Reaching the Apex (Pokémon SI)

Immediately after dropping off my backpack and groceries, I headed to one of the training rooms in the Pokémon Center. As usual, there was a vacant stall, so I paid for it in advance until evening.

As soon as we entered, Haunter drifted out of my shadow toward the target dummy. Before releasing Houndour and Squirtle, I approached him. I knew poison-type attacks couldn't be trained on him—that was something I remembered from school. Haunter noticed me following and stopped forming a Shadow Ball, curiously watching what I was doing instead.

The trainer was tucked into a nook to save space, and it wasn't until I got close that I noticed a framed notice on its side.

It listed banned techniques with a high risk of static interference, such as Ground-type moves. Those, however, were banned throughout the entire building except for the battle stadiums. Specifically for the dummy, Psychic and Poison attacks were prohibited. Everything else was fair game. I wasn't entirely sure how it handled other types. If Squirtle hit it with a stream of water, would it just absorb it? And what about Houndour's fire? Was the dummy fireproof? It only displayed the impact force of an attack, so I was curious how it would evaluate other elements.

Finally, I just shrugged. It wasn't forbidden, so we'd give it a shot... we'd see what happened.

"You're up, Haunter," I nodded to him and stepped back.

I immediately summoned Squirtle and Houndour. Sitting down on a bench-press station, I began to address them: "Alright, boys, today we're finally going to look at those auric techniques I promised you."

"Squirtle!" "Houndour!"

They chirped in agreement. Houndour wagged his tail eagerly, while Squirtle waited calmly to see what would follow.

"So, Houndour, you're a dual-type Pokémon—Dark and Fire. Do you know how to form a technique?"

"Houndour!" he barked in affirmation, and faint shadows immediately began to swirl around his jaw.

"Looks like you know Bite," I nodded, pleased. He was already capable of working with Dark energy; we'd strengthen that attack over time. For now, the energy around his maw was sparse.

"Houndour!" he barked again, and the darkness around his jaw dissipated.

"And fire? Can you feel the fire inside you?" I asked curiously.

Instead of nodding, he opened his mouth as a glow began to build inside. Before he could release it, I stopped him. It would kill me if we ended up setting something on fire in here.

"Squirtle, you've definitely got water down, right?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

I wasn't surprised when he nodded. Dual-types sometimes struggle with techniques of a certain energy, even if they are natural to them. If they don't use it or lack the opportunity or need, they simply remain inexperienced and must learn to work with it. In contrast, monotype Pokémon command their auric energy instinctively and significantly better. It's their starting advantage, so I was certain Squirtle wouldn't have an issue. His confident, slightly cocky demeanor told me he was the best Squirtle from his "batch," which his auric energy ultimately confirmed.

"Alright, my boys, Squirtle and I are going to the dummy now. Haunter, you practice manifesting Hypnosis—just like that, without a target. Focus on the quality of the execution, okay? You know how it could be even better," I began issuing orders. "Unfortunately, you can't train Acid Spray here," I added apologetically as he obeyed and floated closer.

"Houndour, you have the most important job of all right now," I told him with a smile, noticing his ears drooping. He immediately started wagging his tail as I continued: "I need you to practice Bite with Dark energy. Try to concentrate as much of it into your maw as possible. When you can't hold any more, dissipate the energy and start over. Got it?"

"Houndour!" he barked with determination.

"Can I really count on you? Your Bite needs to be strong!" I motivated him.

"Houndour! Hound! Houndouuuur!" he howled resolutely, and shadows immediately began to converge around his snout.

In my mind, I rubbed my hands together and promised myself I'd give him a good scratching later. Haunter similarly obeyed without needing further motivation. Squirtle followed me to the dummy and waited for the command.

"Use Water Gun directly at the center, okay? Try to find the best balance between speed and power."

"Squirtle!" he nodded determinedly and began to puff out his cheeks.

Before he fired the stream of water, I noticed he had taken the stance I'd shown him. It pleased me that he was starting to do it automatically. His feet were firmly planted and spread to maintain stability while allowing him to dodge a counterattack quickly.

After a moment, he fired a jet of water with a cry. He hit the dummy dead center as ordered, and the display immediately lit up with the number 41. As the first droplets hit, small vents opened on the dummy, aggressively sucking the water in; it looked like not a single drop hit the floor. The attack had the most force at the initial impact and then tapered off, which meant that at his auric level, it was a very respectable performance.

"Again! Try to narrow the stream, make the jet sharper," I commanded.

We spent the rest of the day in hard training. I wanted to test Houndour's fire on the dummy as well, but he was so absorbed in practicing Bite just to please me that I decided not to interrupt him. So, Squirtle worked on the trainer until evening, while Haunter practiced Hypnosis into thin air. Every now and then, I felt as if it were tugging at my vision, but perhaps it was just my imagination in my tired state.

For dinner, I picked out the highest quality, juiciest meat, taking more care with the selection than usual. The biggest advantage of the vitamins I'd bought was that Houndour no longer protested during feeding. Now, he and Squirtle were actually competing to see who could bolt down their dose faster and look less disgusted.

It took Haunter nudging my shoulder for me to notice. I was still wrecked from the night before, and I hadn't even physically trained with them. Finally, I just collapsed into bed—exhausted, but satisfied with how the day ended.

---

I woke up exactly at dawn. Fortunately, I felt significantly better than yesterday, when I hadn't gotten up until noon. I handled my morning hygiene quickly, packed all my things, and went for one last breakfast in this Pokémon Center.

We all knew the plan for today. We shoveled down our food and checked out of our lodging. After scanning my ID, everything was in order—bills paid, no damage caused. I could cheerfully move on toward Mount Moon. If I manage to cross the range, Cerulean City awaits.

Pewter City was already buzzing with its morning life. People were rushing to work, schools, and kindergartens, but I had a completely different goal ahead of me.

At the gate, a guard scanned me quickly and let me out without a word. It was considerably faster than when I had entered the city, which I certainly wasn't complaining about. The start of Route 3 was dusty, and the terrain climbed uphill. I saw a few farms in the area, though there were significantly fewer than on the stretch between Viridian and Pewter.

I walked accompanied by Houndour, while Haunter remained hidden in my shadow. Squirtle waddled by my side, scowling like a proper princess about having to walk on his own feet. At first, he didn't mind... but after an hour of walking, he was over it.

"You have to walk; you need the stamina. You'll rarely be fighting in the water," I reminded him when he stopped.

"Haunter, haunt, haunter!" my starter began to mock him. Houndour joined in with a funny bark and happily rubbed against my leg. Squirtle just snorted but continued on his way. After that, we walked in silence.

As we climbed higher, the farms disappeared completely, replaced by low pines and sharp rocks. Occasionally we encountered other trainers; we even stopped for a moment to watch a battle between a Sandshrew and a Geodude.

Sandshrew won. It was simply faster, more agile, and overcame Geodude's resilience after a few strikes. For a second, I considered having a small battle with someone, but based on what they showed, Haunter would have crushed them both. I wasn't as confident in Squirtle and Houndour in combat yet, so I chose to keep moving.

At lunchtime, we stopped for a moment in a small clearing where a fire pit was already lined with stones—evidently a common camping spot. We ate quickly. It went smoothly, as Haunter lightning-fast gathered wood. A hungry Squirtle and Houndour helped out with small things here and there. I thought about spending the rest of the day there training, but we'd already stayed in Pewter long enough. It was time for a real move. If necessary, we'd stop tomorrow, or at the small Pokémon Center before Mount Moon.

It wasn't long before we continued our journey. As it began to get dark, I felt the forest thickening and sensed something watching us. More accurately, I was certain something was following us with ill intent. But it seemed that neither Houndour nor Haunter noticed anything beyond the usual Pokémon. Starly, Pidgey, Caterpie, or the occasional Sentret were everywhere; the bird-types were the boldest during our passage.

Once, I thought I caught a glimpse of white in a tree, but after a moment, I dismissed it as a hallucination from the moonlight. It wasn't until seven in the evening that I decided to stop. I had planned to go further, but I could see the exhaustion on Squirtle especially, so I anchored down earlier than I had originally intended.

A short distance from the beaten path, we found a small clearing. Houndour willingly helped me and quickly dug a pit for the fireplace, while Haunter flew off for wood. It wasn't long before the tent was up. I was preparing dinner on a large pan, lit by the moon, though part of the clearing remained in deep shadow. The smell of roasting meat drifted through the air, and my mouth was watering. First, of course, I prepared portions for Squirtle and Houndour—natural, without salt or spices. Squirtle helped me wash the pan; his water jet made even such trivialities significantly easier. By the time I managed to prepare food for myself, they were already finished eating and lying contentedly in the grass. Haunter hovered nearby—he didn't need to eat or rest, so he was determined to work on his Acid Spray. Out here in nature, his poison was fine.

When I finally dug into my meal, I felt like a starving Houndour. After dinner, I suggested a short rest for digestion followed by an hour of training. They agreed, though I was afraid they would both fall asleep on me. I pulled out a whetstone and began to sharpen my sword with slow, rhythmic movements. I knew the basics thanks to a summer job at a blacksmith's in Pallet Town.

Occasionally, I heard the rustling of trees, and I wasn't the only one. Houndour and Squirtle were constantly turning their heads in all directions, and Haunter flew closer to us just in case. We still didn't see any predators, but we felt their presence. I was beginning to feel that an attack was inevitable. I held the sword firmly in my hands. Even though I was sitting, I was ready to leap into battle instantly alongside my Pokémon, who were as tense as bowstrings. I was just about to send Haunter on a scout when suddenly, the aggressive roar of a hunter rang out.

"Fuck," I thought. I immediately recognized who that voice belonged to.

I leaped to my feet with my sword in front of me, and the others snapped into a fighting stance at the same moment. It was a close call; the attack happened incredibly fast.

Suddenly, four Mankey charged at us from the darkness. Squirtle, being the lowest, took the first hit. He managed to withdraw into his shell, so the blow only knocked him a meter away. At that moment, however, they were already rushing us. Haunter's Shadow Ball lightning-fast took one of them down. The clearing echoed with the aggressive screams of the Mankey, but the most terrifying was the roar of a Primeape that carried through the air.

Three others were flying straight at me. I immediately slashed the sword in front of me. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the hit Mankey began to howl in pain; I had slashed its face open. With a snarl, Houndour lunged at a second one with a shadow-infused Bite. He tackled it to the ground at an angle, locked onto a limb, and bit down stubbornly. The third was hit by Squirtle's Water Gun, but it seemed to only infuriate the monkey further, and it continued its assault.

I kicked it away from me with a hard push kick; the aggressive little shit didn't even reach my waist.

"Haunter, Hypnosis and Shadow Ball on the Primeape! Leave the Mankey to us!" I shouted immediately.

The Primeape answered with a terrifying roar and accepted the challenge. I, however, had to immediately dodge the Mankey with the slashed face. Even though blood was pouring out of it and its nose was half-severed, it continued to attack aggressively. Houndour was busy with his opponent, who had lost an arm but managed to knock Houndour back with a hard blow from the other. Houndour yelped in surprise but recovered instantly and lunged again, this time biting into the other arm.

One leaped directly at my face and tried to land a hook. At the last second, I ducked under the blow, sword and all. As it flew past me, I swung the blade in a blur. I lopped off its arm at the elbow. It hit the ground with a thud, immediately beginning to bellow in pain, desperately clutching the stump with its other hand. I had no time for mercy, though. With a sharp, precise thrust to the eye, I pierced its brain. It yelped, shuddered, and died a moment later.

I quickly yanked the sword out of it and turned. Another Mankey was rushing me, which Squirtle blasted again with a Water Gun. The monkey, however, resolutely got back up and ran at me. This time it leaped for a "superman punch." I was just raising the sword in front of me to let it impale itself when another stream of water from Squirtle hit it from the side. He was firing fast and frantically, so the attack didn't have much power... but that didn't matter at all. Exactly as the water jet hit it, Houndour bit into its leg from behind mid-leap.

The Mankey hit the ground with an aggressive-painful yowl, with Houndour locked onto its leg. As the monkey tried to push him away with its hands, it didn't notice me, fully occupied with its defense. I didn't wait and finished it off without mercy.

I didn't hesitate with the fourth Mankey either, the one knocked out early by Haunter's Shadow Ball; I quickly threw a Pokéball at it. Then I walked over to the bloody heap Houndour had left behind. A mangled Mankey lay there, armless, its nose bitten off, and bloody wounds all over its body. It was dying slowly, so I decided to ease its end. I stabbed it immediately; there was no helping it anymore.

The only one still fighting was Haunter against the Primeape. The Primeape stood no chance—slowed, furious, its face corroded by poison and a vein on its forehead pulsing a sickly purple. With a final blow, it tried to hit Haunter, but the fist simply passed through him. Only Haunter's amused laughter, Houndour's low growling, and the roar of the Primeape, sensing the closeness of death, echoed through the clearing.

"Finish it, Haunter," I ordered coldly. Dead monkey bodies lay on the ground; the heavy scent of blood hung in the air. Squirtle was shaking, Houndour might have been injured—if I had heard his yelp correctly after the previous blow—and Haunter still felt like playing, even though we were in danger.

He shot a look at me, and when he saw I was serious, he nodded with his tongue out. He began to form a massive Shadow Ball, taking his time and concentrating it longer than usual. The Primeape was already just walking slowly toward him with a raised hand. Still combative, but I could see the anger had left him—he had given up mentally. He didn't even try to dodge anymore. The Shadow Ball hit him directly between the eyes, and the Primeape collapsed without a single sound. He didn't move again. Blood leaked from his mouth, his face was corroded, and his chest didn't rise.

He was dead, but I felt no pity. The Mankey evolutionary line was among the most dangerous in the wild. Usually, there were many of them, and these fighting types could nastily surprise both Pokémon and humans. They were omnivores; many a trainer had ended up as their food. If there had been more of them, one of us could easily have lost our life. We were lucky there were so few.

"We have to get out of here," I announced to the team and immediately started packing up camp.

If these were just part of a larger troop, we'd have a problem if another group arrived. Furthermore, the scent of the slaughter could attract other dangerous predators, so I decided to continue our journey without delay.

Squirtle looked shaken, but he wasn't injured. Houndour was walking normally, and Haunter hadn't even broken a sweat. After a few minutes, we left the bloody clearing behind. One captured Mankey was added to my backpack, though I certainly didn't plan on keeping it.

---

Author's note:

A bit of a bloody ending there... our MC certainly has a knack for finding trouble.

---

Step into the Restricted Section

The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.

Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter

Upcoming Chapters – Already Written:
21. Blood and Embers
22. Lessons and Hard Knocks
23. Ten Thousand Kicks
24. A World in Monochrome
25. The Stoic's Resolve

Join the Inner Circle - tgdTNZYVKt (Discord)
(Vote on plot | Dark FF recs | Chat with the Author)

Support the craft and keep the darkness spreading. Your support directly allows for faster updates.

---

We walked quickly. Haunter guarded us, hidden within my shadow, and Houndour trotted contentedly at my heel, but Squirtle flinched at every rustle or sharp sound from the surroundings. After the Mankey attack, he was in a state of constant stress, which surprised me. The wild is cruel, after all—he should have been used to such things.

Unless he came from a breeder and led a protected life full of food... or perhaps he had a Blastoise by his side in the wild, someone no one dared to approach.

It wasn't wise to travel like this at night. It was dangerous, as I couldn't see as well as I would have liked. Still, it was definitely safer than the Viridian Forest, which was infested with Bug Catchers. Here, fortunately, the trees were thinner, growing scattered in the grass and on rocky outcrops.

The cry of some predator echoed in the distance, making Squirtle literally jump. I just shook my head at his behavior. "A total princess," I thought. "I'll get him out of this."

We continued along the main beaten path for a while longer. According to the Pokédex map, the Pokémon Center was still an hour and a half away. Given how scared Squirtle was, I was worried he might have a heart attack from the stress. Traveling was simply safer in the light.

After a while, the path began to narrow. A rocky ridge rose on the left, while to the right was a slight slope and an open green area. It looked like an ideal spot for a camp. Even if I slept only a few meters from the main road and was out in the open, I was sure Haunter would protect me during the night if any person wanted to try their luck. Besides, we were close to the Pokémon Center; surely no one would dare to risk it.

"We'll set up camp here," I announced to the team. "Haunter, find a few pieces of wood, please."

"Haunter, haunt!" he replied. He paused for a moment, cast a scowling look at Squirtle, and then continued: "Haunter? Haunt, haaaaunt!"

"Houndour!" the beast by my side barked contentedly and started wagging his tail.

I understood it as Haunter expressing concern for my safety and then insulting Squirtle. Squirtle, however, didn't react at all, merely staring vacantly at the ground. Houndour, meanwhile, assured him that he would protect me. Looking at how he was covered in Mankey blood, I believed him—and apparently, so did Haunter, who nodded and went off for wood.

In the clearing, a fire pit had already been dug out, lined with charred stones of equal size arranged in a perfect circle. It was done quite elegantly; I was certain the person before me had been of a high caliber. Such auric precision with stone on such a small scale must have been demanding.

I started setting up the tent, and in two minutes, it was done. In that short time, I had gained plenty of practice. We waited for Haunter, who was taking longer this time—there was likely less available wood nearby. At least I had time to think.

While Houndour was content, albeit smeared with someone else's blood, Squirtle looked like a little, frightened pile of misery. Only food would help with this. But first, I had to clean us up a bit. I pulled out a water bottle which, thanks to Poké-technology, had a surprisingly large volume.

"Houndour," I called him back. As soon as he saw the water bottle, he immediately began to back away. He was surprisingly sharper than one would expect. With a small, reluctant growl and flattened ears, he finally obeyed and stood before me.

The blood on him had already managed to dry. In the moonlight, he looked menacing, but up close? In person, he looked like something out of a horror movie. I was sure that if we walked into a Pokémon Center like this, Nurse Joy would immediately call Officer Jenny. Mankey blood was far too similar to human blood in color, consistency, and even that metallic scent.

I started pouring water over him. Although he protested with whines, he held still. The problem was that the blood in his fur had already stiffened, so I had to run my fingers through his coat and scrub it. This was exactly why I needed a brush and some grooming kit... I made a mental note of it for the shopping list when we reached Cerulean.

Meanwhile, Haunter returned with the wood. We weren't finished yet, and my hands were still wet. He stacked the logs in the fire pit exactly as I had taught him—crisscrossed high, with thin, easily flammable twigs in the center.

"Houndour, can you light it from there?" I thought to ask.

"Houndour!" he barked in an enthusiastic-yet-dejected tone with his wet fur and immediately began to concentrate. After a moment, he opened his maw, and a thin, sparse, but steady flame ignited the fire. It was an Ember, quite precise, though weak.

I scratched him behind the ear with my wet hand in praise. I cleaned him for a while longer, then promised: "I'll clean myself too, and then I'll make you guys something good to eat."

He immediately started wagging his tail with a short, excited yelp.

"Are you hurting anywhere? I heard you yelp when one of those fuckers hit you," I asked.

"Houndour, hound, houndour!" he puffed out his chest and replied dismissively.

I nodded and scratched him again: "Good boy."

Once he was somewhat clean, I started cleaning myself. Fortunately, none of them had died on me, and I wasn't in such close contact, so I only had a few drops on me. Worse off was the sticky, dried sword, which was very difficult to pull from its scabbard. Although I had wiped it on the fur of one of the monkeys before leaving, it clearly hadn't been enough.

I gave the sword a quick glance and rinsed the scabbard with water. This time, however, I didn't slide it back in but laid it loosely in the tent. I leaned the scabbard against the wall with the opening facing down so it could breathe and dry properly.

When I stepped out, I noticed Houndour sneakily approaching Squirtle. Squirtle just sat there idly, staring at the ground, oblivious to his surroundings or the "approaching danger." When Houndour was right next to him, he began to shake violently. The water soaked into his fur sprayed directly onto Squirtle. Squirtle jumped up in surprise and immediately let loose.

"Squirtle, squirt!" he raised a finger accusingly. "Squiiiirtle!"

"Houndour!" he replied contentedly and returned to me with his tongue hanging out. Squirtle just watched him indignantly, but in doing so, he completely forgot the shock he'd been in.

"Good boy," I whispered to Houndour when he came to me.

"Hound!"

I pulled out a pan with a tripod and prepared a quick "mishmash" to warm us up. Since we had already had dinner once, I only gave us something small. After a moment, the clearing began to smell of meat again. Houndour, lying by my side, was already drooling. Haunter hovered warily around, and Squirtle, though he seemed more alert now, still kept his distance.

When it was done, I divided the food into bowls. Houndour immediately dove into his portion. Squirtle thanked me, but clearly had no thoughts of eating. I left my portion in the pan. I started on it with some apprehension, as I had thrown everything in together—human convenience food, algae for Squirtle, unseasoned meat for Houndour, and vegetables. Fortunately, the flavors didn't mix badly, and the food tasted great.

Haunter cast suspicious glances at Squirtle but didn't go near him. Squirtle spent the rest of the time silently watching the flames. I had hoped Squirtle would snap out of it over the meal, but it didn't happen—he didn't even touch it. This, too, was the role of a trainer, so I went over to him. Without a word, I sat down beside him. He looked at me with big, round eyes, but when I remained silent, he turned his gaze back to the flames.

After a few minutes, as a yawn hit me, I finally spoke: "What's going on, Squirtle?" I asked directly.

He flinched and looked at me, but then lowered his head to the ground and didn't answer.

"Hm, I'll guess then," I nodded. "Do you feel like you failed? Are you blaming yourself for panicking and not fighting enough? For losing your head?"

He immediately looked up. It seemed to me there were tears in his eyes, but it could have easily been just the moonlight's reflection. Before I could be sure, he lowered his head back to the ground.

"Everyone is afraid, Squirtle. Everyone," I told him. He twitched his tail restlessly, letting me know he was listening. "It's not about not being afraid, but about overcoming the fear. Acting in spite of it. I don't know what your life has been like until now, but I assume you haven't experienced the true cruelty of the wild and real combat until today."

The blue tail flicked from side to side, but he still didn't answer.

"The reality is that every first fight is accompanied by panic and terror," I chuckled. "I remember my first match only as a blur. I ran out of breath in the first round; I barely knew what was happening. I had this red helmet on my head, and I could hardly see through the sweat stinging my eyes. And when I took a kick to the head... that was a feeling."

Squirtle looked into my eyes with a silent challenge for me to continue.

"Fighting is about habit and instinct. When you're inexperienced, you react in panic at first. A person gets winded quickly and instead of sharp strikes, they only make readable, looping movements. With time and training, however, those edges are smoothed out. You'll improve and start to perceive combat with calm. It will stop being a nightmare. So you don't have to be afraid. I'm counting on you. You're going to be the most powerful Blastoise that ever existed. But you mustn't give up. You have to fight."

I didn't know what else to say to him. I was no motivational speaker, so we sat silently by the fire for a while longer. Haunter, floating nearby, listened to my monologue with obvious interest. It was time to go to sleep. When I stood up, I beckoned Haunter to follow me into the tent and spoke to Squirtle one last time: "Don't stay up too late. We continue our journey tomorrow morning."

"Squirtle," he nodded.

I had only taken a few steps when he spoke again: "Squirtle, squirtle?"

Somehow, I sensed what he was asking so curiously. Without turning back to him, I replied with amusement: "Yes, Squirtle, I won that first fight... on points."

As soon as I entered the tent, I was startled by a black shadow that slipped in right behind me. It nearly gave me a heart attack, but fortunately, it was just a yawning Houndour, who promptly collapsed next to my sleeping bag. Haunter watched my reaction with amusement, a wide, glowing grin on his face. In return, I just gave him an appreciative scratch on the head.

"Great job, Haunter. You're really good," I praised him. "Keep an eye on us tonight, please. If anything happens, wake us up immediately."

"Haunt, haunter!" he promised and flew through the tent canvas out into the darkness.

Houndour didn't react. He lay contentedly with his eyes closed while I crawled into my sleeping bag. I fell asleep with thoughts of today. Although the ending had been quite horrific, exhaustion was stronger—I knew I would sleep perfectly. My last thought belonged to what I had said to Squirtle. I had spoken it with such certainty, as if I had truly lived it. That memory floated into my consciousness completely naturally.

Perhaps the acquired memories were beginning to merge with my own consciousness?

---

In the morning, I was woken by a damp alarm clock—a hungry and drooling Houndour.

"I'm coming, that's enough," I pushed him away sleepily as I woke up. I stretched with a yawn. I felt only the pleasant after-effects of muscle soreness from Pewter and was incredibly thirsty. I lay there dazed for a moment longer, but when Houndour prepared for another attack, I slowly began to get up.

When I stepped out of the tent, it was just dawning. I didn't see Haunter anywhere, but Squirtle was curled up in his shell a short distance from the fire pit. As soon as he heard us, he peeked out.

"Squirtle, squirt!"

"Good morning. I see you slept well," I greeted him.

"Squirt!" he confirmed with a nod and lifted his empty bowl. Apparently, Houndour wasn't the only one hungry, so I set about preparing breakfast.

"Haunt!" came a shout directly in my ear.

I turned to him calmly: "Good morning to you too, Haunter."

I had to laugh when I saw his grinning face turn into a look of disappointment.

"You'll definitely get me next time," I said with a laugh.

"Houndour!" "Squirtle!" the others joined in amusedly.

Haunter snorted indignantly and flew into my shadow.

"Alright, boys, a quick breakfast and then we continue to the Pokémon Center," I announced. Following their enthusiastic cries, I started cooking. We ate quickly, extinguished the fire, packed up camp, and set off along Route 3. We walked for only a short while; visibility was great, the sun was warm, and the morning song of bird Pokémon echoed from everywhere. Since it was truly beautiful, I decided on a jog.

"Guys, let's do a bit of running for training!" I commanded.

"Houndour!" he barked enthusiastically, while Squirtle began to protest. After a moment, however, he collected himself and nodded determinedly: "Squirtle!"

We started running. Houndour ran ahead and then back to us, enjoying the movement, while I had to slow down after a while. Squirtle simply couldn't keep up, but after every one of Haunter's taunts, he determinedly tried to run further.

After a few minutes of jogging, we spotted a Pokémon Center in the distance. It stood right before the entrance to Mount Moon. It was significantly smaller than those in the cities. As I approached, I noticed I was no longer the only one for miles around. A short distance ahead of us stood an elderly gentleman in blue robes with a water tank. It seemed to me there was a dollar sign on the sign next to him.

As I slowly drew closer, I noticed he was bald and had a long white beard, but despite his age, he seemed to be in excellent condition. As soon as I was a few meters from him, he jumped as if he had springs for knees and immediately started shouting.

"Good morning, young man!"

I calmly stepped closer and returned the greeting: "Good morning."

In the tank next to him, Magikarp were swimming. They moved contentedly from side to side, as if they didn't even mind the small space and limited volume of water. The tank wasn't the smallest, but compared to a river or the sea...

"Oh, the young man has excellent vision!" he continued with a smile. "We have excellent and strong Magikarp here, which will surely grow into mighty Gyarados!" He paused for a moment, spread his arms, and added: "Only one hundred dollars each. A great price!"

"Where did you get them?" I asked curiously.

"From Mount Moon, of course," he replied with a broad grin. "They can be caught in the underground rivers of the mountain, off the usual paths. And these... these are exceptionally strong, since they live in such a hostile place," he concluded with a wink. I would have sworn that for a fraction of a second, Poké-dollar symbols flashed in his eyes.

I ran my fingers over my chin and thought for a moment. Finally, however, I nodded.

---

Author's note:

A little bit of motivation for Squirtle—first battles are always filled with panic, heavy breathing, and a bit of a dreamlike blur... Where do you think Squirtle actually comes from, considering what a "princess" he's being? We'll find out in time. What do you think, will we have a Gyarados in the team?

I'm glad I managed to finish today's chapter; things have been pretty hectic for me lately.

---

Step into the Restricted Section

The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.

Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter

Upcoming Chapters – Already Written:
22. Lessons and Hard Knocks
23. Ten Thousand Kicks
24. A World in Monochrome
25. The Stoic's Resolve
26. Claws in the Clearing

Join the Inner Circle - tgdTNZYVKt (Discord)
(Vote on plot | Dark FF recs | Chat with the Author)

Support the craft and keep the darkness spreading. Your support directly allows for faster updates.