"Ice." Alec began as they trekked through the forests north of Viridian. Once the paperwork had been taken care of and Oak had taught Alec how to use the TM machine-
A curious device that sort of looked like a CD player with a bowl-like attachment on top. Apparently, the reader underneath would scan and read the TM and the device on top would rotate a PokéBall with a PokéMon inside of it to impart or transfer a mechanical understanding of the technique. Actual training would still be required to make use of the technique but the PokéMon would have an edge on using it.
"Ice is, in some ways, the opposite of Fire. Ice is still, patient. Ice is where there is no movement, the cold sucking away everything until it is perfectly Still." At his heels, Sirius walked quietly. Listening, even if he couldn't use Ice Type Energy.
Zeph was curled around his neck, hanging on his every word. She was in the same boat as the dog, wholly unsuited to using the ability in question. Unlike him, she was particularly weak to it.
"Ice is bleak, one of the harshest extremes in the world. It can offer great power to those that would use it but it comes at the cost of equally great fragility. Too much motion, too much energy like Fire and it would melt. The still structures within become fragile, unmoving and unyielding unlike Steel. Any great impact, from a closed fist or a thrown stone would both see it shatter."
They stopped as they heard buzzing overhead. Too small wings flapping at an insane pace to keep the body of an insect aloft.
Alec eyed the Beedrill curiously as it stopped to examine them, head tilting from side to side in sharp, jerking motions while its antennae flicked up and down. It wasn't approaching, however, and Alec wasn't looking to track down the hive.
He knew that wasps and bees could in fact be 'trained' to recognize certain people. It was a slow process of more-or-less placing oneself in their vicinity and allowing them to learn a person's scent and features, of making yourself a part of their background.
Beedrill were meant to be smarter, however... Even if they were still the equivalent of nature's hatred.
Hornets.
Alec's eyes remained locked on the red, compound orbs of the meter-tall insect. Zeph darted under his clothes, poking her head up under Alec's chin to hiss at the creature while Sirius growled, greasy smoke escaping from his jowls.
"Ignore it." Alec finally decided, looking back towards the path to Pewter and walking away. "It's just a Beedrill."
The poison type PokéMon held its forearm stingers aloft menacingly as Alec passed, Sirius watching it carefully, but it hovered in place even as Alec stepped within range of the angry creature.
And then Alec was out of range, unharmed and unmolested.
"Bugs." Alec shifted the focus of what he'd been talking about. It seemed a bit more topical, all things considered. "Bug type PokéMon could be considered living machines. In nature, their only interests are eating, evolving and procreating. It's this single minded purpose that pits them so effectively against Psychics, the near-mechanical function of biology and purpose. They exist without conceptual fear- If something doesn't present a clear, physical threat? Then it may as well not exist."
Alec continued to ignore the Beedrill that slowly hovered after them. The growing drone implying that more of them were coming.
"Psychics cannot comprehend them. The Dark is a place in which they actively hunt for food. The Grasses and the PokéMon that are found within make up their meals. Should you upturn the Ground? There they are. Between their strong carapace and organically mechanical limbs, they can shrug off blows that would kill or cripple a mammal of the same size." The droning was getting fairly loud, actually... And Alec still didn't really feel like he was in danger even as a swarm surrounded him. "The only things the Bug type fears are all very real, very present dangers. Fire might not do much to the carapace but their insides have little in the way of defense- In fact, when Beedrill attempt to invade a Combee hive? The little PokéMon will swarm the Beedrill, covering them and flapping their wings to create a living furnace. Many of them will die but they'll burn the Beedrill to death in the process."
Alec stopped and turned around, looking across the dozen or so PokéMon that had shown up. Mostly Beedrill but some were carrying Kakuna, a few even had a Weedill clinging to them.
He turned back around, one hand gently going down to rub along Sirius's head to silence the whimpering PokéMon.
The Beedrill weren't brandishing their lances. Whatever their curiosity was, they didn't feel the need to threaten him and his team.
"Aside from Fire?" Alec said, possibly a little louder for the audience behind him. "Bugs fear only two things. Flying types have a habit of making them into food. They tend to attack where most Bugs are at their weakest, with piercing beaks to break into the Bugs armor and speed enough to catch up to them. Finally, Rocks. Rock tends to focus a lot of energy, especially kinetic, into a surprisingly large space. Between density, weight and power? It's all too easy for the Rock type to split a bug into pieces."
The end of the Viridian Forest was getting closer and closer, which meant Alec would soon be dealing with his first two assignments.
One of which involved ascending -over- Mount Moon instead of through it. Professor Oak had given Alec a camera and instructions that he'd like the outsider to observe Clefairy and Clefable, to take notes and pictures on anything interesting.
The buzzing behind Alec and his team faded as the Beedrill returned to their various tasks.
The other assignment?
"Alright you two." Alec took his hand off of Sirius's back and brought it up to run over Zeph's head, the tiny dragon leaning against his hand with a content 'Dra~ah'. "Let's go rest up for a bit and then get ourselves the Boulder Badge."
Meeting the pre-requisites for his job.
"Iron Butt?"
