Shane steps into the Dewford Gym, Natu perched on his shoulder, feeling a swirling mix of nerves and excitement. Today is the day of his first ever Pokémon battle, and the fluttering in his stomach won''t subside.


    The gym is already abuzz with activity despite the early hour. He spots gym trainers paired up and battling with vigor, their Pokémon unleashing attacks that kick up clouds of dust. The air rings out with cries of "Dodge!" and "Use Tackle!"


    As Shane takes it all in, trying to ignore his nerves, he feels a gentle nudge against his mind. He glances at Natu, whose eyes are glowing faintly purple. A feeling of reassurance emanates from the small bird.


    Shane smiles, giving Natu a grateful pat. "Thanks buddy. We can do this together."


    Just then, a familiar voice calls out. "Shane! Good morning!"


    He turns to see Brawly waving at him from across the room. The Dewford gym leader grins broadly as he approaches.


    "Ready for your first battle?" Brawly asks.


    Shane swallows. "I think so. I''m a bit nervous though. Sorry for not coming yesterday, some stuff came up that i had to do."


    Brawly gives him an encouraging clap on the back. "No need to worry! We''ll start nice and easy. Follow me."


    They make their way to a sectioned off training area. Brawly takes his position on one end of the arena while Shane stands opposite him.


    "Alright, here''s what we''ll do," Brawly explains. "This will be a one-on-one battle between your Natu and my Makuhita. I''ll call out moves step-by-step so you can get a feel for commands and strategy. Don''t worry about winning - this is just to get you started. Sound good?"


    Shane nods, trying to ignore his thudding heart. "Let''s do it."


    "Makuhita, let''s go!" Brawly calls out, tossing a Pokéball. In a flash of light, a yellow and black Pokémon materializes, bouncing on its feet eagerly.


    Shane takes a deep breath. "Okay Natu, you''re up!"


    Natu flutters down from his shoulder, landing lightly on the ground. His gaze is focused, prepared for battle.


    "Alright, Makuhita, use Tackle!" Brawly orders. His Pokémon charges forward.


    "Dodge it, Natu!" Shane calls out instinctively. Natu swiftly jumps into the air, avoiding Makuhita''s attack.


    "Good! Now use Peck!"


    Obeying Shane''s command, Natu''s beak glows white as he swoops down, striking Makuhita with a quick jab. Makuhita stumbles back from the hit.


    "Excellent!" Brawly shouts encouragingly. "Makuhita, counter with Arm Thrust!"


    Makuhita regains its footing and thrusts its palm out repeatedly towards Natu.


    "Fly up to dodge!" Shane responds. Natu''s wings beat hastily as he narrowly avoids the barrage of palm strikes.


    The battle continues, both trainers calling out commands in turn. Shane slowly gets into the rhythm of it, his nerves settling. With each successful dodge or attack from Natu, his confidence grows.


    After several exchanges, Natu is looking tired while Makuhita has barely broken a sweat. Brawly calls for one final attack from Makuhita, which Natu manages to avoid with an aerial twirl.


    "I think that''s enough for today," Brawly says, recalling his pokemon. "You did great Shane, especially for your first battle! With more practice, you and Natu will become a formidable team."


    Shane beams, adrenaline still coursing through him. "That was awesome! Hear that Natu, we make a pretty good team!"


    Natu chirps happily in agreement, clearly worn out but pleased by their efforts.


    After recalling their Pokémon, Brawly approaches Shane with an approving grin. "You''re a natural! With more experience under your belt, you and Natu will go far."


    Shane smiles, still coming down from the thrill of his first battle. "Thanks! Though I was a bit surprised that Natu could fly so well during the battle. His wings seem so small."


    Brawly nods knowingly. "Ah yes, a common misconception. While Natu''s wings are small, psychic Pokémon like him can manipulate and enhance their abilities through psychic power. It allows them to achieve feats like levitation or flight over short distances."


    "That makes sense," Shane replies, glancing down at Natu. The little bird looks up at him, eyes gleaming proudly.


    Just then, Lizz comes over after having watched the practice battle. "Wow Shane, you and Natu work great together! And Brawly''s right about psychic Pokémon - they can use their minds to boost their strengths."


    She crouches down to Natu''s level with a smile. "You were amazing out there! But don''t overexert yourself, okay?"


    Natu chirps happily in response. Lizz gives him an affectionate pat before standing back up.


    "Battling can be draining at first, especially for small Pokémon like Natu," she explains to Shane. "Make sure to let him rest between intense training sessions."


    Shane nods, making a mental note about proper battle pacing. This trainer thing has a lot more nuance to it than he first realized.


    Brawly gives Shane an approving clap on the back. "You''re picking all this up so quickly. That battle sense will continue developing with time and practice. For today though, you and Natu take it easy. Reflect on what you''ve learned."


    "Will do," Shane agrees.


    As he turns to leave with Natu, Brawly calls out, "Keep up the great work! I expect a rematch soon, but then it’ll be without gloves on!" with a grin.


    Shane smiles back with confidence.


    As they walk out from the gym for the second time, Shane takes in the atmosphere of the town with new eyes. He feels like he understands the bond between human and pokemon more now, seeing the various pairs of odd couples wandering through the streets.


    Yet, he can’t shake the dream he had yesterday.


    “Regi…” he mutters to himself.


    Natu, as understanding as ever, gives Shane a chirp of affirmation.


    {No worries, strength}


    “Ah, you’re right. We should focus on training more, shouldn’t we, Natu?”


    Natu nods with keen eyes set on Shane.


    “I figured you’re probably tired from the physicalities of that battle in the gym. How about we start out with something more mental?”


    {Approval}


    “Sure thing. I think I got an idea to start out with it. By the way, how about a name? Brawly mentioned evolutions the other day, and I figured you might think it’s strange to just change names when that happens? Or maybe that’s just my personal reflections.”


    {Curiosity}


    “Ah, well… I think I have one in mind. But you haven’t heard the story of how i came here, did you?”


    “Mhm,” Natu chirps, eerily similar to a tiny human voice.


    “Well then, let’s find somewhere nice to sit first, it’ll take a while.”


    They walk for a bit until they find a more serene restaurant on the edge of town. A quaint little place that looks like it’s family owned.


    Shane orders seafood for himself, and asks Natu for a few options, who sets for rice with berry compote.


    Shane grew up in a small, close-knit community on the island of Zenith. As a young child, he had a few friends to play with, but that changed as he grew older. Right before his teen years, his friends turned on him, bullying and excluding him. Shane withdrew more into himself after that, spending most of time at home or at the shipyard with Robert.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    His mother was deeply involved in the island''s religious and political circles. Shane never felt fully comfortable with her zealous participation, keeping his distance from those realms. However, she was still his mother, and they shared a deep love for one another.


    After his father disappeared when Shane was a teenager, his mother showed little struggle or grief over the loss. Instead, she seemed to leverage her connections to maintain status.


    Robert, a long-time family friend, took Shane under his wing at the shipyard. Shane started by learning the physical craft of sail-making and woodwork. Over time, as he honed his skills, he discovered a talent for calculations and design, devising sturdy yet cost-efficient ships. He took pride in this mastery of the trade.


    In his spare time, Shane developed a love of reading, though options were limited on the remote island. What books he could get his hands on, he treasured and read repeatedly.


    The islanders had little contact with outsiders, as Zenith was remote. The rare sailor who passed by was regarded with suspicion and seen as a threat to their isolated way of life.


    Pokémon were feared, their powers unknown and thus assumed dangerous. Any mention of the creatures was strictly taboo on the island, their powers having become known through the visits of the even rarer sailor who had a pokemon at his side.


    In the months before disaster struck, Shane grew more withdrawn and emotionally detached. A sense of stagnation settled upon him, feeling he lacked meaning or purpose in life.


    Meanwhile, murmurs spread of an underground rebellion brewing, though Shane steered clear of politics and paid little attention. He wanted no part in controlling others or being controlled.


    That’s why he had been going to one of the outer rim islands to be alone for a while, just to think things through. Maybe trying to get some perspective on if it really was wise of him to be such a recluse outside of work.


    He elaborates on the details surrounding the wave, how he was lost at sea for a week, how he ended up on Dewford, and how he met Natu that one night when he had a nightmare.


    “So, that pretty much sums it up”, Shane nods to Natu, who has started to eat his compote while keeping an eager ear to the story.


    Natu seems to be thinking for a moment, as he looks upon the sea. Maybe he’s thinking about how the sea can be so destructive, or something else. Shane has no idea of knowing, and can only look upon the sea himself as well.


    They both gaze upon it, taking in the orange sky surrounding the sky and the inconspicuous waves giving off their more conspicuous glimmer under the sunset.


    “Natu!”, Natu chimes.


    “Huh? I still don’t understand that well” Shane replies.


    “Na, tu!” Natu jumps up and down a little.


    “You mean… the name I had in mind!”


    Natu chirps and nods.


    “Well, I was thinking about Osmer, or Ozzy for short.”


    Natu contemplates the idea for a moment, then nods and gives off two chirps.


    “Really? Great!”


    “Natu!” Natu shouts, and again, chirps two times.


    “What, you prefer Ozzy over Osmer?”


    “Natu,” Natu nods to Shane with a satisfied smile.


    “Okay then, Ozzy. Thank you for having more of an input instead of just agreeing to whatever I say,” Shane chuckles to Ozzy.


    Ozzy smiles back with intentful and supportive eyes.


    They both proceed to finish their food.


    “Well, time for that mental training, I guess. Right Ozzy?”


    Ozzy bounces enthusiastically on its feet.


    The pair of them take a visit to the second hand store to buy a backpack, and a deck of cards. Then they go to the pokemart to stock up on some simple food for Ozzy, as only Shane’s food is freely included at the pokemon center.


    They also pay a visit to the library again to borrow some books on training psychic pokemon.


    Back at the pokemon center, they go through some basic exercises with the cards.


    “I thought that we should focus early on nonverbal communication, as to get a better edge in battles. It’s also nice if we learn quicker how to communicate a broader variety of concepts than just feelings. So we start out with colors and symbols. Sounds okay?”


    Ozzy bobs his head up and down.


    Shane draws a card and shows it to Ozzy, and Ozzy in turn should try to convey telepathically if it is a red or black card, while Shane should say which color it is.


    He figured that since Ozzy should have an easier time sending specific thoughts than reading them in the beginning. Shane also writes down the number of rights and wrongs.


    For the first few minutes, the ratio of rights is roughly 50%.


    Within half an hour, they get it up to over 70%.


    Then they switch, so that Shane looks at the random card, thinks strongly about what color it is, and lets Ozzy guess. One chirp for red, two chirps for black. Ozzy also closes his eyes so as to not get cues from Shane’s body language.


    They start out with just a bit over 55%, and soon enough manage to get also that up to roughly 70%.


    As to not get too stale in the exercises, Shane now lays one card from each of the four deck colors in front of Ozzy. Now Ozzy gets to guess from four different options.


    They start out at 60% right guesses, and keep up for another hour until they are at 80%.


    Then Shane lays out all the deck numbers in front of Ozzy in random colors.


    “Now, look at the numbers in the corner here, under the symbol,” Shane says.


    The previous exercise seems to have helped well, as Ozzy still can hold an almost 80% ratio of correct guesses. But it doesn’t seem to rise much more than that.


    “I guess you are tired in more than one way by now, aren’t you, Ozzy?”


    Ozzy nods, albeit a bit unwillingly. His pride in wanting to support Shane shines through.


    “No worries. You’ve done really well. I can start reading these books for some more stuff to train on later, and you can rest. You wanna watch TV or something?”


    Ozzy shakes his head, and instead jumps onto the bed. Not many seconds pass until the green little bird is snoring like a little man as tall as a hand blowing his nose.


    Shane smiles as he watches the creature for a moment.


    He’s feeling very serene from having someone he’s comfortable around. And the best part, he doesn’t feel that he has too much to prove, since the social dynamic between a pokemon and his trainer naturally is different from that between human peers.


    Of course, some trainers might probably be driven from the need of proving their competence to their pokemon partners. Maybe borne from the desire to be deemed good enough by these… mystical beings.


    Shane looks through the pile of books he borrowed until he finds one he thinks is best fitted for the introductions, The Psychic Type Handbook.


    It contains a variety of subjects, from typical abilities, the special relation between a psychic pokemon and its trainer, some general dietary ideas, and dangers of mental overexertion.


    He chooses the chapter “Psychic relations and what to be cautious of”.


    He finds it particularly interesting that the psychic bond is indeed very intimate. Not in a romantic way, but since it becomes a path of multimodal communication, it is said to even be able to exceed the capacity of which you can communicate with normal words.


    Imagine conveying words, symbols, colors, smells, sound, touch and emotion, all at the same time. It can apparently get pretty intense.


    Also, as the bond progresses trainers have to be wary of the possibility of something called Ego Death, the elimination of oneself.


    Since modern society is often based on the idea that one individual is discrete from others, patterns of thinking that are in conflict with normal traditions in society may arise.


    Not to mention the possibility of romantic interest sparking between trainer and pokemon, which may be considered taboo in some parts of the world and carry its own hardships in normative battle culture.


    Shane takes a moment to think about it.


    He recalls what he read in the pamphlet, that pokemon trainers are expected to act on behalf of the pokemon league in emergency situations.


    Trainers can be considered as stand-in emergency responders, but can they also be considered a part of the military force?


    Is the culture here partly based on the idea that trainers should optimize their battle capacity, and therefore not initiate too intimate relationships with their pokemon, so as to not be burdened by the risk of hurting their loved ones?


    Shane has no interest at all in the idea of a romantic relationship with pokemon.


    Besides, Ozzy is a guy, and although Shane is of the belief that it’s each to their own, he’s not having any second thoughts about such things himself.


    He thinks back on life on the islands. He had never had any romantic interest at all in adult age.


    Maybe he never found the right one, or… He just didn’t meet enough people to even give rise to such a possibility…


    Maybe I was just a bit stunted from depression, he thinks to himself.


    He shakes the thought away.


    After all, he’s not here to think about such things. A new life awaits in Hoenn, and possibly beyond.


    Anyhow, military forces.


    What rights does Shane even have to take preemptive measures against possible threats?


    Can he just go around and… neutralize legendary pokemon because he had a dream?


    And how is he even going to go about it?


    Shane continues his reading, mostly glossing over the subject of mental training for Ozzy.


    In due time, Shane falls asleep in the chair, lulled by a mareless night.