Today was a big day. This morning I would officially begin my journey to challenge the Gym Leaders and attempt to qualify for the Vertress conference. Last night I had finished all my preparations for the long trip ahead of me and my team and I was currently dressing in the new clothes I had bought for hiking from a store specialising in tough clothes for trainers. Right now I owned a pair of hiking pants and shorts, one set of hiking boots, several pairs of socks, with a mix of thick and thin pairs, short and long sleeve shirts for different climates, a thick polyester jacket, a thinner cotton jumper, and a raincoat. I also had a classic trainer cap, but I had also bought a hat with a broader brim for if it gets too sunny. I also still owned the basic clothes the League had given me when they first found me, but I only used them as casual clothes now. However, the spatial bag they gave me when I arrived in Mistralton is something I will definitely get some use out of, as I had already filled most of space with as many supplies I as could afford, including camping equipment. Although the bag came with the ability to preserve food to a certain extent I still felt it was safer to buy preserved food mainly, although I did grab a few berries to give Axew and Solosis as treats.
Speaking of Axew, the little lizard had just managed to learn Assurance a few days before we left, proving that he had somehow managed to expand his energy capacity again. He was really proud of himself when he showed me that he learned Assurance, and so to celebrate I had taken him to go grab some ice cream. We then spent the rest of that day relaxing and watching his favourite shows in our room.
As for Solosis, she didn’t want to train (I had asked a nurse what gender Solosis was after she was registered with me and it turned out Solosis was female). Since she was only a temporary team member she was under no obligation to train. In fact, I was less her trainer and more her escort, since I had to bring her back to her family near Nimbasa. I had hoped that she would like to train with Axew, since he had little experience fighting a Psychic type, but she simply declined all my offers to give her training. As a result, she would simply sit off to the side with me while Axew was training his moves. And when Axew and I went for runs around the city she would simply stay inside her Pokeball until we got back to the PokeCenter.
Enough about the past though. My team and I were meant to leave the city at 9am, and it would take us roughly 2 hours to reach the outskirts. So, we had an early last breakfast at the Pokecenter before we left.
My plan was to fight Gym Leader Clay in Driftveil city first, as opposed to Skyla. The reason? Axew doesn't have any long ranged attacks, while her Flying types do and can fly. I was hoping that Solosis would be able to fill that role, but again, I’m just her escort not her trainer. So, I was instead planning to hit Driftveil first and then Nimbasa, before heading to south to Castelia. After that I would either catch a boat ride to either Humilau city or Virbank city, depending on my team members at the time.
For now though, I hoped to capture a new team member on the way to Driftveil, since Clay would use 2 Pokemon for my first Gym Battle. I wasn’t really sure what I would find on the way, since the Pokemon who lived in caves and on routes were different to the games. A Grass type would be good though, considering that Clay is an Earth type specialist.
Roughly an hour had passed since we left the PokeCenter, and we had managed to met up with Curtis and his Ralts. He and Yancy had wanted to send me off when I left, but Yancy unfortunately had something come up that was work related, so only Curtis could make it. She did manage to call me though, and we had a good chat while I waited for a bus with Curtis.
After I finished the call I talked with Curtis for a bit. Ever since I had met him we would meet up about once a week to do something like watch a movie or get some food. Yancy would usually join us unless she had work, and our Pokemon had all become good friends. It was weird that they still won’t tell me where they work since I wanted to visit their company one day to see what they do. Maybe they were embarrassed about it?
After we had waited 10 minutes Curtis had to leave as he had work too and needed to make it back in time for something. Before he left though he told me this.
“I hope you enjoy your journey. Just don’t forget to call Yancy and I since we won’t see you as often and we’ll want to know how you’re going. But good luck, and I hope you make it to the Vertress Conference,”
“Thanks Curtis. Don’t worry, I wont forget to call back, and I’ll do my best to make it to Vertress.”
With that he left, and it was only me, Axew and Solosis at the bus stop
The bus I wanted to catch would take me to the city outskirts, only a ten minute walk from the start of the bypass track for the Chargestone Cave. Because strong Pokemon lived in the cave only trainers with 4-5 badges were allowed inside, so I had to take the long way around on a bypass track that would connect up with Route 6.
The bus arrived after a few more minutes, and I returned Axew and Solosis to their Pokeballs before I got on, as there wasn’t much room for them.
“Where do you want to get off?” the bus driver asked.
“”The stop at Chargestone Road please,” I replied.
“Alright, $3.40 then.”
I handed the fare to the bus driver and sat on a seat in the back. The bus took off, and we left the bus stop behind quickly.
My stop was a good hour away, so I had prepared for the trip by buying a book a few days prior. Apparently it was part of the curriculum in Unova to read it and was considered a classic by the populace. It’s name was Records of the Vale Kingdom and it was a collection of short stories that took place in the time of the ancient Kingdom of the Vale from 1000 years ago.
Opening the book, I started at the first chapter.
Long ago, the people of what is now called Unova were nothing more than a splintered group of warring tribes. Every year would bring great suffering to those of the tribes as fighting was constant and injuries, even death, was common place.
However, the Original grew tired of seeing it’s homeland constantly stained with the blood of its people, and so, it chose a virtuous man to carry it’s Truths and Ideals and create a nation.
Before he was bestowed the Original's Ideals he was told to climb Twist Mountain and pluck the brightest star from the sky to show his determination.
Hearing this, the virtuous man immediately left to climb the mountain. At the base, he met an old lady who was struggling to walk up the mountain.
“Elder, why do you walk up the mountain? Is your body not tired, and your spirit not low?” the virtuous man asked.
“I climb the mountain to find my Ideals, for when I was young, I deserted them to hide my true self from others. When I did so, I felt myself age in not the body but the soul. I wish to reclaim my Ideals so that I can reclaim my true self before I die,” the elderly woman responded.
Knowing the old lady would never manage to climb the mountain, the virtuous man said “I will climb the mountain in your place, and bring your ideals back to you! That way, you won’t have to worry about the danger of the mountain.”
The woman chuckled and continued climbing while saying “One’s Ideals cannot be reclaimed by others. Only by facing danger can one know their true self.”
Unable to convince her, the virtuous man shook his head and continued climbing the mountain.
Halfway up the mountain he found a martial artist who had honed his craft for most his life. Curious as to why this expert was here, the virtuous man approached him.
“Great warrior, why do you climb this mountain? Are you not strong in body, and formidable in mind?” the virtuous man asked.
“My body may be strong, and my mind may be formidable, but without lofty Ideals I cannot find a reason to continue further down my path,” the martial artist responded.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The virtuous man thought it a waste for a warrior as great as this man to waste his time climbing the mountain, so he said “Great sir, why not let me climb the mountain and find loft Ideals for you? That way, you can devote your time to training your craft.”
The martial artist laughed a hearty laugh, but continued walking the mountain path. After he finished laughing, he said “Ideals that are given by others are not worth spending your life pursuing. Only by discovering and following your own Ideals can you live a life without regrets.”
Unable to convince him, the virtuous man shook his head and continued climbing the mountain.
Near the peak of the mountain the virtuous man came across one final person. A young boy, no more than 7 seasons old and shivering in the cold.
The virtuous man felt pity for the boy, and gave him his cloak to warm him up before asking “Boy, why do you climb this mountain? Is your body not frozen, and your parents not worried?”
The boy looked up at him and said “All my life my body has been frail, and my heart has been weak. I wish to find a set of Ideals to hold in my heart and make it strong.”
The virtuous man knew that if the boy continued any further he would die, and so, he said to him “Why not let me find a set of strong Ideals for you? That way, you may not struggle so much to live your life.”
The boy giggled, but continued walking up the mountain. After he finished giggling he said “To have struggled, to have made an effort, to have stayed true to yourself, that is how you forge the strongest set of Ideals.”
Seeing that he could not convince the boy, the virtuous man shook his head and continued climbing the mountain.
Finally, the virtuous man reached the peak of the mountain, and saw a sea of bright stars in the sky. Seeing the brightest star, he reached for it to pluck it. But no matter how far he stretched, or how high he jumped he was unable to pluck it from its place.
Exhausting himself, he laid down in the grass to rest. However, to his surprise he found a small, dim star hiding in the tall grass.
“Oh star,” the virtuous man said, “do you know how I can reach your brighter kin? I have been tasked with retrieving the brightest star over the mountain, but I cannot reach it no matter how far I reach.”
The star giggled, and approached the virtuous man. When it was level with his head, it spoke.
“Oh human, every star has the potential to burn brighter than any other, but the brightest stars are proud and unwilling to follow the ordinary. I, however, am willing to follow you, but you must show me your Ideals.”
The virtuous man stopped and began to think. He sat down and thought for 2 days and 2 nights. It was only on the dawn of the third day that he finished thinking of an answer.
Standing up, the virtuous man said to the dim star “Oh star, my Ideals are like the stars. They are so great that they seem unreachable, but, I can use them to plot my course. My Ideals are to unite my nation into one great region, and to rule over it as a fair and just King, and to be loved by my people. That is my own Ideals, belonging only to me.”
Hearing the virtuous man state his Ideals, the dim star grew brighter and brighter, until it was brighter than any of the other stars in the entire sky.
When it finished growing brighter, it spoke.
“Oh human, your Ideals have empowered my light, for it is only the strongest Ideals that act as the best fuel. I am willing to follow you, as the Star of Victory.”
With that, the virtuous man took the Victory Star and returned to his tribe, his task successfully completed.
I wanted to read the next chapter, but my stop came sooner than expected. Thanking the bus driver, I got off the bus. Once the bus left I let Axew and Solosis out of their Pokeballs to walk, or in Solosis’ case float, with me. We were on a road surrounded by forest with several small dirt tracks leading away from the bus stop. I read a sign that showed a map of the area before taking the one furthest to the left.
Because I was a novice trainer with less than 5 badges I wasn’t allowed inside the Chargestone cave, as it was too dangerous. Instead, I had to take a bypass track around the mountain to Route 6, which would take roughly 2.5 days to walk. In total, the trip from Mistralton to Driftveil would take me about 1 week and 3 days on foot, although it could take longer if I can’t find a second Pokemon by the halfway point.
For the first hour Axew and Solosis had fun running up and down the track, looking at all the strange flowers and plants as well as the occasional Bug type that was crossing the track.
I had been keeping my eyes open and watching the forest for any potential team members. From what the trainer course taught me, Pokemon that are willingly captured are the best choices for a team member as they won’t resist the trainer as much as ones captured against their will. In fact, only 30% of Pokemon captured against their will end up staying on a trainers team as they usually refuse to cooperate for so long that the trainer who caught them releases them.
So far, I had seen nothing but the occasional Karrablast, Pidove and even a Swadloon. All of them had run away before I even got a chance to make my offer, so I was feeling a little disappointed.
I thought Pokemon were beings who loved to battle all the time? Guess information from the games isn’t very reliable.
This continued until lunch, where we decided to take a small break in a clearing we found near the track.
I pulled out some sandwiches I had made earlier for myself and some Pokemon pellets with diced berries for Axew and Solosis. While we sat down and ate I considered reading more of the book, but decided to wait until we were somewhere safer, since something could creep up on us if we weren't careful.
Our goal for today was to make it to a small cabin roughly 1/3 of the way along the trail that was built specially for trainers to rest in.
There would be another one at the end of the trail, as it ended at Route 6, but because it was too far to reach in a day of travel we would need to sleep outside for a night, with one of us keeping watch in shifts.
After lunch we got up and kept our pace for a couple more hours.
I had honesty thought that it would be more interesting than this, but the map did say this was a quiet trail. Guess there’s a poor chance of finding a team member until we reach Route 6.
And so, we continued hiking around the mountain base. Eventually, we came across a clear river and followed it for 10 minutes before we found a stone bridge to cross over it.
“Hey, you two want to take a break here?” I asked Axew and Solosis.
They both said, well, something that sounded like an agreement, and so we all sat down on the bridge to give our legs a chance to recover. Although I’m not sure how Solosis was resting since she was still floating.
We spent several minutes sitting there, letting our bodies rest and rehydrate with the water I provided everyone. I was in the process of putting the water bottles back in my bag when I heard several splashes.
Turning around, I looked through the railing of the bridge to see what was causing the splashes in the river. What I saw made a chill run down my spine. Two groups of Basculin, red and blue, were staring each other down, with one group either side of the bridge we were on.
Shit! This was not a good place to stay at all! Those glorified piranhas are about to have a full fledged turf war!
Sure enough, the groups of Basculin started to send individuals to fight each other, like they were testing the other group’s strength. I gestured for Axew and Solosis to follow me slowly, and we silently stood up and began inching across the bridge. Below us, I could hear vicious splashing as the Basculin that were sent out began to tear into each other, the sounds of snapping teeth and ripping flesh reaching my ears, making me feel uneasy.
Axew and Solosis also looked uneasy hearing the battles fought under us, but we had nearly reached the middle of the bridge. Unfortunately, that was when the two group leaders had decided that they had seen enough, and the battle began the groups began.
Deciding that stealth was no longer an option, my Pokemon and I both began to sprint. AS we made our mad dash across the bridge several stray Water Gun’s flew past us, along with several Basculin who had either been sent flying with another’s Tackle or had lost control of their Aqua Jet. One would have bitten me if I didn’t duck in time.
When we reached the end of the bridge, we kept running until the war zone of the river was out of sight.
After we had run a good distance, we finally stopped to catch our breaths. Luckily for us, no one was injured, but I think it will be awhile before any of us go near that river again.
“You know what?” I said in between gasping breaths, “I think I preferred the quiet.”
Once we managed to catch our breaths we returned to our normal pace, although I noticed that Axew and Solosis would walk (or float) closer to me than before.
We continued like this for three more hours until we finally reached the cabin during the late afternoon.
No other trainers were here, so we had the cabin to ourselves.
As much as I wished to collapse on a bed and fall asleep, I had to make dinner for us. So, I used the kitchen to make a quick pot of curry for all of us, with some special herbs and berries added to Axews dish from the food prescription Evan had given me to help his training and physical development.
With our dinner finished, I cleaned everything we used before roughly making one of the beds with some sheets I had in my bag and my sleeping bag before I fell asleep, to tired to read my book, with Axew and Solosis either side of me, equally as exhausted as I was.