A Reminiscence of the Past
As the sun comes up, another day begins. Life goes on that way, it won't end just because you think your life ends, just as sun rises and sets everyday. A tiring cycle, you must say, but that's how it is. You just have to live with it.
Moments like these in his life, Clyde misses his family. 10 years has quickly passed by, since the moment he came to this world. But he treasured every moment of it. Thinking about his family, Clyde had a recollection of a moment, 6 years past.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
6 years ago.
Clyde has his lessons for around 3 years already, when he learned a major discovery about a member his family. A certain someone was said to be a Pokèmon Coordinator?
"Yeah, why? Don't I look like one?" Sarah glaringly looked at Clyde while asking.
"Hehehe, I was just too shocked! If you think about it, you really look like one! And you're Pokèmons are groomed beautifully, which just made them look like you!" Clyde buttered up to his sister.
"Hmph! You think I'll be fooled by you! That's just a low key statement that you're saying I look like Psyduck!" Sarah irritatingly said.
"Who told you that Psyduck is not beautiful! Aren't you Psyduck?" Clyde said while looking at the yellow Pokèmon standing at the side of Sarah.
"Psy~? Psyduck?" Psyduck looked confused while looking at Sarah.
"Pfft~" Clyde tried to held in his laughter but at last, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"HAHAHAHA, You really do look like him, certainly clueless." Clyde teasingly said to his sister.
"Owww!" Clyde suddenly flinched while holding his ears.
"You got guts huh? Just because you're doing well in your lessons, you think you could bully me already?" Sarah stated while twisting his brother's ears.
"Hey! It was a harmless joke, please don't get mad, my gorgeously beautiful sister!" Clyde pleaded at her.
"Hmph, you always say that to butter me up." Sarah said with a poker face, but you could see if you looked closely that the corner of her lips were rising into a curve.
"With complete seriousness, you're a Pokèmon Coordinator?" Clyde asked again.
"Yeah, my last competition was years ago, just right before you were born, actually."
"Then why did you not mention it to me?"
"Do I need to?"
"Uhmm.. No? But still, it makes me sad that you didn't tell it to your baby little brother" Clyde honestly said while having a pitiful face.
"Enough of the acts, okay? Fine, that was before, but now I think I'll stick to being a Pokèmon Breeder."
"Why? Did something happen before?"
"No...." but as she was supposed to deny his question, Sarah saw the concerned eyes of his brother and that made her change her mind. "I mean yes, but that was a long time ago."
"Go on, I'm willing to listen."
Unable to resist Clyde's insistence, she eventually told him what happened.
"I joined the Grand Festival held in Hearthome City in Sinnoh Region, 4 years ago. It was fun and eventful, I got glad that I took part in the competition. Eventually, I breezed my way all through out the competition, until I got up to the Finals, where I faced my biggest competitor..."
Then Sarah looked at the eyes of Clyde and said, "I met Fantina."
Clyde was shocked, he knowed her, Fantina is a Pokèmon Gym Leader in Hearthome City and was known to be a Ghost-type Pokèmon Trainer. She was also said to be a Top Coordinator.
"Of course, I was very confident in facing her, but after the battle with Fantina, I was stunned and... ashamed. I was too conceited and thought that the Ribbon Cup would be on my bag already. But Fantina caught me off guard, and she defeated me." Sarah explained then gave a heavy sigh.
"It affected me real bad, I even thought that I would never recover from the shame I received that day. She was polite, really, but that made it more embarrassing for me. However, right after that, Dad called me saying, 'You have a baby brother!'. Well, y'know, the rest is history." Sarah said to Clyde with a heavy but bright smile. She continued saying "You were the reason why I got to smile so fast after my downfall. That's why I really am glad to have you as a brother."
Clyde was touched, he did not expect that she had been through that. Being an excellent breeder at a young age, Sarah also thought that it would be a breeze in the Grand Festival. He could understand her somehow, he also experienced it when he joined in an international competition while studying in Harvard. It was when he was still freshman, full of courage and bravery. He did win, but not 1st place; he got the 2nd runner up award for an International Science Quiz Bee. He may not have won, but he learned one thing.
"You should never let your fall hold you back, but instead, use it as a fuel to burn the spirit inside you. Defeat only means you're not the best, yet, which means there are more room for improvement and opportunities." Clyde said encouragingly to his sister.
Shocked by the advice of his brother, Sarah was speechless for a while. She thought for a few minutes, with Clyde waiting her reply in silence. After a while, she replied, "You know what, you're right."
"I always am." Clyde claimed arrogantly and showed a cheeky smile.
"I know you do, and that's why I've thought of a better idea. How I could achieve my dream, but the plan includes you."
"Me?" Clyde asked in confusion.
"Yes! You. Besides teaching you Pokèmon Breeder knowledge, how about I also teach you on how to be a Coordinator?" Sarah asked while having that bright spark in her eyes.
"But why me?" Clyde asked while still being confused.
"Of course, I've dropped being a Coordinator long ago. But you, you could achieve what I never did. Win the Grand Festival for me. Please?" Sarah said with a pleading and pitiful look.
"Are you sure?" Clyde hesitantly asked.
"Of course I'm sure. A wise man once said, 'If throwing a rock did not work, throw another one, if throwing plenty of them still did not work, throw combined ones.' In our case, we combine our ability, my knowledge and your talent. I'm positive you got what it takes to be a Top Coordinator."
"Why?" Clyde was really lost how she got that confidence in him.
"Isn't it obvious? That bright mind of yours! You always think of brand new ideas that I don't even know where it comes from. That's the most important characteristics of being a Coordinator. Both Originality and Creativity, of course, besides Discipline and Timeliness, in which, by the way, you also have."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
East of Cerulean Forest, Butterfree Territory.
A white shadow could be seen practicing hard in front of a tree. Using both psychic and fairy energy which looked magical, but chaotic.
Of course, that shadow was Clyde, or more specifically, him in Ralt's form. By now, he has been trying something, right after having an idea based on his trance earlier.
'If throwing multiple rocks doesn't work, throw a combined one.'
After remembering this phrase, Clyde had a eureka moment. He thought, 'What if a Pokèmon could use a move simultaneously and combines them? I mean, to use 2 moves and make a new one? Is it possible?' Thinking for a while, Clyde concluded that it is possible, but it needs more data and experimentation.'
So now, he's trying to simultaneously use Disarming voice and Confusion in order to see what would happen if he combines them. But it seems that right now, Clyde is having a 'little bit of difficulty'.
"God, this is tiring. It's hard to control two different engergies in at the same time. If Psychic and Fairy is this hard, what about those extremely contradicting ones?" Clyde thought.
"Think about that when you get there, but as of now, you can't even successfully trigger your energy at the same time." Morpheus said suddenly.
"Hey, with the time I'm spending right now makes me sure that It would be possible, it just takes.. a little bit longer" Clyde reasoned out.
"How long? A year? By then your mission would be long done. Bye-bye rewards!" mocked Morpheus.
"You're so mean Morph, I mean, after an hour of trial, I could feel my use of both, Psychic and Fairy energy, improving. Which means that this is a wonderful excercise to me." Clyde rebutted.
"Okay, this AI of yours won't butt in your practice."
"That's not what I mean! Your throwing a tantrum now."
"What tantrum? Tantrum your face! I'm not a child to throw a tantrum. May I remind you that I'm a wonderful Artificial Intelligence unreached by mankind. Who is the kid here anyways? Is it not you?"
Morpheus' reply made Clyde certainly speechless. He does not how to even reply to that. Morpheus made sense in the first place, since he's a ten year old right now.
"Aish, nevermind, I never win when arguing with you anyways. Can you just show me the remaining time I have for the quest?"
"Fine. Initiating branch... Data displayed."
> Quest
First PokèGoal: Be an adept.
Second PokèGoal: Evolve into a Gallade.
Third PokèGoal: Learn the move Psycho Cut.
*Mission Time Limit: 7 Weeks
*Time Left: 6 weeks: 3 days: 23 hours: 37 minutes: 46 seconds.
"Time passed so fast! 3 days already flew and It's my 4th day today!"
By now, it was already noon. Clyde did not battle other Pokèmons today since he wanted to digest his learning for the past 2 days, and try his new idea.
"Almost 4 days before I could no longer get an S rating. It seems like I've got to boost my 'training' for the next few days."
For the next 3 days, a rumor was spread throughout the eastern forest. It was said that a small white Pokèmon was a maniac and battled everyone it met! He never lost, even once, and left all its opponents broken physically, emotionally, and mentally. A whole week after that, no Pokèmon dared to go near the Butterfree territory, since it was said that the maniac lives there.
"Oh, how exciting the next three days would be!" Clyde thought as he had a scary grin in his face.