Chapter 2- Michel

  Erdd has set up his tent beside the entrance to the Ravaged Path and decides to train in the time before dark fully takes him.

  He instructs his gible. “Sever, at your current stage of development the best I can do to train your physique is to repeatedly empty your energy and the reinforcing effect that will have on your body, that and eating a lot to make up for the lost energy. Use Dragon Breath on the cliff face until exhaustion. Then you will take a break until you are recovered enough and try again until the sun goes down. When it does we will have dinner.”

  The gible, excited at the prospects of both food and power, approaches the rock wall and begins to scorch it.

  Erdd does not stay idle while his pokemon works. He finds a good spot in line of sight of Sever and camp, and begins to do a long stretch routine meant to get the muscles warmed up. After initial stretching comes katas. Strong, ritualistic movements meant to excite the spirit and body in equal measure.

  It is at this point Erdd doffs his cloak by his tent. With the warm ups done then comes calisthenics.

  Push ups, sit ups, squats, planks, more lat, arm and leg exercises. After that is indeed more. A sprint back and forth from the tent to a tree until the young man performing them is thoroughly spent.

  Yet still there is more for him to do.

  Erdd wades to a tree with the same thickness as his old practice dummy before beginning his hand to hand exercises.

  Jab, retreat, snap kick, chop, duck, palm, hook, retreat, reset.

  It is this rhythm the trainer finds himself in. Jab, retreat, snap kick, chop, duck, palm, hook, retreat, reset. Repeating the same motions until the skin under his gloves becomes numb from the impact. Jab, retreat, snap kick, chop, duck, palm, hook, retreat, reset.

  Jab, “excuse me” , retreat, snap kick, “hello sir?” chop, duck, “sorry for-” palm, “bothering-” The holder of the voice flinches as Erdd’s gaze snaps to it. Erdd evaluates what has set itself in front of himself like a butcher examines meat. Small, cowering, young, tired, runt of its litter, easy prey. Wait, no. A girl younger even than Erdd with shoulder length brown hair, her overalls slightly worn from travels, and more pressingly, looking like she’s about to go for the pokeball on her waist.

  Erdd takes in a deep breath as he straightens his posture and bows in greeting “Hello miss, my name is Erdd.”

  The girl frowns at this unusual display but decides to respond politely nonetheless “The name is Michel, and nice to meet you too. And, uhh, sorry for interrupting your… fight with that tree?”

  “Ah, it is simply form training. Do you require a service of me?” Erdd is blunt in his words. Any tact the young man may have found within him fled for hope of anyone with the energy to request their assistance.

  Michel, still slightly confused at her exchange with this Erdd fellow as a whole, responds. “I just got out of the Ravaged Path and saw your tent set up and wanted to ask if I could camp here for the night?”

  “That is quite agreeable. One moment.” Michel looks on as Erdd gathers his pokemon and makes way for the tent and fireplace, donning his cloak when he gets there. Michel decides to set up her own tent while Erdd prepares the fire and turns to feed Sever.

  Sever has been doing well in feeding gently during lunches, but at dinner, after training sessions and walking for most of the day, he loses some control and sometimes bites Erdd’s hand. Now is similar. The hungry and tuckered out gible rushes at his trainer’s call of food and impatiently chomps on the outstretched hand, causing Erdd to call “Release!” and reassure his partner. “It is safe here. Nobody is taking your food. Take it slow” At the soothing tone, Sever concentrates on eating properly.

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  The sunset is fading into true winter dark as the two humans warm themselves and eat in the light of the campfire. After considering her options for an extended period of time, Michel speaks up. “I’m on my way back to Floaroma from an errand in Jubilife, why are you traveling?”

  “I’m on my way to Sandgem town to meet the professor.” Comes a short reply from Erdd

  “Huh? You know the professor? Is he sponsoring you? Did professor Rowan sponsor you that gible?” The girl is incredulous at this boy’s nonchalance at meeting the most well renowned academic in the region.

  Erdd lets out a sigh at what he perceives as an exaggerated response, but decides to answer the barrage of questions all the same. “Although I do not know the professor myself, my father and he share a string of fate. I have been gifted the opportunity to work under the professor should I bring him face with my gym challenge. As for Sever, I have been entrusted with his care by my father. May I ask what is the context behind your current act of service?”

  “If you’re asking about my errand, my folks run a flower shop in Floaroma Town and sent me out to Jubilife to buy some seeds being advertised online saying it would be good for me to get some camping experience before my gym run this year. I have to say the camping is great, but I hate caves. Ugh, I was dreading my walk back through the path ever since I entered it the first time.” She glares in the direction of the cave opening with bitter resentment. “That’s why after I pack up Gardenia, Roark and Byron I’m taking a ship straight to Snowpoint so I don’t have to deal with any dinky caves!”

  Michel’s enthusiasm is infectious and elicits a chuckle out of Erdd. He then asks a question he has been wondering about for some time now. “Earlier you nearly called upon the aid of pokemon, I wonder what partner you find yourself with now?”

  “Ah, sorry about that, you had me a little spooked.” She says before answering “It’s my mom’s Roselia. He’s a lazy old man that only wants to be let out if it’s important. I am getting my starter as my 15th birthday gift before I start my journey. Probably a Budew or Flabebe or something else my folks think fits the flower shop brand.” She lets out a sigh. “I’m hoping for a Bedew, honestly, just so I can use my experience handling them to train faster. I’m so behind already, since my birthday is so close to the gym opening as it is.”

  Erdd nods at her considerations and says “Roserade is a top class pokemon, and with that attitude I doubt you will do poorly.”

  “Roserade? I mean, eh, have you seen the price of a shiny stone? My family can’t afford that for their own roselia and they own a business. I wouldn’t be able to unless I beat at least four gyms and saved all the prize money, more realistically it would be five and at that point I might lose if my starter isn’t fully evolved.” she replied frantically, as if to temper her own expectations rather than convince the person in front of her

  “You could always try the tribulation method of evolution.”

  “The what?” came a reply as Michel looked at Erdd like he was talking in pokespeak

  “Evolutions that ‘require’ stones work because the concentration of energy overflows and reforges the energy pathways in specific pokemon and causes them to evolve. For the light stone necessary for evolution to roserade, repeatedly bathing in the lights of Moonblast and Solar Beam without resistance will eventually form the catalyst for evolution.”

  Erdd’s words demand a profound silence in the camp. Profound in the sense Michel is profoundly debating whether or not to call Erdd delusional to his face or just say that on the inside. Eventually she decides on a compromise, ignoring everything he just said and trying to stop the thought from taking root in her mind, from giving her hope.

  “Say, what path are you thinking of taking for the gyms?” Michel says in the attempt to change the subject.

  Erdd seems not to notice or mind the abrupt shift and simply answers “Roark, Gardenia, Fantina, Wake, Volkner, Maylene, Candice, Byron. That way I don’t have to backtrack to any places I’ve already explored.”

  “Planning ahead huh, I only planned out my first four stops…” Michel shakes her head to wash away the comparison before continuing “What gives you the confidence to think you’ll make it that far?”

  “I have absolute trust in my pokemon to overcome anything.” Erdd says with not a shred of doubt in his tone.

  The voice that brokers no fear enraptures Michel and causes her eyes to gleam.

  Soon thereafter Erdd decides to retire to his tent and Michel does the same. In the morning they share a silent meal before Michel gives thanks to Erdd for the company and makes her way up Route 204.

  Now once again, little man and little monster stand in front of the mouth of a cave. Like before and like it shall be again, they wade into the darkness.