Darksallow Valley was not, Pip would admit, their favourite part of the island. However, there was no direction other than forward. If they wanted to see more of this place, they would need to get through here. So, armed with the strongest of their ever-growing pokemon team, Pip headed out.
Shortly after they arrived on the island they had received a letter from their grandmother who was ecstatic to hear that they had decided to start their pokemon journey. Mémère had been a multi-league champion back in her day and had turned down the opportunity to be a water-type gym leader in Kalos. She was still a very intimidating woman who assumed she knew what’s best for all of her children and grandchildren. She had always thought that Pip should have followed in her footsteps and had been trying to convince them to register with a league since they were old enough to own a pokemon.
So, the second she heard her favourite grandchild was finally becoming a trainer (in the traditional sense; as they had been working as a trainer at the family training facility since they were a child) she wasted no time in sending Pip a baby from her champion lapras’ latest clutch. Obviously Pip couldn’t refuse such a generous offer… even if they would have much rather not added so many water-types to their roster all at once.
That baby lapras was Lanette. She was a beautiful example of the species, with the deep royal blue colouring that Mémère’s lapras was famous for, perfect proportions, and a healthy and smooth shell. Mémère had said she was the pick of the litter, but she was actually also one of the finest lapras to come from their grandmother’s breeding program in years. They really were honoured to be chosen to train her.
Like most of their previous trips, Pip had both Mezzo and Little Guy out of their pokeballs as they set off to explore the forested valley. This time however, when they reached the part of the river that was wide enough, they also summoned Lanette from her ball.
The lapras looked around as she settled into the water, assessing the environment. She nosed the water and then looked up at her trainer, a bit disdainfully.
Pip sighed. “I know it’s a bit grimy compared to what you’re used to, but it’s good to train in a variety of water types.” The current of the river would require Lanette to work to stay at pace with Pip on the shore. They had an artificial river at the training centre back home, but the varying conditions of the real river provided an even better training environment. It also presented it’s own kind of challenges, of course. They eyes the water for any signs of lights below the surface.
