Pokemon Heroes: Sinnoh Saga [Book 1]

Chapter 10

"If there is one thing that I can pass on to you, just one thing that will get you through anything, it's that as a Pokémon Trainer, every little thing that you do is connected, and all of your actions have reactions, and every choice you make—from the very first choice—will lead you down a path to your destiny.

And if there is a second piece of advice, I could give you, it is that trouble always seems to find you when you're on a Pokémon Journey, whether you intend to go look for it, or not.

Oh, and one more thing: if you EVER get dragged into a situation with a member of some so-called "evil organization" turn around right away. Otherwise, you're going to probably spend the rest of your journey thinking that because you got involved the first time, it's your duty to put an end to all their actions.

Not to mention they are vengeful people and will peg you as an enemy from the start."

* * *

The group sat around the table silently, not willing to speak to each other after the incident earlier this morning.

Sam and Jeremy's Starly were let out to eat with the other Pokémon when they woke up, but instead of eating peacefully, both Starly started to show off to each other, and fight over who was better. They almost had a full-on battle over the food just minutes before being broken apart.

"I did some reading," said Niya finally—she had never been one for formalities—as she closed her book. "This behaviour is normal between Starly bred in the wild, in captivity too."

"How is acting like a bunch of self-righteous roosters normal?" asked Alyssandra. "It sounds stupid to me."

"Well, it's actually very similar to roosters," explained Niya. "See, male Starly are very competitive, and they live in a hierarchical society. Male Starly compete for territory, hunting and food rights and for mates. Leadership is usually competed for in a similar manner. So, you see, it's only natural for these two Starly to compete against each other for everything. We need to find ways to work around it, as we can't change it."

"That's going to be fun," groaned Sam. "I'm going to be pulling our two Starly apart for the rest of this journey, aren't I?"

"Probably," said Niya as she bit into some toast. "But on the plus side, if yours wins, you'll know it's the better Starly."

Jeremy scoffed. "We all know my Starly is the better Starly. He almost won this morning, there's no way Sam's Starly could beat him."

Sam looked over at Jeremy. "Now hold on there. My Starly is much tamer, and more cooperative in a battle than yours. I didn't even have to force him to come with me. And his feathers are nicer!"

"Oh please," argued Jeremy. "Your Starly couldn't even hold his own against a scruffy little Glameow let alone my Starly."

"Oh yeah?" challenged Sam

"Hell yeah!"

The two turned back to their breakfasts and refused to look or talk to each other for the rest of the meal.

"It seems that male Starly aren't the only Pokémon that like to compete over everything," joked Alyssandra.

"I know," Niya said. "Men, whether they're Pokémon or people, are all the same."

The girls laughed, but neither of the boys found it funny, and instead stood—glaring at each other from across the table—and walked off in separate directions.

"Ugh," groaned Alyssandra. "They're going to be like this until Oreburgh, I know it."

"Do you deal with this on a daily basis?" asked Niy. She finished off her toast casually.