– Chapter 15 –
The Treaty of Castelia
As Roy ate breakfast in the center lobby Lunday morning, he pondered strategic ways of implementing the new moves Aria learned. She’d improved much over their training session, and he’d taken her to one of the local move tutors who’d taught her a decent move that would come in quite handy against the Sensational Sisters. It would be another thing applying them to real battle, but with her fighting spirit, he held confidence in her.
The clock ticked 8:40. Roy should get going. Hope told him to be at the school around 9:00 today. He still wasn’t sure what he’d be doing, but Hope would explain things when he arrived. She’d mentioned other volunteers would be there as well.
Cerulean sparkled under the clear sky. Another sunny day. Roy strolled through the streets with energetic steps. He’d always wanted to go to a proper Trainer school. Most major cities had them, but Pallet was too small of a town.
No one could be an official Trainer until age eighteen, but Trainer schools offered weekend classes to prepare or inspire kids who showed an interest in the profession. It was a serious decision after all to leave home on your own after graduating from the standard education.
Fortunately, Roy learned most of the necessities working with Professor Oak. In fact, he may have gained more knowledge than he ever could from a public Trainer school.
Roy rounded the corner and came to a long walkway aiming toward a stand out building he assumed to be the right place. Green trees lined the sidewalk to a two-story structure with wide glass windows and a central clock tower. A statue of a Goldeen spewed water into a shallow pool in the plaza.
He located the office and approached a plump middle-aged woman working the front desk. “Roy Ackerman. Checking in as a guest visitor.”
“Okay,” she said in a sugary tone. “And what are you here for, honey?”
“Volunteer speaker, I guess? For Miss…” Fuck, he never got her last name. “Uh... for Hope.”
The door jingled behind him. “Roy!” came Hope’s voice. “Perfect, you’re here. I was just stopping by to see if you’d arrived yet.”
Bright face alight at seeing him, Hope dressed far nicer as a teacher compared to the casual outfit she wore a few days ago. Roy admired her pale-yellow blouse and flowery skirt before catching himself and snapping back to focus.
After helping with the check in, Hope led him through the hallways toward the backyard. “It’s good to see you again. You’re the second one here. The other volunteer is already outside playing with the students. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Roy smiled at her cute skipping walk down the hall, heels clacking against the tile until she pushed through the exit doors to the bright outside, leading to a playground with regular children’s play equipment and forts, as well as a small Pokémon arena of dirt and grass. Colorful flower boxes lined along the fences. A group of kids around ten years old played with an Oddish and Bulbasaur. Roy located the other volunteer at once, the only adult standing above the short crowd.
“Roy, this is–”
He finished for her. “Genny!”
“Roy! My gosh, it’s great to see you!”
“Oh, you already know each other,” Hope said as Genny scampered over. She wore her usual sun hat, but had acquired a blue sundress decorated with ocean wave patterns. A casual outfit, but much nicer than he was used to seeing her in.
“We grew up next door,” Genny said. “Been best friends for years. We started our journey as Trainers together.”
“That’s wonderful! This’ll be even more fun then. Class! This is Roy. Everybody come over and say hello.”
They all gave a practiced, unified greeting, and Roy returned an awkward wave. He never interacted with kids much. He’d leave that aspect to Genny; she adored this kind of stuff.
“We have very special guests with us today,” Hope said. “Roy and Genny here both worked as assistants to the famed Professor Oak.” A few eyes lit up, some mouths making O’s in awe. Others maintained flat expressions, likely not knowing who that was. “Roy, why don’t you send out your Pokémon to join Genny’s? I’m sure we’d love to see them.” She smiled, knowingly. “Especially one in particular.” Roy returned the look.
He released Squirtle, Beedrill, Sandshrew, and Aria, then, with a dramatic pause, sent out Ponyta last. This time, every student, and even Genny, gasped at her Shiny blue flames, flowing like long grass in the wind along her neck. Ponyta swished her tail with a flare, sparks trailing behind.
“She’s beautiful!” Genny said, green eyes sparkling big and bright as the children’s.
Kids rushed to shower Ponyta with attention, and her ears tilted back. Roy had studied Pokémon body language and stepped between her and the kids before they could swarm her, giving her neck a gentle pet as she gave a nettled nicker. “Easy, girl.” He held up a hand to keep the class distanced. “Not so fast. Those who like their faces intact may want to give her a little space.” They backed off at once. Genny frowned at his mean threat, but Hope giggled, seeing it as a lighthearted word of caution. “This one gets pretty feisty, so let’s come up one at a time. Also, bear in mind that while she may allow me to touch her, Ponyta’s flames will burn anyone else, so pet only her fur.” Roy whispered to Ponyta. “Okay, girl?”
She snorted, but gave no further resistance, putting down her raised hoof.
Hope taught well-behaved children. They lined up in civilized order, and Roy breathed a sigh of relief. That could’ve gone badly. They came up to pet her one by one, and Ponyta’s frown never lessened, ears pinned flat against her head, tail swishing fussily over being an exhibit for noisy brats. But she put up with it for Roy, who stayed beside her, brushing her neck the entire time to keep her clam.
Squirtle and Bulbasaur conversed like longtime friends on the side. It struck Roy that of course they would’ve known each other at the lab prior to going their separate ways with different Trainers. They must’ve been as happy as Roy and Genny to see each other again.
After everyone got a turn to meet Ponyta, they scattered to play with the other Pokémon. Under normal circumstances, a rare Clefairy might’ve amazed most, but a Shiny Pokémon outclassed her. But even the minimal attention Aria was fonder of than Ponyta, and a few did comment on how amazing it was that Roy had two rare Pokémon.
“Well, I didn’t find Aria in the wild. Her pervious Trainer unfortunately didn’t have the time or means to raise her and asked me to take her.”
A trio of kids played with Sandshrew over in the sandbox. “Watch your pockets!” Roy called.
“Why does your Sandshrew have glasses?”
“He looks cool!”
“He looks funny!”
Genny giggled. “It’s not that unusual. In Unova, Pokémon dress up in stage musicals all the time.”
The students showed little interest in playing with Beedrill; most keeping a fair distance from the giant wasp. But Beedrill didn’t seem to mind, contenting himself to relax in a tree, minding his own peaceful business and enjoying the pleasant weather.
Children took turns shooting questions at Roy and Genny, most of which involved their journeys and the Gym badge Roy won. Part way through stories and question answering, Sandshrew came and handed Roy a sparkly, flower-shaped hairpin. “All right, whose is this?”
From the expression a girl made while patting at her hair, she never realized it was gone. “Hey!”
Roy gave the pin back. “Perhaps that’s enough time with you.” He returned Sandshrew to his ball.
Tiring of questions, the children resumed playing with the Pokémon, giving Roy and Genny a chance to catch up. “A Clefairy, a Shiny, and a Gym badge,” Genny said like a proud mother. “You’re doing so well!”
“Funny. I thought I was struggling, but maybe it’s all perspective.”
“I guess you’re here for your second badge, huh.”
“That’s right. I passed by the Gym but decided I’d wait until after today to challenge them. What about you? How’ve your travels been?”
“Oh, gosh, the places I’ve seen are so much more than I ever dreamed of! Look at this city. Can you believe how beautiful it is? And the people I’ve met so far… I ran into Hope at the local boutique and we started talking.” Genny did a light twirl in her dress. “I was admiring this cute outfit, but it was too expensive. And I can’t believe it. Hope just out of the blue offered to buy it for me. The nurse at the Pewter Pokémon Center was super kind, then later, I met the sweetest old lady who used to be a Trainer herself, and she toured me around Pewter for… for no reason, and…” Genny’s eyes misted up.
“Whoa, you all right?” Roy said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, yeah,” Genny wiped her eyes. “I just… can’t believe how nice everyone has been.” Her expression darkened, and Roy knew where her thoughts drifted.
“Uh, did you challenge Brock in Pewter?” he asked, trying to get the subject back on the pleasantries of her journeys.
“Oh, I haven’t battled at all yet. I’ve just enjoyed traveling with Wishmaker and Graci.”
Roy looked to Bulbasaur and Oddish, assuming those must be their nicknames. “Most Trainers make it or break it wagering on battles. If you’re not battling, how are you getting by?”
“We mostly do odd jobs together wherever we go. There’re so many lovely people and places that’ll hire Trainers for the day or a few hours to help them out. But I’m sure you must’ve met just as many wonderful people too.”
“Well, obviously Brock. Every Gym Leader will be an honor to meet.” Roy mentioned a few more names, giving brief recounts of Layton, Sakuji, Ben, and others he’d encountered. “Oh, get this. I met Steven Stone at the Pewter Museum.”
“Champion Steven Stone!? No way!”
“He was visiting from Hoenn to study Moon Stones and paid a visit to the tour group that day. I just got lucky timing. Great guy, though.”
“I’ve always dreamed of going to Hoenn. It’s right on the ocean and is supposed to be beautiful there. But, hey! Now that I’m a Trainer, maybe I can go someday!”
Out on the playground, the kids gathered around Genny’s Oddish who put on what looked like a dance show for them. Its body was nothing but a dark blue ball with red eyes, legless feet, and a tuft of leaves growing out the top of its head. For such an awkward body, it danced rather well, and clearly enjoyed performing for the class. That was, until one of them grabbed a leaf, which sent it scurrying back to Genny and jumping into her arms.
“It’s okay, they won’t hurt you.” Genny tussled its leafy hair.
“Your Oddish’s dancing is so graceful!” a young girl said.
Genny laughed. “I know, isn’t it? That’s why her name’s Graci.”
A boy pointed where it looked like someone had taken a bite out of one of Graci’s leaves. “What’s wrong with its leaf?”
“That’s how we met,” Genny said. “I caught this adorable little girl in Viridian Forest. Graci loves her beautiful leaves, but she was attacked by an aggressive hoard of Beedrill and badly hurt. She escaped, but then almost immediately got ganged up on by a group of Weedle and was too injured by the Beedrill to escape. They started eating her leaves, and that’s when Wishmaker and I were fortunate enough to come along and rescue her.”
Wait. And then Genny showed up? Roy raised a confused eyebrow but let her continue uninterrupted.
“We rushed her to the Pokémon Center, and they patched her up but unfortunately weren’t able to regrow her chewed up leaf. She was really sad at first, but I told her scars can be beautiful, and since she loved dancing so much, she should do one for me.” Genny giggled again. “You should’ve seen how embarrassed she looked, but her dance was lovely and I begged her to continue. I’ve never seen a Pokémon display such grace. I decided to wait at the center until she was all better, but when she recovered enough to leave on her own, she followed us out. So, Wishmaker and I were happy to welcome Graci to our family!”
“Family?” a kid asked.
“That’s right. That’s what my Pokémon and I are. We’re a family. We love each other, stick together, and care for one another.”
Roy wasn’t going to say anything but knew there was no way some of that could’ve been true. How could Genny know Graci had been attacked by Beedrill before she showed up? Or that Graci loved dancing before she’d done one for her? Not that he would call her out in front of the class, but it was weird she would assume so much. Genny was normally so honest.
“What about you, Roy?” Hope asked. “I’m sure the kids would love to hear about your Pokémon.”
“Well, I have a self-important Ponyta, a Beedrill that almost got me killed, a kleptomaniac, and a Pokémon that likes to greet people by picking a fight.” Roy laughed. “But it’s like Genny said. I love them all.”
Ding dong! The bell rang from the school clock tower. “All right, students,” Hope said. “Time to head back in. Class is starting.”
The students rushed on ahead, and Roy and Genny followed beside Hope. “So what is it you need us to do?” Roy asked.
“You’ve already done the first part. Just have your Pokémon out and let the kids interact with them. Talk about yourselves and your partners and answer any questions. I have a special video presentation prepared inside. You’re welcome to come in and watch as well. It should be enjoyable. We have one more volunteer Trainer showing up later. The video should be over around that time. I was hoping you might demonstrate a battle for the class and show them what it’s all about.”
“Sounds like Genny’s not much of a battler, but I’d be happy to.”
“Wonderful.” Hope gestured inside. “Shall we then?”
Roy called his team back to their balls before following Hope, but Genny continued to carry Graci in her arms while Wishmaker walked beside her.
When they reached the classroom, the students took their seats while Hope moved up front and Roy and Genny stood in the back. It was like any normal elementary classroom, but with more Pokémon related posters and diagrams. Typical crafts and paintings by the kids plastered the walls. One child had scribbled a creative crayon drawing of what appeared to be a Blastoise with a big flower and leaves growing on its shell and labeled it Venustoise.
Hope waved her hands to quiet everyone down. “All right, class. Since we’ve been discussing Pokémon battles recently, I have a short documentary for us today covering the history and biology of Pokémon battles. This special video was created by the most renowned Pokémon school in the world. They have top of the line expert professors who are kind enough to create promotional educational videos to share with other schools around the world, so I hope you’re all excited to watch this.” Hope dimmed the lights, then fired up the projector onto the whiteboard.
A few seconds of silence.
Music blared from the speakers in a flashy, dramatic intro. Roy recognized the instrumental. It was the school anthem of (as Hope said) the most renowned Pokémon school in the world. The theme continued as the logo flashed on screen. A shield split in half. The left was scarlet with a citrus, while the right was violet with a vine of red grapes. Below the symbol, the school’s name dazzled onto the screen.
Mesagoza Academy.
The camera zoomed in on an elder but healthy man dressed in a curious suit. Like the school emblem, his outfit was split down the middle, with the right half being scarlet, and the left being violet. His white pants matched his white hair. The man stood tall and proper with arms folded behind his back. He adjusted his glasses as he introduced himself.
“Hello. I am Director Clavell at Mesagoza Academy. Welcome to our ongoing series, where we cover various Pokémon topics in short videos to be shared with aspiring Trainers. Today, we will discuss the history and meaning behind Pokémon battles. However, I am only the director here, so I’ll turn it over to my experts.”
The camera cut inside to a healthy, young woman who–hadn’t he known better–Roy would’ve assumed to be a rancher rather than a world class professor. She looked dressed for a rodeo in a blue button-up shirt with red tassels, an Articuno necklace, and a big Lunala belt buckle over denim jeans. Dark-skinned with slim, square glasses and her purple hair tied in a ponytail.
“Hello. My name is Raifort, the history professor at Mesagoza Academy. Everyone knows about Pokémon battles, but why do we battle with these creatures? Well, the answer lies in ages long past. Pokémon have battled for as far as recorded history goes back.”
Raifort walked along a mural depicting humans with medieval weaponry fighting against Rhydon, Ursaring, Tyranitar, Onix, and other fierce Pokémon. “Long ago, Pokémon were dangerous, unknown creatures to be feared. But the primitive humans of the time didn’t fare well against such overwhelming creatures. The best way to battle Pokémon and deal with the problems they caused was with other Pokémon. Thus began the practice of capture. Wielding nothing but basic weaponry, people could only capture weak Pokémon at first. But through evolution, these Pokémon grew stronger, and humanity was able to capture more powerful Pokémon.
“Though the practice of capturing goes back over two thousand BT, the invention of the Poké Ball is not so old. In the olden days, people had much less friendly methods of capturing Pokémon. Methods I’m sure the grade level this video is intended for might not yet be ready to hear. Let’s just say the ancients had some cruel ways of ‘breaking’ Pokémon.
“Fortunately, this cruelty didn’t last forever. As people and Pokémon fought together over the years in war and conquest, we grew friendly toward one another. And by around three-hundred to two-hundred BT, our relationship became less as master and servant and more as partners. In addition, humans would also come to invent stronger weaponry, such as firearms and explosives, making the need for Pokémon less necessary. Humanity agreed to no longer use Pokémon as tools in war, for it became seen as abuse. Thus, every major country in the world assembled to create and sign the Treaty of Castelia, banning the use of Pokémon in warfare.”
The video transitioned to a grassy track field where students in the background battled in friendly competition, pitting a Tinkatuff against a Cetoddle. One student wore a violet uniform while the other dressed in a scarlet one. Roy had heard Mesagoza Academy organized students into two separate dorm groups. Something about promoting healthy rivalry between classmates.
“At first,” Raifort continued, “people wanted to stop battling with Pokémon altogether and abandon such primitive ways. But as it turns out, Pokémon seem to enjoy fighting. They live for it as if it’s their instinctive nature. Thus, humanity came up with an alternative practice, and in the year three AT, Pokémon battling was established as a recreational sport. We now battle one another as Trainers in friendly competition, in remembrance of what–violent as it may have been–brought humans and Pokémon together. Such battling caught on so strongly, society has since established entire careers, sporting leagues, and schools that teach it. Why, we even have a fine battle teacher ourselves here at Mesagoza Academy.”
A woman in a black tracksuit matching her black hair tied in a ponytail leaned into the camera’s view to give a wave and a cheery, “Ayoooo!” before Raifort pushed her off screen, ignoring the obviously unscripted moment.
“Getting back to topic,” Raifort held up a standard Poké Ball, “capturing methods have improved as well with the invention of the Poké Ball in the year ninety-six AT: a device that peacefully tames and domesticates wild Pokémon, and contains an entire artificial habitat inside.” She stowed the Poké Ball away. “I mentioned Pokémon have an instinct for battle. Many of you are probably wondering why. Where does this instinct come from? Even before humans used them for war, Pokémon battled against each other in the wild. And still do. The reasoning for this is most likely biological, so for that, I’ll turn it over to my good friend.”
Raifort gestured to the side, and the camera panned over to a man with big, round, thick-framed glasses. For scholarly experts, they sure didn’t look it. But when you were that good, perhaps you had nothing to prove. This professor looked like he’d just woken up, hadn’t fixed his bedhead, and rushed to throw a lab coat on over his pajamas, hoping no one would notice. “Hello, everyone,” he said. “I am Professor Jacq, the biology teacher here at Mesagoza Academy. As Professor Raifort stated, battling appears to be rooted in a Pokémon’s instinct. But do all Pokémon enjoy fighting?”
He gestured to an innocent-looking dog Pokémon with white and yellow fur and big round ears that resembled bun rolls. “Surely a little guy like this Fidough wouldn’t dream of raising a fist? Or paw. Well, sure enough, not all Pokémon have such a strong urge to fight, and we do partner with them for a variety of other tasks, or sometimes keep them as pets. But even the little ones have a battle instinct, even if it’s not as prominent as some others.”
The Fidough jumped into a play fight with a Lechonk behind Jacq.
“With all their natural abilities,” Jacq continued, “including the ability to recover quickly from heavy punishment, Pokémon seem to have been built for battle, long before humans ever domesticated them. Why is this? Well, the truth is we can’t say for sure. We know Pokémon were created by Arceus, the Original One. It is the prevailing theory that Arceus made them for battle, though we still do not know the reason for such a decision. There are many mysteries surrounding these incredible creatures. For instance, why do some appear to imitate human inventions, despite being creatures of nature?”
The camera briefly panned over to a Varoom, a metallic Pokémon floating in the air that resembled a car’s exhaust pipe.
“Not only are they built for battle, Pokémon also show behavioral instinct for following orders. To not just fight, but to battle specifically for someone. They respond to commands naturally and, somehow, understand all forms of human speech with varying degrees of fluency often depending on evolutionary stage. This is how they understand our orders, and it doesn’t seem to matter what language we speak. Of course, if Arceus did create Pokémon to battle with someone, why not make them able to speak with that someone? They can understand us, but we cannot understand them. Well, most of us can’t. A select few humans have developed the ability to speak with Pokémon. These individuals offer crucial insight into helping us communicate with Pokémon, but alas, so much remains unknown. And unfortunately, these unique people are one in a million.
“I apologize. You’re watching this video expecting answers. Unfortunately, there is much we don’t know. But that is what science is all about! The pursuit of knowledge. Learning and discovery. We scientists live right on the edge of what we do and do not know. This can often make us feel like we know so little. People think of us as knowledgeable experts, and in many ways, we are. But the truth is, if you want to be a scientist, you cannot be uncomfortable with ignorance. But it is my hope that these questions will inspire young people like yourselves to seek answers!”
Raifort stepped back into view, standing next to Jacq. “But this has only been the history and biology of battles. You will all find your own reasons for being Trainers. A lot of what we learn about Pokémon is gained through battle. Pokémon evolve and express themselves through competition. So battle is as much for science as for glory.”
The camera cut back inside, where Director Clavell stood in his office. “That concludes this presentation. Thank you for watching, and I hope you will join us next time, where we discuss the finer details of Pokémon communication with Professor Salvatore.”
With a final flash of the academy logo, the video closed with a blare of the Mesagoza theme. After shutting down the projector, Hope retook her place at the front desk. “Well, I hope you all enjoyed that. For your homework assignment, I would like you all to write a paper explaining why you want to become a Trainer. It’s an important thing to understand, and you are more than welcome to give multiple reasons. Our final volunteer should be here shortly, so for now, go ahead and brainstorm ideas until he arrives. In fact, to help inspire you, perhaps Roy and Genny would be willing to share their own stories why they became Trainers.”
Roy hesitated.
“I’m sorry. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Oh, no! I’m happy to. I’m just not sure if…”
Genny put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I’d love to share.” Still holding Graci in her arms, she stepped to the front with Wishmaker by her side, addressing the class with a cheery attitude. “I was captivated by the deep friendships I saw so many Trainers share with their Pokémon. I wanted a bond like that and to meet new Pokémon and people. And of course, a big part of any Trainer’s journey is getting out and seeing the world beyond home.”
Roy noticed she left out some details as she spoke, but it was a good answer. Roy couldn’t criticize; he intended to leave certain details out of his as well.
When Roy’s turn to share came, he stepped up and paused for a minute to consider his words. “Why do I want to become a Pokémon Trainer? My father was one at my age. He had a curious mind and an unquenchable thirst for adventure. He became a Trainer so he could explore the world, and had dreams of making a big discovery that uncovered some of the biggest mysteries still surrounding Pokémon to this day.” Roy pulled out his father’s journal. “He kept this log of his adventures, but his travels were cut short before he could earn his fifth Gym Badge.”
A student raised their hand. “Why couldn’t your dad finish his journey?”
“Roy sighed. “He wanted to but got drafted into the Civil War. When he came home, he met my mother and then I was born. My father inspired my passion for Pokémon, and hearing of his travels made me want to see the world too. He and I used to talk all the time about setting out to finish his journey together once I was old enough to be a Trainer myself. But unfortunately… he’s no longer… around.” Roy looked down at the journal. “So I’m continuing his journey… our journey on his behalf. I want to finish this journal with all the adventures and places he we wanted to see. And make the world changing discovery he never got to. Both for him and for myself. That’s why I’m a Trainer.”
“What are you hoping to discover?” a girl asked.
Roy shrugged with a smile, eyes falling to the journal. “I don’t know. But working for Professor Oak has taught me to keep an open mind and always be looking for answers. Whatever I learn, I’m hoping I’ll find it on the way.”
Another hand went up. “Miss Chinami.” So that was Hope’s last name. She still used a Kantonian family name. “The video said the Treaty of Castelia is what banned Pokémon from being used in war. But some Pokémon are really strong. How does the world simply turn a blind eye to such powerful creatures? Hasn’t anyone questioned the treaty? How can we trust other countries don’t have any secret Pokémon armies?”
Roy smiled. That was a bright kid for his age.
“Those are excellent questions,” Hope said. “It’s true. The Treaty of Castelia has always been a precarious one. And it has only become an increasingly debated topic in recent years. I can’t get too deep into the politics of it, but so far as we know, no Pokémon army currently exists in the world. The first nation to break it and build one for themselves would certainly be at a huge advantage over the other unprepared countries. But at the same time, no one wants to be known as the one who first broke the treaty. Not only would it look bad, but it would likely rally all other countries against them.”
Oh boy, now they were getting into politics. To call the issue hotly debated would be an understatement. The Treaty of Castelia had become more and more controversial with each passing year. Perhaps this was not a classroom discussion topic.
Fortunately, someone was coming to interrupt it as the sound of footsteps approached from the hall outside, knocking on the door. Hope called them in, and a man maybe a few years older than Roy entered. His appearance alone told Roy this was the strong Trainer Hope had been looking for out in the mountains. He wore a polo shirt split into a red and black half by a zigzag line. His spiky black hair was died green in the front and Roy noticed he carried a whip coiled at his belt. “This the right place?”
“Yes!” Hope said. “Class, please welcome our final volunteer. This is A.J. He’s here to demonstrate a proper battle for us with one or both of our other volunteers.”
He held out both hands to shake Roy’s and Genny’s at once. Genny fumbled a moment with the awkward left-handed shake. “Which of you wants to be my first victim for the class?”
Genny stepped back, waving her hand. “I don’t battle, really.”
“I do,” Roy said.
A.J. smirked at him. “Then let’s not waste any more time and get to it.”
To be continued...