The incident with the Taillow flock lingered in my mind as I sat by the dying embers of the campfire. That battle taught me a crucial lesson: Pokémon in this world have various motivations for learning new moves. It isn't just about leveling up; it's about the weight of expectation, the desire to protect a flock, or the sheer will to defeat a stronger opponent.
"Torc?"
A soft chirp broke my train of thought. Torchic waddled over to my side, rubbing its warm head against my arm. It was late, and it seemed worried that I was still awake.
"Nothing happened, little guy," I whispered, scratching its chin. "You should go to sleep. I'll keep watch for a while longer."
Torchic closed its eyes, leaning into my touch, looking comfortable in the glow of the firelight. Looking at it, and then at the sleeping forms of Lotad, Wingull, and Mawile, a wave of determination washed over me.
"I won't let you guys fall behind," I promised softly. "I will help you learn new skills, break your limits, and become stars on the battlefield. Just like that Taillow."
"Torc!" Torchic nodded slightly, its eyes curving into happy lines. It understood. With a final nuzzle, it turned and headed back to the pile of soft leaves where the others were sleeping, curling up into a small, orange ball.
Satisfied that the perimeter was safe, I leaned back against the large oak tree. The exhaustion of the day finally caught up with me. My eyelids grew heavy, and the sounds of the forest faded into a rhythmic hum.
Just as I drifted into the space between wakefulness and dreams, a sensation shocked me awake.
Drip.
A drop of icy cold water hit the back of my neck.
My eyes snapped open. The desire to sleep vanished instantly. I sat up, adrenaline pumping, and scanned the surroundings. The fire was low, casting long, dancing shadows, but there was nothing there. No rain, no enemies.
"Must be condensation," I muttered, settling back down.
I closed my eyes again.
Drip. Drip.
Another splash, this time right on my forehead.
I didn't move. I grabbed a small stone from the ground, gripping it tightly in my palm. I pretended to stay asleep, keeping my breathing even.
Rustle.
I sensed movement above me. Without hesitation, I whipped my hand around and threw the stone toward the source of the water.
Thud.
"Gye?!"
I heard a distinct noise of impact, followed by the unnatural rustling of tree leaves. I grabbed a burning branch from the fire to use as a torch and illuminated the canopy. Nothing.
Then, a rustle from the bush to my left. Then to my right. It was moving fast, circling us.
"I'm being pranked," I realized, narrowing my eyes. "Invisible movements, mischievous attitude... this reeks of a Ghost-type."
I wasn't going to let this slide. I needed to force it out.
I quietly woke Torchic. "Wake everyone up," I whispered. "But keep it quiet. We have a visitor."
Once the team was awake and alert, I laid out the plan with hand signals. I sat back down against the tree, feigning vulnerability.
The eerie feeling returned. The air grew colder. It was close.
"NOW! All attack!" I shouted, dropping the act.
"Wingull, Aerial Ace on the branch above!"
"Lotad, Water Gun! Mawile, Fairy Wind! Sweep the bushes!"
"Torchic, no fire—we don't want to burn the forest! Use Peck!"
My team exploded into action. Wingull sliced through the canopy leaves with glowing wings, while Mawile and Lotad unleashed a barrage of attacks into the undergrowth.
Crash!
A small, purple figure was knocked out of the bushes by Mawile's Fairy Wind. It tumbled onto the grass, looking dazed.
I pulled out my Pokédex and scanned it immediately.
Sableye: The Darkness Pokémon. It leads quiet lives deep inside caverns. They are feared, however, because these Pokémon are thought to steal the spirits of people when their eyes burn with a sinister glow in the darkness.
The Sableye shook its head, its gemstone eyes glowing ominously in the dark. It stood up, rubbing its stomach where Mawile had hit it. Instead of attacking, it looked at me and let out a creepy, rasping giggle.
"Sab! Sab!" It grinned, showing jagged teeth. It looked at me as if I were an idiot for asking why it interrupted my sleep.
"A Sableye..." I analyzed the situation. It had moved incredibly fast earlier, setting up the prank before I could react. "That speed... it's not physical speed. It's instinct. Prankster Ability."
My eyes lit up. A Pokémon with Prankster could use status moves with priority, moving before the opponent regardless of speed stats.
"I want you," I said, a grin forming on my own face. "You'd make the perfect assistant for my team."
Sableye's grin faltered. It sensed my intent. It turned, its body shimmering as it prepared to fade into the shadows to flee.
"Do you think you can prank me like that and just escape?" I stepped forward, blocking its path. "Battle me. If you win, you go free. If I win, you join us."
Sableye hissed, accepting the challenge. Its eyes flashed red.
"Torchic, use Peck!"
Torchic lunged, but before it could even take a step, Sableye's eyes glowed weirdly. Confuse Ray.
A weird light enveloped Torchic. My starter stumbled, pecking at the ground instead of the enemy.
"Fast," I noted. "Prankster makes its status moves instant."
"Mawile, cover Torchic! Use Astonish!"
Mawile snapped its huge jaws, rushing forward. Sableye didn't dodge. instead, it used Will-O-Wisp. A ghostly blue flame shot out instantly, threatening to burn Mawile and halve its attack power.
"Dodge it!" I yelled. Mawile barely sidestepped.
Sableye then leaped forward to use Fury Swipes. It scratched at Mawile, but the attack bounced harmlessly off Mawile's steel frame. The damage was pathetic.
"I see," I muttered. "Your status moves are fabulous—fast and tricky. But your physical attack is weak. You have no finishing move."
Sableye jumped back, panting slightly. It realized it couldn't hurt my Steel-type.
"Stop!" I raised my hand, signaling my team to hold fire.
Sableye flinched, expecting a finishing blow, but I walked closer to it.
"You're bored, aren't you?" I asked. "You hang around these woods pranking travelers because it's easy. But you can't actually beat a strong opponent by yourself. You lack the power to finish the job."
Sableye lowered its claws, listening.
"I'm heading to the Pokémon League," I said, extending a hand. "I face Gym Leaders, massive beasts, and arrogant trainers. Imagine pranking them. Imagine using that Will-O-Wisp to cripple a Charizard, or that Confuse Ray to make a Gyarados hit itself."
The gemstone eyes widened. The idea seemed to appeal to its mischievous nature.
"I don't need a powerhouse," I told it honestly. "I need a tactician. An assistant who can control the battlefield so my heavy hitters can take the win. You won't just be a wild prankster; you'll be the nightmare of every trainer we face."
Sableye looked at Torchic, then at Mawile, and finally at me. It let out that rasping giggle again—"Sab, sab!"—but this time, it sounded excited.
It walked up to me and high-fived my hand with a sharp claw.
I tapped a Poké Ball against its forehead. The ball shook once, twice, three times. Click.
"Welcome to the team, Sableye," I said, picking up the ball.
I looked at the rest of my team. "Alright, everyone. Good work. Now, let's actually get some sleep. We have a tunnel to cross tomorrow, and I have a feeling our new friend here is going to be very useful against the rock-types in there."