The Journal of Arthur Lindt
March 5th, 20XX
Meeting Lyra was an interesting experience. She was relatively friendly, and seemed excited by the idea I was getting my starter. It confirmed with no shadow of a doubt that Ethan was the protagonist, since Lyra was the one with a baby Azurill, so it was good to have my suspicions confirmed.
My mom and I left soon after the introductions with Lyra, who made me promise that I would have a battle with her once I found my starter. It was a pretty easy promise to make, since having my first battle would be pretty important and I was looking forward to it. Of course following Pokémon rules if she’s my first opponent that would make her my rival. Not terrible but I did want to avoid messing around with the main plot as much as possible. Something to consider I suppose.
The journey from New Bark Town to Cherrygrove City is one of the safest routes to travel in the region, as it’s relatively short, and only really has weaker pokemon present. It’s also heavily patrolled by the Ranger Union so there is little chance of incidents getting out of control. Adding to that we were traveling with our Boltund Lemon the trip was uneventful. It was honestly nice getting to visit and travel with my mom like this. She didn’t strike me as much of a camper but when the first night came she was the one pitching a tent and starting a fire, and I was the one helping out and trying to learn how I would do it myself.
It was a pleasant trip. In the evening she asked about my plans, what I wanted to do with the League, the World Championship, everything. I should clarify things in case this book ends up in the hands of someone from my world somehow. The World Championship and the League Circuit are different things. Every year, from July to April they run the League Circuit. Each region partnered with the Pokémon League runs their own. In the case of Johto and Kanto that means the Indigo League. A League challenge works almost like a mix between the games and the manga. You collect badges from the region, and once you’ve collected eight you have the right to participate in the League conference at the end of March.
However, given that there are sixteen gyms across both regions of Kanto and Johto, it’s important to note that the eight badges you collect can be from any of the sixteen gyms in combination. The winner of the League Conference gains the right to challenge the Champion for their position, usually in a battle following the Conference itself. However, in the case of Indigo, collecting all sixteen badges allows someone the right to participate in the Elite challenge. If you go this route, instead of participating in the League Conference, you can instead challenge the elite four, and if you defeat all of them gain the right to challenge the champion at any time, regardless of the conference.
The World Championship is a different beast. This is a special tournament that takes place every four years, it includes all present champions as well as any conference winners during that four year stint that wish to participate. It’s also been called the Ace Tournament, although that’s an unofficial title caused by the kind of trainers participating. See a person is only allowed to attempt league challenges up until they are twentytwo years of age. After that point they are not permitted to attempt league challenges any longer. However, if they've managed to win a conference during that time, they are what’s considered an Ace Trainer. Ace Trainers have access to things like the Battle Frontier, special tournaments and opportunities to focus on careers centered around Pokémon battling.
They may also battle in the World Championship, but only so long as they've won a Conference in the four years since the last one. As such the battles happening at the World Championship are on another level compared to the League Circuits. It’s an upset if a trainer actually manages to beat the Champion during a Conference, so the Championship is the only place you’re actually likely to see a Champion lose. As a side note, in order to prevent Conferences from being swept by more experienced trainers, winning a Conference makes you ineligible to compete in the same Circuit the following year.
You can still use an elite challenge to try and take the Champion's spot if that's your goal, but you may no longer battle in that same conference. So if you want to participate in the World Championship a second time then you will have to head to a new region and participate in their league circuit. These Ace trainers will usually sweep a conference if they appear, but they are far rarer than would be guessed. The number of trainers that actually make it to the conference in a year is barely more than a dozen. The ones that manage to win will often spend the time until the World Championship training in private.
Occasionally you’ll find them participating in league circuits elsewhere to face different gym's elite teams, but it’s considered bad form to participate in a new conference as an Ace Trainer unless you are getting the required win for the Championship. There are seven regions currently a part of the Pokémon League, with Johto and Kanto having a combined league challenge, as such there can only be six new Ace Trainers a year, and occasionally one or two of those new Ace’s might well be an old one getting the necessary win to participate in the World Championship.
Oh I should mention the reward really quickly. The winner of the World Championship is considered the strongest trainer in the world. In the hypothetical chance that someone other than one of the Champions wins the spot, they have the right to take the Champions position of whatever region they want. This has never happened though, as it’s always been one of the Champions to win. The winner technically gets a large cash handout, as well as all the clout in the world from being the literal greatest. However given it’s always a Champion that handout is always transitioned into tax breaks for the region that wins. A pretty substantial reward so you will find this tournament reaching an intensity few others can compete with.
All that out of the way I’ll tell you what I told my mom. My plan is to collect all eight badges in Johto and participate in the League Conference at the end of the year. Ideally I win, but if not I will then go to Kanto and challenge their gym leaders elite teams, before earning the right to the Elite challenge. From there I’ll take on and beat the champion. After that I’ll spend my years in between challenging the different leagues and their elite teams before participating in the World Championship and winning. After that… well I’ll be the greatest trainer, so it doesn't matter. I could do whatever I want.
My mom acted weird about my final answer, but in the end told me that was a lofty goal to reach for, but she would cheer me on every step of the way. She really was the best, and I really hoped I could live up to my goal, make her proud. But to start all of that I needed to get my first Pokémon. So hopefully the rest of the journey to Cherrygrove goes well tomorrow, and I can get those balls easily.
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Arthur Lindt
We arrived in Cherrygrove at roughly 3 in the afternoon. The city was way larger than New Bark town, but not actually that large. Tiny in comparison to the cities I knew back on Earth, but still large enough to notice the difference between cities and towns. It had half a dozen small skyscrapers. More like 5 story apartment complexes but some of them held stores and the like. There was also a lovely park and then the harbor that opened onto the sea.
That however was all secondary, as my focus was on the large red and blue buildings in front of me. The Pokémon center was a 2 story building that actually gave the feeling of a hospital with its red and white colors. The Pokémart however was a larger building, although not as tall. Spread out like a single story grocery store it took up most of the block these two buildings were on. I grabbed my mom’s hand and dragged her into the building as she laughed trying to keep up with me.
“Come on, come on. We actually got here.” Once inside I ran down the isles ahead of my mom, searching for the area I knew to be at the back of the store.
And there, behind the glass case that took up a good section of the back wall, were the Pokéballs. There were several of the regular red and white balls on display, their price of 200 Poké was standard across the region. On the shelf below were the great balls at 600 Poké and then below that was the Ultra ball at 800 Poké. On a separate shelf to the right were examples of the more specialty balls each one priced at 1000 Poké. There were quick balls, fastballs, healballs, love balls and a half dozen others. Then finally, sealed in a special case even behind the glass, was a luxury ball priced at 5000 Poké.
They were all impressive and seeing them now was something else. It was my first time actually seeing a Pokéball in this world. While Arthur had definitely used one before while looking after Lemon this was my first time as Arthur seeing one. And I was going to buy some today. I had 5000 Poké saved up to spend in the first place, and I knew exactly how I wanted to spend it.
My mom finally caught up, placing a hand on my shoulder as she looked through the glass at the different balls. Lemon, who had been walking alongside us, sat down and began scratching at an itch behind its ear.
“Well, do you know what you want? We will have to talk to the desk to get the balls from the case.”
“That’s no problem, I know exactly what-”
“Whoa, who’s that Pokémon?” The voice interrupted what I was saying, as I turned back and could see a group of kids. 3 boys, all looking about my age, approached to get a closer look at Lemon.
“Cool, he looks like Houndoom, without the horns.” One of the boys was clearly not the smartest but was trying his best.
“No no, look at the color it’s obviously an electric type, so it can’t be a Houndoom.” Another boy, one in the glasses, was clearly much smarter, but seemed to be the kind of smart that liked telling other people how they were wrong, instead of providing the right answers.
“Enough, just scan the thing and we can know.” The middle kid, and tallest of the 3 pulled out a Pokégear, the equivalent of a flip phone, and pointed it at Lemon. To Lemon’s credit he didn’t respond at all, just sitting there trying to scratch at the itch he just couldn’t seem to get at.
The kids' device emitted a dinging sound and then spoke.
“Boltund, the electric dog Pokémon. Boltund generates electricity and channels them into its legs to keep them strong. They can run up to speeds of 50 km/hr and run for up to 3 days without rest.” The Pokédex entry was read out to the group, who gave it a series of ooh’s as they learned about our Pokémon. The Pokédex app was a common device on nearly every brand of smartphone. It wasn’t quite as good as an official lab dex, since the apps couldn’t track moves, EV’s or IV’s it was still useful to have.
“Hm, Boltund. Haven’t heard of that before, he’s cool.” The middle kid spoke again, approaching us and holding his hand out towards me.
“I’m Princely. Martin Princely. Nice to meet you.” My mom let out a small gasp but didn’t say anything as she watched. It wasn’t surprising, Princely was one of the better known names in Cherrygrove, since their family owned the port in town. Big name, but not something that meant much to me, since I was only 13. My adult self could acknowledge the weight of it but I couldn’t bring myself to care personally.
“Hi Martin. I’m Arthur. And this is my mom and her Boltund, Lemon.” I shook his hand in return, smiling as nicely as I could. My mom just waved politely and gave a smile, trying to hid her nervousness of dealing with the son of one of the most powerful families in the area.
“Ah, your mother’s Boltund, I had hoped he was yours. A battle with such an interesting Pokémon would be good practice.” He gave Boltund a glance who simply fell over trying to reach that spot, not bothering to stop scratching the whole while.
“Oh, yeah sorry. Boltund is old and doesn’t battle anymore, he was just helping my mom and I get to town so I could buy some Pokéballs. I’m hoping to catch my starter this week.” I bent over to scratch Boltund's head in the spot he couldn’t get and his tongue lolled out as he found sweet relief in the head scratches.
“How exciting, I assume you’re choosing a starter from the Pokémon in the area.” Martin’s question was polite but there was some cold behavior to his tone. He was judging my answer.
“Yeah, I’d want a Heracross if I can manage to find one, but if not well, I’d be okay with a Pidgey. Pidgeot is pretty strong.” I gave the honest answer. I couldn’t get a read on what he might have wanted to hear so there was no point in even trying to lie.
“Oh, a man of culture I can see.” He reached to his belt and drew out a luxury ball. Opening it there was a distinct chittering cry as the form of a large Heracross was revealed. This wasn’t just any Heracross however, as it was large for their species. At probably more than 6ft tall and with a glistening Purple carapace. It was clear that this was a massive shiny Heracross.
“Holy sh--. That’s awesome!” I looked at the form of the massive bug who just looked around the space he had appeared rather apathetically. It seemed he had little interest in us.
“Aha yes, Juno is a powerful example of her species. Given I have come across someone with interest in the same species, if you would like I could get Juno to help you locate a Heracross of your own.” He gave me a look and a polite smile. Any cold look of judgment had faded as he realized we had a similar interest.
“Really! YES! Please if you would that would be great. They are so hard to find normally any help you could give would be amazing.” I couldn’t contain my excitement. I had worried about actually finding one of these bugs, but with a guide it would be much easier.
“Hm yes it should be no trouble. Buy your supplies and whatever you need, I can meet you by the Pokémon Center. From there Juno can lead us.” His Pokémon just clicked in response. And then followed Martin as he turned and left. His two sidekicks, who hadn’t spoken during the conversation at all followed behind, sparing only the occasional glance back towards me.
Something felt a little off about their group, but nothing felt actually bad. Probably just the feeling that Martin’s two friends probably only followed him around because of who he was, and not because they actually considered him a friend. The thought felt sad to me, but maybe that’s why he was so quick to choose to help me.
“Mom, let’s go to the counter. I know what I need to get, we got to go quick. I might be able to catch a Heracross today.” I gave her a big smile as I ran around the corner and up to where the counter was.
“Now Arthur. I get that you want to go quickly, and I do like the idea of you going with friends your age instead of with just Boltund, but be careful okay. You don’t want to rush in and bite off more than you can chew. I hope your list of ingredients includes potions. I don’t want you or Lemon getting hurt.” She caught up to me quickly, placing a hand on my shoulder to ensure her message was getting across.
“I know mom. I’m excited, not dumb. Potions are on the list and I’ll be careful. I promise.” I looked her in the eye, and she gave me a smile. I could see tears welling at the corner of her eyes but she simply stood back up and wiped her face.
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“Okay good. Buy what you need and then I’ll walk you to the center.” She looked away and I took the chance to run up to the counter. The mart employee didn’t exactly look that interested but was friendly enough.
I ended up using most of the 5000 Poké I had saved up to buy 10 Pokéballs, nabbing myself the free Premier ball they give out as a promotion. I also took the chance to buy a net ball, which is more effective at catching bug and water types. And finally I bought myself 5 potions, leaving me with only 500 Poké left. I thanked the lady for the help and then grabbed the plastic bag with the balls and potions she gave me. I walked out towards the exit of the store to see my mom smiling at me.
“Got what you need, Art?”
“Yup, 5 potions, 12 balls. Should be good.” I started making my way towards the center when my mom spoke again.
“Where are you going to put all those?” I stopped in my tracks as I looked down at the plastic bag I was carrying filled with loose goods. I looked back at her as she continued, “Certainly you don't plan on just carrying it all in a grocery bag?” She laughed lightly as she watched me. I couldn’t help but blush in response.
“Well. I um. I was going to. But now that feels like a silly idea.” This caused her to laugh again as she walked back up to me and took a knee. She reached around her back and pulled out something she had been keeping hidden. A black bag, in the design of a basic shoulder strap book bag. The words Silphco was embroidered in silver text at the bottom.
“Every trainer needs a proper bag. And one of these.” Opening the bag she pulled out a red and black device that resembled a flip phone. A Pokégear.
“Arthur. I know you have your goals of making a strong team and traveling to the region. And that’s not a bad objective to have, but that can’t be all you’re doing. You don’t have to decide yet, but part of the journey is discovering what it is you want to be. How you want to change the world. You’re capable of doing great things Arthur. I know that, find what it is you want to achieve with your specific skills, and take it as far as you can.” She wasn’t hiding the tears in her eyes as she spoke now. It made me tear up as well and I leaned forward to hug her tight.
“I love you mom.”
“I love you too, Arthur.” She let go of the hug and wiped her face. “Okay. Now you go meet your new friends and find your starter. You try to come back to town every night okay, and if you dont you call me first. I’ll be staying in town a few days but my plan is the same. We make our way home in 3 days, so you make sure you're back by then, got it?”
“Of course, I promise. I’ll call you if anything happens okay. Bye mom.” I finished our goodbyes and took off running towards the Pokémon center, Lemon following closely on my heels. It wasn’t far from the Pokémart, literally next door actually, but the size of the two buildings means it still took me a minute to run over there.
I had dumped my grocery bag of supplies into my bag as I ran, not bothering to organize it, as the few items could be dealt with later. Martin was easy to find as he was leaning against the side of the building next to his Heracross and his two companions. He stood up as he saw me approach.
“Ah Arthur. Good timing, you have everything?” He asked the question looking me up and down. If he noticed the new bag he didn’t say anything. His friends however must have.
“Ha, see Mikey, I told you he would have a proper bag somewhere, he just wasn’t wearing it in the store.”
“No Joey, look at the bag itself. No wear and tear, still a fresh sheen. Compared to the rest of his outfit it’s clear the bag is brand new. Likely a gift.” Ah so that were their names, Mikey was the smart one and Joey was the… less smart one.
“Awe man, no way. Hey kid is that bag new or have you had it before?” He asked me directly, possibly hoping his friend was wrong.
“It’s Arthur actually, but sorry. The bag is brand new. I got it as a gift.” He deflated at the mention while Mikey adjusted his glasses with a smug look.
“Hmph, ignore them. Arthur, you wish to find a Heracross? Juno and I will lead the way. If it’s young you may be able to convince it to travel with you, but they get territorial as they get older. You may have to battle it into submission then.” He spoke plainly as he started walking towards the North exit of town. Route 30 was more likely to have the bug type than 29, so that’s where we planned to check.
“That’s an aggressive way to say that but yeah, I get it. Lemon is here in case I need to battle, but I’d rather find one willing to come along. Forcing it into submission and coming with me doesn’t feel like a very good way to make friends.” Martin stopped walking along with Mikey and Joey who started to chuckle.
“Friends? From how you wanted a strong Pokémon like Heracross or Pidgeot I thought you were the sort of trainer who valued strength, although perhaps I was wrong." He gave me a look that was much colder than earlier, and suddenly I started to feel uncomfortable.
“Um, well yeah I want the strongest Pokémon and to make the strongest team ever. But I mean, everyone knows that Pokémon fight better when they have a strong bond and trust with their trainer. So I just think finding a Pokémon willing to come with me would be better.” Martin looked at me quietly for a moment, before turning and walking off again as he spoke.
“3. I will help you find 3 Heracross. If not one of them is ‘willing’ to join you then that is your own problem. I wish for a rival of equal strength. I had hoped it would be you. Let’s see if your idea of bonds and friendship over power will do you all that good.” He didn’t bother looking back at me, but Joey looked back and stuck out his tongue before carrying on ahead.
I looked down at Lemon who just gave me a look as he followed along. I couldn’t understand how someone who lives in a world where friendship evolutions literally exist, could somehow think that friendship and strong bonds doesn’t make your team stronger. Oh well, seems like I wasn’t going to be actual friends with these guys, but I was certainly still going to use their help finding a Heracross. I’d be foolish not to.
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It had taken until almost 8 in the evening to find the first potential Heracross. Route 30 was basically a straight line north from Cherry grove, surrounded by hilly terrain and a light forest. We had followed Juno as she led us along the path until eventually breaking off and traveling into the tree line. We walked for a while until we came to a small clearing with a much larger tree in the center. There were a few small Weedle just roaming around that hurried into the tree line once they saw us.
The tree itself was taller than the others and had scratch markings along its base. Juno walked up to the bottom of said tree before turning back and giving a series of clicks.
“Ah, Juno says there should be a Heracross in this tree. She will give it a headbutt and that should knock them loose. You can attempt to ‘convince’ it to join you after the fact. If you succeed, we can make our way back to town. If not we will head back to the trail and set up camp.” I simply nodded in response and turned to Lemon
“Come on Lemon, I need you up and ready incase this bug wants to attack us right off the get go. Any bugs that fall out besides Heracross wait for them to run. If they don’t you can give them a small shock, but I’d rather avoid that if we can.” Boltund simply yawned in response before standing up and putting himself between me and the tree.
“Juno, headbutt.” Was the only order Martin gave before Heracross slammed its full weight into the tree. There was a cracking sound and the tree groaned but stayed standing.
A half dozen different bugs fell from the tree, and even more flew away along with the birds that were roosting. They all took off away from the Heracross in the clearing, making the smart choice to preserve their own safety rather than picking a fight. Finally though there was a faint buzzing as a small Heracross, relative to Juno anyway, flew from the tree and landed in front of us. It was eyeballing Juno but she simply turned away, sauntering back to Martin’s side.
The Heracross turned to face the next closest threat, facing off against Boltund and I. It looked angry but was cautious to avoid charging. Most wild Pokémon avoided picking fights with trainers unless in exceptional circumstances, since trainers tended to be strong and could have a variable number of Pokémon with them. As such this Heracross simply beat it’s arms against it’s chest and faced us down.
I took a small step forward, keeping my gaze steady and my posture firm. Heracross was a fighting type as well as bug, and they tended to value strength above all. Showing weakness here would not earn the insects respect in the slightest.
“Hey buddy. Sorry for knocking you out of the tree there, but we have actually been looking for Heracross lately.” The insect didn’t make a move to attack, but kept watching me with narrowed eyes. It was suspicious of what I was saying, but wasn’t opening with hostilities.
“See, I’m starting my Journey in a couple months here, and I’m hoping to travel around the entire region to gather a team of Pokémon as strong as possible. I think a Heracross like you would be the perfect ace for such a team, so I want you to come along.” I continued, keeping an eye on the Pokémon.
Most Pokémon were smart enough to understand human speech from the beginning, while most wouldn't be able to communicate back with any effectiveness, at the very least people could know they were being understood when they spoke. The Heracross looked like he was considering things for a moment, before he eventually turned around and flew back up into the tree. I hadn’t even noticed that Boltund had raised his hackles, but I noticed him relax as the bug flew away.
“Hm. Predictable outcome. Most Pokémon have no interest in leaving their homes without being shown the value of training with us. Defeating him in battle would have done so.” Martin spoke, letting out an air of superiority that was beginning to get on my nerves.
“Or it would have resented me for knocking it out of its house and then beating it up. There’s nothing wrong with asking, there will be other chances to find one.” I spoke back, simply turning back towards the main route to move on.
“Man you’re just an idiot huh.” Joey spoke up, throwing cheap insults, but I didn’t bother to respond. The guy himself had nothing of value going for him, so I wouldn’t stoop to his level of hurling insults.
We walked back towards the trail, and I called my mom to tell her we’d be camping on the route. She asked how things were going and I just told her they were fine and hopefully I’d find a Heracross tomorrow. And hope I did, my opportunities would be limited if this didn’t work.
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The Heracross we encountered the next day went much the same as the encounter with the first. Having Juno knock them out of the tree, and trying to convince them to join me, and once again being ignored in favor of the tree. The time we traveled was spent mostly in silence. Only broken up by the occasional insult from Joey or from Mikey trying to tell me how there was no evidence of friendship improving physical strength outside of evolution, which wouldn’t apply to Heracross.
I will admit I was tempted to shove the knowledge of Mega Evolution down his throat but I held off. It wouldn’t do me any good here that’s for sure. The constant walking was kind of boring in all honesty, the routes were pretty but we were in an area that was so well maintained that except for the times we went off the path we didn’t even encounter any wild Pokémon.
Eventually though it happened again, and Juno turned off to lead us into the tree line once more. We walked through the path before Juno suddenly stopped. We almost crashed into each other walking back to back like we were, but caught up.
“Juno? What is it? Ah, I see.” Martin spoke as he walked around his Pokémon to see what had cause them to stop. He turned back and called to the group, “Mikey you’re up, it’s that free Special Attack EV again.”
“Ah, excellent.” Mikey walked around up front and I followed close behind to see what they were talking about.
Just in front of us, on top of a stump, staring intently at our group was a Pokémon. A little Sunkern, barely a Foot tall. It had a fierce look in its eyes as it stared down our group, and it called out its name in a cry.
Mikey released a Pokéball from his hip, letting a Magnemite float into the air. It let out a buzzing sound and spun its magnets in a circle upon catching sight of the Sunkern. Needless to say I was confused.
“Um, what’s going on?” I asked the question to Martin who was watching without much interest.
“Hm? Oh the Sunkern? It’s rather well known by our group around these parts. For whatever reason the thing is constantly trying to pick fights with trainers. It’s very weak though, so it’s pretty much a free EV whenever we run into it. We take turns on who gets to be the one to knock it out, then we just heal it up so it doesn’t die and carry on our way. It’s Mikey’s turn now, and his Magnemite needs special attack so the EV’s are most useful to him.” He spoke as though it was so obvious it actually shocked me. He was essentially describing torture, beating a creature unconscious and then healing it up only to do so later. I felt myself getting angry, angrier than I think Arthur had ever felt before.
“Why would you do that?! What did Sunkern do to you, that’s cruel.” They all gave me a look like I was speaking another language.
“What do you mean man, the Sunkern is the one picking fights, it could run away if it wanted to. We’re just taking advantage of its personality.” Joey spoke looking confused that I would even object.
“Why would it do that? No one would ask to get beat up constantly for no reason!” I was shouting now, and the group actually took a step back from me seemingly surprised by my outburst.
“We know why it does it. It wants to get stronger. It’s more driven than most Pokémon I’ve seen but unfortunately it’s only a Sunkern.” Martin was looking right at me as he spoke, not blinking or showing any real sign of care for the Pokémon he was talking about.
“What do you mean only a Sunkern, why does that matter?” I controlled my shouting, but my whole body was tense. I was feeling furious.
“Well it’s personality lends itself to growth. If Juno had half the drive of that Sunkern she would likely be a 4th badge contender already. I would have considered catching it but Sunkern are frankly pathetic.” The Sunkern cried out at Martin’s comment, and began to glow slightly. It was likely using the move growth, but it wasn’t actually attacking us yet. It was instead eyeballing Mikey’s floating Magnemite.
“It may sound hurtful but it’s a true assessment. They have nearly the lowest base stats out of every recorded Pokémon, and while their evolution Sunflora isn’t completely pathetic it’s still weak, and actually requires a sunstone to evolve. Given the price and rarity of stones, it would be wasted on a Sunkern. Therefore the Pokémon’s best use is as EV’s for Pokémon with potential.” Martin regarded the seed Pokémon with nothing more than a side eye. A look of pity. That pushed me over the edge.
“Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about. Any Pokémon can be strong with training and strategy!” I stepped over to where the Sunkern was glowing on the stump, pumping another growth into its system.
“Sure, any Pokémon can be strong. But the effort it would take to make a Sunkern even slightly useful would be wasted. Its max potential is too low to be a serious competitive contender, and its move pool is barely diverse enough to serve as adequate support. Maybe you could make use of a Sunkern to support a fire team with environmental moves and sunny day, but that would be all. A trainer's time is better spent elsewhere.” He wasn’t just telling me. He was convincing me, trying to make it clear to me that this Pokémon was useless.
I could see it now, my dream of an elite team of mighty Pokémon, all capable of Mega Evolution. Conquering the League at a breakneck pace that leaves Champions, Villains and protagonists stunned in my wake. A future full of pseudo legendaries that could threaten gods. And then I looked and saw the Sunkern. Faintly glowing with energy of growth and staring down a much stronger Pokémon in Magnetite without fear. I could see it squinting through the tears at the edge of its vision, as it could hear every word Martin had said, and how while it hurt, it was only driven to prove them wrong.
I felt my original dream shatter before this small, brave little plant. A new dream formed, swirling about with half thought ideas and barely constructed plans. All of it swirled around a single thought. I needed to prove Martin wrong, and anyone who thought like him.
“No. You’re wrong about Pokémon Martin. Even a Sunkern can be strong, and not just as support. A Pokémon’s strength is only limited by the work it’s willing to put in. Given how you approach even talking about the idea of training your team, I know I could beat you with a team of Pokémon just like Sunkern.” I spoke clearly and precisely, making direct eye contact with Martin as he actually flinched at my challenge. That flinch was quickly replaced by a cold look in his eyes, but a glint of something else. He almost looked excited. It was gone in a moment but I had definitely seen it.
“Oh yeah? Very well Arthur. Prove me wrong. Mikey step aside. Juno, please show Arthur and that Sunkern what a difference in stats will do.” Juno stepped forward, lowering its head and for the first time, letting out a cry of “HERACROOOSS!” as it stared down Sunkern and I.
I turned back to look at the Sunkern, who had stopped glowing. It had tears in its eyes as it looked up at me. It looked as though I was the first person that believed in it, and for all I knew I might as well have been.
“What do you say, Sunkern?” I kneeled down to look it in the eyes. “Wanna show that overgrown bug who’s boss?” The Pokémon nodded at me, and gave a cry of its name before turning to face Juno behind me. I didn’t like the odds of this battle, but that wasn’t the point. Win or lose now didn’t matter, as I already had plans forming for how I would turn this little Sunkern into a monster.
Even if I didn’t beat Martin now, I would, and I would make sure to do it with a team of rejects. This world was a real place, not a video game, and yet people took ideas like stats, EV’s and IV’s far too seriously. I’d show them all that in a world of real Pokémon, even the weak can be champions.