Ash's Story (Part 6: Unova)

Chapter 15: First Basic Step

Floccesy Town looked softer when we returned from the ranch, but the road behind us did not feel finished.

Herdier walked beside me with his head low and his ears moving at every sound. He had only joined us after the rescue, but he already acted like leaving one scent unchecked would be a personal failure. Every time Hugh's footprints crossed the path, Herdier noticed.

Pikachu watched him from my shoulder. His meaning came quietly. "New friend follows fear. New friend follows hope, too."

"I think both are true," I whispered.

Alice heard me, because she was close enough to hear almost anything I did not want to admit. She looked down at Herdier with a small smile, then back toward the hill where Alder waited near his training field.

Rosa had finished battling two school kids by the time we reached town again. Tepig stood near her with his chest puffed proudly, while Nate clapped from the side of the field.

"How is training going?" I asked.

Rosa wiped her forehead and smiled. "The battles are helping a lot. Alder knows how to make every mistake feel useful instead of embarrassing."

Alder laughed warmly. "A good mistake is a teacher that arrives wearing a bruise."

Iris tilted her head. "That sounds like something Drayden would say after making me climb a mountain."

"Then Drayden has excellent taste in wisdom," Cilan said.

Alder turned toward me. "Although I wanted to battle you myself, I hear you are trying to challenge the Gyms."

"Of course," I said. "I still have no official Unova badges."

"Then you should return to Aspertia City," Alder said. "A new Gym Leader has taken his place there. You should test how strong you have become."

Before we could leave, a man in a dark suit and bright smile appeared so suddenly that Axew squeaked and hid in Iris's hair.

"Greetings, adventurous Trainers!" he declared. "I am Mr. Medal, here to support your journey through the Medal Rally."

Golly immediately looked suspicious. "Identification first."

Mr. Medal blinked, then produced his credentials with a practiced flourish. Golly checked them, checked the seal, and only then allowed him to continue.

He gave us a Medal Box and explained that we could earn medals by meeting conditions during our travels, such as finding hidden items, helping Pokémon, evolving partners, or challenging new places. It was cheerful enough that it should have felt simple, but after Team Plasma and Team Rocket, even gifts made me think about tracking systems.

Golly accepted the box after registering its source. "We will keep it. We will also not let medals dictate unsafe behavior."

Mr. Medal looked slightly confused but still smiled. "A cautious Trainer is a prepared Trainer."

When he left, Alder called after us from the cliff again as if he had remembered one more lesson the moment we started walking.

"Excuse me! I forgot to tell you something important," Alder said. "Aspertia's Gym Leader is a very strong Pokémon Trainer, but if you think hard about what the Pokémon at your side can do and what you should do as a Trainer, victory will be yours."

I looked down at Herdier, then at Pikachu and Absol. "Think hard about what they can do."

Alder smiled. "Working together with your Pokémon is what makes you grow as a Trainer. As you and your Pokémon grow stronger, your world gets broader."