章 13: Chapter 13: Toxic Training and Fishing
I stood there, my breath slow and steady, the cool air biting at my skin through my thin hoodie.
Viridian Forest wasn't the place for the faint-hearted at night.
The silence?
That's when you knew something was watching, always just beyond the edge of the light.
I flicked open the guidebook.
The dim beam of my flashlight trembled over the text, casting a pale yellow glow.
The corners of my lips tugged up in a half-smirk when I found the page I was looking for.
"Toxic isn't just a move, Charmander," I muttered, glancing at him.
He sat at attention, tail flame flickering, reflecting the moonlight in his glowing eyes.
He cocked his head to the side, eyes locking on me.
"You'll need control, not just power,"
I continued, crouching down, my fingers tracing over the instructions in the guidebook.
"Toxic's not like anything you've done before. It's not fire, not heat—it's a slow, creeping thing. You gotta tap into something different."
Charmander blinked, his fiery gaze narrowing in focus.
The forest remained dead quiet, just the occasional rustle of leaves that I ignored.
"Alright, five hours," I said, standing up. "Control your breath first. Slow it down. Think about the shift in your body. You've to mastered venom. Something deeper."
He exhaled, his breath steadying, eyes locking on mine.
That trust between us—it was unspoken.
"That's it." I started pacing around him, my boots crunching softly on the dead leaves. "Hold that energy. Feel it crawl into your claws. Imagine it—the poison seeping through your veins, waiting to strike."
The book made it sound easy.
But Charmander wouldn't learn from a book.
I snapped the guidebook shut, tossed it into my pack.
He didn't need it, and neither did I.
"Let's see it. Scratch, but I want the poison in there. Don't worry about perfecting it—just try."
Charmander lunged at the nearest tree, claws outstretched.
His talons dug deep into the bark, sparks flying as the wood splintered under his strength.
But nothing.
No poison.
Just brute force.
"Again!" My voice came out sharper than I intended, but he needed to hear it like that.
Charmander growled, frustrated, his tail flame flaring brighter.
He slashed again, harder, but still—nothing.
I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes. "It's not about power. Forget the fire for a second. Toxic is a mind game. You gotta get in their head, Charmander. Make them feel it before it even hits."
He huffed, clearly irritated, but nodded, focusing again.
I knelt beside him this time, lowering my voice. "Feel it inside you. Something dark, creeping. It's not a burn—it's a virus. You don't scorch them; you infect them. Let it flow through you. Then strike."
He closed his eyes, drawing in a slow breath.
I could hear it, too—his focus, the subtle shift in his body.
The tension in the air thickened, as if even the forest was holding its breath.
His claws twitched, and for the briefest second, a faint purple glow flickered at the tips.
A grin spread across my face. "That's it. You're getting there."
We kept at it for hours.
His claws raked the trees over and over, his focus sharp, my voice cutting through the night like a whip.
Each time, he got a little closer.
The purple glow on his claws was faint but growing stronger.
We were on the verge, right at the edge of unlocking something dangerous.
Eventually, I called it.
The exhaustion finally caught up to him, and as much as I wanted to push, I wasn't going to break him.
I returned him to his Pokéball and made my way back to the campsite.
The campfire's glow flickered in the distance.
Alice sat near it, her back straight, eyes fixed on the flames.
Bulbasaur was curled up beside her, fast asleep, his breathing slow and even.
The sight of them was a welcome break from the intensity of the training, but I could still feel the adrenaline pumping through me.
"Finally done?" Alice didn't look up as she spoke, but I could hear the question hanging in her voice.
"Yeah," I said, sitting down across from her. "He's close."
Alice raised an eyebrow, but still didn't take her eyes off the fire. "Close isn't good enough."
I shot her a look, but she didn't flinch.
She never did.
"He'll get it," I said, my voice a little too defensive.
"I'm not doubting that," she said calmly, finally meeting my gaze.
Her black eyes were sharp. "But you've got to give him time. You can't rush something like Toxic."
"I'm not rushing him," I snapped, then immediately regretted it.
The silence between us stretched, tense and heavy.
Alice didn't say anything, just looked back at the fire.
I knew what she was thinking.
---
I woke up to the soft light of dawn filtering through the tent's thin fabric.
The distant chirp of Pidgey and rustle of leaves whispered in the morning air, a sign of a day yet to unfold.
I blinked a few times, the remnants of sleep still clouding my mind.
My body ached, stiff from lying on the hard ground.
I unzipped the tent, the crisp morning air hitting my face as I stepped outside.
The smell of smoke from the dying campfire lingered, mixing with the earthy scent of the forest.
Trees surrounded us, tall and imposing, their shadows stretching long under the soft, pale sunlight.
Near the fire, Alice sat, cross-legged, her black hair tied back in a neat ponytail, her eyes fixed on something just beyond the tree line.
Charmander was out there, his orange scales gleaming, practicing Toxic.
His movements were sharp, focused, the purple sludge forming in his mouth before he fired it at an imaginary opponent.
A little further, Bulbasaur moved with a different rhythm, executing a precise Swords Dance, the sharp vines whipping through the air in a practiced flow.
I walked up to Alice.
She didn't look up, but I knew she was aware of me.
"When did Charmander wake up?" I asked, my voice rough with the last bits of sleep.
"Before the sun even began to rise," she said, her eyes still on the fire, "He's been at it ever since."
"Did he eat anything?"
"No," she replied simply. "I tried. But you know how he is."
"And Bulbasaur?" I glanced at her Pokémon.
"Just ate," she said. "I offered Charmander the same, but he's stubborn."
I couldn't blame him though.
He was a reflection of me in some ways—too driven for his own good.
I walked toward him, his tail flame flickering brightly as he continued to hone his toxic attack.
As soon as he noticed me, his eyes flicked my way for just a second, but he didn't stop.
Relentless.
"Come here," I called out, but Charmander didn't budge, his focus still locked on the practice.
I sighed and made my way over.
Before he could protest, I grabbed him by the arm, lifting him up like a kid who didn't want to leave the playground.
He wriggled a bit but relented when he realized he wasn't going to win this one.
Back at the campfire, I set him down, pulling out the small container of Pokémon food and a flask of water.
"Eat," I told him, pushing the food toward him. "Don't train too much or…"
Charmander paused for a second, then stood up on his toes and licked my cheek, a quick flicker of affection.
Then he sat and began wolfing down the food.
It didn't take long for him to finish, and the second he was done, he was already running back to the training spot.
"He's doing it for you, you know," Alice said, watching the little fire-type sprint away.
"I know," I muttered, sitting down beside her.
She handed me a sandwich, and I bit into it, the familiar taste grounding me for a second.
We sat there in silence, the morning stillness wrapping around us.
"So," I said after a while, "are we going fishing today?"
"Yeah," Alice said. "Then we move."
I nodded.
After finishing the sandwich, Alice handed me a fishing rod, and I grabbed it, feeling the worn grip against my palm.
She had one too.
We called our Pokémon over. "Charmander! We might need you!" I shouted.
Charmander gave a sharp nod, bounding over.
Alice called for Bulbasaur, and we headed toward the lake together.
We settled near the water's edge, casting our lines into the still, reflective surface.
The air felt cooler by the lake, the only sound the occasional splash from some unseen Pokémon moving below.
After a long stretch of silence, Alice broke it.
"What are you thinking?"
"Fusion moves," I said, watching the line dip into the water.
She tilted her head slightly. "You mean combining two moves in one command?"
"No," I shook my head. "I'm talking about fusing two moves, creating something new. Imagine that. Something unpredictable. Something unstoppable."
Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing. "That's risky, Ethan. Each time you use it, you'd be gambling."
"But if we master it," I leaned forward, the excitement building in my voice. "It could make us unstoppable."
Alice sighed, but there was a softness to it, like she'd had this conversation with me before. "Don't try that. Not now. It's dangerous."
"I will," I said, not backing down. "Once Charmander masters Toxic."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Fine. But don't get yourself hurt."
"I won't… I suppose."
She glared at me.
It was that look she gave when I pushed too far.
I opened my mouth to say something else, but just then, my fishing rod jerked violently.
"I've got something!" I shouted, standing up, bracing myself as the rod bent under the weight of whatever was on the other end.
I fought it, pulling hard until a Magikarp flopped out of the water and onto the shore.
"Lucky today," I grinned, pulling out a Pokéball and catching it with a quick throw.
Alice didn't say much, just watched with that knowing expression.
Before I could sit back down, I saw Alice's line twitch.
She didn't hesitate. "Bulbasaur, when I say, use Tackle." Bulbasaur nodded, muscles tensing.
Seconds later, a Poliwag appeared, splashing onto the ground. Alice moved fast. "Now, Tackle!" Bulbasaur slammed into the Poliwag, sending it rolling across the dirt before Alice threw a Pokéball, capturing it in one swift motion.
"Let's go," she said, standing up.
I flopped onto the ground, letting the adrenaline drain away. "Let me rest."
"We can rest at the Pokémon Center in Pewter City."
"Training," I argued, though the tiredness was already creeping into my limbs.
She shot me a look. "There's no rule saying you have to fight for a gym badge the second we enter the city."
I stood, crossing the small distance between us, leaning in, and kissed her, quick but enough to say what I couldn't put into words.
"Let's go," I said, turning to start packing up the tent.
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