A Bonding Experiment

After traveling for some time and finding nothing more than some bug Pokémon who practically fainted on sight of Cyndaquil, Alex thougt it was a good time for a rest. She found a shady tree where she let her bag slide from her shoulder to the soft grass beneath her. Cyndaquil looked up at her curiously as she slumped down against the trunk of the tree.

"How am I supposed to train you guys when all the wild Pokémon around here are frightened of you? I mean, it's better than what happened with Chikorita, but still..." Alex trailed, looking to Cyndaquil for answers. He seemed intelligent, and well learned from growing up with Elm as a tutor.

With a smile, Cyndaquil giggled childishly a bit. "You know there are ways other than battling to strengthen a Pokémon, right?" Cyndaquil asked, though it sounded a bit condescending. Instead of taking it the wrong way, Alex merely queried for further information from her tiny companion. He described to her different ways to train a Pokémon's abilities and strengths, giving her various examples of what to do.

"Well, that doesn't sound too hard. Maybe we should try to train that way?" Alex asked, to which Cyndaquil pointed to her pokéballs. She frowned a bit, seeming to understand. She had yet to bond with either of her other Pokémon as of yet, but both were caught under circumstances where she believed they may be more trouble than they're worth.

"It's important that a trainer spends time with all their Pokémon, Alex. It's the only way they'll start to trust you and listen to you, anyway," Cyndaquil explained, to which Alex nodded compliantly. She sighed, standing as she unclipped Rotom's ball from her belt. She was going to give this new method of training a try!

[Training: Rotom]

"Rotom, go!" Alex called, tossing the red and white sphere into the air. It burst open at the peak of the arc, a swath of light allowing the Pokémon to manifest before the trainer. The orange ghost Pokémon was now before her, blue aura like tendrils twitching with energy as the ghost wavered this way and that, trying to sense the nearest electrical outlet.

"There's no electricity out here, Rotom. I brought you out into the wild, no more Pokémon Centers to wreak havoc on," Alex said, smirking at the unintended happenstances. She would at least play it off like it had happened on purpose for now, though. She wanted to make a good impression during the bonding. Rotom on the other hand just seemed flustered, crackling with static charge as it let out a high pitch screech of displeasure, Alex having to quickly bring her hands over her ears.

"Rotom, stop!" She commanded, the ghost obeying but glaring at Alex. "Now, I captured you, so you're part of my team now. If you want to get stronger you'll need to listen to me!" her voice was stern and sure, trying to exert an air of confidence. She knew confidence went a long way with animals and the like, after all they can smell fear. Rotom grumbled defiantly, but otherwise seemed compliant.

"Good. Then, let's start with what you're good at. You're really fast, so we'll start there. I want you to start from that tree over there, then go to that one, and so on..." Alex said, pointing at trees with various distances between them. "End at this one here, and leave a singe mark on each of them so I know you were there. Ready? Go!" She felt ridiculous, but she wasn't sure how to properly train an ethereal wisp.

Rotom merely stared at Alex for a moment after she quit talking. Was this human serious? By the look on her face, she was. Rolling its eyes, Rotom quickly zipped about the discerned area. He was fast, that was was for sure as all that could be seen was a blue streak where the tail of electricity followed behind the trouble maker. In what seemed like an instant, Rotom was back in front of Alex. It had let loose small bursts of electricity at each tree, letting the appendage like tendrils lap out at them to leave the wanted scorch marks.

Blinking, Alex was actually beyond surprised at the speed exhibited. Had it been holding back last night, or was it just too engorged to get away from her fast enough? Rotom seemed somewhat smug, seeming to act like it had been supposed to be a challenge that he had easily overcame. "Good job. But we aren't done yet" Rotom let out a mechanical buzzing groan upon hearing her words. "Next, we'll work on some of your moves."

Still somewhat unsure, she pulled out her Pokédex for a more complete list of the electric ghost's moves. Scrolling through, she tried to quickly decide on a strategy. She glanced around, finding a tree in a rather unimportant spot. It didn't seem to be near anything where if it fell would cause too much damage. "Right then, start with your Thunder Wave, at that tree!" Alex pointed across the way to the new target.

Rotom buzzed a bit in response. Mildly defiant, it would much rather be causing mischief and leeching electricity! After some prodding, Rotom decided the only way it would get back to a City would be for it to finish this damned training. Turning to the tree, its small body trembled as a static charge crackled about it. In a quick burst, Rotom sent the static energy to the wooden target as it rode the electrical currents in the air. The move struck, though seemed to fizzle out ineffectively.

Alex hummed to herself, before ordering Rotom to do it again. A few charges later still not much had happened. Still, subconsciously Rotom had made its accuracy for the move raise. "Now Rotom, Thundershock then Uproar!" the trainer ordered, placing some earbuds in to protect her eardrums from the noise to follow.

Rotom was getting more than irate at its now trainer's persistence. How obnoxious, still it had little choice in the matter. With a flash, Rotom's body was engulfed in electric light, the Pokémon sending a pulse to arc it with the tree. It zapped, striking the tree and singeing the bark and chipping a few pieces off. With little prompting thereafter, Rotom opened its little mouth, letting out a booming screech of a voice! Sound waves pummeled the tree, Alex even feeling the reverberations causing her body to tremble. The smoking bits of bark were quickly knocked off as the sound based move dug into the trunk of the once majestic plant.

Feeling it was nearly enough, Alex had only the desire to try one more thing. "Rotom, Charge. Then Discharge!" She knew the moves could be used on their own, but they were meant to be used in succession of each other and she knew it. She pointed to the tree one last time, Rotom giving his last whine of defiance before turning to face its enemy again.

Closing its eyes, Rotom began to draw in the latent electrical power traveling through the air. After a short moment, yellow orbs that crackled began to appear, being drawn like a magnet to Rotom who seemed to merge with them. Its body began to crackle loudly, electric arcs sparking from its body. Its blue aura seemed to grow the more energy it absorbed, until a thick blue sparking layer was surrounding it.

Opening its eyes sharply, Rotom looked to the tree and let out a cry. In one large burst, the pent up energy was discharged, sent in a large rolling wave of electricity at the tree. The lightning assaulted the weakened trunk, the tree seeming to groan under its own weight as a cracking sound could be heard. Electricity rode up the tree before fizzling out, the trunk giving way as it collapsed under the pressure. Gladly, it wasn't an all too large tree, nor was it presenting any sort of danger to anything around it as it fell with a muffled crash, its own branches cushioning the fall.

[End Training: Rotom]

"Good job, Rotom! See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Alex asked her newest team member, who replied by trying to shock her. Quickly storing the mischievous ghost back inside its capsule, Alex groaned. She had wanted to befriend Pokémon and become partners with Pokémon who loved her. So far, that wasn't the case in the least. Between Rotom and Chikorita, Alex wondered if she would ever catch a Pokémon that actually liked her.

"Urf, whatever...let's get going on to Violet City, Cyndaquil," Alex announced, looking to her partner. The only one she could really count on so far. Cyndaquil squeaked in agreement, and the two continued down the path.

Alex was a little more than mildly surprised as a trainer intercepted her before she'd even fifty feet on her way. Apparently the commotion from her training session had alerted the nearby trainer to her presence. She took a step back as he approached wide eyed. A quick scan of him gave her the impression of a surfer bum, though he looked pretty young. Probably just coming into puberty, in fact, Alex had a good 7 years on the kid.

Mildly off put by lack of manners, Alex tried to understand where he was coming from before getting too frustrated. "I was just training my Pokémon, I needed a target," Alex stated calmly. Subconsciously, one hand met her hip as she shifted her weight to one side.

Cyndaquil swayed back and forth as the trainer gawked at the work Rotom had put in. However, he quickly noticed the boy was looking at him expectantly, and the little shrew shook his head quickly. Waving his arms, he tried to quickly make sure the mystery trainer knew it wasn't his doing. "Oh no, no! Not me!" he chirped mindlessly, not even thinking how he might react to a talking Pokémon.

"Right, I was training my Rotom," Alex said, eyeing Cyndaquil from her peripherals. She was starting to wonder if she made the right choice, as he drew a lot of attention to himself. He was rare in his own right, so Pokémon Collectors might be out to get him. Indeed, even her reliable Cyndaquil was quite the burden in a way. All of them were troublesome, just her luck.

"Anyway, the tree wasn't that strong to start. Pokémon are all powerful, so it's only natural that it couldn't hold its own after a while," The new trainer explained. She might be new to the game, but she wasn't a complete novice. She understood basic physics, on top of her battle experience from school. That was more than enough to give her an advantage over most beginning trainers.

Alex felt slightly smug as the stranger announced he didn't know what a Rotom was. Then again, she hadn't been all too familiar with the species before last night. The only reason she'd even really heard of it prior was from extra curricular exploits in her foreign studies club. Either way, the boy calmed down and it did quite a lot for Alex's nerves as she visibly relaxed her muscles a bit. Her arm relaxed, swinging down to her side.

What was shocking was that he was in fact NOT a Pokémon trainer! Most kids his age had already come by their first Pokémon unless they were still in school. "Y-you don't have a Pokémon?" Alex stuttered, still trying to deal with the shock. She was sure she would run into brats with their Pokémon, ones who'd been training for far longer than she.

She shook her head lightly, trying to gather herself back up. "Well you obviously don't know much about them! You shouldn't be out here without a Pokémon of your own, it's dangerous!" Alex scolded, crossing her arms sternly. Great, now she felt responsible for his safety too, just what she needed.

"Alex, maybe we could help him catch a Pokémon!" Cyndaquil chimed in finally. He stared up to his trainer adoringly, and it broke her with ease. She had little in the way of will when it came to animals an Pokémon, she always spoiled them!

"Right, so you can call me Alex," she stated, pulling out her Pokédex. She flipped through the on screen menu to check out what kind of Pokémon were in the area. "It looks like plenty of common Pokémon can be found around here this time of day. You should really have one of your own to protect you," she said, putting the dex away.

Entering scholar mode, Alex began to explain the workings of Pokémon and routes like this one. "Wild Pokémon can appear just about anywhere. On routes like this they're even more likely to pop up. They especially like to hide in tall grass," Alex explained, pulling out an empty pokéball. "This is a pokéball, and it's needed in order to capture and tame a wild Pokémon. You can capture a Pokémon by weakening it in a Pokémon battle, then throw the ball at it," Alex handed the pokéball to Jeremy.

"I'll show you how to battle, we can use Cyndaquil," Alex said, offering her Pokémon up to help Jeremy. Cyndaquil squeaked in agreement, nodding happily. "We just have to find a wild Pokémon to battle first," Alex stated, looking around for a potential partner for Jeremy.

Cyndaquil caught the flutter from the corner of his eyes, jerking his head to face the flock of Pidgey. "Over there!" he announced, giving general direction by facing them. One Pidgey faltered from the group, seeming to gain an interest in the small gathering Alex and the others formed. "There are some Pokémon!"

"Right! Jeremy, watch closely!" Alex announced, pointing to the lone bird. "Go Cyndaquil, start with Tackle!" Alex announced, starting off strong. She could tell it wasn't a very high level Pokémon, so she wanted to be careful not to knock it out before Jeremy could capture it. "To weaken a wild Pokémon, you need to attack it to lower its health," Alex explained as they went.

"Right!" Cyndaquil responded quickly, bounding forward into the perceived arena. In a dash, he took off toward Pidgey. Making a beeline for the foe, he leapt forward at the last moment in attempt to tackle it to the ground! It was his weakest damage dealing attack currently, but was simple enough to use.

"Each Pokémon has certain moves they can use. Not all species have the same move set, and different Pokémon learn different moves as they level up," Alex went on, teaching the beginner. She really didn't have the time to teach him too much, but the basics shouldn't be too hard. "Most Pidgey around that level don't have many moves. According to my Pokédex, this one should know Tackle and Sand Attack unless it has any special moves it was born with," The young woman was again holding her Pokédex, letting it scan the wild bird.

"Cyndaquil, follow up with Smokescreen!" Alex called out, waving her free arm toward the foe as she slid the dex back into her pack. Cyndaquil nodded, hopping back after his tackle attack and opening his tiny mouth. With a cry, he began to spew out a cloud of black smoke in attempt to lower Pidgey's accuracy. "Some moves don't do damage, but affect a Pokémon's stats temporarily. By lowering stats of wild Pokémon, they can become easier to capture."

Alex watched as the attack struck critically, the bird probably hanging on by just a thread. The smokescreen was multipurpose, hindering  Pidgey's accuracy as well as making it more likely to be caught. However, Alex knew it wouldn't wait long before counter attacking. "Cyndaquil, get back!" Alex ordered confidently.

"Right!" Cyndaquil called back in a focused and determined manner. Following the command swiftly, the small fire shrew jumped back away from the cloud of smoke. Just in time too, as Pidgey burst out of it not a moment later! Thanks to its inability to see in the thick haze, Cyndaquil's movement was enough to allow Pidgey to miss him entirely.

Alex looked over to Jeremy, whose eyes were fixated on the battle at hand. "Now Jeremy, throw the ball! Pidgey is weakened from the attack!" Alex commanded, still in battle mode. It was kind of funny, really, since she was ordering Jeremy almost like she would Cyndaquil.

Cyndaquil snickered a bit, recognizing the behavior himself. "He's not a Pokémon, Alex," he chided, though teasingly. The girl blushed a bit, scratching her head and laughing it off. "But really, you do need to throw the ball before Pidgey can escape!" Cyndaquil said, agreeing with his trainer on the matter. Many a trainer had lost opportunities to capture Pokémon by not taking the chance given.

Alex found herself caught up in the situation, heart pulsing in her throat as she anxiously watched the ball rocking. However, when it came to rest she pumped a fist, hissing a "Yesss," as she did so. However, looking to Jeremy it was clear he was still confused. It was really strange to her, finding someone so utterly unaware of Pokémon and the ways of this world.

"You did it, Jeremy!" Cyndaquil chimed excitedly, rocking side to side cutely. He waddled over to the settled ball, picking it up with his little nub like arms. Wobbling his way over to Jeremy, Cyndaquil held the ball up for the newbie trainer.

"That's right," Alex said, still unsure of Jeremy and his complete lack of general knowledge. "When the ball stops rocking, it means the Pokémon was captured. Sometimes they break free, but the weaker a Pokémon is the easier to catch they are," she explained further. "Go ahead, give it a toss and meet your new partner."

"Yeah! Pidgey is your Pokémon now, you can even give him a name if you want!" Cyndaquil squeaked excitedly. Between the scholar and the Professor's pet, the duo were well learned in most things Pokémon. Even so, they were pretty hopeless without the other for some reason.

[forgot to add this bit in the previous post]
Cyndaquil earned 7 EXP from the battle!
----------------------
When Alex and Cyndaquil confirmed the capture, Jeremy relaxed a little. Though he was as excited as Alex, he did not voice it. It was Alex and her Cyndaquil who had done the battling, after all, and he didn't feel it right for him to cheer. At the time, it was to be his first Pokémon, so he did have some mixed feelings.

When he sent out the Pidgey, however, and it let out its cry, "Pidgya~!", he couldn't help but feel exceedingly grateful.

"Thank you very much!" Jeremy said to Alex, very much glad to have had a teacher. Suddenly, he perked up, and took something from his pockets. "Right, um.." he held out in his hand what looked like a piece of Charcoal - and it was. "Um.. I found this on my way here. Someone told me it helps Fire type Pokémon." Knowing that it seemed like a simple piece of junk, he was a little embarrassed, but he didn't have anything else to give. "You can have it if you'd like."

Alex smiled a bit as Jeremy's face lit up. There really was nothing like the feeling of getting your first Pokémon. She glanced down to Cyndaquil for a moment, it was hard to believe they'd only been together a day so far! It seemed like so much had already happened. Still, she knew they had a long way to go ahead of them. She looked back up to Jeremy as he approached.

"Oh no, no need to thank me," Alex started, waving her hand a bit as he began his spiel. Still, when he pulled out the charcoal and offered it to her, it was very tempting. It would help power up Cyndaquil's moves greatly. Besides, Jeremy didn't have a fire type Pokémon of his own. So he couldn't use it anyway, right?

She knew the item could be extremely useful. She also knew they were rather expensive if you bought them from the Charcoal Man in Azalea Town. Smiling, she took the chunk of charcoal from Jeremy with a nod. "Thanks, this could really help give Cyndaquil an advantage!" Alex said, trying to be friendly about it. She didn't want to come across as greedy, after all.

"What's that, Alex?" Cyndaquil asked curiously, trying to stand on his tippy-toes to get a better look. He tumbled forward, landing on his chin with a thud and groan. "Ouch..." he groaned, sitting back up and shaking his head.

Alex placed her hand to her face, rubbing her head a bit at Cyndaquil's antics. "It's a cut of Charcoal," Alex replied, digging in her pack for some string. Using a needle and thread, she made a strong loop and tied the string to the charcoal. "Here, if you hold it it can make your fire attacks stronger," she said, placing the string over his head like a necklace.

"Oh, thank you!" Cyndaquil chimed happily. Unlike Alex, he was genuinely friendly and happy. He was just still so innocent inside, which was possibly why Alex picked him. He was like a part of her that she'd lost long ago. She sighed with a smile, rubbing his head before standing and turning back to Jeremy.

"Well, now you're a full fledged Trainer! You should be careful though. Pidgey can help protect you from wild Pokémon, but sometimes trainers will challenge you to battle too. I suggest you take him back to Cherrygrove City Pokémon Center and have him healed. Then you can pick up some pokéballs from the mart there, so you'll be able to catch more Pokémon," Alex spoke, finally ending her teacher mode.

She feigned a smile one last time, and gave a saluting wave to Jeremy. "I think this is where we say goodbye," she said, trying to seem somewhat stoic and epic about it. "Take care, kid," and with that, Alex turned to go down the path again. Cyndaquil gave a cute wave, then bounded off after his trainer on the road to Violet City!

Shortly after Alex got to Violet City, the heavy footsteps could be heard from not far behind. If Alex were to look back, she would see Professor Elm running as hard as he could. As soon as he caught up to Alex, he stopped, panting, hands on his knees. As he spoke, he constantly paused for breaths. "Ah, Alex... I see you just got.. to Violet City. I've been waiting... here for quite a while. You see, I..." Professor Elm then paused when he heard what he was saying, and straightened his glasses. "Ah, whoops... you got here a lot sooner than I expected. Honestly, I was hoping to get to Violet City first, but you're a pretty fast traveller." He was a bit embarrassed, having practised his first words over with the anticipation of Alex meeting him there.


He finally recovered from his sprint. "So, I've been doing some thinking back at the labratory. I've come to assist you on the concept Pokémon battles. How does that sound?"

Alex strolled along, encountering very little along the way. It seemed her reputation from the tree had kept most of the wild Pokémon at bay. Likewise, none of the trainers were willing to battle her either. She didn't really mind though, that just meant she would get to Violet City faster!

About midway down the route, the sun had faded and Alex had been traveling by the light of Cyndaquil's flames. The route was easily twice as long and twisted as the one between Newbark and Cherrygrove. And so, finding what seemed like a good place to rest Alex set up camp. It was simplistic, a tarp thrown over a low hanging branch and staked to the ground. She didn't need much, after all. A good night of rest, and they would be on their way again.

Th next morning came quickly, Alex unable to sleep in as the morning sun assaulted her. Having Cyndaquil start a small fire, Alex cooked a small rice breakfast using some of the provisions she'd picked up. It was bland and quite flavorless, but she needed food that would store well and keep on her travels. Once camp was packed away, Alex and Cyndaquil continued on their way to Violet City.

By mid afternoon, she began to groan about her feet hurting. Checking the map card on her Pokégear, she could swear they should have arrived already. Surely enough, she saw the sign up ahead. "Welcome to Violet City" it read, the hard packed soil transitioning into concrete pathways. The tops of buildings came into view, the distinct Sprout Tower rising high above the rest to the far north of town.

"Violet City. Check it out, Cyndaquil, we made it!" Alex spoke aloud, heart racing in her chest. It was exciting to know she'd made it here so quickly. With a start, she began to run into town. Boots beating the path, Cyndaquil squeaked and quickly bounded after her. However, she was cut short when she heard something behind her.

Stopping abruptly, Alex spun around in a defensive stance to protect herself from the unknown danger! As soon as she saw Elm flailing about fruitlessly as he ran...well, as he did what Alex could only assume was an attempt at running, anyway, she relaxed. "Professor Elm, what are you doing here?" she queried, confused. He was normally so reclusive, and wasn't much for field work after all.

Once Elm explained the situation, Alex's cheeks turned flush. She raised her hands to shade her eyes as she looked to the ground. It was embarrassing, but did she now have to admit that she knew how to battle? Cyndaquil began laughing at the situation, especially as Alex's face changed colors! "I didn't know you were part Keckleon!" he joked as he rolled.

"Uhm, actually Professor..." Alex began, all the while unsure of how to tell him that his efforts were useless. "I know how to battle. I even caught a Rotom the other night, and helped someone else catch their first Pokémon just yesterday," the young woman explained, all the while not wanting to look into Elm's eyes.

Upon hearing how skilled Alex really was, the Pokémon Professor straightened his glasses once more - it seemed to be a habit. "I see. That's good to hear," he said. He did not really look disappointed, nor did he appear relieved. In fact, he appeared to have something else on his mind. "It's good to see you again, Cyndaquil. How are you liking your long-awaited adventure so far?"

He looked ahead a little. "I actually had another reason for passing through here. You see, I heard about something that happened in Goldenrod City. I have to see it for myself."

Alex was mildly relieved to see that the Professor didn't take the rejection badly. Still, he seemed quite worried about something. She internalized, wondering what could make him come all the way to Violet City instead of sending an aide. It was pretty troubling for her to think about it, but surely he hadn't come all this way just to give her a lesson in battling.

Turning his attention to Cyndaquil, he met a cheery reply. "Oh yes, it's good to see you too, Professor! I'm having a lot of fun, we even got to camp out last night!" Cyndaquil acted like roughing it in the wild was a privilege or something. Alex sighed a bit at her naive partner, before Elm continued.

Upon the mention of Goldenrod City, Alex felt a chilling shock roll up her spine. She had just been there days earlier, packing her belongings from her residence for the adventure. It couldn't have been something small, or else Elm would have simply sent an Aide to check it out, right? It was hard to imagine than in only a few days time something so big could have happened.

"G-Goldenrod?! Are you sure?!" Alex asked, worry in her voice. She felt her body tense up as she took a step back in disbelief. "What did you hear?! What happened in Goldenrod?!" The anxiety was clear in her intonation as well as her wide eyes. Her mind raced, trying to think of what could have happened.

The Professor didn't wasn't really surprised at her sudden interest. "Yes.. you see, apparently a Foreigner claiming he could help Pokémon with Evolution." He had paused for a moment, apparently still sorting through the thoughts. The idea of helping evolution alone probably didn't sound all that great a reason for him to be out. "It seems that, while apparently this person can help Pokémon evolve to their next form, what mystifies me more is, apparently this person has learned how Pokémon could also regain their pre-evolved forms." Once again, he paused. He didn't understand why anyone would want their Pokémon to unevolve. Their evolution did, after all, symbolise growth. That was at least how he saw it. "Apparently, there also seem to have been some strange side effects... unfortunately, I can't quite remember it."

Alex felt her body tingle as she calmed down, letting out a sigh of relief. None of what Elm was saying really sounded like a bad thing, after all. She looked down to her adorable partner, and for a moment could see why someone might want to undo evolution in a Pokémon. Still, the Professor had gotten her all worked up over nothing, it seemed! If anything, it sounded like scientific advancement.

"Oh is that all?" Alex asked, clearly relieved it wasn't something disastrous. The commotion Rotom had caused back in Cherrygrove seemed more worrisome than this. "You scared me there for a minute. I thought something bad had happened!" Alex said, feeling a bit infuriated by it in her afterthought.

"He can help Pokémon evolve? Maybe we should see him, Alex?" Cyndaquil asked, looking up to his partner. He probably felt a little weak still, since most of his battles so far had been pretty tough ones. Alex smiled down to him a moment, before kneeling and shaking her head.

"Nah, we don't need someone like that. I'm sure you'll evolve when you're good and ready," she responded, placing a hand gently on his head. He cooed happily, jumping in her arms for an embrace. She laughed a bit, standing back up with him in her arms.

"So are you just passing through, then? You really shouldn't be traveling alone, Professor. No offense, but you don't really seem like much of an outdoorsman..." Alex trailed, not wanting to offend him too much. But it was true, Elm was known for being more interested in books and inside research than getting dirty. That was what he had his lab assistants for, after all!

"Either way, it sounds like some pretty scientific stuff is happening. I guess you want in on it, huh?" Alex asked with a teasing smile. It really didn't occur to her that there were potential dangers associated with forcing a Pokémon to evolve. To mess with the very genetic structure of nature, what could possibly be the end game?

The Professor chuckled, though more out of Chagrin. "What can I say?" He did take pride in calling himself a Professor. "Well, I'll be in town for a while. I'm going to rest up for an hour or two before setting back out." He motioned to walk away, but paused himself. "Ah, I just remembered.. if you do decide to meet this person, you should be watchful. According to rumours, many Pokémon this person has helped began acting strangely; there have even been reports of some disappearing." After saying what he needed to say, he walked off.

Alex was caught in her own thoughts for a moment, trying to soak in what the Professor had just told her. "Alex?" Cyndaquil asked meekly, looking up to his trainer. She looked back down to him, holding him tightly in her arms. The Pokémon went missing? That was a bit troublesome.

Trying to shake her mind of the thought, Alex decided to do something else for now. "Say Cyndaquil, why don't we go get a bite to eat? My treat," the newish trainer said, feigning a smile to her partner. "Afterward we can go check out Sprout Tower. I hear if you beat the monks they'll give you something special," Alex said with a light laugh.

"Alright! Food!" Cyndaquil cheered excitedly. He leapt from Alex's arms, and the two walked off. They found a food stand to grab some tasty smelling grub, and found a spot of cool grass to have a picnic on. They ate contentedly, chatting mindlessly about this and that, Cyndaquil doing most of the talking really. Afterward, they laid there for a good thirty minutes just soaking in the late afternoon sun and letting their bellies rest.

After their rest, Alex sat up with a grunt. She let out a sigh, stomach still somewhat full. "Well Cyndaquil, you ready?" Alex asked, looking to her bloated friend. He merely replied with a positive hum and nod of his head, clearly still full as well. Laughing, Alex made him do some stretches with her to get the blood flowing once more.

A few minutes thereafter, the duo made their way to the northern end of town. A large building stood, swaying as though made from bamboo. It was strong and the structure was sturdy though. Still, it really did live up to its reputation, supposedly having a giant Bellsprout be its center pillar as it wavered to and fro. Alex admired the structure for a minute before heading inside to climb the tower. She wanted the prize at the end, after all!

Outside of the tower, stood a man wearing a black robe. A string of rosary hung from his neck and down to his chest. He waved to the young woman that approached. "Hello, young traveller. I see you've taken interest in Sprout Tower. You may enter, but if you do, prepare to battle the other sages in the tower." He bowed politely to the Alex and her Cyndaquil.

"If you manage to defeat all the sages, you'll receive a gift from the elder Sage himself," he finished.

--

The first person Alex encountered was rather young compared to the one outside. Still, he seemed a lot older than her. He was bald, like the other sage "So you've come to challenge us.. very well, I'll be your first opponent. Be warned, I won't hold back." He took a Pokéball from his (... robe flap??) and threw it out. "Go, Bellsprout!" He shouted, the Pokéball bursting open. A Bellsprout appeared, preparing for battle.

♀ Bellsprout Lv. 3

Alex listened to the first man's words, giving a slight nod like bow out of respect. "Thanks, but I'm sure we're prepared for this. We came here for the challenge after all, right?" Alex asked looking down to her partner. It might have been a bit cocky for her to say, but the last day made her much more confident in her skills as a trainer. She'd just had a rough start, was all.

"That's right!" Cyndaquil cheered excitedly, jumping up a bit when he said it. He was pumped up, ready to show Alex what all he could do. He hadn't done a great job against Chikorita, and even struggled against Rotom. But this time he wasn't going to let her down, he was sure of it!

The two proceeded to the next floor, where the swaying could begin to be felt. It was faint, and you really only noticed if you held still. Nevertheless, it was a bit disorienting, and mildly alarming to all the instincts grounded in Alex. Still, she pressed on until greeted by the first sage, who sent out the grass type to start.

"Alright, well I'm Alex, and we don't intend to lose this challenge," Alex said confidently, taking battle stance. She pointed to the area between herself and the Sage where Bellsprout stood. "Alright Cyndaquil, go ahead, use Ember!"

"Right!" Cyndaquil said, reacting quickly. It was probably a bit overkill, but Alex hadn't really took any potential level differences into account. She was going to hit for super effective, she didn't want a repeat of Chikorita after all. Cyndaquil entered the field, igniting the flames on his back. With a cry of his name, he opened his mouth and spewed out small flames at the foe!

Items
Cyndaquil - Charcoal

The Cyndaquil's Ember made its way to the Bellsprout. The poor plant Pokémon caught fire - it panicked and flailed back and forth trying to put out the fire. Distressed, the sage recalled the Bellsprout. He sighed in dismay. "... Alright, you beat me. The other sages here are more skilled than I am, however."


CYNDAQUIL GAINED 3 EXPERIENCE!
Alex earned 300円　from the battle!


--
The next sage actually looked little different from the last. "So you've defeated my younger brother.. he still has yet to learn our ways. You may find me yet a more formidable foe." For a sage, he displayed a great amount of pride. "Go, Bellsprout!" Yet another Bellsprout was sent out into the field.

♂ BELLSPROUT LV. 7

Alex was actually quite surprised at how quickly the battle was over. Blinking and somewhat stunned, she didn't know what to say. She figured a Bellsprout wouldn't put up much of a fight against Cyndaquil, but still! Either way, Cyndaquil looked extremely happy to have won. In fact, this was his first real victory! All the other Pokémon he'd faced had been captured.

He rushed over to Alex, who knelt down with a soft smile. She pet him, realizing why it was he was so excited. "Good job, Cyndaquil!" she congratulated, standing back up to meet the Sage eye to eye. Though it might have been her greedy bone, she was more than happy to take the money for such an easy win. Still, she tried to show some modesty while taking it even if feigned. "Thank you, and I look forward to the challenge that the others present," she noted, moving on to the next challenge.

If they were all as easy as the first, this challenge would be a breeze. Cyndaquil was getting some well needed battle experience, and Alex got some money. Money would definitely be helpful, considering she had just blown some on lunch earlier. After all, she wanted to be able to buy things for her Pokémon later on down the road! Technical Machines to teach them new moves, rare candies, hold items. There were plenty of things she wanted to buy, but this was the first step.

Approaching the next Sage, she wasn't surprised when he brushed off the younger one she had defeated. Still, she thought these people were supposed to be all modest and spiritual. This guy had a cocky air to him, a little too confident for a man wearing a robe. She felt a twinge, and the need to knock him down a peg.

When she saw the Bellsprout, Alex smirked. "Alright, I accept your challenge! Cyndaquil, go use Aerial Ace!" Alex didn't hesitate, giving the command as she pointed to the new enemy. She was sure this one would be over as quickly as the last.

"You got it!" Cyndaquil called out, bounding forward into the fight zone. Flames igniting on his back, his entire body began to glow. In a swift and accurate movement, Cyndaquil leapt into the air. He was flying! He flew down to strike the Bellsprout, knowing the move wouldn't miss.