Little Pokèmon, Big Dreams

Chapter 2: A New Pokemon

With everything packed up and ready to go Red took one last look over Bolt's training course before following her into the forest. It was very early in the morning; the sun wasn't even up yet. He was surprised that after putting so much work into a home Bolt could just easily let it go like that and walk away, yet he had no worries that she would walk away from him in the same manner. The feeling that he had, just KNOWING that she'd never do that, was reassuring and gave him the energy to trot alongside her instead of lagging behind. Along the way to the river Bolt told him all about being careful of other Pokémon while traveling through unfamiliar territory and things to especially pay attention to.

"Always listen to the bird Pokémon in the area, if there's any danger like a fire or something they'll be the first to be able to run away. They'll fly away in a panic in a direction away from the danger, so be sure to watch where they're going and where they're coming from," Bolt stated. "They're also good to listen to when things are calm, so you know how safe it is. Most places tend to have bird Pokémon and especially forests will. If it's too quiet and you can't even hear any bird Pokemon around, be very quiet and careful because something may have spooked them into hiding. Never trust when things sound too quiet, the world is full of life and movement so dead silence is hardly ever a good sign. If you feel danger trust your instincts."

"I never thought to trust other Pokémons' actions to help keep myself safe," Red awed.

Bolt nodded. "Observing the actions and body language of other Pokemon is crucial in any situation. For instance, if a Pokémon is acting friendly toward you but their body is tense, they may be lying. It can also help you dodge an attack in battle because you can predict where or what kind of move your opponent will use, even about when they will use it."

Red acknowledged Bolt's advice and tried to pay more attention to his surroundings. There were so many sounds and leaves and trees that he just didn't know exactly what to focus on- he was afraid he would forget to focus on something else important and mess up. It was overwhelming to try to not miss a single detail of what was going on.

"How do you pay attention to it all and not feel so stressed out over it," Red frowned.

"You have more than eyes, don't focus all of your concentration into just one of your senses. You have the rest of your senses to balance out what you need to see, so once you relax and trust your senses it's alot easier than trying too hard. Trying TOO hard can actually ruin your focus and make you miss things you wouldn't if you were more at ease. You need to come to a point of balance where you're relaxed yet alert so you can conserve your energy in case you have to react to anything unexpected," Bolt lectured.

Red took a deep breath and tried to relax. That DID help alot actually, now he noticed sounds and smells he hadn't when he'd been trying to see everything at once. Things seemed peaceful and busy in the forest, but safe for the moment. They traveled in silence, Red getting accostumed to being more attentive. Eventually Bolt broke the silence.

"What are you observing now," she asked,"describe the most prominent things that are around us you notice right now."

"The air is crisp but damp, the Pokémon are calm and active, I don't smell anything like smoke or hear any irratic movements from anything or anyone. Nothing around us seems out of place or falsely placed," Red reported.

"What about the soil under our paws? The slight breeze on our fur? Don't forget your sense of touch is more sensitive than you probably ever gave it credit for. Something is always touching you even unintentionally and that can he hugely helpful in grounding yourself sometimes."

Red nodded and noticed what she said too now. Actually, he HAD noticed the breeze but hadn't paid it any mind. That gave him hope that he was learning this quickly. A few Pokémon they passed gave Bolt and Red odd looks but said nothing about the packs on their backs. With both of them being small Pokemon they had only been able to take a few berries with them but Bolt had assured Red they wouldn't need many for now because until they were out of Shinx's territory and across the river they were in immediate danger. Even though Red knew they weren't safe he felt safe traveling with Bolt, but questions plagued him.