Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rising Spirits

Chapter 2, Part 1 - Elbow Grease

Trevor opened his eyes to find himself floating in a place he didn't recognize. He was surrounded by waves upon waves of lucid colors which shimmered and contorted in the distance. There was no ground nor sky, only a vast expanse of seemingly infinite space. Trevor looked around dazedly, searching for any other living things present within this strange, unrecognizable world.

"Hello, is there anybody there?" Trevor attempted to call out, only find that his voice was gone completely. Completely at a loss for what to do, the Meowth continued to float in silence for a while, accompanied only by his own thoughts and the sea vivid colors which enveloped him. Before long, however, Trevor abruptly turned his head towards a muffled voice which he did not recognize.

"H-an c-"

The multicolored canvas which bordered this world seemed to waver slightly as the voice reverberated and gradually grew clearer.

"I-m -ie ca- he-r m-"

Trevor shut his eyes and perked up his ears, trying his best to pick up whatever this voice was attempting to convey. Trevor heard his heartrate begin to soar as he steadily reached the cusp of recognizing what the odd voice was saying...

"Treph, wake up!"

"GAH!"

With a gasp of surprise, Trevor shot up from his bed to find an apprehensive-looking Aiden standing in front of him, tapping her foot impatiently.

"C'mon, why does it always take so long for you to wake up? You're an explorer now; you've gotta get in the habit of waking up early in the morning! You said that you'd try, didn't you?"

"Mmm... sorry," Trevor mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, which had long since healed.

"Never mind that," Aiden proclaimed enthusiastically, "We have a months' worth of training to make up! Eat up, wash yourself, then meet me in the back of the house in thirty minutes! And bring your satchel with you!" With that, Aiden promptly picked up a sandbag slumped on the wall to her right and began dragging it outside, leaving Trevor to nervously wonder what exactly Aiden had in store for him.

Trevor tentatively walked to the back of Aiden's house, then reeled back upon seeing a giant rectangle of dirt which he had somehow managed to miss beforehand. Trevor noticed that the soil which marked the area was completely covered in charred burn marks. In the center of the box stood Aiden accompanied by a sizable, green substitute doll which laid motionless beside her. Upon seeing Trevor's surprised reaction, she gave a wide smile and motioned him to draw near.

"How do you like it?" she asked proudly as Trevor drew near, "It's a self-made gym! It's not anything too special, but it's served me well ever since I've moved here!"

"It's...nice," Trevor praised, nervously eyeing the burn-covered doll which lay beside Aiden's feet.

Aiden's expression abruptly turned serious, though her pouty lip and overexaggerated scowl told Trevor that she was unused to being a teacher. "Alright, lets get started. I guess I'll start off by asking what you already know about us, about Pokémon, and how we fight. You did say that you come from a world where humans and Pokémon coexist, right?"

Trevor gave a quick nod. "Well, I know that Pokémon can be categorized into types. Fire burns grass, water douses fire, and so on."

Aiden crossed her arms and slowly bobbed her head with wide eyes, evidently trying to appear as impressed as possible. "That's good! Most Pokémon learn about their unique typing and what they're weak or strong against at a young age, so you'd better study up if you wanna catch up! I've done a bit of research and found that you're a normal type. That means that you're weak against fighting, so you want to avoid that. As for what matchups normal types are strong against..."

Trevor knew the answer even before she finished her sentence. "Normal types aren't particularly strong against any types," he said with a disheartened tone, "meaning that I won't be particularly effective against anyone in a fight."

"Err, moving on!" Aiden speedily interjected, "Do you know anything else about what Pokémon're capable of?"

"Pokémon in my world have a set of moves," Trevor responded, "Which often correspond with their types. Stuff like Dig, Aerial Ace, and Poison Jab..."

Aiden began nodding slowly again, which Trevor began to find embarrassingly patronizing. "Yep! All Pokémon have this...energy called aura. All you really need to know is that it enables us to do... what we do. Some Pokémon can use it to shoot projectiles, while others can use it to enhance their physical capabilities. Being a fire type, I can channel my aura to gain access to an array of fire-related attacks."

Motioning Trevor to stay back, Aiden paced a few steps away from her still-dormant substitute doll before picking up a stray pebble laying on the charcoal-black earth. After giving herself a moment to focus, she tossed the rock into the air and began kicking it around like a hacky sack, launching it into an arched path it with her toes, then receiving it with the end of her heel. With each successive kick, the pebble gradually became engulfed in flames to the point where half a minute of volleying had turned the once puny geode into a bright, orange fireball. Before Trevor could admire the growing ball of light for too long, Aiden quickly launched it into the air, then sent it hurling towards the doll with a well-timed roundhouse kick; the resulting explosion of fire was more than powerful enough to send it flying into the air, then come crashing down while battered and billowing smoke.

Trevor stood speechless, mouth agape and eyes sparkling with admiration. As much as Aiden tried to maintain a neutral expression, she couldn't help but beam in pride slightly upon seeing just how blown back the Meowth looked.

"Yeah, it's no big deal," she stated bashfully while stretching her legs. "That was just a standard Pyro Ball. I channeled my aura into that rock by kicking it around a whole bunch to turn it into a fire-type bomb. It could be stronger, but I think that it turned out alright after a whole lot of practice. Though you should know that Pokémon can only use certain amounts of aura before they have'ta rest to recharge. I only have a of those in me before I'm completely depleted of energy."

With an almost childlike sense of excitement, Trevor ran up to Aiden and pumped his fists. "So, what can I do?" he asked with barely contained anticipation, "What are Meowths capable of?"

"Right. Well, that's the thing..." Aiden's grin dropped as she awkwardly averted her gaze towards the sky. "Fraid' Meowths don't really have access to super powerful elemental moves. They're normal type, after all. They can channel aura towards their claws for a scratch attack or use their sharp teeth for a wicked strong bite. But other than that, they don't have too many offensive options compared to most other Pokémon as far as I'm aware."

Aiden looked back down to find Trevor excitement rapidly dissipating, his elated fidgeting turning into a distraught sulk. "So, it's like that then," he muttered to himself while staring into his brown paws disappointedly.

Aiden grabbed Trevor by the shoulders while casting a determined expression. "C'mon, cheer up! Meowths are perfectly capable of holding their own in fights; all you need is a bit of extra elbow grease! You can't let your limits push you down; having super powerful abilities isn't the only factor in becoming a great explorer! Just focus on what you can do, and you'll become formidable in no time! You have your fangs, claws, and bag - that's more than enough!

She flashed a confident smile which Trevor couldn't help but find reassuring. Shaking away his demotivational thoughts, he managed to smile back as the the morning sun beamed intensely from above.

"Alright Treph!" Aiden suddenly declared while giving Trevor a playful slap on the back, "We need to work on that stamina of yours! Let's do a thirty minute run, then we'll work on that throwing arm of yours. Your first daily training session starts now!"

Trevor breathed deeply, immediately recognizing how exhausted he would be by the day's end.

"I'll... try my best!" the Meowth proclaimed.