Chapter 2

"That was amazing, Cerv. You shot... You attacked... With what? How did you
get that attack? What is the attack? How did you know how to use it?" Adem
asked aloud. His mind buzzed with questions, and he didn't even realize that
he was bombarding Cerveaux with questions until Cerv covered his black ears
with a clap.

"Stop it, stop it, you give Cerv headachy, is you gonna be quiet?!" Cerv
sent angrily. Adem stopped at once and paused. He waited for Cerv to do
something. If Cerv was listening at all, maybe he would answer one of the
spouted questions. "I is not knowing how I is using the Dark, it just using
self. Not me! It come and make Cerv do battle with Earth-Poke, and that all.
Nuffing else, that all." Cerv grinned after his speech. What a lovely day it
was, getting to be so strong and mighty. And how handsome this new Cerveaux
was, too. Cerv had finally seen his face in the pond just near camp. He
liked it immensely, and spent the better part of an hour looking at himself
in the reflection while Adem set up camp.

The dinner was scrumptious: canned beef, more bread, boiled pond water, and
some canned fruit cocktail. Lovely. Cerveaux ate a bite, shot off, came back
five minutes later, ate a bite, shot off, repeated... He just couldn't sit
still. Adem ate in silence, trying to keep track of the little guy. Adem
finished his meal, and then finished Cerv's. It was obvious that Cerv was
restless, and he wasn't going to eat his dinner. Nothing else to do, thought
Adem. I don't think that pond water would make me cleaner, and I need sleep.

Adem knew that by picturing the Dark Abra in his mind, and beckoning to him
mentally, Cerv would come. Every time. It never failed. It led Adem to
wonder... Could he do that with the messages? Nope. Adem tried that, too.
Nothing. Well, you can't have everything. Who would want everything? That
would spoil life's little surprises...

Cerveaux responded to the beckon and was in the small tent like a bullet.
Adem was undressing, so Cerveaux just flew over slowly, and dropped onto the
foot of the thick sleeping bag. Adem zipped up the domed, three-man tent and
twisted the switch on the lantern. By the time this was done, Adem could
hear Cerveaux's faint snores in the darkness.

"No rest for the weary, no sleep for the needy... Puh, yeah right..." Adem
snorted.

The next morning, the world was covered with a light mist. The dew blanketed
all, even a resting Hoot-Hoot sleeping on an outstretched branch, whose
thick, feathered coat kept him warm.


"C'mon, AdemMaster, you be getting up now, can't sleep no more. You is
needed awakey-wakey."  Cooed Cerv's soft message.

"Fine, fine, be that way..." Adem said. He was annoyed and frustrated that
Cerveaux would get him up this early... The message invading his mind,
thoughts, and effectively dreams woke him up immediately. No if's and's or
but's.

Adem glanced at his watch. His eyes wouldn't focus, so he let them adjust.
"Aw, shit, I gotta get up," groaned Adem. It was 10:23 in the AM. Ass-biting
Morning, that is. Adem slid out of his warm sleeping bag, letting the clod
morning air strike and bite his skin.

Violet City awaits, Adem. The gym is calling you. Just to defeat it,
nothing else. It isn't much more than a gym. You can defeat whatever
pathetic weakling Violet has in store for you. Just you and Cerv.


"You know, Cerv, you're pretty powerful-"

"Thanks." Interrupted Cerv.

"-But I still don't think you're enough to defeat Violet City's Gym alone."
Concluded Adem. He was right. Violet City's Gym housed the Normal types,
ones of high levels and evolutions. Adem was right in his conclusion, but
not his solution. "We'll just have to train some more. Or rather, you will."
Bad tactics, Adem.

"What is you meaning, AdemMaster?"

"You just go on ahead. If you can take an experienced Donphan down, then I'm
confident that you can take on any wild Pokemon here. Just message me when
you find one, okay?" Adem asked. Cerv didn't even answer; he just shot ahead
gleefully.

"Pidgey... More Pidgey wif one... They is being a flock... The Dark taked
care of dem. Sandshrew...He is being small, I is not being strongest on he.
Now snake-Poke... He sleeps now. And another Pidgey..."  Cerveaux went on
and on. Before long, Adem counted 54 total Pokemon fainted, and then he lost
count. Abra had encountered a swarm of Zubat.

Adem and Cerveaux reached Violet's outskirts at about noon. A group of kids
surrounded Adem, peering at Cerveaux, who was perched on Adem's shoulder.
Cerv grew nervous, and before Adem could stop him, he shot off. A thin red
beam shot out and stopped Cerv in mid-air.

"Please go away. You're bothering my Pokemon." Stated Adem, who kept his
stern face staring straight ahead, and his pace never slowed nor quickened.
One of the kids piped up,

"What IS he?!"

"None of your business." Said Adem.

"Hah! I bet he's a demented runt. You suck!"

"Well, this demented runt could kick your ass, or anything ya got, kid."

"!!!"

Adem Canton was signed into the Ruby Rose Red Violet Inn at 4:00 PM. Adem
had trouble signing in: he couldn't pronounce the name. Adem hurried up to
his small room, dumped his stuff, and walked back out the wooden door with a
bell's tinkle.

Cerveaux got very disgruntled inside the Pokeball. He rattled the ball out
of Adem's belt three times on his way to the Violet City Gym. When Adem
finally stepped through the door, he released Cerveaux. Cerv stretched,
yawned, stretched some more, and perched on Adem's left shoulder, which had
become accustomed to the abnormal weight.

Adem approached the secretary cautiously.

"I, uhh... I'm here to..." Adem stuttered. The secretary looked as if she
could've cared less if the Gym Leader had fired her. She glanced up at Adem
past her Vogue magazine, and cocked her thumb towards a pair of heavy oak
doors. Adem mumbled some gratitude and trudged towards the door. Butterflies
were ringing warning bells profusely in his stomach.

"I is a lil scared... Is you scared, AdemMaster?" asked Cerv.

"Hell yeah. My first Gym battle... Wow... I just can't believe I'm here. It
seems like yesterday that-" Adem stopped and craned his neck to look ad
Cerv. He was faking sleep and emitting mock snoring noises. Adem broke out
running and then stopped. Cerveaux crashed onto the tile floor with a thud
and a cry of disturbance.

"Why is you doing that to poor Cerv? I is just giving AdemMaster
hew-morr..." the message muttered. Adem smirked and shook his head at the
rookie Pokemon.

Adem turned and pulled on the metal door handle, opening a gym door
effortlessly. A flying blur became snagged in Adem's peripheral vision
immediately. Adem instinctively turned, and reprimanded himself for it. He
tried to block the oncoming object, and braced himself. For nothing. Nothing
came and struck Adem. He looked up. Cerv had lifted himself off Adem's
shoulder and was holding a limp Machop in his sharp, clawed hand. Abra
dropped the fainted Pokemon with a thud. He floated back to Adem's shoulder.

"Er, nice catch, um, Cerv..." stammered Adem, walking forward with a wary
eye.

"Tat's nuffink. Watch me catch Gymmie's Pokes, then you see something!"
That comment bolstered Adem's confidence, and he stepped towards the
trademark Pokeball in the middle of the Gym Leader's floor.

"I am Adem Canton! I challenge this Gym leader to a match for his badge!"
Adem jolted when the answer came from the shadows.

"I accept, rodent."