The next morning, James was once again up early, checking his belongings to make sure he left nothing behind. He had pulled on a blue t-shirt and black shorts, and was now checking that he had stowed his Pokédex in the pouch on the strap of his bag. Once he had made sure everything was ready to go, he slung the pack over his shoulder and headed downstairs to breakfast.
His mother had made another specialty, homemade waffles, and all three Enfield brothers tore into them with gusto. Andrea smiled as she watched her sons; it had been a while since they had all been home together, and she had nearly forgotten how much they cared for, and competed with, each other. Darrell had, of course, left home with Totodile six years earlier, and even competed in the Silver Conference two years later. Shane had gone on a journey, too, but decided to return home after a year and a half; traveling just didn't appeal to him. Instead, he had taken an interest in being a Pokémon breeder, and though he did train his Pokémon regularly, to him it was more of a hobby than anything else. James had proven the most ambitious of the three; he had been itching to get going ever since Darrell had left, and was already on his way after his victory at the Violet Gym. It wouldn't be easy for him, since he had his father and two brothers to compete with, but James didn't seem to care. All he wanted to do was shoot for the top, and Andrea was happy to see her youngest son live his dreams.
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Jen's pack was ready downstairs in the Richards' front hallway, and Jen herself was finishing the remains of her own breakfast when her mother poked her head into the kitchen.
"Are you almost set to go, Jennifer?" Emma asked, smiling as Jen nodded vigorously. "Good. Finish up there, and then we'll go out to meet James and his family outside. Your father will be down soon; today of all days, he's decided to sleep in."
"Typical Dad," Jen giggled, putting her plate next to the sink. "He always sleeps in on the most important days. I'll just get my stuff together, and then I'll be ready to roll."
"That's my girl," Emma smiled, and Jen hurried to get her things ready to set out. Emma truly was happy to see Jen so prepared and eager. Moving to a new region at this point could have been a disaster, but they thought the cold of northern Sinnoh would have been hard to deal with as a beginning trainer.
But Emma knew Jen would be fine. She had her Pokémon and her friend, and the two kids were a perfect match. Both were enthusiastic and ready to go, and that was the best attitude to have as a youngster. Emma laughed to herself as she walked toward the front door, preparing to head next door to see the pair off.
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Soon, the two families met in front of James' house, ready to bid farewell to their two aspiring adventurers. Cyndaquil had taken his habitual place on James' right shoulder, and was squeaking goodbyes to the entire group. Jen hugged her parents and then accepted farewells from the Enfield family, while James said his own goodbyes to his parents, then his brothers.
"Good luck to you, kiddo," Darrell said, as he ruffled his brother's hair. "You'll make us proud, I know it. The only limits on your potential are the ones you put on yourself."
"And never give up," Shane added. "No matter how tough things get, you have to find a way through them. Don't let anything stop you, and you'll be a terrific trainer."
"Thanks, guys," James said, and the three Enfield boys shared a group hug before James walked over towards Jen, readying himself to leave.
"Alright, you two, keep it together and have fun out there," Jen's father told them, smiling warmly at the pair of them.
"Yes, and be careful," Andrea Enfield added, aiming her gaze right at her youngest son. "Keep in touch, both of you, and stay safe."
"We will, Mom," James said, trying to reassure his mother. "We'll be fine."
"Yeah, please don't worry about us, Mrs. Enfield," Jen chimed in. "I'll keep James out of trouble, trust me."
"Alright, then, you two, get going. You've got a long journey ahead of you." James' father nodded to the pair, and with that they started moving towards the western city gate and the true start of their adventure.
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As James and Jen left their street, the first thing they saw was the Sprout Tower, impossible to miss due to its sheer height. They moved towards the entrance, wanting to take a closer look, and as they reached the gate they noticed a man wearing dark blue robes walk toward them.
"I judge by your attire and your eager demeanour that you are Pokémon trainers?" the middle-aged man asked, looking intently at both of them.
"That's right," James said, a little unnerved. He'd heard about these monks before; they were a mysterious lot, and were regarded as a little odd by many outsiders.
"Excellent! My name is Chow, and I am one of the Sages of the Sprout Tower. May I ask yours?"
"My name's Jennifer, and this is my friend James." Jen answered, giving the Sage a friendly smile.
"An alliterative pair, interesting... And again, pardon my incessant questioning, but may I inquire which Pokémon you are carrying?"
"Uh, I have a Cyndaquil, Pidgey and Geodude." James told the Sage, still unsure where this was going.
"And I've got a Magby, a Togepi and a Zubat." Jen added, sharing a quick glance with James afterward. His expression was clear: what does he want with us?
"Fire, Rock, Flying, Normal...all strong types, but ones that can take some time to train properly." Chow pondered this for a minute, leaving the two ten-year-olds to look at each other in confusion. "Ah, perfect! I have a suggestion for the pair of you."
"What's that?" James asked, still badly confused.
"Well, why not come train with the Sages for the day? It will help our younger dedicates to get some practice in, and you will benefit from the training as well. Are you up for it?" James considered this for a minute; they hadn't even gotten out of Violet yet, but it could be beneficial to learn from the Sages. Eventually, a grin crossed his face.
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"You're on, Chow. We are beginners, after all, and we're going to have to get used to hard training. What do you say, Jen?"
"Let's do it!" was Jen's only reply.
"Excellent! Please, follow me, and we shall begin the training." The two youngsters followed Chow inside, ready to experience the training methods of the Sprout Tower Sages.
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The entrance hall was full of robed monks going about their daily business. Not all of them wore the same colored robes as Chow; some wore grey, while others wore red or yellow. As Chow led James and Jen to the training chamber, he explained that the colors represented one's rank within the order. His own blue robes symbolized a mid-level rank, while the yellow was for new dedicates. As James tried to square the colors and meanings in his head, they reached the training chamber, which was full of mostly red-robed monks practicing their battle techniques.
"This, of course, will just be one part of your training today," Chow told them. "These Sages you see here are monks of the First Rank, and are just high enough above you in skill to test you. In keeping with the Order's code, all trainees will use a Bellsprout or an evolution thereof. This will be a good chance to gain experience battling Grass-types, and our first-rank dedicates will learn how to counter types with an advantage, such as James' Fire-type Cyndaquil. Let us begin." Chow turned and beckoned towards a small knot of monks. "Dedicate Cheng, if you will?" A tall young man stepped forward, drawing a Pokéball from within his robes.
"My Bellsprout and I proudly take on all opponents, advantage or no! You will not defeat me! Which of you will oppose me first?" James and Jen looked at one another, and James motioned toward the young monk.
"He's all yours, Jen," he told her, and Jen smiled at him before stepping onto the battlefield. Chow looked from the girl to the monk and then raised his arms.
"Very well, let this match begin!"
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The entire day was one long, hard training session. The monks were firm but helpful opponents, and both youngsters learned different things about their Pokémon and their unique abilities. James, in particular, learned the hard way that his direct approach was not always best.
"In many fights, being straightforward is often the most useful way," Chow had told him. "But sometimes, you must learn to outwit and confuse your opponent if attacking directly does not work. A Pokémon trainer must learn to adapt his strategy to whatever the opponent offers, for it is flexibility, among other attributes, that separates a run-of-the-mill trainer from a Pokémon Master." Both James and Jen took his words to heart, but Jen proved the better at outsmarting her opponents. Though her Pokémon were not the strongest attackers, she learned that she could use their moves to harass her opponents and gain a psychological advantage.
Not all the training was related to battles, though. The monks also underwent stringent physical and mental training in order to perform at their peak at all times. James proved adept at most of the appropriate physical training, outperforming many of the new dedicates in agility and endurance challenges. Jen performed well in the awareness tests, learning to anticipate moves and look for even the slightest movement; according to the monk overseeing the tests, these subtle movements could be the difference between avoiding a strike or being hit by one. Chow was impressed by what he saw, and he congratulated the pair on their accomplishment.
"You should be proud of yourselves, young ones," he said after they finished their final tests. "Not many outsiders are up to the challenge of our training, but you have persisted and now your training here is complete. Well done to you both."
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After the pair joined the monks for their evening meal, they got ready to say goodbye to Chow and the Sages, tired but glad to have taken up the training for the day. The Sprout Tower was almost empty when they walked with Chow towards the exit; most of the monks had either retired to their chambers or gone to tend to the order's evening rituals. As they entered the second floor hall, James noticed a small disturbance in the air, and stopped short to look for it.
"Is something wrong, young man?" Chow asked, as James scanned the room looking for whatever had caused the disturbance.
"Nothing's wrong, sensei," James answered, still looking for whatever was there. "I just saw something strange in the air, that's all."
"Ah, I see your anticipation training has paid off," Chow said with a wry smile. "I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but the tower often plays host to some wayward Ghost-type Pokémon at night. The disturbance you mentioned might just be a wild Gastly. Try to find it. You might even be able to capture it." James nodded, and kept scanning the room. Cyndaquil did the same, its nose following what it thought was the potential Ghost. Eventually, he squeaked frantically and fired a quick Ember attack to James' left, and a black Ghost-type Pokémon appeared. The spectral creature was surrounded by a cloud of purple gas, and its mouth had two pointed fangs bared.
"It is a Gastly!" James cried, and quickly drew out his Pokédex to scan it before it fled.
"Gastly, the Gas Pokémon." came the recording. "This near-invisible Pokémon can surround its target and put it to sleep in mere seconds."
"James, quickly!" Jen interrupted, as James made to stow the device. Gastly was trying to escape through a window.
"Not if I can help it! Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack!" Cyndaquil darted at Gastly, but found itself crashing into a wall. "Hey, what gives? That should've knocked it back!"
"Normal attacks have no effect on Ghosts," Chow said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I suggest you find a new strategy before it gets away."
"Alright, so direct attacks won't work this time..." James thought hurriedly, trying to devise a plan to trap the ghost. "Okay, here we go! Cyndaquil, use SmokeScreen quick!" The Fire Mouse recovered from its headfirst collision with the wall and engulfed Gastly with a cloud of black smoke. The next thing Cyndaquil saw was a dark purple ball of light hit it squarely in the face. As the Gastly left the smoke cloud, Cyndaquil looked around with a dazed expression, thoroughly confused. James groaned and called for Cyndaquil to come back, which it did after banging into another wall. "So, if we can't win this way, we'll find another! Pidgey, come on out!" The Tiny Bird flew into the air above Gastly as she was released, staring around with her sharp eyes.
"Come on, Pidgey!" Jen called, watching closely for the Gas Pokémon. James looked and saw that the smoke was spreading through the room, dissipating quickly. He needed to find Gastly fast, or he'd lose the capture.
"Pidgey, if you see Gastly move, hit it with Wing Attack!" Pidgey trilled as she continued glaring at the smoke cloud, and then dived at the ground, wings outstretched. James heard Gastly cry out as the Wing Attack hit its mark, and then saw Pidgey pull out of her dive, ready to strike again. He knew he had to be careful. A wind attack would blow Gastly away and cause havoc in the building, but he needed to get rid of the smoke in order to get a clear shot. "Pidgey, fly in a circle around the smoke! That should get rid of it!" Pidgey obeyed instantly, flying rapidly around Gastly's position, causing the smoke to dissipate and leave it vulnerable. Pidgey delivered another Wing Attack, and Gastly looked tired.
"Alright, Gastly, you're mine!" James drew a Pokéball and threw it as hard as he could at the Ghost-type. The ball hit the ghost between the eyes, and to James' relief sucked it inside, a red light appearing on the ball's front. One shake...two shakes...three shakes...then the capture tone and silence.
"You did it!" Jen cheered as she ran over to him. "Looks like our day with the monks paid off, huh?"
"Yeah," James murmured, staring at the Pokéball in his hand. The day had been long and hard, but the training had indeed helped. "So that's another addition to the team. Awesome."
"You sound less than ecstatic, young one," Chow said, walking over to the two youngsters.
"Oh, I'm ecstatic, all right," James answered, trying to stifle a huge yawn. "I'm just really worn out. I think it's time for us to get going."
"Thanks for everything, sensei," Jen chimed in. "We'll never forget the lessons we learned here today."
"We will remember the lessons you have taught us as well. Though we Sages claim to be the enlightened ones, knowledge is never restricted only to one group. Everyone has something to teach others, and everyone has something to learn, too. Take care as you continue your journey."
"Thanks, Chow," James said, and both youngsters bowed before moving for the exit.