The Road Ahead

Where we meet our main characters.

The starry night sky shined down between the pine branches deep in the wilderness where a young Pokémon trainer named Micah sat relaxed against an old tree. The light of the full moon gave a faint contrast to the easy glow of the campfire sending flecks of light across his dark eyes. He stretched his arm across his growlithe, named Cedar, who was laying beside him staring at the crackling embers. The red puppy pokemon's breath came in a steady rhythm that made the young trainer drowsy. The white tufts of fur around his neck and at the top of his head emanated more heat than usual, which was in contrast to the black stripes across his back, which were cooler. Micah tugged on the red flannel shirt he wore, trying to adjust to the heat. It was a cool night, but between the fire and his pokemon he was nearly sweating. A strand of long dark hair fell from his ponytail onto his face, reaching just past his chin, but he paid it no mind. Breathing deeply, he stared at the flames a bit longer before slowly shutting his eyes, lightly drifting towards sleep.

He felt his growlithe tense and both their heads rose in unison, Cedar’s ears perked in attention. The Growlithe didn't make a sound, he was trained to stay quiet. The trainer scanned the treeline looking for what his growlithe had heard. A moment passed in silence, then fumbling footsteps snapped twigs and crunched leaves from the opposite side of the fire. A few seconds later a brightly clad figure of a young blonde girl appeared, clumsily pushing leaves and brush aside, nearly losing her glasses more than once. She clammered just into the clearing and Micah stifled his laughter at the spectacle.

"Hello!" The young lady rang out from the edge of the treeline, pushing her glasses into place a final time. She was short and very small, almost frail looking. Her hair fell beside her face just below her chin and pulled back loosely into a braid that flowed down to the small of her back.  Micah curiously stared as she took a moment to pick a dried leaf out of her bangs before introducing herself with a bow, "My name is River Matt, and I'm a pokemon trainer!"

"Are you now?" Micah chuckled, "you look more like a girl lost in the woods." Her face reddened and she laughed nervously, brushing her dishevelled hair aside.

"Well, I can't exactly say I know where I am, but that's why I found you," she anxiously declared with a friendly smile. "What's your name?"  

They met eyes for a moment before he returned the smile, "Micah." He relaxed back into his cradle between the tree and growlithe, "and this is Cedar. Its good to meet you." He patted his growlithe on the back and she glanced down at the now sleeping pokemon beneath Micah's arm. Her eyes lit up like fireworks.

"You have a Pokémon! Oh, its so cool!" She squealed jumping up and down in place. Suddenly coming to a halt, she pointed at Micah, "We have to battle!" With a look of determination and excitement she pulled out a pokeball and readied her throwing arm, but was cut short by Micah's raised hand.

"No," he moaned, as River's arms dropped in disappointment. She gawked in disbelief. She’d never seen a trainer turn down a challenge like that. “But… You’re a trainer. You have to battle me!” she cried in aggravation.

"Cedar and I are tired. We've been hiking all day," he stated calmly, as though it were a matter of fact, "you're welcome to camp with us tonight, and in the morning we can battle if you're still up for it."

"Okay!" She laughed happily after only a split second of consideration, "I understand completely!" She tossed off her backpack with thud, startling Cedar awake, and pulled out a small blue bag. She unravelled it revealing a convenient one person tent that seemed to defy the size of the bag it came in and started assembling it. “Really, that’s why i approached you in the first place. I don’t have a fire type pokemon and i didn’t want to be left out in the cold dark woods alone! That’s when i saw your campfire, thank goodness!” She paused long enough to give Micah a smile and went back to work. “It’s pretty smart keeping your growlithe outside at night as a watchdog,” she remarked glancing at the annoyed sleepy Growlithe.

Micah stared blankly at her,“Oh, well where else would i keep him?”

“In a pokeball?”

“I don’t have any pokeballs,” Micah chuckled, closing his eyes as if to go to sleep, “or any of that other fancy gear you’ve got with you.” He referred to her pokedex and nav gear.

“You don’t…” River looked up in surprise for a moment. She was shocked. “You don’t have equipment, and you turned down a battle out of hand! What kind of a trainer are you? ”

“One of a kind,” he yawned, leaning further back into his tree bed with a grin.

After a moment, River asked with concern, “So is Cedar your only pokemon? I don’t see any others laying around.”  Micah nodded. “How do you plan to beat me tomorrow then? I have two pokemon that have the advantage over fire types. What’s your plan?” she looked worriedly at Micah, who opened his eyes and evenly met her gaze, widening his grin.

“I don’t think we’ll have too much trouble beating a girl who can’t manage making herself a campfire.”

She smirked at his remark. “Is that so!?” she challenged happily, “We’ll see who needs help in the morning then, won’t we!?” She quickly pulled a little white ball out of her backpack and threw it at Micah. The soft white sphere cushioned into his face and with a pop, inflated into a full size pillow landing in micah’s lap. They both laughed for a moment and Micah started to toss it back at her after deciding a pillow fight was out of the question.

“Keep it,” she said still smiling, ”I have an extra.” She climbed into her tent and slapped her little white pillow, which popped into full size. “Goodnight,” She yawned, zipping her sleeping bags small door shut.

“Goodnight,” he breathed, staring again at the fire. He shifted the pillow behind his head and closed his eyes. He inhaled slowly, tasting the smoke from the burning ash and tried to relax. He was having trouble getting to sleep though. His first real pokemon battle was first thing in the morning.

************

The sun rose in Kanto just like any other morning, but this morning was special for Cedar. It was his first chance to really prove his strength. He had never fought against another trained pokemon,only wild ones. It was the first chance he had to prove himself, to make Micah proud..

The heat shining from the bright sunrise sent energy surging through his veins. Fire beat inside his chest, trying to escape. He breathed deeply and sent flecks of flame twirling off his fur. His excitement burned through him, consuming any anxiety he may have harbored. All his power begged to be released. He watched River closely, waiting for her to call out her pokemon. Anxiously waiting for the battle.

"You ready?" River called out from the other side of camp. Cedar barked his excitement, and Micah answered, "That's a yes!" River pulled a pokeball from her belt holster hung low to one side of her hip and adjusted her glasses with her free hand. A confident smile broke across her face and she called out, "I'll only use one pokemon to make it fair, okay?" Micah nodded his agreement, and she flung the ball in the air. "Go Oshawott!" She yelled, as the pokeball opened up with a red flash. The white-blue otter pokemon landed just in front of her and raised its paws to fight. It’s ears perked and it had a wide grin on it’s face after seeing it’s opponent. Boundless confidence radiated from the new foe. "Fire is weak to water attacks so you'd better be careful!" River warned. Growlithe rumbled his impatience and Micah retorted, "I don't think he's worried."

"Then let's not waste any time! Oshawott, use water gun!" It had started. He was ready. The blue pokemon puffed up its cheeks and sprayed a stream of water at Cedar. Bounding off his hind legs he made a quick dodge away from the flying pool, gracefully evading the attack. With a growl flames jumped off Cedar's coat again, though this time growing slightly larger. "Counter with take down!" Cedar heard Micah yell. Cedar's instincts begged him to unleash his fire, but he trusted Micah more than his instinct. Stifling his flames, he sprung forward and threw himself head first towards his opponent. Oshawott tried to jump away and evade the tackle, but was too slow for Cedar. The force of the hit made Cedar fumble and lose his footing, but threw his opponent through the air. The otter landed in a patch of soft grass, saving him from a hard hit to the ground.

Oshawott lept to his feet in split second time, flinching at the damage he'd taken. He wasn’t so confident now.

"Again Cedar!" Micah called in confidence. Cedar roared forward, bounding across the distance towards his opponent.

"Oshawott! Watch out!" River cried.

As Cedar rushed forward, oshawott dove to the side, throwing Cedar’s attack off and sending him into oshawott’s line of fire. With a fast spin oshawott faced cedar and sprayed as much water as he could muster.

The rushing water pushed Cedar back, out of attack range. Water spread across his coat. His flames weren’t jumping any longer, but were choked by the cold. His fire withered and suddenly, he felt weak. He couldn't feel the heat of the sun anymore, only the cool barrier of the water soaking his fur. His eyes fluttered. His legs shook, and gave under his weight. He felt so cold. So tired. So weak.

“Cedar!” Micah called.

“Cedar!” he remembered Micah calling his name countless times before. It was a little different this time though. They had left home. They were walking into the woods to start their great adventure, and Micah grinned down at him. “It’s just me and you, Cedar. We’ve got each other’s backs, right? Together we’re invincible.” Cedar barked his cheerful agreement. They were together, they were invincible. That was days ago now, but nothing had changed. They were invincible.

This wasn't over yet. He wasn't giving in so easily. Fire. He needed fire.

Breathing deeply he focused on heat. Cedar watched Oshawott smile in victorious confidence, and it infuriated him. He wasn’t beaten yet, but his opponent acted like he was.

He was still warm though, and growing warmer. He rose back onto his feet as steam began to rise from his fur. He could hear Micah cheering him on, lending him strength.  Oshawott’s smile was gone.

"Cedar, speak!" Micah cheered, seeing the blatant determination painted across Cedar's face.

He just needed one more chance. With a deep breath Cedar dove forward and opened his lungs releasing a thunderous roar. He watched his opponent turn away in fear. Now was his chance. He pushed his legs as fast as they would go. There was no time to waste.

Oshawott turned up to face him, but Cedar was already shoving him into the ground. They both tumbled and rolled across the clearing, landing only a few paces from each other.

A moment passed in stillness, then Cedar rose to his feet, trembling with exhaustion. Oshawott tried to raise himself up, but fell unconscious. Cedar stood over him in quiet victory, steam now plummeting up from his body. Both trainers stood in silence. One with an expression of pride, the other wore amazement.

***********

“What do you mean that was your first battle!?” River cried as she, Micah, and Cedar strode along the road to Violet City. It had been a few hours since their battle, and River was still upset about having lost. Even more so now that she knew he was a beginner. How could this unequipped, fresh trainer have beaten her? Especially when she had the type-advantage!

“I’ve never fought another trainer before. You’re the first opponent i’ve had besides my sister and her ponyta, which is hardly a battle.” Micah explained, “My home is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so trainers rarely ever passed through, and when they did they were too tired from the trip to battle.”

River looked up at Micah in annoyance. Was that supposed to make her feel better? It was even worse that she had to look up at him. Most people were taller than her, but she barely reached his shoulder with the top of her head. She moaned at her self pity. This was no way for a trainer to act. She needed to perk up and be an example for her team, she thought. She wasn’t behaving like a top notch trainer.

“Well, once you get three pokemon we’ll have a rematch! Next time i won’t go easy on you either!” She raised her fist in excitement. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, “Speaking of which, when do you plan on catching more pokemon?”

“Whenever i find one i like,” Micah shrugged, “Honestly, i haven’t given it any thought.”

River stared at him dumbfounded. He really was a one of a kind trainer, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. His Growlithe was incredibly strong, but she didn’t know if that was because they trained or he was just naturally headstrong.

“Well, I have to say, Cedar is pretty incredible,” She smiled over at the growlithe who was easily walking now, after such a heavy battle that morning. ”I find it hard to believe that he was strong enough to overcome a type advantage like that.” A twinge of jealousy rang in her at the notion. None of her pokemon were tough enough to do that. "If you train all your pokemon that well, you might even get stronger than me!" She bluffed, holding her extended thumb towards her, faking an arrogant expression fit for a queen.

Micah chuckled at her, “I hope so.”

River glanced towards him, and he continued looking forward toward the road ahead. Despite the light mood of the statement she somehow felt he was being entirely sincere. He really did think she was a better trainer than he was, even though she had just lost to him.

“Well, you’re pretty good now,” she stammered, “You’re tons better than some of the trainers I know. I mean, you just beat me, so you are kind of better than me.”

She felt bad saying it, but it was true. She looked down, and some shame dripped down into her brain. She had to be honest with herself. If she couldn’t even beat this newbie trainer, how could she call herself top notch?

“I don’t think so,” Micah stated, and she glanced up, ”If you hadn’t held yourself back Cedar wouldn’t have lasted another minute. You said you have two other pokemon, right?” She nodded. “I assume they’re probably roughly as strong as your Oshawott is?” she nodded again. “Well, there you have it. If it was you against me, with nothing withheld I doubt i’d have any chance. My pokemon might be stronger than yours individually, but you’ve trained each of yours as a team. I’d wager that your team is much stronger than Cedar,” Cedar barked at him. “No offence, buddy.” He smiled and pet his only pokemon.

He was right. If she had used one of her other pokemon, the growlithe would have been too easy.She had completely ignored the fact that she had a better strategy than him, but he saw it. She wanted to thank him, but instead they just both kept walking forwards. She started to say something, but he was already talking by the time she opened her mouth.

“What are you out here for, River?”

“What?” she questioned.

“Why are you out here training?

“Oh, well i overheard another trainer talking about a rare pokemon they saw out here-”

“No, that’s not what i mean,” He cut her off, “Why are you a trainer? Just to be stronger? Do you just want to be the best?”

His question caught her by surprise. First, it was a very serious tone all of a sudden, and they barely knew one another. Second, she had never really thought about it.

“Yeah, i guess.” She answered thinking aloud. “I want to be as strong as i can. I want to be the best trainer i can be. Why do you ask?”

“I just think its far more important to know why you’re doing something than to know how to do something.” he stated, “That’s kind of a pipe dream, though. Like a goal you can never reach. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. You’ll always try to be stronger, but you’ll never be strong enough. Sounds exhausting” He laughed.

“Well, what about you?” She asked after a moment.

“I’ll let you know when i figure it out.”

She looked at him with concern. He seemed so lost, but was entirely content to be that way. Like a cloud drifting in the breeze. No matter where the wind carried him ,he was always safely above the earth and away from harm. At least until it rained.

“You know, i feel like i owe you.” She said after a moment. He glanced over for the first time since they started walking.

“What do you mean?”

“For lending me your campfire, and guiding me out of the woods,” She smiled. She didn’t see how she would’ve gotten out of the woods, had he not shown her.

He shrugged. “It was nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“No, really. When we get to town, let me get you some pokeballs and some decent equipment,” She gestured to his camping hatchet At the very least a map. Surely your sense of direction can’t guide you everywhere through Kanto.”

“Alright, fine.” He grimaced.

“and I’ll help you catch your next pokemon too!” She gleamed, picking up the pace. Micah looked at her as though she were talking nonsense.

On the midday horizon they saw rooftops of Violet City over the crest of the next hill.

Reviews

[Albert Teague]

Well it seems that I am the first to comment. I admit I have played many a Pokemon game but none were as riveting and captivating as this fanfic that you wrote here. I don't think any episode was as riveting. Its great to see someone else getting the spotlight for a change..... Well done and well written.

Also if it's not too much trouble would you mind checking out my story its called Children of the Comet. So far I only have the prologue I'll have the first chapter up by the end of the day.

[TheLastEclipse]

Riveting indeed, my friend. I enjoy this. It gives perspective to an actual pokemon world and I can plainly envision the reality of it. Beautiful man... Beautiful.