Tristan had Arcanine go at a much slower speed as we went towards the Endless Forest. The wind no longer whipped in our faces, so we could actually talk on the way there.
"Hey so why is it called the Endless Forest anyway?" I asked.
Tristan continued to look ahead, but responded after a couple seconds. "Well, do you know how oceans work? Vast, seemingly endless. The farther you go, the deeper it gets. The Endless Forest is the same way. Starfall is weird geographically. The forest goes until the end of the region, but nobody quite knows where that is. The farther you go, the more erratic the warp gates are anyway. So sometimes the land seems to stretch on forever, and other times it seems to just drop off into nothingness. The forest works a little differently. It's like an ocean. The farther in you get, the deeper it gets. The trees start growing out taller and thicker. The mons start getting bigger and bigger the farther you go. The trees at the edge of the forest are only about 50 feet tall. Rangers have seen trees as tall as 400 feet once they get deep. We've tried to go as far as we can, but we've never reached a point where the trees start getting smaller again. It's seemingly endless. Radios get all funky too. And it's dangerous to try and fly over the forest, because Aerodactyl like to make their nests at the tops of tall trees."
Well that didn't make sense. My brain physically couldn't compute that. An endless forest? Horse shit. Too bad my team wasn't strong enough for me to find out whether that was true yet. Once Zuko and Azula could fly, I would find out for myself.
Looking over to the forest, it did seem to stretch on for as far as I could see. At the edge of the horizon the trees were just getting taller and taller.
We jumped off Arcanine when we reached the trees. As nimble as Hurricane was, running along the forest floor with all its ailments was not his strong suit.
The trees stretched out before us. They generally didn't start having branches until above twenty feet. I wouldn't be able to climb them even if I wanted to. The canopy above completely blotted out the sun. Besides a few sunbeams, the forest was covered in dark murky shadows.
Tristan walked fearlessly forward, striding into the brush. He released Gallade next to him to walk beside us.
The green bladed pokemon gave me a curt nod before its eyes lit up with pink energy, scanning the area for enemies.
"So what sort of things do I need to worry about?" I asked.
Tristan gave me a really toothy grin. "Ha! Just about everything. Luxray will catch you in the dark and rip out your throat. Their night vision is as advanced as any void. The only sign they're after you are two glowing yellow eyes. Victreebel will coax you in with wonderful smelling fruit, and then swallow you whole. Don't worry though, you'll die within the first three days of it ingesting you. Extremely excruciating death as you slowly dissolve in its stomach acids, unable to tear your way out. The Starfallen Saur's will do much the same, except they use their vines to come at you from above, and drench you in stun spores and sleep powder. You won't even notice you're dead until after your bones are dissolved by their poisons. And that's if they don't just ambush you into the Void. Vigoroth will rip out your guts. Shiftry will cut you to pieces. Ursaring will maul you to death."
My eyes began to roll to the back of my head. "Stop! You ass. I get it. If it lives and breathes, keep my distance. Right?"
Tristan clapped me on the back. "Exactly! You don't really have to worry about the Saurs though. There's only one roaming pack of Saurs in the Endless Forest. The nomadic tribe is filled with Starfallen Ivysaur and Bulbasaur, and they swing around the trees going through the forest to wipe out entire populations at a time. We haven't seen them in months. They're probably really deep in the forest right now."
"But no Starfallen Venusaur?" I looked at him quizzically.
Tristan laughed. "Well I suppose it could be possible. But we've ever seen one. They're probably too fat to swing around using their vines. So it wouldn't make much sense among a nomadic tribe that thrives off its ability to travel and take out unsuspecting prey. Not that many mons could deal with spam stun spores and sleep powder anyhow. No, you really should just watch out for a couple key things."
Tristan pointed into the forest. "Watch the vines. If they have leaves sprouting out of them, you're probably fine. But if it's sleek with no moss or signs of wear, it's a pokemon. Don't get too close or it'll grab you. Keep track of the low hanging branches. Something might be hanging around waiting to jump you."
Tristan walked around the ground, pointing out potential hiding locations behind brush, under dead branches, in the tall grass, just generally everywhere that I couldn't see perfectly.
"And these are important. If the mushrooms are about this size, you should be good. But anything bigger might release spores in your face as soon as you step on it. And then it'll start consuming you before you wake up. Got it?"
I shakily nodded my head. "Okay. So don't touch anything. Don't eat anything. Don't make unnecessary noise. Keep my head on a swivel. Don't get too close to anything. Am I missing anything?"
Tristan laughed. "Yep. Don't go into the wild in the first place. At least with your flimsy team." He laughed, pointing to the two pokeballs on my belt.
That felt a little undeserved. I'd only been training for a little over two months. And I couldn't really go out and catch pokemon anyway. Wait. That reminds me.
"Hey, so how would I go about catching a wild pokemon anyway. All you're teaching me is avoidance."
We reached a thicker part of the forest. Vines began to droop down in front of us, obscuring the path forward. Tristan whipped out both blades from his back, slashing the brush as he responded.
"Well you generally don't want to try and catch one of these wilds. They're too erratic. You might be able to handle one if you had a veteran team. But even then it would take months to get it to listen to you. It might not ever get to the point of trusting you. These mons are nasty. In this region its kill or be killed. That's been the hierarchy in the wild for centuries. Anything that couldn't defend itself died out pretty fast. Eventually the only wild pokemon left were the ones smart enough to preemptively attack anything that came near. So even peaceful mons like the Saurs had to become bloodthirsty monsters to survive. Snorlax down in Kanto can be pretty peaceful. Even wild ones sometimes just nestle up in the middle of towns, blocking random roads. All they do is nap and bask in the sun."
Tristan slashed through a particularly sturdy vine, causing it to thump as it hit the forest floor.
"But there's hardly any sun in the forest. They still nap, sure enough. They'll nap for weeks. But those few hours that they are awake, just hope you don't get in its eyesight. Snorlax usually consume over three hundred thousand calories before they need to nap again. And I don't think I need to tell you the fastest way for them to get calories."
I shook my head.
"So how do people get new pokemon then?"
Tristan stopped slashing for a second, turning to me. He handed me the two swords.
"You give it a go. I'll explain while we walk."
Oblivion was a magnificent specimen. Two dao blades, elegant curves made of a dark steel. The top of the blade had small intricate hooks at the top, made to catch other swords or eviscerate flesh. The bottom of the blade was wicked sharp, the dark steel completely unscratched after years of use. Its' sheathes were a dark mottled brown, beautiful leather expertly engraved. While I remember doublade having eyes at the base of each handle, there were no such eyes on Oblivion. There were circles on the pommel, but they were sealed shut. There were purple sashes attached to the bottom of the grip, drooping beneath the blades.
The swords felt weightless in my hands. Like actual feathers. It was weird. They felt sturdy. Powerful. Like actual steel swords. The cold metal under my hands whispered feats of strengths. Promises of power. Yet they felt no heavier than styrofoam.
I gave Oblivion an experimental swing. The vines fell apart like hot butter. I tried slicing a tree, using a little more force, only to stumble forward from the minimal resistance.
I stared at the gash I left in the tree, and then down to the sword in my hand.
Woah.
Tristan smiled. "Exquisite, isn't she?"
I stared in awe at the blades in my hands. I felt a tingle in the back of my head. It vaguely reminded me of something, but I was too busy admiring the swords.
"Incredible."
I continued forward, slashing the vines in our way. It was far easier than I expected.
"Ya know, Oblivion's never connected with anyone besides me. I don't know why she took to you so quickly. Maybe Oak saw something in you after all."
I snorted.
"No seriously. The only other person Oblivion even showed a hint of interest in was my little brother. But she sings when she's in your hands. It's interesting." Tristan tapped his chin in thought.
"What do you mean, sing?" I couldn't describe it, but somehow I agreed with him. These swords resonated in my hands. Like I had used them and trained with them my whole life. I felt like I knew them. Like they knew me.
"Oh I can feel it. Don't you get that feeling, like you understand your pokemon? That's aura. But it goes a lot farther than that."
Oh boy. Now we're getting into the real lore. I took a big half circle to avoid a particularly large mushroom. I slashed the next vine with anticipation. I stopped as I realized Tristan wasn't following me.
"Alright kid. Give me back Oblivion, and release your pokemon."
I half heartedly gave him back the swords. I felt empty without them. Which was weird, because I had never known that I wasn't "full" before.
"Okay, but don't freak out."
Tristan laughed. "Trust me kid. I've seen a lot of shit. Your mons won't scare me."
Zuko and Azula appeared on the grass. Their heads swiveled around as they immediately took in their surroundings. I held back a proud smile. Azula, after determining we weren't in danger, looked up to me in adoration. She had recognized the uniform Tristan wore as the same Will wore, and saw me relaxed, so she had decided we were fine. Clever little girl. Zuko, on the other hand, immediately zeroed in on the only other person in the area. The person who had swords on their back.
He growled, his red fins filling up. His scales began to leak ambient electricity as he powered up.
Tristan tried to look relaxed, but I noticed his hand at the ready to draw out Oblivion."Holy shit kid. Starfallen Charmander. Not bad. Not bad at all." He looked me straight in the eyes. "You know that thing is gonna kill you right. The Draconids lose a couple of their own every year trying to train those things."
"Zuko stand down."
Zuko glanced at me and then slowly started to let his red fins deflate and adopted a more neutral stance.
"Okay well Zuko here will serve as a good example." Zuko hissed at a stranger using his name, but didn't attack.
Tristan nodded towards Zuko.
"Pick him up."
I followed his instructions, confused. The electricity Zuko had been charging up had mostly dissipated into the ground, but the little that remained fizzled against my skin.
Tristan jumped up. "There! HA! That actually worked. Damn kid. You actually have a bond with that thing." Tristan pointed to my arm, where the electricity had fizzled out. My skin was unblemished. "That's aura."
Tristan shook his head while looking into the canopy above. "Goddamn Red. You might actually be able to do it. You can return your pokemon now."
I returned them to their pokeballs, a little confused. Wasn't aura the thing Lucario used? That maybe Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four had? Was it lore that he fought his Machamp in hand to hand? I feel like aura was barely touched on, but it was mostly just making humans a fighting type, if anything. What would it have to do with electricity? Oak said it would let my pokemon understand me eventually, and that had happened, but he hadn't said any more than that.
"Alright kid, let me show you something." Tristan walked up to a tree, and squared his shoulders. He threw a fist forward. The air whipped around as his fist slammed into the tree, splintering the bark.
The stray pieces of bark flew everywhere. I barely covered my face in time. Splinters rained into my arms.
"Holy fuck! A little warning next time. You could've taken my eye out!" I exclaimed.
Tristan looked back at me with a shit eating grin. His hand was somewhat red on his knuckles, but they weren't even scratched. He wiped off the stray pieces of bark from his forearm. His arm had lodged that deep into the tree. "Alright, explain to me why I could do that."
Goddamnit. We were doing it this way. You asshole.
Okay so Tristan somehow has superhuman strength. And he says it relates to the same reason why electricity fizzles against my skin. My eyes widened. That didn't use to happen before. Was there a progression from being electrocuted badly to eventually nothing? I hadn't been electrocuted badly anytime recently. I searched my memories of the past two months. Was me getting electrocuted less because I had gotten better at avoiding it? Or was there something else? Clearly my skin was unburnt, even though it had been electrocuted. And there is no way in hell that Tristan should be able to tear his fist through a thick redwood tree.
I cleared my mind. So does it have something to do with a bond? The closer I got to Zuko, the stronger my electricity resistance got? But how would these aura bonds form? Would I eventually start growing scales too? How far did this go?
Oh shit. My eyes widened even further. Azula. Does that mean I would eventually be able to breathe fire? No. If that were true, I already would have heard about it. As crazy as this world was, there weren't stories of people with superpowers. Wait… but Taimu kind of was heralded as a god. And so was Oak. How far did this go? Nobody had mentioned to me in passing about bullshit superpowers, but that wasn't necessarily evidence against. All it meant that it was above rookie level. That it wasn't dangerous at rookie level. Or maybe I just hadn't heard about it because I hardly talked to anyone, and that sort of thing doesn't really come up organically in conversation? Maybe it's something that's really hard to develop, so it's reserved for elite trainers?
I turned to Tristan. "Aura is bullshit. Somehow you form bonds with your pokemon and that bond can influence you in different ways."
Tristan nodded. "Bingo! You were vague, but I can't blame you. I know tons about aura, and it's still pretty hard to wrap my head around. But here goes." Tristan pulled out Oblivion again, and we started walking through the brush.
I couldn't help but be filled with envy as he swung the twin dao swords effortlessly through the vines.
"So each pokemon is unique, right? Or at least mostly unique. Aura lets us connect with them on a deeper level. That's why they understand us, and we understand them. And that understanding just gets deeper as your connection grows. But aura manifests in different ways. You have a Charmander. It will eventually evolve into a Charizard. But you won't ever be able to breathe fire."
Damn it. So much for that. I narrowed my eyes. Wait… why was that his first example? Was my thought process that predictable?
"But someone that trains an entire team of combustion types, and has their aura signature grow, might be able to do some neat tricks with it. Like Alder. He's been training combustion types for decades, and he's gotten to the point where he can actually wreathe his hands in flame hotter than most Magmortar can make. Of course very few people actually get to the point they can do anything neat. Especially since most of the people in the mainland never actually fight on their own, only doing professional battling where they hide behind a team. Gallade was my starter, so my bond with him is the strongest. I spar with him all the time, so that's how my bond with him has formed. Arcanine and I are close enough that I'll never freeze. His fire lives forever within me. I could walk around the Snowcaps with a t-shirt and be fine."
Tristan stopped as we got to a particularly dark patch of forest. After scanning the area for a few lengthy seconds, we continued.
"That's why most trainers have a specialization. They get close to one type, they can form bonds better with other pokemon of that type. Of course that only goes so far. Even a veteran dragon tamer would find it nearly impossible to train a fully grown wild Hydreigon. Or really any other scale for that matter. But their aura will grow into that signature, and enhance every pokemon that they have. If they are better attuned for water, water types will connect better with them."
Well that would happen regardless. As you gained more experience on how to train a certain type of pokemon, training similar ones would get progressively easier. But if there was also some cosmic bullshit that made that sort of thing even easier, well that would just amplify the efficacy of specialists.
Interesting.
"So is that why people revere generalists like Ketchum and Cynthia?" I asked. Might as well try to find more about Ketchum.
"Exactly. Being a generalist is hard. You see most type classifications aren't just to classify the attacks and defenses they have. There are also personality trends. As much as our personality affects our pokemon, their personality affects us. So dragon tamers are usually very short tempered and wrathful, even if they started out as the kindest person on the planet. That's half the reason training dragons is so hard. Their personality is so strong that it's hard not to get overwhelmed. Water trainers are easy going. Alloy trainers are rigid, unforgiving, and see the world in black and white. Generalists have it tough. Of course that depends on what sort of team they build. But all those different personalities pull you in different directions. The person has to try and be so many things that they usually fail at all of them. And their mind crumbles under the strain. Generalists are rare. Some, like me, train different kinds of pokemon, but stick to small teams. Keeps it simple. Simpler. It helps Oblivion here is basically a blank slate. As your pokemon get stronger, and their aura grows, they can overwhelm you. Those raving mad trainers you've heard about, those with "dragon madness", are just trainers who lost. Who's emotions and connections took control of them. And so they tried to burn the world, just like their dragons wanted."
I could only silently nod as I took the information in. I had been worried about Zuko before, but this just made that anxiety worse.
No.
I shoved that anxiety down. And tore it to shreds. Zuko and I respected each other. Mostly. We could still use some work. But I had faith. We could do this.
"But yeah. Be wary. Most generalists quit as soon as their pokemon start evolving. That mental strain becomes too much. It's not as big a problem in the real world, cuz they bred most of the mons to be brain dead, but here their personalities are strong. And we wouldn't want it any other way. Stronger, smarter pokemon make for better partners. I wouldn't have survived half the shit I have if Gallade couldn't think for himself. Granted, he's not from Starfall, but that's a story for another time."
Damn. And here I was proud that Azula and Zuko could think for themselves. Would that have just happened anyway? No. Kind of. I guess they were always clever, and learned quickly. But that just made my training more effective. I grinned. This made things more exciting. The rookies I'd been facing in the tower had usually failed because they were trying to command their pokemon the whole time. Their pokemon were smart. They shouldn't inhibit them like that. Barry at least had been better than that. He had still been trying to do supplemental training since he thought I was inexperienced. Which I was. But Zuko doesn't care about something as paltry as experience.
"Okay, so besides potentially breaking my mind, what will my bond with Zuko and Azula do to me?" I hesitantly asked. I'm not sure if I wanted the answer.
Tristan scrunched his eyebrows. "Okay listen. Things won't be that bad. Especially with just two pokemon. But you do have two scales. Dragons have really strong personalities. You've done well though. I saw how those two checked the area on release. They're smart. And you've trained them to be even smarter. And they both respect you. Otherwise they would have attacked me. It'll get harder as they evolve, but you'll be fine." Tristan looked me in the eyes and smiled. "You're tough. I can tell."
Well that was kind of reassuring.
"Do be careful of your temper though. I can tell little yellow has a short fuse, no pun intended. But as for actual effects, well that depends. In terms of short term benefits, well you already noticed one. It helps if you're actually exposed to it, but the more time you spend with and around your pokemon as they use their abilities, you'll become attuned to it. So you'll be more resistant to electricity. Especially since that bugger accidentally leakes it all the time. You might become resistant to fire. That one I'm less sure about. Depends on how often you're exposed to it. But uh, these things develop differently. Some electric trainers can supercharge their brain and think faster than normal. Others can supercharge their muscles for better speed and strength. Others have mild shocking ability that lets them paralyze things. You'll have to find out for yourself as your aura develops. But it'll tend to shadow how your pokemon is. Alder can burn things because his pokemon love burning things. But his personality is strong enough that he tempered that power to unify the entire nation of Unova, rather than burning the world in his rage. He could stand within an inferno and would have a higher chance of catching a cold than getting burned."
Tristan laughed. "But yeah it's all on personality. I'm sure you've noticed how some pokemon don't want to fight at all."
My head perked up. "Yeah. I saw a Scyther that worked in a sushi restaurant. Its sashimi was incredible."
Tristan nodded. "People can influence pokemon just as much as they influence us. Their fighting instinct can be dulled and filled with different purpose with a strong enough bond. And I bet if that Scyther ever has kids they won't be fighters either. That's also why the mainland has less of a problem with getting overwhelmed by aura. It's less strong. The spread of peaceful pokemon makes for less violent pokemon overall. After enough generations, especially with pokemon battling just being a sport, rather than for actual warfare like before, a fighting instinct dulls. Starfall tends to be violent, so pokemon learn to survive. And a good survival instinct takes a lot of willpower. That stronger willpower is overwhelming. But it's also intoxicating. We've had to excommunicate too many rangers that got lost in it."
Tristan got a far away look. His swings of Oblivion were lazy, uncoordinated. They still sliced through the vines with ease, but I could tell he was distracted.
"Anyway, that's enough of that for today. We're here anyhow. And right at the three hour marker too. Damn I'm good at this." Tristan quickened his pace as we continued forward.
I couldn't tell where he was going, but after stepping another two paces forward, the forest disappeared. Or rather, the entire group appeared in front of me. The forest was still behind them. What? Oh. There was a Zoroark standing among the group. They were hidden in an illusion.
The Head Ranger saw us walk up, and his chest rose as he drew in a breath.
"Alright Gents! We're making camp. Don't move, or you might get crushed! Rangers release!"