Unearthing truths


     [This is a continuation to 'the adventure begins.' All chapters linked with that story are canon to Max's personal timeline as well as the rest of my characters, This does not however apply to guest characters belonging to other people. Max's adventures are simply a way for me to bring to life his canon storyline from my head to paper so to speak.]


Max and Fang started making their way through route 30 which according to the nurse at the pokemon center, it would take them right to Violet city where their first gym challenge would await them. "Um...Max?" The wolf scratched his head as if trying to figure out how to phrase his next sentance then decided it's smarter to just be straight forward. "How did you know what to do out there with the sentret...I mean with the attacks...you knew exactly what types of moves your bulbasaur knew from the get go...but you'd never trained him yet!"


Max ignored the question for a couple of seconds as he used an old wooden knife to cut some twigs and leaves out of their way. the path they'd taken through route 30 had a ton of thorns, of course this was the only way he could avoid the various trainers that would likely be waiting to challenge him on the ordinary road. "You didn't get to study me while I was up in the mansion did ya? My master's security was tight so I'm not suprised." He kept cutting through the vines and thorns as he explained. "My master had me read books in the morning...and practice battling with his own pokemon in the afternoon. at night it was more book reading and learning how to operate the standard pokedex." He decided it was worth it now to take a short break after making his way through the thick thorns and branches and sat down against a tree. "How can I put it..." That was when he took out his pokedex and started laying out all the different functions it had. "The pokedex can read the current moveset of the pokemon you carry around so I know for a fact Bulbasaur already knows vine whip, sleep power, stun spore, and of course tackle."


Fang yelped as some of the thorns cut away smacked at him before coming apart and was thankful once they got out of that unpleasant area and sat opposite of his human companion. "So you already knew everything you'll need to know as a trainer before you even knew you'd be able to get your license...I take it that's also why we're taking an alternative route rather than challenging the trainers because normally pokemon gain experience by battling..."


Max put his knife away into his bag then smiled. "You'd be right about that! I read in a book that it's not always the battling that gives a pokemon experience it's the journey itself. So there's no reason to fight if I don't have to. Also they say you can find very rare and interesting pokemon if you go off the beaten track!"


All it took was the mention of the word pokemon for Bulbasaur to open one eye ontop of Max's head before leaping off. A grin spreading across is broad muzzle before it started running circles around it's trainer excitedly, tugging on his pants for them to keep moving. "Well! Bulbasaur is certainly eager to keep going. Lets not dissapoint him." It wasn't a very long break but it let them rest their legs for a couple minutes before trudging through the thick bushes again. about 15 minutes after they'd taken off again they could hear the cries of several pokemon, Max knew that something was definantly wrong with this and his suspicions confirmed when he spotted what looked like a human made camp with a campfire around the center and cages dotting the area filled with captured and wounded pokemon.


Max was about to rush straight in to help the captured pokemon when a orange clawed hand grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him away from the campsite. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? I already know what you're planning to do and it's gonna get you killed." The scaled hand removed itself from his shoulder to reveal  a 5.7 tall orange dragon with blue scales on his belly, he was about average adult height but diminutive compared to most dragons. "I'm sorry...I'll introduce myself a little more clearly...My name is...Well I prefer most people to call me by my code name ScavengerDragon." He rubbed at the blue horns on the top of his head and smiled a little softer. "At any rate...why are you taking this route you look like a trainer not a bounty hunter."


That comment definantly confused the young trainer since he'd never heard of a bounty hunter before. "What...is that? What's a bounty hunter if you're willing to tell me..."


SD couldn't believe his own hearing when Max said this but decided to explain anyway. "I guess you didn't grow up with much of an education aye? Well a bounty hunter is a person who chases outlaws and thieves for money. It's honest enough work without actually breaking the law." He turned his attention back to the cages, in particular the larvitar. "Now listen to me kid...if you can give me a hand here I'll give you a reward how's that sound? Normally I'd tackle this myself but it's usually best to work in groups of two"


"What kind of guy do you think I am!" Max exclaimed dispite knowing they were in the pouching vicinity. "I'll help you but I don't want any reward for it. I just want to save those pokemon...I think it'd be smarter though to do this when it gets dark, that way any poachers won't be able to spot us approaching."


The dragon was about to protest when Max pointed out that campsites were built around the cages and the fact that a few of the poachers they caught a glance of were gathering wood which indicated that they were staying another night for more game. "Alright...I see your point. I take it this isn't your first time huh kid?"


Max was seriously starting to get annoyed but he tried to keep his temper in check. "I used to work as a junior pokemon ranger where I grew up. I helped the forest rangers keep the peace and stop poachers from hurting innocent pokemon so yeah...this isn't my first time doing this sort of thing. It's just the first time doing it with a complete stranger."


The two stared each other down for about a minute before settling down, SD spoke first. "Well...I guess we just wait until nightfall then...You get your pokemon and I get my bounty..." 


The day passed by slowly, the group kept an eye on the vicinity until nightfall where they would finally make their move to liberate the trapped pokemon. "Alright...the suns setting...and the dark of night is our ally." Max whispered, bulbasaur taking refuge in Max's backpack as the hunter and the trainer snuck their way into the poacher's camp. Before they'd gone, SD gave Max a couple of lockpicks so he could open the cages while SD went around through the bushes and knocking out each crook that he came by. This gave Max the opportunity to walk in and open the cage doors which when opened the pokemon would run off happy, the only one that refused to leave however was the larvitar which kept it's arms crossed and glared at Max as if issuing him a challenge.


Max glared right back at the Larvitar which wouldn't budge out of the cage then sighed. "Fine...I'm trying to let you go out free but if you won't leave this dangerous place I'll just have to catch you before these poachers do." with that he reached over his belt and grabbed the ball of his previously captured sentret and let it out, ready to do battle with this new challenger.


The larvitar blinked when Max called out the sentret and even started laughing before speaking right to Max in it's native language. "You think that puny pokemon can beat me?!" 


Though the larvitar didn't exactly know it, Max could understand every word it said and smirked. "No but it'll keep you busy. Sentret go ahead, use tackle!" At the single command, Sentret ran at it's challenger with full speed, hitting the rock type square in the stomach while knocking down the cage as well. From there Max couldn't exactly see what was happening now. 


after a minute of thrashing and brawling his sentret was flung out of the cage, the Larvitar following suit and using a rock slide attack to smash his sentret into the ground with a large boulder. "That...was a pretty high level attack...nothing in this area should be able to use a move that advanced...not yet anyway." Max recalled his Sentret and was about to put it into his bag before his bulbasaur came flying out of it and using his vine whip to wrap around the Larvitar and pin it down. "Woah! H-hey buddy you came out just in time!" 


His bulbasaur nodded, smiled at the praise before uttering it's first word. "Catch!" 


Max's eyes lit up with happiness when he heard his partner speak for the first time, even if it was in it's native language he could understand it and nodded in confirmation as he took out a pokeball and tossed it at the Larvitar who growled slightly in annoyance. The ball rolled a few times before the click of confirmation. Max had caught the larvitar and his partner seemed quite pleased with the new catch as they now had a pretty rare and powerful teammate if they could teach it to be more friendly.


Max looked down at the ball, He had just captured a new partner which was a Larvitar. And from what he'd already seen from it, it was very stubborn but powerful. He didn't get a chance to call it out though before he heard a voice from the opposite direction, It wasn't Scav and it wasn't Fang's but he knew he'd heard the voice before. "Max! Is that you?! Man you've grown!" 


Coming out of the bushes he could see the strikingly similar hair color of Jesse's but the human was definantly older, and kept his hair cut short and just above his eyes, he had a certain gentleness to him and right away Max recalled who he was. "Johnathan! Is that you? I thought you left five years ago so you came all the way to the mainlands?"


"Please...Call me John." He could not help but smile at Max and pat him on the head, treating him as if he were a child. "Besides...Shouldn't you be calling me sir? Afterall I'm more than twice your age!" with that he started ruffling Max's hair as a Manectric stood at the new trainer's side. "But to answer your question I came to visit my brother but obviously he's not to keen on talking to me."


Fang was just rushing to the scene when he spotted John and his electric companion before turning his attention to Max. "Uhm...I never saw this guy on the island before so how to you know him?"


"What?" Max took a second to regain his thoughts before laughing "Oh right! Well ya see...You already know I'm on this trip to find my friend Jesse, Well this guy here is his brother! Though Jesse believes he's his father." Max already knew that would lead to more questions, not just from Fang but from Scavenger as well so he turned his attention to John. "I think it might be best if you tell the story...because well...I wasn't even alive back then so I'd probably just warp it."


John took a deep breath before starting on the tale that was nearly 10 years in the past. "Keep in mind this is before Max was born...and Jesse was still an infant...but it started like this..."

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"Comeon now...You know the boat is about to head out...we need to get you on board now before it's too late!" Growled a gruff voice of a guilmon which oddly enough it did not have it's cute squeaky voice. It was talking to an obviously pregnant human woman who was just standing right at the bridge between the dock and the ship. "Listen to me love...if you don't get out of here our son's going to be at risk! And I don't want my child to be born in the middle of a battlefield!" 


The city that had once been occupied by many hundreds of residents was now a burning husk, nobody exactly knew how or WHY it had been targetted for an attack but in the small window of time it took from dawn to sunrise the entire city had been engulfed in raging flames, some buildings just collapsed out of nowhere. But to the guilmon worrying for his beloved it was all too clear why they'd been targetted and it was because of him. Humans didn't exactly accept digital monsters, the children did but the more 'mature' humans considered him a threat, one that needed to be erased and it wasn't just a coincidence that this happened to THIS particular city while he was residing in it.


Johnathan, a teenager about 15 years old at the time ran toward the guilmon and the pregnant woman. "Sir...My mom is still locked up in our house I can't get to her the fire's too thick!" He gave a small bow to the wife.


"Hmmph...your father should have saved her first. what about your little brother? Is Jesse with your mother as well?" When the human failed to answer his question he grabbed him roughly by the arm and placed him by his wife. "Watch Sam...I'll go help your Mother!" He grumbled and started running from the peir back toward the flame consumed city. He knew exactly where Johnathan had lived and bust the door open with a simple rock breaker, the flames did nothing to harm the fire dinosaur.  "Is anybody in here?!" The digimon roared out, waiting for a response but what he came to hear was that of a crying infant. With all of his might he started pushing through crashing debris, a few support beams coming down and nearly hitting him but he pushed through all that to see a unconcious woman laying over a crying baby. It wasn't until he checked the pulse of the mother that he realized it was too late for her...She'd protected the baby from the heat and smoke but ended up dying of suffocation herself. "It's a loss in life..." He mumbled to himself and sadly picked up the infant before rushing his way out of the fire. He couldn't save the mother but he at least managed to save Johnathan's little brother...he just didn't know how he was going to tell him." 


Johnathan waited with Samantha, or 'Sam' as her husband called her. Keeping gaurd and making sure the boat remained in place until the last of the evacuee's could get on board. That was when the Guilmon approached the boat, and placed little Jesse in the boy's arms. When he'd recieved the bad news all John wanted to do was cry for the death of his mother until the guil spoke again. "Listen to me...Your mother protected your brother with all of her strength. Your father might very well still be alive in the town. He is a soldier afterall...a super soldier so he could still have survived. I want you to tell the captain of the ship to head toward the island right away. That's an order you get me?! I'll meet you all there as soon as I've searched the town for your father." He didn't even give Johnathan a chance to speak his mind, he just vanished right back into the flaming town. 


The young teenager closed his eyes but gently cradled his little brother while getting Sam into the boat. He promptly started telling the captain to get the ship moving. It was a slow start but the ship they had all evacuated into was slowly getting itself away from the burning city. After half an hour on the ship the city had dissapeared from view replaced by a fiery sky that burned in that area. "I promise you...Jesse you won't live without a father no matter what...we'll just...Move in with our grandparants on the island."
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Once John was finished retelling the story he noticed that both his Manectric and Max's Bulbasaur were staring intently at him then at Max, as if dumbfounded by the whole thing. "I was fifteen years old when it happened...Jesse was 10 months and Max you were just two months away from coming into the world yourself. Your dad DID return like he promised...but he came with news that our father died rescuing the downtown civilians and getting them to the next town. After that I spent about seven years raising Jesse as my own son even knowing that he was my little brother."


Fang kept his peace for a few more seconds before bopping Max on the head. "Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this! Wait...you said...seven...Max is 10 and Jesse's 11..." 


This time it was Max's turn to explain a few things but he kept it relatively short. "He had his own dreams...and he couldn't let them escape him. After about 7 years of taking care of Jesse he left him in the care of their grandparents." 


John chuckled as he petted his Manectric and handed Max an envelope. "And it's a good thing I did! Take a look at this letter. Just a few days ago I was offered to become the new gym leader in Mauville City! I was just about to go to the port when I heard your voice and watched you capture that Larvitar." 


It was then that Max opened the envelope and his eyes lit up. "Woah you got offered to become a gym leader?! Wait...that means you'll have to go all the way to Hoenn...Shouldn't you be staying here to help Jesse?" 


Johnathan placed a hand on Max's shoulder and shook his head. "I already tried a few months back...He wouldn't let me get close to him for some reason...I'm terribly sorry that I wasn't there to help you guys during the bandits raid...but you're the closest friend Jesse has. If anyone can get through to him it will be YOU." He looked deeply into Max's eyes before letting go and standing up. "I should be going...You're heading to Violet city yourself aren't you? If that's the case you're only about a five minute walk to the city gates. Earn your first badge and show me what you're made of. Because I want you to show up at the Mauvile city gym after your little journey here."


"Hold on...If you're about to become a gym leader why not give me a practice match...I could use some practicing before I take on the Violet city gym afterall don't you think?" He stared up at John with a defiant look in his eyes. before he started walking to a clear spot in the forest that they could use as a battlefield.


John himself hadn't even accepted the challenge but walked over anyways, Manectric pacing infront of him. "You're same as always never take no for an answer...But I guess you could use some real world experience when it comes to the gym leaders! I hope that you don't end up regretting this!" Manectric roared and got itself ready, with Max choosing Bulbasaur or rather it made the decision for him.


Fang gasped, realizing this was happening and scampered over to the two trainers and smiled. "I'll be the referee for this match! Alright so a one on one match against Max the challenger and John the soon to be Gym leader. The challenger may begin when ready!" 


Max didn't waste any time and was quick to call out the first order. "Alright Bulbasaur this is our first albiet unofficial gym battle so let's start it off by ensnaring his Manectric in a vine whip!" Hearing Max's first command for the battle, Bulbasaur started extending the vines from his bulb and moved in to wrap them around the Manectric. The only thing the two failed to realize was neither the trainer or the pokemon seemed to show any signs of communication yet Manectric managed to dodge and charge at Bulbasaur, it's fangs burning a bright red as it bit down on Bulbasaur's left leg, sending it staggering back to avoid any further injury. "But you didn't even give it a command! Why are you just letting it make it's own choices?" 


Manectric barked at it's trainer before John would smirk. "I don't need to give him verbal commands. We've been training together long enough that I don't really need to tell him what needs to be done. Falkner might do the same thing so you can't expect to hear what your opponants next moves going to be. Eventually you will learn but for now I'll let you try and avoid this attack Max. Manectric go ahead and use Thunder wave!" 


Just as Max was about to tell Bulbasaur to avoid the attack it seemed that the Manectric had already been charging the attack and aimed in the direction of the Bulbasaur's wounded leg. "He already knows what you're going to say..." He said mostly to himself as Bulbasaur started straining to move itself. but it was soon knocked out of comission by another ruthless fire fang to the remaining foreleg. Once Max knew Bulbasaur was out cold he picked up his partner and started treating the wounds with first aid in his backpack. "Your Manectric...he knows what you're going to tell him to do. But how? Is he reading your mind?!" 


John didn't say anything for a moment, he called Manectric out of the battle though already he'd proven he never really needed to say anything. "No...but we trust each others judgements. We've won battles...lost them...and because of that we already know how to battle most pokemon only change is the trainers and how they're trained individually. You need to start training that Bulba before he gets too soft. And go to the pokemon center right away." He called Manectric into his pokeball before sighing. "Max...I'm sorry for not giving you a fair chance or battling you like most trainers will. But I will do this for you at least! Falkner is a flying type gym leader so try to win over that Larvitar you caught. It'll be your best chance at winning." He gave Max one last wave of the hand before walking in the direction Max and the group had been coming from. 


With Bulbasaur out cold Max wrapped a blanket around him and looked like he was about to cry, but that was what pokemon training was about. He had to train, get stronger for both him and his pokemon so that this wouldn't happen as often. "Fang...we're going right now. I'm not going to stop either till I'm at the center so if you can't keep up I'm sorry!" With that Max started going at a full sprint. 


Fang was about to speak up and bowed to Scavenger. "You take care sir. I'll let Astral know of your improvement!" With that he was the next one to run off, Making the hunter smirk in amusement. 'for kids...they are pretty decent' were his last thoughts before he let himself drift off to sleep. It would be a long day for Max and Fang tomarrow morning. Because they would not only have to wait for Bulbasaur to heal, they'd be challenging the pokemon gym leader falkner.