Riley slowly got out of his bed, being very cautious not to make any noise. To pull this off, he couldn’t wake anyone, especially Kaiden. Once out of bed, Riley slipped out into the halls still in his pajamas and peered down the stairs. The couldn’t see Kaiden, but didn’t see any signs of movement. So he found it safe to assume that the assistant was asleep.
Taking slow and silent steps, Riley crept down the staircase. At the bottom he looked into the living room. The couch was folded out, and under a pile of blankets and sheets, Riley heard faint snoring. So Kaiden was asleep. And not to mention, that on the main coffee table were the Pokemon. Perfect. Taking baby steps, Riley tiptoed his way over to the coffee table, and lifted up the cylinder. Then he quickly dashed to the door, staying as silent while still being fast. He slipped his sneakers on and slowly creaked the door open and slipped outside, closing it behind him.
He walked around the house, into the backyard and sat in the damp grass with the container in front of him. He opened it up and slowly pulled out each Pokeball and let loose the Pokemon. As they appeared, Riley put his finger to his lips and and made a hush sound. “We have to be really quiet if we want to play.”
The next morning, Kaiden woke up groggily to gentle pushes by someone. He opened his eyes to complain, but quickly he felt hand go over his mouth. “Please come outside. I need your help.” He heard a familiar voice say. He looked and saw it was Riley and he looked a bit spooked. Kaiden agreed, curious to see what the boy’s problem was. The two silently left the house after Kaiden got his boots on, and walked around the side to backyard. There, Kaiden saw the Pokeball container and the Pokeballs lying in the grass beside them. Before he could shout angrily at Riley, the boy’s hands quickly went over his mouth once more.
“Please be quiet and I’ll explain everything.” Riley said in a hushed whisper. Kaiden rolled his eyes and Riley wearily removed his hands from Kaiden’s mouth. “Okay, so I really wanted to learn more about the Pokemon and play with them a bit, so I decided to sneak outside and play with them a little bit. Then return them so no one would know. But I guess we kept on playing and I wore myself out, and I fell asleep. Then when I woke up, they were gone. Now please help me find them.” Riley quickly explained, nervous about Kaiden’s reaction.
Seeing the fear in Riley’s eyes, kept Kaiden’s voice low. “You shouldn't have done that. But I’ll help you find them.Then, I’ll have to tell your aunt and uncle about this. You should know better than to take Pokemon that don’t belong to you.” He quickly gathered the Pokeballs and jogged towards the tree line. “If they would go anywhere they would go here.”
Riley followed him, and within minutes the two were deep in the woods, wearing nothing but their pajamas and shoes. “Why did you do it? That was stupid and immature of you. Unthinkable. Why would you take Pokemon that don’t belong to you?” Kaiden said once they were far enough away from the house that they wouldn’t be heard.
Riley’s eyes scanned the horizon as he walked. “I don’t know. But I wasn’t stealing them. I just wanted to learn about them and play with them. I didn't think that they would run off. And besides, it's stupid to confining Pokemon to their Pokeballs and treating them like things. I couldn't stand it. It was obvious that you haven't taken the out of their Pokeballs for a while, and when you finally did, it was only for a second. How is that fair for them? Sure, what I did was wrong, but I just wanted to help them and not treat them like objects.”
“You're an idiot. They weren't mine nor yours. We had no right to make that kind of call.” Kaiden said sharply.
“Well still. Someone had to, and I'm glad I did. I just wish they hadn't run off. Besides, I don't think that matters now. What matters now, is recovering the Pokemon and making sure they’re safe.” Riley retorted before trying to change the subject. “Okay, so Chikorita is a Grass Type right? So maybe Chikorita is hanging out in a meadow. We have a huge meadow full of wild Grass Type Pokemon, just north of here. It makes sense for her to go there.”
“I guess that makes sense. Lead the way.” Kaiden said shrugging. The duo made a sharp turn and began heading toward the meadow.
Once there, Riley and Kaiden scanned the field. Already Grass Types had gathered and were happily playing in the tall grass. “There, I see a leaf!” Riley shouted pointing to a bundle of leaves that was shaking in the grass. “I'll get Chikorita!” He shouted chasing after it before Kaiden could stop him. Riley ran over and pulled the leaves up only to see an it was an Oddish who was trying to root itsel fin to the ground for the night, and not the Pokemon he was after. The Oddish gave a screech and gave to shake.
“Idiot!” Kaiden shouted tackling Riley away as Oddish fell and released a flurry of purple spores where Riley was before he wa tackled. Then the Grass and Poison Type, scurried off. Kaiden helped Riley up and shook his head angrily. “You are an idiot. That was a Poison Powder attack. If it hit you, it would have been real bad. Chikorita is right over there. Chikorita’s is a lighter shade of green and there is only one of them.” Kaiden pointed to Chikorita who was laying on the ground, snoring. She was tuckered out and had fallen sleep, similar to how Riley had. Kaiden raised Chikorita’s Pokeball and returned her to her Pokeball.
Riley stood up and brushed the dirt of his pajamas. “Maybe that's why I should have spent some time learning about them.” He angrily grumbled as he looked at Kaiden.
“Okay, next up is Cyndaquil. They are very timid Pokemon in general and are Fire types.” The man said, quickly dropping the touchy subject. He scratched his chin. “But where would he be? I would think he would hang around with the other starters, considering that's who he knows.”
“Maybe if they sent more time playing instead of trapped within their Pokeballs. But they're almost strangers to one another.” Riley mentioned as he began to walk. “As for finding the Fire Type, you said Cyndaquil are naturally timid. So maybe he would be off hiding. We could check a cave. There is one just south of here and it's pretty close to the house. He would probably go there.”
Kaiden smiled, through the look of annoyance. “Okay then. Let's hurry up and go. It's getting close to 9, and your uncle and aunt must be wondering where we are by now.” He said. The the two hurried off towards the cave Riley had mentioned, with Riley taking the lead.
They soon reached the cave within about 15 minutes. To wasn’t too long for a walk, but still. Every second would count. The cave was quite dark, and as both Kaiden and Riley peered ahead.
“Well it looks like we will need some light. Go Albert!” Kaiden announced sending out his own Pokemon. A Kadabra appeared holding a metal spoon beside Kaiden.
“This is my Partner Pokemon, Albert. Now, use Flash!” Kaiden commanded. Albert raised his spoon he was holding, and it began to glow with a bright light. “With this move, I can light up extremely dark areas.”
“So cool!” Riley exclaimed running over to look at the Psychic Pokemon, lifting up his other arm. Riley darted around the Pokemon and talking about it.
Kaiden scratched his head. “You can’t control yourself around Pokemon, huh?” He gave a shrug and began to walk into the cave. “Come on.”
The two humans and the Kadabra both went forward into the cave, with Kadabra taking the lead. As they walked, they saw a variety of Pokemon. Riley’s eyes wandered around as he asked. Then something caught his eye. A flash of fire that raised up in a nearby cavern.
“Hey. Cyndaquil’s that way!” He cried out running toward it, while trying his best to not trip and fall. However it happened a few times, but Riley just kept standing up and kept going.
“Wait up Riley!” Kaiden shouted, running after Riley. “Albert, c’mon!” They did their best to sprint after Riley. However as they did, Kadabra bumping into a large rock upsetting it.
“Golem!” It cried revealing itself to be the large and heavy Rock and Ground type, Golem. Ad not only was it big, but it was upset now. It raised it’s arm and punched a wall, letting a barrage of rocks come falling down, and blocking the path to Riley.
“Get Cyndaquil! I’ll deal with the Golem!” Kaiden roared trying to contact Riley. “Go Happy!” By ending out another Pokeball a Lombre appeared happily. “Now use Bubble Beam!” Happy crossed his arms and sent them back, making sure to fire a barrage of closely knit bubbles towards Golem.
As Riley heard Kaiden's shouts along with the pounding against the rocks, he knew he had to find Cyndaquil and fast. “Cyndaquil!” He called out as he looked for another flash of fire. Then he remembered something Kaiden had mentioned earlier. He had said that Cyndaquil was a timid Pokemon. Maybe when it was frightened the flames would flare up on his back. Cyndaquil had shown he could do it when they were playing.
“Cyndaquil!” Riley heard a loud cry come from around the corner. He peaked his head around to see the small Pokemon using the flames on his back to see as he walked around. It created a faint light at his feet. “Hey, Cyndaquil. There you are. Come here.” Riley bent down and picked up the fire type. “Let’s get out of here.”
By the time, Riley got to the cave wall that had collapsed, there was a hole, dug into it, large enough for Riley to climb through. On the other side, Kaiden stood there waving. Beside him was a his Lombre, Kadabra, and a Pokemon, Riley hadn’t seen yet, a Sandslash.
“Good to know you found Cyndaquil. Meet my team. Happy, the Lombre. He is the one who defeated the angry Golem. Grain, the Sandslash, the one who dug the hole, and you’ve already met Albert.” Kaiden said as Riley climbed through and joined Kaiden. The man held up a Pokeball and in a flash of red, Cyndaquil disappeared into it, while Riley walked over to examine the Lombre and Sandslash.
“Okay, so that leaves Totodile.” Kaiden said after Riley calmed down from looking the Pokemon. “So since he is a water type, is there any ponds or lakes? The only place I can think of is the port South of town.”
“That makes the most sense. We should probably get going there now.” Riley said shooting Kaiden a nod.
While they ran toward the port, Tony and Polly were beginning to get worried. Both Riley and Kaiden weren’t there when they woke up. While ZTony assumed they were out playing with the Pokemon or Riley was showing Kaiden around town, Polly was beginning to get frantic.
“What if they got kidnapped?” She cried as she paced back and forth.
Tony gave an exasperated sigh. “Honey, Riley is sixteen and Adrian is a grown man, with his own Pokemon. There is no way they could have been kidnapped. You understand you’ll have to learn to give Riley room to breathe every once and awhile. He could become something great of you if you let him.”
“But he could easily get into danger. We both know how that boy is. He may be decent with Pokemon, but he is rash and doesn't think things through.” By this point Polly was beyond reason. She was worrying too much. However she did have a point. While Riley seemed gifted in the art of Pokemon Training, despite not having one of his own, he often was reckless. But if he just kept striving forward anything was possible.
“There he is!” Riley shouted as he pointed to a blue tail sticking up out of the water off the edge of a dock. “You’re mine!” Riley shouted, before snatching Totodile’s Pokeball from Kaiden’s hand and jumping into the water.
Before Kaiden could object he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned to see a man wearing an orange jumpsuit and a dirty lab coat. His hair was greying, but through the wrinkles on his face, he looked youthful and full of energy. It was Professor Cedar.
“Professor!” Kaiden cried. “I um have Chikorita and Cyndaquil, but Totodile is still gone. That boy’s uncle let me stay the night with him, but the boy snatched the Pokemon to play with them, only to lose track of them!” Kaiden quickly explained frantically. Kadien was beginning to freak out, while the professor gave a smile.
“It’s fine,” Professor Cedar said, laughing. “It’s good for young trainers to meet new Pokemon. And adventures are super fun. Even an old man like me, loves them. Let him go. I’m curious to see how this turns out.”
Riley pumped his arms and legs swimming as fast as he could. Totodile looked over his shoulder, and saw Riley. Seeing Riley swimming after him, Totodile decided it was a challenge. He increased his speed, leaving wakes in his place.
Riley grinned. “Totodile. I’m gonna catch up to you!” Riley roared, increasing his own speed. However he was no match for Totodile’s natural affinity for the water. Totodile rushed ahead, but turned around to watch Riley behind him, with his eyes full of wonder. But due to him looking behind him, he wasn’t watching where he was going and slammed into a Crawdaunt.
“Crawdaunt!” It angrily shouted as it raised it’s massive claw and used Crabhammer. It glowed with a soft blue light, and smacked Totodile onto the shore. The small Water type crashed and rolled onto the dirt, hitting a tree.
“Totodile!” Riley shouted, changing direction. Seeing another things in his territory, Crawdaunt got upset. He rushed forward, quickly covering the distance between himself and Riley. Then in a quick motion, he used another Crabhammer to knock Riley to shore. Riley flew towards a tree slamming into it, just a few feet from Totodile.
“Totodile,” Riley said struggling to stand. Ahead of them was Crawdant and it was charging towards them. “Okay, Totodile. Let’s work together!”
The water type struggled to stand, but shook his head. He didn’t want to fight with this random trainer.
“Fine then. I’ll fight him then. For both of us.” In a sprint, Riley rushed towards the Crawdaunt, who was now on land. “Riley, use Mega Punch!”
He raised his arm to punch the Water and Dark Type. However, Crawdaunt fired a Bubblebeam attack at Riley’s stomach, knocking him back. Riley rolled back once more.
“That all you got!? Riley shouted, “Riley use Low Kick!” He ran forward once again, and raised his leg for a kick, aiming at Crawdaunt.
“Craw!” The Pokemon roared once and swung his claw, knocking Riley off balance. He fell flat on his back.
Then as Crawdaunt raised his pinscer, a faint glow came from the claw itself. He was about to fire a close range Bubblebeam at Riley. “Totodile! Run!” Riley shouted as he was helpless, as Crawdaunt has strategically placed his legs around the boy so he coulnd’t move.
“I have to help him!” Kadien exclaimed from the dock placing his hand on one of the Pokeballs on his belt. However Professor Cedar grabbed his elbow.
“Look at Totodile,” The old man said coolly, pointing to the little Water Type. His eyes were closed and he was shaking. It looked like the little Pokemon was afraid, but also refused to run. “Look. Totodile wants to help and he will. He just needs to believe in himself. This is the true power of Pokemon; the bonds that are made between them and Pokemon.”
“TOTO-TOTODILE!” Totodile screeched rushing forward. His right claw was raised and glowing with a green dragonic energy. He slung his claw, which was engulfed in the energy, making it seem larger, and smashed into Crawdaunt making him tumble backwards. Riley quickly stood up, as Totodile stood in front of him. Across the Big Jaw Pokemon’s face was a smirk. He had gotten some confidence and Riley understood quickly.
“Okay Totodile. Let’s fight together!” Riley shouted as he took a stance, sliding his left leg back a bit and raising his fists up to chest level. “Start things off with Scratch!” Totodile gave a nod and rushed forward, with his left claw raised.
“Crawdaunt!” The Rouge Pokemon screeched, rushing to meet Totodile’s challenge. He raised a Powerful Crabhammer, that smashed downward upon Totodile’s head. However in a quick motion, Totodile caught the pinscer with his Scratch attack, struggling to keep it above his head.
“Water Gun, on the ground!” Riley quickly commanded, as he noticed Totodile’s predicament. He fired at the loose mud at his feet, allowing Totodile to slip forward, under the attack. However Crawdaunt didn’t do so well with the muddy area and waved his claws as he began to sink.
“Now let’s finish this Pokemon with one more hit. Let’s put all of our power into one blow. “Go Dragon Claw!” Riley didn’t know how he recognized that move as being he one he see earlier. It was more of a gut feeling, and Riley liked it. He felt in sync with Totodile and he knew the Water Type felt the same. Totodile rushed forward, rushing the mud at his feet to skate forward, as he quickly covered the distance between him and Crawdaunt. Then he raised his right claw, and in a flash it was engulfed in that familiar energy, and took the shape of a bigger claw. He slammed down on the Crawdaunt’s head, knocking it out. Totodile landed beside Riley, out of breath. Riley too was having trouble standing and it seemed the only thing keeping the two standing, was the adrenaline coursing through their veins.
“It looked like the two of you battled quite well. Wha happened you see is that Crawdaunt was angry that you invaded his territory. If you can tell by the faint scars upon his shell, that he is the leader of the wild Pokemon who live here. And he just recently won back his position. He was weakened but still a dangerous threat.” Professsor Cedar said, as he walked forward with his hands behind his back. He brought his hands forward to reveal two Sitrius Berries. One for Totodile and the other for Crawdaunt. He walked forward past the trainer and Pokemon who were breathing heavily and towards the beaten Pokemon. Without hesitation, he stuck his hand out, offering the Crawdaunt the Sitrius Berry.
At first, Crawdaunt was weary to accept any kind of gift. But he took a chance after seeing the calm and warm look on Professor Cedar’s face. Gingerly he nibbled on the berry. Feeling rejuvenated he quickly swam out to sea to get some rest.
“You see, the world of Pokémon is much more than fighting. They have their own world they live in. This Crawdaunt may have gotten carried away, but he only wanted to protect his home. The bonds that trainers create with their Pokemon are what drive the world forward. Not power or greed.” Professor Cedar said facing them before giving Totodile the other berry. The Water Type quickly scarfed it down.
Feeling better, and in a much better mood, Totodile leapt up in the air, and affectionately bit the top of Riley’s head, by using his whole jaw. He may have gotten a bit carried away.
“Ow! Totodile, quit it! That hurts.” Riley said beginning to laugh. He tickled Totdile’s stomach and Totdile began to laugh, releasing his grip on Riley’s head. Riley gave a smile and picked up Totodile and sat him down.
“Under most circumstances, Totdile is a Pokémon that can not learn the move Dragon Claw on his own. It must be taught. But for some reason, the bond you had with him, allows him to learn it. Maybe it is a move that was buried with his primal instinct. But still, it leaves room to wonder. And not to mention, you brought out a bond with the Pokemon that you've only known for a matter of hours.” Professor Cedar explained. “You competed with Totdile, earning his friendship, and fought for him to win his trust. I see a future for you two. So I think I’ll give you that Totodile. There is not point for me even to have that Pokemon, when you already hold such a strong bond with it.”
Riley couldn't help but smile, like a child on Christmas. He lifted up Totodile and shouted, “Here that bud? From now on, we're partners!”
Totdile’s response was a Water Gun to Riley’s face, delivering a blast of pressurized water. Totodile chuckled at the sight of his trainer soaking wet.
“Well I looks like he has a sense of humor. You'll get along great.” Professor Cedar said, giving a hearty laugh.
Riley gave a grin. “I guess so, huh.”
Taking slow and silent steps, Riley crept down the staircase. At the bottom he looked into the living room. The couch was folded out, and under a pile of blankets and sheets, Riley heard faint snoring. So Kaiden was asleep. And not to mention, that on the main coffee table were the Pokemon. Perfect. Taking baby steps, Riley tiptoed his way over to the coffee table, and lifted up the cylinder. Then he quickly dashed to the door, staying as silent while still being fast. He slipped his sneakers on and slowly creaked the door open and slipped outside, closing it behind him.
He walked around the house, into the backyard and sat in the damp grass with the container in front of him. He opened it up and slowly pulled out each Pokeball and let loose the Pokemon. As they appeared, Riley put his finger to his lips and and made a hush sound. “We have to be really quiet if we want to play.”
The next morning, Kaiden woke up groggily to gentle pushes by someone. He opened his eyes to complain, but quickly he felt hand go over his mouth. “Please come outside. I need your help.” He heard a familiar voice say. He looked and saw it was Riley and he looked a bit spooked. Kaiden agreed, curious to see what the boy’s problem was. The two silently left the house after Kaiden got his boots on, and walked around the side to backyard. There, Kaiden saw the Pokeball container and the Pokeballs lying in the grass beside them. Before he could shout angrily at Riley, the boy’s hands quickly went over his mouth once more.
“Please be quiet and I’ll explain everything.” Riley said in a hushed whisper. Kaiden rolled his eyes and Riley wearily removed his hands from Kaiden’s mouth. “Okay, so I really wanted to learn more about the Pokemon and play with them a bit, so I decided to sneak outside and play with them a little bit. Then return them so no one would know. But I guess we kept on playing and I wore myself out, and I fell asleep. Then when I woke up, they were gone. Now please help me find them.” Riley quickly explained, nervous about Kaiden’s reaction.
Seeing the fear in Riley’s eyes, kept Kaiden’s voice low. “You shouldn't have done that. But I’ll help you find them.Then, I’ll have to tell your aunt and uncle about this. You should know better than to take Pokemon that don’t belong to you.” He quickly gathered the Pokeballs and jogged towards the tree line. “If they would go anywhere they would go here.”
Riley followed him, and within minutes the two were deep in the woods, wearing nothing but their pajamas and shoes. “Why did you do it? That was stupid and immature of you. Unthinkable. Why would you take Pokemon that don’t belong to you?” Kaiden said once they were far enough away from the house that they wouldn’t be heard.
Riley’s eyes scanned the horizon as he walked. “I don’t know. But I wasn’t stealing them. I just wanted to learn about them and play with them. I didn't think that they would run off. And besides, it's stupid to confining Pokemon to their Pokeballs and treating them like things. I couldn't stand it. It was obvious that you haven't taken the out of their Pokeballs for a while, and when you finally did, it was only for a second. How is that fair for them? Sure, what I did was wrong, but I just wanted to help them and not treat them like objects.”
“You're an idiot. They weren't mine nor yours. We had no right to make that kind of call.” Kaiden said sharply.
“Well still. Someone had to, and I'm glad I did. I just wish they hadn't run off. Besides, I don't think that matters now. What matters now, is recovering the Pokemon and making sure they’re safe.” Riley retorted before trying to change the subject. “Okay, so Chikorita is a Grass Type right? So maybe Chikorita is hanging out in a meadow. We have a huge meadow full of wild Grass Type Pokemon, just north of here. It makes sense for her to go there.”
“I guess that makes sense. Lead the way.” Kaiden said shrugging. The duo made a sharp turn and began heading toward the meadow.
Once there, Riley and Kaiden scanned the field. Already Grass Types had gathered and were happily playing in the tall grass. “There, I see a leaf!” Riley shouted pointing to a bundle of leaves that was shaking in the grass. “I'll get Chikorita!” He shouted chasing after it before Kaiden could stop him. Riley ran over and pulled the leaves up only to see an it was an Oddish who was trying to root itsel fin to the ground for the night, and not the Pokemon he was after. The Oddish gave a screech and gave to shake.
“Idiot!” Kaiden shouted tackling Riley away as Oddish fell and released a flurry of purple spores where Riley was before he wa tackled. Then the Grass and Poison Type, scurried off. Kaiden helped Riley up and shook his head angrily. “You are an idiot. That was a Poison Powder attack. If it hit you, it would have been real bad. Chikorita is right over there. Chikorita’s is a lighter shade of green and there is only one of them.” Kaiden pointed to Chikorita who was laying on the ground, snoring. She was tuckered out and had fallen sleep, similar to how Riley had. Kaiden raised Chikorita’s Pokeball and returned her to her Pokeball.
Riley stood up and brushed the dirt of his pajamas. “Maybe that's why I should have spent some time learning about them.” He angrily grumbled as he looked at Kaiden.
“Okay, next up is Cyndaquil. They are very timid Pokemon in general and are Fire types.” The man said, quickly dropping the touchy subject. He scratched his chin. “But where would he be? I would think he would hang around with the other starters, considering that's who he knows.”
“Maybe if they sent more time playing instead of trapped within their Pokeballs. But they're almost strangers to one another.” Riley mentioned as he began to walk. “As for finding the Fire Type, you said Cyndaquil are naturally timid. So maybe he would be off hiding. We could check a cave. There is one just south of here and it's pretty close to the house. He would probably go there.”
Kaiden smiled, through the look of annoyance. “Okay then. Let's hurry up and go. It's getting close to 9, and your uncle and aunt must be wondering where we are by now.” He said. The the two hurried off towards the cave Riley had mentioned, with Riley taking the lead.
They soon reached the cave within about 15 minutes. To wasn’t too long for a walk, but still. Every second would count. The cave was quite dark, and as both Kaiden and Riley peered ahead.
“Well it looks like we will need some light. Go Albert!” Kaiden announced sending out his own Pokemon. A Kadabra appeared holding a metal spoon beside Kaiden.
“This is my Partner Pokemon, Albert. Now, use Flash!” Kaiden commanded. Albert raised his spoon he was holding, and it began to glow with a bright light. “With this move, I can light up extremely dark areas.”
“So cool!” Riley exclaimed running over to look at the Psychic Pokemon, lifting up his other arm. Riley darted around the Pokemon and talking about it.
Kaiden scratched his head. “You can’t control yourself around Pokemon, huh?” He gave a shrug and began to walk into the cave. “Come on.”
The two humans and the Kadabra both went forward into the cave, with Kadabra taking the lead. As they walked, they saw a variety of Pokemon. Riley’s eyes wandered around as he asked. Then something caught his eye. A flash of fire that raised up in a nearby cavern.
“Hey. Cyndaquil’s that way!” He cried out running toward it, while trying his best to not trip and fall. However it happened a few times, but Riley just kept standing up and kept going.
“Wait up Riley!” Kaiden shouted, running after Riley. “Albert, c’mon!” They did their best to sprint after Riley. However as they did, Kadabra bumping into a large rock upsetting it.
“Golem!” It cried revealing itself to be the large and heavy Rock and Ground type, Golem. Ad not only was it big, but it was upset now. It raised it’s arm and punched a wall, letting a barrage of rocks come falling down, and blocking the path to Riley.
“Get Cyndaquil! I’ll deal with the Golem!” Kaiden roared trying to contact Riley. “Go Happy!” By ending out another Pokeball a Lombre appeared happily. “Now use Bubble Beam!” Happy crossed his arms and sent them back, making sure to fire a barrage of closely knit bubbles towards Golem.
As Riley heard Kaiden's shouts along with the pounding against the rocks, he knew he had to find Cyndaquil and fast. “Cyndaquil!” He called out as he looked for another flash of fire. Then he remembered something Kaiden had mentioned earlier. He had said that Cyndaquil was a timid Pokemon. Maybe when it was frightened the flames would flare up on his back. Cyndaquil had shown he could do it when they were playing.
“Cyndaquil!” Riley heard a loud cry come from around the corner. He peaked his head around to see the small Pokemon using the flames on his back to see as he walked around. It created a faint light at his feet. “Hey, Cyndaquil. There you are. Come here.” Riley bent down and picked up the fire type. “Let’s get out of here.”
By the time, Riley got to the cave wall that had collapsed, there was a hole, dug into it, large enough for Riley to climb through. On the other side, Kaiden stood there waving. Beside him was a his Lombre, Kadabra, and a Pokemon, Riley hadn’t seen yet, a Sandslash.
“Good to know you found Cyndaquil. Meet my team. Happy, the Lombre. He is the one who defeated the angry Golem. Grain, the Sandslash, the one who dug the hole, and you’ve already met Albert.” Kaiden said as Riley climbed through and joined Kaiden. The man held up a Pokeball and in a flash of red, Cyndaquil disappeared into it, while Riley walked over to examine the Lombre and Sandslash.
“Okay, so that leaves Totodile.” Kaiden said after Riley calmed down from looking the Pokemon. “So since he is a water type, is there any ponds or lakes? The only place I can think of is the port South of town.”
“That makes the most sense. We should probably get going there now.” Riley said shooting Kaiden a nod.
While they ran toward the port, Tony and Polly were beginning to get worried. Both Riley and Kaiden weren’t there when they woke up. While ZTony assumed they were out playing with the Pokemon or Riley was showing Kaiden around town, Polly was beginning to get frantic.
“What if they got kidnapped?” She cried as she paced back and forth.
Tony gave an exasperated sigh. “Honey, Riley is sixteen and Adrian is a grown man, with his own Pokemon. There is no way they could have been kidnapped. You understand you’ll have to learn to give Riley room to breathe every once and awhile. He could become something great of you if you let him.”
“But he could easily get into danger. We both know how that boy is. He may be decent with Pokemon, but he is rash and doesn't think things through.” By this point Polly was beyond reason. She was worrying too much. However she did have a point. While Riley seemed gifted in the art of Pokemon Training, despite not having one of his own, he often was reckless. But if he just kept striving forward anything was possible.
“There he is!” Riley shouted as he pointed to a blue tail sticking up out of the water off the edge of a dock. “You’re mine!” Riley shouted, before snatching Totodile’s Pokeball from Kaiden’s hand and jumping into the water.
Before Kaiden could object he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned to see a man wearing an orange jumpsuit and a dirty lab coat. His hair was greying, but through the wrinkles on his face, he looked youthful and full of energy. It was Professor Cedar.
“Professor!” Kaiden cried. “I um have Chikorita and Cyndaquil, but Totodile is still gone. That boy’s uncle let me stay the night with him, but the boy snatched the Pokemon to play with them, only to lose track of them!” Kaiden quickly explained frantically. Kadien was beginning to freak out, while the professor gave a smile.
“It’s fine,” Professor Cedar said, laughing. “It’s good for young trainers to meet new Pokemon. And adventures are super fun. Even an old man like me, loves them. Let him go. I’m curious to see how this turns out.”
Riley pumped his arms and legs swimming as fast as he could. Totodile looked over his shoulder, and saw Riley. Seeing Riley swimming after him, Totodile decided it was a challenge. He increased his speed, leaving wakes in his place.
Riley grinned. “Totodile. I’m gonna catch up to you!” Riley roared, increasing his own speed. However he was no match for Totodile’s natural affinity for the water. Totodile rushed ahead, but turned around to watch Riley behind him, with his eyes full of wonder. But due to him looking behind him, he wasn’t watching where he was going and slammed into a Crawdaunt.
“Crawdaunt!” It angrily shouted as it raised it’s massive claw and used Crabhammer. It glowed with a soft blue light, and smacked Totodile onto the shore. The small Water type crashed and rolled onto the dirt, hitting a tree.
“Totodile!” Riley shouted, changing direction. Seeing another things in his territory, Crawdaunt got upset. He rushed forward, quickly covering the distance between himself and Riley. Then in a quick motion, he used another Crabhammer to knock Riley to shore. Riley flew towards a tree slamming into it, just a few feet from Totodile.
“Totodile,” Riley said struggling to stand. Ahead of them was Crawdant and it was charging towards them. “Okay, Totodile. Let’s work together!”
The water type struggled to stand, but shook his head. He didn’t want to fight with this random trainer.
“Fine then. I’ll fight him then. For both of us.” In a sprint, Riley rushed towards the Crawdaunt, who was now on land. “Riley, use Mega Punch!”
He raised his arm to punch the Water and Dark Type. However, Crawdaunt fired a Bubblebeam attack at Riley’s stomach, knocking him back. Riley rolled back once more.
“That all you got!? Riley shouted, “Riley use Low Kick!” He ran forward once again, and raised his leg for a kick, aiming at Crawdaunt.
“Craw!” The Pokemon roared once and swung his claw, knocking Riley off balance. He fell flat on his back.
Then as Crawdaunt raised his pinscer, a faint glow came from the claw itself. He was about to fire a close range Bubblebeam at Riley. “Totodile! Run!” Riley shouted as he was helpless, as Crawdaunt has strategically placed his legs around the boy so he coulnd’t move.
“I have to help him!” Kadien exclaimed from the dock placing his hand on one of the Pokeballs on his belt. However Professor Cedar grabbed his elbow.
“Look at Totodile,” The old man said coolly, pointing to the little Water Type. His eyes were closed and he was shaking. It looked like the little Pokemon was afraid, but also refused to run. “Look. Totodile wants to help and he will. He just needs to believe in himself. This is the true power of Pokemon; the bonds that are made between them and Pokemon.”
“TOTO-TOTODILE!” Totodile screeched rushing forward. His right claw was raised and glowing with a green dragonic energy. He slung his claw, which was engulfed in the energy, making it seem larger, and smashed into Crawdaunt making him tumble backwards. Riley quickly stood up, as Totodile stood in front of him. Across the Big Jaw Pokemon’s face was a smirk. He had gotten some confidence and Riley understood quickly.
“Okay Totodile. Let’s fight together!” Riley shouted as he took a stance, sliding his left leg back a bit and raising his fists up to chest level. “Start things off with Scratch!” Totodile gave a nod and rushed forward, with his left claw raised.
“Crawdaunt!” The Rouge Pokemon screeched, rushing to meet Totodile’s challenge. He raised a Powerful Crabhammer, that smashed downward upon Totodile’s head. However in a quick motion, Totodile caught the pinscer with his Scratch attack, struggling to keep it above his head.
“Water Gun, on the ground!” Riley quickly commanded, as he noticed Totodile’s predicament. He fired at the loose mud at his feet, allowing Totodile to slip forward, under the attack. However Crawdaunt didn’t do so well with the muddy area and waved his claws as he began to sink.
“Now let’s finish this Pokemon with one more hit. Let’s put all of our power into one blow. “Go Dragon Claw!” Riley didn’t know how he recognized that move as being he one he see earlier. It was more of a gut feeling, and Riley liked it. He felt in sync with Totodile and he knew the Water Type felt the same. Totodile rushed forward, rushing the mud at his feet to skate forward, as he quickly covered the distance between him and Crawdaunt. Then he raised his right claw, and in a flash it was engulfed in that familiar energy, and took the shape of a bigger claw. He slammed down on the Crawdaunt’s head, knocking it out. Totodile landed beside Riley, out of breath. Riley too was having trouble standing and it seemed the only thing keeping the two standing, was the adrenaline coursing through their veins.
“It looked like the two of you battled quite well. Wha happened you see is that Crawdaunt was angry that you invaded his territory. If you can tell by the faint scars upon his shell, that he is the leader of the wild Pokemon who live here. And he just recently won back his position. He was weakened but still a dangerous threat.” Professsor Cedar said, as he walked forward with his hands behind his back. He brought his hands forward to reveal two Sitrius Berries. One for Totodile and the other for Crawdaunt. He walked forward past the trainer and Pokemon who were breathing heavily and towards the beaten Pokemon. Without hesitation, he stuck his hand out, offering the Crawdaunt the Sitrius Berry.
At first, Crawdaunt was weary to accept any kind of gift. But he took a chance after seeing the calm and warm look on Professor Cedar’s face. Gingerly he nibbled on the berry. Feeling rejuvenated he quickly swam out to sea to get some rest.
“You see, the world of Pokémon is much more than fighting. They have their own world they live in. This Crawdaunt may have gotten carried away, but he only wanted to protect his home. The bonds that trainers create with their Pokemon are what drive the world forward. Not power or greed.” Professor Cedar said facing them before giving Totodile the other berry. The Water Type quickly scarfed it down.
Feeling better, and in a much better mood, Totodile leapt up in the air, and affectionately bit the top of Riley’s head, by using his whole jaw. He may have gotten a bit carried away.
“Ow! Totodile, quit it! That hurts.” Riley said beginning to laugh. He tickled Totdile’s stomach and Totdile began to laugh, releasing his grip on Riley’s head. Riley gave a smile and picked up Totodile and sat him down.
“Under most circumstances, Totdile is a Pokémon that can not learn the move Dragon Claw on his own. It must be taught. But for some reason, the bond you had with him, allows him to learn it. Maybe it is a move that was buried with his primal instinct. But still, it leaves room to wonder. And not to mention, you brought out a bond with the Pokemon that you've only known for a matter of hours.” Professor Cedar explained. “You competed with Totdile, earning his friendship, and fought for him to win his trust. I see a future for you two. So I think I’ll give you that Totodile. There is not point for me even to have that Pokemon, when you already hold such a strong bond with it.”
Riley couldn't help but smile, like a child on Christmas. He lifted up Totodile and shouted, “Here that bud? From now on, we're partners!”
Totdile’s response was a Water Gun to Riley’s face, delivering a blast of pressurized water. Totodile chuckled at the sight of his trainer soaking wet.
“Well I looks like he has a sense of humor. You'll get along great.” Professor Cedar said, giving a hearty laugh.
Riley gave a grin. “I guess so, huh.”