{Training} In the Quivering Forest

A MODEL CITIZEN OF DOUBT

A loud cry in the foliage caused Galen to grimace, but she did not plug her ears. This was important: that was the cry of a Pokémon, a Taillow if she wasn't mistaken, and she wanted to make sure that she didn't miss it.

It turned out that she needn't have worried, for the Taillow burst out of the bushes and onto the path, its feathers ruffled. It was moving quickly, and it did not seem to notice Galen for a few moments. When it saw the human and her Pokémon, however, it gave another cry and rushed forward.

This could be a problem. Being a Grass-type, Acorn couldn't do much to the Normal/Flying Taillow. He didn't actually know any attacks, and Galen figured that two hits from the Taillow could knock him out.

But maybe....

"Acorn, Bide," she said in her soft voice, addressing Seedot, who was standing in front of her, directly in the path of the oncoming Taillow. Acorn, of course, did not make any move to attack the Taillow, for Bide took some time to take effect, but he did bob his head - his whole body, really - to acknowledge that he had heard his trainer.

Taillow hit him with a Peck, jabbing at him harshly with its beak. The Seedot reeled, but managed to regain his balance. Galen was pleased to note that his defenses were good; they would have been even better if he had used Harden.

The outcome of the battle defended upon Taillow's next move. Bide would do enough damage to defeat the Taillow, but the Tiny Swallow Pokémon was going to move again before Acorn would get a chance, and if it attacked with another peck, Acorn would be done for....

Much to Galen's relief, the Taillow did not look like it was going to Peck Acorn. Instead, it used Growl, making a low noise in the back of its throat. Acorn balked at the sound, but he did not give in. Now it was his turn to attack.

Energy exploded outward from the small Pokémon's body, crashing full-force into the Taillow. It didn't stand a chance, really. It squawked weakly, and made as if to move forward and attack again, but it keeled over in a heap of feathers before it would do so. It would be okay, Galen knew; it was just stunned for some time. Galen planned to be long gone by the time it awoke.

But first, she had to tend to Acorn. She knelt down beside the round Pokémon, who was looking rather weary but proud of himself. Fishing in her bag, she pulled out a potion, and sprayed it over her Pokémon's wounds. Acorn brightened immediately, bouncing up and down a few times. He looked as good as new.

"Excellent job!" Galen said, her voice almost a whisper but full of joy. "Do you need a rest, or can you keep going?"

Acorn's face wasn't really suited to being expressive, but he gave her a look now that was undoubtedly indignant. As if in answer, he hopped forward along the path, eager to confront whoever came along next. Galen laughed lightly and followed after him, but not before she gently picked up Taillow's unconscious form and deposited it under the bushes on the side of the path, where it should be safe from harm.

All in all, her first battle had gone well, she thought.

570

ANDREJ

MINUS ONE POTION

A MODEL CITIZEN OF DOUBT

Training Acorn, Galen realized, was going to be quite hard. He wouldn't evolve for some time, and her Pokédex said he didn't learn any attacking moves until then.... The only things she could do, she figured, were rely on Bide - a risky move at best - or purchase a TM to teach him. At this point, though, she didn't have enough money to purchase anything worthwhile. She probably wouldn't be able to for some time.... He might even have evolved by the time she had earned enough.

So, Bide it was.

Acorn halted in his tracks, and the bushes rustled. Galen figured that there must be another Pokémon, preparing to come out. She didn't have much of a choice, she supposed.

"As soon as it reveals itself, use Bide," she told her Seedot. He complied, preparing himself for the attack that was sure to come.

Soon, a Ledyba fluttered out in front of Acorn. Upon spotting the other Pokémon, it halted, buzzing its wings and seeming to contemplate its options. Evidently, it decided that it would be in its best interest to attack, and it rammed into Acorn with a Tackle.

The attack didn't do much. Ledyba had poor physical attack power to begin with, and this one's level must be particularly low, as Acorn barely staggered.

When Acorn made no move to attack back, the Ledyba hit him again. This time, he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground. It must have been a critical hit, Galen reasoned. His health would be below half now. But that didn't really matter, because Bide would probably knock the poor Ledyba out.

Sure enough, Bide did the trick. The Ledyba collapsed as soon as the attack hit it, not even trying to put up a fight like the Taillow had.

As she had done with the other Pokémon, Galen picked this one up, too, and found a safe place to rest it on the side of the road.

Acorn seemed a bit worn out now. He probably wouldn't fully last against another Pokémon, Galen realized. With luck, Almond the Pidgey would return soon....

353

ANDREJ

N/A

A MODEL CITIZEN OF DOUBT

Galen realized that the Dedenne was shiny - a colloquial term used to indicate alternate coloration of a Pokémon - as soon as she saw it.

She noticed it as soon as she turned the bend in the path. Acorn still marched resolutely on, though he stopped and backtracked when he realized his trainer had halted.

The Dedenne stood out against the white snowbanks. Perhaps its movement made it more easily visible, too: it was digging through the snow, perhaps searching for berries, and it seemed quite invested in the task. It did not seem to notice Galen or Acorn.

Galen was fairly certain that the Pokémon would attack as soon as it caught wind of their presence. It didn't look very happy; it was flinging snow aside with wild abandon, and Galen could hear it growl softly to itself every now and then. She wasn't surprised. In weather like this, all the discarded berries would be old and frozen - if it found any at all, that is.

Galen took advantage of its temporary preoccupation to whisper, "Acorn, Harden."

She wasn't really sure what she expected. Acorn obeyed the orders immediately, but that wasn't the part that concerned her; rather, what she should have seen coming was the fact that the Dedenne picked up on the sound of her voice immediately, whipping its head toward the trainer and her Pokémon and standing still for several long moments while it stared at them with beady black eyes.

Then, berry search apparently forgotten, it began to hop towards Acorn, huge ears and whiskers twitching.

Galen thought she could see something nestled in the snow it had been pawing at, but now was not the time to investigate.

The Dedenne stopped in front of Acorn, and waved its tail side to side in a playful manner. Acorn began to relax, and Galen sighed softly; the effects of Tail Whip negated his previous Harden.

When the Dedenne Tackled him, Acorn was totally unprepared. He was sent sprawling on his side, and his struggles to get back to his feet failed. He hadn't fainted, but he was close to it.

There was a rush of wings, and then a heaviness on Galen's right shoulder. There perched Almond, who clacked her beak in greeting.

"Perfect timing," she said quietly, and then louder: "Acorn, withdraw! Almond, it's your turn. Use Steel Wing."

As Galen returned Acorn to his Pokéball, Almond dived at the Dedenne and whacked its body with stiff wings. It fell back, temporarily stunned, and then chittered angrily at Almond, who was hovering above it. Electricity sparked across its whiskers and then jumped up into Almond's feathers.

With a cry, Almond fell to the ground. She twitched once, and was still. She hadn't fainted, Galen knew, but it looked like the move had paralyzed her.

Galen figured that she didn't have much of a choice now.

She retrieved a Poké Ball from her bag and tossed it at the Dedenne while it was gloating over Almond's still form. She wanted to return Almond to her own Poké Ball, but she knew that she would still be paralyzed when she was sent out again. So she decided to let Almond stay for the time being, and hopefully come out of her paralysis soon.

Galen walked past the Poké Ball as it shook; there was no point in watching it now, because whether or not she made the catch was out of her control.

She made her way to the snowbank that Dedenne had been digging in, and she was quite surprised at what she saw.

The first thing she noticed was the brightly-colored gift bag, wrapped with a small red bow. But she quickly realized that there was something else there, too: a Pokémon egg!

She picked the egg up and cradled it against her chest. She looked around, to see if its owner might be somewhere nearby, but all was still. After a moment, she figured that it might have been left by a Delibird: she had heard rumors about them going around and leaving gifts. Still, to leave an egg out in the snow! How irresponsible. Galen decided that she would take care of it now.

Almond, having recovered from her paralysis, flew to Galen's shoulder and peered down at the egg, eyes bright with curiosity.

Holding the egg carefully with one hand, Galen grabbed the gift bag and dropped it into her own bag. Then she turned around to see what had happened to the Dedenne she had tried to catch.

759

ANDREJ

ATTEMPTING TO CATCH DEDENNE WITH POKÉ BALL