I arrived in Pallet Town two days after we departed the Tartarus Isles. With just the clothes on my back, one bag packed in a hurry, and Emberwilde in my pokeball at my hip, I got off the docks and entered into the town. In school, they showed us images of human cities with towering buildings rising to the clouds, the hordes of people bustling here and there, the only Pokemon running free being the rodent-types scrapping by to survive. Pallet Town looked a lot closer to my village back home, just with less Pokemon walking amongst the people. It was still a human village, after all. I assumed a majority of the structures to be houses with perhaps one of them being a general store.
It was too bad I couldn't stay longer and get my bearings. This was the furthest I'd ever been from home and despite the excitement of traveling through a new land, it was still an intimidating challenge. But the Fire King entrusted me to bear Emberwilde through this foreign land as the champion of our village and we were already behind the others.
I made my way to the opposite end of the village toward the woods, passing a giant building two or three times the size of the average home. As I got to the village exit my eyes naturally darted to the movement on my right as someone exited the giant structure. A brown-haired boy around my age walked out the doors and down the pathway with a shiny pokeball in his hands. Every couple of month poachers and hunters looking to steal Pokemon either as trophies or slaves in their battles arrive in our islands. I saw in his eyes and the smile on his face the same look those grunts wore when they first land on our beaches, right before our Fire King and his lords descended upon them.
I made no effort to move, letting the other boy walk into me. He stumbled backwards and planted his butt in the gravel road. Surprisingly, he kept the pokeball braced in his hands rather than let it fall into the dirt. I decided that perhaps he wasn't a bad person, maybe just a little rude. I offered him a hand up. He took it and got to his feet, dusting himself off.
"How about you watch were you're going, new guy," the other boy said, glaring at me. I stood still and silent feeling it to be undignified for our clan's champion to be provoked by mockery. "What's your name anyways?" Still I said nothing. I saw his eyes scan over my dirty clothing and eventually settle on the black and red pokeball at my hip. His smile returned. "Well no name. I see you've got a pokeball there. And I just got a brand new one from Gramps in there. How about we break them in with a little battle?" He held up his pokeball in front of him as he spoke as if trying to show me where pokemon came from.
I shook my head. "That would be neither wise nor fair, unless you've somehow stumbled across a gym leader level pokemon, in which case I doubt you'd be able to control it."
The other boy snarled and backed away, pokeball still in hand. "Oh yeah. Let's see whose pokemon is stronger."
I just shrugged my shoulders and reached for Emberwilde's pokeball. As the kid reared back to throw, an older man stepped out of the giant building, arms crossed.
"Gary stop what you're doing right now," the older man said, his voice stern and authoritative. Gary lowered his arm and turned to the older man. Before the boy could say anything though, the older man spoke again. "Please stop bothering our visitor and run along. You've got a long ways to go if you want to be a Pokemon master."
Gary sneered and put the ball back onto his belt. "Okay Gramps, I'll be leaving now." Then he turned to me. "The next time we meet, Gramps won't be around to protect you."
I just shook my head. "You've got that backwards, Gary. Run along and play now before Emberwilde eats you."
Gary gave me one last sneer before shouldering passed me and disappearing off onto the forest trail. I let out the breath I'd been holding once he was out of sight. If all people in this region were as hot-headed as that boy, Emberwilde might return to the Tartarus Isles at nearly double his weight. I wasn't sure if he'd be able to fly at that size, and I definitely wasn't going to ask him.
"Young man," the older man called to me, waving a hand, "would you mind coming inside for a bit. Your rivals passed through here a couple days ago. They mentioned you'd been held up for your injury" He nodded his head toward my bandaged arm.
Instinctively, I stuck my left hand behind my back pretending to scratch an itch. Raised amongst the strongest and deadliest of pokemon teaches one to not make a weakness known to one's enemies. I didn't like it but I would probably need some information to navigate this new world. Since he spoke with the other two Bearers, perhaps he would also have information for me as well. I nodded and walked into the older man's home.
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