Viridian Forest, famous for all the bug-type Pokémon it was host to, was one of the most visited areas by new trainers every year. Not only did it provide battles of all levels, from weak Pokémon to those at a level of two gym badges, but it was also a famous spot for trainers trying to add a member to their team.
It wasn't uncommon for trainers to end up meeting each other, and as the universal law of Pokémon Trainers says...
"Since our eyes met, it means we have to fight."
And so...
"Bellsprout, use [Razor Leaf]."
"Alice, burn it with [Mystical Fire]."
Ralts conjured red-hot fire in her hands before launching it at the incoming attack.
Daemon had already noticed how her attacks came out faster than they did five days ago. "Now! [Confusion]."
And without any delay, the psychic-type unleashed a wave of psychic energy that rattled the grass-type.
"Shit! Bellsprout, shake it off. Use..."
"[Mystical Fire]!" Daemon did not let him finish, and even before he had commanded, Ralts had predicted what would be the best attack to follow up on [Confusion].
[Mystical Fire] was shaped like a ball of fire that grew large as more energy was put into it.
The opposing trainer could only watch as the fireball reached his Bellsprout before the grass-type could shake off the damage from earlier [Confusion].
~Boom~
Small explosion rattled the clearing they were battling in, and when the dust cleared, Bellsprout lay unconscious on the ground, its body charred by fire.
"Dammit." The trainer cursed before he let out a long sigh. He walked over to the grass-type, applied a healing potion before recalling it back to the pokeball. "You were great, Bellsprout. I should have commanded you better."
Now that the battle had ended, he immediately realized his biggest mistake, which was not using [Poison Powder], which was super effective against a Ralts. But then again, his opponent had controlled the tempo of this battle so perfectly that he never had the time for it.
"That was a great match." The trainer stood up and then took out a second Pokeball. "Ready for the next one?"
This was a two vs two battle; earlier, Bellsprout's trainer doubted if Daemon was serious about fighting him at a disadvantage since the black-haired boy did not have a second Pokémon. But looking at the strength of his Ralts, he realized that it was not blind confidence.
"Bring it on."
"Ralts."
"Rhyhorn, I choose you."
The trainer threw the Pokeball and with a flash of light, a large armoured Pokémon appeared before them.
Daemon and Ralts looked at each other in surprise. Why? Because they had been looking for a rock-type Pokémon to test whether their new move was as effective as they had thought it would be.
"Rhyhorn, [Tackle]."
The armoured Pokémon charged at the little Ralts, but the psychic-type did not panic. Daemon ordered her to jump to the side, and just as he expected, the momentum of the rock-type kept it from making sudden changes in direction.
Rhyhorn were known to run long distances; however, only in a straight line. These Pokémon were notorious for their lack of mobility other than running straight.
"Do it, [Rain Dance]."
"What the hell?" The other trainer cursed in disbelief at the move being used. "How?"
Daemon ignored the boy for now and watched as Ralts raised her hands in the air. Very soon, dark clouds gathered over a small area where they were fighting.
"Shit!" The boy cursed before he ordered. "Rhyhorn, stop her with [Rock Blast]."
Rhyhorn conjured all the rock-type energy in its body and formed two rocks, the size of a human skull, and hurled them towards the fairy who was using her tricks.
But it was too late.
Ralts had already completed the move and jumped behind a tree to evade the rocks.
~Drip~Drip~
Very soon, rain started to fall, and Daemon immediately saw its effects.
"Roar!" The rock-type Pokémon squirmed in pain.
Unlike natural rain, the one conjured by Ralts was made purely of water-type energy. Even natural rain would cause a lot of discomfort for the dual rock and ground-types, let alone one made with water-type energy.
"Rhyhorn, try another [Rock Blast]! You can do it!" The trainer ordered his Pokémon, and to the rock-type's credit, it did pull through the pain and tried to form another set of rocks. However, it was not meant to be.
"Alice, [Disarming Voice]."
Ralts opened her mouth and let out a high-pitched voice that broke through Rhyhorn's mental barriers. The poor Pokémon could not take it anymore and collapsed to the ground.
"Dammit!" The trainer cursed as he recalled his Pokémon before walking over to Daemon. "You guys are really strong."
"Trust me, we got lucky." Daemon pointed at the trees around them. "If you Rhyhorn had more room to move, it would have been a close fight."
'Cocky bastard.' The other trainer's lips twitched at the comment. After all, did Daemon's words not imply that even if Rhyhorn had more room to move, they would still not lose?
"Yeah, next time, let's fight in a proper arena."
"Sure."
They shook hands, and the defeated trainer left the area.
Daemon and Ralts stayed for a few more seconds until the rain finally stopped. "Thirty seconds?"
"Ralts." The psychic-type shook her head. "Ra."
"Thirty-two?" Daemon asked, and his starter nodded. "Should be enough for the gym battle." He leaned down and picked Ralts before putting her on his shoulder. "You are getting heavier...Ouch!"
He felt a mental slap in his mind.
"Ralts."
"Sorry." The boy apologized but kept walking and occasionally checking the direction on his Pokedex. "We should be past the core region and back to the outer zones now."
"Ra?"
"Maybe two more days? Unless we are attacked by another group of Beedrill like last time."
"Ra!"
"Yes, yes, I won't jinx it."
The duo, stronger than when they had entered the forest, kept walking and, according to the universal law of trainers, kept accepting duels.
-
"Beedrill, [Poison Jab]."
"[Mystical Fire]."
-
"You can do this, Tangela. [Vine Whip]!"
"[Mystical Fire]."
-
"Pidgey, use [Wing Attack]."
"[Mystical Fire]."
-
"Butterfree, use spores!"
"[Mystical Fire]."
-
"Pinsir, [Vise Grip]!"
"[Mystical Fire]."
"What the fuck! Your Ralts can make two fireballs?"
-
Every day spent in the forest brought new challenges.
Be it constant attacks from wild Pokémon or constant battles with other trainers, Daemon and Ralts enjoyed every second of it. Especially the trainer battles, since they meant they could earn money as well. And so far, they had made a profit of ₽3,000.
Moreover, since she was using [Mystical Fire] so much since the majority of the Pokémon here were weak to fire-type energy, Ralts could now conjure two fireballs instead of one. Additionally, each of these fireballs was more potent than the one she used to conjure alone.
As cute as she was, Daemon had noticed how his starter had been finding joy in tormenting poor souls they had met so far.
He had also noticed how she had grown in size, from barely one foot to about one foot and nine inches. Even the horn on her head had grown along with her. If what he read on online forums was correct, it would not be long before she evolved.
'Maybe in a week or two?'
Another piece of great news was that since she was using her psychic-type moves regularly and training her psychic focus at night through meditation, she was able to pick up a new psychic move on her own.
-
[Ralts
Gender: Female
Type: Psychic/Fairy
Ability: Synchronize
Moves: Rain Dance, Heal Pulse, Hypnosis, Confusion, Disarming Voice, Mystical Fire]
-
'We have made great progress.' Daemon thought to himself as he went through the Pokedex scan of his starter. On the other hand, Ralts was silently meditating in the tent.
Meditation was something Ralts had read in one of the articles published by an Alakazam. It detailed how the training of psychic-types was inherently different from Pokémon of other types. It went on to list various differences and how meditation was a great method for psychic-type Pokémon to train their psychic focus.
As smart as she was, Ralts had dug deeper into it and had now been constantly meditating every night before she went to sleep.
Daemon looked back at the pokedex and calculated their chances of winning the Pewter City gym battle. While he knew the gym leader, Flint, would go easy on new trainers, it did not mean they could win easily despite all their training.
'I need to plan appropriately.'
Motivated to win his first gym battle, Daemon once again watched every video that was public to him about 1-star to 3-star Pokémon battles in the Pewter City gym. He dissected all the videos and made notes of every strategy or combo used by Flint.
This was something he had been doing every night for the last few days since entering the Viridian Forest. It was his alternative to Ralt's "meditation."
And finally, today, it happened...
"I can see it."
A wide grin surfaced on Daemon's face as gears started turning in his mind and his plan for facing the Pewter City Gym Leader solidified.
He took out his Pokedex and started making notes before looking at the time. It was getting late.
"Time to sleep." Daemon entered his sleep bag, not worrying about any Pokémon attacking at night.
A bug repellent solution had already been poured outside the clearing he was staying in. Moreover, Ralts was not heading to bed, only meditating, which meant she would be keeping an eye out for anything unexpected.
Since this was the outer region, the forest became quiet in the late nights, and only an occasional sound echoed through it. But since moonlight was vastly blocked off by the trees, the forest became darker and darker with every passing moment.
...
..
.
Daemon, who was sleeping soundly, jolted upwards as the noise of a battle entered the clearing. It was too close to be ignored, and even Ralts, who was meditating, opened her eyes.
"Ra?"
"Get ready for a fight." The duo walked out of the tent before they looked in the direction of the ongoing battle.
Ralts lead the way with a small fireball as a source of light.
It only took them a minute or so of walking quietly when they reached the source of the sounds, and what appeared before his eyes left the black-haired boy shocked.
"A Smeargle?"
But the shock turned into something unknown, something he could not express with just words or even thoughts, when he noticed the Pokémon, the normal-type, was fighting.
In the end, he could only utter one word.
"What?"
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Author's Note:
[1] Let me know if you like the fights and how I can improve on them.
[2] If there's anything you'd like to see in the story, do let me know in the comments.