The Type Specialist

I was let into the room where Wally was resting after Wanda and her father had left. He had woken up only a few minutes after his treatment, and had been in the Pokémon Center for about an hour when I finally went to talk to him.

I was a bit distracted by the fact that he was the second major character from the games I had met, but I couldn't allow myself to think of these people as just characters. This was my reality now and I wanted to make sure Wally, the person not the character, was okay.

When I entered the room, Wally was sitting up in his medical bed and Ralts sat on a nearby chair, kicking its legs and eating Pokémon food. Now that I was no longer dealing with a medical emergency, I took this chance to properly look Wally over.

He had long, green hair that stuck up in every which way. He wore a plain, white, long-sleeved collared shirt with no special decorations on it. Wanda brought him a gray jacket to wear that hung over the chair Ralts was sitting on. Obviously, he lacked the pendant that would have contained his Key Stone. He looked tired.

When I stepped into the room, he turned to me and smiled, although the corners of his mouth didn't meet his eyes.

"Are you the one who saved me? Nurse Joy told me you carried me to the Pokémon Center. Thank you for taking care of me." He crossed his hands and inclined his head in a makeshift bow.

He was trying to speak in a thankful tone, but it felt flat. His eyes were dull without any light within them. It bothered me to see him so clearly depressed.

I pulled up a chair next to him and sat down. I looked at him carefully as he calmly sat there, watching me.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

He faked a smile once more.

"Yes, I'm fine. Nurse Joy said that once my lungs opened back up I started to improve. Just a bit of rest and I'll be good to go." Wally replied.

"That's... not what I meant. Are you okay, like, emotionally?"

"Oh." Wally kept looking at me for a moment until I saw tears starting to form in his eyes. He quickly turned away from me to stare out the window of his room.

"I left the town to practice with Ralts. We were working on his Confusion attack. I got too excited when he finally pulled it off and felt my asthma acting up. I went to pull out my inhaler, but it must have fallen out somewhere because I didn't have it. I panicked and my asthma kept getting worse and worse and then... I woke up here."

He sniffled a bit and wiped his eyes. He still wasn't looking at me.

"I always wanted to be a Pokémon trainer. No one ever told them what they could do. I thought since I just turned 15, Ralts and I could finally go out on our own journey together.”

His brows furrowed and he started to frown. Ralts climbed onto the table next to where he was eating and hopped onto Wally's bed. He hugged Wally and Wally absentmindedly hugged him back, appreciating the comfort but also not fully paying attention to it.

"But now, Uncle isn't allowing me to go. He says I'm not healthy enough and too weak to leave. I know he just wants me to be safe, but is this all I'll be? Stuck in a room all day, unable to go out from fear of getting worse?

"That would be so... sad."

Meanwhile, while Wally was pouring his heart out to a complete stranger, I just sat there and politely listened. He probably wanted to talk to someone who wasn't his family to get these feelings off his chest, but I felt awkward listening to him talk about his issues when I didn’t know him too well. I empathized with him when it came to being a Pokémon trainer, especially since the first thing I did in this world was decide to become one. I didn't know what to do or what to say to cheer him up. I knew in the games he eventually became a powerful trainer, but how could I tell him that?

I couldn't reveal I was from another world. It was impossible to say what I needed to say without revealing that fact. I was stuck.

Wally turned back to face me, eyes red.

"You're a trainer, right? Enjoy your journey, live your life to the best it could be. I know I would."

Wow, he’s really upset. I can’t tell you this, Wally, but I’ll find a way to convince your uncle to let you be a trainer. You deserve that chance.

We sat in silence for the next few minutes while I created plans in my mind. Nurse Joy soon entered the room with Wanda and his Uncle, prepared to release Wally from the Pokémon Center.

As thanks for saving Wally, Wanda and her Dad invited me to stay in their spare guest room while I stayed in Verdanturf. I had the option to stay in a Pokémon Center, but I liked not needing to pay a fee to rent a room. Since they let me stay until the start of the season, I would be saving a significant amount of money that I wasn't spending on a room at the Pokémon Center.

Their home was a simple two story house. It was painted white and had a fenced off backyard I used for training. Both the guest and Wally's shared room with Wanda overlooked the backyard, and when we trained I frequently saw Wally watch us with sad eyes and a frown. I tried to engage him in conversations, but he only used one word replies and didn’t converse with me so it was hard to cheer him up.

When I wasn’t doing jobs or trying to cheer up Wally, I spent my time training moves with Marill and Vulpix and exploring the town. Vulpix had time to practice Confuse Ray, and Marill needed to work on developing her Huge Power ability. The tips from the couple on the Slateport ferry were extremely helpful to ensure her ability would be in full effect by the time we took on the Gym.

In this world, not every Pokémon started with an ability. Abilities were reflections of a Pokémon's natural traits and were essentially how a Pokémon used their innate powers or physiology in battle.

Marill, for example, had a layer of Thick Fat under her fur that insulated her from temperature, which made Fire and Ice Type moves less effective against her. It was the reason why Vulpix's moves did so little damage to her during our attempts to catch her.

Marill’s second ability was Huge Power, which meant her muscle density made her far stronger than what her size might entail. Unfortunately, she didn’t benefit from it completely since we were still practicing using her whole strength.

Abilities needed time to develop through practice before they were battle ready, but unlike in the games, Pokémon could benefit from multiple abilities.

Hidden abilities were also available to train for almost every Pokémon that had them. They were also based on a Pokémon's innate traits, but required either specific training or an unconventional use of their traits to properly develop.

Vulpix's own hidden ability would allow her to create hail and snow through her innate cryokinesis. Since her normal ability was reliant on that weather condition, her hidden ability would need to be trained first. Due to the difficulty that came with learning a hidden ability, I didn’t plan on developing it until she had a better mastery of Ice Type energy.

The exploration of the town didn’t bring much to see. Verdanturf had flower fields and a contest hall, but not much more than that. The town was primarily residential, created solely as a stop on the side of the mountain next to Rustboro for people traveling to and from Mauville. At one point in the past, there was an attempt to make a tunnel through the mountain, but the project was called off when the digging started to disturb the local Pokémon.

While I trained Vulpix and Marill, we made progress in their moves and ability, but my heart wasn't in it. It was hard to put effort into something that just made Wally feel worse. Every time he saw us I felt his spirit get crushed a little more. I tried training in the flower fields next to the town instead, but stopped after the first day to prevent Wally from thinking I was avoiding him.

I knew from the games he had the potential to earn all eight badges, but his current situation wouldn't allow that to happen unless I found a way to fix it.

I was at a complete loss of what to do, until one day I finally had a brilliant idea.

After a week and a half of staying with Wally's family, I was eating a meal with them that Wanda had cooked for everyone. While the plates were being collected, I took the opportunity to start a conversation with Wally's Uncle.

"My team is getting in pretty solid shape, but there's a local species of Pokémon I've been thinking of catching. I was wondering if you're willing to let Wally come with me for fresh air while I search it out if I stay nearby to protect him."

Wally's head shot up in interest, but quickly dropped back down into the same depressive slump he'd been in since I met him.

His Uncle paused his plate collecting to think. "I don't know... he's still pretty sick..."

"Come on Dad! Wally's been out before and this time he'd have Alex with him! He's a kid, let him live a little!" Wanda shouted from the kitchen.

Wally's Uncle huffed then sighed.

"Alright, he can go with you. But you better keep him safe, you hear?"

I saluted him.

"Not a problem sir, Vulpix and Marill are perfect for the duty!"

As I said that, Wally stayed silent but the faintest bit of excitement shone in his eyes.

The next day, I took Wally to the flower fields that surrounded Verdanturf. He walked with his head down, facing the ground, and carried Ralts in his arms. He was obviously still upset, so I started up a conversation with him to enter phase one of my plan.

"I'm trying to become a Fairy Type expert, and there's a Pokémon local to this route I'm looking to catch. It's pretty small and hard to see against its flower, so you have to keep an eye out for it. If you see any Flabébé, give me a shout and I'll see if they're willing to join my team."

Wally spoke up, the first time he had done so since we left his home. "Willing to join your team? You aren't going to battle to catch them?"

"Well," I replied, scratching my chin, "Pokémon are smart creatures, and I'd like whoever comes with me to be my friend. I'd battle to catch them if they wanted to, but I don't want to force a Pokémon to be on my team. Imagine if you were violently taken from your home, how would you respond to that?"

"I'd probably go with them." Wally mumbled.

I winced.

That was a bad example on my part.

"Well keep an eye out for me anyway. But be careful! Flabébé isn't the only small flower-based Fairy Type on this route. They're extremely rare, but Comfey are also present here."

"Comfey?" He replied, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Yup, Comfey." I responded, hiding my smile as I began phase two of my plan. "Comfey are small Fairy Type Pokémon that are shaped like a ring of flowers. They have access to a decent amount of healing moves, which makes them great for medical emergencies. They're actually frequently partnered with Nurse Joys in the Alola region."

Bait. Set.

We continued through towards the field in silence, Wally clearly lost in thought.

As we walked, he suddenly stopped behind me and spoke to me in a determined voice.

"Alex," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Help me catch a Comfey."

"Oh?" I purposefully raised an eyebrow to pretend I hadn’t planned for his response all along. "Why would I do that?"

"You said Comfey can learn healing moves, right? If I can catch a Comfey I could convince my Uncle to let me go on a journey since I would have a Pokémon to heal me in emergencies. This could be my chance to be a Pokémon trainer! Please, Alex! I have to catch a Comfey!"

I turned away from him to hide my smile and pretended to think about it. I didn't want him to see my grin and ruin my plan.

"You know, Comfey is exceedingly rare on this route. You probably wouldn't be able to find one before I left."

"I know, but even still, I have to try!"

I turned around to face Wally, having managed to reduce my smile to believable levels. His hands were clenched into fists and the blank look in his eyes was gone, replaced by a look of sheer determination.

I nodded at him. "Well, we better get started."

He actually jumped in joy.

I spent my free time in the flower fields with Wally, searching for a wild Comfey. We found a number of Flabébé and even one Floette while we were searching, but they mostly ran away from us due to being naturally timid Pokémon. Wally had better luck talking to them since they were much less afraid of his smaller stature over mine.

I was a little disappointed that none of the Flabébé wanted to join my team, especially since I had the money to support them now that I didn’t have to pay for a room at the Pokémon Center. But my goal was to find a Comfey for Wally, catching a Flabébé would just be a bonus.

I also took the time off of searching to let Marill battle the occasional wild Pokémon. I always asked first since I didn't want to attack them randomly, and was able to get some decent training in with Marill.

The battles helped develop Marill's Huge Power, and from her progress it was certain that it would be usable by the time the League started. It would be necessary in the Electric Type Mauville Gym so she could overwhelm her foes before they could make her faint with their super-effective attacks.

Wally thrived while he was searching for a Comfey. Following what I said about making friends, he was very polite with the Pokémon he met and they were very kind in response.

Watching Wally, I understood why some trainers were encouraged to head out on their journeys while they were still young. The kid was a natural at talking to Pokémon, and since younger trainers had an easier time bonding with their Pokémon, he was going to be a monster of a trainer once he started.

Wally, in his efforts to find a Comfey, actually made friends with a wild Roselia that tagged along in his search. The Grass-Type Pokémon was helpful in convincing the many Flabébé to talk to us, which let us expand the range of our search.

Eventually, after only the fifth day of searching, Wally was talking to a Flabébé with a red flower before he motioned for me to come closer.

"I think she knows where a Comfey is. She reacted positively to when I asked, and it seems like she's also willing to lead us to it."

Vulpix stepped forward and spoke to Flabébé for a few moments before turning to me and nodded.

"Vulpix!" She yipped in affirmation

I turned to Wally.

"Well, it's going to be your Pokémon, so you should be the one who goes to it."

He nodded resolutely and knelt back down to Flabébé.

"Please lead us to Comfey. I'd like to invite them to my journey."

Flabébé looked to me nervously for a moment, clearly afraid of the adult so close to her, before turning around and moving off north-eastward, at a slow enough pace for us to follow.

We were led to a small pond just past the flower fields. There were no flowers cultivated in this area, rather the pond was surrounded by tall grass and an old oak tree on top of the nearby hill. Flabébé floated towards the tree, and when we got close it pointed to a hole in the ground hidden by the tree's roots.

Wally stood back and fiddled with the edge of his gray jacket nervously, so I nudged him and caused him to stumble forward.

He shot me a worried look but got the hint and moved closer to the hole.

"Um, excuse me?" He called out, "I'm looking for Comfey."

We waited for a few moments before Wally turned around to look at me.

"Seems like it's not home." He said despondently.

He was about to take a step back, but stopped suddenly.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

I strained my ears to hear the mysterious sound Wally said he heard. I could just barely make out the faintest sound of rustling plants, until suddenly there was a loud trill that echoed out from within the hole.

"I think we all heard it that time," I said, surprised.

Wally turned around to look at the hole under the oak tree. Slowly, a small green and orange Pokémon emerged from the ground. It had a small, spherical body with a tuft of green hair that looked like a leaf. Behind it, a circle of local Verdanturf flowers floated in the air with it. It yawned and glanced around at all of us.

Wally took a careful and composed step forward.

"Hello."

Comfey blinked and stared at Wally.

"I wanted to go on a journey, but I need your help."

The flower ring Pokémon cocked its body to the side the same way a dog would cock its head to the side when it heard something interesting.

"I have a dream to be a great trainer. To explore and travel the region, free and with my friends. The issue is, I'm sick. But not all the time! Just sometimes when I run too much or get too excited my lungs start to close up and I have trouble breathing.

"I know you can learn healing moves, so I wanted to ask if you would like to come with me. I don't know how strong I could train you, but I want my journey to be fun and exciting. I can't promise much, but I'd love it if you'd be willing to join me on an adventure."

Comfey paused as it floated midair to think. There was a moment where the area around the tree was still as everyone held their breath.

That moment ended when Comfey smiled and nodded its body.

"Really?! Thank you so much!" Wally jumped forward to grab and hug Comfey midair while laughing. "You won't regret this!"

They hopped around together while Comfey laughed and Ralts and Roselia joined in.

Then he paused and let go and turned to me with wide eyes.

"No... I can't believe I forgot. Alex, I don't have a Pokéball for Comfey!"

I chuckled and started to reach into my backpack. "Don't worry, I have you covered." When Steven gave me five of every Pokéball, he included five basic Pokéballs. Since I planned to never use a basic Pokéball to catch a Pokémon, I reached into my backpack to give one to Wally now.

However, that action was stopped when the tall grass rustled near the tree.

"Wally. Get back. Now."

"What?" Wally was too slow to react. Rushing out of the grass, a dark shape jumped forward and bit down on Comfey.

"Comfeeeeey!" It screamed.

Before I could even order my Pokémon, more rustling emanated from behind me and I turned around to see three more Poochyena emerging from the grass.

"Shit! It's a pack! Wally, protect Comfey! We can take care of these ones." I sent out Marill and ordered both of my Pokémon to attack the three Poochyena behind us. They might have been outnumbered, but Vulpix’s Confuse Ray could take one out of the fight.

Flabébé went and hid under a nearby root to protect itself from the angry Dark Types and watched the battle.

"Protect it?! How do I do that?!" Wally shouted.

"You're a Pokémon Trainer, right? Tell Ralts what to do!"

Marill Slammed into one Poochyena, while Vulpix defended herself from the other two with a Tail Whip. She hadn't had time to use Confuse Ray just yet, so we were still outnumbered.

"Um, okay,” Wally said, panicking, “We need to protect Comfey. Ralts! Use Confusion!"

Ralts' horn and eyes glowed blue as it tried to use its Psychic Type attack against the Poochyena Biting Comfey. The area around Poochyena glowed a similarly colored blue, but Poochyena itself was unaffected.

Comfey continued to scream under Poochyena's attack.

"Alex! The attack didn't work!"

Marill changed her target to Aqua Jet into the two Poochyena laying into Vulpix. Knocking them back, Vulpix had just enough time to use Confuse Ray against one of her opponents. Poochyena's eyes glazed over and bit hard onto its ally.

I shouted back at Wally.

"Psychic Type moves don’t work against Dark Types! You need to use another move!"

"Ralts doesn't know any other attacking move! It only knows Confusion!"

Noticing Ralts, Poochyena let go of Comfey and Comfey floated away to heal itself with Synthesis. Poochyena ran forward, enhancing itself with Normal Type energy and unleashed a Tackle attack, but Ralts Teleported behind it before the move landed.

"Ralts isn't only a Psychic Type!” I called out, “It's also a Fairy Type! Use Disarming Voice, Ralts, shout loudly and channel Fairy Type energy into your voice!" I yelled my orders at Wally and Ralts, hoping that Ralts could pick up the move in the middle of a battle.

One of the three Poochyena fainted from its ally's own attack, so my Pokémon moved back to keep their distance now that they weren’t outnumbered. With their priority moves helping them dodge, both Vulpix and Marill hit the two Poochyena with an onslaught of Icy Winds and Bubble Beams.

Wally took this moment to shout a command to Ralts between the Teleports it was using to dodge.

"Disarming Voice! Follow what Alex said!"

Ralts screamed its name at Poochyena as a glowing pink soundwave shot out of its mouth. Poochyena's hair stood up as the vibrating Fairy Type energy tore through its body and dealt super effective damage.

The Poochyena howled in pain before barking and running off. The two conscious Poochyena, still fighting my Pokémon, backed off and disappeared into the tall grass, grabbing their unconscious packmate to drag with them.

With the aggressors retreating, all of us let out a sigh of relief. We had successfully fended off a small pack of Poochyena, and Ralts learned a new move to boot.

Wally immediately checked on Ralts and Comfey, looking them over to make sure they hadn't been damaged. Comfey had already regenerated its wounds with Synthesis.

I took out a Potion from my bag and applied it to Marill and Vulpix. Each of them had fought incredibly well, but took some dings and scrapes in the fight. Vulpix more so than Marill, since close ranged fighting wasn't her strong point. Still, it was a good experience for her that would teach her how to defend herself in future battles.

I returned Marill since she didn’t want to stay out and Vulpix walked over near the tree’s roots. I reached into my pack and handed Wally the Pokéball he needed to catch Comfey. He smiled as he held it in his hands.

He approached the Fairy Type and held out the ball.

"This is a Pokéball, it'll allow you to travel with me a lot easier. I’m just going to tap it on you, okay?"

Comfey smiled and Wally did just that, pressing the button on the front of the ball to its tiny body. Comfey was sucked up into its ball, and only a moment later the ball flashed red and "dinged," signifying a successful capture.

He turned around and held up the ball to me.

"I did it Alex! I caught Comfey!"

I smiled at him and was about to offer my congratulations, when I felt a tapping on my leg. Looking down, I noticed Vulpix was trying to get my attention. The red flowered Flabébé floated close to the ground behind her.

"Hey, there, do you need something?"

Vulpix nudged Flabébé forward and the tiny flower Pokémon approached my leg. It glanced over to where Marill and Vulpix fought the Poochyena, then pointed to the Pokéballs at my hip.

"Do you want to talk to Marill?"

It shook its head no, then pointed to my belt harder.

"Wait, do you want to come with me?"

It vigorously shook its head yes. Vulpix moved next to it and nuzzled her face against Flabébé.

"Alright,” I said, “you have quite a selection, then."

Wally watched, amazed, as I layed out a Pokéball of every type. As Flabébé struggled to make a choice, I looked back to Wally.

"Looks like we both made a new friend today."

In the end, Flabébé chose to be caught in a Heal Ball. I didn't think the pink and yellow matched with its red and white, but she was happy with it, so I didn't mind.

It was surprisingly easy to convince Wally's Uncle to let him go on a journey. He was going to decline, but Wanda spoke up before he could.

"Now that he's caught a second Pokémon, you aren't going to be able to stop him from going out on his own. Come on Dad, let him live a little." Wanda interjected.

Wally's Uncle frowned then sighed.

"If you have Comfey with you for emergencies, I suppose you can go. You just have to remember to call-"

He was interrupted by Wally running forward and hugging him.

"Thank you, Uncle! Thank you, thank you! I promise to be safe on my journey! Me and my Pokémon are going to be super responsible, you can trust us!"

I got a side-eye from his Uncle like I was a bad influence or something.

What? It's not like I encouraged him to do anything I wouldn’t do.

Vulpix suddenly flicked me with her tail like she was admonishing me or something.

But with that, Wally, the kid from the games who eventually grew up to become a powerful trainer, finally had permission to start his journey.

It was a few weeks later when the season finally started. I had continued to train in Wally's backyard, but now with Wally's two Pokémon and Flabébé as well. Our teams were shaping up well, but Wally's growth honestly terrified me. He was a natural at raising his Pokémon, and I felt bad for everyone he'd go up against in this League.

Oh wait, that includes me.

It was May 1st, the starting date of the Hoenn League season. I had been in this world for eight and a half months at this point, and today marked the third month anniversary of catching Vulpix. Wally and I went to the Pokémon Center where they were playing the opening ceremony on the television for all the local trainers.

Charles Goodshow, a squat old man, President of the Pokémon League, and overall one of the most powerful figures on the planet, gave a speech to start off the season. It was a pretty generic speech that espoused the ideals of friendship and responsibility. Despite that, it was quite effective at getting everyone fired up.

Wally and I left the Pokémon Center once the opening ceremonies concluded. The League had now officially started, so it was time for me to head to Mauville to take part in the Gym Challenge. My registered slots weren't for a few days, so I had plenty of time to spare. I had already said goodbye to Wally's Uncle and Wanda, but now I had to say goodbye to Wally.

"Well, this is it. I might be leaving, but you're also going to leave soon to start your own journey. How are you feeling, Wally?"

He smiled and pumped his arms.

"I always wanted this to happen but I didn't think it would. Some days I wake up and think that it’s all a dream, but then I feel Comfey around my neck and Ralts sleeping next to me. It’s everything I ever hoped for. Thank you, Alex, for everything.”

I reached behind me to grab the item I prepared early this morning.

"Don't thank me yet, I have something for you."

"What? But you've already-"

I held out the wrapped stone in my hand to give to Wally. He slowly took off the cloth to reveal a bright cyan stone with fractures on the inside that made it look like it contained a star.

"This is a Dawn stone,” I explained, “and it's going to let you make a choice in the future. Your Ralts is male so he has a branching evolution path once he becomes a Kirlia. He can naturally evolve into Gardevoir, or, if you determine him ready, expose him to the stone and evolve into Gallade. I'm not giving you this to force a choice, but to make sure the choice is available."

"This is too much!" Wally exclaimed. "I can't take this."

I chuckled and waved his protests off.

"Well I've already given it to you, so you can't force me to take it back. Unless..."

"Unless what?" He asked.

"Unless we meet at the Conference and you beat me in a Pokémon battle. Then I'd have to take it back." What I said didn't make much sense, but it was a way of motivating Wally that seemed to be working.

He looked to me with determination in his eyes.

"Then we'll meet at the Conference. I'll beat you and you'll have no choice but to take it back!"

I laughed and nodded.

"I'll see you at the Ever Grande Conference then. Oh, and don't worry about using up all the energy evolving a Gallade. It should have enough juice for 2 or 3 different evolutions."

Wally nodded, hands clenched into fists.

"Alex, thank you for everything."

"There's not anything to thank me for. You would've become a powerful trainer without me. We'll meet at the Conference. Good luck, Wally."

With the farewell gift out of the way, I went to head off to Mauville. Wally was heading to Rustboro first since he was traveling with his cousin for the first leg of his journey and she wanted to visit her boyfriend.

With our separate paths of our journeys set, it'd be unlikely for us to meet again outside the Conference. I was confident he would participate. I already knew how strong of a trainer he'd become, so any doubts were wiped clean due to my otherworldly knowledge.

So much for not getting involved with canon characters. I basically just inspired one of them back there. Doesn’t really matter in the end, though. Wally deserved to be a trainer anyway.

And with that, I left for Mauville to finally start my Gym Challenge.