A Late Start

Memories

12 Months Ago

I stared across at Ethan as we rode in the backseat of the professor's Jeep. The sun was high in the sky above us as we Bounced along Route 4. The sand-covered ruins in the distance teasing me with more unexplored places I might one day see. I still can't believe The professor managed to convince my mom to let me go on this trip. 
"Hey, Lexi?" Ethan spoke over the rumbling of the car's engine. "I know this is all a lot to take in for you right now but, Happy birthday." I stopped for a second, I had gotten so caught up in the excitement of leaving town for the first time I forgot that the whole reason I was even here was that it was my birthday.
"Oh, Thanks, Ethan. I had actually forgotten."
"Um. I know it won't be able to compare to this whole trip the professor has got planned for you but, I got you this," He held out a small pendant, Carved in the shape of a leaf stone, an evolutionary stone for certain types of Pokemon. "It's not real. but I thought you might like it."
"Ethan, you know you didn't have to get me anything, It's pretty, though. Thank you." I gently tucked the pendant into my bag, giving him a gentle thank you hug.
"You kids ready?" the professor chimed in. "We'll be in Nimbassa City soon, from there it's only a short drive to Driftveil. Then we'll have to walk since Route 6 is considered a nature preserve, No vehicles are allowed." we both nodded before Ethan decided to ask
"Hey Professor, Where are we actually going? You haven't really said anything other than it's a long trip." 
"Ethan, it's a surprise, although I can understand your curiosity. for now, Mistralton City to meet with an old friend of mine." Ethan and I exchanged confused glances but decided to respect the professors wishes to keep it a surprise. I held my dex out trying futilely to get a scan on any of the pokemon we were zipping past, we were moving too fast to get a scan though and I wasn't able to get any new data.

Sure enough, before long the desert gave way to a more modern road, and Nimbassa city was upon us.
Far less cramped than Castelia before it. The streets were aglow, the amusement park standing high above the waterline. High rise building lined the finely paved streets, the road quickly becoming much smoother than the route before.  I caught a glimpse of Elesa's gym deep in the amusement park as well as the old rollercoasters. I glanced over at Ethan, a look of steely determination across his face as he stared at the gym.
"someday," he said quietly, staring straight through me. 
"Hey, maybe it'll be sooner than you think. You and Royce have only been training a few months now and you've already gotten a lot stronger." I replied as I put a hand on his shoulder.
"you think so?" His stare turned into a gentle smile. I nodded, prompting him to pump his fist. "If you believe in me like that then there's no way it won't happen." I couldn't help but chuckle at his bravado. "You better be there to watch when it happens," he exclaimed playfully.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world,"  I told him. I think we both knew I more than likely wouldn't be able to follow him this far out. the thought made me a little sad, but I didn't want to say it out loud. We both stopped talking for a while, I guess it got awkward for him too. 

By that point, we had already passed through Nimbassa and were on Route Five. There was a large crowd of performers of all kind littering both sides of the road. I tried not to pay them any mind though, choosing to instead focus on the magnificent red drawbridge ahead. Red towers rose high into the sky on either side. The sheer scale of it was impressive, spanning the entire way to the western peninsula across a major shipping channel. Unfortunately, right now it was a massive obstacle for us as the bridge was raised, not allowing passage. 
"darn, guess we must be early," the professor said from the front seat, looking back at us "Bridge won't come down for about 5 minutes, you two don't mind waiting do you?" I shook my head, glancing down at the dex still in my hands, maybe I could get a few new scans while we wait. Ethan seemed antsy, shifting back and forth in his seat but didn't say anything.  I glanced around, there wasn't really any pokemon near the road so I just settled for just reading through the data on some of the pokemon I already had scanned. Before long, a loud click was heard followed by mechanical whirring sounds as the bridge lowered, allowing entrance to Driftveil City. As we crossed the bridge a small flock of Duckett flew overhead, dropping a blue feather through the sunroof of the professors' jeep. I decided to pick it up, storing it in my journal for later. As we reached the end of the bridge the professor pulled over into a parking lot near the city entrance.
"Alright kids, we're here," She chirped. "Grab your bags and stretch your legs, we have a good couple hours hike before we'll get to Mistralton City."
"A couple of hours!?" I burst out. I'd never had to walk far since I never leave the city.
"Aha, don't worry Lexi, me and Royce go on long hikes like this every weekend, don't worry. It's not that bad." Ethan's enthusiasm was contagious.
"Ah, that reminds me, since we'll be going on foot. You both should take one of these," she handed us each a red and white orb with a small metallic button in the middle. A Pokeball. I'd seen them a million times before but as I took it from the professor the object felt so foreign in my hand.
"A... Pokeball?" I said aloud
"We'll be in the wild. And wild or even feral pokemon may attack while we walk, I'll be here to protect you both. But just in case of emergencies you both need a strong pokemon by your side."
"Hey, I get that Lexi might need one, but I have Royce with me, why do I need one?" Ethan asked, seeming a little annoyed.
"The pokemon here are much stronger than the ones near Aspertia City, Royce may not be able to stand up to them and I'd hate to see your or your pokemon get hurt," The professor replied calmly. Ethan grunted at this but clipped the ball to his belt without further hesitation. I quickly pulled out my dex to scan the pokemon I had been given, knowing its moves would probably come in handy. Plus it was a rare opportunity to get some new data.
Plugging the ball into the back of my dex caused the screen to light up with the information I was after. [Species: Stoutland, Classification: The big hearted Pokémon, Gender: Female, Age: approx. 10 years, OT: Aurea, PL 3985, Moveset: {Thunder fang, Ice fang, Fire fang, Bite, Protect, Retaliate, Bite, Play rough}] I couldn't help but be in awe, the professor didn't really battle like trainers do but her pokemon was still so strong. With the data registered to my dex, I gently tapped the middle ring, causing the ball to shrink in my hand before tucking it into my pocket. I grabbed my travel bag out of the professors' car, adjusting it until it was neatly over my shoulder. I had forgotten how heavy it was, but the professor told us to prepare for a long trip, otherwise, I would have just brought my normal bag. The weight felt off leaning on one shoulder, so I tucked the shoulder strap in and switched to the backpack straps, having it on my back felt far more comfortable, which would be a good thing based on how far the professor said we had to walk. I noticed Ethan had done the same, his even bulkier looking bag draped firmly across his shoulders. Clearly, he was used to this kind of activity.

We went through Driftveil City and onto the route quickly, it was a really pretty place. There were no clear paths,  save for the short bridges across the river. The whole route seemed almost untouched by mankind, In the distance, I could see a mid-sized building in a clearing. The "season research lab" the professor called it. Dedicated to researching the effects of the season on pokemon, the deerling in the area their main research candidate. Speaking of which, there was no shortage. Dozens of deerling, sporting their Pink spring coats were frolicking in the fields, bounding over the rivers and in some cases just sitting down getting a drink from the river. A few sawsbuck also dotted the area, presumably watching over the deerling, most of them were watching us, their antlers reared above their heads as they never broke their gaze. Neither species was particularly aggressive, but both have been known to attack when threatened, I made a few scans of some of the closer ones before tucking my dex back into my bag. We had made it to the second bridge, approaching the research centre without issue, however, standing in our path was another of the sawsbuck. It was already in its defensive stance, and it was blocking our path to the next bridge, it flared its nostrils as it stared us down, as if daring us to come closer.
The professor held her arm out to bar our path and both Ethan and I had stepped to the opposite side of her.
"Stay here until I say so," she instructed before walking slowly towards the aggressive buck. It stamped its hooves on the floor as she approached, growling noises coming from its throat.
She held a hand out towards the pokemon, remaining as calm as she could. The creature, however, didn't get the message. Lowering its head before charging headfirst towards her, letting out a bellowing call as its hooves pounded on the soft ground below. The professor sidestepped the first charge with ease, grabbing one of the Pokeballs she kept on her person as she moved, Tossing the ball to the sky as she called out
"STARAPTOR, AERIAL ACE!" A white light shot from the ball, quickly manifesting into a large bird pokemon I hadn't seen before. I barely had time to process what it looked like before it began its own attack, diving straight towards the sawsbuck at incredible speed, its right wing lit up in pale blue energy. Striking its target across the face, causing it to topple under its own weight and momentum. The bird quickly recovered from its own attack and circled back around, landing not far from the professor, its eye still on the Buck, who was now standing back up. I was able to get a good look at the bird now with powerful wings by its side and large talons on its feet. It was covered in brown feathers, with them coming to a point above its face accented with bright red. Its face was stern and stoic red pupils focused solely on its prey. I pulled my dex out to get a proper scan before the professor pulled it back. The computer in my hands made a quiet ding indicating my scan was a success. I glanced back at the sawsbuck, clearly hurt from taking such a hard hit, it growled once again before turning across the bridge and disappearing into the trees, most of the deerling following it in retreat. I looked back at my Dex's screen to see the details of the professors' pokemon. [Species: Staraptor, Classification: The Predator Pokémon, Gender: Male, Age: approx.  12 years] I would have to ask the professor for a more detailed scan later. For now, she was already gesturing us to follow her once again. We all hurried along the rest of the route while most of the wild pokemon were scattered and made it to the entrance of Chargestone Cave.