Chapter 2: Drift

It didn't take long for Daniel to get control of his emotions after Ranger Smith caught him catching the sandshrew. Once he did, he released his starter in front of him. The little ice shrew coalesced before him and immediately started chirping and grunting at him, holding out its little paws expectantly.

Daniel chuckled, but handed over several pieces of kibble. As the sandshrew began eating, Daniel reached out to touch its head. When he first moved, the sandshrew stopped eating to eye his hand wearily, but let him approach. Its shell was completely smooth aside from groves criss crossing across it, slightly wet, and freezing to the touch, almost like an icicle. Daniel stroked the icy exterior but the pokemon gave no response.

He moved his hand slowly towards the softer, furry belly of the shrew. Seeing this, the pokemon dropped the kibble and curled up, protecting its stomach. It wasn't completely curled into a ball; Daniel could probably wriggle a finger in to touch its belly, but the intent was clear. The sandshrew might have agreed to be his pokemon, but he hadn't gained its trust yet.

"Alright," he said, backing his hand away, "We're not there yet. One day." The shrew peaked up at him for a moment before straightening out and continued eating the kibble. Daniel stroked its head while it ate to try and get it used to contact, though he wasn't sure if it felt the touch. "We're gonna have to find a name for you soon though. I can't keep calling you 'it', now can I?" An ear twitched, but it didn't look up from the food.

While the pokeball technology was amazing, it wasn't a miracle worker. It would take a week or so before the sandshrew really started to understand him. In the meantime, talking to it and touching it would help acclimation to it's new lifestyle. "Well come on, little guy. Let's go hang out with the spheal and piplup. I came this far, might as well start getting to know the group."

So Daniel started off towards the group of seals and penguins, his first pokemon following behind in a funny, but oddly effective combination of rolling, sliding and walking. "We're going to become great," he said to the sandshrew as they walked. "I've always wanted to be a trainer. To challenge gyms, to explore the world. Maybe, we'll become champions one day. That feels like a stretch though, but I guess every champion starts as a rookie."

The sandshrew remained quiet.

Daniel finally stopped around twenty yards away from the group of piplup and spheal and settled down at the base of a large rock. Already little penguins were glancing over at him, though none were brave enough to approach. Daniel figured they were close enough to be interesting, but not so close to be a threat. The sandshrew glanced at the group and then looked back at Daniel before it curled up a couple feet away from him. While its eyes were closed, Daniel knew it wasn't sleeping based on how its ears would twitch at any sound.

Still, he took the time to pull out his pokedex and linked it to the luxury ball of his starter. After a moment of synching up, the sandshrew was officially registered as his first pokemon. The sandshrew was an eighty pound male and a little over two feet tall. It was about six months old. A few clicks later, he was looking into the updated database of sandshrew.

Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokemon.

Ground type sandshrew live in areas that get little rainfall. They curl up into a ball in order to protect their soft underbelly with their hard, scaly shell. Despite this hard shell, sandshrew are still considered mammals. They are pale yellow, with a whiter underbelly. Sandshrew evolve into sandslash at around a year old.

Ground type sandshrew was the first discovered species of the pokemon, and was the only one known about for centuries. It wasn't until a volcanic eruption on Akala Island in Alola that the commonly known Alolan-sandshrew was discovered, as the eruption forced many sandshrew and its evolved form sandslash scurrying down the mountain to safety.

Alolan-sandshrew are ice and steel type pokemon that have a much harder, thicker shell than their desert cousins. Due to the rigidity of their shell, Alolan-sandshrew cannot completely curl up into a ball, though they still instinctively curl up in defense. Ice type sandshrew primarily live at the top of mountains, though have been sighted in regions of constant snow.

These shrews have an igloo-like exterior that is a pale blue with yellowing fur covering their belly. It is unknown how the ice type sandshrew evolve into sandslash. There have been ten recorded trainers since the pokemon was discovered who managed to evolve it. Only two living trainers currently have an Alolan-sandslash: Andri Berg Snowpoint City Gym Leader in Sinnoh and Arthur Bishop the 3rd Elite of Alola.

Both types of sandshrew are primarily carnivorous, preferring to eat insects over anything. They have been recorded to eat berries and nuts when no other food could be found.

Sandshrew are cared for by their mother for the first couple months of their lives before being left to fend for themselves. Typically, the group of baby sandshrew will stay together for the next couple months before branching out and living alone, where they aggressively defend their territory against other sandshrew.

Daniel stopped reading as the information moved on to breeding habits. Kibble would work for now, but he would need to buy a more specific formula for his starter. He would also need to start looking into how to evolve the pokemon. Talking to the gym leader might help, though trainers were notoriously secretive about evolution techniques. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try and it was better to start looking sooner rather than later.

Glancing at the time, he decided it was time to head home. None of the piplup had dared venture over to him, but they weren't startled when stood up. His sandshrew wasn't either, hopping up almost immediately after Daniel moved.

There were significantly more people along the banks of the lake near the ranger outpost when Daniel made it around the lake. Tourists were snapping pictures with Uxie's island in the background and a group of priests were praying on mats a short distance from the water.

The few rangers milling about outside the outpost waved at him, calling out congratulations. Ranger Smith obviously had told them about catching the sandshrew that was sliding along behind him. The ranger in question stuck his head out of the outpost at the commotion. He gave him a wave before heading back inside.

The walk back to Snowpoint from the lake took nearly an hour longer than the walk to the lake due to his hurting leg and the sandshrew. The pokemon walked slower than Daniel in general, but it also would stop to play often. Almost every large snowdrift they passed, the little shrew would pounce into creating a large cloud of snow. It would then have to dig itself out, chortling the whole time.

Anytime a pokemon crossed their paths, the sandshrew would put on a surprising burst of speed, chasing after the pokemon. He would tackle the pokemon, then let it go. He would then race back to Daniel, sliding to his feet and chirping proudly at his trainer. Once it found a snom, which he promptly ate.

"Sorry bud," Daniel said to his starter as they walked up to a large, stone sign that read 'WELCOME to SNOWPOINT CITY'. "You have to go back into the ball." His starter's curious look turned to a glare when Daniel pointed his ball at him and returned the pokemon.

Trainer's weren't allowed to keep pokemon out of their pokeballs while inside city limits until they had four badges. The idea was to give trainers time to establish discipline in their teams. It kept civilians safe and kept the peace inside cities. There were exceptions to the rule such as designated battle plots, private homes, and pokemon centers.

The pokemon center was Daniel's first stop in the city. Pokemon centers were required to all have the same exterior so they were easily picked out by visiting trainers. Most larger cities had multiple centers, the Snowpoint only had one due to its remote location. Pokemon centers were painted white with a bright red roof and pokeball symbol above the doors.

The center had at least thirty trainers inside that Daniel could see. Due to the harsh winter, most trainers challenged Snowpoint during the short summer season. So it wasn't too surprising to see so many trainers in the center with it being the middle of summer. He was mostly ignored as he dropped off his pokemon, even the nurse taking little notice of him. It wasn't until he was walking out to go to the trainer outpost while his pokemon was being looked at that someone acknowledged him.

"Hey you!" Daniel turned to find a tall, tanned guy moving to catch up with him. He looked to be maybe a year or two older than him. When he caught up to Daniel, the guy continued, "Haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"

"Daniel. What's-"

"Danny. I like it. I'm Cal. So Danny, how many badges do you have?"

Daniel twitched slightly at the nickname, but let it drop. The guy was walking with him, not paying any attention to where they were going. "I don't have any badges. I jus-"

Cal cut him off again, " No badges and you braved the trip up to Snowpoint? Heatran's ass that takes some balls. Props kid. Where ya from?"

"I'm actually from here. Just finished up the survival course like a month ago."

His companion was quiet for a moment before he chuckled. "Well, I guess that's on me for assuming. So Danny, what'd ya get for a starter? Saw ya dropping something off at the center."

Daniel grinned a bit, "A sandshrew. I came across a group of them today and caught one."

"Sandshrew, huh? Gonna be rough going against an ice type gym - wait. You mean the ice type shrew, right?" At Daniel's nod, he continued, "Oh that's cool! Haven't come across one of those before."

The pair entered the outpost and Daniel began looking through the various foods. "How many badges do you have, Cal?"

"Hm? Oh, me?" Cal looked up from a pair of snowshoes that he had picked up at the door, "I have six. Snowpoint is seventh then down to Eterna. Was kinda planning on hitting Snowpoint last, but took a trip to Iron Island after Canalave, lost track of time, and decided to come up here during the summer instead of sitting on seven badges for a year."

Daniel nodded as he decided on the formula of insect-based food. It would hopefully only be a supplement to the sandshrew foraging, as it was more expensive than the generic kibble. "So when are you battling Leader Berg?"

"Don't really know, honestly. I like to spend some time in the area before battling. Go at my own pace. Speaking of, are you planning on bailing soon or are you staying for your first badge?"

"Yeah. Leader Berg has a sandslash, so I want to get some tips from him, maybe find out how to evolve my starter. But it'll be a while. I need two pokemon to challenge and I only just caught my starter."

The pair checked out, Daniel getting the food and Cal getting a couple ice picks and a pair the pair of snowshoes he found. "So the rest of your class, they already get the badge or did they split?"

"Not sure," Daniel responded, "None of us were really close. I know they were all planning on leaving, but I don't know if they have or not." The older guy nodded but remained quiet as they made their way back to the pokemon center. Along the way, they both got notifications on their pokedex that their pokemon were ready to be picked up.

Once back at the center, they picked up their pokemon, Daniel his one, and Cal his team of eight. As he went to wish Cal a good evening, the man spoke up again, "So Danny, what d'ya say to coming camping with me for a couple weeks?"

"Uh, what?"

"You're new to this whole thing, right? The survival class is good and all, but it doesn't really cut it compared to the real thing. So let me show you the ropes. We'll try to get you your second 'mon. I like to take my time anyways, so I was already planning on taking a trip to the mountains."

"Yeah, sounds good! But, why would you want to help me?"

Cal shrugged. "I got screwed by some hotshot when I was a new trainer. I felt like shit for weeks. Told myself I wouldn't be like that, ya know? World's a dangerous place, so we should be helping each other, not crushing dreams. It's what Arceus would want, at least, to have everyone helping each other out."

"That's - yeah. Yeah, I'd love to come. Thanks Cal," Daniel said.

His new companion cheered up almost immediately at that. "Cool! So how 'bout this? You take the week. Get your starter listening to you, talk to Berg, and whatever the hell you want to do. Then we'll head out, and plan to get back before summer ends."

"Works for me. I'll be ready!"

"Sweet! Alright, I'll catch ya later Danny. Gonna see if I can catch any live battles at the gym." They quickly exchanged contact information before going their separate ways. As Cal headed to the gym, Daniel began his long walk home.

His parents were both excited and surprised to find that he had his starter after only one day at the lake. Daniel thought it was mostly due to the fact that he hadn't gotten in trouble and wouldn't be risking it anymore. Due to the sharp nails on the shrew's paws, his mother forbade the pokemon from being inside. "We paid a lot of money for those hardwood floors; I won't have them ruined," she had said.

They were also pleased that his first true stint away from home would be with someone more experienced to help him get used to being in the wild. It was refreshing for him that his parents were becoming more accepting and supportive of his dream. Even if he only just caught his starter, they had talked through his ideas for catching a pokemon and were noticing the work he put into being a trainer.

As it turned out, setting up a meeting with Andri Berg, the leader of Snowpoint city gym, was significantly harder than Daniel expected. He couldn't schedule a meeting over the phone. When he went into the gym, the receptionist turned him away, stating that the leader wouldn't have time for a meeting if he wasn't battling. So Daniel left town and explored the forest to the south with his starter, trying to acclimate it to different environments and to his presence. He tried again the next day to find a different receptionist. She told him to try again the next day around 1 in the afternoon as Leader Berg kept that time open for other duties aside from battling.

So Daniel went out onto Route 217 to explore with his pokemon. They passed a few trainers who were straggling into the city after a long journey north. His starter wasn't antagonistic towards the passing trainers, though he did draw close to Daniel whenever one would pass.

Like when Daniel first caught the pokemon, it constantly jumped into snowdrifts and would chase down wild pokemon, eating any bugs that they came across. He was starting to listen more to Daniel though. He would come back to Daniel whenever he would call. The pokemon paid attention when Daniel would tell him to chase down a pokemon he hadn't seen. It was clear that the pokeball was doing its job.

It was when the sandshrew went sliding out of control after jumping into another snowdrift that Daniel finally decided on a name for the rambunctious little pokemon. "I don't understand how you managed to slide on top of snow as heavy as you are," he said to him, "But you certainly enjoy sliding around and jumping into snowdrifts, so that's what I'm going to name you: Drift."

The newly dubbed Drift looked at him for a moment before grunting and blowing snowflakes at him. Daniel took it as acceptance of the name and spent the rest of the day using the name to help the pokemon get used to it.

The next day, three days after catching his starter, Daniel entered the gym intent on talking to the leader. "My name is Daniel Pugh. I'd like to talk to Leader Berg please," he stated to the receptionist, unfortunately, the same receptionist that sent him packing the first day. She didn't recognize him, luckily, but still scoffed at him dismissively. "Ma'am, I was told that Leader Berg doesn't hold battles today at this time. Please at least ask if he'll see me. I want to get some tips on how to raise my starter"

That got him a glare in response, but she did pick up the phone and hit a few buttons. After a couple seconds, Daniel heard a warbled voice come from the other line, though he couldn't distinguish any words.

"Yes, there's a Daniel Pugh here to see you… No, he does not have an appointment… He said he has some questions about his starter… Yes, I know all of the graduates used that same excuse to try and get a starter from you… I'll ask to make sure," she pulled the phone away from her mouth and addressed him, "What do you have as a starter?"

"I have an ice type sandshrew."

"He says he has an Alolan sandshrew… Are you sure?... Yes sir, I'll send him to training room four," she hung up the phone and looked at him. "For your sake, I hope you're not lying. He'll meet you in training room four. It's on level B-one, second door on the right."

Daniel thanked her and hurried to the stairs. He went down one floor and made his way to the training room. He only had to wait for a couple minutes before the gym leader arrived. Andri Berg was an unassuming man in his early fifties. He had short, salt and pepper hair and icy blue eyes.

"So, Mr. Pugh, you managed to catch a sandshrew as your starter?" The leader's tone held no hint of amusement. Daniel was sure that if he had lied to get this far, then he would likely be in a world of trouble with the gym leader.

"Yes sir," he said, swallowing any nerves. "I caught him a few days ago at Lake Acuity."

"May I see him?"

Daniel nodded and released his starter. Immediately, Leader Berg's eyes softened slightly and he knelt down to inspect the pokemon, who looked slightly startled, though he didn't move away. "I'm glad you weren't lying about this. Ice type sandshrew are incredible pokemon as are their evolutions," he paused for a moment before asking, "Hm, did you happen to find him in a group?"

"Yes sir. There were four or five of them. All of them fled before I even knew what they were. This one stayed back and I convinced him to join me."

The leader nodded as he looked over the icy shell of the sandshrew. He clicked his fingernails in certain areas, seemingly feeling for something, though Daniel wasn't sure what. He then moved to feel the sandshrews furry belly, but the pokemon curled in on itself. The leader just chuckled and tickled the shrews exposed ear. The pokemon shivered before opening up, which Daniel had never gotten the pokemon to do. "I can definitely tell he's a new pokemon. I would guess that he probably was ready to go off on his own when you found him. Quite lucky really. What's his name?"

"It's Drift."

Leader Berg nodded and tested the name out. The little shrew blew a couple snowflakes in his face in response, causing the man to laugh. "You're a friendly little guy. So, Daniel - may I call you Daniel?" At his nod the leader continued, "What can I help you with?"

"Well, there's almost no information on ice type sandshrew, so I don't really know what I need to be focusing on."

"I'm not surprised you struggled to find anything. Trainers like their secrets and scientists don't enjoy climbing mountains. Most trainers don't want to either for that matter." He was quiet for a minute as he gently stroked the sandshrews soft fur.

"Sandshrew are weak pokemon. You're going to feel like you need to focus solely on developing its attacking prowess and defensive capabilities for it to keep up. Don't. When they evolve, they get significantly stronger but also lose a lot of flexibility, something that is quite common among steel types if Leader David is to be believed.

"That being said, you need to focus on building his mobility and speed. Sprints, obstacle courses, stretches, that kind of thing. Obviously he needs to be well rounded, but it becomes much harder to build that flexibility once he evolves. So that should be your primary focus."

"So how do you evolve a sandshrew?" Daniel knew it was a shot in the dark, but he had to at least try.

Sure enough, the leader gave a deep, rolling laugh and mimed wiping away a tear. "That's a good one Daniel. You know, most high level trainers and gym leaders see evolution as a mark of a good trainer. So I would encourage you to figure out how to evolve your pokemon yourself. You'll both be better for it, and Uxie would be proud of your pursuit. Anything else you want to know?"

Daniel nodded at the advice, glad that Berg didn't get upset over the question. "Yeah, what about food? I got an insect based feed that was high in zinc, but I don't really know what I need to get."

"That's fine for now. When you run out of that, you'll want to get something with high vitamin c and magnesium. You might have to custom order it. It'll help with his energy levels and mobility. Anything else?" Daniel shook his head. "Well, I'm afraid I must be off then. If you decide to stay in Snowpoint until summer ends, I'll be much more available to discuss things then. Otherwise, I would say you have a good starting point. Good luck Daniel, and it was nice to meet you, Drift." The leader scratched the sandshrew's belly once more before leaving the room.

As most of the day had passed, Daniel decided to spend what was left at the gym. He found Cal watching preliminary battles in the arena and took a seat next to him. Aside from initial greetings, the pair were mostly silent as Cal was focused on the battles and Daniel was trying to figure out what Cal was watching for.

After the third preliminary battle, Leader Berg took the stage and battled a challenger. The trainer was battling for his fifth badge, but Cal leaned in as if Berg's championship team was being challenged. The challenger started off with a graveler against Berg's beartic.

The battle raged between the two contestants. It was pretty even, with both trainers losing a couple pokemon. They were both on their third pokemon when tides shifted and Berg began to gain the upper hand with his sneasel over the challenger's haunter. The challenger ordered his ghost to use destiny bond. The sneasel was in the middle of an attack and couldn't stop. The haunter took the hit and both pokemon fell unconscious.

The challenger sent out a lucario while Berg released a massive mamoswine. The leader's face was cold and emotionless. The way he ordered his pokemon subtly changed, losing the hint of thrill for battle and becoming more robotic and efficient. His mamoswine battled in much the same way, no move wasted and attacking with incredible power. The mamoswine beat the lucario quickly, only taking a couple hits, before bringing down the challenger's charizard with a single rock slide.

Cal leaned back in his seat with a grin on his face. "That was a fun match."

Daniel wordlessly agreed and asked, "What were you looking for? It wasn't like you were just watching for fun. You've been searching for something in every battle."

His friend chuckled but nodded at him. "Attentive, that'll help you later. I'm not going to just give you the answer but I'll help you out since you're new. Every gym leader embodies some principle that is supposed to help you grow as a trainer and as a person. Gym challenges aren't just to show the power of our pokemon, but to show how we've grown as a team and as a trainer.

"I've always found it helpful to learn what gym leaders value before going into the battle. Not to cheat the system or anything but to look at who I am as a trainer and try to better myself. And I think I just figured out what Berg values."

A new challenger took his place on the opposite end of the arena, and a second gym badge battle began. "So what happened that clued you in?" Daniel asked. It wasn't the same as asking for the answer, but it would give him more direction.

"You saw how Berg's vibe shifted after the destiny bond? That's what finally made it click. But I've been watching battles for three days now, so take some time to watch."

Daniel nodded and leaned back in his seat to watch the battle before him. He was still unsure of what to watch for, but he still focused in, intent on learning.