.::-The Adventure of a Millenium-::. The Sound of Bells

The boy and his Zorua were making their way to Violet City. On the way there, however, Kazuto was doing some thinking. How should he go about training Zorua? Does he have to search out and battle every Pokémon he can possibly find? It sounded rather tiresome.

But then, battling wasn't the only method of training. He looked at his partner, and she looked back at him. "Hey, how would you like some battle practise?"

--
Training - Zorua

Kazuto found a stump that reached to his waist. The scars on it showed that this wouldn't be the the stump's first experience being a practise doll. "Alright, Yukikou! Use your Double Team. And attack it with Scratch!"

The Zorua nodded. She first used her Double Team skill. It appeared that she cloned herself many times. Then all of them leaped into the air. At the last moment, the doubles all disappeared, and the original alone clawed at the stump. Three small grooves were left behind.

"Great job, Yuki!!" He waited a moment, then continued. "Now.. take a running start, and use your Pursuit!" The Zorua backed up a little to put space between her and the stump. She then dashed forward, and tackled the stump with Pursuit. Though it didn't do much, Kazuto grinned. One last touch, and they would be done for now. "Use your Fury Swipes!"

As told, the Zorua attacked the stump exactly three times in succession with her claws. Her claws have left a great indent in the stump. In the heat of the moment, Zorua backed up, and a dark purple energy was suddenly emitted from her mouth. Then she shot a beam of back circles at the stump. They ate their way through the wood, and left a gaping hole.

Caught by surprise, Kazuto lost his composure. ".. Wow.. how did you do that?" He didn't know what the move even was. The Zorua looked up to Kazuto, rather proud of her work. "Ah.. okay.. do it again, whatever you did..!" She once again prepared to attack, but this time she choked on the energy. It seemed that one time was enough for her small body for now. She seemed a little disappointed at the failure. Kazuto was too amazed from the first time to sulk over it. "You did great, Yukikou.. let's stop for now."

End of Training

Though the Zorua was not tired, he didn't want to wear her out all at once. "We're getting close to Violet City. I wonder what we'll find this time." He highly doubted he would have another encounter the way he did with those three Pokémon in the Burned Tower. With that, the two made their ways to Violet City.

Yukkikou gained 29 experience from their efforts, growing to level 14 in the process. Her fur seemed to gain a sheen to it as she leveled, looking a bit stronger. In addition, she wasn't far off from leveling again! She seemed to puff her chest out proudly, though she hadn't been able to recreate the powerful dark attack.

Before the two could quite reach Violet City, they passed near a large patch of tall grass. A rustle came, followed by a low intimidating growl. Stepping from the grass, a quadrupedal canine Pokémon stepped out. He sported orange fur with black stripes down his back and tail. The fur along his muzzle and underbelly was cream, same as his tail and small tuft on top of his head.

It was a Growlithe! From the looks of things, he was a male around level 12. He growled low, barking at Kazuto and his partner aggressively. They had apparently stumbled onto his territory, and he wasn't too happy about it! Eyes turning sharp, he focused his attention on Yukkikou. With an intimidating Leer, he began the battle in an ambush style!

Kazuto was caught by surprise, and he stepped back. As usual, the Zorua took the stage without a second thought. However, the Leer from the Growlithe put her off balance. Though she regained her composure, the image wouldn't be so easily forgotten. Kazuto took a moment to adjust to battle. Would their training help them overcome this new foe? "Yukikou, use your Fury Swipes!" He shouted.

The fox Pokémon sprinted forward for battle. She drew her claws, and prepared to scratch with her claws.

Growlithe wasn't given long to respond, as Yukkikou quickly joined the battle. Rushing at him, she slashed him with her claws three times! Growling and yipping, Growlithe rubbed the bridge of his nose with a paw where Yukkikou had struck him. Angrily, he shook himself of it to regain his composure.

Rushing the foe suddenly, his tail began glowing. Hardening like a piece of steel, Growlithe quickly spun around in an attempt to strike the foe Zorua with it! Growlithe used Iron Tail! Apparently he was born with the egg move, making him a bit of a special wold Pokémon.

It was a clean hit to the fox Pokémon. With her defence lowered, it hurt even more. She fell from the force of the blow. Growling a little from the pain, the fox picked herself back up. She still had plenty of fight left in her.

An idea came to Kazuto. He pulled out an empty Pokéball. "Yukikou, attack once more! Use your Scratch attack!" With that, Kazuto prepared to throw the Pokéball, whether the Scratch was a hit or a miss.

Yukkikou's claws landed across Growlithe's muzzle again, the Pokémon yipping from the sting. Still, he seemed lively. He was about to attack again when the ball struck him, absorbing him within. It rocked once...twice...three times, then POP! It burst open. The Growlithe still had a little fight in him, after all!

Stepping back, Growlithe opened his maw wide. Within, a fire began swirling. Using the latent energy from within, he began to spit small embers out at Yukkikou! Growlithe was using his Ember attack! The fire pup would need to be weakened a bit more before being captured.

The ember was small, but it burst in the fox Pokémon's face with plenty of power. She yipped and jumped back, shaking herself of the hot air. The Zorua regained her composure and put her mind back on the battle.

Kazuto was a little disappointed when the capture failed. It seemed so close, too! It seemed this Growlithe was plenty strong. He gritted his teeth, grabbing another empty Pokéball. He was going to try again. "Yukikou, use Pursuit!" The Zorua took a step or two back, then sprinted toward the Growlithe, intending to tackle it with Pursuit. Afterwards, Kazuto would once again be throwing the Pokéball in Growlithe's direction.

Growlithe was struck by the blow from Yukkikou's pursuit. Though it did damage, Growlithe seemed to crackle with firey energy immediately after. His Justified ability increased his attack! Smirking deviously, he bared his teeth to the Zorua. He would bite her, and wouldn't let go this time! At least, that's what he thought.

He hadn't been paying attention to the trainer, and that was his downfall. The red and white orb flew through the air, striking the puppy Pokemon. It opened up, absorbing the Pokemon inside with a red beam. Growlithe began fighting to break free. The ball rocked once, Growlithe still putting in effort. The ball rocked twice, the Pokemon wearing down. The ball rocked a third time, then with an audible click, came to rest.

Growlithe was captured! Would you like to nickname the freshly captured Growlithe?

When the Pokéball calmed down, Kazuto slowly approached it to lift it. "It seems we've got a new member, Yukikou.." The Zorua cheered at his feet, though wavering a little. Was it a wise choice to capture the Growlithe? He hoped the Pokémon wouldn't be angry at him for doing so. Either way, he wanted the Growlithe to be well rested before releasing it from the Pokéball. Zorua didn't seem to be standing too well, either. Kazuto guessed that this was far from his last trip to the Pokémon Centre.

He made it to Violet City, and his first priority was to get his Pokémon healed. When he entered the Pokémon Centre, however, the place was quite packed. Apparently, there has been an influx of new trainers with various Pokémon. There was even a line to get to reception for his Pokémon to be healed. He sighed as he waited.

About five minutes passed, and he was at the front desk. The line was longer behind him than when it started. "Um.. excuse me.. I would like for my Pokémon to get some rest.. if that's okay." He understood that the Nurse would be under a lot of pressure, and wouldn't have been surprised about a little hostility.

A Chansey and Blissey seemed to be the ones handling most of the Pokemon, which helped the Nurse Joy of this town greatly. She did seem stressed, though it was only to be expected. Many new trainers passed through Violet City on their way to being Pokemon Masters! Between Gym battles and trainers being unable to handle many wild Pokemon, the place seemed to be this busy at least every few days.

"Oh hello, Welcome to the Violet City Pokemon Center. Please fill out this form and a Center Aide will be around when it's your turn," the pink haired woman said, though it was clearly a recited line. She said it to everyone in line, handing them a piece of paper to fill out and a number.

Kazuto was sent to sit in the waiting room until his number was called. When it came up, a Chansey came around the room with a tray, and collected his Pokemon to be healed. The great pink blob waddled off to the back room, still looking cheerful as ever. It was a good thirty minutes by the time he got his Pokemon back, but they were eventually returned to him in tip-top shape!

"No way, Falkner is a beast man. I still bet my Charmander can take him, though," a younger male's voice came from nearby. It seemed a small gathering of trainers were sharing their Pokemon. A couple looked to be trading as yet another was admired for having the badge already.

Kazuto overheard the conversation, though it was rather difficult not to hear their voices. He took some interest in it. Certainly, Kazuto has heard of the Gym Leaders - there was one in Mahogany Town, too, after all.  He had never exactly considered actually going after the gym badges, however. What did he have to gain from it?

With his Pokémon completely healed, he decided not to burden the nurse any longer. He exited the Pokémon Centre and looked around Violet City. He searched the city for something to do. He saw at one part of town, there was a tower that rose high above the city - Sprout Tower. He heard that the main objective, however, was to battle your way to the top, and it didn't quite appeal to him.

And then there was the Pokémon Gym. There were already many people lined up at the gym, too. Unlike the Pokémon Centre, however, there was only one Gym Leader. He had to be pretty worn by now, not to mention his Pokémon. As he walked around the city, he found a bench, and sat there. It felt like there was nothing to do here. The Zorua sat on his lap, and Kazuto held the Growlithe's Pokéball in his hand. He barely knew anything about his first Pokémon, and now he already had another. He really needed a Pokédex, he reflected, but he had a hunch that this would be pretty bad timing to put in a request for one.

He stood again, and walked to the outskirts of the unusually popular city. With fewer people around, he released the Growlithe from its Pokéball. After he adjusted to being back outside the Pokéball, he approached Kazuto and attacked him! The Growlithe had his wrist between his jaws, and squeezed. The Growlithe did not bite as hard as he could, but it resulted in his wrist bleeding. It would probably leave a mark later.

Kazuto was on his knees, trying to bare the pain. When the Zorua stepped up to protect him, Kazuto motioned him down. After a while, the Growlithe released his wrist, and was apparently satisfied. Kazuto picked himself up, sighing. This probably wouldn't be an easy task. "Listen, Growlithe. I know you may not be a very big fan of my right now, but I'm hoping we can get to know each other better." It sounded a bit cheesy, he knew, but he was fine with it. The Growlithe didn't really react to what he said. It didn't look like he would be attacked again, but wanted to be on the safe side. "I'd like to see what you are capable of. Are you willing to cooperate?" Kazuto was a bit surprised when the Growlithe nodded. It appeared that the one bite was enough to settle what the Growlithe had against him.

Training - Growlithe

Kazuto searched around the forest for some place convenient and safe for a Fire-type Pokémon to train at. They came across  a small toppled tree. It almost looked as if a lightning bold from above had struck down that one tiny tree. He decided that this was the ideal spot to train. There were similar trees to this one, but in much better condition.

"Okay, Growlithe.. let's see what you can do. First of all, use your Iron Tail against that tree there!" The Growlithe did as he was told. He jumped up high, somersaulted, and his tail seemed to shine in the light. He struck a branch on the tree, and it was instantly torn off.

Kazuto was surprised at the display. He wondered how much it hurt for Zorua to be hit by that much power. "Next.." he pointed at the branch that was just broken off. "Use Bite on that branch!" And so Growlithe moved forward against the fallen branch, and took it into his mouth. The branch was rather sturdy, and when the Growlithe set the stick down, it had large indents from his teeth. "Great job, Growlithe, but you're not done yet." It seemed that Growlithe was more eager than disappointed about the practise session not being over just yet. "Here's your last objective: Use Bite, this time on the tree! While you've got a grip, use Ember!"

The Growlithe ran forward and latched on to a tree branch with his fangs. As soon as he did, orange flames could be seen emitting from from his teeth. After a while, the rest of the tree started burning. At least it was a safe distance from other trees.

"You did great, Growlithe. Take a rest for now."
End of Training

Once they finished, Kazuto debated on putting Growlithe back in his Pokéball. He decided against it, remembering that Kazuto and Zorua had yet to eat. He wasn't really sure about Growlithe, but it wouldn't hurt to give him some food, too. In his bag, he found a few sandwiches and a decent amount of Pokémon food. Both Growlithe and Zorua were eager to have their fill.

Growlithe was happy to train on a regular regiment. It was actually more natural to him that way! He was just that kind of Pokémon, and had gained 28 experience from their efforts. He had even grown to level 14! He was now on the same page as Yukkikou, who hadn't been with Kazuto for the longest either. The two Pokémon happily chowed down on their food, Growlithe not needing to hunt for a change. It was actually kind of nice!

Unfortunately, their little picnic had drawn the attention of some nearby Pokémon. One in particular didn't seem at all afraid to approach! Growlithe growled lowly, baring his fangs as the blue, amphibious creature approached. It stood on two stubby, round legs with a large, thick tail. It didn't appear to have any sort of arms, and had blue markings on its stomach. Its head was quite large compared to its body, with large purple branching gills protruding from the sides of its face.

It was a Wooper! This one in particular appeared to be a female, approximately level seven. She seemed intrigues by the food, ignoring Growlithe's warnings as she got closer. "Woopahh~" she droned cutely, tilting her oversized head in curiosity.

Kazuto was taking a bite from his sandwich when he heard the Canine Pokémon's growl. He looked up to see the strange blue Pokémon approaching their group. Curious, he watched the Pokémon for a moment. When it was clear that their food was the quarry, Kazuto sighed. He meant to save the rest of the Pokémon food for an emergency, but it seemed he would be going to buy more sooner than he thought. He unscrewed the cap to one of the portable cans of Pokémon food, and approached the Wooper.

"Here. It's not to take food from others, but I'll let you have this can. How does that sound?" Before the Wooper answered, he set the food down, showing it was the same food that Yukikou and the Growlithe were eating. He hoped he wouldn't regret the gesture, and was watchful for any more potential visitors.

Wooper hobbled over to the can, bending over to inspect it. "Woopah, Woopahhh~" he exclaimed in a happy and cute fashion. A couple Rattata emerged from the grass as well, approaching and sniffing at Wooper's meal. Growlithe on the other hand seemed extremely unhappy with the situation.

Wrapping a paw around his own can, he growled and bared his teeth at Pokémon who approached him. He pulled his own food close, protecting it from the invaders. Three or so Rattata, another Wooper, and even a Mareep seemed to come out of the woodwork as Kazuto showed empathy toward the first. It may have not been the best idea, though it was understandably hard to turn down a cute Pokémon.

Kazuto found himself surrounded by Pokémon. He wasn't sure what to do. There certainly wasn't enough food to go around for this many Pokémon. Uncertain, Kazuto re-packed their food. Kazuto was ready to deal with any biting that came with taking the Growlithe's food, and packed it with the rest of the food. He felt bad, but figured Growlithe would prefer eating his food later, than not have any at all.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, taking the can that he had taken from the Wooper. He took a handful of the Pokémon food and threw it out, hoping their attention would be called to that food, and ran. He didn't know what he would do if he were chased after by that many Pokémon.

As the food was scattered, the Pokémon did as well. It was like watching a school of Magikarp bubble up to the surface of a river for bread crumbs. The Pokémon were all over, heads down as they searched out for every last kibble. As Kazuto scooped up the canisters for his own Pokémon, Growlithe barked but didn't bite.

The route was long, running alongside a small mountain. A clearing to the west was where the Ruins of Alph were, to the east some docks on a stream. Fishermen were casting their lines, belts full of pokéballs. The grassy path led around and south, to a Pokémon Center seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Nearby, the entrance to a cave loomed. It was through there people would need to travel to get to Azalea Town.

Azalea Town was rather unique in that no matter which way you approached, it was rather secluded. Aside from flying in on a Pokémon, only two routes led into the village. To the west, Ilex forest, and to the east Union Cave. This is where Kazuto now found himself, standing near the mouth of Union Cave.

"Hey boy, come over here," a voice beckoned. Turning, Kazuto would see an old fisherman standing near the Pokémon Center. "Do you like to fish? I noticed you don't seem to have a rod. I have an old one if ye'd like," he said, slight accent in his speech pattern.

Kazuto was glad to have escaped the horde of Pokémon. All at once, it surely would have been a lot, even for the Zorua and Growlithe together. Luckily, he managed to salvage most of the food before running. It was quite the learning experience, and Kazuto would certainly think twice before feeding another curious Pokémon that comes up!

He was a bit worn, having run all this way, and half expected for his two companions to be the same. He saw numerous fishermen with their poles in the water. One even called him out for not having a fishing pole. He felt a bit awkward. "Um.. thanks, but..." Kazuto looked toward the other men who were fishing. They seemed to be simply sitting there, staring at their bobbers, waiting for it to sink. He wasn't sure it suited him to be sitting there like that. Besides, he was a traveller. The idea of carrying a fishing pole everywhere he went sounded a bit inconvenient. He didn't like the idea of finding the fishing hook inside his skin. Besides, he didn't know how to fish. "I don't think I'm exactly suited for this type of thing."

He continued, letting the fishermen continue about their... fishermen.. business, whatever that was. Catch as many Magikarp as possible? He looked at the cave in front of him. There was nowhere else to continue. Though it had been a crucial moment for Yukikou and Kazuto, the last time they were in a cave, it was a pretty scary experience for them. Kazuto had grown up a little since that time, but he still didn't like the idea of going into this cave he knew nothing about. He sighed and continued with his companions into the cave.