world. Hoping I wasn't fated to never see the sun shine again. But then, just when I was ready to give up hope, I was called out. But it was then I remembered the kind of people who had captured me, and I was instantly dreading being called out. I feared that I was cursed to live a life in which I would be eternally miserable, whether it was on the outside, working for evil people and being forced to commit unspeakable crimes, or on the inside, being resigned to a life imprisonment in that awful ball.' Gwen tearfully confessed and she took a few breaths to regain her composure.
'I honesty thought that my life would never be as joyful as it was when I was free.' she said before she gazed up at me and looked directly into my hazel eyes. I was awestruck by the look in her pearl pink eyes. I saw not but pure devotion and admiration in her.
Gwen smiled as she continued to stare into my eyes 'but then I met you John.' She continued as I suddenly found the need to clarify her past.
"Gwen, you know that I wasn't the one that saved you from the Team Galactic facility right?" I asked, nervous she had wrongly believed that I was her rescuer.
She seemed to find this quite funny as she found herself unable to stop laughing for a better portion of a minute.
'Yes, yes John I know that! What meant was that when I was called out, I was expecting to myself in a dark, unknown room surrounded by a number of evil men demanding complete obedience. But instead, I found myself underneath a starry sky on a grassy field, with a very unfamiliar teenager sitting before me with a look of pure curiosity plastered on his face. John, you were exactly what I wasn't expecting, but you turned out to be exactly what I needed, a friend.' Gwen finished with wide grin on her face that seemed to be contagious because I soon found myself with an identical smile spread across mine.
"Listen to me Gwen, even when you lose a battle, or when don't succeed at something on your first try, or even when you feel defeated and want to give up, I'll always be there to cheer you on and support you whenever you need the confidence. Gwen, I'll always be your friend." I said with an air of sincerity that I almost never use.
Once again, Gwen donned her now signature smile that seemed to span from one side of her face to the other. 'Thank you John, I needed someone like you to be in my life, to give me hope, to give me a future.'
'I feel the same way Gwen.' I thought suddenly before I had chance to stop the thought from becoming strong enough for her to hear.
'Oh, well um, thank you John.' Gwen barely managed to say while her neatly concealed blush almost went unnoticed thanks to her pink skin.
I on the other hand, was glowing like a cherry red ember.
'Why did I even think that?!' I thought to myself, bewildered that such a thought would even cross my mind, let alone be strong enough for Gwen to hear. 'What is up with me lately? Heartfelt conversations and talks of never ending companionship aren't really my style. Yet, in the past two days I've shown more emotion than I have in the past year! Could it be Gwen? But why would her presence even affect me in that way? Plus, every conversation we had so far I have either ended up almost crying and blushing or both! What, am I attracted to her? It can't be, I mean she's like 2ft tall! Maybe it's more of her personality I'm attracted to. Now look at me, I'm arguing with myself whether I like a pokemon because of her personality or not! Man, what's going on with me?' I thought, tired of being confused with my own body.
'Well, if you're done thinking now, why don't we get going now? Besides, are you not the person who said that they wanted to get to Sandgem with daylight still left, hmmm?'
"Okay, okay, geez, what a nag." I said out loud to purposely mess with Gwen.
'What?! You're lucky that I don't go back to sleep right now!' threatened my pink Meditite.
"Well, then I guess I'll just have to carry you in my arms like how you slept last night huh?" I jested, knowing how Gwen would react.
'I-I-but, wait, oh never mind. Just forget I said anything.'
"If you insist, but how 'bout we get some breakfast before we head out. I'm starved." I confessed as my stomach rumbled not far behind.
'Hahaha, I guess you were hungry!'
"You have no idea"
After I called out Holland, my team and I ate a simple breakfast of pokechow and hash browns with some jerky I passed around. When we finally ate our share of food, we headed out for Sandgem town.
After walking for about an hour, I decided that since we would have plenty of time to reach our destination and still make our deadline, we should get some training in. As Gwen spared off with a number of local Starly, Holland turned his focus to the many indigenous Bidoof in the area. I carefully watched both of the, making sure to not their particular training styles so I would know how they what kind of style they feel most comfortable with.
I observed that Gwen likes using psychical attacks, yet she later discovered how to use confusion which she effortlessly incorporated into her psychical battle style. It seems that she uses her psychic abilities to supplement her psychical attacks.
Holland seemed at home using various attacks such as bubble and water gun. Right now, he seems pretty dependent on special type moves, but I don't need to worry about that yet.
As I watched my partners face off against other wild pokemon, I noticed my team was quickly gaining levels as my pokedex kept beeping with the arrival of one after another. 'Man with Holland and Gwen as my pokemon, the next gym will be a breeze if we keep advancing at this level.' I thought, remembering my mother telling me that the first gym leader in Oreburg specializes in rock types.
Bu the end of the training session, I noticed we had taken up taken up about three hours training. 'Wow, time flies when you train I guess' I noted, massaging my bruises from my stupid session of sparring against my pokemon. Although I didn't know any crazy attacks, I thought at this level my pokemon couldn't really harm me unless they really wanted to. So I figured it would help them and me, and decided to go along with it. Not my brightest moment. Even though they are at a pretty low level, both of them still managed to hand my ass to me several times over. Yet, they seemed to enjoy it and I did too, for the most part. Maybe I would do it again sometime, after I learned a thing or too from Gwen. After we had a nice lunch of sandwiches and chips, we decided we should continue our walk to Sandgem.
Within two hours we finally arrived in the small, but pleasant town of Sandgem, with the sun barely starting to set against the expansive wooded forest that stood at the fringes of the plains.
'Huh, so this is how humans live' Gwen asked
"You mean in buildings?"
'No silly, I know that! I mean in groups, like.... uh, what's the word? Ah, settlements!'
"Haha, yup, that's how the vast majority of us live anyways. Just wait till you see Jubilife City, its impressive to say the least" I commented as we eventually made our way down the cobblestone streets to the local pokemon center that stood out against all the conventional red brick houses and shops.
"Hello! Welcome to the Sandgem town pokemon center, how may I help you tonight?"
"Well, let me see, how are you doing Holland?"
"Pip, piplup!" energetically replied my downy friend.
"Gwen?"
'I feel just fine John.'
"Well, if you say guys say so" I replied, knowing that Holland and Gwen were quite healthy, but I wanted to double-check to make sure they're okay. "Well, I guess that I will only be needing a room tonight Miss Joy.
"Okay the, just let me see....well I have a room available, but it is only a single bedroom. I assume that's okay, right?"
I simply smiled "Yes Nurse Joy that will be fine."
As I entered my assigned room I noticed that the rooms in the pokemon centers were nicely furnished considering they were government funded. I noticed a queen sized bed in a door-less bedroom that branched off from the main living room that had a decent sized television and a ordinary sofa. A tile kitchen area continued where the carpet of the living room ended and was complete with an oven/stove and a regular refrigerator, along with a microwave positioned in the far corner.
'Wow, you humans sure do know how to live' my Meditite sighed as she jumped onto the bed.
"Just wait till you take your first bath." I remarked.
'Wait, what's a bath?'
"Oh great, how awkward this is gonna be."
An hour later, and I was still getting suds out of my hair from a horrible bubble soap overdose incident that occurred moments ago. I was still sporting a mild blush from by far one of the most awkward moments in my life.
'Wow, you know back in the wild the only thing we did to cleanse ourselves was rinsing off in the cold streams that surrounded our den. But, this is something else!'
"I know what you mean. Baths are just too much fun." I agreed.
'So, do humans always wear clothes?' Gwen asked as she noted the fact that I was wearing swimming trunks in the bathtub that seemed big enough to hold three people.
I actually laughed at this. "No Gwen, I do actually take off all my clothes sometimes.'
'Well, I thought that humans preferred to be naked while bathing' noted Gwen, who I noticed was trying in vain not to be embarrassed by the subject.
"Um, well yes, most humans do prefer to be...naked while bathing, but I do have company, so I decided against that particular option tonight." I replied, trying desperately to be mature about this.
'Oh.........well, you kn-know that I wouldn't care if you were n-naked, right?'
"...Gwen, I-I, well, shit. Uh, okay, how do I explain this? See, Gwen when one person likes another they will allow that other person to see them...without clothing."
'But, I'm always naked, and I don't mind people seeing me without clothing.' Gwen reminded me.
"See, it's more of a human concept to be clothed." I tried to explain.
'Oh, well okay then.........you know, you're missing out. I bet those clothes get awfully stuffy once in a while.'
"You know what; I think I can deal with that"
Just thinking about explaining Gwen anymore about human values and decency makes me tired. Thank Arceus that Gwen didn't ask anymore.
'I mean, what if she wanted to know about sex! I can't explain that kinda of stuff to her! She's not even a year old! Man, this is must be how dads feel.' I thought has Gwen thankfully volunteered to dry herself off.
As I sat down on the bed I couldn't help but voice my fatigue. "Shit, this whole trainer thing is more difficult than I expected it to be." I said to myself as I could feel my eyes growing heavier by the second, despite the fact that the clock radio showed it was only 7:19.
'But then again, how many trainers have a pokemon like Gwen?' my mind answered as I couldn't help but smile.
'John, wake up! I thought we were going to explore the town?' Gwen whined as she decided to plop down on my stomach.
"Woman, you are going to be the end of me, you know that right?" I said, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get out of this.
'Ya, but at least we can some fun before I drive you into the ground.'
"At least you care for my well being" I replied facetiously.
'Oh ha ha ha, you're so witty. Come on, we're wasting time sitting here.' Gwen ordered.
"Aye aye, captain"
We left the pokemon center only 20 minutes ago before Gwen found a small family owned restaurant that served pokemon as well. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant was situated behind the only two buildings in Sandgem that exceeded five stories, effectively creating a dark alley between the main road and the back restaurant. While I opted to take the long way by simply walking around the buildings and down the opposite block until we reached the diner, Gwen insisted on saving time by just strolling through the fairly dark shortcut.
"This isn't spooky at all" I had to say as I proceeded to walk into the alley while Gwen just sat on my shoulder. In my fit of paranoia I constantly re-measured the length of the passageway, only to find it was a consistent length of 20 yards. 'Man, I need to get a grip.' I thought as I forced myself to stop my new O.C.D habit.
Gwen just sighed at my obvious sarcasm 'Geez, you're such a worrywart. What can happen?'
"Well, nothin' I guess." I responded after we safely made it out of the dim corridor.
'See? Sometimes you need to just loosen up and take a walk on the wild side.'
'How can I when your life could be at stake? Wait, did I just think that? Man what is up with my thoughts today?' my mind raced as I noted how thoughts concerning Gwen seemed to randomly pop into my head.
"Well, come on out Holland, you deserve to eat as well." I called as I reached around my belt and swiftly tossed off Holland's ball.
As the light faded away and the pokeball returned back to my hand, I couldn't help but notice how my Piplup's face seemed to have a certain edge to it.
"Piplup, pip piplup, pip?"
"Um, Gwen, can you tell me what he's saying please?" I asked, unsure of what Holland was thinking as he stared at me mischievously.
Gwen only giggled at my request. 'Well, it sounds as though Holland is annoyed with the fact that you haven't let him out since we stopped at the pokecenter. He forgives you now of course, he's happy with just getting you back later.'
"Oh great, come on Holland! What if I treat you to some grilled magikarp?" I asked, hoping to reach Holland in a reasonable exchange.
"Pip....piplup lup."
"Gwen"
'He thinks your offer is acceptable, for now.'
"Just as long as he is content, I'm happy."
'Now, what are you gonna get me?'
"You want something special too I suppose."
'Ah, you pickup quick. I like that in a trainer John. You got real potential kid'
"Wow, thanks coach. Can we just eat now?" I pleaded, praying that this special dinner arrangement won't take too big of a bite out of my wallet.
'Fine, but first let me tell you what I want to eat first.'
A whole miserable hour later, Gwen and Holland where stuffed from their special meals, while I had to make do with a crappy sandwich.
"This taste like shit I hope you know." I said while shooting both Holland and Gwen a glare.
Gwen merely looked up from the booth she was currently laying down in 'Then why did you order it?'
"Because it was the cheapest thing they had on their menu that could actually fill me up! Thanks to you two shanghaiing me into buying both of you 2000 dollar meals each, I barely had enough money for this poor excuse for a sandwich!" I ranted furiously.
'Boohoo, just pay the bill and let's get truckin. Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, I think you might need to carry me again, that veggie lasagna was definitely the best meal
I've had in a long time.'
"You know you never told me you were a vegetarian. I would have picked up some special pokefood for you if you did."
'I must have forgotten. Oh well, but thank you John for buying me that nice dinner. I know you could have easily declined and bought yourself something good instead, but you chose me over yourself. I am truly glad I met you John.'
Once again, my pink Meditite's words hit the mark and a grin spreads over my face. "You know what Gwen, I am truly glad I met you too." I decided that maybe this once I will open up. I mean, without Gwen this pokemon adventure would be fun, but nowhere near as entertaining with her around. 'She truly knows how to make me smile I guess.' I reflected as I led the way down the same passageway we passed through before with Gwen resting contently my shoulder.
'John, something doesn't feel right' Gwen voiced as she started to shiver on top of my shoulder.
"What's up Gwen? Do you sense something close by? Come on, you have tell me if something's wrong." I asked, steadily getting more worried about what could be getting Gwen this worked up.
'I don't know. I just have a bad feeling I guess. Call it psychic intuition.'
"Gwen its okay, nothing is gonna hap-
"Wow, that's a nice pokemon you got there. Not vary often you see an oddly colored one either. How 'bout you hand it over, and I won't have to hurt you." sneered an unknown voice that came from further back in the alley.
"Who are you?! Show yourself!" I yelled, unable to see where the man hiding. I looked up and down the alley, but when I finally noticed the darkly clothed man standing behind a group of dumpsters, he was already unclipping two pokeballs from his belt.
"Let's see how you stand up to my pokemon kid. Come on out Croagunk, you too Gligar!" yelled the crook as his pokemon began to take shape. But only when the light form his pokeballs illuminated his outfit did I realize he was a member of Team Galactic.
'Crap, how can I compete with two trained pokemon? I mean, I just started my pokemon journey yesterday! Holland just barely got up to level 10, and Gwen can't be much more than that!' I thought, scared about what may happen if I actually tried to battle this guy and lost. But, I could never give up Gwen, especially to member of Team Galactic!
'John, what are we going to do?! Are really going to give me up?' Gwen asked in a frightened voice. She looked up at me with the same pale pink eyes brimmed with tears, waiting for my answer.
I put on a strong smile and looked over at her. "Gwen, don't for second think that I will ever give you up, cause I won't! I would much rather go down fighting than handing a friend over for my own safety. We can do this Gwen, together."
She grinned and proceeded to wipe her eyes and jump off my shoulder while getting ready for battle.
"That's the spirit Gwen! Okay then Holland, were going to need you're help with this one. Come on out!" I called out as my Piplup got primed for battle.
"Ha, you want to battle do you? Fine, just don't blame me if your pokemon get a little hurt and won't wake up, hahahahah!"
"You're crazy, I would die first than let you kill one of my pokemon!" I shouted to the deranged man on the opposite end of the dark lane.
"You actually think pokemon have feelings?! Wake up kid, pokemon are just tools, and the sooner the world realizes that, the sooner Team Galactic's visions of a perfect world can become a reality!"
"A madman like you could never know what it means to be a trainer!"
'That's it! Let's teach this guy a lesson John!' Gwen said, her mental voice boiling with anger.
"I wholeheartedly agree Gwen. Both you guys get ready!" I said encouragingly as my pokemon gave their shouts of agreement. We were ready to fight.
"Okay Gwen, hit that Croagunk with a confusion! Holland, nail his Gligar with a water gun!" I ordered feeling empowered as I saw my pokemon execute their respective attacks without hesitation.
"Crap, Gligar dodge it! Croagunk mov-"the man was cut off as his Croagunk was hit hard with Gwen's super-effective attack while his Gligar quickly evaded Holland's water gun. The Croagunk seemed dazed as it fell on its' knees.
"You piece of shit! Get up or I swear you will never see the outside of your pokeball again! Fuck it, Gligar, use poison sting!" commanded the grunt as he apparently given up hope on his other pokemon. The Gligar swiftly gained altitude before releasing a spray of sickly colored needles that seemed to hiss as they flew through the night air.
"Gwen, Holland, take cover by behind those trashcans!" I cried while pointing towards a series of gray tin trashcans that would hopefully shield my pokemon from the potentially deadly attack. If there was one thing I picked up at the academy, it was to always utilize your current environment in a battle.
Thankfully my pokemon swiftly dove behind the trashcans, letting the tin containers absorb the incoming attack, turning the grey cover into an oversized dart board. 'Great.' I thought looking over the trashcans. 'What happens if he orders his Gligar to use the same move again? Gwen and Holland will be toast!' I realized, looking frantically for so more cover incase the man's Gligar gears up for another poison sting.
"Oh, so I see you're up again. Maybe I won't have to punish you after all." The man remarked as his fallen Croagunk slowly stood up, no, longer confused by Gwen's attack.
I grimaced as I saw the Galactic's Croagunk get back up 'Great, now his Croagunk is back up! I guess I'll take it out first since it's already taken some damage.'
"Now then, Gligar use quick attack on the Piplup. Croagunk, use your faint attack on that damn Meditite! And for your own sake, don't let the damn thing confuse you!" hollered the Galactic member as his pokemon started to power up their separate attacks.
Before I could issue a command, the grunts pokemon had already started to carry out their attacks. Gwen instantly fell victim to the Croagunk's faint attack, which was super-effective and basically impossible to avoid. As Gwen dropped to one knee, I felt a sick feeling come over me, a feeling that shouted at me for letting her get hurt. Holland quickly recovered from the Gligar's attack which had managed catch him on his left side as he dove, trying in vain to dodge the incoming assault. Although the attack did make contact, Holland is quite hardy and succeeded in taking off some damage by diving off to the right, making the Gligar's attack merely glance of his side.
"Ha, you're more pathetic than I thought. Gligar, finish the job with poison sting!" demanded the man, ignoring the fact that his Croagunk was also in the way of the attack.
Gligar hesitated for a second before following through with the attack with a depressed look on its' face as it began to power up the attack.
I freaked at the mention of the poison sting. I promptly then began to think of a quick way to make sure my pokemon survived the attack.
'Come on, think fast! We're gonna be shish kebabs if that attack follows through!' Gwen shouted.
"I got it! Holland fire off a bubble attack while Gwen, try your best to use your psychic energy to give Holland's bubble attack some extra strength!" I directed while reassuring Gwen she could pull the move off.
As Holland's bubbles flew off towards the shower of poison darts, a beautiful blue glow slowly encased them.
'Gwen, you did it!' I thought happily as the psychic bubbles collided with the poison sting, only to have the poison shards bounce off the bubbles and harmlessly fall to the alley floor.
'John, I did it!' She cried out mentally.
"I knew you could, both of you!" I cheered merrily as I turned my attention to the obviously angered man who stood in front of me.
"That should have been the end of you! Now, I'll make sure that both you and your pokemon suffer before you all die together! Gligar, Croagunk use poison sting n- what are you doing?!" shouted the crook as his pokemon slowly turned to face him.
"I said finish him and his wretched pokemon off! Move!" continued the man as his pokemon slowly advanced toward him; both sporting furious looks on their faces.
"See what happens when you don't treat your pokemon with respect and love? They turn on you!" I commentated as the man's face quickly turned from that of rage, to horror.
"You can't do this, I won't let you!" the man raved as he drew both of the pokemon's balls from his belt.
"Gwen, stop him with confusion!" I ordered as Gwen happily obliged and instantly stopped the man's movements as his whole body started to glow a familiar eerie blue.
I then noticed that Gligar's and the Croagunk's advances hadn't halted, but increased.
"Croagunk, Gligar! Don't do this. Let me turn him in to the authorities. You two can live with Nurse Joy at the pokemon center until she finds you both good, honest trainers. Until then, Nurse Joy will treat you well and fix up your wounds. How does that sound?" I offered.
They seemed to think it over before responding in their own tongue. 'Well, what did they say Gwen?' I asked mentally.
'They said that as long as their former trainer was punished and never allowed to own pokemon again, they would happily agree.'
'Then tell them to follow us.'
About two hours later I staggered into the cozy bedroom in the local pokemon center room, holding Gwen in my arms since she fell asleep about an hour and a half ago. After I laid Gwen down on her side of the bed, I fell on my respective side and idly wondered if every single day of my pokemon adventure would be like my first two.
I lazily gazed up at the nearby clock radio, and audibly sighed at the timed it showed. 1:14 am. After taking that Galactic member to Officer Jenny's office in the pokemon center I found a absolutely furious Jenny interrogating me for an hour straight, until she finally accepted my story and asked me to fill out some paperwork. Said paperwork took a little over 30 frickin' minutes to completely fill out, while I annoying looked over to Gwen, who had fallen asleep on the way over to the center. After filling out the necessary paperwork and saying goodbye to the Croagunk and the Gligar while wishing them luck, I tiredly made my way to the room I checked out for my stay.
"My God, how tiring was that!" I complained to an unconscious Gwen.
"Although" I said out loud, looking over my Meditite's sleeping face. "These might have been the best two days of my life." I yawned, before drifting off to sleep with Gwen curled up right next to me.Chapter End Notes:As many may have noticed that was my first actual fight scene, so if anyone has any advice or pointers or whatever, just put them in your review. Some people may be wondering when some action is going to happen, but I have to say that this story is planned to be six to seven chapters long before any actual takes place, so please be patient and I will see what I can do. But between the gym battles and all the fluff and events that are coming up, I'm sure that most people will be pretty entertained. Thanks again, don't forget to review