8 Years Ago

Lantana

The child scurried into the halls of his father’s shop and hid behind a wall. Adrenaline flowed through his body, his heart pounded beneath his chest like a drum, and his breathing was heavy.  The little boy slowly crept his head out from behind the wall he hid behind and looked at two men.

One man was dressed in a dark trench coat and wore a black hat that covered his bald head. His blue eyes were set in a terrifying glare, made all the worse by a scar that cut along his right eye. However, that's not what was most terrifying about this man.

What was most terrifying was how easily he held his father in the air, propping him against the wall with his hands holding onto his shirt tightly. He had shaken the father earlier and violently pushed him against the wall before he propped him up. 

The father was slightly younger and thinner than the man in black. He wore a white button-up shirt and a pair of slacks. The man had a gruesome black eye on his face, and his once well-kept dark hair had dirt in it along with his clothes.

“What the fuck did you say?” the man in black spat. His Enotrian accent was pronounced as he shouted venomously.

“I… I don’t got it.” 

“How the fuck do you not have my money?” the man in black violently shook the father again. “You make so much money from this shithole, and you’re telling me that you got nothing?”

“P-please, I have other things I have to pay off.” the father sputtered.

“Then you shouldn’t have gambled, you greedy motherless prick!” the man in black spat. “You know who I am? I was a soldier for this region, dammit, I fought and killed the degenerate bastards from Kanto and Unova during the war, and then I cleared out those Rocket cocksuckers when they entrenched themselves in the region like filthy rats so you could put up shop here, and you decide to fuck me over like this?”

The man in black removed a hand from the child’s father and used it to reach into his pocket. He pulled out a Pokeball and released a Houndoom, a vicious black dog that immediately bared its fangs and growled at the child’s father.

“Tear this place apart, Houndoom. Teach this prick what happens when he doesn’t pay up.”

Houndoom turned his head towards a shelf full of Pokemon food, and immediately charged. His body acted like a bulldozer as it easily tore through the wooden shelf, sending countless bags of food onto the floor. Some were ripped open, and the vicious hound happily gorged on the spilled contents.

“Wait, please!” the father pleaded.

The man in black replied with a kick to the father’s stomach.

Tears formed in the child’s eyes. This shop had been something his father had worked his entire life for, and now all he could do was watch as this cruel man dressed in black tore it down, piece by piece.

The Wandering Teacher

Now

Route 17

Emile Hawthorne raised his head from his sleeping bag and yawned before he scratched his chin. He narrowed his eyes as he realized he was starting to grow a stubble.

Gonna have to shave soon, he thought as he turned to Frère.

Glaceon appeared to be awake, curled up into a nice little ball beside his trainer with his eyes open. He yawned, and his black eyes met his trainers'.

Emile diverted his eyes to the left, seeing the sleeping Vito. Then he looked at Frère and pointed at the exit flap.

Frère nodded, and the two quietly crawled towards the flap, unzipping it and leaving.

“I had a weird dream,” Emile said to Frère as they finally exited his tent. His eyes stung as he was greeted with daylight, and he found himself letting out a soft yawn. “I found this amazing, handsome man, and we rode off to the sunset… but what was really weird was that you weren’t a pain at all.”

Frère replied by simply biting Emile’s leg, albeit playfully. Glaceon wagged his tail as he bit his teeth into his trainer’s ankle and growled as if intending to eat his partner.

“See, this is what I mean! You bite me, you wake me up with your cold breath, you are nothing more than a bother.” He knelt and began petting Frère, running his hand over his fur. 

Frère’s fur was something Emile loved. When it was well kept, it was cool and soft as snow but never harmful. It felt so inviting… It made Emile wonder if he could occasionally use the Glaceon like a pillow.

Frère removed his fangs from his trainer’s ankle and looked at the Kalosian’s hand, and with a playful grin, he decided to bite his trainer again playfully.

Emile’s eyes widened as Frère lunged forward, and he instinctively pulled his hand away from his partner.

Frère’s eyes also widened, and he stepped away from his trainer. It was for a brief second, but Frère knew Emile’s heart rate had increased, and he remembered the events from the night prior.

I’m sorry.

Emile kneeled again and grabbed Frère, pulling his Glaceon into a tight yet gentle embrace.

“I’m a little on edge after last night,” he confessed. “I didn’t expect that from Goyl at all.”

Frère merely brought his face into Emile’s chest, nuzzling against the black tank top his trainer had on.

“Did he, by chance, say anything to you?” he asked his partner.

 Frère frowned and shook his head no in reply.

Emile sighed and scratched his own head. “If he says anything, let me know, alright?” He petted Frère. “I love you, you know that, right?”

Frère barked, though this time being less loud, and he nuzzled into Emile’s embrace again… then lightly and playfully bit his arm.

“C’mon!” Emile laughed. “I try to have an emotional moment with you, and you do this to me? You’re so ungrateful,” He released his Glaceon and looked at the campfire they had set up. The fire had been put out, but the wood used to keep it going had remained.

“Breakfast?”

Frère smiled.

-oOo-

Vito Barone was not a morning person.

He hated waking early, especially after having a bad dream, so he wrapped himself and Pikachu up in the blanket Emile had lent him for the night and buried his face in the pillow. Emile had left to do whatever Emile did in the morning.

Shortly after, the tent filled with the wonderful aroma of cooked meat, and Vito groaned as he pulled the sheet over his head.

“Vito!” Emile called out from outside.

Vito on the other hand, still refused to get up.

“Viitoo!” Emile called again

Vito ignored Emile and rolled over, cuddling Pikachu in his arms.

He felt something cool rub against his body, what it was, Vito didn’t know. What he did know, however, was how cold it was in the tent, and in response, he simply curled up into a ball, hoping to be at least a little warmer. “What the hell!” Vito jumped out of bed as that freezing feeling crawled up to his neck. He looked downward, only to meet Frère’s smug gaze.

Glaceon smiled smugly and turned his head towards the open tent flap, then turned his head back to Vito.

“Was that really necessary?” Vito scowled.

Frère nodded with a chuckle, then began to walk out of the tent.

Vito gritted his teeth and he felt something push up against his chest. His eyes widened as he soon looked down, seeing and feeling Pikachu squirm in his arms. “Oh shi-”

Pikachu’s body soon emitted electricity and the yellow rodent delivered a light thunder shock to his trainer!

Vito screamed in pain and dropped Pikachu. The boy then collapsed and his entire body felt numb for only a few seconds.

Pikachu let out a low and quiet squeak as he approached his trainer. The mouse looked down in shame.

“It’s not your fault, Pikachu.” Vito gently pet his partner’s head. “But uh… get Frère’s ass for me, alright?”

Pikachu lifted his head high and raised a paw to his forehead, saluting his trainer before he immediately ran out the flap, letting out a loud war cry.

Vito grumbled as he stood up. Feeling returned to his body, but he ached everywhere from the sudden shock. The boy cursed Emile’s name as he put on his shirt and stepped outside, glaring at Emile and Frère, the latter of which was being chased by Pikachu.

“Morning!” The older trainer waved. “It is 9 AM,”

“Morning.” Vito sat down on a nearby tree stump. “Did you really have to wake me up like that?”

“You weren’t responding. It seemed like you were enjoying your sleep a lot.” Emile shrugged. “You slept well, I take it?”

“Not really.” The new trainer sighed. “Bad dream.”

Emile nodded his head, then held out a sandwich wrapped in tinfoil.

Vito took it and gave Emile a quiet “thank you” before he unwrapped it and found a toasted sausage sandwich.

“So, while we’re eating, I thought I’d go over a few things.” Emile started off. “While I know I said I’d teach you, I won’t stick around in Enotria forever. I said it before, but I’ll say it again: I’m merely here to deliver a package to Professor Poplar. After that, I’ll be leaving. Understood?”

Vito nodded as he bit into his sandwich. His eyes lit up as he bit into the hot sandwich, and he was surprised by how the flavorful meat paired with the buttery golden brown toast.

“Damn, this is good!” Vito complimented after he swallowed his food. “Where did you learn how to cook like this?”

“Paldea,” Emile replied. “I wanted to try and compete there but couldn’t. Unfortunately, only those attending Naranja Academy can compete in the Pokemon League. Anyways, speaking of cooking, onto my next thing. Food.”

“Food?” Vito tilted his head

“Food!” Emile raised his finger in the air. “I will teach you how to do some basics and prepare basic meals. However, you will buy your provisions, this also goes for clothes.”

“Wait, why clothes?” Vito asked after taking another bite of his sandwich.

“Because traveling in a white T-shirt and a pair of shorts isn’t a good idea.” Emile lightly tugged Vito’s sleeve. “You’ll need various pairs of clothes if things get either too hot or too cold, and Arceus forbid it storms or gets hotter than the Unovan deserts.”

“Ooohh…” Vito nodded.

“Also?” Emile pointed at Vito. “You are definitely getting a tent, I don’t intend to share mine with you forever. In fact, when we get to Lantana? You’re buying a tent,”

“Alright, alright! Tent and clothes, now when can we get to training?” Vito exclaimed.

“The moment you finish eating and introduce yourself,” Emile shot back.

“Introduce myself? You already know my name.” Vito raised a brow.

“That I do, but these two wonderful ladies don’t.” Emile pointed behind.

Vito tilted his head in confusion, but his eyes widened when he looked over his teacher’s shoulder and saw both a Gardevoir and a Venusaur.

“Holy crap… isn’t this overkill?” He turned his head back to Emile.

“These two, along with Frère, are going to hold back, and they are going to help condition Pikachu,” the instructor explained. “He’s an alright specimen of his species but not ready for a gym battle yet. The strength of his thundershocks appears to be average for his level, but the speed in which he generates them is too slow.”

“So, what are we gonna do?”

“We? No, you will introduce yourself to them first; don’t be rude.” 

Vito put his sandwich down and walked towards the two, their red eyes were focused on him. Emile’s Gardevoir had narrowed her eyes, looking at Vito with what he assumed to be suspicion, while Emile’s Venusaur had a blank expression.

“Hello!” he said. “I’m Vito, and this is…”

He turned his head briefly, and upon realizing that Pikachu wasn’t by his side, he looked around the campsite until he saw his Pokemon chasing after Frère. The trainer shook his head and called out to his partner, signaling him to stop and greet the two Pokemon.

Pikachu obliged  and ran to his trainer’s side. He jumped on his shoulder and let out a cheerful “Pika!”

Gardevoir bowed, though as she did, Vito heard a voice that wasn’t his own in his mind. Hearing it was like hearing static from a radio; he couldn’t decipher what it was trying to say. It was even worse when his brain felt as if something sharp was poking and prodding at it.

Vito clenched his head in pain and took a step back from Gardevoir as he looked at her eyes. “What the hell?” He gritted his teeth.

“Oh! Maybe that’s not such a good idea,” Emile called out from behind.

Gardevoir’s eyes widened, and she took a step back as she looked at Vito and held her hand to her mouth in shock.

On the other hand, Emile approached the two and gave Vito another pat on the back.

“You’ll have to forgive her; she’s been used to communicating with people via telepathy for years; she and I have forgotten how painful it can be at first,” he said.

“Telepathy…?” Vito rubbed his head, but it didn’t make the lingering pain disappear.

“It's something most psychic types can do,” Emile explained. “They’re capable of communicating through thought alone, though it doesn’t always end up well at first. So, I'll handle the introductions.”

He gently took his Gardevoir by her hand and gently pulled the psychic type towards him, and Vito saw the Pokemon give a small smile as her trainer took her by the hand.

“This wonderful Gardevoir here is Belle! She’ll be teaching Pikachu how to use his electricity better,” he explained. “And before you ask, yes, she is a Psychic type, but she knows how to mess with electric-type energy.”

“Type what-”

“And if you do anything mean to her, I will hurt you.”

Vito’s jaw dropped upon hearing those final, strangely stern words from Emile. He then watched as the older trainer released his Pokemon’s hand and approached his Venusaur.

“And this old girl here is Venus!” He patted the grass type on the head. “She’ll be uh… kind of creating a battle instinct for Pikachu if that makes sense. He’ll need to learn when he should move on the battlefield.”

Emile would continue explaining, but Vito tuned him out as his eyes were focused on the vine that appeared from Venus… which then smacked her trainer on the head.

He let out a pained yelp, and Vito chuckled at the scene.

“C’mon! What was that for?” Emile turned to his Venusaur

Venus merely replied with a grunt and turned her head away from her trainer.

“Hey, being old isn’t a bad thing, and you’re still a pretty girl!”

Venus uttered another cry and narrowed her eyes in her trainer’s direction.

“Alright, alright, fine! You’re the prettiest girl,” Emile raised his hands in surrender.

This seemed to please Venus, who went from grumpy to looking at Vito with a smile.

“You really have quite the team, don’t you?” Vito asked Emile.

Emile turned and smiled at Vito, and he looked at Belle, Venus, and Frère, then nodded.

“I really do.” Emile softly said. “you’ll meet the rest of them eventually, but for now, that little rat is going to be trained by these two and Frère, who will focus on Pikachu’s speed, and before we even do that… we’re gonna have a battle!”

Emile let out a sharp whistle, and Frère appeared by his side. His tail slowly wagged back and forth as his eyes were focused on Vito’s Pikachu.

“A battle? Here?” Vito questioned as he looked around the camp. 

The encampment felt a little too small… they were surrounded by plenty of trees and forestation. A fight could potentially garner the attention of any wild Pokemon, Vito thought as he continued looking at his surroundings.

“A little further away from our campfire,” Emile replied as he started to walk away from Vito, heading deeper into the forest. “Finish eating, then we’ll start!”

Vito looked at the sausage sandwich he had partially eaten and immediately devoured it, not wishing to waste any time.

“C’mon, Pikachu!” 

-oOo-

It didn’t take long for Vito to find Emile. 

The trainer had been lying down on Venus, who didn’t seem to mind that her trainer was using her as a makeshift bed, and beside him was Belle, who had been tapping a finger against her trainer’s PokeGear. Then there was Frère laid on the ground peacefully. When the Glaceon took notice of Vito, his tail eagerly wagged as he stood up.

What did have Vito’s attention, however, was that dozens of trees surrounded the four. The trainers and Pokemon stood on a wide patch of grass that was big enough to be suitable for the “arena” that the two trainers would battle on, and looking at it reminded Vito of the various grass-type gyms he had seen on TV.

“It's about time you got here,” Emile said as he stepped off Venusaur and stretched his arms and legs briefly before taking a step forward. His eyes glanced towards Belle, who nodded her head and raised her arms.

Vito’s eyes lit up with surprise as he watched a strange pink light appear in the center of where he and Emile stood. Light began to spread, reaching the trees that surrounded everyone. Then it began to rise, and Vito realized that he, Pikachu, Emile, and his Pokemon were trapped in a strange box that vanished as soon as it was formed.

“Good job,” Emile complimented Belle before turning his head back towards Vito. “What we have is a nice barrier set up. We won’t exactly need it, but it's here, so we don’t potentially harm any wild Pokemon that may be nearby.”

“Oh… that makes sense.”

“Get to your position,” Emile commanded. “You know where that’s at, right?”

“Behind the Pokemon, right?”

“You want your Pokemon to be a meter in front of you.” Emile nodded.

Vito nodded as he began to take a few steps back and outstretched his arm. Pikachu, who had rested on his trainer’s shoulder, sprung into action. He crawled along Vito’s arm before he jumped onto the ground.

Frère, on the other hand, took two steps forward in front of Emile. His dark eyes were focused on Pikachu’s figure, and leaned forward. He moved a foot forward, and a smile formed on his features as his tail wagged slowly with excitement.

“You have the first move,” Emile coolly said.

Vito swallowed hard. His heart pounded like a drum beneath his chest, and his hands began to sweat; his mouth was dry, and his eyes were intensely focused on Pikachu and Frère. It was the same way he felt when encountering the sailors in Bellissimo Mare.

“Thundershock!” Vito commanded, but his voice came out weak and shaky.

Electricity crackled, and sparks flew from Pikachu’s cheeks. The mouse soon let loose a bolt of lightning that raced toward Frère with the precision of a bullet. 

Frère tilted his head and raised a brow at the bolt of lightning, then inhaled for a moment before exhaling, breathing out a cold gust of air more akin to a heavy wind that diverted the attack off course, causing it to hit the barrier.

Vito gritted his teeth as he watched Frère divert the attack like it was nothing. He knew that the Glaceon would be stronger than Pikachu, but seeing just how much their strength differed was astounding.

“Thundershock again!” Vito roared.

Like before, Pikachu charged up his electricity and unleashed another lightning bolt. The electricity violently crackled as it prepared to strike its target.

Yet, Frère merely lifted a foot off the ground, and suddenly, he was meters away from his target.

“What the hell?” Vito shook his head.  “Forget about special attacks, we’ll go for close quarters! Quick attack!”

Pikachu cried out as he sprinted in Frère’s direction, and within seconds, he became a yellow blur! Surely, the yellow missile would impact the ice type before him, Vito thought.

That was until Frère moved his body to the side, raised a foot, and dodged before the mouse got close. Pikachu could barely stop himself from hitting the barrier, tearing up the grass and dirt as he skidded to a stop.

The yellow mouse looked around and glared as soon as he spotted Frère. 

The Glaceon wasn’t phased by his foe’s glare at all. Instead, Frère smiled before licking his paw, and his tail wagged with anticipation.

Damn Frère, Vito thought. If Pikachu was lightning, then Frère was light. His speeds were almost, no, they had to have been instant. There had to be a way to land a blow on this smug bastard!

“Ice Shard.” Emile commanded, his voice cool as ever.

Frère began to glow a bright blue, and suddenly, chunks of ice appeared out of thin air. There were five shards, all of which were reformed as soon as they appeared to be long and as sharp as knives. Each of them was launched at Pikachu at the speed of bullets.

Pikachu scurried about the battlefield, barely evading the shards that landed into the ground with a loud thunk. He zigged and zagged left and right, avoiding the fearsome ice knives that his opponent had developed.

This was going bad; if the battle continued like this, Pikachu would be skewered, Vito thought as he looked around. The trainer was panicking now, but as he looked around, an answer had hit him with the force of a freight train.

Belle’s barriers had reached the trees. Trees with branches that would potentially break if the likes of Frère hopped on them, but they wouldn’t break if Pikachu hopped on them…

“Give up?” a rather bored Emile asked. The older trainer scratched the back of his head, yawned, and looked at his Gardevoir, who sat on top of Venus, tapping away at her trainer’s PokeGear.

“Hell no, and screw you!” Vito shot back and soon turned his head towards Pikachu. “Go to the trees, now!”

Pikachu nodded at his trainer, and the electric type darted towards the forestry and started climbing up one of the many trees covered by Belle’s barriers.

“Up on the branch and Thundershock! Keep moving while you do it,” Vito commanded.

Pikachu obliged. As soon as he reached a branch, his body began to surge with electricity and, once again, unleashed a vicious thunder shock. The lightning bolt wasn’t as large as before, but it was delivered much more quickly, striking the ground near Frère, causing soil to erupt and stain his pristine fur.

“How do you like that?” Vito cried, a smile on his face. “Keep going, Pikachu!”

The tables turned, and Frère gritted his teeth in frustration over his now dirtied fur and swiftly summoned more ice shards, all razor-sharp icicles launched again. They impacted the trees and tore through the leaves, but none hit their target.

Conversely, Pikachu was moving through the trees, moving from branch to branch while unleashing Thunder Shock after Thunder Shock. Each jolt of lightning didn’t hit their now-moving target, but the electricity was getting closer and closer.

“Target the branches first,” Emile once again commanded. “Ice beam when he falls.”

Once again, more ice shards were formed from thin air, and each of them were launched. Frère’s precision was that of a sniper’s; each shard tore through the branches Pikachu was trying to use as vantage points, and it didn’t take long for the inevitable to happen, as a shard tore through a branch Pikachu had landed on.

The yellow mouse fell and let out a cry of anguish, it wouldn’t be long until Frère launched his ice beam.

“Regain your footing!” Vito cried. “Thundershock before he can use Ice Beam!”

Pikachu performed a somersault, and his yellow body began to light up. Sparks crackled and popped from his cheeks as he once again unleashed a Thunder Shock that was as vicious as his first one and faster than the bolts he unleashed upon Frère earlier.

Frère, on the other hand, unleashed a beam of ice from his mouth. The ice was akin to that of a laser, and despite being meters away from the Glaceon, Vito could still feel the cold that emanated from it. 

Lightning soon met ice, causing a vicious clash of power that would turn any ordinary man to shreds. It lasted for only a second, until the ice that Frère had unleashed overwhelmed Pikachu’s electricity, landing a solid blow center-mass on the electric mouse.

Pikachu was sent flying from the attack, hitting the barrier and soon he fell onto the ground, beaten by Frère.

“Pikachu!” Vito shouted, who immediately rushed to his partner’s side. He reached into his pockets, hoping to find an oran berry, until he saw Emile standing over the two, a medium-sized spray bottle in his hand

“I got it,” he said as he kneeled and lightly sprayed Pikachu’s chest. The mouse growled at how the spray stung his body, but he eventually jumped out of Vito’s hands, the wounds on his chest now gone.

“You didn’t bring me here just because there was enough room for an arena, did you?” Vito asked.

“Nope,” Emile replied with a smile. “I’m glad you caught on.”

Emile placed his hand on Vito’s shoulder and guided him back to the arena. “Look around; what do you see?” Emile placed his hands on Vito’s shoulders, turning him around to look at the battlefield. “Rhetorical question, of course. Obviously, there are trees… but where there are trees, there is opportunity.”

“Like how I used them for cover?”

“Exactly!” Emile said. “Trees, rocks, and holes in the ground can be used for cover. A nearby river stream can be weaponized by a Pokemon that can manipulate the water, the arena can be your best friend and a Pokemon’s playground… if you know what you’re doing.”

“Yeah, but it woulda been nice if I had landed a hit.” Vito sighed

“A battle isn’t all about strength. Wit and creativity are just as important, and we’ll touch on creativity eventually… right now, you’re learning the basics.” Emile clapped Vito on the shoulder and chuckled.

“So, what next?” Vito asked.

Emile turned his head towards his Pokemon and whistled, and each turned towards him.

“Back to camp!” he ordered them all. “We’re gonna take a short break, and then we’ll start messing around with Pikachu. I think I know what he needs, but I’m not entirely sure if it’ll work… and then I’ll teach you about more of the basics.”

Emile led his student back to camp, and the teen couldn’t help but smile. Thanks to Emile, Vito would get stronger, so strong that nobody could beat him.

Not even the man in black.