章 1209: 3
It was a cloudy day today. The sun was quickly beginning to darken as the echo of thunder and the pitter patter of rainfall made way towards the island. People were bustling about, trying to finish what work they could outside before the storm hit us fully.
As for me?
Well, I wasn't going inside. Not for a little while longer, at least.
Instead, I was sat on a lawn chair underneath a veranda in the back yard of the Pokémon Center, sipping on some refreshing ice tea. It was a relatively large space, or at least it was when compared to what I was used to in my old apartment. There was about a half acres worth of patchy green grass, with a few rows of berry trees sat on either side of the fence lines. Just behind those trees, I could see Winter in the middle of running his laps with a strap of weights tied over his chest and back. Yes, you heard that right.
A bird was running laps.
Strange, right?
Well, it was and it wasn't. See, when a Pokémon evolves it not only gains a different look, but also an overall boost in its base capabilities; its stats, if you will. So, following that line of thought, since I want to fly on Winter's back, increasing his strength and stamina as a lowly Pidgey would give him a greater edge as a Pidgeotto, and following that same line of thought at that point, I was hopeful that he would become an impressive Pidgeot.
He had only been captured by me two days ago, but after explaining my line of thought to him, he was right on board. Winter wanted to get stronger just as much as I wanted him to.
However, the willingness to do what was asked and the capability to perform certain tasks were two very different things. Pidgey's as a species rarely used their legs when compared to their wings, but straining the wings of a Pidgey in any format could be detrimental to their eventual growth, even one that was already as large as Winter.
So, instead of having him fly laps, I opted to have him run them, which would hopefully distribute some lower body strength and increase his general stamina. Naturally, as a Pokémon with wings, he was quite cross with me. But he'd agreed to do the work, and if there was one thing that I learned about Winter in our recent partnership, it was that he was a stubborn thing with more pride than sense.
"You should really stop this, Jon." Nurse Joy said from my side, a disappointed look on her face. Her disappointment didn't stop her from sitting down on another lawn chair, a similar glass of iced tea in her hand. Chansey was manning the front while we were back here. "Training Pi-Winter is one thing, but this might as well be torture."
Torture?! This was nothing of the sort! Sure, Pidgey's had stubby little legs, and sure, Winter only weighed about twelve pounds and was carrying five extra pounds of weights on him, almost half his body weight, but that wasn't torture!
Torture would have been shucking him with the twenty pound weights I pilfered from the lost and found. Torture would have involved telling him that he wasn't allowed to stop until he'd finished his laps. Torture would mean that I'd work him to the point of blacking out, only to abuse the Pokémon Center and heal him up just in time for another workout.
No, this was not torture. This was conditioning; training. Sure, it wasn't the type of training Nurse Joy was accustomed to, but she's not a Pokémon Trainer and the only training Chansey did was minimal at best.
But, I suppose we could end the session early. Running in the rain was miserable enough when I was in gym class, I can't imagine how bad it would be for Winter, who was almost three times smaller than I was at that point, especially with those little chicken legs.
"Oi! Winter!" I yelled, causing his head to swivel towards me. "Come on back inside, there's no point in doing this when it's about to rain!"
There was no complaint in his movement. Instead of running, he flew, or he tried. He didn't have the leg strength to push himself into the air, not with his weights. With a huff, he hobbled back over to me, and jerked his head towards the gear attached to his body.
I couldn't help but snicker at the action. But, I did as he wanted. I lifted him to my lap, undid the straps, and removed it from him.
He stretched his body, almost moaning in delight now that his burden was lifted. He then flew inside the Center, intent on getting some grub.
I followed him inside when the sun was fully covered by the overhead storm five minutes later.
Hah!
Nurse Joy had been annoying lately, calling what I did with Winter torturous and barbaric, but HAH!
She can't say it didn't work, not when only three weeks later I now had a Pidgeotto to show off!
Oh, Nurse Joy was surprised, and more than a little put out. She was right there, berating me for my "torture" when Winter started glowing brightly all over and changed. Not much changed, save for the crest of pinkish-red feathers that grew over his scalp, along with a tail plume of red and yellow feathers with ragged tips. Well, that and he grew larger.
And boy, when I say he grew? He got big. The average Pidgeotto stood at just around three feet tall, but Winter was just over five with a wingspan of fourteen feet. Dude was already taller than I was. Somehow, someway, as a Pidgeotto he was large enough to ride. Nurse Joy said that he was actually on the small side for a Pokémon from Fairchild Island, since most of their Pidgeotto were at six and a half feet tall.
When I have a full party, I think I'll take a week to investigate just what makes the Pokémon of Fairchild so damn massive. I'm thinking the berries over there have some growth hormones or something.
That, or they might have an overabundance of food and only a few predators. That could be a factor.
Well, whatever. That's a thought for a later date.
Winter was now large enough to ride, but not strong enough. He didn't have the ability to carry my ninety-something pounds of awesome. But that didn't really matter to me, not right now. Flight would be have been amazing to have to quickly, but I gained something more valuable; I had his devotion.
He had taken to my instructions without much fuss as Pidgey, thinking that he might get something out of this, but now that he evolved? Oh, it was glorious. The moment I released him from his Poké Ball, he looked to me for guidance. He didn't just listen, he obeyed. My gamble gave me the full trust and support of my starter, which was worth more than anybody could ever state.
And now that he was a Pidgeotto, I felt like I needed to do more with him. I won't deny it, I really don't have a damn clue how to be a trainer. I just know what I know from the games and show, and I'm improvising from there.
But I didn't need to suffer. I had access to computers and the internet – I absolutely refused to insult the world-wide-web by calling it the Pokénet – and just as before it held the world at my fingertips. And I was motivated, oh was I motivated.
So I researched. I fervently looked up training guides, studied the biologies of both the current form Winter took, as well as the later one he would hold as a Pidgeot. And, more than that, I started researching the locations of and habits other Pokémon that were Flying types or Pokémon that would later evolve into Flying types. Shamouti only had Spearow and Caterpie following that train of thought, and I don't really want to capture them. Pidgeot is better than Fearow in all regards in my mind, and the lifespan of a Butterfree is so small that it's not viable for long term competition.
But the rest of the Orange Islands had options. There were some pretty good Pokémon here; though, considering I was the neighbor of the legendary birds, that should have been obvious. And I was even able to look through the catalogs of Kanto and Johto.
I couldn't find any details on places to capture most of the Pokémon I researched, aside from general routes and a few detailed comments, but I did jog my memory to a location from the show. Upon typing that information in, I felt a grin grow.
The Charicific Valley.
Home to the Charmander line, my bread and butter. Home to some of the most powerful wild Pokémon in the whole of Johto. A place where only the dedicated could visit.
Well, no. Not dedicated. Honestly, the caretaker of the valley, a nineteen year old woman named Liza, had her email up on a social media page, so all I had to do was shoot her a message and hope for the best. It wasn't like I could just use anime luck, I'm no Ash. I had to do things the right way, contacting people way in advance.
I worded the message carefully. Mentioning that I was very interested in the Charmander line, but wasn't lucky enough to live near Professor Oak. I tacked on my orphan status as subtly as I could, and basically asked if I could foster with her for a bit.
The fostering system in the world of Pokémon was essentially a pseudo-apprenticeship. They would bring you under their roof, show you the basic skills to emulate their work, then it would be up to you to use that information wisely. In this case, if Liza took me on, I would be following her around, trying my damnedest to learn everything I could about the Pokémon she looked after. Then, if I did a good job and was lucky, I might be able to get my hands on a Charmander or an egg containing one.
To be blunt, if I was to go anywhere as a Flying type trainer, I needed to get my hands on a Charizard. As far as I'm aware, they're the only Pokémon with a Fire and Flying type combination that wasn't Moltres or Ho-oh. I wasn't going to be getting my hands on one of those two any time soon, regardless of the fact that there is a Moltres that lives right in front of me, so Charizard it was.
…I also just wanted a dargon. No, I did not misspell that; I said dargon and I meant dargon.
Message sent, I then started to look up how to teach Winter some new moves. I got a whole lot of nothing for this one, since all I could find was that there was no right or wrong way to do it, it just had to be done. Useful stuff.
You can tell that message boards aren't the best information outlets from that. People are stingy and don't want to share what they know, I get it, and the database for Pokémon training tips that was created by the League's required having a Trainer ID, which I did not.
I'll just figure it out as I go.
The Butterfree in front of us summoned up a stream of Silver Wind from its wings, blasting them at Winter. He was agile though, and weaved around the attack, his wings turning a metallic sheen as he did so, twirling his way through the Silver Wind until he was within the Bug type's range, and slapped his wing into its face. Butterfree cried out in surprise, for Winter was quick in his movements and his counter was unexpected. Butterfree began to stagger and soon fell to the ground, eyes swirling. He was done.
Winter let out a screech of victory, puffing out his chest and preening his feathers. Y'know how a Pokémon might gain a new personality trait when evolving? Well, Winter was now afflicted with vanity, constantly adjusting his feathers after a battle in an attempt to look as immaculate as he could.
He was a pretty bird though, and if you've got it you should flaunt it. No complaints from me. He could have been way worse, like Ash's Charizard.
Our next challenger dropped down from a tree branch, a Pikachu with sparking red cheeks and a wicked grin. Sedately, the rodent made his way inside the little circle I made with a stick, an admittedly poorly drawn battlefield that still got the job done.
This little shit of a mouse had been a pain for us, having been our first loss; the first of many. He was quick and vicious, and his typing was the worst for us. But that was just what we needed, a challenge. Every time Winter lost, he would get better. Every time Winter won, he would get more confident. Battling was legitimately the perfect way to get better.
It's been a month since Winter evolved, and we were now comfortable making trips to the forest. The local Pokémon were kind enough to warn us which area was the territory of the Spearow, so we knew which area not to go in, at least for now.
These forest dwelling Pokémon though, they were interesting. Most of them hated battling due to their peaceful natures but would still train with us when asked. They were fearful of the Spearow, and wanted every advantage they could get. The fact that I had no Poké Balls and really didn't want to capture them made them willing to train with us, and after knocking them out Winter would carry them over to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy appreciated the work, and the Pokémon appreciated the free health care.
So, yes. I had a decent resource of experience for Winter, which was helping him at a steadily growing rate. We battled constantly, and through these battles we were able to learn some new tricks.
Steel Wing was one such trick, and damn did it confuse me. Winter figured out that move all on his own. Actually, he figured out most of his new moves on his own, with only a little bit of input from me.
With stronger wings, he was able to upgrade his Gust attack into a Whirlwind, and then was able to use Wing Attack, which he deviated into the Steel Wing I was speaking of before. With a more agile body, he was able to learn Quick Attack and Double Team, and through meditation gained the insight needed to use Agility.
Honestly, the amount of noticeable progress he made was staggering. Nurse Joy said that Pidgeotto's had a tendency to learn quickly due to how limited they were as Pidgey, but even she was surprised by Winters new move set.
"CHU-PI!" Pikachu shouted, golden shockwaves of electricity bounding out from its body, arcing towards Winter.
"Double Team!"
Winter let out a caw and took off, afterimages of himself following his trail. The shockwave pierced through one of the copies, making it disappear into nothingness. He swooped down then, beak open where a sphere of green energy started to form.
Unfortunately, the energy blew up in Winters face, causing him to startle about, which gave the Pikachu enough time to fire off another round of electricity, which hit Winter dead on. He struggled heavily, but was able to stay in the air. Then Pikachu fired another shockwave. When it hit, Winter fell to the ground now, flailing. Upon hitting the ground, his eyes started swirling. He was knocked out.
With a sigh, I unclipped his Poké Ball and returned him before he hit the ground. Pikachu let out a chittering cheer that was echoed by some of the other Pikachu and Pichu that were scattered around the clearing.
This was the one move I'd been trying to get Winter to learn; Twister, a Dragon type attack that the Pidgey line could naturally learn. It was tricky as shit, and Winter struggled with the move. But when he learned it, I would finally have a counter for his most glaring weakness; Winter has no long-range attacks. Gust was a mid-range attack, and Whirlwind didn't even deal damage. Short of buying a TM, which turned out to be real, Twister was our best bet. For now.
"Since Winter is knocked out, I'll carry those of you that need it to the Pokémon Center." It was a part of our deal, and while annoying at times. Still, the benefits outweighed the cons, by a noticeable margin.
The Pikachu scrambled up onto my left shoulder, and the Butterfree glided into my arms. Another Butterfree joined that one, and a Raticate climbed up my back like a koala, chewing on my hair.
Well, this was uncomfortable.
.
The next week passed following a similar pattern.
Winter still couldn't figure out how to use Twister, but he was showing signs of growth once more and his plumage was darkening in color. I knew what this meant, he was close to evolving, which was legitimately insane.
He's been a Pidgeotto for just over five weeks, and was already showing signs of evolution? It normally took them a lot longer to evolve, even when owned by another trainer.
But that just proves that I was doing something right. Battling the forest Pokémon every day, then having him train with progressively heavier weights had shown its worth.
I think he only needs a little bit more experience, just one last push, and he'd be there. A Pidgeot. My ticket to discovering this new world I'd been saddled in.
Time really has flown. I've been here for exactly eleven weeks, just under three months. Luckily, these people kept with the same calendar that I did on Earth. I came here on my birthday, December 26th, and it was now March 19th.
Regardless, Winter and I were ready. After eating a late lunch with Nurse Joy and Chansey, we made our way into the forest once more, only this time, we weren't going to the clearing for training. This time, we went deeper. Towards the western area, where we hadn't gone in a long while.
I hadn't memorized this place, but Winter knew the forest pretty well. He led me through the trees, past bushels and the concerned gazes our sparring partners were shooting us. Even that trigger-happy Pikachu was looking a mite bit worried. Aw, love you too pal.
My Pidgeotto let out a low warble, and I looked around. Based on the layout, I knew this clearing. It's hard to forget the place you almost died in; again.
…I've got an aggravating feeling in my gut that these near-death experiences are going to become more common than I'd like.
But yes, we were here: the nest of the Spearow flock.
We were here.
And we were severely outnumbered.
The trees were home to only a few leaves on their branches, and instead held up a lot of small little nests made of sticks and tan plant stalks. Inside said nests were what looked to be over fifty pairs of beady, flaring eyes that tracked us. These eyes were all the same, all being Spearow.
"Oh, shit."
What can I say? It felt like an appropriate moment to cuss.
One of the Spearow wasted no time. It dove from its nest, right at us. Winter, in response, smacked it down hard with a Steel Wing, sending the tinier bird directly into the trunk of a tree hard enough to shake the wood, which knocked over three more nests, each nest housing two Spearow.
The six of the now grounded Spearows growled at us, glaringly angry due to the loss of their homes, and charged. Winter screeched, his wings still imbued with Steel type energy, and twirled his body around, smacking the lot of them away, suffering only a couple Peck attacks to the side.
That's when they started playing really cheap.
There was no warning; it happened in an instant. All of the left over Spearow dove down. Winter batted a good few away using his spinning Steel Wing trick, but was forced to stop after a little while. When he stopped, the Spearow flock barreled into him, forcing him to the ground, thrashing all the while.
This wasn't like when he was a Pidgey and there were only three enemies. There were so many Spearow on top of Winter that I couldn't make out his form, I couldn't even return him to his Poké Ball! It was a dogpile of the worst kind.
Winter was screeching in pain, trying and failing to throw them away. I was genuinely worried at this point. Did I just send my starter to his death?
My worry was quick to wash away. From beneath the pile of Spearow, a brilliant white light erupted, blinding everybody in the vicinity, forcing me to hold my hand in front of my face, eyes squinting.
Winter was evolving. He grew even larger, his feathers lengthening and body broadening. The Spearows were forced to fly away, watching the spectacle before them with a mix of awe and contempt.
The light died down, and I got a good look at my partner. Winter now stood at just around nine feet tall, with larger wings, sharper talons and a short, hooked beak. His head crest was now as long as his body, flapping gently in the wind. And his eyes, once black and beady, were now… well, they were still black, but they weren't beady anymore! Now, they were large, expressive, and really mad.
Winter sucked in his breath, and with a scream a green tornado of energy spilled from his beak, demolishing not only the Spearow surrounding us, but much of the area. Trees were felled, and dust filled the air. I had to actually get out of the way when one of the trees tried to flatten me into a piece of paper. Winter let out a screech of victory, a warbling sound that echoed all throughout the forest.
As the dust settled, I wiped myself down. Winter glided towards me, calm as you could be. But his eyes were bright and if he had the ability I'm sure he'd be grinning from ear to ear. He nuzzled his head into me, preening my hair with his beak and started to coo.
Then, he dropped down, baring his neck towards me and motioned for me to mount him. I did so, doing my best to adjust myself; I held his head crest with an iron grip. Interestingly enough, I discovered that a unique tidbit about Pidgeot's is that their crests, the long trail of feathers on their scalp, are impossible to rip off. People that fly via the Pidgeot express use them as a safety rope and steer their Pokémon with it.
Winter moved around a little bit, accustoming himself to my weight genially, before taking off with only a few flaps of his wings.
As we took off, I felt the fear take hold. I was reminded of my fall, the thing that brought me here in the first place. We went higher and higher, and I grew more and more nervous. I closed my eyes tightly, fearing the worst.
The pressure of ascending lulled then, and only a gentle breeze touched me. Slowly, I opened my eyes, elation growing from within.
I'd never seen the top-down view of Shamouti. Not in the movie and certainly not anywhere else. But now that I was here, I could truly see the beauty in this place.
Shamouti Isle was an almost circular island, with an inlet to the ocean shaped like a crescent moon. The town was built all along that inlets beaches, and directly to the west of the town was the forest we just escaped. I'd never seen anything else though, so color me surprised when there were other things to see.
North of the town was a decently sized lake with crystal blue water that was larger than the towns border. Beyond that, a small mountainous range of hills outlined the island, creating a domelike structure. I had always known that there were hills, but I hadn't known that they were this big.
And then, I looked out. I looked past the island and took everything in. The great wide sky, the blue-green water, and the trio of islands off its northern-most bank.
There has never been a time where I well and truly meant this, but this was beautiful.
And it was all mine.
Hehehe…
…Hahaha…
…
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAH-ghack?!"
Ew. I think I just swallowed one of Winters feathers.
Winter/Pidgeot – Male
Moves: Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Agility, Double Team, Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Twister, Fly
Ability: Keen Eye
Jon Snow – Male
Date: Mar 19
Badges: N/A
Pokémon: Pidgeot
Currency: N/A
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